Report, a Japanese grain transport team was found ten kilometers away!" Battalion Commander Li Hong's thoughts were interrupted by the mobile sentry who ran back to report.
"How many people are escorting? How many grain trucks?" he asked eagerly.
"Three motorcycles are clearing the way in front of four grain trucks, escorted by about a squadron of Japanese infantry." the sentry replied.
Li Hong immediately convened a meeting of company and platoon-level cadres. He was the first to express his position: "Yesterday, one of our companies defeated the Japanese and one squadron. Today, the whole battalion was dispatched. With a number of two to three to one, there should be no problem in defeating the Japanese and one squadron to retrieve food."
Deputy battalion commander Zhang Ping said hesitantly: "The task assigned to us by the captain is to defend the position. For such a big operation, we should report to the superiors for instructions?"
Li Hong waved his hand and said: "The captain put us behind when he attacked the field hospital, and didn't take us with him when he attacked the Nanshan mining area. Although it was to protect us and prevent the independent battalion we just formed from suffering losses, didn't he mean to look down on it?
Let’s fight a good fight today to let him know that our team is not just for food!”
Most of the cadres agreed. Li Hong said: "Without further delay, it has been decided. One platoon will be left to defend in place, and the other personnel will march quickly to ambush five kilometers ahead to catch the Japanese by surprise."
Seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Zhang Ping said to the platoon leader who had been arranged to stay behind: "It only takes an hour to get to and from the ambush site. If we don't return within an hour and a half, report to the superiors immediately and request reinforcements."
Li Hong said with a smile: "Okay, let's try to win the battle as quickly as possible, and then let them come over to help carry food and clean the battlefield."
The troops entered the ambush point for about ten minutes, but before the fortifications were built, the Japanese grain transport team came into sight. Li Hong clearly saw through the telescope that because it was escorted by infantry, the convoy moved slowly, and the carriages that were not completely covered by canvas were exposed.
Some bulging sacks containing grain seemed to confirm that this was a grain transport team.
When the convoy was about a hundred meters away from his side, Li Hong shouted: "Hit!" and shot down a Japanese soldier with one shot. The team members concentrated their various weapons on the escorting Japanese soldiers.
After more than 20 Japs fell, they quickly dispersed and organized a counterattack. Suddenly, the canvases of the truck compartments were lifted one after another, and dozens of tough Japs jumped out from four trucks. Each four was equipped with a light machine gun.
, five people and one grenade launcher. The Japanese who jumped out quickly used the cover of the truck to join the battle.
Li Hong felt something bad. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. There was no food in the car. They were all filled with Japanese soldiers. The sacks containing the food were actually sandbag bunkers. There was a heavy machine gun on each vehicle that was shooting wildly at the bunker. He got off the car.
The number of Japanese soldiers plus a squadron of escort troops has reached more than 200. Four heavy machine guns, dozens of light machine guns, and more than a hundred 38-guns poured out bullets to form a fire net, suppressing the enemy.
It was difficult for De Lihong's soldiers to raise their heads, and within a short time they had lost thirty to forty casualties.
"Damn it, this grain transport team is a trap set by these idiots. I fell into the trap of the Japanese!" Li Hong cursed bitterly. When he found that the battle could not be fought, he began to consider retreating.
The Japs screamed and charged under the cover of machine guns. The two armies were only fifty meters away. Li Hong ordered the soldiers to drop bombs to repel the enemy. A dense burst of grenades flew into the air, blowing up more than a dozen Japs in an instant. The Japs' machine gun firepower
It was so fierce that the soldiers did not dare to stand upright to drop bombs, and most of the grenades missed their targets.
The Japanese paused their charge, and continued to fire with light and heavy machine guns. They used mortars and grenade launchers to blast the enemy positions. The Japanese grenade launchers that got off the car fired very accurately.
Li Hong's soldiers suffered more than 20 casualties, and two heavy machine guns and four light machine guns were blown up. A soldier reported with a cry: "The deputy battalion commander has been shot and died!" Li Hong walked away from the bodies of the two soldiers.
He took a light machine gun and said loudly: "Brothers, we are stuck by the Japs. If we risk retreating and are chased by the Japs, we will suffer more casualties. We can only hold our position and wait for reinforcements. We will fight against the raging Japs and become the deputy battalion commander."
Revenge!" He fired fiercely with his machine gun, knocking down the five or six Japanese in front of him.
"Avenge the deputy battalion commander!" The soldiers roared in unison and fought back against the Japanese with all their strength. Li Hong looked heartbrokenly at the team with more than half of the casualties. His only hope was that reinforcements from the Anti-Japanese Tigers arrived early so that his troops would not be completely destroyed.
He also didn't know that the soldier who sent the message for help was shot and died before running very far.