Chapter 1432: Fierce Battle

Shells trailed sound as they cut across the sky, plummeted to earth, and exploded with a boom, sending mountain rocks and smoke dust dancing wildly through the air.

"Damn you, Mi Long; it was you who egged Young Master Wang into opening fire," Bu La cursed irritably from within the artillery shelter.

"So what?" Mi Long replied righteously. "If we don't fight the little Japanese devils, will they stop fighting us?"

After two rounds of shelling, with no time to tally casualties, Wang Yan shouted, "The little Japanese devils are attacking; kill them all!"

The routed soldiers moved swiftly, all rising to their feet to wield their weapons and counterattack.

Mi Long manned the machine gun, sweeping fire across with a rat-a-tat-tat.

Wang Yan walked over and slapped him on the head. "Why didn't you start spraying bullets when they were still two li away? Controlled bursts! Controlled bursts! Bullets aren't infinite! Don't you know how to practice thrift in running a household?"

Thus, Mi Long obediently switched to controlled bursts, short rat-a-tat-tats that stood out conspicuously amidst the dense gunfire of the battlefield.

Wang Yan constantly shifted positions within the trenches, even moving to other positions; after all, three hundred men could not all occupy a single hilltop but had to be deployed reasonably to form crossfire.

He feared no exposure, running circuits at the rear specifically to inspect the routed soldiers' responses, occasionally pointing out flaws while also attempting to rescue soldiers wounded in the earlier bombardment.

Positional warfare is, relatively speaking, actually simpler: it entails distributing firepower reasonably and adjusting that distribution promptly according to enemy attacks, while arranging ammunition resupply, staggered personnel replacements, and similar matters.

In this battle, their position lay on a slope with an elevation advantage and favorable terrain; they held the upper hand, making the fight somewhat easier.

Only after making one round trip like this did he take up his rifle and begin precise targeting.

He targeted only commanders; within the scattered area spanning several hundred meters, whoever shouted orders was the one he shot. Without commanders, the Japanese army's attacks lost their cohesion.

He even found time to shoot those farther back who failed to learn their lesson, little Japanese devils observing the battle through binoculars, dropping them with a single shot.

He saw clearly that after that little Japanese devil fell, surrounding troops hastily rushed out to protect him and dragged him back, suggesting his rank was not low.

A short while later, the attacking little Japanese devils withdrew; the battle ended in less than twenty minutes.

"One, two, three, four..."

Bu La counted the corpses below and said happily, "We killed fifty-seven little Eastern Ocean devils—oh, no, counting the few from before, plus the little Eastern Ocean devil commander Young Master Wang just killed, we eliminated over sixty in this engagement."

"Yao Ma, are the casualty figures ready?" Wang Yan called out.

"Ready, ready! We lost six dead and seven critically wounded." Yao Ma had just made a round to tally the numbers. "Young Master Wang, a great victory, a great victory!"

Wang Yan waved his hand, not rejoicing over these results; over sixty enemies eliminated, twenty of whom he had personally killed, all commanders of various levels. With roughly three hundred men on their side and about the same on the enemy's, the toll felt somewhat light.

Of course, that figure represented only those directly killed; there were also wounds of varying severity, and some would surely succumb later, so the actual results would expand further, amounting to roughly one-third of the little Japanese devils neutralized in a single battle.

But ultimately, it was Wang Yan's sniping of commanders that gave them the advantage; otherwise, the fight would not have been so easy nor ended so quickly.

Immediately, he halted those rushing out to loot corpses, ordering everyone to sprint back into the shelters and hide.

Just as Wang Yan expected, not long after, a massive barrage of shells came crashing down, this artillery strike far surpassing the previous one.

"Young Master Wang, did you kill some important figure? The little Eastern Ocean devils have gone mad, hahaha..." Bu La, covered in ash and dirt from the bombardment, showed no fear, instead laughing uproariously.

The other cannon fodder likewise howled wildly, extremely excited.

Wang Yan might indeed have killed someone formidable; after enduring one round of artillery fire, Wang Yan's side reorganized and rebuilt their defensive lines, and by the afternoon of the next day, the Japanese army launched an attack.

This time, they directly deployed a battalion to assault this small hill; under artillery cover, the Japanese army charged forward frantically, suddenly escalating the intensity.

Now everyone understood: Wang Yan had truly killed a major figure; otherwise, the Japanese army would not have attacked with such madness.

