Chapter 16: Sudden Crisis—The Enemy Arrives

After the large-scale training exercises were drawing to a close, Zhang Yun turned his attention outward. It was now mid-April, with just over a month left before the regiment headquarters required his performance report. He planned to test his troops against the Japanese and puppet forces.

The unit had basically formed a combat force, and it was essential to let the new recruits see blood—to become further familiar with combat and tactics through real battle.

Originally, he had arranged for Old Zhang to lead a team to scout the Japanese stronghold at Xiaohuozhuang. If conditions permitted, he intended to use their mortar advantage to attack the position. Any kills would yield spoils and provide an opportunity for revenge for injuries previously suffered from enemy grenade launchers.

Unexpectedly, a sudden turn of events revealed a new opportunity.

On April 14, Zhang Yun was in the platoon headquarters studying maps, calculating supplies and planning the next attack direction.

Currently, his captured supplies included over 40 tons of grain, 13 tons of meat, 11 rifles, more than 400 rounds of ammunition, 800 mortar shells, and a large quantity of gold, silver, copper, iron, and various sundries. Zhang Yun was constantly seeking opportunities to liquidate these assets. Although the platoon’s food and funds were somewhat in surplus, the weapons and ammunition were becoming scarce, especially grenades.

Suddenly, Old Zhang from the reconnaissance squad entered anxiously. “Platoon leader, there’s an emergency!”

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Yun grew concerned at Old Zhang’s urgency.

“Earlier, I planned to lead a team to scout Xiaohuozhuang again, but when I passed by to observe Liujiatun, I found the Nationalist troops there suddenly broke and fled. Now Liujiatun has been occupied by a group of Japanese and puppet soldiers,” Old Zhang reported in detail.

“What? How could this happen? Yesterday, Liujiatun was still in the hands of those Central Army troops,” Zhang Yun exclaimed in shock. He had arranged daily monitoring of Liujiatun, but none of the sentries had returned; only Old Zhang had come back quickly to report.

“That’s right,” Old Zhang sighed. “When we scouted yesterday, we saw those Central Army soldiers setting up defensive positions. We thought they were preparing to fight. But today, when we went back, the Japanese and puppet forces had already taken over.”

“Platoon leader! Platoon leader!” At that moment, the soldier Zhang Yun had sent to watch Liujiatun returned. “The Japanese have gone to Liujiatun. The Nationalist Army was preparing to defend, but before the enemy even attacked, they suddenly broke ranks. I saw them all running up into the hills, leaving behind machine guns, bedding, everything, to the Japanese. The Japanese and puppet troops didn’t even fire a shot but took over Liujiatun. Most civilians didn’t even have time to escape and are now trapped inside the town by the Japanese.”

Zhang Yun’s anger flared. “Over a hundred of them lived off the people of Liujiatun for months, and they ran off without firing a shot. How can they face the people of Liujiatun?”

“Now is not the time for anger,” Old Zhang comforted the platoon leader. “Liujiatun is only five kilometers from us. We have to act fast.”

Zhang Yun took a deep breath and shouted, “Communications officer, immediately assemble the whole platoon. Logistics, distribute weapons and ammunition to everyone, make sure the mortar shells are sufficient. The cooks and logistics stay behind; infantry and artillery prepare to attack Liujiatun. The Japanese are in Liujiatun—we can’t even sleep soundly.”

“Yes, sir,” Old Zhang, the reconnaissance soldiers, and the communications officer responded simultaneously.

Soon, over 160 soldiers gathered. The logistics squad busied themselves issuing ammunition while several squad leaders and the deputy platoon leader entered the headquarters.

Zhang Yun said little, merely stating, “The Japanese have occupied Liujiatun.” The deputy platoon leader and the three squad leaders immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

Though Yujiakou and Xiaohuozhuang were far away, even if occupied by the Japanese, there was still enough cover and buffer. But Liujiatun was their frontline outpost. Losing its protection exposed their main force directly under the noses of the Japanese and puppet forces.

“Strange, why would the Japanese and puppet troops come to such a remote town like Liujiatun?” Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing looked at the map, puzzled.

Zhang Yun, referencing historical knowledge, had some suspicions but needed to observe the enemy’s movements further before confirming. He halted the discussion in the headquarters, saying, “Now is not the time to speculate. Before the Japanese realize it, we must move stealthily. We have to drive out these puppet and Japanese forces as soon as possible, or we will be in trouble.”

The deputy platoon leader and squad leaders nodded in agreement and hurried to organize the troops and prepare for departure. Soon, three infantry squads and one artillery squad—over 160 men—were fully armed and swiftly headed toward Liujiatun.

As they approached the town, everyone slowed their pace cautiously, advancing slowly along a mountain trail halfway up the slope.

This time, Zhang Yun finally took out his binoculars, a prize captured from a bandit last time—a relic taken from the corpse of a Northeastern Army officer who had defected to the bandits.

Peering carefully, Zhang Yun saw about fifty Japanese soldiers and more than thirty puppet troops going door to door in Liujiatun, demanding money, grain, and supplies. Several large mule-drawn carts were already piled high with grain, chickens, ducks, and sheep. Two automobiles were parked nearby—remarkable given the rough mountain roads. Most of the civilians had been driven to the town center, with some puppet troops and Japanese soldiers guarding them with guns raised.

