Chapter 363: Good for nothing! Good for nothing!

June 1, 1942, 13:00 hours.

East of the Jingmen Mountains, Zengjiagang.

It is a place surrounded on three sides by hills and crisscrossed by ravines; west of Zengjiagang the Han‑Yi Highway cuts through the valley, the essential route from Yichang to Dangyang.

Obviously Nanshan Xiuji is not foolish; he won't take the main road, but may have a chance by moving through the mountain valley.

Because he also made the same mistake as the 116th Regiment, assuming that China has air support, and that taking the main road would be spotted by aircraft.

Thus, he also skirted the edge of the Jingmen Mountains, preparing to use the terrain advantage to return to Dangyang.

The scout is ahead.

Jiang Anguo lay on a high western ridge, peering down the valley with a telescope; a Japanese Army column of over a thousand men was slowly entering Zengjiagang. The troops were scattered, lacking heavy weapons, their uniforms ragged, many unarmed.

A mounted officer in the column kept turning his head, his expression anxious.

"It's Nanshan Xiuji," he whispered. "The 17th Regiment is all here."

He originally came with a large force to attack Dangyang; now, as luck would have it, he's met a 'starter.'

Having the foundation of the Battle of Yichang, Jiang Anguo now isn't at all worried whether he can defeat this ragtag force of over a thousand.

He's already taken down a Japanese Army division in Yichang, even a Class A Division; what else has he to worry about.

With personnel and equipment plentiful, he could push the Little Devil (Japanese soldier) into the sea.

Jiang Anguo turned and quickly ordered, "Guard Company, prepare a frontal assault! When Xu Guozhang seals the northern pass and Hu Lian blocks the southern tail, we'll close the gate and finish the dogs!"

To the north, Xu Guozhang is already in position.

One must admire the Sichuan Army brothers' marching speed here; they're truly a step ahead, especially in mountain terrain, moving extremely fast.

At 13:04, he led the 150th Division's vanguard battalion on a forced march of fifteen li, reaching the north end of Zengjiagang before the Japanese Army. He personally oversaw the construction of makeshift fortifications to block the Japanese, and mounted six MG42 General Machine Guns and two 60mm mortars on the mountain ridges.

As for the Czech Republic light machine guns originally equipped by the 150th Division, they were discarded; of course, Old Xu was reluctant to part with them, so he kept them. Jiang Anguo directly ordered the Guard Company to hand their MG42 General Machine Guns to the 150th Division's soldiers.

For this operation, Jiang Anguo personally took command on the spot.

With his mobile arsenal there, there's no need to worry about ammunition; the Czech Republic firepower is somewhat lacking compared to the MG42 General Machine Gun.

Jiang Anguo really loves this machine gun.

"Brothers," Xu Guozhang stood on the ridge, his voice low, "The Little Devil (Japanese soldier) wants to flee from here; I, Xu Guozhang, am the first to refuse. Keep your eyes on the Little Devil (Japanese soldier)."

The soldiers silently loaded ammunition, their gazes fixed forward.

At 13:05, the Japanese Army's vanguard, a squad of the Search Detachment, led by Second Lieutenant Kimura, had already reached Xu Guozhang's blocking position.

Xu Guozhang saw that the enemy was closing in, while Jiang Anguo's side had not yet begun the attack.

"Bang!" the distinctive crack of the Type 38 rifle rang out.

After a brief skirmish, the Japanese search squad opened fire early.

The gunfire startled the birds in the jungle.

Kimura also saw the opposing Huaxia troops' positions, apparently to block them.

"Take the terrain, attack." Kimura reacted swiftly, immediately issuing orders to his subordinates.

It shows that although this Japanese force is retreating, its fighting spirit remains tenacious.

"Dammit, open fire, fire!" Xu Guozhang ordered.

"Rat-a-tat—!"

The roar of the MG42 General Machine Gun instantly tore through the battlefield air; bullets poured down like a rainstorm, and wherever the flames swept, Japanese Army soldiers were instantly turned into a furnace.

"What the—!" Second Lieutenant Kimura instantly recalled the terrible sound of the past two days.

A sound like a chainsaw rang in his ears again.

Bang!

A gunshot rang, and Kimura decisively shot dead a soldier trying to retreat.

He shouted, "No retreat, attack!"

"Kill the chicken, give give!"

Seeing this, Kimura knew retreat was impossible; the more they fell back, the higher his side's casualties would be, so a charge was the only chance.

Japanese soldiers, seeing the squad leader's so-called 'bravery,' emerged from behind trees and rocks to launch a desperate attack on Xu Guozhang's 150th Division.

Puff puff puff.

A 7.92mm round instantly struck Kimura's body; his sword still pointed toward the 150th Division as he looked down at his torso, several bullet‑punctured blood holes appearing in his abdomen.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang; a soldier of the 150th Division shot Kimura in the head, instantly blasting off half his skull.

Kimura's sword fell onto Huaxia's ground as he knelt before Xu Guozhang's 150th Division.

Xu Guozhang lifted an MG42 General Machine Gun, planting it on a large stone, "Kill the devils, kill them for me!"

Rat-a-tat!

A burst of machine‑gun fire.

In just a few minutes, the Japanese squad was entirely wiped out here under the 150th Division's firepower suppression.

Xu Guozhang patted the 'treasure' in his hand and exclaimed, "What a good fellow! Brother Jiang, this treasure is great! Why can't you give it to old Xu!"

Even though the barrel was scorching hot, Xu Guozhang didn't mind.

From the 150th Division, Lieutenant Colonel Lu Zongjing of the 448th Regiment approached the Division Commander, "Division Commander, Colonel Jiang's treasure is abundant, but we can't afford it!"

"Just that burst you just fired, at least five hundred rounds were shot. Our six machine guns, back then, a single battalion's operation would have been enough," Lu Zongjing said, looking at Xu Guozhang.

Xu Guozhang then recalled that they were used to hard times; suddenly becoming prosperous, he didn't know how expensive rice, oil, and salt had become.

The MG42's rate of fire far exceeds that of the Czech Republic model and the Little Devil (Japanese soldier)'s crooked machine guns.

Of course the MG42 lacks the heavy machine gun's caliber, but its high rate of fire compensates for that shortfall.

Moreover, Jiang Anguo's troops have placed the MG42 at the Squad level; such formidable firepower easily overwhelms the Little Devil (Japanese soldier)'s seemingly 'strong' weapons.

Xu Guozhang nodded, looking at the Front, which had already quieted, "Quick, have the brothers reinforce the works, sweep the battlefield, and take back everything we can. The Little Devil's main force is definitely not far behind, so everyone, get your spirits up."

Lu Zongjing waved his hand, and immediately a portion of 150th Division soldiers, holding Mauser rifles, crouched out of the trench; everyone also learned a lot from the Independent Regiment.

All added another bullet to the heads of the dead Japanese Army.

The speed of collection was also very fast; in total they seized 36 Type 38 rifles, 3 southern pistols, one commander's sword, a number of bullets, and as for other water bottles, lunch boxes and the like, the warriors looted them completely.

Xu Guozhang, seeing his own brothers like that from behind, said straight, "Useless! Useless!"