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

Sun Erniu squinted one eye and steadily pulled the trigger with his index finger.

boom!

The bullet pierced the car window and accurately entered the temple of the Japanese machine gunner who was about to crank the heavy machine gun handle.

The machine gunner's head suddenly tilted to the side, and he collapsed limply to the ground, the muzzle of the heavy machine gun drooping down as well.

Captain Inoue's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had just jumped out of the car and hadn't even gotten his footing when he saw another machine gunner fall to the ground.

He brandished his command sword wildly, roaring, "Baka! Don't stand there! Seize the carriages and establish a defensive line! Grenade launchers! Blow up the high ground with grenade launchers!"

Several well-trained Japanese veterans reacted quickly. Crouching low, they used the overturned carriages and railway tracks as cover and began to search for firing positions in the surrounding area and at higher ground.

Two Japanese grenade launcher operators, each carrying an ammunition box, nimbly crouched behind an overturned flatbed truck and began calculating the distance.

boom!

Another gunshot rang out.

A Japanese sergeant who had just set up his Type 96 machine gun suddenly straightened up, a cloud of blood burst from his chest, and he fell backward.

Captain Inoue was so angry that his lips turned purple. He saw clearly that the gunshot came from the low earthen ridge on the east side of the railway.

Although he didn't know the exact location, he knew that the enemy sniper was extremely difficult to deal with.

He drew his Type 14 Nambu pistol from his waist and fired several shots in that direction, trying to boost morale: "Don't panic! There aren't many enemies! Hold on! Reinforcements will be here soon..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Quan on the high ground pulled the trigger of the heavy machine gun.

Da da da da!

The muffled roar of the Type 92 heavy machine gun echoed through the night sky, its muzzle spitting out tongues of fire half a foot long.

The bullet, like a scorching iron whip, struck precisely around the location where Inoue was standing.

Splinters of wood, sheet metal, and snow were hurled everywhere, pinning Inoue and the soldiers around him down so low they couldn't even lift their heads.

"Ren Wuliu! Hurry up!" Zhou Jindong poked his head out from behind the mound and shouted at Ren Wuliu, who had already rushed close.

Ren Wuliu's eyes turned red. He led the assault platoon and slid down the earthen cliff.

The soldiers, with bayonets fixed to their rifles, rushed towards the train carriages, tumbling and crawling, regardless of whether the ground was covered in snow or gravel.

"First squad! Take control of the locomotive! Second and third squads! Follow me and deal with the Japanese escorts!" Ren Wuliu shouted as he ran, his voice hoarse.

Inside the cab of the truck, North Korean driver Kim Jae-gyu huddled in fear, covering his head and hiding in a corner.

The explosion and the clanging sound of bullets hitting the boiler's steel plate made him think he was going to die.

A young guerrilla fighter kicked open the car door, pointing a dark gun barrel at him: "Don't move! Move or I'll shoot you!"

Looking at the young soldier with a childlike face yet exuding murderous intent, and then glancing at the chaotic scene of flames outside the window, Kim Jae-gyu wisely raised his hands and stammered in broken Chinese, "I surrender... I surrender... I am Korean..."

Meanwhile, the battle inside the train carriage reached its climax.

The Japanese soldiers escorting the train were elite troops drawn from an independent mixed brigade. After the initial panic, they quickly formed several small defensive circles, relying on the damaged carriages, overturned flatcars, and railway embankments.

Although the organization was disrupted and Commander Inoue was suppressed, the tactical skills of these Japanese soldiers should not be underestimated.

They worked in groups of three, taking turns providing cover fire.

One fired, one loaded, and one stood guard; their coordination was impeccable. Bullets whizzed past Ren Wuliu and his assault platoon soldiers, striking the train cars with a clanging sound and sending sparks flying.

"Grenade!" Ren Wuliu shouted to the soldiers beside him from behind an overturned carriage.

Several soldiers immediately took out hand grenades made in the border region, pulled the pins, silently counted to two, and then threw them with all their might towards the location where the Japanese soldiers were concentrated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion and smoke temporarily suppressed the Japanese firepower.

Ren Wuliu seized the opportunity, suddenly stood up, bayonet in hand, and was the first to charge out: "Charge!"

The assault platoon followed closely behind, like a pack of tigers descending the mountain, pouncing on the Japanese position.

Just as a Japanese soldier, still reeling from the explosion, looked up, he saw a huge black shadow rushing towards him.

He hurriedly raised his bayonet to parry, but Ren Wuliu was much stronger than him. With a powerful thrust, he deflected Ren Wuliu's bayonet and then plunged the sharp bayonet into Ren Wuliu's stomach.

Ren Wuliu twisted his wrist and ripped it outwards. The Japanese soldier let out a scream as his intestines and blood gushed out, and he collapsed.

