Chapter 40: Japanese and Puppet Dogs Tear Each Other Apart, the New Regiment Captures Three Small Towns Consecutively

With the puppet army major’s order given, many puppet soldiers launched a charge, intending to defeat the Eighth Route Army soldiers before them and claim credit with the little Japanese. After all, there were only a few dozen Eighth Route Army soldiers in sight.

However, as the pursuit continued, the Eighth Route Army soldiers who had previously been retreating suddenly stopped and launched a counterattack. This left the puppet soldiers somewhat bewildered.

Before the Japanese and puppet troops could react, however, firing points suddenly erupted from the hills on both sides of the highway. Light and heavy machine guns swept across the area with a fierce barrage.

"Da-da-da... da-da-da... da-da..."
"Tu-tu-tu..."

Streams of fire wove together into a deadly net of firepower, harvesting the lives of the Japanese and traitors. In just a split second, numerous Japanese and traitors fell to the ground.

Sato Yoko sensed that something was terribly wrong. It was a trap!

These Eighth Route Army soldiers had actually sent out dozens of men just to lure them into a trap; how utterly cunning!

"Dammit!"
"Baka!"
"Form defense, counterattack!"
"Charge!!!"

Sato Yoko waved his command saber and shouted, ordering his troops to counterattack.

The reaction of the Japanese was indeed not slow; they quickly established a defensive line and returned fire. The puppet soldiers, on the other hand, scrambled to find cover and hide. The two presented a stark contrast.

Li Yunlong held a Type 38 rifle, adjusted the sight scale, took aim, and squeezed the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet sped away.

"Thud~"

Sato Yoko, who had just been waving his sword to command the counterattack, fell backward, blood soaking the fabric across his chest. Killed with a single shot!

This single shot left Huzi and the others utterly dumbfounded. The regimental commander's marksmanship was truly godlike. The distance was a full four hundred meters, yet he had taken down the Japanese commander with one shot. Simply magnificent!

"The Japanese commander is dead! Comrades, give it to them with everything you've got!"

The morale of the soldiers soared, and they bravely fought the enemy!

When the Japanese saw Sato Yoko killed, they were instantly thrown into a panic. The adjutant quickly assumed command, directing the troops to counterattack, but he dared not raise his head, terrified of being targeted by the enemy sniper.

The next second, however, an artillery shell landed near the Japanese position. After adjusting the mortar's angle, the artillery crew decisively opened fire in rapid succession.

One had to admit that under the tutelage of Yang Zhihua and Wang Chengzhu, the artillerymen's firing skills were quite exceptional. In an instant, the Japanese were blasted into wails and cries.

"My leg! Ah..."
"Save me!"

Some Japanese soldiers attempted to launch a suicidal charge, determined to perish together with the Eighth Route Army soldiers. Before they could even rush forward, however, they were riddled with bullets by the machine guns. After all, the firepower of the New First Regiment nowadays was no joke—even surpassing that of the Japanese.

Especially in order to deal with the Japanese, Li Yunlong had brought out a generous amount of weapons and ammunition, prioritizing the minimization of casualties while annihilating the enemy. Therefore, this battle did not unfold like previous engagements, where a few rounds of gunfire were followed immediately by a charge; instead, it relied on overwhelming firepower and artillery bombardment.

This left both the Japanese and the traitors completely dumbfounded. Facing an Eighth Route Army that had changed its tactics, they had no idea how to respond and were entirely suppressed.

The battle did not last long before Li Yunlong gave the order to charge.

"Surrender your weapons and you will be spared!"
"Surrender immediately!"

The soldiers shouted as they charged, their momentum shaking the heavens!

Seeing this overwhelming momentum, the remaining puppet soldiers trembled in fear, no longer daring to offer any resistance, especially lacking the constraint of the Japanese. The puppet soldiers either fled or surrendered. The entire battle turned into a completely one-sided rout.

Ten minutes later, the battle concluded. All the Japanese troops were annihilated, twenty-three puppet soldiers were captured, and a portion of the puppet soldiers managed to flee.

Remarkably, this company of the New First Regiment suffered fewer than ten casualties. It was an absolute and resounding victory.

