under fire

Just before nightfall, the Japanese escort planes returned to base after completing their final reconnaissance mission.

The massive transport fleet stopped in the middle of the canal, about eight miles west of Xiyongjian Village, to prepare for camp.

After sleeping on the boat all day, the nearly one hundred puppet soldiers ate dinner and then took small boats to the east and west banks respectively. They were about to take over the night watch from the puppet soldiers who had been traveling all day.

The sentries, both visible and concealed, were deployed five miles out to the open areas on both sides of the Grand Canal.

The patrol team dispersed to clear any potential "rat holes" in the open areas within the warning zone!
The Eighth Route Army guerrillas really do know how to burrow underground; I was attacked by them the night before last, as they were hiding in underground tunnels within the warning area…

Even if there are Eighth Route Army soldiers outside the warning area, we don't need to worry about them.

The darkness of night is advantageous for defense; whoever attacks will be at a disadvantage!

They traveled all the way, but those Eighth Route Army guerrillas kept haunting them.

One by one, ant-like figures approached the puppet army's sentry post.

boom…

bang bang...

The gunshots carried far through the night sky.

When no shots were fired, the banks of the canal were deathly dark!
Upon hearing the gunshot, the patrol team quickly arrived at the location of the shot. The two sentries, one visible and one concealed, at the forefront were all killed, each by a single shot.

The patrol team immediately sent someone back to request reinforcements. A search team of puppet troops, guided by the Japanese, hurriedly entered the darkness and began searching the open area outside the warning zone on the east bank of the canal.

There was nothing on the ground except for a few lines of fresh footprints.

The Japanese soldiers leading the search were unwilling to give up and decided to expand the search area, soon approaching Xiyongjian Village...

Boom boom…

The search team was hit by a landmine at the village entrance, and the death toll rose by three.

Five people have died since evening.

They couldn't even spot the enemy. Continuing the search into the village risked being ambushed by landmines again, and they also had to guard against the Eighth Route Army's diversionary tactics. On the advice of the puppet army platoon leader, the search team reluctantly carried the bodies back...

In Xiyongjian Village.

After the Japanese troops withdrew.

The plan to lure the snake out of its hole and ambush it failed.

Inside a main room with all the doors and windows sealed tightly.

A lantern hangs from a rope that dangles from the beam.

A sturdy eight-immortal table sits in the room.

Eight people sat around the table.

The head of the table was the commander and political director of the canal detachment, while the two company commanders sat on the left.

Captain Geng of the district's armed work team and Company Commander Li Huanzhang, the main force sent by the district, sat on the right.

The first person seated was Ma Liang, the training captain who had followed the Japanese fleet all the way from the south, and the other was Captain Geng of the Fifth Military Sub-district Armed Work Team.

Ma Liang was very familiar with Li Huanzhang and Captain Geng.

Sitting next to him was the squad leader of a traffic sabotage team from an allied force, who was actually one of their own.

After the introductions were completed, the canal detachment leader then used a map to describe the surrounding terrain and the latest enemy deployment information.

After hearing this, everyone looked unwell.

When the enemy fleet arrives, it stops at the bend in the river, but no ambush can be launched. Who can be in a good mood?
Ma Liang was also troubled.

The political director waved his arms and rallied the troops: "The Japanese are very concerned about reopening the Grand Canal for transportation. This battle is not only about attacking the fleet, but also about making the Japanese give up their delusion of transporting supplies through the canal!"

At this point, it means that a fight is inevitable, whether we like it or not.

As for how to fight, none of the people present could offer any useful suggestions.

A brief silence fell over the room.

The squad leader tapped the table with his knuckles, intending to gather everyone's opinions: "Everyone, don't keep quiet, speak up, whether it's useful or not."

Captain Geng, the leader of the armed work team, spoke first: "Could we try to work on those puppet troops?"

Ma Liang shook his head: "This group of puppet troops has quite a background. They are the main force of the 40th Army, which recently surrendered to the Japanese. It's impossible to persuade them to turn against us on the battlefield!"

The detachment commander gritted his teeth: "Our brother unit, the Independent Regiment, which has already moved into position on the west bank, will attack from both sides. I refuse to believe that we can't wipe out the puppet troops on the east bank, who are only a company in number."

Ma Liang shook his head: "The night before last, the Independent Regiment, which had entered the plains, joined forces with the district to launch a strong attack on the Japanese fleet with two regiments, but they didn't gain the slightest advantage."

The Weihe Detachment's combat effectiveness and equipment were far inferior to the main force of the division. The detachment commander was well aware of this and sighed upon hearing this: "If only we could transfer the division's armored vehicles and mountain guns over here."

"Armored vehicles won't work either. The Japanese ships have four mortars and two Type 92 infantry guns. One shot can overturn an armored vehicle." If Ma Liang didn't have that scar on his face under the lamplight, he would really look quite dashing!
"Your division has infantry guns?" The sabotage captain's eyes lit up.

Li Huanzhang shook his head: "The distance is too far; it definitely won't be delivered before dawn..."

The detachment commander said helplessly, "The higher-ups have given a death order: even if it costs lives, we must keep the Japanese fleet here!"

A death order.
水.
酒站
Hunshui River.
Ma Liang suddenly remembered the story of Hu Yi, who had a sheepskin bag tied to his body and drifted to Meixian.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in my mind: "Why don't we try a water attack?"

"Water attack?"

"The canal flows north. We'll choose a spot in the south and have the soldiers carry explosives wrapped in waterproof cloth. They'll drift downstream to the vicinity of the Japanese fleet and blow up the ships!"

