Chapter 62: The Turning Spear

Just as Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao were talking, the soldier whom Zhang Dabiao had sent out on reconnaissance came running back in a rush.

Zhang Dabiao spotted him immediately. "Battalion Commander, our man is back!"

The soldier came to a halt and snapped a salute. "Hoo! Reporting to the Battalion Commander and both Company Commanders, the situation with the little Japanese devils has been thoroughly scouted!"

Li Yunlong looked at the soldier, his interest instantly piqued. "Tell me, roughly how many of those little devils are there?"

"This bunch of little devils came from the direction of Nanjiao Township, about thirty li northwest of Anyuan Township. There are fewer than two hundred of them, and no artillery was spotted!"

Li Yunlong immediately raised his head and shouted, "Monk! Monk! Stop moving that stuff and bring me the map!"

"Coming!" Wei Dayong, who was carrying a sack in each hand, tossed them aside casually and strode over. He pulled a leather bag from behind his back, retrieved the map, and handed it to Li Yunlong.

Spreading the map out across a grain sack, Li Yunlong searched for a moment until he located Nanjiao Township and Anyuan Township.

On the map, the two townships were separated by several small hills, with a winding route connecting them that snaked between the ridges.

Li Yunlong then checked the location of Yaojiayu, which lay to the north, right between the two townships. The straight-line distance from Yaojiayu to those hills on the map was less than twenty li—at a forced march, they could reach it in an hour!

"Wang Kai! Wang Kai!"

Li Yunlong called Wang Kai over, pointing to the small hills on the map. "Are you familiar with the terrain around here?"

Wang Kai looked at the map. "This area is known locally as Pheasant Ridge. A few other brothers and I know it like the back of our hands; when we were kids, we spent plenty of time catching pheasants in there!"

Li Yunlong’s eyes lit up. "Good. Think carefully: is there any place here suitable for setting up an ambush?"

Wang Kai pondered for a brief moment, his brow lifting as a delighted smile spread across his face. "Battalion Commander, there is just such a place, and it's ideal for an ambush!"

"Right between two hills, the terrain narrows drastically. That stretch of road is wedged right between two cliff faces, and the narrowest spot is less than two meters wide!"

"Once we block both ends, those little devils won't even have wings to fly away!"

Since a plan was already forming, Li Yunlong did not hesitate and immediately barked out orders: "First Company Commander, take all your grenades!"

After that, Li Yunlong looked at Zhang Dabiao. "How is the stamina of your Second Company? Can they keep up?!"

Zhang Dabiao didn't hesitate for a second. "Battalion Commander, just assign the mission with your mind at ease!"

Li Yunlong’s expression turned serious, and he was just about to issue his orders when a Nationalist Army captain ran over. "This officer, assign us a mission as well!"

Li Yunlong chuckled; it seemed he wouldn't have to waste his breath arguing. "Hahahaha! Good, old Li won't stand on ceremony either. I'll leave these provisions and our entire family fortune in the hands of you brothers to guard!"

Although it wasn't a combat mission, the captain showed no complaint. Entrusting their entire livelihood to their care was a sign of absolute trust!

"Understood! Mission guaranteed!"

"Hahahaha!" Li Yunlong grinned from ear to ear, then turned to Wei Dayong. "Monk, go inform Artillery Platoon Commander Wang Chengzhu. Tell him to take his men, grab four bazookas, and set out together!"

Having handed the grain over to the Nationalist Army captain and his men to transport, Li Yunlong assembled his troops and quickly set off.

Racing against the clock with a forced march all the way, Li Yunlong and his men reached the ambush site Wang Kai had mentioned within an hour.

Between two small hills covered in low brushwood, a winding road cut across vertical rock faces. The entrance was quite wide, but the further inward they went, the narrower the path became.

The narrowest section was located right in the middle—roughly less than a hundred meters long and only about two meters wide, just wide enough for a single horse-drawn cart to pass through.

