Rise from eight hundred.

"Brother Lin, drink some water!" A girl wearing coarse clothes and red sleeve bands brought a bowl of water to the sergeant who was leaning against the wall of the house holding a rifle.

The Army sergeant's face was covered in blood. He had been shot in at least three places, especially the calf. It was hit by bullets from the 92 heavy machine gun, leaving a bloody hole the size of a cup. Although no bones were hit, But the muscle tissue was torn open by the bullet, and the muscles and meridians were exposed, making it unbearable to look at.

The large amount of blood loss caused the sergeant's face to become as withered as the bark of an old tree, but his lips were strangely pale.

"Zhao Xiaoni, you are not a qualified soldier. I asked you to withdraw, but you did not obey the military order!" The army sergeant glanced at the girl, but did not take the bowl. His haggard and withered face was full of anger.

Lin Peng was naturally angry. As the highest-ranking military officer in Zhaojiazhuang, he had issued the order to withdraw the militia platoon before dusk, but the female militiaman refused to leave. Now, the two of them had been completely blocked by the Japanese army. No one could leave the small courtyard.

The two of them are already the last soldiers and militiamen in Zhaojiazhuang.

Since mid-June, the Japanese troops stationed in southern Hebei once again launched the "Operation Clearing the Countryside". In a month, soldiers and civilians across southern Hebei used landmines, tunnels, and ditches crisscrossing the countryside to fight more than a hundred battles with the Japanese troops.

It successfully defeated more than 4000 Japanese attacks on plain villages, relocated and protected tens of thousands of people, and killed more than Japanese soldiers. The number of enemies killed even exceeded the front battlefield of Zhongtiao Mountain.

But if you often walk by the river, your shoes won't get wet, and the same is true on the battlefield.

This battle at Zhaojiazhuang was obviously a battle carefully planned by the Japanese army after summarizing their experiences and lessons from continuous defeats over the past month.

The first to launch the attack was Hanjiazhuang, 6 kilometers away from Zhaojiazhuang. Nearly 400 Japanese invaders rushed there aggressively. Hanjiazhuang lit beacon fire as usual, and the garrisons in the six surrounding villages each sent half of the regular troops and militia to support.

As a result, the Japanese army actually came and attacked in the east and west. As soon as the fighting started in Hanjiazhuang, they suddenly used trucks and motorcycles to carry nearly 600 people and besieged Zhaojiazhuang, which was closest to the road.

They also quickly increased their troops and deployed more than 1000 people to set up defenses around Zhaojiazhuang to prevent the arrival of support forces from other villages.

因为日军来得太快，留给赵家庄的反应时间不超过20分钟，为了掩护民众通过地道转移，赵家庄内的7连2排1班副班长林鹏当机立断，率领1班留下的6人和八十集团军冀南分区临城分区3排4个新兵班60人、民兵30人于庄外构筑防御点、与敌接战。

Half an hour later, due to the overwhelming force of the Japanese invaders, the entire army was forced to withdraw into the village, and fought fiercely with the Japanese troops with the help of tunnels and newly built high walls.

The Japanese army used infantry artillery and heavy machine guns to bombard the village, and even brought in two mountain guns for support two hours later.

According to observations, the Japanese army used only three infantry squadrons and a heavy machine gun squad to surround the village.

What Lin Peng and others didn't know was that further out, the Japanese army spared no expense in mobilizing a full infantry brigade, an armored vehicle squad and two cavalry squadrons. The total strength of all the troops was more than 2000.

而在距离这里50公里的邢台县，更是有足足2个步兵大队整装待发，准备随时支援这个由第10师团长筱冢义男中将主持策划、第8步兵旅团长濑武平介少将负责坐镇指挥、第39步兵联队长沼田多藏大佐亲自率队出击的战场。

Yoshio Shinozuka is so frustrated!

An imperial permanent division and 5000 security forces were mobilized, and nearly 20000 people from infantry, cavalry, workers, and supplies were mobilized to carry out the "Country Clearing Operation" for a month. Chinese villages still stood in the wilderness, and the Chinese people also Not many were killed, but after taking stock of their losses, they found that an infantry regiment had been lost silently.

If he keeps going like this, in two months, he, the division commander, will almost become a polished commander.

