Chapter 47: Encountering an Unexpected Situation

"Alright, issue the new uniforms to everyone!"

"Once everyone is dressed, form up and move out! Make sure we reach Guowang Village before dark!"

With that, Li Yunlong turned his attention to picking out a brand-new Mauser C96 pistol, leaving his old firearm behind for good.

Zhang Dabiao, Liu Bo, and Wang Chengzhu each took charge of their respective units and began rearming their men.

Crate after crate of weaponry was opened, and the soldiers eagerly lined up to receive their equipment.

Trading in their old, worn-out firearms for pristine new rifles, the soldiers clutched the weapons tightly to their chests. They strapped on bulging ammunition pouches and each collected two grenades.

Beaming from ear to ear, they quickly shed their tattered old uniforms and slipped into the crisp new ones, instantly looking remarkably sharp and spirited.

"Zhao Fuquan, hold onto this tight, and make sure you give those Japanese bastards hell from now on!"

Zhao Fuquan excitedly rubbed his palms together, took the M3 submachine gun from Zhang Dabiao's hands, and was handed two M24 grenades as well. "Thank you, Company Commander! Just watch my performance out there!"

With a joyful leap, Zhao Fuquan went off to change. His choice had undoubtedly been the right one!

Wang Chengzhu led his mortar platoon in unpacking four 81mm mortars, though right now, including himself, the platoon only had three qualified gunners.

Taking advantage of the time while everyone was changing, Wang Chengzhu seized the opportunity to give the platoon members a quick training session.

Before long, the entire 7th Provisional Battalion had completed their rearmament. Even the kitchen squad received a generous allocation of new rifles, and the soldiers stood proudly in formation.

Dressed in his new uniform, Li Yunlong looked over the troops with satisfaction. "Ha! Everyone looks sharp. Good, it seems morale is through the roof!"

"Our target is Guowang Village. Move out!"

With a grand wave of his arm, Li Yunlong led the column down the road.

Because they still had a large surplus of equipment and the old weapons to transport, the pace wasn't particularly fast, and they couldn't just stick to mountain paths all the time.

About two miles outside Guowang Village, the column had just emerged from a stretch of woods onto a dirt country road.

*Crack... pop... crack... pop...*

The faint sound of several Type 38 rifle shots echoed from the distance.

The troops reacted instantly, raising their guards. While many of the new recruits looked around in confusion, Li Yunlong's brassy voice bellowed out, "Take cover, everyone! Fall back into the woods!"

Moments later, a scout came running back. "Reporting to the Battalion Commander, we've spotted something!"

Li Yunlong drew his pistol. "What is it?!"

"About two miles ahead, a dozen Japanese soldiers and a bunch of puppet troops are trapping a group of Nationalist soldiers. They've got them pinned down in a mountain gully!"

Since they had run into Japanese troops, there was no way Li Yunlong was just going to ignore the Nationalist soldiers. "Zhang Dabiao, take a platoon and come with me! Zhuzi, bring along a mortar!"

"First Company Commander, you stay behind to guard our position and watch over the supplies!"

"Move out!"

Zhang Dabiao and Liu Bo acknowledged the orders and split up to carry them out.

Zhang Dabiao ran over to the Second Company and shouted, "Fourth Platoon, grab your weapons and follow me!"

Over forty soldiers from the Fourth Platoon quickly stepped out of formation and hurried after Zhang Dabiao.

The remaining soldiers, under Liu Bo's direction, took defensive positions locally, maintaining high alert and readiness for combat.

Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao, leading the Fourth Platoon, quickly made their way behind a small earthen ridge.

The two men slowly crawled to the top of the ridge, peeked over, and raised their binoculars to survey the scene.

In the distance, nestled between two loess cliffs, was a small gully littered with bizarre rocks. Several Nationalist soldiers had taken cover among them, using the terrain to mount a desperate defense against the Japanese attack.

At the sole exit of the small gully, a dozen Japanese soldiers and over thirty puppet troops were continuously firing inward.

