Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 10: Unable to Get Out
Watching the approaching Japanese tanks and the corpses of his brothers who had just been shot down in the street, Instructor Li closed his eyes in anguish. He took a deep breath and waved his hand, sending seven or eight soldiers to a water vat by the side of the street.

They put their backpacks into the water tank, soaking the blankets inside, and then carried the backpacks on their chests. Everyone began to line up in a straight line, while the soldier at the back was strapped with grenades all over his body.

Yes, you guessed it right. These training corps soldiers were preparing to use their own bodies as cover to protect the last soldier as he approached the Japanese tank and then blow it up.

Lacking anti-tank weapons, Chinese soldiers could only resort to this tragic method to perish together with Japanese tanks.

Just as the soldiers were preparing to rush out of their cover, another loud gunshot rang out.

The lead tank suddenly charged toward the street diagonally opposite, then crashed into a wall. With a loud bang, the collapsing ruins buried the 1.62-meter-tall tank in the rubble.

The tanks behind panicked upon seeing this, and the drivers frantically shifted into reverse to try and back up, forgetting that they were surrounded by their own infantry.

Amidst screams of agony, the panicked tank crushed three of its own soldiers under its tracks.

"Baka Yalu..."

The squad leader, enraged by the sight, launched into a tirade of curses. However, the only remaining Type 94 tank paid no heed to his curses. The terrified tank crewman, still in reverse, tried to retreat to the corner of the street.

However, his wish was not fulfilled. With a loud gunshot, a 14.5mm armor-piercing round pierced the frontal armor of the Type 94 tank and the driver's head behind it. Immediately, the driver's head exploded like a machine gun, with blood and brain matter bursting out.

Without a commander, the tank suddenly started spinning, knocking down seven or eight Japanese soldiers around it. Accompanied by cries of agony, these Japanese soldiers were either killed or maimed, and the scene was a bloody mess.

Seeing their once invincible tanks reduced to piles of scrap metal like fathers beating sons, the soldiers of the training corps had no time to be surprised. Under the command of Instructor Li, the experienced soldiers quickly launched a counterattack and drove back the Japanese troops.

After the Japanese army retreated, Instructor Li led Xu Dapeng and the remaining dozen or so soldiers to the back of a house, where they saw the person who had saved them.

"you……"

Looking at the young man who slowly stood up, with fair skin, wearing a tattered gray cotton-padded jacket and cotton shoes, and covered in weapons, especially the PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle that was more than two meters long in his hand, Instructor Li's eyes flashed with surprise, and he asked in a deep voice.

"My name is Li Gaoyuan, a major instructor in the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the National Revolutionary Army's Training Corps. Who are you?"

"Greetings, sir. My name is Su Yaoyang, and I am just a student who fled here from Rehe."

As Su Yaoyang answered, he looked at Instructor Li, who looked exactly like the male celebrity from his previous life, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed. What kind of time and space was this?

After hearing Su Yaoyang's words, Li Gaoyuan glanced at the huge machine behind him that was taller than a person, the submachine gun he was holding, and the grenades hanging all over his body, and a questioning look flashed in his eyes.

"Are you a student?"

“Yes!” Su Yaoyang repeated, “I was originally a student at Chengde Normal School in Rehe. A few days ago, my family suffered a disaster and I had no choice but to flee my hometown. I originally planned to come to Nanjing to stay with my relatives, but I didn’t expect that I couldn’t find my relatives and I was trapped here.”

Li Gaoyuan merely snorted at Su Yaoyang's explanation, not believing a single word of it.

Who would carry so many weapons when fleeing from war? Besides, even someone as battle-hardened as him had never seen such a massive weapon that could take down a tank. It would be a miracle if anyone believed him.

However, the situation is urgent now, and it's not the time to investigate these things. Besides, this young man just saved his group, so he naturally wanted to help him out.

So he said, "We're planning to leave the city. Would you like to come with us?" To his surprise, Su Yaoyang shook his head: "Sir, if I may be so bold, the city is full of Japanese soldiers."

It's at least several miles from here to Shangyuanmen. It's impossible for just a dozen or so of you to break through the encirclement. Besides, I ran into Director Ma Wenxuan of the Logistics Department of the Headquarters this morning.

He told me that, in order to prevent a rout, Commander Tang Shengzhi had ordered Commander Song Xilian to lead the 36th Division to blockade Xiaguan and Shangyuanmen, and anyone who dared to retreat would be killed without mercy.

"If you go out like this, even if you manage to escape to the riverbank, the 36th Division will treat you as defeated soldiers and shoot you on the spot."

"Are you serious?" Li Gaoyuan was taken aback.

He didn't doubt Su Yaoyang's words. The fact that the other party could mention the name of Ma Wenxuan, the director of the logistics department of the headquarters, was enough to prove that he wasn't talking nonsense.

Moreover, blocking the Yangtze River is something that someone like Tang Shengzhi would do.

Looking at Li Gaoyuan's suspicious expression, Su Yaoyang spread his hands and said, "Commander Li, think about it, what benefit would I get from lying to you?"

"Instructor Li, what should we do?" Xu Dapeng, who was holding a Boran light machine gun, asked anxiously.

Li Gaoyuan remained silent with a sullen face.

Su Yaoyang thought for a moment, "Commander Li, if there's really nowhere to go, I do have an idea."

"Go on," Li Gaoyuan said, glancing at me in surprise, but patiently listening to me finish.

Su Yaoyang organized his thoughts before saying, "Do you remember the group of female students you rescued earlier? They were church students from the nearby St. Paul's Church. That church was built extremely well and was situated on high ground, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Since we have nowhere else to go, why don't we settle there temporarily, then gather some of our retreating brothers and use it as a base? When the time is right, we can then launch a full-scale attack on the city. What do you think?"

"That's a good idea, but you've forgotten one thing."

Before Li Gaoyuan could answer, Xu Dapeng said irritably, "We only have a dozen or so brothers left now, and we're short of clothes and ammunition. If the Japanese surround the church, they won't even need to fight us. We'll starve to death in less than two days. Your idea is really not good."

Li Gaoyuan didn't speak, but merely glanced at Su Yaoyang, his meaning already quite clear.

Su Yaoyang steeled his heart and said, "Commander Gao, to be honest, my family used to do some arms business with foreigners, and we happen to have stockpiled a batch of arms in Nanjing. If you trust me, I'll take care of all the arms and supplies."

After going to the church, I can't guarantee anything else, but at least ammunition supplies will be guaranteed.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Gaoyuan's gaze towards Su Yaoyang suddenly sharpened. He was about to speak, but then he realized something, and his previously serious expression quickly deflated like a punctured balloon. Now that things were urgent, there was no point in worrying about these things anymore.

He gave a wry smile: "Alright, as long as you can guarantee that what you say is true, what harm is there in me, Li, believing you this once!"

(End of this chapter)