The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 437 Miweiya's life and death crisis: Behind the shield, who can stop the Japanese army&

The rubble on the cliff edge gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Eighth Route Army soldier Lao Zhou fastened the safety rope of the last wounded soldier to a rock bolt, his rough hands clenched with blood from the hemp rope. "Hold on!" he shouted down, his voice shredded by the howling mountain wind. Twenty meters away, Xiao Li, a member of the Young National Salvation Army, was using his bayonet to wedge a tree trunk into a crevice. Seven or eight ropes on a makeshift anchor point swung like venomous snakes in the night wind.

"Next group!" Zhang Weiguo fired suppressive fire from his Type 99 light machine gun, sending scorching shells raining down on the wounded. Liu Zishan supported his comrade, who had been shot in the leg, practically pushing him into the embrace of the rope: "Close your eyes! Hold on tight!" As the wounded fell, Japanese bullets grazed his back and penetrated the rock, stirring up gravel and leaving three bloody marks on his face.

Lei Tao pulled out a retractable, bulletproof titanium alloy shield from the Bagua gyroscope. The metal surface shone with a cold silver light in the moonlight. He half-crouched behind the shield, watching the dwindling figures on the cliff edge—only twelve remained, while the Japanese footsteps approached within a hundred meters. The Li brothers' Scorpion submachine guns suddenly roared, their muzzle flashes illuminating the helmets of the foremost Japanese soldiers.

Li Shuiniu ran out of bullets. He quickly pulled a spare magazine from his waistband and expertly inserted it into the slot of his submachine gun. With a push of his finger, he reloaded the submachine gun and immediately returned to the battle. Li Shuyang, while firing, keenly observed the Japanese attack route. Suddenly, he noticed several Japanese soldiers trying to circumvent the shield from the side. He immediately shouted, "Niu, there are Japanese soldiers on the side!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuiniu immediately turned sideways, using his body to block a corner of his shield, and quickly adjusted the muzzle of his gun to fire at the Japanese soldiers on the side. However, there were rocks blocking the side, limiting the shooting angle, and several Japanese soldiers took the opportunity to hide behind the rocks.

Lei Tao seized the opportunity, poked his head out from behind his shield, and fired several shots at the Japanese soldiers behind the rocks. However, due to the obstruction of the rocks, his shots were ineffective. He quickly retracted his body, fumbled for a grenade, decisively pulled the ring, waited a moment, and threw it towards the rocks. With a loud "boom", the grenade exploded, blowing the Japanese soldiers out from behind the rocks.

Just then, the Japanese discovered their position and began to concentrate their fire on the shield. Bullets rained down on the shield, clanging and sparks flying. Lei Tao held the shield tightly with both hands, feeling it tremble slightly.

"Get down!" Lei Tao shouted, and the Lishui Buffalo and Lishui Sheep quickly dropped to the ground, simultaneously rolling sideways to hide behind their shields. A Japanese soldier noticed their movements and immediately adjusted his rifle, firing in the direction of their tumbling. The bullets clattered against the rocks, sending up a shower of sparks.

Li Shuiniu and Li Shuyang used the momentum of their tumble to quickly adjust their positions and return to firing position. Li Shuiniu fired several shots in the direction of the Japanese, knocking down two soldiers. Between shots, Li Shuyang pulled a smoke bomb from his waist and threw it in their direction. With a loud bang, the smoke bomb exploded, and thick smoke instantly filled the air.

"Use the smoke to retreat!" Lei Tao shouted, and everyone quickly withdrew from behind the shield and moved quickly to the side under the cover of the smoke. The Japanese lost their target in the smoke and began to fire blindly, but most of the bullets hit the air.

Zhang Weiguo saw all this from below and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Last three people, hurry up! Brother Lei, hold on!"

Liu Zishan was dragging a wounded soldier onto the ropes. His uniform was already stained with blood, and it was hard to tell whether it was his own or his comrades'. Hearing the shouts, he quickened his movements, urging the wounded soldier while keeping a vigilant eye on the movements above.

