The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Finally, the tail of the last large cart disappeared at the mouth of the gully, and the entire puppet army, except for the few dozen men in the rearguard, entered the gourd-shaped belly area of ​​Zifeng Gully.

It's now!

Zhou Jindong held his breath, and the crosshairs of the scope steadily captured the plump figure riding the white horse.

He didn't aim for the head, but rather for the upper part of the target's chest, where the area was larger.

He exhaled softly, and in the brief pause between exhalations, he smoothly and decisively pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot shattered the silence of the twilight valley.

Feng Laoliu, who was riding on the horse, suddenly shuddered as if he had been hit by an invisible giant hammer. He leaned back and fell straight off the white horse!

A dark, damp stain quickly seeped into the yellow woolen military uniform on his chest.

The gunshot is the order!

"Fire!" Almost at the same time as Zhou Jindong fired his gun, Wang Quan's shout from the high ground on the east side of the ditch was instantly transmitted throughout the position by several messengers.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!" The Type 92 heavy machine gun roared first, spitting out long tongues of fire, and scorching bullets swept towards the unsuspecting puppet troops at the bottom of the ditch like splashing water.

The marching column collapsed like wheat cut down by a sickle. Screams, cries of alarm, and curses mingled together.

"all!"

Two muffled thuds followed as mortar shells ripped through the air with a piercing whistle, striking precisely near the mules carrying heavy weapon parts in the middle of the puppet army column.

"Boom! Boom!"

The explosion kicked up dirt and rubble, mules and horses fell to the ground in alarm, and shattered wooden crates and metal parts flew everywhere.

Before the two heavy machine guns could be unloaded from the horses, they were overturned to the ground, and the puppet soldiers operating them were mangled beyond recognition.

The two mortars fared even worse. A shell landed right next to one of the mortar barrels, shattering the gun mount. The barrel twisted and rolled down the hillside, crushing two puppet soldiers who couldn't get out of the way in time.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Rengui's Third Company position on the west side of the ditch also opened fire.

"Boom! Boom!"

The soldiers hurled a volley of grenades, which rolled down the mountainside and exploded in the crowded mass of puppet soldiers at the bottom of the ravine.

The explosions sent plumes of light and smoke billowing into the air, along with bits of cloth and broken gun parts.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of intense rifle fire erupted.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The volley of gunfire was rhythmic, aimed at the puppet troops trying to climb the hillside, and in one fell swoop, more than a dozen of them rolled down the hillside.

"Heavy machine gun! On the hill to the east! Set it up quickly!" A bald-headed puppet army battalion commander reacted quickly, pointing to the high ground of Wangquan's position on the east side and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Several puppet soldiers scrambled to the fallen mules and horses to grab the still-usable heavy machine gun, but they were shot down by accurate rifle bullets from the high ground to the east as soon as they got close.

Wang Quan personally operated the Type 92 heavy machine gun, adjusting its firing arc to keep a close watch on any puppet troops attempting to launch a counterattack at the bottom of the ditch.

Zhou Jindong clearly saw through the scope that the puppet army battalion commander still wanted to give orders, so he moved the muzzle of his gun without hesitation and fired decisively.

"Bang!"

The battalion commander's head snapped back, his helmet flew far away, and his body fell straight down.

With the fate of the commander-in-chief, Feng Laoliu, unknown, heavy firepower being eliminated in the first instance, and officers at the battalion commander level being shot one after another, the already chaotic puppet army was thrown into complete disarray.

The soldiers scurried around like headless flies. Some crawled under the vehicles, some lay on the ground with their heads covered, and many more instinctively tried to climb up the hillsides on either side to find cover.

"No one is allowed to panic! Hold on! Hold on for me!" A puppet army officer in a lieutenant's uniform, with his hat askew, pulled out a pistol and fired two shots into the air in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

No sooner had he shouted than one of Liu Rengui's sharpshooters fired from the western hillside, the bullet striking him squarely in the chest. The officer dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Charge—!" On the west hillside, Liu Rengui saw that the time was right, shouted at the top of his lungs, and at the same time drew his pistol from his waist and fired a shot into the air.

The soldiers, with bayonets fixed to their rifles, charged out of the forest like tigers descending a mountain, firing as they went.

"Grenades! Use grenades to clear the way!" shouted the platoon leader at the front. He pulled a wooden-handled grenade made in the border region from his waist, bit off the cap with his teeth, pulled the pin, paused for a second in his hand, and then hurled it at the back of a large truck full of puppet soldiers.

"boom!"

The explosion shook the truck, and the four or five puppet soldiers hiding behind it screamed in terror.

"Bang! Bang! Crack! Crack!" Bullets flew up and down the hillside.

The county brigade soldiers had the advantage of high ground, shooting accurately and charging fiercely.

