Chapter 440: Internal Problems Arise

After hearing this account from the Sichuan Army, Wang Yaowu and the others all felt that this group of little devils was truly damn strange.

The combat effectiveness of the Sichuan Army is already considered quite good among all the Republic of China Army forces; they are equipped entirely with Mauser 98K rifles, Czech Light Machine Guns, and Type 26 Submachine Guns.

With such powerful equipment, to still be handled like this by a small unit of the Japanese Army is enough to show that this Japanese unit's combat effectiveness is extraordinary.

Yu Hua also received a report from Adjutant Luo that a strange Japanese unit had been encountered at Xiaowangzhuang, and that this small Japanese unit had very strong combat effectiveness.

Upon learning that the steel helmets worn by the Japanese soldiers did not reflect light under the moonlight, the first impression that appeared in Yu Hua's mind was: could this small unit be the Yamamoto Special Forces from "Lian Jian"?

After all, the Yamamoto Special Forces in "Lian Jian" also had very strong combat effectiveness, and judging from the reports of the men below, the equipment configured for this small unit was indeed very similar to the Yamamoto Special Forces in "Lian Jian."

However, Yu Hua then thought that this was a fused grand world; besides the Yamamoto Special Forces from "Lian Jian," there was also the special forces unit established by Takeshita Shun in "Snow Leopard" to counter Zhou Weiguo, which had also formed a Special Forces team!

Whether the Special Forces team encountered at Xiaowangzhuang belonged to "Snow Leopard" or "Lian Jian," Yu Hua could not yet figure out.

It is possible that the several dozen people at the Group Army Headquarters of the Sichuan Army's 27th Group Army had all been wiped out by the small Japanese unit.

"A small unit of little devils prepared to launch a sneak attack on us, but they were intercepted by friendly forces; Adjutant Yu suspects that there is a problem within our own ranks."

Although Zhang Xiaoqian was hidden very well by Liu Zhiyuan, Liu Zhiyuan usually liked to live with his Sichuan Army brothers; these past few days, he suddenly started sleeping apart from everyone else and found a separate residence, which the Battalion Deputy noticed after observing for a little while.

The delicate tone made Liu Zhiyuan sink into it a little, but fortunately, Liu Zhiyuan also knew the key points of the Sichuan Army's defense against the infiltration of Japanese spies, so he did not actively engage with Zhang Xiaoqian at the beginning.

However, in the process of constant contact, Liu Zhiyuan discovered that Zhang Xiaoqian could understand the Sichuan Province dialect and knew the customs and traditions of many places in China; furthermore, Zhang Xiaoqian could list in detail the habits of various regions in Sichuan Province and what they ate!

This made Liu Zhiyuan believe that the other party was indeed a person from Sichuan Province stranded away from home. When the troops were secretly leaving, Liu Zhiyuan told Zhang Xiaoqian where they were going to be stationed and asked her to follow secretly while he provided cover from the side.

Seeing this scene, Inaba Shiro was so angry that he cursed!

Three Artillery Battalions, adding up to a full 72 pieces of artillery, plus the Independent Brigade's own Artillery Battalion—that was a massive formation!

First of all, the latest resume that could be found for this person, Zhang Xiaoqian, was that she was a person from Sichuan Province who had been given relief by the Sichuan Army's 27th Group Army while they were stationed at Linyang Town last time!

Yang Sen clearly remembered that he had already told the troops at the time that after providing relief to this group of people, the troops would immediately cut off contact with them; this person named Zhang Xiaoqian had actually appeared at his own headquarters.

Lurking in the low mountains outside the airfield, the Regiment Commander of the 6th Division's Artillery Regiment was directing the artillery and calculating the position of the Sichuan Army's artillery positions when he suddenly discovered red smoke spreading inside the airfield.

Inside the camp, the Japanese Army was in chaos; everyone thought the Sichuan Army was using high-explosive shell bombardment, not expecting that what the Sichuan Army had thrown over was actually Special Smoke.

The Sichuan Army had assembled nearly one hundred 75mm artillery pieces!

The Sichuan Army at every predetermined location, with the Division Commander of each division, also gave mobilization speeches to the soldiers: the Sichuan Army had traveled thousands of miles out of Sichuan to fight the little devils, otherwise their descendants would become slaves of a conquered nation; only by defeating the little devils would they survive.

Now that the Sichuan Army was adopting this method to strike the Japanese Army, Inaba Shiro knew full well the dangers involved.

After the first five-round volley was finished, Yu Hua received a report from the frontline observation post that the entire airfield was now covered in red smoke.

His headquarters was a sturdy bunker; inside, there had initially been situations of people snatching Gas Masks, but fortunately, there were many Gas Masks, and Inaba Shiro had executed several officers.

This artillery strike combined Special Smoke with conventional shells to further weaken the strength of the Japanese Army.

Now they were just waiting for the artillery's signal!

Inside the airfield camp, the little devils were already in complete chaos; some soldiers without Gas Masks were already snatching from one another and even coming to blows, even with commanders present.

