Chapter 30: Gift of Gun
Guo Wanlin followed Liu Zhengfeng's advice and stopped attacking the Japanese troops on the mountain. He immediately withdrew his troops from the valley and set up a defense line in front to block the Japanese army's way. The two armies looked at each other from a distance and were on guard against each other.
Because the Japanese army had suffered heavy losses and the number of troops was much different, they did not dare to pursue and capture the enemy, so Guo Wanlin's troops successfully withdrew from the battlefield.
The smoke in the valley had not yet dissipated. Liu Zhengfeng and Wu Erdan followed Guo Wanlin and moved with the troops.
On the way, Guo Wanlin asked about the battle last night, and Liu Zhengfeng gave a brief account.
Guo Wanlin kept nodding. Although Liu Zhengfeng downplayed it, he knew that the process must be thrilling. Two people against a squadron of Japanese troops was no joke. It was a miracle. Only he could create such a miracle.
Liu Zhengfeng followed Guo Wanlin back to Xiaotangshan. The wounded in the battle were carried back one after another. Li Rong, Wu Xiaoyun and other medical staff immediately became busy.
In Guo Wanlin's temporary command post, the radio operator was sending a message to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief of the right wing corps, reporting the situation there.
Not long after, a reply was received, commending Guo Wanlin's troops and hoping that they would continue to make good progress. It also stated that two divisions had been mobilized to intercept the Japanese Miura Detachment.
Guo Wanlin breathed a sigh of relief . With the strength of two divisions plus his own, it should not be a problem to intercept the mere several thousand people of the Japanese Miura Detachment.
In contrast, Liu Zhengfeng was restless because he knew that in history, the Japanese support forces had successfully rescued the Sixth Division , and the casualties of the Sixth Division did not exceed four thousand.
To destroy the Japanese 6th Division, the key is to stop the Miura Detachment of the Japanese rescue team. Therefore, in order to stop the Miura Detachment, no matter how great the cost, it is worth it.
Although the superiors had mobilized two divisions of troops, Liu Zhengfeng felt that this was far from enough. At first glance, the strength of the two divisions far exceeded that of the Miura Detachment of the Japanese Army. However, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army at that time was really not satisfactory. There were good and bad troops mixed together. There were some troops that dared to fight, and some troops that collapsed at the first touch.
Guo Wanlin saw that Liu Zhengfeng looked anxious and asked curiously, "Young man, what's wrong with you?"
Liu Zhengfeng looked serious and expressed all his worries.
Guo Wanlin frowned. Liu Zhengfeng's worries were not unreasonable. In fact, if it weren't for Liu Zhengfeng, his troops might have been wiped out a few days ago.
"So what do you think we should do? As far as I know, these two divisions are Commander Li's reserve forces. They are the last troops he can muster."
Liu Zhengfeng sighed softly. In the current situation, he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
The large force of the Miura Detachment must be carrying a large amount of military supplies, weapons and ammunition, and the marching speed must not be too fast. It seems that we can only do something about this aspect.
Liu Zhengfeng was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Commander, Xiaotangshan is the only way for the Japanese support troops to pass through. I suggest that the headquarters and the wounded be moved to a safe place as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Japanese army arrives, there will be nothing left."
Staff Officer Jin from the division headquarters interrupted, "Our superiors ordered us to defend the Xiaotangshan front line to the death. Will the transfer of the headquarters and the wounded shake the morale of the troops? If the superiors blame us, we can't bear the consequences."
Guo Wanlin glanced at Staff Officer Jin and said, "How can reducing unnecessary casualties shake the morale of the army? Isn't this nonsense?"
Staff Officer Jin was speechless for a moment, his face flushed, and he stammered, "I was inconsiderate, and the commander is right to blame me."
Liu Zhengfeng said: "There are mountains everywhere here. The Japanese heavy artillery must be transported separately. If they encounter resistance, they will be assembled and fired. With our troops, we can't withstand the Japanese bombardment. Therefore, we can't defend a certain position. We must build several lines of defense and resist layer by layer. As long as we can resist, the Japanese Sixth Division will surely die. Otherwise, the Sixth Division will escape."