Although the Nationalist soldiers were heavily outmatched, one of them, wielding nothing more than a Type 11 light machine gun, managed to suppress the Japanese troops completely, preventing them from making any headway.

Opting for a siege, the Japanese tried to stall for time while having the puppet troops shout demands for surrender.

After all, the Nationalist soldiers had a limited amount of ammunition; once it ran out, they would be utterly doomed.

Through his binoculars, Li Yunlong watched the performance of that Nationalist machine gunner. That single Type 11 not only forced the opposing Japanese machine gun to shut up, but it also kept all the Japanese infantry pinned down.

Instantly, Li Yunlong was captivated. Such talent was hard to come by!

"Good! That machine gun is being handled with real skill. What a pleasant surprise! Haha!"

Standing beside him, Zhang Dabiao knew his commander had taken a liking to the gunner. "Battalion Commander, their ammunition is running low. Let me take the squad and wipe out those Japanese bastards!"

Li Yunlong immediately approved Zhang Dabiao's request and issued his orders. "Dabiao, take your men and launch a surprise attack from the side brush. Go!"

"Zhuzi, set up that mortar for me right now! The moment Zhang Dabiao's men are in position, take out that enemy machine gun!"

Acknowledging the order, Wang Chengzhu began setting up his mortar on the spot, while Zhang Dabiao led the Fourth Platoon in a stealthy flanking maneuver.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist soldiers in the small gully had reached a critical juncture.

A Nationalist soldier in tattered clothes fired a shot, ducked back into cover, and pulled the bolt. He frantically searched his pockets with one hand for a long time, then turned with a grim expression to look at his comrades.

"Platoon Leader, I'm out of ammo!"

Hearing this, Platoon Leader Huang Tianning looked left and right. "What about you guys?"

Three other Nationalist soldiers shouted out in succession:
"I've got two rounds left!"
"I have three!"
"I only have one left!"

Finally, Huang Tianning looked at the machine gunner. "Xiao Yi, how much ammunition do you have left?"

The only reason they had lasted this long was because of Xiao Yi's machine gun, but the answer was brutally bleak: "These are the last two belts!"

Hearing Xiao Yi's response, Huang Tianning and the others felt only disappointment, devoid of any fear of death.

"Brothers, it's my fault I couldn't get you out of here!"

Huang Tianning felt a deep sense of guilt toward his men. It was he who had led them into a dead end.

The others harbored no resentment toward him; on the contrary, Huang Tianning had always treated them well.

"Platoon Leader, this isn't your fault!"
"Since we decided to follow you, none of us were afraid to die."
"That's right! I've already taken enough of them down with me. If I die now taking another bastard with me, it's worth it!"
"You saved my life!" Xiao Yi's simple words spoke volumes.

Huang Tianning felt a surge of hot blood rushing through his veins. "Alright! You're all good brothers. We'll keep each other company on the road, and in the next life, we'll be brothers again!"
"Let's fight it out with the Japanese!"
"Fight them to the death!"

The men steeled themselves for a desperate final stand, a murderous resolve filling the air. Those with bayonets fixed them to their rifles; those without inverted their weapons to use them as clubs.

Xiao Yi stuffed two large stones into his clothes, tied the ends shut, and bound them to his hands to use as a makeshift mace!

Noticing the gunfire in the gully had ceased, the Japanese realized the enemy had run out of ammunition and ordered the puppet troops to push forward.

Pushed by the Japanese, the puppet troops advanced with trembling steps, terrified that someone from the opposite side might suddenly stand up and shoot them.

Huang Tianning and his men hid in their respective corners, waiting for a chance to strike back.

At this critical moment, Zhang Dabiao finally led his men into position. The timing was absolute perfection—the Japanese were trailing right behind the puppet troops, leaving their rear completely exposed!

Zhang Dabiao grinned. These were ready-made targets.
"First and Second Squads, prepare to charge! Set up the machine gun! Wait for my order!"