After hanging up the phone, under his command, the artillery's muzzles were immediately adjusted to aim at the Japanese airfield.

Battalion Deputy Wang Kui said: "Battalion Commander, according to the Commander-in-Chief's order, arrest Zhang Xiaoqian."

Over one hundred artillery pieces were set up across five separate artillery positions before all the artillery could be placed.

However, the appearance of the Japanese Special Forces team at Xiaowangzhuang—a small unit deep behind enemy lines—must certainly have an important combat mission.

After the shells exploded, the red smoke that diffused out scared Inaba Shiro so much that he turned and ran, snatching a Gas Mask to put on himself.

In order for the artillery strike to be effective tonight, Yu Hua had pulled out all the artillery from every division-affiliated Artillery Battalion and directly formed a super-large artillery group.

Inside the residence, there was a pretty-looking woman who had been observing the movement outside; upon seeing Battalion Commander Liu return, the woman immediately returned to the bed and lay under the covers.

On the outskirts of the airfield, some Japanese soldiers had already fallen to the ground, foaming at the mouth!

Yu Hua knew that the Japanese Army units possessed Gas Masks, so he called Yu Dazhu and told the artillery to increase the intensity of the artillery strike.

The headquarters soon fell into calm, and everyone felt much more settled.

"Brother Liu, I will listen to everything you say." The woman named Zhang Xiaoqian said delicately, her voice soft and sweet!

The artillerymen, some leading mules and horses, others carrying ammunition boxes, worked together in a division of labor and quickly rushed to the next preset artillery position.

After receiving Yu Hua's telegram, Yang Sen was also shocked for a short while!

And at this time, at the 27th Group Army Headquarters, Yang Sen immediately summoned the Guard Battalion Commander he had just appointed and ordered him to immediately lead his team to impose martial law on all major checkpoints around the headquarters and screen for suspicious persons.

"Yes!" Yu Dazhu responded.

"Baka!"

The moment Battalion Commander Liu saw Yang Sen, there was still a faint scent of a woman on him. Yang Sen frowned slightly: "I will not pursue the matter of you finding a woman for now; go execute your mission immediately."

"Give him a proper burial!" Yang Sen said indifferently.

"Baka!"

Liu Zhiyuan knelt on the ground, "Commander-in-Chief, I know I was wrong. I have one request: I hope the Commander-in-Chief will tell my old mother, my old father, and my two brothers that I died on the battlefield, not that I was executed by the Sichuan Army."

"Many thanks, Commander-in-Chief!" After saying this, Liu Zhiyuan stood up and walked out of the headquarters.

"Bang! Bang!" A burst of gunfire rang out, and Liu Zhiyuan fell into a pool of blood.

The second artillery strike swept in without any warning and landed in the airfield camp. This time, the Sichuan Army used conventional shells, and some devil soldiers who had put on their Gas Masks were sent flying into the sky under the impact of the conventional shells.

Although the Sichuan Army had the upper hand in this artillery bombardment, Yu Dazhu was also afraid that some devil artillerymen would go mad and counterattack the Sichuan Army's artillery positions before they died.

Twenty minutes later, Yang Sen received a report from his subordinate that they had already screened everyone, and no suspicious persons had been found at the headquarters!

Upon hearing this, Yang Sen's brows furrowed tightly: "That's impossible!"

"Arrest Zhang Xiaoqian immediately!"

After searching around, Yu Hua suddenly discovered that the Group Army Headquarters under Yang Sen had only just moved yesterday into a small township less than twenty kilometers from Xiaowangzhuang.

After Liu Zhiyuan gave a few instructions, he left the room. When Zhang Xiaoqian saw Liu Zhiyuan leave, a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes.

"This is my residence? What is there to search here?"

A group of artillerymen immediately abandoned their measurements and began to frantically snatch Gas Masks.

In the face of life, the little devils still chose to harm one another; no matter what kind of army it is, once it falls into chaos, it truly has no combat effectiveness left.

As the order was given, a cold glint flashed in Yang Sen's eyes; regardless of anything else, this person named Zhang Xiaoqian was highly suspicious!

For Yang Sen, the priority now was to screen suspicious personnel; he did not want to delve into the scent of a woman on Battalion Commander Liu at this moment.

Back when the Sichuan Army was providing relief to the people of Sichuan, Zhang Xiaoqian had been hovering around Liu Zhiyuan; she played the part of a frail woman, constantly bothering Liu Zhiyuan with trivial matters, and coupled with her pretty appearance, she drew him in.

While training in Sichuan, the soldiers had watched documentaries filmed by the Sichuan Army and photos of the Japanese massacre of Chinese civilians; they hated the "little devils" to the core, their teeth itching with rage, and now their minds were filled with the desire to kill them.

No women are allowed to be harbored in the troops, with the exception of female doctors and nurses recruited within Sichuan!