The puppet army was already disorganized and lacked proper fortifications, making it impossible for them to mount an effective resistance.

The sporadic counter-fire was quickly suppressed by more intense firepower.

Seeing that the enemy at the bottom of the ditch was in complete disarray, Zhou Jindong put down his sniper rifle, stood up from behind the rock, and drew his pistol.

"Charge in! End the battle! Note: shoot those kneeling in surrender with their guns pointed upwards; prioritize eliminating those who resist with guns!"

He shouted to the soldiers behind him, then was the first to jump down the rocky slope and rush towards the mouth of the gully.

"Charge! Charge with the captain!" the soldiers shouted, leaping out of their hiding places and pressing in from the ditch entrance with their guns in hand.

There were already dozens of puppet troops at the mouth of the ditch, who had been suppressed by the firepower from the high ground on the east side and could not raise their heads. Now, seeing a fresh force suddenly appear behind them, they did not even put up a symbolic resistance. They simply threw down their guns, covered their heads, and lay down on the ground.

Zhou Jindong ignored the fleeing soldiers and led his men quickly across the ditch, blocking the enemy's retreat.

Zhang Fang and Liu Heiqi, who were blocking the exit, acted even faster. As soon as the first shot was fired, they directed their soldiers to cut down trees and move stones to completely block the other narrow exit of Zifeng Gully. They also quickly seized the high ground on both sides of the exit and set up machine guns.

The puppet troops in the ditch were surrounded on three sides and squeezed into a narrow area in the middle, with no way to go up or down.

Heavy machine guns and mortars blocked the area to the east, and soldiers were being called out for their positions. Rifle and grenade attacks from the west and south were constantly compressing the space, and the north was a dead end. Despair spread like a plague.

"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! We surrender!" Finally, someone couldn't hold on any longer.

A puppet soldier raised his rifle high above his head and shouted in a tearful voice.

His shout was like the first domino to fall.

"I surrender! I surrender too!"

"Grandpa Eighth Route Army, spare our lives! We were forced into this!"

The sounds of surrender grew louder and louder, turning from scattered cries into a chorus of voices. The first to throw down their weapons were the laborers and cart drivers, who were terrified and crouched on the ground with their heads in their hands.

Immediately afterwards, some lower-ranking soldiers also threw down their guns, knelt on the ground, and raised their hands above their heads. The few die-hards who still wanted to resist were either shot down by bullets that seemed to come from nowhere, or grabbed and pinned to the ground by those who had surrendered around them.

As Zhou Jindong walked into the ditch, he calmly observed the battlefield.

He saw that Wang Quan had sent men down from the eastern high ground to help the Third Company wipe out the remaining enemy.

Liu Rengui led his men into the area where the puppet troops were most concentrated, and dragged out the puppet troops hiding under the vehicles and behind the carriages one by one.

Zhang Fang's soldiers also pressed down, completely completing the encirclement.

The battle lasted less than half an hour from start to finish.

The once noisy and chaotic Zifenggou was now filled only with cries of agony, pleas for mercy, and shouts from soldiers searching for the enemy and giving orders to prisoners.

"Clear the battlefield! Gather the prisoners and keep them under guard! Treat the lightly wounded temporarily, and the seriously wounded... move them aside and have the medic come and check them. Make sure to check the weapons and ammunition!"

"Find those officials, especially Feng Laoliu. I need to see him alive or dead!" Zhou Jindong walked to the open space in the middle of the ditch and quickly gave the order.

The soldiers immediately sprang into action. Working in pairs or groups of three, they carefully searched every body and every corner.

The soldiers checked to see if any enemies were still feigning death or hiding in corners.

If you encounter a wounded person, first disarm them, and after confirming that they are no longer a threat, have a medic provide basic treatment.

Wang Quan ran over carrying a brand-new Type 38 rifle that he had just captured, his face flushed with excitement: "Dongzi! We've got a huge haul! Two heavy machine guns, one in good condition, the other was hit by a shell, the base is damaged, but the gun body can be repaired!"

There were two mortars, one damaged and the other intact! There were three grenade launchers! And at least seven or eight light machine guns!

Rifles were piled up like small mountains, and there were countless bullets and grenades!

Zhou Jindong nodded and asked, "What about casualties? What's the situation with our casualties?"

Wang Quan's excitement faded slightly as he wiped his sweat: "We're taking stock. At first glance, seven are dead and over twenty are wounded, mostly from stray bullets, and a few from grenade shrapnel. They were all wounded during the Third Company's charge."

"Damn it, those traitors have fierce firepower. If we hadn't gotten the first move and disabled their heavy firepower, it wouldn't have been so easy to take them down."

"Move the fallen comrades aside and cover them with clean cloths. Gather our wounded in a flat area at the mouth of the gully so the medics can treat them first. Medicine...if you have any captured medicine, give it to the seriously wounded first." Zhou Jindong spoke quickly. "How many prisoners are there? Have you found Feng Laoliu?"