"Young Master Wang, who do you think we hit?" Bu La, staying close to Wang Yan, found the mind to ask even while loading ammunition.

"Either a high official or a Young Master with powerful family connections."

"The little Eastern Ocean devils also care about connections?"

"The world is the same everywhere; nothing new."

Wang Yan loaded five rounds, worked the bolt to chamber a cartridge, swept his gaze, and spotted someone at the rear still observing the battle through binoculars; though the distance was greater, it remained relatively open ground, and the figure lying there appeared quite cautious.

Thus, Wang Yan smiled slightly, took aim, and rapidly fired five shots, emptying the magazine. He then let his subordinates reload his rifle while he took up the binoculars to observe.

Seeing chaos erupt once again on that side, Wang Yan laughed and said to Bu La, "Another high official killed."

"Good! Hahaha..." Bu La laughed wildly.

Those nearby, firing as they asked what was happening and why everyone was laughing, spread the news through the ranks of the routed soldiers. For a moment, morale surged greatly; even seeing nearly a thousand enemies surrounding them from all directions across the hills, they felt little fear.

Wang Yan's gunfire hardly paused; he continued executing precise strikes.

In the current era, the power of a marksman is immense; during the Second World War, incomplete statistics indicated it took several hundred or even several thousand bullets to kill one person, and decades later, with tactical reforms, the US military required tens of thousands of bullets to kill one person.

Despite the fierce bang-bang-bang of gunfire, the number of effective casualties inflicted was not that high.

On today's battlefield, Wang Yan was an absolute god of death; wherever his eyes fell, a single shot from him basically guaranteed eliminating one enemy, and if it did not kill, it inflicted critical wounds that rendered them combat-ineffective.

Moreover, since he targeted commanders and strongpoints of heavy firepower, his impact on the Japanese army was even greater; the more he fired, the more disrupted Japanese command and control became, weakening their firepower to the point where machine guns lay on the ground with no Japanese devil daring to pick them up.

To support his overwhelming firepower, Wang Yan even assigned three men to follow behind him, dedicated solely to loading his rifles; wielding four rifles in rotation, he proved fiercer than a machine gun.

The entire battle raged from afternoon until nightfall before ending; during this period, the Japanese employed various methods—frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, artillery bombardment—but regardless of the tactic, none managed to approach within twenty meters of the trenches.

The exact results remained unknown, except that their own side had lost over fifty dead and more than thirty critically wounded; Wang Yan had personally confirmed twenty-three kills, while the fate of the remaining dozen-plus critically wounded depended on whether their luck held. Overall, they had directly neutralized one-third of the enemy force.

In the morning they were still joking, but by afternoon these people were gone; such heavy losses froze the atmosphere on the position.

After arranging for meals to be prepared, Wang Yan personally led men down from the position to the north to dig pits and bury their fallen comrades.

As the fighting subsided, William arrived by car; seeing the dozens of corpses piled on the ground, he asked in shock, "Wang, what exactly did you do?"

"Perhaps we killed some important figure of theirs," Wang Yan said, climbing out of the pit to recount yesterday's events to William, then pulling a cigarette from his pocket—part of the supplies he had obtained from William.

William took the cigarette and said, "Wang, it's not 'perhaps'; it's certain! You definitely shot one of their important figures; otherwise, their offensive would absolutely not have been as fierce as it was today."

"William, you've seen the situation; I likely won't be able to hold out for even six days," Wang Yan said, taking a puff of his cigarette, patting William's shoulder, and deflecting his words.

"Even if you didn't see today's commotion with your own eyes, you must have heard it; the Japanese have gone mad. This afternoon they deployed at least a battalion. We fought for half a day, and I estimate we eliminated at least five hundred of them. That loss is even greater; the Japanese probably hate us to death. They may send even more troops to attack us, a cost we cannot bear."

"But Wang, it's also possible that because you proved too difficult to defeat, the Japanese will temporarily abandon this place. Remember, we still have forces here, and your people have not completely withdrawn. I believe they won't let this location disrupt their entire layout in Burma."

"That is your opinion, William," Wang Yan said, shaking his head. "Our country has an old saying: 'It is better to believe something exists than to believe it does not.' We must prepare for the worst."

"You cannot do this, Wang! We gave you weapons and ammunition; you must honor the agreement!" William shouted loudly, furious.

"Honoring the agreement means we all die here. You know, William, we are already abandoned people; why should we care so much? We must ensure our own survival, and only on that basis can we eliminate more enemies."