After handling this matter, Yu Hua received reports from the three Sichuan Army divisions and Zhang Yungang's regiment, confirming that each unit had moved to its designated position.

"Because of your mistake this time, our group army headquarters was almost wiped out; this error is far too grave."

Battalion Commander Liu pushed open the door and, seeing the woman was still there, said, "Xiaoqian, don't run around these next few days; something has happened at our headquarters, and the Commander has ordered me to track down suspicious individuals."

"Keep investigating; check everyone who has arrived at headquarters in the last three days, and make sure to track down detailed transfer records for these people."

Liu Zhiyuan was dead; he knew that if he didn't die, it would be hard to appease the public, especially since if it hadn't been for the radio monitoring of Japanese troop movements arranged by Adjutant Yu, this would have been a disaster.

Yang Sen closed his eyes tightly: "Zhiyuan, you were an old veteran who had fought alongside me for many years!"

Every artillery battalion under the Sichuan Army divisions was now equipped exclusively with 12 Type 41 mountain guns, 6 Type 94 mountain guns, and 6 Schneider M1919 mountain guns.

Yu Hua called artillery commander Yu Dazhu.

Although the record sheet stated in detail that Zhang Xiaoqian spoke fluent Sichuan dialect, was familiar with many Chinese customs, and was a university student who claimed to be returning to Sichuan from a university outside the province due to the war, it was still suspicious.

Yang Sen clearly remembered Adjutant Yu telling him that such a person was nine times out of ten a spy sent by the Japanese army!

Seeing the Sichuan Army personnel heading toward his residence, Liu Zhiyuan hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?"

A mountain breeze blew, sweeping toward their artillery position, and it scared the artillery regiment commander so much he nearly wet his pants!

This was special gas; the Japanese artillerymen were well aware of the power of such special shells.

Seeing Zhang Xiaoqian in such a state, Liu Zhiyuan felt his bones go soft; if he hadn't been on duty, he wouldn't have wanted to leave the room at all.

Only then will our descendants have a happy and fulfilling life; everyone must work hard to fight the devils.

After learning the results of the 27th Group Army's investigation, Yu Hua also ordered all Sichuan Army units to be wary of women of unknown origin; regardless of their status, they were not to be harbored, and if they needed to be kept, they were to be sent to the Sichuan Army shelter in the rear.

After the second round of shelling, Yu Dazhu saw flames erupting at the Japanese airfield and lowered his binoculars: "Move out immediately and head to the next artillery position."

Just at this moment, a sharp whistling sound came from the sky; he looked up and saw shells trailing long plumes of fire, beginning to fall toward the airfield!

The first wave of shells to land numbered over a hundred, leaving Inaba Shiro stunned.

With this discovery, Yu Hua immediately contacted Yang Sen, telling him to immediately screen his headquarters and search for suspicious personnel!

Therefore, Yu Dazhu had to be cautious and move immediately after a successful strike.

"You stay in my quarters for now and don't run around; it hasn't been very safe lately."

Yang Sen opened his eyes: "Granted! I will inform the people at home."

After leaving the headquarters, Battalion Commander Liu first called his deputy to carry out the orders, while he himself went to his residence.

The moon was very full tonight and the light was sufficient, so the troops could see the road clearly while marching, and most had arrived at their attack locations ahead of schedule.

"Target the Japanese airfield; give me a five-round volley and let's see the effect!"

"Pursue!" Wang Kui shouted!

When Liu Zhiyuan saw his beloved woman suddenly leave, he initially thought the Commander-in-Chief must have made a mistake!

Wang Kui, who led the pursuit, failed to catch Zhang Xiaoqian, and Liu Zhiyuan voluntarily went to face Yang Sen!

Zhang Xiaoqian being a Japanese spy made Liu Zhiyuan realize he had made a grave mistake, and Yang Sen also learned the whole story from Liu Zhiyuan.

With this order from Yang Sen, when Liu Zhiyuan's deputy submitted a list to Yang Sen, the name of the woman Zhang Xiaoqian caught Yang Sen's attention.

"They are all good-for-nothings, and they call themselves elite soldiers chosen from a hundred; they actually got beaten down by the Sichuan Army!"

With the order from Commander-in-Chief Yang Sen, Liu Zhiyuan dared not block them; after Wang Kui and his men entered, they did not find Zhang Xiaoqian, and she had left fully dressed.

At this moment, at the Japanese airfield, Inaba Shiro's intuition told him that the Sichuan Army would definitely come tonight.

Zhang Xiaoqian knew deep down that her secret connection with Liu Zhiyuan would soon be discovered; she could no longer stay in this place and had to leave immediately.

With this question in mind, Yu Hua drew a circle on the map centered on Xiaowangzhuang and then looked for targets for this small unit to attack within that circle.

"Baka!"

Through observation, Inaba Shiro discovered that his division was in a very bad situation; a large number of imperial warriors were wailing, crying out for their mothers, begging for help, and saying they didn't want to die, all mixed in with the sound of artillery.

(End of chapter)