plumnovel Chapter 33 The Final Charge
Chapter 33 The Final Charge
At this moment, the Japanese advance was very methodical.
When the riflemen in front stopped, the machine gunners behind opened fire to provide cover; as soon as the machine guns fired, the soldiers in front took the opportunity to rush forward a bit more.
Although the front of the attack was not wide, it was well-structured and extremely oppressive.
They advanced cautiously and at a slow pace, clearly intending to lure any potentially hidden Eighth Route Army strongpoints into opening fire and exposing them through this step-by-step approach.
Instead of advancing forward, the small group of Japanese soldiers on the left took advantage of their comrades on the right drawing attention to move silently toward the right flank of the Eighth Route Army's position, attempting to outflank them.
This is precisely the tactic commonly used by the Japanese army: frontal containment and flanking maneuvering.
"Company commander, those Japanese soldiers on the right are trying to flank us!" Liu Tiegang, who had been keeping an eye on the flank, whispered a warning.
Yang Zheng had already seen it all, and sneered, "Trying to devour our flank? Quite the appetite. Luo Dashan, are the grenade launchers ready?"
"We've already got our aim set!" Luo Dashan waved to the people behind him. The four grenade launcher operators had already adjusted their firing direction based on the pre-determined reference points.
At this moment, the Japanese soldiers who were probing the enemy position had advanced to within 200 meters of the position.
Perhaps seeing that the Eighth Route Army's position remained silent, the Japanese sergeant leading the team became bolder, brandishing his saber and urging his soldiers to speed up their advance, and the formation became slightly denser.
"Now!" A cold glint flashed in Yang Zheng's eyes. "Grenade launchers! Smash those two machine gun nests in front of us! Light machine guns, block the Japanese flanking on the right flank, don't let them get close! Heavy machine guns, crush them! Riflemen, fire freely, focus on the advancing skirmishers!"
His order was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of firepower from the Eighth Route Army.
"Da da da..."
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
"Damn it..."
"Thump..."
In an instant, they unleashed their full firepower: four light machine guns, one heavy machine gun, two grenade launchers, and dozens of Type 4 rifles all fired at the Japanese soldiers.
"Boom... Boom!"
"Pfft, pfft!"
Two grenades exploded next to the Japanese machine gun bay, forcing them to immediately relocate even though they didn't hit them directly.
The Type 92 heavy machine gun emitted a distinctive "thump-thump-thump" sound, similar to that of a woodpecker, as it rhythmically fired at the charging Japanese troops.
In just one round, at least four or five Japanese soldiers were down, and the rest immediately lay down, clinging to the ground, not daring to show their faces.
At the same time, six grenade launchers had been set up behind the Japanese lines. The moment the Eighth Company opened fire, they immediately locked onto their respective targets under the command of their officers.
"Boom boom boom boom!!"
The Japanese counterattack was incredibly fierce, with grenades and light machine gun bullets, which had just been moved to a new position, raining down like they were free.
"Take cover!" Yang shouted loudly, pressing his head firmly to the ground.
Previously, it was all close combat, and the Japanese soldiers couldn't fully utilize their firepower advantage. Now, we've truly witnessed the terror of the Japanese.
The grenade launchers fired quickly and accurately, and the light machine guns also cooperated with the grenade launchers to suppress our firepower, making it extremely difficult for our side to move.
Meanwhile, the Japanese riflemen seized the opportunity to advance rapidly.
"Damn it, the Japanese are attacking fiercely, Company Commander..." Luo Dashan shouted.
Yang Zheng remained remarkably calm, ordering, "Grenade launchers, fire all the grenades! The faster the better! We don't aim to kill the enemy, we just want to prevent the Japanese from unleashing their firepower!"
Light machine gunners, quickly move to designated positions and provide suppressive fire; riflemen, prepare grenades.
As soon as Yang Zheng gave the order, the team sprang into action. Riflemen pulled out their grenades and held them tightly in their hands, grenade launchers fired grenades rapidly, light machine gunners moved to new positions, and the heavy machine gun was still firing.
Because there are large rocks on the gentle slope on the right as cover, there is still a safety factor as long as you are not hit directly.
What they were doing at that moment was frantically suppressing the Japanese grenade launchers at the rear, preventing them from concentrating on firing.
On the battlefield, bullets flew and explosions occurred at any time, but the two Japanese lieutenants stood calmly, issuing commands from time to time.
Under their command, small detachments of Japanese soldiers either attacked from the front or flanked the right flank to reinforce the troops.
However, due to Yang Zheng's command, the Japanese attack was not going smoothly. Every now and then, Japanese soldiers fell on their way forward, and every now and then, light machine gun teams were hit by grenades.
"Baka! Riflemen, quicken your charge, get closer, and prioritize taking the left flank heavy machine gun positions!"
"Grenade launcher team, coordinate!"
"Machine gunners must suppress the Eighth Route Army's fire to clear the way for the warriors' charge!"
As casualties continued to rise, and given that they knew the important train would be nearby in three hours, the two Japanese lieutenants exchanged a glance before accelerating their attack to avoid further accidents.
Yang Zheng held binoculars, constantly observing the situation on the scene, remaining extremely calm.
This direct confrontation was based on his own considerations and plans.
Firstly, if they retreat, the battlefields where the Japanese were wiped out in the early stages cannot be cleaned up, a lot of weapons and ammunition will be lost, and the corpses of those Japanese soldiers have not been burned, so he will not be able to obtain soul points and flesh resources.
Secondly, the current Eighth Company gave him confidence. Apart from the new recruits, the rest of the soldiers were elite, and they were equipped with light and heavy machine guns and grenade launchers. He did not believe that they would lose to the Japanese.
Of course, the most crucial thing is that he had already made arrangements for a backup plan, but the timing is not right yet.
What was that time?
"Light machine gunners, watch the gentle slope on the right flank. Don't let the Japanese rush up. Also, move the Japanese riflemen closer. Get your grenades ready. On my orders!"
Soon, the Japanese soldiers noticed that their attack on the gentle slope would be met with fierce firepower from the Eighth Route Army.
The clever junior Japanese officer immediately issued a new order, commanding a portion of his soldiers to attack the gentle slope to draw the Eighth Route Army's fire, while the majority of them quickly charged forward.
"Foolish Eighth Route Army soldiers! Once our warriors break through their formation, their heavy machine gun positions will be sitting ducks!"
The Japanese officer was very pleased with himself and kept issuing urgent orders.
Yang Zheng was also waiting for them.
"Grenades ready..."
100 meters…
80 meters…
50 meters…
30 meters...
"Throw!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Dozens of grenades appeared in the air and then fell.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The explosions continued, interrupting the Japanese soldiers' charge, who lay prone on the ground.
But after the explosion, the Japanese soldiers actually suffered fewer than eight casualties.
Moreover, before the smoke had even cleared, the Japanese grenades were thrown in retaliation, exploding continuously on the Eighth Company's position.
Taking advantage of this opening, the Japanese soldiers, bayonets fixed, launched their final charge!
"Kill them all!!!"