Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 298 Fierce Battle

"Commander, the Japanese tanks are moving too fast. We didn't even have a chance to retrieve our rocket launchers. What should we do? Are we just going to let the Japanese capture them like this?"

Seeing that the Japanese tanks were pressing in front of the position, many Eighth Route Army soldiers were so anxious that they were about to cry.

We can die in battle, but we cannot lose this rocket launcher.

Liu Weidong calmly said, "Only if we destroy all of the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles will we have a chance to take back the rocket launchers."

Destroy all the Japanese tanks?
The soldiers were stunned and asked in confusion, "Commander, we've run out of rocket launchers. Even if we use all our Hellfire missiles, it's impossible to wipe out all the remaining Japanese tanks and armored vehicles. What are we going to do against them?"

Not to mention, a large number of Japanese soldiers rushed up behind the tank. They followed the tank and were accurate with their guns and had considerable firepower.

Liu Weidong did not answer, but looked at the Third Battalion, which had not participated in the operation, and said, "Third Battalion Commander, whether we can take down all the remaining Japanese tanks and armored vehicles depends on your Third Battalion."

"Don't worry, Battalion Commander. If we don't take down all the remaining tanks and armored vehicles, not a single person from my Third Battalion will survive!" The Third Battalion Commander nodded emphatically.

This time, when Liu Weidong received the Hellfire Missiles from the Border Region Arsenal, the arsenal director, Li Muzhi, also gave him an extra batch of new stuff: Molotov cocktails.

These Molotov cocktails are very simple; they are just glass bottles filled with gasoline.

The mouth of the glass bottle was plugged with a strip of cloth.

To use it, simply light the cloth strip beforehand and throw it at the Japanese tank.

Factory Director Li said that the Japanese tanks were not well-sealed, so he lit a strip of cloth and threw the bottle at the Japanese tanks.

The bottle exploded on the tank, and the strips of cloth could instantly ignite the splashed gasoline.

Burning gasoline can seep into the tank through the gaps, and the Japanese soldiers inside will either be burned or smoked out, quickly losing their fighting ability.

In short, this thing looks very simple, but it's extremely useful for taking down tanks.

However, this thing also has a drawback: it can only be thrown when you are close to the Japanese tanks, since a person's strength is limited and it is impossible to throw the bottle too far.

For Japanese infantrymen following behind tanks, getting close enough to throw Molotov cocktails was not much easier than carrying explosive packs.

However, this still has its advantages.

The bottle is lightweight, unlike a bomb, so it doesn't slow you down when you run.

Explosive charges can only be detonated when they are near a tank, while bottles can be thrown from a distance of more than ten meters, giving them an advantage in throwing distance.

After instructing the battalion commander, Liu Weidong then said to the observers, "You two keep a close eye on things and see where the Japanese have taken the captured rocket launchers."

The fact that the Japanese captured such an important tactical artillery piece as the rocket launcher doesn't seem like a good thing.

But as the old saying goes, "What seems like a good thing may actually be a blessing in disguise!"
Our rocket launcher was lost, picked up by the Japanese, and then what?

The Japanese soldiers must have realized the importance of the rocket launcher; once captured, it would definitely be sent to their commander.

Liu Weidong had all eight Hellfire missiles ready, just waiting to locate the Japanese commander's position.

At that time, the rocket launcher will be the trigger.

Wherever the Japanese send it, those eight hell missiles will immediately deliver a great gift.

Only when the Molotov cocktails severely damage the Japanese tanks again and the Japanese commander is killed can this ambush be considered a true success.

"Yes, Commander." The observers all nodded emphatically.

"Grenade launchers, mortars, don't conserve ammunition, fire! Focus on the infantry behind the tanks, cover the Third Battalion!" Liu Weidong shouted at the artillery group with grenade launchers and mortars as the Japanese tanks pressed forward.

"Yes, leader!"

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

Grenade launchers and mortar shells immediately rained down on the Japanese infantry behind the tanks.

At the same time, all the guns in the unit unleashed a barrage of bullets, fiercely suppressing the infantry.

Seeing this, Major General Gongjing sneered: "Even if you can hit infantry, you can't hit tanks and armored vehicles. You bunch of guerrillas are doomed to lose this battle!"

As Major General Miyai predicted, the infantry was suppressed, but the tanks and armored vehicles advanced.

Two planes in the sky swooped down in time and attacked the grenade launchers and mortars, but they had already used up all their bombs.

The machine gun had limited ammunition, and after several rounds, it caused considerable casualties to the grenade launchers and mortars on the ground.

But when the machine gun ammunition ran out, the two planes could only look on in despair and turn back.

However, the support of the aircraft gave the Japanese infantry a chance to catch their breath and they went up to the Eighth Route Army's position along with the tanks.

"Third Battalion, the Japanese tanks are coming! First batch, get them moving!" The Third Battalion Commander, seeing the Japanese tanks approaching, immediately ordered the first batch of soldiers to charge forward.

The first group of soldiers numbered fifty, each carrying a Molotov cocktail with a lit strip of cloth in its hand.

As soon as the battalion commander gave the order, the fifty men rushed out.

