NCCnovel Chapter 165 Shen Honglie's Surprise
Chapter 165 Shen Honglie's Surprise
On a sunny hillside three kilometers away from Mengxia, a brand new grave has just been built. This is the first member of the Yimeng Guerrillas who died. Since coming out of the mountains after Gushan, he has fought in countless battles of all sizes. This is the first soldier under Chen Feng to die.
The name of the deceased team member was Sun Yongzhen. He was a soldier in the first platoon of the first company. Cui Weike brought him to Mengshan from southern Shandong after going through untold hardships. He was once a machine gunner in Han Fuqu's Third Army.
"Hat off!"
"Fire a gun!"
Bang, bang, bang! Row after row of soldiers pointed their guns to the sky, the sound of gunfire rang out, bidding farewell to their comrades in the air filled with gunpowder.
There is no tombstone, only a simple wooden plaque with only three words written on it: Sun Yongzhen.
All the soldiers understood that someone might come to accompany Sun Yongzhen soon, and it might be them. But no one was afraid. Fighting the Japanese last night was like cutting melons and vegetables. With such an opportunity, what difference could death make? The team straightened their spines, and a silent morale quietly rose in front of Sun Yongzhen's grave.
After returning to Mengshan, Liu Caiyun ordered the seriously injured to be carried back to the cave quickly. After the bumpy journey, they needed to be re-examined.
The trucks and three-wheeled motorcycles were still hidden in the woods, and all the other weapons were carried up the mountain, and those that could not be taken immediately were carried by people.
After a period of excavation, the tunnel has grown to a small scale. A lot of explosives were seized this time. Chen Feng decided to increase the intensity of the excavation. Some caves also needed to be expanded. For position defense, the most important defense is against airplanes and artillery. As for the infantry, as long as the firepower is sufficient, they will be able to defeat the enemy.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the news reached Yishui City. It was the news brought by the merchants. The defenders of Mengyin City were all wiped out. Shen Honglie looked at the merchants in front of him:
"Could you please explain it in more detail?"
"Sir, at around 9 o'clock last night, some unknown force launched a surprise attack on the Japanese and Ergouzi military camps in Mengyin City. The explosions and gunshots lasted for more than an hour, and then there was the sound of a car starting. Someone secretly checked this morning, and found that they were all dead, both the Japanese and Ergouzi. Later, the people went in to grab food. I also went to check, and found that except for the food in the warehouse and the bodies that were blown beyond recognition, everything was gone."
"Are there still Japanese troops in Mengyin City?"
"No one is left, not a single one. When I left the city this morning, the Japanese and Er Gouzi at the city gate were both touched on the neck."
"Do you know who did it?"
"I don't know, but everyone speculated that it might have been done by the newly formed Yimeng Guerrillas. They had been fighting the grain-stealing teams for some time, and the Japanese and Er Gouzi didn't dare to leave the city."
Shen Honglie asked his men to give the vendor 20 yuan. The vendor didn't dare to take it, so Shen Honglie forced it into his pocket:
"Don't worry, take it. Tell me about the Yimeng Guerrillas! Tell me as much as you know."
The merchant accepted the money and naturally told him everything he knew. Ten minutes later, Shen Honglie had his men send the merchant away, muttering to himself:
"Black Eagle? White Eagle? The Return of the Condor Heroes? Who could it be?"
"Captain Shen, what are you talking about? Something about black eagle and white eagle, are you planning to go hunting?"
When Shen Honglie saw that it was Qin Qirong, he expressed his doubts:
"Old Qin, do you know? The Japanese in Mengyin City were killed last night, and it was probably done by the black eagle in Mengshan."
"Kill them all. There must be a lot of Japanese in the city, right? Even if we don't count the puppet troops, there is only a squadron of Japanese. Last time, Ono's regiment managed to escape with hundreds of them. Who has such great ability?"
"Old Qin, this is what I want to tell you. The remnants of the Ono Regiment did not return to Mengyin City. The last time the Ono Regiment attacked us, a caravan was trapped in Mengyin City because the road was full of Japs. They have never seen any remnants returning. I estimate that they were most likely wiped out."
Qin Qirong was surprised and looked a little unbelievable:
"Commander Shen, besides us, are there any other anti-Japanese forces in the mountainous area of central Shandong? To destroy the remnants of Ono's forces and attack the county seat of Mengyin is not something that a guerrilla force of two or three hundred people can do."
"Lao Qin, have you heard of the Yimeng Guerrillas in Mengshan? It was founded by a bandit."
"Black Eagle? The Black Eagle from The Return of the Condor Heroes? I've heard of it, but they have just started recruiting troops, how could they make such a big move?"
"Don't underestimate them. This Black Eagle is no simple matter. But let's not talk about the Black Eagle for now. What we need to consider now is whether we should enter Mengyin City."
"Advance? Why not? This is a rare opportunity. Once we enter Mengyin City and connect with Yishui, the mountainous area in between will become our rear area, which is very beneficial for the defense of our troops. If we really encounter a fierce battle, at least we will have a place to retreat. However, our manpower is a problem! We also have to consider the candidates carefully."
"Lao Qin, I plan to go there. There are still 4,500 troops in Yishui City. You stay to garrison there, and I will only take 1,000 Marines with me. I think we will be able to fight against the Japanese army if we meet them."
"No, that won't do. If you want to go, I will go. It won't do if you, the head of a provincial government, run away. No, no, no."
"Lao Qin, listen to me, I went there not just to scout the way, but I also had another purpose, which was to meet that Black Eagle. I always felt that this bandit leader was no simple man."
There have been constant explosions on Mount Meng recently. Chen Feng led the team, training strictly while blasting tunnels.
Almost half of the 500 kilograms of explosives have been used, and the tunnels at important defense nodes have grown to a certain size. These node locations have good shooting ranges and were personally selected by Chen Feng after wandering around the mountain. At each node, as long as there is one Type 92 or two Type 99 rifles, a large area of the mountaineering area can be controlled.
The caves and tunnels on the mountain are also connected to each other. Each platoon has a defense area. They continue to dig during the day, and at night, except for the guards, everyone rests in the cave. After more than a month in Mengshan, they finally put an end to sleeping in the open air.
Weapons and equipment were also distributed in platoon units, including Type 92 cannons and indirect-fire cannons, which were powerful weapons for dealing with group charges. Four soldiers were selected from each platoon to participate in the artillery training organized by the boss.
Spies in Mengyin City reported that a part of the New Fourth Division of the National Army, about a thousand people, entered Mengyin County. The situation in the surrounding area suddenly became tense. Chen Feng ordered the troops to prepare for defense during training and also increased the deployment of spies. The Mengshan guerrillas are still bandits. Strictly speaking, anyone has an excuse to suppress the bandits.
In mid-July, the Japanese army began its offensive in Henan. With three Type A divisions as the main force, it assembled 120,000 troops and began its attack on the front east of Kaifeng.
The Fifth War Zone was given a respite within a month, with its troops and weapons and equipment replenished, ready to consume a large number of Japanese troops in Henan.
On July 7, spies from Mengyin came on horseback to report that a team of national troops had left Mengyin City and was galloping towards Mengshan. It was expected that they would reach Mengshan in half an hour. The team had about a company of soldiers, so the guerrillas were requested to be prepared.
Chen Feng ordered each platoon to stop training and tunnel operations, and quickly take their positions to welcome the possible arrival of the bandit suppression team.
More than a hundred cavalrymen arrived at Mount Meng under the close watch of their spies and stopped at the foot of the mountain. An officer led only a squad of soldiers up Mount Meng.