"That's a good idea. If we were to dive there, it would be unlikely to go that far, and we wouldn't be able to get close to the riverbank."

"The canal's water flow is very slow, so you can drift downstream at night!"

"The Japanese fleet has searchlights, so it's still not easy to get close."

“We have gas masks with the ventilation tubes attached to air-filled sheepskin bladders, so we can breathe underwater and dive past the convoy when we get close.” “That’s right, we can also throw more weeds or rotten wood into the river for cover.”

"As the soldiers were about to approach the enemy fleet, we launched an attack on the puppet troops on the shore to divert the Japanese soldiers' attention!"

There are quite a few soldiers in the area near the canal who can swim.

The traffic sabotage team brought a considerable amount of high explosives.

It seems there's at least a 50% chance of success.

As for the soldiers' retreat after detonating the explosives, they could easily escape the Japanese fleet by continuing to drift downstream.

The biggest problem is that it takes a long time to dive from south to north across the northernmost part of the convoy to reach its location.

They could only breathe underwater, and they had to secure the explosive charge to the hull or side of the boat, and ignite the fuse underwater.
Once you have a goal, figuring out how to achieve it becomes much easier.

The plan is constantly being improved.

Although the river water was very cold in late autumn, it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the soldiers who had grown up by the canal and were skilled in swimming to bomb the Japanese fleet.

after an hour.

About six miles south of the Japanese fleet, logs were being pushed one by one onto the surface of the canal.

Clumps of weeds were thrown into the canal.

The twelve selected soldiers began to strap air-filled sheepskin bags onto their bodies and then attach gas masks.

The sabotage team leader carefully inspected the explosive charge wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin.

Then he explained to the soldiers how to pull the fuse.

Each person carried two iron nails, which were used to insert into the gaps between the wooden planks of the boat to ensure that the explosive charge could be hung on the bottom of the boat.

As for the iron-hulled ships, they have propellers at the stern.

After hanging it up, you need to ignite the fuse in the tarpaulin by feel.
After becoming familiar with the process, one by one, explosive packages sealed with tarpaulins were strapped to the soldiers' bodies.

Then tie a slipknot.

"Comrades, the glorious mission of blowing up the Japanese fleet is entrusted to you. I hope you will all come back alive!" The political director gave the soldiers a pep talk before the battle.

"We guarantee to complete the mission!" The skinny squad leader of the assault team stood at attention and saluted the "commanders" present.

"We only brought twelve explosive charges this time. Try to target the Japanese iron-hulled boats. As long as we blow up the Japanese iron-hulled gunboats, the puppet troops on the shore will have no artillery support, and then the transport ships on the river will be trapped!" the traffic sabotage team leader instructed.

"Everyone be careful, try not to get close to those logs and weeds. The Japanese will definitely open fire when their searchlights shine on anything suspicious on the river." Captain Geng patted the soldiers on the shoulder.

Soon, under the cover of night, twelve figures walked down the riverbank and waded into the water.

Twelve warriors clung to the logs, mingling among the weeds that were constantly being thrown into the river.

The canal waters flowed slowly northward.

It's quite far from the Japanese troops; it'll probably take at least two hours to drift there!
Time passes slowly.

A fleet of boats camped on the canal, and even an iron-hulled patrol boat, cruised on the water.

The searchlights swept back and forth across the river.

If any slightly larger floating object approaches the fleet, the searchlight circle will stop at the location of the floating object.

Immediately, Japanese soldiers raised their guns and opened fire on the river surface near the floating object.

The Japanese observer sitting at the bow of the boat was using binoculars to observe the river from time to time in the direction of the searchlight. Suddenly, he noticed a piece of wood on the river.

In the darkness, visibility is limited, making it difficult to see the location of the wood.

Following the principle of caution, the Japanese soldier operating the searchlight next to him stopped the beam on the wood.

They cautiously observed the piece of wood that was getting closer and closer.

When the logs were about a hundred meters away from the fleet, the light machine guns on the ship finally began to fire.

Bullets struck the logs near the river, splashing water in bursts.

Despite being hit by dozens of bullets, the wooden log remained true to its original intention and drifted downstream towards the fleet.

Two Japanese soldiers extended long bamboo poles, dragged the log closer to the gunboat, and retrieved it, but found nothing unusual.

Throw the log into the water and let it float.

The clumps of weeds on the river surface seemed to be increasing.
Bored, the Japanese soldiers began to raise their rifles and fire aimlessly at the weeds...

After the gunfire had gone on for a while, no more Japanese soldiers or puppet troops paid any attention.

The twelve-person team, which had been floating on the river for nearly two hours, was still at least a kilometer away from the searchlight.

Everyone had been watching the searchlights on the river for quite a while.

The light was too bright; the location of the Japanese fleet behind the searchlights could not be seen.

But knowing they were about to approach the Japanese fleet, they quickly shifted their gaze to the searchlights to avoid getting blinded.

"Don't worry, the searchlights on the Japanese ships can't reach very far. Everyone spread out to the sides and go around the Japanese patrol boats," the assault team leader shouted in a low voice on the river.

It's absolutely impossible not to be nervous.

Even so, the twelve warriors fearlessly approached the enemy fleet.

Some of the Japanese soldiers on the ship had already fallen asleep.

The puppet troops, who had walked along the canal banks all day, rested in shifts at night.

Gunfire continued to erupt from the gunboat.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a dozen or so puppet soldiers who were not on night duty were bathing in the shallow waters of the canal. (End of Chapter)