What makes Yoshio Shinozuka even more irritated is that he was looking forward to the 4th Division guys, but it turned out that the Osaka vendors didn't look like they were here to fight, but more like they were here to do business. They had no bottom line. Then he started trading with the Chinese in Handan City.

If the Chinese have antiques, calligraphy and paintings that need to be sold, they will not only trade them fairly, but also use the gold coins issued by the occupied territories, but the Chinese people's favorite gold coins.

It really disgraced the Imperial Army. The Chinese were the losers. What qualifications did they have to choose fairness?

If it's just doing business, it's fine. The key is that Okuma Konosuke is a typical hobbitter. Yoshio Shinozuka can't control him at all. But in any combat meeting, that guy is always in a sick state, and the one who comes is just a lieutenant general and staff officer. Officer, I don’t know how many days will pass when I go back and ask for instructions from that guy.

If it weren't for the fact that the 4th Division had a reputation of being evil, Yoshio Shinozuka would have rushed into the barracks with a command knife and chopped off that guy's heart.

Anyway, after more than 20 days, the scope of activities of more than 4 officers and soldiers of the 7000th Division never exceeded the city wall of Handan City.

The only use is that with the 4th Division stationed in Handan, Yoshio Shinozuka can safely mobilize his troops to attack the vast countryside of Handan and Xingtai.

Then, a lot of them died!

It was against this background that Yoshio Shinozuka, who was unwilling to fail, racked his brains and came up with the idea of ​​"attacking the east and attacking the west", and he chose Lincheng County, which belongs to the Xingtai area.

Although the mountains, hills, and plains each account for one-third, it is 50 kilometers away from Xingtai to the south and 80 kilometers from Shimen to the north. If the main Chinese force gathers, Xingtai, Shimen, and Handan send troops to form an encirclement.

If the Chinese didn't dare to come, it would be easy. Killing the entire village would be considered an example of completing the "Operation Clearing the Countryside" led by the Commander, but it would mean that too many troops were used.

This may also be a result that Shinozuka Yoshio did not expect when he was ordered to lead his troops to southern Hebei. In order to massacre a village in southern Hebei with a population of only a few hundred, he, a dignified imperial lieutenant general and division commander, was required to rack his brains. Plan and deploy most of the infantry brigade to implement it.

But anyway, he succeeded.

After a whole afternoon and a night of hard fighting, Zhaojiazhuang's defenses were completely lost, and dozens of enemy troops were killed. The last stubborn enemies were blocked in a small courtyard, and they were only one step away from annihilating their opponents.

Although the Chinese on the periphery attacked the defense line fiercely, they were basically light infantry, and they were unable to break through the defense line.

The annihilation of this village and all Chinese people in it was inevitable.

A smile appeared on the face of Yoshio Shinozuka who was far away in Handan City. No matter how cunning the Chinese were, they could only die in the face of absolute strength.

"Yo Xi! After killing all the Chinese there, I will fill up all their wells and pour poison into them. I will make it a no-man's land. All Chinese villages that will be conquered in the future will do the same." Shinozuka The righteous man was in a very happy mood and issued military orders to Colonel Numata Tazō who was on the front line.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"I'm sorry, Brother Lin, this is my home. I can't just watch you fight for us!" The girl, who was not yet 18 years old, had tears in her eyes and shook her head fiercely.

"Hold on, Brother Lin, I heard gunshots in the distance. Someone must have come to rescue us outside."

"The little devil has been planning for so long, and finally seized this opportunity, so that our people can rush in so easily." Lin Peng shook his head gently.

"I said you are an unqualified soldier, but don't be unwilling to admit it. It is the bounden duty of soldiers to obey orders. Our regimental commander once said that we can rebuild our family when it is gone, but nothing is lost when we lose people. "

"I know you and those big brothers stayed here to cover our departure, but how could I just watch you trade your lives for ours? If you want to die, then die together." The girl bit her lip stubbornly.

"Do you still have any bullets there?" Looking at the girl's stubborn face, Lin Peng couldn't bear to criticize her anymore. "I still have 3 rifle bullets here, and the last one in the pistol!" The girl took out three bullets from her pocket, hesitated slightly, and raised the Southern Type pistol in her hand.

