Chapter 147: Brutal Firepower
Just as Liang Zefeng was marveling at the commanding ability of the opposing army’s commander, Li Yunlong also ran into trouble.
At the beginning, he led the New First Regiment and, relying on flexible tactics, indeed gained some advantage, but when a cavalry company suddenly appeared, everything changed.
No matter how agile the New First Regiment’s soldiers were, they couldn’t run faster than horses, and soon several soldiers lagging behind were caught up by Japanese cavalry and fell into pools of blood.
“Zhang Dabiao… quickly seize that dirt hill ahead and block the devils there!”
On a slightly gentle dirt hill, Li Yunlong, panting heavily, pointed at a hill ahead and roared at Zhang Dabiao.
“Understood… I’ll lead men there myself and hold off the devils.” Zhang Dabiao responded and was about to leave, but after just two steps, he was pulled back by Li Yunlong.
“Remember… move fast, and take the two Type 92 heavy machine guns too.”
“Got it!”
Watching Zhang Dabiao’s rapidly departing figure, Li Yunlong felt a surge of annoyance in his heart.
They say greed brings harm, and it’s truly a timeless truth.
If they couldn’t stop that cavalry company behind, the New First Regiment’s casualties today would be heavy.
Just as Li Yunlong was secretly regretting in his heart, a shrill whistling sound tore through the sky.
Six trails of gray-white smoke wove a net of death across the blue sky, landing in the midst of the cavalry unit that was galloping in pursuit.
“Boom boom boom…”
The blast waves from the explosions flipped three warhorses, their bellies twisted at eerie angles, manes scattered with blood foam.
A Japanese staff officer wearing glasses was also hit by a bomb, his satchel at his waist blown into the air, papers fluttering like white butterflies in the smoke.
The Japanese company commander leading the unit, seeing his troops under artillery fire, did not panic but instead directed a company to charge toward Liang Zefeng’s position.
Soon, a large group of Japanese soldiers in khaki uniforms swarmed toward them like a flock of startled locusts.
“Hey… these little devils are underestimating us too much, daring to clash head-on with such few troops.”
Liang Zefeng sneered.
Before he could give the order, the heavy machine guns waiting in reserve behind opened fire.
The roar of the 12.7mm caliber Browning heavy machine guns echoed through the surrounding valleys.
The jumping belt of brass casings gleamed golden in the sunlight, the red-hot barrel scorching ripples in the air.
Thumb-thick bullets plowed through the bushes, severed grass mixed with shredded flesh splattering.
A short lieutenant had just raised his saber to order a charge when a bowl-sized hole exploded in his chest; as the saber tip plunged into the dirt, his kneeling body pitched forward from inertia.
This M2HB Browning heavy machine gun, nicknamed Old Godmother, was no joke—its 18,000 joules of kinetic energy and 930 m/s muzzle velocity allowed it to easily penetrate light armor, concrete bunkers, vehicles, and low-flying aircraft.
Its 2,000-meter range gave it an extremely flat trajectory and powerful suppressive capability, making it the natural enemy of cavalry.
When nine M2HB heavy machine guns opened fire together, the Japanese cavalry that had been aggressively chasing the New First Regiment scattered like frightened rabbits, unable to regroup for a charge.
And when the cavalry went from clustered to isolated, or lost their speed, their threat plummeted.
As an excellent commander, Li Yunlong’s battlefield awareness and reaction speed were beyond doubt.
Upon discovering reinforcements had arrived, he unhesitatingly ordered his troops to halt the retreat and immediately launched a counter-charge against the Japanese.
Amid the resounding bugle calls, over a thousand New First Regiment soldiers and more than six hundred from the sixth battalion surged toward the Japanese like a tide.
Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a bayonet piercing the chaotic battlefield.
He saw at least thirty riderless warhorses milling about like headless flies, hooves trampling scattered Rising Sun flags.
In the distance, a Japanese captain was futilely waving his command sword, his roars drowned out by the Czech light machine gun’s bellow.
“Tear open this gap for me!”
After the Japanese cavalry company was routed, Li Yunlong pointed at a small dirt hill ahead—that was a hastily set up Japanese defensive line.
He kicked aside a Japanese corpse at his feet, then finished off another twitching one on the ground with a shot.
After that shot, the corpse finally stopped twitching.
Observing the surroundings and seeing the Japanese hastily withdrawing, he ordered the bugler: “Sound the charge!”
“Toot toot da da… da da toot toot…”
At the moment the charge bugle pierced the air, the New First Regiment’s soldiers charged toward the Japanese ahead like tigers descending the mountain.
Under the pincer attack of two powerful forces, this Japanese unit grew frenzied as well.
They resisted desperately, some playing dead to evade searches and shooting any isolated soldiers they encountered.
Others grouped in threes or fives, using terrain for blocking actions.
Notably, this was entirely spontaneous among the Japanese soldiers, not directed by officers, showing that even second-rate units like the Independent Mixed Brigade had strong combat power in this era.
But facing the militia and New First Regiment surging in like a tide, even the Japanese’s stubborn resistance couldn’t change their fate of defeat.
Acrid gunsmoke mixed with the stench of blood drifted along the front line as nine Willys jeeps drove to a dirt hill 400 meters from the battlefield and stopped.
Immediately, the M2HB heavy machine guns on the vehicle roofs spat tongues of fire; soon the heavy barrels glowed dark red, thick long casings popping onto the scorched earth like soybeans.
A Japanese soldier huddled in a shell crater, head pressed flat to the ground, not daring to look up.
The Chinese army’s machine gun roars across from him scraped his eardrums like a dull knife; with each burst of muzzle flash, he saw comrades’ bodies torn apart like rag dolls.
Dust and flesh mixed with gravel flew nonstop; a young superior private had just leaped from cover when a bowl-sized hole exploded in his abdomen, blue intestines spilling out immediately, the long bloody trail dragging on the ground.
“Mama… I want to go home!”
Facing the crushing firepower, the Japanese soldiers could hold no longer; some finally started running back, and the collapse began.
“Regiment commander… the little devils are running!” Zhang Dabiao shouted excitedly to Li Yunlong.
“What are you standing around for… chase them!”
Beating a drowning dog was something Li Yunlong loved most—low casualties, high captures, no one would pass it up.
The New First Regiment’s soldiers lived up to being trained by Li Yunlong; they quickly split into two groups, one continuing to pursue the enemy, the other beginning to clear the battlefield.
