War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1964 Cannon

Taking the camera from the sorghum stalk, Wei Ran immediately recognized it as a Leica D model, a "new model from last year" in this era.

"Quickly put it away, this thing is very valuable."

As Gao Lianggan whispered his instructions, he had already reached out to another corpse.

How do you know what this thing is?

While asking questions, Wei Ran searched the body of the Japanese soldier who had been shot to death. Sure enough, the soldier had three spare rolls of film with sealed tubes in his pocket.

He didn't even need to open them; just by looking at the size of the three sealed tubes, he was certain that they contained two 35mm film rolls and one 116 film roll.

I've seen it before.

The sorghum stalk mumbled indistinctly, "Hide it well. This thing is much more expensive than a German-made Mauser pistol."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran put the three rolls of film into his pocket and continued to search the corpse.

There was still some reaping: several leather ammunition boxes on its waist contained sealed film reels with writing on them.

Undeterred, I tried again to retrieve the camera case, and this time the father was exceptionally accommodating.

Opening the camera case, Wei Ran quickly tossed the sealed cartridges with writing on them from the ammunition box into it, and glanced inside the case as well.

Unfortunately, at this moment, there were no other cameras in the box, nor the 1911 pistol that was originally hidden there.

Not exactly disappointed, Wei Ran hurriedly packed up his camera case before the others noticed, then stuffed the camera into his pocket and took the crucial ammunition boxes, rifles, and even the bayonets that hadn't been drawn from the other corpses.

Overall, the gains this time were quite good.

Apart from bundles of Type 44 cavalry rifles and a small number of Type 38 rifles, as well as backpacks full of bullets, grenades, and grenade launchers.

In the heart of the camp, the group also discovered a group of warhorses that had been killed before they could be untied, as well as more than a dozen supply wagons carrying hay.

More importantly, a large number of Type 92 infantry gun shells were stored in several of the houses.

Unfortunately, although there were plenty of shells here, there were hardly any infantry guns.

Moreover, even if they did have them, it would be extremely difficult and unrealistic for them to take them away.

Fortunately, the cavalry, the traitors serving them, and the supply soldiers responsible for transporting the baggage were all now dead.

Naturally, these ownerless warhorses became the best transporters.

Amidst everyone's busy work, most of the light weapons and ammunition prepared to be taken away ended up on the warhorses or draft horses.

Naturally, everyone also carried some of the spoils they had captured.

Putting aside others, besides the grenade launcher, grenades, and the hidden camera, Wei Ran also had other items on him.

He also wore a Japanese belt with ammunition boxes around his waist, and in his hand, besides carrying a Type 44 cavalry rifle, he also had a pack of explosives prepared for the infantry guns whose ammunition boxes were piled up together.

This was a mission he had fought for, for no other reason than that, although he had recently experienced that indescribable feeling of his brain going blank, strictly speaking, he had not completed the skill mission—he hadn't even detonated the cannon yet.

This inevitably made him curious: was there a bug in the book, or was there some kind of trap waiting for him—like a harmless but excruciating punishment for failing to complete the skill quest because he forgot to blow up the cannon?

He had no doubt that the living father had definitely dug a hole for him.

Lost in thought, Wei Ran placed the explosive charge under several shells and prepared himself, holding a kerosene lighter he had salvaged from the pile of corpses.

While waiting, he placed the Leica camera he had prepared to keep hidden on an ammunition box, adjusted it to B mode, and aimed it at Commander Zhao, who appeared to be injured in the leg in the distance.

Wei Ran gently pressed the shutter button, silently counting in his mind, and took a long exposure to capture the hero he wanted to photograph.

"boom!"

Just as he released the shutter, a cannon shot rang out in the distance.

"Detonate!"

At the same time, Brigade Commander Zhao also issued an order.

Wei Ran immediately put away his camera, and after the people around him had moved away, he used his lighter to ignite the fuse of the explosive charge.

However, before he could straighten up, and before the explosives buried in the ammunition box could explode, that indescribable feeling of mental malfunction washed over him again.

"You son of a bitch! I knew you were going to screw me over!"