"Baka! What kind of trick is this from the Eighth Route Army?" Major General Miyai watched as a group of Eighth Route Army soldiers, each holding a burning bottle, rapidly approached the tank using obstacles on the battlefield. Major General Miyai couldn't understand it.

"Brigade Commander, although I don't understand what tricks the Eighth Route Army is using, I feel this thing is quite dangerous. It might even threaten our tanks." The staff officer beside him frowned. "Yes, I also feel this thing is very dangerous. Don't let them get close to the tanks." Major General Gongjing nodded and immediately gave the order.

The Japanese infantry desperately tried to stop the Eighth Route Army's Molotov cocktails from getting closer, and the tanks' machine guns were firing wildly. But without air support, the Eighth Route Army's grenade launchers and mortars unleashed a dense and fierce covering fire.

Half of the Eighth Route Army soldiers who were holding Molotov cocktails fell down.

Half of the Eighth Route Army soldiers still approached the tank within a dozen meters with Molotov cocktails.

The Molotov cocktail was thrown from the hands of the Eighth Route Army soldier and landed on the tank.

With a bang, the bottle shattered and instantly turned into a fireball.

The burning gasoline immediately spread outside the tank and seeped into the tank through the gaps.

The Japanese soldiers inside soon began screaming and yelling. Some even quickly opened the sunroof of the tank and climbed out. Some were choked by the smoke, while others had gasoline burning on their bodies. Their screams sounded like those of vengeful ghosts being tortured in hell.

Tanks hit by Molotov cocktails quickly lost their combat capability.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers were stunned by what they saw.

Obviously, no one expected that the inconspicuous Molotov cocktails our regimental commander brought from the border region's arsenal would be so effective against the Japanese tanks.

Immediately, the morale of the Eighth Route Army was greatly boosted.

The battalion commander laughed heartily: "Well done! Keep it up! Second batch, get them moving!"

The second group of soldiers quickly ran out, carrying Molotov cocktails with lit strips of cloth.

"Damn it, these burning bottles are just as powerful as the shoulder-mounted cannons!" Major General Miyai's eyes widened in fury as he watched seven or eight more tanks become incapacitated.

They originally thought that once they destroyed the artillery on the shoulders of the Eighth Route Army and their heavy artillery, there would be no more obstacles for the tanks to advance.

I never expected that these Eighth Route Army soldiers would even have incendiary bottles! How despicable!

"Brigade Commander, we can't keep charging with the Eighth Route Army. We need to bring the tanks back," the staff officer beside Major General Gongjing hurriedly reminded him.

"Damn it! The planes have already left, there's no more air support!" Major General Miyai roared. "We've already reached the Eighth Route Army's positions. If we push a little harder, we can break through. Now you want me to retreat?"

The battle has been going on for an hour now.

If we can't take this place within half an hour, then the army behind us will probably be doomed.

“But the Eighth Route Army’s burning bottles are too much of a threat,” the staff officer said. “We can’t possibly lose all our tanks.”

"Baka!" Losing all the tanks and armored vehicles was an enormous loss for Major General Miyai, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't trembling.

But time is running out, and the battle is at a critical moment. If we retreat now, and then attack again, half an hour will have passed.

"Charge at all costs!" Major General Gongjing spat all over his staff officer's face. "Even if all the tanks are wiped out, the infantry must charge through. If we can't take the Eighth Route Army's position within half an hour, we'll starve to death!"

"Yes, brigade commander." The staff officer nodded and immediately relayed Major General Miyai's order again.

The tanks and armored vehicles, which were already afraid of the Eighth Route Army's Molotov cocktails, stepped on the accelerator again.

The infantry behind the tanks gritted their teeth and charged forward with the group.

Seeing that the Japanese were going all out and had opened fire, Liu Weidong was doing everything he could to hold them off.

Although the Molotov cocktails were used to contain the remaining Japanese tanks and armored vehicles, the cannons and machine guns on those tanks and armored vehicles were not to be underestimated, and they also caused considerable casualties to Liu Weidong's side.

With Liu Weidong suffering heavy casualties, the Japanese infantry behind him could no longer hold the line.

Eventually, the Japanese tanks pushed into Liu Weidong's position, and the Japanese infantry followed suit.

Both sides ran out of bullets and didn't have time to reload.

The close-quarters combat quickly unfolded.

The soldiers from both sides quickly engaged in battle.

"Commander, there, there!" an observer shouted to Liu Weidong. "The Japanese took the captured rocket launchers there."

Liu Weidong picked up the binoculars, and sure enough, the Japanese soldiers quickly gathered rocket launchers and headed towards a pass.

"Brigade Commander, this is a shoulder-mounted artillery piece captured from the Eighth Route Army." A group of Japanese soldiers arrived at Major General Miyai's location with a batch of rocket launchers and rocket shells.

"Yoshi!" Major General Miyai smiled as he looked at the captured rocket launcher: "We've captured this thing. Once it's back in our arsenal, our military experts will quickly analyze its core technology, and then we can equip ourselves with it in the future."

Although we already have grenade launchers, they are much lighter and more portable.

But grenade launchers can't attack tanks or bunkers.

Our troops need these shoulder-mounted cannons to attack Southeast Asia.

As Major General Gongjing smiled, Liu Weidong also smiled: "Finally found you."

(End of this chapter)