After carefully observing the terrain, Li Yunlong finalized his plan. "First Company Commander, hand all your grenades over to the artillery platoon!"

Li Yunlong looked at Wang Chengzhu. "Zhu Zi, your mission is to take all the grenades, climb up to the tops of the cliffs on both sides, and as soon as the little devils are blocked in here, throw them with everything you've got and blow this bunch of little devils to hell!"

"First and Second Company Commanders, you will take your respective units to guard the two ends, each taking two bazookas. The moment my gun fires, you are to blast the cliffs at the entrance and exit into collapse, trapping those little devils inside!"

"I'm going to serve those little devils a taste of fried peanuts!"

Li Yunlong glared with wide eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs, "All of you, hide yourselves properly! Don't let a single little devil spot you! Did you hear me?!"

All the soldiers roared back in unison, "Understood! Mission guaranteed!"

Li Yunlong waved his hand dismissively. "Go make your preparations!"

Zhang Dabiao, Liu Bo, and Wang Chengzhu led their respective squads off to prepare. Taking a quick glance at the fading light of the sky, Li Yunlong turned and followed the First Company toward the exit.

Just as Li Yunlong and his men began preparing their ambush positions, back in Anyuan Township, Lieutenant Ishitaro was leisurely riding atop a tall, fine horse, watching his subordinates emerge from the Li family courtyard with carts loaded full of grain from a bountiful harvest, pulled by horses and donkeys.

The carts and donkeys had all been requisitioned from the residents of Anyuan Township, but fortunately, having secured a plentiful haul, the little devils chose not to further harass or persecute the townsfolk.

With an unhurried wave of his hand, Ishitaro ordered, "Move out!"

The entire column slowly ambled onto the return journey, completely unaware that they were already being monitored by Li Yunlong's scouts.

In the small grove outside Anyuan Township, the lurking scouts saw the Japanese detachment clear the town and immediately set off at a run to return to the ambush site.

More than half an hour later, the scout arrived at the ambush location ahead of the main body and found Li Yunlong.

"Reporting to the Battalion Commander, the little devils are escorting the grain this way! In twenty minutes at most, they will reach this spot!"

Li Yunlong nodded. "I know. Go and get some rest!"

Li Yunlong took one last look at the cliffs at both ends to ensure that the bombardment from the super bazookas would reliably collapse the rock faces and effectively seal the entry and exit points.

Before long, as time ticked away, the sky gradually turned a soft, hazy amber. The afterglow of the setting sun cast its rays upon the tops of the cliffs, so that anyone looking up would find everything masked by the glare of the sun, revealing nothing out of the ordinary.

At that moment, Lieutenant Ishitaro led his column slowly into the area.

Perched in the saddle, Lieutenant Ishitaro held the reins in one hand while continuously toasting and turning a piece of warm Khotan jade in the other.

Perhaps because of the rich harvest, Lieutenant Ishitaro hadn't even bothered to send out an advance scouting party. The little devils were chatting and laughing merrily within the ranks, entirely devoid of vigilance.

Paying no heed to the fact that such terrain was prime territory for an ambush, they carelessly and slowly walked right into the narrow pass.

At the entrance, watching the very last grain wagon enter under the guard of the Japanese soldiers, Zhang Dabiao and another soldier hoisted their bazookas onto their shoulders, aiming squarely at the cliffs on both sides of the entrance, waiting only for the crack of Li Yunlong's rifle.

At the other end, less than fifty meters from the exit, Li Yunlong and the First Company had been waiting for quite some time.

Before long, the moment the first little devil stepped out into the open, Li Yunlong pulled the trigger without hesitation. "Open fire!"

"Bang!"

The Japanese soldier was struck and dropped dead on the spot. The other little devils and Lieutenant Ishitaro behind him failed to react immediately, freezing in momentary shock.

It was precisely this brief hesitation that robbed those little devils of any remaining chance to escape!

"Nani?!" Lieutenant Ishitaro was suddenly seized by a chilling premonition!