"Damn it!" A Japanese sergeant with a full beard roared and thrust his bayonet at Ren Wuliu's side.

Ren Wuliu didn't have time to put away his gun, and the bayonet was about to pierce his ribs.

clang!

A large sword slashed diagonally, deflecting the Japanese soldier's bayonet.

He was an old soldier under Ren Wuliu, named Li Yungui.

Li Yungui deflected the bayonet, then swept his blade horizontally, slicing it across the Japanese sergeant's neck. Blood spurted high, and the sergeant's head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle as he fell to the ground, eyes wide open.

"Squad leader! Are you alright?" Li Yungui asked, panting heavily.

"It's alright! Well done!" Ren Wuliu didn't have time to say more and turned around to pounce on another enemy.

The fighting was particularly fierce at the junction of the train carriages.

Several Japanese soldiers used the angle formed by the carriages to set up two light machine guns and fired wildly, attempting to block the assault platoon's advance.

The soldiers at the front were knocked to the ground and sacrificed their lives.

"Damn it!" Ren Wuliu's eyes turned red. He turned around and roared, "Demolition Team! Blow it up!"

Two soldiers carrying explosive packs crouched low, using the craters and the vehicle body for cover, and quickly approached the junction of the carriages.

Bullets thudded into the ground around them, splashing dirt all over them.

Just as they were getting close, a soldier was hit in the thigh by a stray bullet and fell to the ground.

Another soldier gritted his teeth, charged forward a few more steps, stuffed the explosive charge into the gap at the junction of the carriages, and lit the fuse.

laugh--

The fuse was burning rapidly with sparks.

The soldier scrambled back as fast as he could.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the connection between the two carriages was shattered into pieces, and wooden planks, sheet metal, and debris mixed with the remains of Japanese soldiers flew into the sky.

Those two crazy Type 96 machine guns also fell silent.

"Good!" Zhou Jindong, watching this scene through his binoculars from the high ground, clenched his fist tightly. "Wang Quan! Don't stop! Take out those grenade launcher operators!"

Wang Quan had long been eyeing the two grenade launcher operators. They were hidden behind the flatbed truck in a very cunning position, making it difficult for heavy machine gun bullets to hit them directly.

Wang Quan adjusted his gun, no longer trying to hit them directly, but instead using concentrated firepower to cover the area where they might peek out, suppressing them and preventing them from effectively aiming and firing.

Sun Erniu wasn't idle either.

He lay prone on the snow like a stone Buddha, letting the north wind whip his face like a knife, his eyes fixed on the scope.

His targets were Japanese troops who were trying to organize a counterattack or operate heavy weapons.

If any Japanese soldier peeks out a little more or makes a big move, the bullet will find him precisely the next second.

Captain Inoue hid behind a half-destroyed train car, listening to the screams of his men falling and the sound of bullets hitting steel, his heart sinking deeper and deeper.

The enemy's firepower was too fierce, their snipers were too accurate, and their fighting spirit was unexpectedly tenacious.

He realized that this was not a small guerrilla group harassing them, but a meticulously planned annihilation operation targeting their special train.

"Captain! Our heavy machine guns... they're all suppressed!" A corporal, his face covered in blood, crawled over, his voice trembling with tears. "Even the grenade launchers are useless! The Chinese snipers are specifically targeting those of us operating the heavy weapons!"

"Baka! Use bayonets! Fight them with bayonets!" Captain Inoue roared hysterically. He knew that the only hope now was to use the Japanese army's expertise in close combat to turn the tide of the war.

Unfortunately, Zhou Jindong didn't give him that chance at all.

Seeing that Ren Wuliu's assault platoon was already locked in fierce fighting with the Japanese troops in the train carriage and was gradually gaining the upper hand, Zhou Jindong immediately issued the order for a general offensive.

"Zhao Laosi! Zhang Fang! Take your men and advance from both flanks! Completely encircle the remaining Japanese soldiers! Don't let a single one escape!"

"yes!"

Zhao Laosi and Zhang Fang, who had been lying in ambush behind the trees and embankments on both sides of the railway, immediately led the soldiers of the First and Fourth Companies to launch an attack upon hearing the order.

"Comrades! Charge!"

"Kill the Japanese devils!"

Shouts of battle rose from all directions, and countless figures leaped out of the darkness, surging towards the already chaotic Japanese positions like a flood bursting its banks.

Zhao Laosi rushed to the front, his Type 11 machine gun spitting fire continuously. He didn't care about burst fire or not, and just sprayed bullets at any Japanese soldier wearing a yellow uniform.