Seeing that he could not take the cliff after a long time of attack, the Japanese commander glared at him, drew out his samurai sword and chopped down a small tree as thick as a bowl, roaring hysterically: "Concentrate your firepower! Blow up the cliff for me!" Following his order, ten mortars began to load ammunition in a hurry.

Lei Tao and his men quickly retreated to a new position, re-erected their shields, and prepared for the next Japanese attack. Li Shuiniu and Li Shuyang continued suppressing the Japanese fire with their submachine guns, their bullets raining down. Lei Tao observed the Japanese movements intently, his mind racing, searching for a countermeasure. Just then, Liu Hong, Peng Liang, and Li Zheng of the Railway Guerrillas appeared like ghosts on the Japanese flank. Their presence gave Lei Tao hope.

Liu Hong clutched a Mauser pistol in each hand, the black muzzle pointed at the Japanese machine gunners in the mortar position. With a flick of his finger, the bullets pierced the enemy's forehead with pinpoint accuracy. Peng Liang quickly pulled several homemade chain mines from his belt and, with a flick of his arm, launched them with a whoosh. Amidst the resounding "boom boom," three Japanese soldiers were blasted to pieces, their flesh and blood scattering everywhere, and the mortar was twisted and deformed. Li Zheng, brandishing his broadsword, charged into the chaotic Japanese ranks like a tiger, his blade slicing through the swaths of the Japanese army, shattering arms and heads, staining the grass red with blood.

When the first mortar shell landed, Lei Tao shouted, "Get down!" Everyone quickly dropped to the ground like agile cheetahs. The shell exploded nearby, and the huge blast knocked everyone to the ground. Lei Tao felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he ignored it and quickly got up, anxiously checking on everyone.

"Are you okay?" Lei Tao asked anxiously.

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they were fine. Lei Tao knew that they had to come up with a plan before the mortar fired again.

"Captain Zhang, what's the situation over there?" Lei Tao shouted loudly while observing the Japanese army vigilantly.

"There are still two people who haven't come down. Zhou Zhiyuan and his men have already gone to attack the mortar position. They should be able to be dealt with soon!" Zhang Weiguo shouted from a distance.

Lei Tao breathed a sigh of relief, but the Japanese firepower was still strong. He saw the right moment, poked his head out from behind the shield, and fired several shots in the direction of the Japanese, knocking down two Japanese soldiers. But soon, he retreated again because the Japanese bullets had already hit him.

"This is not a solution. We have to take the initiative!" Lei Tao shouted.

Li Shuiniu and Li Shuyang nodded. They adjusted their positions, preparing to launch another counterattack. Just then, Liu Hong's resounding voice rang out from behind the Japanese lines: "Brother Lei, look this way!" Liu Hong, along with Peng Liang, Li Zheng, Zhou Zhiyuan, and others, rushed into the Japanese camp like a tiger descending from a mountain, slaughtering them with abandon. Liu Hong's Mauser pistol and Peng Liang's chain mines coordinated, sending the Japanese soldiers howling in agony. Li Zheng's broadsword and Zhou Zhiyuan's dagger flew up and down, leaving the Japanese defenseless.

Zhou Zhiyuan and others successfully eliminated the Japanese mortar position. They shouted to Lei Tao and others: "The mortar position has been taken down, come on everyone!"

Upon hearing this news, Lei Tao and his men were greatly encouraged. They continued to engage in a fierce battle with the Japanese, using shields and terrain to dodge their bullets while looking for opportunities to shoot them. After a fierce battle, the Japanese offensive gradually weakened and they began to flee in panic.

Lei Tao looked at the direction of the Japanese retreat, and his tense nerves finally relaxed a little. He knew that the battle had finally come to an end, but they couldn't let their guard down and had to evacuate as quickly as possible. He turned to the others and said, "Don't let your guard down! We have to quickly rappel down the cliff. We might be pursued!"

Everyone took action immediately, carefully sliding down the rope, preparing to escape from this dangerous place.