under fire

Two iron-hulled ships were fighting fiercely on the river.

Just a few minutes.

All the large and small boats on the water successfully reached the west bank. Without caring about the supplies on the boats, they all abandoned their boats and ran ashore, stepping on the mud by the river.

Those swimming in the river were lucky, as the iron-hulled ship on the east bank attracted the attention of the Japanese.

I'm too lazy to pay attention to them.

The people went ashore one after another.

The boatmen that Li Xiang found through the division all had some experience in driving a boat.

But just knowing how to sail a boat and sailing a boat to fight on the water are two completely different things.

Fortunately, the Japanese soldiers on the motorboat did not seem to have any combat experience.

Because, over the years, every time the Imperial Army's iron-hulled gunboats came out, anyone who saw them would just run away.

The Japanese lieutenant was full of confidence. Looking at his opponent who was beaten to the point of being powerless to fight back, he thought that sinking or capturing the opponent was a foregone conclusion.

At all times, the invincible Imperial Army must attack when faced with an enemy.

Therefore, when facing Li Xiang, who also had no experience in water combat, the second lieutenant directly adopted the simplest charge tactic, using the advantage of light and heavy firepower to get close and kill the enemy.

As for those villagers who fled to Hexi, they just ran away.

The sound of gunfire on the river and the explosion of the Japanese mortar shells hitting the water surface created one column of water after another.

Soon, the small motorboat near the east bank of the river was hit so hard that even the sound of light machine gun fire disappeared.

Watching the iron-hulled boat in front getting closer and closer.

The second lieutenant ordered the mortars to stop firing and only heavy machine guns to fire.

The devils on the boat cheered.

Victory is at hand.

It's getting darker.

The fog grew thicker over the open canal.

The gunboat turned on the searchlight, and the light shone through the mist onto the iron-hulled ship about a hundred meters away.

The second lieutenant couldn't help but admire the courage of these Eighth Route Army soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect the people.

Unfortunately, no matter what kind of tricks, they are ultimately useless under the guns of the Imperial Army.

The iron-hulled ship seemed to be sailing into a patch of water weeds.

It is not surprising to see floating objects such as water plants on the surface of the canal.

The sound of heavy machine gun fire was still ringing, and bullets were pouring down on the iron-hulled ship.

In the telescope's view, it seemed that the other ship's bow was piled with sandbags.

Moreover, facing the shooting of the Imperial Army, the engine at the stern of the opponent's ship seemed to be smoking and not shut down.

Why didn't they run away?

The lieutenant suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

Things seem to be going too smoothly, almost abnormally so!

The lieutenant kept forcing himself to comfort himself in his heart that those Eighth Route Army soldiers probably hoped to use this iron-hulled ship to attract their firepower and allow the large and small wooden boats crossing the river to escape.

The other party didn't run away, so he must be trying to drag me here, right?

Arrow-shaped waves rippled and spread behind the ship.

Keep moving forward in the dark night.

The distance was only fifty meters, and all the Japanese began to get nervous.

The speed of the motorboat began to slow down.

The motorboat pilot at the stern eased off the accelerator.

Planning to move my neck.

Suddenly, I noticed a head covered with water plants suddenly appeared at the stern of the boat.

Under the water plants, a shirtless figure emerged from behind a ferocious face.

The Japanese stared in surprise and for a moment even forgot to shout a warning.

Because, the shirtless man had an Imperial Army cap on his head!

Then, he saw the black bayonet in the shirtless man's hand suddenly stabbed into his chest.

At this time, he let out a scream, but unfortunately, the scream was completely drowned out by the dull sound of the engine and the roar of the light machine guns that were still firing on the boat. As his body tilted, he watched several people's heads pop out from the side of the boat.

After climbing onto the boat swiftly, he tore open the oil paper bag and pulled out the worst Mauser pistol in the world.

Soon, the body fell to the deck, and flames began to spurt out of the muzzles of the worst guns within sight.

Bullets splashed blood on the backs of the imperial army elites who were on alert and shooting eastward.

The man with thin eyebrows and round eyes who stood beside him and stabbed him was shouting excitedly, "Fight and kill!"

The guy's feet seemed to be nailed to the boat, and he kept shooting at the elites on the boat.

Soon, the heavy machine gun fire that echoed across the river stopped.

The ugly muzzle of the gun did not stop.

It seemed that he was shooting his companions who had already been shot.

boom.

A bullet hit him in the forehead.

The driver finally could no longer perceive any images.

As the motorboat driver's foot left the accelerator.

The resistance of the river water quickly offset the inertia of the motorboat, and the speed of the boat slowed down rapidly.

Immediately someone waved his arms and screamed strangely.

More than a hundred meters away, Li Xiang's heart trembled, and then he shouted loudly: "Listen carefully, the sneak attack was successful, drive the boat over quickly!"

After hearing what Li Xiang said, everyone on the boat who were hiding behind the sandbags were dumbfounded.

Is it so easy to capture the Japanese motorboat?

Even the reserve troops on the shore, who had been holding back their tempers and preparing to send reinforcements, were dumbfounded.

They all stared at the river in a daze.

The Japanese plaster flag was torn down and thrown into the river

A platoon leader under Li Xiang stood up, panting and shouting in frustration: "You bastard, that's the Japanese army flag. Who the hell told you to throw it away? Hurry and pick it up for me."

Soon, the two motorboats came close together.

The division commander who boarded the ship first rubbed his hands and said, "Captain Li, this is a big deal."

Li Xiang looked at the unopened ammunition boxes on the boat and grinned: "We only want the shells and mortars, the rest is yours!"

"Hey, we agreed to split the spoils equally."

Li Xiang's face darkened: "There is only one cannon, how to divide it?"

The friendly army was a little embarrassed: "You just fired a few shots and two cannons, and the battle was over."

Li Xiang said calmly: "If we hadn't attracted the Japanese's attention, do you think those boats crossing the river could have been saved?"

"Or, hand it in first and wait for your superiors to make arrangements."

"No!" Li Xiang refused directly.

"We are all company commanders. If you say that, I won't be able to explain to the battalion commander."

Li Xiang's face became darker and darker: "I will ask your superiors for a reward for you later."

"Hey, forget about the reward, can you teach us how to shoot?"

"That's no problem. Now, let us show you how to disassemble the mortar!"

The Japanese commander of the mopping-up operation, a major, received a report that the Eighth Route Army had broken through the mopping-up line.

Holding his command knife, he looked toward the open area where the gunshots came from and raised his hand.

Immediately, an assistant opened the map beside him.

The Imperial Army swept in.

Eighth Route Army breaks out.

Everything seems to be still going according to routine.

There is almost no need to think about the countermeasures. It's just a matter of deploying troops.

Ten seconds later, the major said in an icy tone, "Order two, the first squadron of the regiment will gather in place to pursue, and the second and third squadrons will move northward from both wings to encircle."

"Order Two: The Fourth Regiment of the Imperial Army will deploy on the spot and hold back the Eighth Route Army that has broken out of the encirclement."

"Yes." The two Japanese soldiers jumped onto the three-wheeled motorcycles parked on the side of the road, stepped on the accelerator, and sped away, one heading north and the other east.

The major opened the door of the military vehicle and said with a smile: "Let's go and have a look. Killing rats at night is a different experience." (End of this chapter)