At this moment, Li Yunlong had no time to revel in the joy of the great victory and immediately issued an order: "Pass the word down: five minutes to replenish ammunition, then move out immediately to Tongyu Town and prepare for the attack."

"Understood!"

...

Meanwhile, in Matian Town, as Zhang Dabiao led his troops in a breakthrough into the town, the entire situation changed.

The Japanese had originally intended to rely on the small town to wage urban warfare and bog down the Eighth Route Army, but they never expected the puppet soldiers to betray them at this crucial moment. Faced with the puppet soldiers "stabbing them in the back," the Japanese, already lacking in troop strength, suffered devastating blows.

Under the relentless assault of the New First Regiment, the remaining Japanese and puppet troops could no longer hold out. After fierce fighting, Matian Town was finally captured by Zhang Dabiao.

"Leave a platoon to tend to the wounded and clear the battlefield! Everyone else, follow me to reinforce the regimental commander! Quick!"
"Understood!"

The soldiers responded in unison and then hurried toward Tongyu Town.

Matian Town and Tongyu Town were just over nine kilometers apart, a distance that could be covered in no time with a forced march. Compared to the spoils of war, the safety of the regimental commander and the soldiers was far more important, especially since the commander had only brought a single company with him.

"Commander, you must hold on..."

...

In Tongyu Town, because Sato Yoko had taken troops to reinforce Matian Town, there were fewer than a hundred Japanese and puppet soldiers left in Tongyu Town. This was precisely why Li Yunlong had used a ruse to lure the Japanese out of the town for an ambush; the remaining puppet troops and small handful of Japanese were simply not to be feared.

Arriving outside Tongyu Town, Li Yunlong decisively gave an order to the artillery crew: "Open fire immediately and blast away the enemy's defensive fortifications outside the town!"

"Understood!"

As the mortars fired continuously, the defensive fortifications established by the Japanese and puppet troops suffered a violent bombardment.

After a short while, Li Yunlong ordered the artillery fire to cease, but he did not immediately launch an assault. Instead, he offered terms of surrender.

"Puppet soldiers inside the city, listen up! I am giving you a chance right now—surrender immediately, and I will spare your lives! Otherwise, when I break into the town, none of you will find a way out! I am giving you five minutes to consider."

Li Yunlong’s voice was loud and clear, ringing distinctly in the ears of many puppet soldiers inside the city and instantly causing a commotion among them. After all, very few Japanese remained, and Sato Yoko along with the other reinforcements had been killed by the Eighth Route Army. With the Eighth Route Army now pressing down on them with overwhelming strength, they had zero confidence in their ability to hold Tongyu Town.

In an instant, the resolve of many puppet soldiers wavered.

The Japanese looked on in confusion, wondering why the Eighth Route Army had suddenly stopped shelling, and angrily demanded of the interpreter nearby, "What did the Eighth Route Army shout just now?"

The interpreter’s heart skipped a beat. Catching sight of the fierce glares from the puppet soldiers standing nearby, cold sweat poured down his back. Translating truthfully would likely cost him his head, yet the Japanese were not so easily fooled.

He stammered, "Imperial soldier, the Eighth Route Army said that Sato Yoko has already been annihilated by them, and they are demanding that we surrender immediately. If we don't surrender, they will launch a general assault, and they've only given us five minutes to think about it."

"Baka!" the Japanese sergeant roared in fury.

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, however, the other puppet soldiers decisively mutinied. Thus, a scene of dogs biting dogs played out inside Tongyu Town.

Outside the town, hearing the gunfire erupting from within, Li Yunlong’s lips curled upward into a smile.

"These puppet soldiers still know what's good for them!" he muttered. "Later, if the puppet soldiers lay down their arms and surrender, there's no need to exterminate them all. Building up the base area still requires manpower."

"Understood!" the soldiers laughed and answered loudly.

...

Just as Li Yunlong was directing his troops in the cleanup operations, at Huangyadong, Chen Tiansheng, the captain of the militia squad, came before the deputy chief of staff and reported, "Chief, there is something I need to inform you of. We have discovered that the New First Regiment has already..."