Wei Ran, whose knees buckled again and he knelt on the ground, cursed through gritted teeth, watching helplessly as the surging white light engulfed him, and within the white light he vaguely heard a series of explosions.

As the white light began to fade, Wei Ran couldn't help but shiver. He felt the biting cold once again, and also the exhaustion that followed the long journey.

Once his vision returned, he noticed that he and a group of members of the Big Knife Squad were lying in ambush along the side of a mountain road.

The mountain road, covered in snow, was marked with tire tracks, and in the distance, one could even see some livestock wagons that had gone further and further away.

Looking around, Wei Ran was overjoyed to see a familiar face – Guo Xiuqi from the very first night raid! He was still alive!

Suppressing the urge to greet him, he quickly observed the other person and found that his attire was no different from when they first met.

Aside from having another metal Mauser pistol like the one in the book on his waist, the only difference was that he now had four grenades on his waist, and his shoulder was uninjured.

I checked my pockets again, and apart from the still warm water bottle, there was no camera that Bai Guang had secretly kept.

"Keep up! Grenades ready, pistol squad ready!"

Just then, someone gave an order, and everyone immediately crouched down and left their hiding places. At the same time, they each pulled out a grenade and wrapped the fuse around the base of their middle fingers.

Following the convoy from a distance, they soon spotted an artillery position.

At this moment, under the light of a few oil lamps, they could vaguely see that the livestock carts had just stopped, and some traitors were now gathering around to unload them.

Damn. Could that be... a cannonball?

Wei Ran couldn't help but swallow hard; what if he wasn't careful and someone threw a grenade at him?
"who is it?!"

Just then, a sentry hiding in the shadows shouted in Japanese and pulled the trigger at them!
"boom!"

With a distinctive blast of gunfire from a Type 38 rifle, Wei Ran felt a heat emanate from his shoulder, followed by a burning pain that spread along his nerves.

"Throw grenades! Pistol squad, take care of those cars! Don't destroy the stuff inside!"

Before the person who gave the order had even finished speaking, he had already raised his gun and pulled the trigger, killing the sentry who had just fired the shot.

"Kill!" Guo Xiuqi roared beside Wei Ran, and the two of them drew their Mauser pistols one after the other.

In an instant, accompanied by a burst of gunfire, the enemies around the supply wagons fell to the ground one after another, while grenades were thrown in all directions.

Amidst the deafening explosions, Wei Ran and the others rushed forward and threw the grenades they were holding into the houses where Japanese soldiers were peeking out.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

No sooner had a series of explosions ended than the squad that launched the night raid with broadswords rushed into the artillery position, brandishing their swords and hacking at the artillerymen, panicked collaborators, and some traitors stationed there.

"kill!"

As Guo Xiuqi let out a roar, he swung his knife and severed the shoulder of a Japanese soldier who didn't even have a weapon.

"kill!"

More and more members of the Big Sword Squad roared, and at the same time, they used their rather unsuitable and outdated weapons to smash the enemy's body.

"kill!"

Wei Ran, having emptied his pistol, also took out his broadsword.

But this time, almost instinctively, he easily knocked away the broken iron bar in the hand of the high-ranking Japanese soldier with a slanted slash, and then twisted his wrist to slice off half of the other man's neck.

This code works!
With blood splattered all over his face, Wei Ran revealed a maniacal smile. He rushed to a Japanese soldier who had finally picked up a gun and was busy charging at bullets. With a swift stroke, he dislocated the soldier's forelegs and then slit his throat once more.

Before the bloodstains on his blade could drip off, he had already slammed his blade into the barrel of a rifle held by the next Japanese soldier.

This Japanese soldier's rifle was already fitted with a bayonet, and he was also wearing a flag with hemorrhoids on it.

Even so, after Wei Ran's powerful slash, the barrel of the gun in the opponent's hand inevitably caused the body to turn at a certain angle.

"Oh!"

Wei Ran followed up with a straight kick that struck its belly, and dark red blood suddenly spilled from the corner of the Japanese soldier's mouth.

Using the large knife in his hand, he lifted the other person's armpit and stuck the tip of the knife into the wall of a house. Wei Ran tore off a grenade, bit down on the fuse, and gently tossed it forward.

