The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 105: Sudden Bombardment

"Boom!" The Japanese mountain gun and its crew were overturned. The squad leader's head exploded like a ripe watermelon, lying straight in front of the wheelless gun.

"There's a tank!" Kato, who was hiding on the side, was shocked and quickly called to the other 120 mortar group that had not yet been exposed: "Pay attention to the enemy tank, find it, and destroy it!"

The Japanese artillery was obviously not a pushover. When the tank fired the second shell and destroyed a Japanese light machine gun position, the hidden Japanese mortar group immediately locked onto the tank and quickly adjusted.

A mortar shell flew rapidly towards the M3t tank on the hill. "Boom!" The shell exploded less than three meters from the tank, blowing a soldier following the tank into the air. The massive shock wave shook the interior of the tank.

"The enemy has heavy mortars!" The driver quickly turned the turret and moved the tank to evade.

"Boom!" Another shell hit the right side of the tank, sending the entire vehicle reeling. The commander, suppressing the turmoil in his gut, ordered the tanks to charge off the high ground and into the weeds. At this point, without discovering the Japanese mortar's position, the best strategy was to hide!

Liu Jiang had already seen the continuous mortar fire from the other side of the Japanese position, and quickly conveyed instructions to the two mortars on his side, "The devil still has mortars, destroy them as soon as possible!"

At this time, several gunners of the Japanese 92mm infantry gun also endured the pain, stubbornly turned the infantry gun over, adjusted the gun position and coordinates, and fired at a firing jeep.

"Boom——", the jeep was torn apart by the shells and caught fire. The driver and machine gunner were obviously nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Lewis cursed inwardly, firing his carbine at the Japanese positions in a fit of rage...

The rocket launcher group finally completed the new loading. After a quick correction, "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh", another round of rapid firing was launched.

"Boom boom boom boom——" the shells once again covered the Japanese artillery positions, including the 92mm rifle gun, and the Japanese artillery was annihilated! The tanks had rushed to the front of the Japanese positions at full speed, and the parallel machine guns kept firing at the Japanese. The various teams also took advantage of the situation to attack.

Kato had to order his troops to retreat into the jungle, and the tanks, assisted by another jeep, continued to sweep away the fleeing Japanese troops.

Liu Jiang and his men rushed into the stronghold and engaged in a fierce battle with the wounded Japanese soldiers who had not had time to retreat. The battlefield was extremely harsh, filled with smoke and dust, and the ground was covered with craters and corpses.

After about 10 minutes, the last resistance in the Japanese stronghold was wiped out. In this battle, Liu Jiang and his team also lost a jeep and more than 10 soldiers.

As the soldiers cleaned up and repaired the stronghold, Lewis approached Liu Jiang and offered him an American cigarette. They lit each other's cigarettes and took deep puffs. Lewis said, somewhat frustratedly, "I didn't expect these devils to be so difficult to deal with. Just now, Sanchez collapsed right in front of me."

Liu Jiang understood his feelings and comforted him, "Captain, casualties are inevitable in war. Now we need to quickly restore our stronghold. The Japanese army will not retreat like this."

At this moment, Lewis nodded and said softly: "It seems that you Chinese are right. If the observation post was also built in the stronghold, I am afraid it would have been taken down by the devils early in the morning."

"Oh, who suggested you separate the observation post from the base?" Liu Jiang was curious after hearing what he said. Lewis sighed, "A young man named Ma Yao. Sadly, he died in yesterday's battle. Such a good guy, just gone like that."

Liu Jiang also felt sad. Another outstanding Chinese died on the battlefield.

Liu Jiang turned his head and silently surveyed his surroundings. He had a premonition that the Japanese attack would soon arrive. His mood was heavy and complex: on the one hand, he felt grief for the sacrifice of his comrades, and on the other hand, he was nervous and worried about the upcoming battle.

At this moment, a hurried call came from the observation post, "The Japanese army has a large force, there are mountain artillery, get ready! Take cover!"

"Whoosh", a shell whizzed in, and then a huge explosion sounded in the stronghold.

The shockwave from the explosion knocked Liu Jiang and Lewis to the ground, sending debris and dust flying in their faces. Before they could react, several more shells landed around the stronghold. "Boom, boom, boom!" Suddenly, the entire stronghold was enveloped in gunfire and smoke.

The Japanese artillery fire was incredibly accurate. In just a few minutes, with only 20 or so rounds, they had eliminated all the heavy firepower from the stronghold. The jeeps and tanks were stationed outside the stronghold. Although the Japanese weren't sure where they were, their mortars kept firing at possible hiding spots, forcing the jeeps to retreat to the area behind the stronghold where they had initially attacked and take cover.

The tank was in trouble. The first round of Japanese artillery fire had actually broken its left track. Fortunately, the weeds were too deep for the Japanese to notice. At this point, the tank crew could only wait quietly for the Japanese artillery fire to end, then repair the track and teach the attacking Japanese a lesson.

The rocket artillery team prepared to counterattack, but was stopped by the arrival of the combat staff officer Wang Rui. At this time, they could not expose their only counterattack firepower. At Wang Rui's request, the rocket artillery team quietly detoured to the other side of the bushes.

The enemy bombardment finally ended. Liu Jiang, ignoring the wound on his head from the debris, crawled over to Lewis. Lewis had lost an arm and a leg, and the American medics who had rushed over were bandaging him and giving him morphine.

Lewis weakly instructed Liu Jiang to take command, and then was carried out of the stronghold by two stretcher-bearers. Liu Jiang knew that Lewis's injuries would not allow him to survive until he could be transported to the rear. For this comrade he had just met and would soon say goodbye to, Liu Jiang could only pray silently in his heart. He turned around, gathered the remaining temporary officers, and assigned them their respective tasks.

Liu Jiang's heart was heavy, knowing the upcoming battle would be even more difficult. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. The battlefield was filled with smoke, ruins, and a shambles. Liu Jiang looked around, seeing the busy figures of soldiers, their eyes revealing firm determination as they prepared intensively. Liu Jiang felt a heavy responsibility: he must lead these soldiers to hold their ground and resist the enemy's attack.

At this time, combat staff officer Wang Rui also climbed over the trench and came to him, telling him the hidden location of the rocket launcher. After calmly thinking, Liu Jiang asked Wang Rui to rush to the observation post to assist the staff in evacuating.

By this time, Liu Jiang had already concluded that the large-scale Japanese offensive was inevitably linked to a struggle for control of a key thoroughfare. His own troops and firepower were simply no match for the incoming Japanese forces. He could only disperse and employ delaying tactics, hoping his superiors would quickly dispatch reinforcements.