Chapter 318: The Little Devils Are Acting Odd

Behind a concealed hill 500 meters from Yunchi Village, Mi Long gestured once; the spot was good.

With a sweeping gesture, he said, "81mm mortar team, build a position here!"

From this artillery position, a single shot can hit Yunchi.

A few horses pulling a heavy wagon came to a steady stop; what was unloaded was the German‑made GrW34 81mm mortar. It's a fine piece, with an effective range of up to 2400 m, easily covering Yunchi from this spot, and its accuracy is superb—where you point, it hits.

The transport team's carriage also halted; these war horses were exchanged by Jiang Anguo upon arriving at Yidu for the 150th Division and the whole regiment's First Battalion, and with the carriage assisting in moving ammunition, frontline logistical supply was assured.

Carriages are far superior to manual transport; in fact, even if Jiang Anguo provided transport vehicles, few in Xu Guozhang's 150th Division could drive them.

In fact, they're still less practical than carriages.

Mi Long led his company cautiously toward Yunchi Village; the troops spread into an inverted triangle formation. Mi Long led the first platoon in the center forward, the second platoon leader Wang Dezhi advanced his men along the reed thickets by the Yangtze River, and the third platoon leader Xia Houping covered the right flank to prevent a side ambush.

The three squads of the first platoon kept the machine gunners in the middle; the whole platoon thrust toward Yunchi like a spear.

Through the binoculars, Mi Long could clearly see the defensive works at the village entrance. Several yellow‑brown sandbag bunkers spanned the road, and a few gray figures crouched behind them, evidently the Japanese Army's forward outpost.

"Hmph, these Little Devils are still trying to set up layered resistance, as if they're building a turtle shell for me." Mi Long sneered, just as he was about to issue an order, suddenly—

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot shattered the silence, startling a few birds in the treetops.

"Prone!" Mi Long reacted instantly, letting out a roar and diving onto a soil embankment.

The whole company, well‑trained, instantly scattered for cover; the machine gunners, quick‑eyed, snapped their mounts into place, the dark muzzles fixed on the front.

The Japanese garrison at Yunchi Village heard the gunfire, thought they'd been spotted, and panicked. The troops behind the sandbags shouted wildly, pulling out their Type 38 rifles to return fire. Several grenade launchers quickly adjusted angle, hurling a few shrapnel shells toward Mi Long.

"Boom! Boom!"

Earth splattered.

Mi Long brushed the dirt from his face, so angry he nearly lost his breath. He glared at the pale, nervous private beside him; the kid had just jerked his finger and fired unintentionally!

"You wimp! Who told you to fire! Before battle you were told not to keep your finger on the trigger!"

Mi Long kept scolding, but since the gun had fired, there was no turning back. This was a full‑blown sting of the hornet's nest; both sides were now in earnest combat.

The battle for Yunchi officially began.

"Since it's fired, hit them hard! Machine guns, suppress them!"

Mi Long gave the order, and several machine guns on the position roared immediately.

"Tap tap tap—!"

The MG42's distinctive, terrifying sound—like a chainsaw tearing cloth—immediately drowned out the Japanese's Type 38 rifles. A hail of bullets rained on the enemy positions, shredding the sandbags and sending earth scattering.

Mi Long's platoon fielded four machine guns, creating an extremely dense firepower; the opposing Japanese were suppressed to the point they could barely lift their heads, forced to hunker in the bunkers and fire blindly.

The side‑arm machine gun, trembling, barely got a few rounds out before the MG42 gunner locked onto it. It was no match!

But that wasn't enough.

"60th mortar team, give Yunchi a flash! Three‑round burst, fire!" Mi Long still felt unsatisfied.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

When the command flag was waved, the 81mm mortar team behind also joined the bombardment. Shells whistled sharply overhead, striking Yunchi Village with precision.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The tiny Yunchi Village erupted in several pillars of flame; houses collapsed, wood and stone scattered. The Japanese positions shuddered amid the explosions, with faint cries of agony.

The bombing didn't cease immediately; Mi Long, holding the binoculars, examined the post‑explosion smoke, his brow gradually furrowing.

"Something's off…"

A string in Mi Long's mind suddenly tightened; an indescribable intuition told him the fight was too smooth, or rather, the Japanese were acting too "by the book."

The Japanese resistance at Yunchi wasn't as fierce as he had expected.

At this moment, the first platoon leader Duan Qiang had taken command, directing his troops to fire heavily at Yunchi. Gunfire roared, appearing at first like a full assault, but on closer look the soldiers were merely crouching and shooting, with no intent to charge.

This was merely Mi Long's "open‑road construction" tactic.

On the left wing of the main force, along the muddy banks of the Yangtze River, second platoon leader Wang Dezhi led his entire platoon, using the reeds taller than a man as cover, silently creeping forward.

The riverbank was damp and the ground a mess of mud, making each step uneven and uncomfortable. Yet this was the Japanese defensive blind spot; they never expected anyone to emerge from this god‑forsaken place.

Wang Dezhi wiped mud from his face, and through the reed gaps could already see the side‑rear of the Japanese positions. The enemy soldiers were crouched on the sandbags, focused on repelling Mi Long's frontal fire, unaware that death had already crept behind them.

"Hold steady… hold steady…"

When he reached a point less than fifty meters from the Japanese, Wang Dezhi sprang to his feet, the barrel of his MP40 Submachine Gun trembling, and let out a fierce roar:

"Brothers, fire!"

"Bang!"

The second platoon's soldiers burst from the reeds, their Mauser 98k rifles spitting angry flames. This sudden flank strike instantly disrupted the Japanese defensive layout.

"Baka yarō! How can the Chinese forces be so fierce!" Sato shouted angrily.

He felt his squad had been abandoned.

Seeing Chinese troops appear on the right flank as well, Sato realized he could not continue to hold; otherwise his squad would be wiped out in Yunchi.

Within the Japanese lines, squad leader Sato, seeing the unfavorable situation, immediately organized a covering retreat, and while withdrawing, turned to fire at the Independent Regiment's soldiers.

Mi Long, watching clearly from the rear, saw the second platoon had entered Yunchi; he promptly ordered the MG42 fire on the left to shift toward Yunchi's right side to avoid friendly fire.

The Japanese retreat allowed the second platoon's soldiers to surge into Yunchi, though it wasn't easy; they quickly swept the houses to see if any Little Devils were hiding.

The surviving Little Devils on the ground also took the chance to finish them off with bullets.

On the battlefield, if you can use bullets, you use bullets to eliminate the enemy.

Mi Long made a sweeping gesture; the front platoon halted its attack, and he ordered the third company to stand by in place.

His intuition told him the Little Devils wouldn't give up the position so easily.