Before the grenade even landed, he had already turned around, drawn his knife, and charged towards the two Japanese soldiers who were preparing to surround Guo Xiuqi.

Amidst the grenade explosion, his slash from behind struck the side of one Japanese soldier, then sliced ​​open the back of another.

Taking this opportunity, Guo Xiuqi also pried open the bayonet of a rifle, stepped forward, and decisively bled them out.

For a moment, Wei Ran couldn't tell whether what his biological father had taught him was the legendary Eight Blades of Breaking the Edge.

But he had to admit that these decisive and efficient stances were almost tailor-made for the Japanese.

Although it was just a few simple moves, it perfectly countered the Japanese soldiers' bayonet fighting habits, making his combat efficiency much higher than his previous K-style unorthodox methods.

In the midst of the night raids, which were as chaotic as chopping melons and slicing vegetables, and firing shots like frying beans, fewer and fewer Japanese soldiers remained alive on this artillery position.

"Tanks! Watch out! Tanks!"

Just then, someone roared, and Wei Ran also heard the roar of the engine.

After killing another Japanese soldier, he immediately put away his sword under the cover of darkness and rushed towards the armored vehicles that had just started up, together with Guo Xiuqi and others not far away.

"Grenades! Blow their iron turtles apart, you bastards!"

The commander, who was also fighting with a knife, roared out orders without even moving his position, even though it seemed to be within range of the armored vehicle.

"I'll fuck your island grandma!"

With a roar, a soldier clutching two smoking grenades rushed into the armored vehicles that had just started up and threw them into the hatches that hadn't been closed yet.

"Boom! Boom!"

Before the two explosions had subsided, several more members of the Big Sword Squad rushed to the armored vehicles and, at the cost of their own lives, blew the newly started armored vehicles to a standstill.

At the same time, Wei Ran and Guo Xiuqi rushed over, stuffed the grenades they were holding into the tank, and then pulled out the next grenade from their waists and rushed towards the next tin-plated tank.

After a series of muffled explosions, the Japanese soldiers, having lost their tank advantage, were once again dragged into a bloody grinding mill by the Big Sword Squad.

Wei Ran didn't know how much time had passed. He only knew that when there were finally no more surviving Japanese soldiers left on this artillery position, the broadsword in his hand was already chipped in several places from repeated collisions with the gun barrel. His hands were also trembling uncontrollably from exhaustion.

But the commander didn't give them time to rest. Instead, he dropped his equally chipped and bloodied broadsword, took a deep breath, and issued a new order.

"We can't take these mountain guns with us, so let's just fire a few rounds at the Japanese positions from here!"

As soon as the order was given, everyone rushed to the mountain gun position and worked together to turn the gun around.

"Xiao Guo, later you lead some men to blow up the Japanese artillery." An officer approached Guo Xiuqi.

"Aren't you taking them with you?" Guo Xiuqi asked with heartache, looking at the rows of cannons.

"Silly boy, even if we were all Arhats in a temple, how many cannons could we carry away?"

The officer sighed regretfully, “Having cannons alone isn’t enough; we also need shells. Rather than carrying these few living ancestors back and having them bombed by Japanese planes after only a few shots, it’s better to carry more guns, more bullets, and more bayonets back.”

"Then let's fire a few more shots at that son of a bitch," Wei Ran suggested.

"You're right, kid!" the officer sighed again. "What a fine mountain gun!"

"A good mountain gun is one that can hit the Japanese soldiers and kill them."

Wei Ran seized the opportunity to say, "Sir, how about letting me fire a few shots later? How about I participate in the explosions?"

"Then let you participate!" The officer readily agreed to Wei Ran's request.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran naturally uttered a series of thanks and ran to a Type 41 mountain gun to personally load the shell.

In that short time, the remaining artillery, propelled by the broadsword team, also turned and aimed at the rear of the Japanese positions in the distance.

"Fire!"

The commander who led them here for the night raid roared out the order.

"boom!"

Wei Ran first had the artillery under his command fire a shell—aiming at the back of the Japanese soldiers.