The Japs Bully Me, and You Want in on This Too?

Zhu Shiqing had already been planning the battle in his mind from the moment he heard Fang Wenjian's report. That his first real combat would actually be against fellow Chinese was quite ironic. Beside him, Fang Wenjian's eyes were already gleaming. Three months of training had ingrained muscle memory into him; just like making a report to an instructor, he watched the enemy in the distance and reported: "Total enemy strength: fifty men. Less than half are on alert. Preliminary assessment indicates no heavy firepower, with one Czech light machine gun positioned to the right of the village's western entrance." Guozhuang was an open, exposed village. Although only a single main road connected its eastern and western entrances, it was surrounded on all sides by low-lying field ridges, with the outermost houses abutting low ditches and cropland. The village's overall layout was haphazard, with buildings scattered erratically. For terrain like this, a double-flanking maneuver to execute a decapitation strike could not be more ideal. His mind made up, Zhu Shiqing turned to Sun Yi. "Regimental Commander, Wenjian and I will each take three men and creep around the flanks. You lead the rest from the front and open fire first to draw their attention, then advance slowly. Wenjian and I will strike on your shot, taking out the puppet commander and their firepower from both sides!" "Good, I'll back you up!" Sun Yi drew his Broomhandle Mauser and picked out three soldiers each for Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian. Inside Guozhuang, what little grain and stores the villagers had left were already being hauled out. Zhu Shiqing moved swiftly, leading his three men around to the left side of the village. The soldiers trailing behind cursed under their breath. In these bitter, grueling times, the crimes that Chinese traitor dogs inflicted upon the common folk were hardly less monstrous than those committed by the greedy, bloody Japanese. Leading his three men, Zhu Shiqing crept toward the western entrance, using the houses on the village outskirts as cover to advance inch by inch. Just as they were about to cross the final alley, two puppet soldiers entered from the other end, heading straight toward Zhu Shiqing's position. Zhu Shiqing quickly pulled the three men into a blind spot. The footsteps drew nearer. Not daring to make a sound, the three soldiers looked silently at Zhu Shiqing. Seeing him make a throat-slitting gesture, they understood immediately and drew their bayonets. The two puppet soldiers were utterly down on their luck. They had only slipped into the alley to take a piss and slack off, but no sooner had they stepped into the opening than they caught sight of four blue-uniformed soldiers holding knives. Pale with horror, before they could react, pairs of large hands dragged them into the shadows, smothering every sound from their throats. While still fully conscious, sharp blades drove into their throats. Blood sprayed across the ground, darkness overtook their eyes, and their lives were snuffed out. Having eliminated the stragglers, Zhu Shiqing knew there was no time to lose. Stepping over the two corpses, he led his men through the alley; right past it lay the western entrance to the village! Just as they emerged from the alley, gunfire erupted from the western entrance—Sun Yi opening fire as agreed. With a series of sharp cracks, the puppet troops throughout Guozhuang instantly realized the 29th Army was attacking. They scrambled frantically from looting into defensive positions. The villagers being herded toward the village entrance were quick on their feet, scattering in the chaos. The puppet soldiers hauling grain dropped their sacks in terror at the sound of gunfire, scrambling toward the western end of the village. Zhu Shiqing had already crept up to a two-story house. Its windows were dilapidated and the interior was pitch-black, looking long abandoned. Zhu Shiqing led his men inside through a broken window and hurried up the stairs; through the window upstairs, they had a clear view of the western village entrance. "The commander's firing from out front, so they're definitely going to try mounting a counterattack at the entrance. You three take out any reinforcements coming to help. Don't fire all at once—pick them off one shot at a time!" Zhu Shiqing issued quick orders, raising his Broomhandle Mauser and aiming straight at the puppet officer at the entrance. The puppet leader was still frantically directing the men