"The prisoners are still being counted. Look at that dark mass, there must be at least four or five hundred. Feng Laoliu..." Wang Quan said, gesturing towards a spot not far away.

Zhou Jindong followed his gaze. Several soldiers from the Third Company dragged a fat man covered in mud and blood from under an overturned cart. His dirty yellow woolen uniform was still somewhat recognizable, but his peaked cap had flown off somewhere, and blood was streaming from his bald head.

Who else could it be but Feng Laoliu?

He was still groaning when he was dragged out, and there was blood on his chest and shoulders, but he didn't look quite dead yet.

"He's still breathing, but it'll be over soon. He's badly injured; it seems like his lungs were punctured, and he keeps coughing up blood," Wang Quan said.

Zhou Jindong walked over and looked at Feng Laoliu, who was lying on the ground curled up in a ball.

This bearded man, who had roamed Yanbei for many years, now had a face as pale as paper, eyes half-open and half-closed, breathing in little and out much, making a bellows-like sound from his throat.

He probably recognized Zhou Jindong as someone who could make decisions. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he could only cough up more blood and foam.

"Save...save me...I have money...I'll give it all to you..." Feng Laoliu managed to squeeze out a few words, his eyes filled with a desire to survive.

Zhou Jindong squatted down, looked at him, and his face was expressionless.

"When you were robbing the people's food, did you ever think about saving them? When you were a dog for the Japanese devils, harming your compatriots, did you ever think about this day?"

His voice was calm, so calm that it sent a chill down the spines of the soldiers around him.

Feng Laoliu's eyes dimmed, leaving only the fear of death.

He opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Jindong didn't look at him again. He stood up and said to the soldier next to him, "Find him a place where the prisoners can't see him. If he's lucky enough to survive until after the war, take him back for trial. If he doesn't, that's his retribution."

"Yes!" the soldier replied, beckoning two men over to carry Feng Laoliu away.

At this moment, the messenger sent by Wang Yuan ran up to Zhou Jindong, panting heavily.

Wang Yuan, who was left behind in Dongzhai Town, was worried about the fighting there, so he sent people over.

"Report... Reporting, Captain! Political Commissar Wang sent me to check on the battle situation, to see if we need reinforcements or to evacuate the wounded!"

"The battle is over, and we are cleaning up the battlefield. Tell the political commissar that we have basically resolved the situation on our side, and have him organize manpower according to plan to prepare for the transport of captured supplies and food. Also, notify the villages that were looted and have them send people to claim their food and stolen goods."

The communications officer responded, saluted, and ran off again.

The cleanup work on the battlefield is proceeding in an orderly manner.

The bodies of the puppet soldiers were carried to one side and stacked up in preparation for burial.

The prisoners were divided into groups and kept under guard. Several who tried to resist or escape were stabbed to death on the spot, while the rest immediately became obedient.

Guns, ammunition, and equipment were piled up into several small mountains.

Zhou Jindong walked over to the dozens of large carts. Most of the animals pulling these carts were cattle and donkeys that had been stolen from the local people, and they stood there still in shock.

The canvas on the truck was lifted, revealing sacks full of grain, burlap, cloth, cured meat, and livestock such as chickens, ducks, and geese. There were even a few fat pigs with their legs tied, grunting on the truck.

Some of the bags had torn in the earlier scuffle, spilling golden grains and plump corn kernels all over the ground.

Several soldiers were carefully inspecting the trucks when they saw Zhou Jindong approaching. They straightened up immediately: "Captain! We've checked everything. There are twenty-three trucks in total. Grain makes up the majority, estimated at fifty to sixty thousand jin!"

Six more carts contained looted clothing, fabric, and cotton; the rest were miscellaneous items. Two carts were loaded with salt and several jars of liquor, presumably taken from a puppet army stronghold.

"Make a register, especially of the grain. Try to find out which village it was looted from, store it separately, and mark it clearly," Zhou Jindong instructed. "Check if there are any boxes on the carts containing silver dollars or other valuables. If so, take them out separately and hand them over."

"Yes!" The soldiers got back to work.

Night gradually enveloped Zifeng Gully. To prevent the prisoners from rioting or a possible enemy attack, Zhou Jindong ordered his troops to set up makeshift defensive positions inside the gully and on the high ground on both sides, and to light several bonfires.

Some soldiers kept watch, while others continued to count the captured prisoners and guard them.

The bodies of the seven fallen soldiers have been wrapped in white cloth and placed in a relatively quiet place, ready to be transported back for burial tomorrow.

The wounded received treatment, and the medics were working up a sweat.

That night, Zhou Jindong did not rest; he and several company commanders checked the battle results in the temporary command post.