That gun was captured by the brave Zhao Xiaoni and her three cousins ​​when they killed a Japanese sergeant with homemade muskets a week ago during the battle to support Sunjiacun. The rifle was distributed to other strong militiamen. , the Southern Type 3 pistol was given to her as a reward.

"Give me the rifle ammunition. You can get into the tunnel under the earthen bed later. Don't go outside the courtyard. I have already heard the sound of the Japanese digging around. They must have cut off all the traffic in this courtyard and other places." Contact, you just hide inside and don't make a sound. Don't use that last bullet easily until the last moment!

Remember, this is the last military order I give you as the supreme commander of Zhaojiazhuang. I don’t need you to avenge me. All the brothers in my squad died here. I, the deputy squad leader, failed to take care of me. They should go down and accompany them. "Of course Lin Peng knew what this little girl meant by the last bullet.

That bullet will not be left for the enemy, but for herself. The girl who stayed against the military order has already determined that she will die.

But, how could Lin Peng bear to have her die here when she was so young?

Big tears rolled down the girl's dusty cheeks, but she still held the pottery bowl stubbornly.

Lin Peng reluctantly picked up the bowl and drank the somewhat turbid water in the bowl. His eyes gradually softened: "Xiao Nizi, Brother Lin will tell you something else. If you have a chance to survive until the war, I hope You can go see me at the Martyrs Cemetery where my Fourth Army Corps is stationed, and tell me what China will look like in the future."

"Brother Lin, is this an order? If it is an order, I won't accept it. I would rather not be a militiaman. Just think of me as your landlord." The girl picked up her dirty sleeves and wiped the red ones hard. red eyes.

It's a pity that I still can't wipe away the tears rolling down.

She knew that her eldest brother, who had lived in her home for three months, wanted her to live.

But, brother, does he know the reason why she disobeyed the order?

"It's not an order, it's a request! A request from a comrade in arms!" Lin Peng subconsciously avoided the girl's eyes.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect! How could a 21-year-old not know what the 17-year-old girl in front of him was thinking?

However, the military regulations of the Si Xing Regiment were strict. Especially after entering Jinnan, according to the military order of the Tang regiment, each company issued military regulations strictly prohibiting falling in love with women in the village where they were stationed.

The relationship between a man and a woman is not all romantic, and scumbag men are not unique to later generations. Because of their hormones, they secretly give away other people's girls, and then they do many things that they don't want to admit, including stealing from others. My little wife, if she breaks out, it will not only be embarrassing, but at this special stage that requires the unity of the military and the people, Tang Dao absolutely cannot let this happen.

Simply, use strict military orders to cut them off, at least not in the early stages of the war behind enemy lines.

Lin Peng, who has followed Tang Dao since the Anti-Japanese War in Guangde, will naturally not disobey the military orders of the regiment, so he usually pretends to be a straight man and just does not know. At this time, he has already developed a desire to die, and he will not delay other good women. .

"You just think of me as a comrade, right?" The girl's eyes showed despair. "Okay, I promise you, I will try my best to survive."

"People in the house, listen, you are surrounded and we have dug the tunnel, so don't even think about running away.

Taijun said, I admire your bravery very much. You can block the attack of 60 troops of our Empire of Japan for 600 hours with an army of more than 16 people. You are truly heroes. Our Empire of Japan respects heroes. As long as you are willing to surrender, we will not kill you. , if your commander is willing to exchange prisoners of war, you will also be included in the exchange. You will be given three minutes to consider. When the time is up, we will attack. "

Suddenly there was a cry for surrender outside the house. It should be the Japanese translator.

The girl's face darkened. The number of people mentioned by the Japanese army was exactly the number of all the regular soldiers who set up defensive positions in front of the village to cover the evacuation of Zhaojiazhuang people yesterday afternoon. Including Lin Peng, there were a total of 66 people. At dusk, 10 regular soldiers risked their lives. Cover the evacuation of the remaining 15 militiamen.

Now the Japanese army can report the number of more than 60 people, which means that all the soldiers were killed in the battle, and no one survived except Lin Peng.