At the town entrance, the trenches previously dug by the Central Army were deserted, with no signs of battle. Clearly, the Central Army had abandoned the civilians and fled to the mountains.

Zhang Yun carefully observed the Japanese weaponry: a standard Japanese squad with likely three light machine guns and three grenade launchers. The puppet troops appeared to have only rifles and no machine guns, leaving Zhang Yun wondering where the Central Army’s machine guns had gone.

“We can’t fight inside the town,” Zhang Yun whispered to the deputy platoon leader. The town’s terrain was complex, crowded with civilians, and the Central Army had even dug defensive trenches for the Japanese. If they charged in abruptly, it might devolve into chaotic street fighting or trench warfare, negating the platoon’s numerical and firepower advantages.

Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing agreed, “Look at all those carts and the two cars. I bet they’ll all leave soon. They wouldn’t station troops in such a remote town.”

“But we can’t just let the Japanese harm the civilians. Those devils are merciless,” Zhang Yun pondered, then said, “Here’s the plan: We stage a two-phase ambush. First, a dozen soldiers disguised as militia will fire a few shots outside to wound or kill some enemies, then feign retreat to the eastern mountain road outside the town entrance, luring the Japanese into pursuit.

Then, the third squad will ambush the pursuing enemy, drawing the Japanese and puppet troops inside the town to come to their support.

Our main force will first annihilate the Japanese reinforcements from behind, then circle back to eliminate the pursuing enemy.”

Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing beamed, “Good plan, Platoon Leader. Since there’s no large Eighth Route Army force nearby, the Japanese won’t know how many of us there are or how much firepower we have. They’ll surely fall for it!”

Zhang Yun resolved, “Changqing, you lead the third squad to set the ambush and lure the enemy. Dabao, take the first squad around to the western mountain road near the town entrance for ambush. Lao Hu, lead the second squad to prepare an ambush on the eastern mountain road near the town entrance. Dachuan, move the artillery squad beyond mortar range to establish a firing position, ready to shell the enemy reinforcements. Everyone remember the tactics: first target the grenade launchers, then the machine gunners, then the command center, and finally the enemy infantry.”

Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing said steadily, “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely draw the enemy out.” The squad leaders all nodded in agreement.

After a while, Liu Changqing personally led about a dozen men, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying older rifles, stealthily approaching the town entrance.

Suddenly, “Bang! Bang! Bang!” A few shots rang out, and a Japanese soldier and several puppet troops fell to the ground.

Liu Changqing shouted, “Retreat! Retreat! Move quickly!” and led his men running toward the mountains outside the town.

The Japanese reacted swiftly, immediately dropping to the ground and preparing to counterattack, but they failed to locate the enemy. When they realized the “militia guerrillas” who had killed their soldiers had not attacked but simply fled, the Japanese squad leader was enraged, his nose crooked in fury. He promptly dispatched a small detachment to pursue, reinforcing it with an additional grenade launcher team.

Zhang Yun’s heart pounded as he watched the enemy chase Liu Changqing’s group. Bullets were indiscriminate, and the trees and rocks that could provide cover on their path were scarce, making the risk enormous.

Fortunately, only one of Liu Changqing’s men was hit in the arm; the rest successfully escaped into the mountains.

The Japanese detachment without hesitation followed into the mountains but shortly thereafter fell into the third squad’s ambush. The third squad leader had assigned snipers to suppress enemy grenade launchers and used Czech machine guns to pin down the Japanese light machine guns. With triple the enemy’s numbers, they kept the enemy’s heads down.

Hearing the sudden intense gunfire from the mountains, the Japanese squad leader knew the detachment was ambushed. Though arrogant, he was not foolish; he assessed from the sounds that the ambush force was small and poorly equipped, with only one machine gun, insufficient to defeat his squad. He then led most of the Japanese and puppet troops to reinforce the ambush site.

“Good,” Zhang Yun silently praised the squad leader. He counted the Japanese and puppet troops left guarding the town: only two Japanese soldiers had taken defensive positions in the former trenches at the town entrance, and three or four puppet troops still held their guns, encircling the civilians.

He quietly called Old Zhang and instructed him to take a few sharpshooters to find a good sniping position to quickly eliminate the two Japanese in the trenches. As for the puppet troops, Zhang Yun believed they would surrender once the Japanese were wiped out.

Everything unfolded smoothly. When the Japanese squad leader led over thirty Japanese soldiers and more than thirty puppet troops out of the town and along the main road toward the eastern foothills, suddenly, gunfire erupted from the hillsides on both sides of the road.

Three Czech machine guns, one light machine gun, and over a hundred rifles and pistols opened fire simultaneously, the sound deafening. Then came the “whoosh” of a mortar shell descending, followed by a tremendous explosion.

Caught off guard, the Japanese and puppet troops fell in droves. The Japanese quickly dropped to the ground seeking cover, while the puppet troops scattered but were successively struck by bullets.

Dachuan, Wang Chengzhu, and Li Tiandu personally fired, launching more than twenty mortar rounds in a minute, bombarding the enemy’s position thoroughly. Soon, smoke and dust filled the air.

The gunfire gradually ceased, only painful groans audible from inside. No enemy remained capable of resistance.