"Are you leaving today? Perhaps contacting your superiors was a huge mistake on my part..."

Wang Yan shook his head: "William, if I could, I would be willing to help you. Because you are truly generous, having given us weapons, ammunition, and even precious, scarce medicines. However, I cannot follow your arrangements anymore; destiny must be grasped in one's own hands. Tonight, I will take the initiative to strike and assess the situation first."

"If the situation is favorable, then we will still be here tomorrow. If not, William, do not blame me; I simply wish to preserve my useful life and maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops to kill the enemy better. Moreover, speaking of actual circumstances, if both you and I are captured, your treatment will definitely be better than mine; this is an indisputable fact."

William shook his head in disappointment: "Wang, you will get us all killed."

"You and I each have only one life; you cannot sacrifice my life for the sake of yours; that makes no sense."

"A soldier's duty is to obey orders!"

"Not for a soldier who has been abandoned. William, right now no one can command me! I obey only myself; my mission is to lead my brothers to survive and continue killing the enemy."

"Wang, although I know it is useless, I will still report your actions to your superior officer."

"That is your right." Wang Yan nodded noncommittally.

William let out an angry "fuck," fiercely threw his cigarette to the ground, turned, and departed...

After burying the fallen brothers, just as Wang Yan was eating dinner, Long Wenzhang arrived from the east with over a hundred men.

"Has everyone finished eating?" Wang Yan asked.

"Finished!" Long Wenzhang replied, "What are your arrangements, sir?"

"What other arrangements could there be? A surprise attack! They suffered heavy casualties during the day and will surely be exhausted tonight. We sent out scouts and saw no reinforcements. But we cannot guarantee the little Japanese haven't thought of the same thing as us, so earlier I had someone tell Fan La to stay on high alert and pack up to flee if anything seems wrong."

"In a moment, I will go out to launch a surprise attack; leave this side to you. Keep the unit in good order; the sole principle is to let more brothers survive and preserve their useful lives. If we really get scattered, you heard what I had someone tell Fan La: run north, and we will definitely regroup."

"Is it that bad?" Long Wenzhang was not clear on the specific situation.

Today, the eastern side had been very quiet, with not a single attack; everything was directed toward this side. Neither Long Wenzhang nor Fan La knew the situation here; they had only listened to the sounds of battle, maintaining twelve percent extra vigilance, only to be on high alert all afternoon for nothing.

"We killed a big shot of the little Japanese and wiped out half their battalion today; this grudge has become enormous."

After hearing the account once, Long Wenzhang pondered and said: "Lord Wang, I feel the Japanese will not waste energy on us; our forces have not retreated yet. This is a confrontation between large corps of tens of thousands. As said before, the Japanese will not deploy heavy forces here in the short term; they must first drive away our main force."

"Even so, we cannot let our guard down; necessary preparations must still be made. Regardless, today I will first deal them a severe blow. Otherwise, once they recover and deploy even more troops, we will be completely trapped."

"Your foresight is profound, sir!"

"Get lost." Wang Yan waved his hand in disgust. "Come, come, everyone knows Long Wenzhang; listen to him from now on. If we get separated, he can lead you back. And do not be unconvinced; he is a Lieutenant Colonel. Even though he respects me more, he is serving here as my deputy."

Immediately, Wang Yan gave some instructions, and after finishing the meal, he led a company of soldiers, using the cover of night to maneuver away, making a wide detour before charging toward the temporary encampment of the little Japanese...

In the middle of the night, just as Long Wenzhang and the others were dozing off, they heard gunfire suddenly erupt; the night was very quiet, making the gunshots extremely clear.

Long Wenzhang jolted awake, waved his hand, and called out: "It's nothing, brothers. Those on guard stay on guard, those sleeping go back to sleep; do not let it affect your rest."

"Hey, you there, do you think my brother can win?" Mi Long lit a cigarette, watching the flashes of fire in the distance.

Long Wenzhang snatched the cigarette from his mouth: "He will definitely win. Lord Wang is a celestial immortal descended to earth, specifically here to deal with the little Japanese devils."

"You certainly know how to speak well." Bu La snatched the cigarette from his mouth again.

"Wait, that foreign devil gave us plenty of cigarettes; why are you snatching them?" Mi Long said irritably.

"We have to save them; cigarettes will be hard to get in the future..."

The group exchanged idle banter while the sound of gunfire continued to echo through the night sky...

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(End of Chapter)