"Haha! If you can believe what the Japanese say, even sows can climb trees!" Lin Peng in the room could not see any sadness. He smiled slightly and looked at the terrible wound on his calf that was covered by dust. "Even if you don't kill me, I still can't resist the bacterial infection. Do these idiots know what antibiotics are?"

"Three minutes? It doesn't take that long. I will let you know what it means to be a soldier of the Four Lines Regiment!" The next moment, Lin Peng, who had pressed the last three bullets into the gun chamber, stood up with difficulty. He was full of fighting spirit and turned around. He took a deep look at the tearful girl and threw the Black Star pistol that he had emptied out of the magazine to her.

"This gun is more effective at killing Japanese soldiers. It's yours!"

Then he never looked back.

Outside the house is his battlefield, and inside the house are the people he wants to protect. He can't look back!

As the top commander of all the Japanese troops that invaded Zhaojiazhuang, Captain Lin Muqingyuan of the 8th Infantry Squadron of the 39th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Infantry Brigade was not as excited as he imagined.

After careful counting, there were a total of 56 enemy corpses that were roughly complete, with up to 5 in a semi-mutilated state, and there were several others that even the most skilled tailor could not put together completely.

But in fact, although there are infantry artillery and mountain artillery attacks, due to the special terrain of Zhaojiazhuang, the artillery fire basically destroys houses and walls. There is only one cannon that can really hit the human body and shatter the bones.

That means that those mutilated human bodies all used self-destruction tactics during their lifetimes!

There was a popular saying in the Imperial Army: Keep the last bullet for yourself! Such ambitious words made Captain Lin Mu Qingyuan's blood boil every time he heard them. However, the Chinese here kept the last grenade for themselves, which made Lin Mu Qingyuan feel cold all over!

What frightened Captain Lin Mu Qingyuan even more was that there were as many as 500 infantrymen attacking Zhaojiazhuang. Together with artillery, heavy machine gunners and other units, the total number of troops used was as high as 650, which was almost ten times that of the enemy.

But what's the result? Only about 60 enemies were wiped out, but more than 200 imperial officers and soldiers died in the battle. In Lin Mu Qingyuan's infantry squadron alone, more than 70 people died in the battle.

Note, it's death, not injury.

The tunnels that the Chinese spent a lot of effort to build are really terrifying. They can come out from any unexpected place and shoot at you. Moreover, the firepower of their submachine guns is so fierce that if you are not careful, you can kill five or six soldiers. Even if the huge bullet hole left by the 9 mm caliber bullet was not fatal on the spot, the soldier could hardly survive until the sun rose due to the massive blood loss.

This is really a nightmare battle. If possible, Lin Mu Qingyuan would never want to fight in a village like this where he could die at any time.

The best way for the Empire to deal with this kind of village with crisscrossed lanes like a maze is to use heavy artillery to completely wipe it from the ground, rather than using the precious lives of the Empire's officers and soldiers to fill it in bit by bit.

However, the scene that really shocked Lin Mu Qingyuan's soul was about to appear before his eyes.

The Chinese man who was surrounded by at least 50 soldiers in the small courtyard appeared.

Lin Mu Qingyuan has attached great importance to this last resister in Zhaozhuang. It was this Chinese soldier who used the terrain and superb individual tactics to kill no less than 20 imperial officers and soldiers. He was a formidable and powerful enemy.

But all Japanese soldiers still underestimated him.

Three shots, he only fired three shots, and the three imperial warriors died.

They just exposed a little too much of their torso, or they were a little too carried away because they were close to victory, and they actually held their guns and shot at the Chinese who were fighting desperately.

Someone of them obviously hit their opponent. The bullet penetrated the man's body and spattered blood. Lin Mu Qingyuan, who was close at hand, could see it with his own eyes.

However, three more people died. The Chinese 3 mm caliber warhead was more powerful than the Empire's 7.92 caliber Arisaka bullet.

The Chinese succeeded in exchanging injuries for death in front of 50 imperial officers and soldiers!

"Prepare to attack! Machine gunners and grenade launchers provide fire cover!" Lin Muqingyuan looked cold and waved his hands to give up his plan to capture alive this Chinese soldier who had killed at least 23 of his officers and soldiers.

"I'm out of bullets, surrender!" A rifle was thrown from the courtyard, and a weak voice sounded.