GBP Chapter 21: Annihilation of the Japs
Chapter 21: Annihilation of the Japs
Zhang Chi sat in the Sherman tank, tightly gripping the commander's periscope, and was completely anxious. His soldiers were fighting, and he had to contribute his part.
The surrounding rainforest seemed like a sonic black hole at night, swallowing all sound. Only the crackle of gunfire, explosions, and the roars of soldiers pierced the darkness. The Sherman tank's engine roared, and the twin beams of light from its headlights sliced through the thick darkness like sharp blades, providing light for the soldiers on the battlefield.
"There is a Japanese officer by the campfire." Zhang Chi shouted to the gunner through the communicator in the car, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.
He saw through the commander's periscope that several Japanese officers were gathered around a campfire, brandishing their sabers and trying to reorganize the scattered troops.
The Japanese were suddenly attacked and fell into chaos. Their front lines had begun to collapse and they were fighting on their own. But if they could regroup at this time, the situation could be quickly reversed.
"Use the coaxial machine gun to disperse them!" Zhang Chi gave the order decisively.
The gunner quickly adjusted the turret's direction, and the M1919A4 coaxial machine gun roared, 7.62mm rounds raining down on the Japanese soldiers around the campfire. A sudden flash of fire, an officer and several soldiers fell to the ground, forcing the remaining soldiers to flee and hide in the surrounding darkness.
"Okay! Keep suppressing them!" Zhang Chi's voice was a little cold. He has become more and more like a real commander from a college student.
The Sherman tank's coaxial machine gun spewed out tongues of fire, breaking up the Japanese who were trying to reorganize, and the defeat of Changpu's new troops became even more irreversible.
The deterrent power of the tank seemed particularly important in this chaotic night. Major Acorus Xin stared at the steel monster with two big shining eyes in the distance and cursed a few words, then had to draw his samurai sword and join the melee.
At the same time, the second company commander Qi Quan waved the M1A1 carbine in his hand and led several soldiers through the woods, looking for opportunities to fight.
In recent days, he had been eating and drinking well with the support of Zhang Chi, and the night blindness he had suffered from lack of vitamin A was quickly cured. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings and suddenly caught a glimpse of several wounded soldiers leaning against a big tree, their faces pale and their breath weak.
He immediately realized that these unfamiliar soldiers were allies of the expeditionary force, and it was they who had launched the surprise attack tonight. Although they did not know each other, Qi Quan's eyes were full of trust. On the battlefield, even if I have no clothes, I will share my clothes with you.
"Brothers, go to the car lights, it's safe there." Qi Quan shouted without hesitation.
"Brothers of the expeditionary force, if you've been killed and can't find your organization, gather by the brightest headlights and fight your way back!" Qi Quan shouted, his voice piercing the chaos of the battlefield. The soldiers around him followed suit, knowing that in hand-to-hand combat, the more numerous and organized side always prevailed.
Hearing the shouts, a glimmer of hope ignited in the eyes of several wounded expeditionary soldiers, who stumbled towards the Sherman tanks. The tanks' lights were like beacons in the darkness, the only guide on the battlefield.
Behind them, the sound of gunfire was still dense and the enemy's figures were vaguely visible, but they had no time to care about them and only wanted to reach the light source as soon as possible.
An explosion sounded not far away, and flames instantly lit up the night sky.
In a panic, a Japanese artilleryman threw a mortar shell as a grenade. The mortar shell exploded among several Kuomintang soldiers, blood and dirt splattered, and several people fell to the ground in an instant.
Qi Quan frowned and immediately rushed over with his men. He raised his carbine and repeatedly pulled the trigger at several Japanese artillerymen next to the mortar. The semi-automatic carbine instantly knocked down all the artillerymen who only had Nambu pistols.
"Hurry up, brothers! Let's gather here and fight back together when we have enough people!" a sergeant shouted beside the Sherman tank.
More and more lone Qian soldiers rushed towards Sherman. When the sergeant saw that there were more than ten people gathered, he immediately turned around and killed the soldiers, waving a pistol.
Although several wounded soldiers were already staggering, they still gritted their teeth, supported each other, and caught up with the sergeant in front, refusing to stay and rest.
Because they have a breath in their hearts, a breath to prove that the people of Qian are no worse than the people of Fuso. As long as they can move, they will fight to the death.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps could be heard in the jungle. Then, a dozen Japanese soldiers suddenly rushed out from the flank, attempting to sneak attack the assembled Nationalist soldiers. Zhang Chi glanced at the corner of his eye and immediately realized the danger. He decisively pressed the communicator and shouted: "10 o'clock direction, 100 meters, Japanese infantry group, machine gun quickly suppress."
The coaxial machine guns on the tanks spewed out flames again, and bullets rained down on the attacking Japanese soldiers, instantly disrupting their formation and sending several Japanese soldiers falling to the ground. The remaining Japanese soldiers retreated hastily, trying to seek cover, but were met with head-on attacks from the expeditionary soldiers.
"Well done!" The sergeant shot down a Japanese soldier with one shot and waved his hand to signal the team to continue moving forward, "Brothers, let's fight back and don't give the Japanese any chance..."
Before he could finish his words, a bullet suddenly came from a distance and hit the sergeant on the top of his head. A big hole was punched in his helmet, blood immediately gushed out, and the sergeant fell down without a word.
"Damn it, if you're not afraid of death, follow me and kill." A wounded soldier with a bandage on his head and only one eye exposed picked up the Mauser pistol dropped by the sergeant and continued to lead the charge forward.
The expeditionary soldiers repeatedly regrouped under the cover of Sherman tanks, gradually regaining their organization and morale.
These Chinese warriors, hailing from all corners of the country, might not have the superior equipment or sophisticated tactics of the Japanese, but their valor and courage were unmatched. Each one burned with determination to fight for their country, fighting the Japanese to the bitter end in this foreign jungle with stones, teeth, and fists.
"Captain Qi, take a few men to detour to the east and block the gap. We must wipe out these devils this time." The situation gradually became clear, so Zhang Chi ordered Qi Quan to take men to cut off the devils' retreat.
Qi Quan wiped the sweat from his face, breathing heavily, but with a determined light in his eyes, he took the walkie-talkie microphone handed to him by the soldier next to him and shouted, "I guarantee that we will complete the mission and not let a single devil escape."
The rainforest continued to echo with the sounds of gunfire and explosions in the darkness. The battle was like an endless tornado, constantly devouring all life around. Time and again, the expeditionary soldiers gathered and launched counterattacks.
Finally, as the last few fleeing Japanese soldiers were shot down by the reconnaissance squad soldiers who had been lying in ambush in the trees, the battlefield returned to calm.