The soldiers of the Fourth Company, who had previously been bandits, were not very disciplined in their fighting, but they were brave and fearless. They followed behind Zhao Laosi, howling as they charged forward. If they saw a wounded but not yet dead Japanese soldier, they would rush up and stab him with their bayonets or swing their rifle butts and smash him.

Zhang Fang, on the other hand, was more composed. He directed the soldiers of the First Company to advance in groups of three, providing cover for each other.

When encountering concentrated Japanese firing positions, use grenade launchers or hand grenades to clear them out before advancing.

His tactical skills were clearly superior, and his troops suffered far fewer casualties.

Under the combined attack, the remaining resistance of the Japanese army quickly collapsed.

A Japanese soldier was surrounded by four or five guerrilla fighters. He held his bayonet and screamed in a last-ditch effort.

Zhao Laosi rushed over and smashed the machine gun butt into his face.

With a crisp "crack," the Japanese soldier's nose collapsed, his face was mangled, and he fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

Captain Inoue looked at the dozen or so soldiers remaining beside him, each one wounded, their eyes filled with despair. He knew defeat was inevitable.

"Gentlemen..." Captain Inoue's voice was hoarse as he raised his sword, the tip pointing at his abdomen. "Long live the Emperor..."

He wanted to commit seppuku to uphold the last vestige of samurai dignity.

But he didn't get his chance.

Sun Erniu, who had been looking for an opportunity from a high vantage point, had already locked his sights on the target who was waving a command sword and was clearly an officer.

Just as Inoue gripped the knife with both hands, preparing to thrust it into his own abdomen,

boom!

The bullet whistled through the air, piercing the left eye socket of the inoue and creating a large, gaping hole in the back of his head.

Red and white substances splattered out and spilled all over the ground.

Captain Inoue froze, his sword clattered to the ground, and he swayed before collapsing to the ground.

"Captain!"

The remaining few Japanese soldiers let out desperate cries.

"Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"Lay down your weapons! The Eighth Route Army treats prisoners of war well!"

Shouts as loud as a mountain roared and a tsunami crashed from all directions.

The Japanese soldiers exchanged glances, then looked at the layers of bayonets gleaming coldly and the dark muzzles of guns surrounding them, and their last thought of resistance was extinguished.

They trembled as they threw their Type 38 rifles onto the snow and slowly raised their hands.

A few stubborn ones, roaring and raising their bayonets, tried to make a final charge, but were immediately riddled with bullets.

The gunfire gradually subsided and eventually stopped completely.

The battle lasted less than forty minutes from start to finish.

The night wind dispersed the smoke of gunpowder, and the strong smell of blood mixed with the acrid smell of burning coal and steel permeated the narrow railway bend of Duanjiazhuang.

Zhou Jindong walked down from the high ground, his footsteps crunching through the snow, and arrived at the center of the battlefield, which had become a scene of devastation.

His face was blackened by the smoke, but his eyes shone brightly in the firelight.

"Reporting, Battalion Commander! Battle over! 182 Japanese escorts annihilated, 17 captured! Our side suffered 47 casualties and 83 wounded!" Wang Quan ran over, panting heavily as he reported. He had several bloodstains on his body, it was unclear whether they were his own or the enemy's.

"Report! The front of the vehicle is under control, and the driver, Kim Jae-gyu, has surrendered!" a soldier ran over to report.

Zhou Jindong nodded, his gaze sweeping over the corpses scattered on the ground, the damaged carriages, and the stray guns and ammunition.

There wasn't much joy of victory on his face. Forty-seven soldiers had been sacrificed, and the battle had resulted in nearly a hundred casualties—a considerable price to pay.

This is a case of over a thousand people being unable to defeat two hundred, and they even had the advantage of surprise attack and terrain. It can only be said that the guerrillas still have a long way to go!

"Clean up the battlefield! Ren Wuliu, you take your men and immediately carry away the fallen and wounded comrades, handing them over to the medical team for treatment! The seriously wounded should be sent back to the Ningwu rear hospital tonight!"

Zhou Jindong's voice was steady and powerful. "Wang Quan, take men to inspect the carriages and tally the spoils! Zhang Fang, organize sentries and send out scouts five li away towards Datong and Yangfangkou! Zhao Laosi, have your men gather all the prisoners under guard! Bring that North Korean driver over here!"

"yes!"

With orders issued one after another, the county brigade, which had just finished the battle, immediately sprang into action again.

The fallen soldiers were carefully carried away from the battlefield, using stretchers or makeshift stretchers to be transported to the rear.

The wounded soldiers received simple first aid and hemostasis on the spot, and some medics moved among the wounded, quickly treating their wounds.

The dozen or so captured Japanese soldiers were led aside, squatted on the ground, and put their hands behind their heads.

Their hearts were filled with trepidation. They had violated the code of Bushido by choosing to surrender, and they didn't know what awaited them...