The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 244: Defeating the Enemy Scouts and Bravely Protecting the Students

After eliminating the Japanese soldiers on the machine gun position, Hu Hansi quickly raised his gun, turned it around, and fired fiercely at the remaining Japanese special forces. The dense bullets poured out like a torrential rain. Under the powerful firepower suppression, the Japanese scouts who pressed forward were beaten without any chance to fight back. After leaving behind more than a dozen bodies, they retreated in panic, their formation in disarray.

While Lei Tao and his men engaged in a bloody battle with Japanese special forces, Xu Guangrong, leading the rest of the Eighth Route Army's task force, engaged in a thrilling and fierce battle with another group of Japanese scouts. Hiding behind a sturdy tree, Xu Guangrong, his body slightly sideways, his gaze fixed intently on the Japanese troops' every move. The Japanese scouts, arranged in a skirmish line formation, cautiously approached, taking advantage of the complex terrain, using trees, mounds, and rocks for cover. They advanced with extreme caution, occasionally peeked out and fired in the direction of the Eighth Route Army soldiers' concealment. The bullets whizzed by, rippling leaves from the trees.

Seeing this, Xu Guangrong acted decisively, giving the order: "Prepare the grenades!" The soldiers quickly and expertly unhooked their grenades from their waists, neatly unscrewed the caps, pulled the rings, and held them tightly, ready to deliver a fatal blow. "Throw!" With Xu Guangrong's command, the soldiers, like a group of well-trained cheetahs, rose to their feet, raised their arms high, and swung with all their might. Each grenade, with a whistling sound, streaked through the smoke-filled sky like black meteors, flying precisely towards the Japanese scouts.

"Boom, boom, boom!" A series of deafening explosions erupted instantly as grenades exploded among the Japanese troops. Fire and heat billowed, stirring up clouds of dust and debris. The sudden blast tore the Japanese scouts off their horses, their bodies flung back by the blast, their cries of agony cascading down their spines. Taking advantage of the billowing smoke, Xu Guangrong shouted at the top of his lungs, "Charge!" The soldiers immediately drew their rifles, hunched their backs, and, in standard battle formation, charged forward like arrows from a bow.

Soldier Li Dali led the charge, charging at the front of the column. Crouching low, his steps light and swift, he advanced rapidly, firing fiercely at the Japanese. Suddenly, a bullet grazed his arm, leaving a streak of blood, but he merely frowned, unconcerned. With rage burning in his eyes, he continued to charge forward. When he was only a dozen meters from the Japanese, he quickly knelt on one knee, steadying himself. He held his rifle, aimed at a Japanese scout, and decisively pulled the trigger, sending the scout falling to the ground.

Elsewhere, soldier Liu Hu engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with two Japanese scouts. One of the scouts, bayonet raised, lunged at Liu Hu. Quickly reacting, Liu Hu dodged sideways, deftly avoiding the fatal blow. He then used his rifle to block the bayonet, then fiercely kicked the scout to the ground. Then, with a swift, seamless pull of the bolt, he unleashed a bullet, piercing the scout's chest. The scout's eyes widened, and he slowly collapsed. Having dispatched one scout, Liu Hu barely had time to catch his breath before scrambling with another, the two men engaged in a fierce back-and-forth, neither yielding.

Xu Guangrong crouched, hiding behind a half-man-high mound of earth. His rifle belched flames, muzzle smoke drifting slowly in the breeze. As he fired, he rapidly turned his head, closely observing the battlefield. The battlefield was thick with smoke, and the cries of killing and the roar of gunfire intertwined in a deafening, chaotic scene.

He keenly noticed that although the grenades thrown earlier had thrown the Japanese scouts into disarray, with many of them missing limbs and screaming in agony, these Japanese soldiers, honed by years of brutal military training, quickly regained their composure and began to resist stubbornly, using the surrounding trees, rocks, and other shelters. They hid behind cover, occasionally poking their heads out and firing at the Eighth Route Army soldiers, their bullets whizzing past and sending dirt cascading down the slope.

Xu Guangrong knew that this stalemate would be extremely disadvantageous to his side and that he had to break the deadlock as soon as possible. He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and, relying on his rich combat experience, developed a new set of tactics. He quickly made a few concise and clear gestures to the soldiers around him, lowered his voice, and said quickly and clearly: "Wang Qiang, Li Gang, the two of you will outflank from the flank, using the dense woods over there as cover, quietly approach the enemy, and then suddenly open fire to attract the Japanese firepower. Remember, don't fight hard, the main task is to contain them. Everyone else, listen to my orders, concentrate your firepower on the frontal attack, and after Wang Qiang and his men have attracted the enemy, we will rush forward in one go and catch them off guard!"

Wang Qiang and Li Gang, taking command, quickly exploited the terrain and quietly circled behind the Japanese scouts. Holding their breath, they cautiously approached until they were close enough to the enemy. Suddenly, they stood up, raised their rifles, and launched a frenzied fire at the Japanese scouts. This sudden attack caught the Japanese scouts off guard, further disrupting their already chaotic formation and forcing them to turn to face the flanking attack.

Xu Guangrong seized this golden opportunity, abruptly standing up, rifle raised high, and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Charge! Comrades, kill the devils!" He led the soldiers on the front line, charging forward like a tiger descending a mountain. The soldiers' shouts resonated throughout the valley, their eyes revealing a resolute determination. Undeterred by the enemy's hail of bullets, they bravely advanced toward victory.

After a fierce battle, the Japanese scouts gradually could not withstand the fierce attacks of the Eighth Route Army soldiers and began to flee. Xu Guangrong did not give them any chance to breathe, and led the soldiers in relentless pursuit, like wolves chasing their prey, eliminating the remaining Japanese scouts one by one.

Almost simultaneously, the remaining Japanese cavalry, led by Sato Shinoo, regrouped and launched a fierce attack on the young students, who were protected only by a few Eighth Route Army task force soldiers. The thunder of their hooves shook the earth slightly, and clouds of dust rose up, obscuring the sky. The Japanese cavalry, their sabers gleaming, raised high, their eyes gleaming with greed and ferocity, intent on breaking through the defenses and capturing the young students.