The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 106: Battle for the Stronghold

The Japanese mountain artillery had ceased its bombardment, but the mortars and grenade launchers continued to attack. According to Liu Jiang's instructions, the various teams had begun to disperse and evacuate the stronghold, hiding in the surrounding jungle, looking for suitable blocking points.

The Japanese infantry attack was delayed, giving Liu Jiang more time to deploy his forces. The tank crew had already repaired the tracks and, following Liu Jiang's plan, quietly retreated, looking for a new, concealed attack point.

Inside the stronghold, Liu Jiang and over 200 soldiers from the 20th Division's Special Operations Company, along with an 82mm mortar and a captured 1mm mortar, remained. Liu Jiang decided to use the stronghold's firepower to lure the Japanese mountain artillery into firing again. This would give the 120mm rocket launcher a chance to follow the trajectory of the Japanese shells and destroy them. This was their only chance of a comeback.

About 10 minutes later, a hundred meters in front of the stronghold, the grass felled by artillery fire surged, signaling the arrival of Japanese infantry. Liu Jiang shouted to the soldiers to prepare to engage the enemy, and personally operated the Type 92 heavy machine gun he had captured from the Japanese, pulling the trigger into the grass.

"Tutututu!" 7.7mm bullets flew into the grass, sweeping down a patch of weeds and bringing with them screams. Japanese machine gun fire from multiple locations immediately responded, sending bullets whizzing across the positions. Several of them struck the sandbags in front of the machine guns, sending up a cloud of mud.

Liu Jiang finished a row of magazines, rolled and hid to the side, picked up the submachine gun placed there, fired another burst of bullets sideways, then lowered his head and hid behind the sandbags.

"Boom!" A grenade launched by a Japanese grenade launcher exploded at the machine gun's location, knocking it to the ground. Liu Jiang took advantage of the situation and dragged the machine gun over, re-mounted it, and loaded a row of magazines.

Liu Jiang didn't immediately use his machine gun. Instead, he rolled over to another firing port, picked up a Type 5 rifle, and pulled the bolt. Five golden bullets were already in the chamber. Liu Jiang whispered to everyone to stop firing and wait for the Japanese to approach. After a burst of rapid fire, the Japanese, seeing no further counterattack from within the stronghold, also stopped.

At this time, several Japanese soldiers appeared outside the bushes and rushed towards the stronghold in a skirmish formation like hungry wolves. Then, more Japanese soldiers appeared in front of the battle line.

"Shoot!" Liu Jiang roared, and at the same time raised his gun and aimed at a Japanese soldier who looked like a sergeant with a Japanese flag on his bayonet.

"Bang", the Japanese soldier fell down. Liu Jiang quickly pulled the trigger, ejected the bullet and compressed the chamber in one go, "bang", and knocked down another Japanese soldier.

"Bang, bang, bang!" A barrage of bullets pelted Liu Jiang. The sandbags on the battlefield blocked most of the bullets, but one still struck the butt of his gun. The immense force of the impact forced him to drop his grip, and the splintered wood of the gun handle pierced his fingers like a spike. Liu Jiang ducked aside, yanking out the spike with all his might, then tore off the hem of his sleeve and wrapped it around his bleeding finger.

At this moment, two 82mm mortar gunners could not help but stand up and fire at the Japanese infantry group. Liu Jiang was shocked and shouted: "Hide!"

A Japanese shell landed precisely in front of the mortar. "Boom!" the 82mm mortar exploded into the air. The gunner clutched his head, screaming, his eyes pierced by shrapnel, his face covered in blood. Another gunner collapsed to the ground, motionless. "Boom!" Another shell landed, and the screaming gunner disappeared.

Liu Jiang watched all this coldly, feeling immense sorrow. He had lost two more comrades, and also a supporting artillery piece.

Liu Jiang's face was filled with solemnity, and he gripped his weapon tightly. He knew this was a life-or-death struggle. He took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and prepared for the upcoming battle.

The battlefield was thick with smoke and flying dust, the pungent smell making it difficult to breathe. The sound of gunfire and explosions echoed incessantly, as if the entire world was enveloped by the fierce battle. Japanese mountain artillery and mortars continuously assaulted the stronghold, their shells raining down like raindrops, exploding all around and sending up clouds of dust and dirt. Each explosion carried a tremendous force, shaking the earth.

The soldiers had completely forgotten about life and death. Their only conviction was to kill the enemy! They gripped their weapons tightly and fired relentlessly at the incoming enemy. Every bullet was a testament to their anger and resistance against the enemy, and every shot was a desire and pursuit for victory.

As time went on, the Japanese infantry gradually approached the stronghold, getting closer and closer. Liu Jiang's comrades fell one by one, and their figures became fewer and fewer, but their fighting spirit became more and more resolute.

Liu Jiang knew it was time to evacuate, so he rushed forward, grabbed the loaded 92mm heavy machine gun, and fired at the enemy.

"Retreat!" Liu Jiang shouted loudly, and a string of bullets whizzed out and hit the enemy hard.

"Tutututu--" The 30-round volley was quickly fired. Liu Jiang saw that his comrades had already evacuated, so he also turned over and jumped out of the trench, ready to evacuate.

However, at this moment, a barrage of bullets suddenly struck him, mercilessly hitting him before he even hit the ground. Blood gushed out of Liu Jiang's mouth, and his body fell limply to the ground, never to stand up again.

Wang Rui hid in the rocket launcher's hiding place and watched the special forces company commander Liu Jiang fall to the ground and die. He angrily ordered the rocket launcher to fire. The shells flew into the group of Japanese soldiers like meteors...

Soldiers hiding in various places also opened fire from all directions at the Japanese troops rushing into the stronghold. The machine gunner on the jeep, ignoring the hail of bullets from the Japanese army, stood up and fired a hail of bullets from the M2 heavy machine gun at the enemy group...

The American task force was also moved by this scene and rushed out without hesitation, their carbines and submachine guns emitting flames of revenge. Other soldiers took this opportunity to throw grenades at the enemy.

"Boom boom boom", "Da da da", "Tu tu tu", bullets were flying and artillery fire was everywhere. The soldiers' determination to die overwhelmed the arrogant flames of the Japanese army.

At this moment, a company from the 600rd Battalion of the 3th Regiment arrived at the battlefield. They brought several rocket launchers and quickly launched a fierce attack on the Japanese. The powerful firepower of the rocket launchers put the Japanese army in a difficult position and prevented them from advancing.

Miraculously, the M3 tank reappeared! This time, it appeared on the other side of the high ground, hidden in the dense brush. It was accurately bombarding the Japanese mountain artillery positions. Every shell hit its target, causing massive damage to the Japanese troops.

The Japanese mountain artillery positions suffered heavy damage, and their supporting firepower was severely threatened. They could no longer pose an effective threat to the Chinese army, and the situation suddenly reversed. Faced with this situation, the Japanese commander was forced to make a difficult decision: to order a retreat.