Guo Wanlin slapped his thigh and shouted, "Let's do it. Signalman, pass on my order. Immediately move the headquarters and the wounded. From here to the south, build three lines of defense in sequence..."
Guo Wanlin's order was quickly passed down, and the guard battalion commander Zhou Liankai was responsible for transferring the command center and the wounded to Butterfly Valley ten kilometers southwest.
The Third Regiment is now confronting the Japanese Army's Yagyu Squadron, building defensive fortifications on the spot to form the first line of defense.
Because the Second Regiment suffered the heaviest casualties, it was arranged to defend Xiaotangshan, which was the last line of defense.
The regiment where Liu Zhengfeng was located was arranged in the second line of defense, and Liu Zhengfeng was given the right to act independently by Guo Wanlin, because Guo Wanlin knew very well that Liu Zhengfeng had a keen insight into the battlefield and the ability to seize opportunities, and he could not be bound by specific tasks.
The troops began to get busy. Liu Zhengfeng hurriedly found Li Rong and saw her busy packing the first aid kit. She had obviously lost a lot of weight in the past few days and her face looked a little haggard.
Li Rong packed up in a hurry, slung the first aid kit bag over her shoulder, turned around, and suddenly spotted Liu Zhengfeng. She was stunned for a moment, then slowly walked over.
Liu Zhengfeng looked at her haggard face, his heart full of pity, and said softly: "Rong'er, I'm not by your side, you have to take care of yourself."
Li Rong fiddled with the corner of her clothes with both hands, hummed softly, and whispered, "You too, the battlefield is so dangerous, you...you must be well, I'll wait for you to come back."
Anything can happen on the battlefield, and it is possible that the separation will be forever. Liu Zhengfeng felt deeply moved and sighed softly. He took out a Type 14 Nambu pistol from his waist, which he had seized this morning.
"Rong'er, take this for self-defense."
Li Rong was stunned, looking flustered, and quickly waved her hands: "I don't want it, I... I don't know how to use it."
Liu Zhengfeng frowned and said softly, "Rong'er, be obedient. In these chaotic times, it's not a bad thing to have a weapon to protect yourself."
The reason why he gave the gun to Li Rong was because he had an inexplicable uneasiness in his heart. This uneasiness could not be explained or understood, but it kept lingering around him and could not be shaken off.
Seeing that Liu Zhengfeng insisted on giving it to her, Li Rong had no choice but to take it.
Liu Zhengfeng pointed at the pistol and said, "This is the safety, and this is the trigger. Just open the safety like this and pull the trigger, and the bullet will be fired. Remember this?"
Li Rong looked at Liu Zhengfeng and said, "I remembered it, but... I can't use it."
Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said , "It's best if you don't need it. Remember, this is for your self-defense."
Li Rong nodded slightly, looking a little sad, and whispered, "Is the situation on the battlefield not favorable to us? Has it reached the final moment?"
Liu Zhengfeng shook his head and smiled, "No, I just care about you and want to be prepared for any eventuality."
Li Rong suddenly hugged Liu Zhengfeng, her body trembling slightly: "You don't have to lie to me, I can feel it."
With the girl's soft and warm body fragrance in his arms, Liu Zhengfeng's nose was filled with the girl's fragrance, which made him intoxicated.
"Rong'er, don't worry. I swear, I will use my life to protect you. No one can hurt you."
Li Rong pushed Liu Zhengfeng away and said quietly, "You have said this more than once. Who knows whether what you said is true or false?"
Liu Zhengfeng said anxiously: "Rong'er, although I said the same thing to Wu Xiaoyun and I didn't lie to her, the meaning is completely different. Can you please stop being unreasonable?"
Seeing Liu Zhengfeng's anxious look, Li Rong burst into laughter, a cunning look flashed in her eyes, and a blush flowed on her face.
"I just said it casually, why are you so anxious?"
When Liu Zhengfeng saw that the matter was settled, he was overjoyed and said with a smile: "I'm just afraid that you will misunderstand me."
Liu Zhengfeng looked at Li Rong with a smile on his face, not noticing that a pair of resentful eyes were staring at him in the corner.