around him to return fire. Sun Yi and his men were shooting with deadly accuracy, dropping three or four puppet soldiers in just a few shots. Knowing he was up against regular troops, the puppet commander ducked behind cover. Beside him, the light machine gun was about to roar. Bang! Gunfire erupted from the flank! Fang Wenjian took down the machine gunner with his very first shot. The other three men fired their rifles in volley, dropping two or three more. Knowing the entrance was a death trap, the puppet leader tried to flee back into the village. But the moment half his head peeked out from behind cover, Zhu Shiqing locked onto him. Bang! "Fire!" Zhu Shiqing bellowed. First, the puppet leader's head burst open, and then the three soldiers' fire cut off the reinforcements rushing toward the entrance. Gunfire rang out from three sides at once. With their commander dead, the untrained puppet soldiers had no way of judging how many enemies there were. Convinced they were surrounded, they panicked, turned tail, and fled eastward away from the western entrance. Seeing the two young men succeed, Sun Yi felt a rush of pure exhilaration. He led his soldiers down from the mound, pushing forward. With fire pouring in from three directions, the puppet soldiers at the entrance were wiped out, leaving corpses strewn across the ground. "Goddammit, I might not be able to hit the Japs yet, but I sure as hell can take out a few of these lackeys!" Sun Yi beamed, thoroughly gratified by the fight. After swallowing his rage under Japanese arrogance day in and day out, he had finally gotten to let loose with his gun. The three met up at the western entrance. Sun Yi immediately ordered the guards to find the villagers of Guozhuang; now that a fight had broken out here, the place was unsafe and had to be evacuated without delay. "Good work, lads." Sun Yi's face was brighter than blooming flowers. He had struck gold with these two; they were remarkably capable. "Though the puppets aren't much compared to us, I have to take my hat off to you for today's fight. You really show your professional training." "You flatter us, Commander. But why did this band of puppet troops come out all the way here?" Zhu Shiqing asked casually as he checked his ammunition. Hearing this, Sun Yi's expression turned pensive. "It is strange indeed. These bastards are under that old traitor boss Yin Rugeng. They usually operate around Tongxian, thick as thieves with the Japs over in Beiping. It's rare to see them out here." When things are abnormal, treachery is afoot. A wave of inexplicable unease flared in Zhu Shiqing's chest, sparking a chilling thought: Could these men have been sent here deliberately for us to slaughter? "Shiqing, what's wrong?" Fang Wenjian had sharp eyes and immediately noticed Zhu Shiqing's worry. "Let's head back to headquarters before thinking on it." Sun Yi offered reassuring words as well. "Don't fret. Puppet troops aren't real Japs. A while back, the division commander led a force that wiped out one of that old bastard Yin Rugeng's militia units—killed over three thousand of them—and the Japs didn't say a damn word." Zhu Shiqing nodded. "Let's hope nothing comes of it." After constant turmoil, many of Guozhuang's villagers had already fled. Plundered again today, the villagers were full of fright and bitter sorrow; seeing their own troops from the 29th Army, they remained dazed and hesitant to come out for quite some time. Only after repeated coaxing did a handful of villagers agree to follow Sun Yi back to Zhaojiazhuang temporarily, hoping the army's presence would afford them some protection. "Damn it, that went so smoothly I almost forgot about the 3rd Battalion!" Barely a few paces into the march, Sun Yi smacked his forehead, realizing what he'd overlooked. He hurriedly ordered the nearest soldier, "Quick, catch up to the 3rd Battalion commander and tell him to bring his men back!" ... By the time they returned to Zhaojiazhuang, it was nearly noon. Just as Sun Yi was about to ask the cooks whether lunch was ready, the telephone in regimental headquarters began ringing incessantly. Being closest to the desk, Zhu Shiqing picked it up immediately. "Hello! Is this regimental headquarters?! This is Fengtai Station! Fengtai Station!" The background was deafeningly noisy, a chaotic din of voices and machinery. A chill suddenly ran down Zhu Shiqing's spine. "This is headquarters," he asked sharply. "I'm Staff Officer Zhu Shiqing. What happened on your end?" "The Japs! The Japs are trying to breach the checkpoint!"