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

Zhang Fang and his squad of soldiers were setting up traps in the town square.

They dug several large pits, turned several tables upside down with their legs facing up, nailed sharp bamboo skewers to the back of the tables, and placed them at the bottom of the pits.

Then cover the pit with a rag and sprinkle a thin layer of soil on top.

"This is called a bamboo spike formation," Zhang Fang explained to the soldiers beside him. "When the Japanese charge, they can step on it and the sole of their foot will be pierced through. Then they won't be able to run away."

Sergeant Hideichi Ono, the former leader of the grenade launcher squad, was helping Wang Lei adjust the grenade launcher with several soldiers.

The Japanese grenade launchers were highly accurate.

It can be considered a powerful source of firepower support in infantry operations.

Zhou Jindong specifically instructed that the grenade launcher be hidden in a room on the second floor of the town hall, and that it be fired only a few times at critical moments, and then run away, so as not to let the Japanese artillery lock onto its position.

Time passed slowly, the sun set, and the moon climbed to the treetops.

The town of Dongzhai was deathly silent, with only the occasional sound of tools clashing.

The villagers have all retreated into the valley behind the mountain. The terrain there is secluded, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there is also an underground river, so water is not a problem.

Zhou Jindong stood on a high point at the entrance of the town, looking at the small town that was about to become a battlefield.

The streets were filled with disguised traps, machine guns were mounted on rooftops, and various booby traps were hidden in the shadows.

Wang Yuan ran over, covered in sweat, and said, "Dongzi, everything's almost set up. I just wonder if anyone'll turn into a coward when the time comes!"

"Don't be afraid of being a coward. You won't be a coward after firing a couple of shots." Zhou Jindong took the water bottle handed to him by Wang Yuan, took a sip of cold water, and felt a chill run through him. "Let everyone take turns resting and eating some dry rations."

The Japanese will arrive as early as tomorrow morning. Our goal in this battle isn't to hold the town, but to inflict casualties on the enemy and then withdraw safely.

"I understand." Wang Yuan wiped the dust off his face. "We're like people with nothing to lose, but trading our lives with the Japanese isn't worth it. Their lives aren't that precious!"

"By the way, how's that Kosuke Ogawa doing?" Zhou Jindong asked.

"That kid's working pretty hard. He's leading a few Japanese soldiers in building fortifications and even teaching us how to fight using the Japanese infantry manual." Wang Yuan scoffed. "But I've got Sun Sanniu keeping an eye on him; he shouldn't be able to cause any trouble!"

"Let him lead the Fourth Platoon to guard the west entrance of the town, which is the flank of the Japanese attack." Zhou Jindong pointed to the west, "Tell him that if he deliberately lets a Japanese soldier go, I will hold him accountable."

If he plays well, he'll be one of our like-minded comrades from now on, and I guarantee he'll live a decent life in China.

"Okay!" Wang Yuan replied and turned to run towards the west entrance of the town.

Zhou Jindong walked alone on the empty street, inspecting every trap.

He walked to a well and stopped. He stuffed a grenade into a crack in the stone along the well's edge, the pull cord extremely thin, and tied it to the handle of the nearby windlass.

As long as someone draws water and turns the well pulley, the grenade will explode directly at the wellhead.

He then went to the town hall kitchen and saw several soldiers pouring water into a large pot, in which a large amount of croton seeds and laxatives were dissolved.

"Captain, will this work?" a soldier asked in a low voice.

"The Japanese devils are always short of water when they're marching and fighting. Once they enter a town, they'll definitely be looking for water," Zhou Jindong sneered. "Even if they can't be poisoned to death, they'll get so much diarrhea that their legs will give way! What fighting power will soldiers with soiled pants have on the battlefield?"

Everything is ready.

Zhou Jindong returned to the second floor of the town government office, which served as his temporary command post.

He pulled out the approval slip signed by Tomohisa Okada from his pocket.

"Old devil Okada, you've given me so many gifts, wouldn't it be impolite of me not to reciprocate?" Zhou Jindong muttered to himself.

He spread out a map, a military map he had casually taken from a Japanese warehouse.

He drew several circles around Dongzhai Town, which were his designated ambush points.

Kota Watanabe tiptoed in, carrying a steaming bowl of noodles: "Captain Zhou... have something to eat. This was just made in the kitchen."

Zhou Jindong looked up at him, took the noodles, and began to eat them heartily.

He ate very quickly, finishing his food in just a few bites.

"Watanabe, are you scared?" Zhou Jindong suddenly asked.

Kota Watanabe paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "I'm scared, scared to death. But... with Captain Zhou, I don't seem so scared anymore."

Why?

"Because Captain Zhou seems to have foreseen everything." Watanabe Kota looked out at the dark night. "Even someone as shrewd as Captain Okada was completely outmaneuvered by you. I think even if the sky were to fall, you could hold it together."

Zhou Jindong smiled but didn't say anything. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the dark mountains and fields.

The wind howled, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

He knew that Watanabe Kota was being flattering, but half of it was also true.

In this chaotic world, only those who are more ruthless, cunning, and reckless than their enemies can survive.

"Go and rest." Zhou Jindong waved his hand. "I have to be on night duty for the second half of the night. Tell Wang Yuan to go and get some sleep too. We'll change shifts at 2 a.m.

"Hai!" Watanabe Kota bowed and left.

Zhou Jindong was the only one left in the room. He drew his pistol from his waist and carefully wiped the barrel by the moonlight.

The smell of gun oil filled the air.

Tomorrow or the day after will be a fierce battle.

He didn't expect Minister Li's reinforcements to arrive immediately; he only trusted the gun in his hand and the sixty-odd soldiers around him.

Even if half of these 68 people were enemies who were on the opposite side yesterday, once they are on the battlefield, they will be comrades-in-arms back to back.

Zhou Jindong put the gun back in its holster, walked to the wall, and picked up an entrenching tool.

He still had to go to the town entrance to lay a few more mines. This night was destined to be sleepless.

Meanwhile, in Ningwu County, thirty miles away, the Japanese army's battalion headquarters was brightly lit.

Okada Tomohisa was standing in front of a huge map, holding a pointer in his hand, pointing to the location of Dongzhai Town.

Fujita Hiroshi stood to the side, his face grim.

"Captain, we still haven't heard from Inoue Takeshi," Fujita Hiroshi said in a low voice. "Based on the schedule, they should have arrived in Dongzhai Town before noon. Even if they stayed there to assist in the operation, they should have made a phone call back."

Okada Tomohisa didn't turn around, his pointer lightly tapping on the map: "Fujita-kun, you're too impatient. Yudai, though reckless, has always had good luck. Perhaps the telephone line was cut by the Eighth Route Army?"

"But..." Fujita Hiroshi hesitated for a moment, "I still feel there's something wrong with that 'Su Hao.' Even though he has Lieutenant Okada's keepsake, I always feel there's something off about his eyes."

"Eyes?" Okada Tomohisa turned around, looking at Fujita Hiroshi with a half-smile. "Fujita-kun, were you scared out of your wits by the ambush last time? A Chinese man will naturally act arrogantly to curry favor with his master. I would only be suspicious of him if he were timid and subservient."

Fujita Hiroshi lowered his head: "I was overthinking it."

"However, it's always better to be cautious." Okada Tomohisa walked to the table, picked up the phone, and said, "Connect to the First and Second Squadrons and order them to assemble first thing tomorrow morning and be ready to be deployed at any time."

As soon as news comes back from Dongzhai Town, we will send out our entire army!

I want to go see for myself what kind of big fish Xiongda has dug up!