in2ebook 141. The night raid begins
141. The night raid begins
Six hours before the operation began, Zhou Hongyi held a final meeting with representatives from various factions.
Chen Gong had already led his elite military intelligence team, fully equipped with weapons and ammunition. They would use the terrain as cover to approach the Qiujiang Bridge in batches from different routes. Those with good marksmanship, carrying high-quality rifles, would climb the towers on both sides of the bridge and the tops of abandoned factories to find high vantage points. Strictly following Zhou Hongyi's previous plan, they would first take out the heavy machine gunners on top of the Japanese trucks.
Apart from the riflemen, the rest of the team members hid in the houses near the bridge, in the culverts under the bridge, and in the grass on the riverbank. Most of them were equipped with guns and pistols, ready to fight the Japanese at close range.
Led by Chen Xiaodao, the Axe Gang members dispersed and lay in ambush in several alleys leading from the bridge to Jungong Road. Although they still carried axes and daggers tucked into their waistbands, this time they went all out, each carrying a gun and strapping improvised explosive charges to their bodies. They were all eager to flank the enemy once the battle began, to sabotage Japanese trucks and motorcycles, create chaos, and disrupt the enemy's formation.
Captain Qiu's guerrilla team also set off ahead of time to key locations around Wujiaochang. Beforehand, they had sent out sentries to keep a close watch on the movements of the Japanese army camps and laid landmines on the roads leading to enemy reinforcements. They then hid in the woods and farmland, ready to pounce on the enemy.
Two hours before the operation began, Zhou Hongyi returned to the farm implement factory and ordered Agui and the blind man to each lead a group of men. One group headed towards the vicinity of the warehouse belonging to the Sakura Trading Company, while the other group hid and ambushed near the Wang Jingwei regime's city hall. Once the battle commenced, they immediately set fire to both locations, creating chaos and panic, adopting the posture of launching a multi-pronged, fierce attack to confuse the enemy and divert Japanese reinforcements.
Half an hour before the operation began, Zhou Hongyi carried a rifle with a scope on his back, two pistols and several magazines on his waist, a short knife strapped to each side of his calf, and his trench coat pockets were filled with various functional grenades.
This time, he was both the overall commander of the operation and a troubleshooter for the various forces working together; wherever problems arose, he had to rush there to help. After all, even with the [Master of Deception] skill, Zhou Hongyi couldn't guarantee that his predictions were 100% accurate.
Just like the last assassination attempt, even though they had anticipated countless possible scenarios beforehand, all sorts of unexpected events still occurred just before the operation, disrupting their original rhythm. At this point, they had to rely on strong mental fortitude and adaptability to bring things back under control. As long as it didn't affect the final mission objective, they were considered successful.
Fifteen minutes before the operation began, the Japanese transport ships that had arrived at Qiujiang Wharf had unloaded all their cargo. The last rays of the evening sun disappeared below the horizon. The wharf lights were on, and everyone worked silently until all the equipment and cargo were loaded onto trucks. Then, amidst the roar of engines, they set off from the wharf.
This time, the Japanese had fifty special forces soldiers disguised as transport personnel accompanying the convoy, along with fifty puppet troops leading the way, and thirty motorcycle escorts at the rear and flanks. Ten trucks were equipped with formidable heavy machine guns mounted on their roofs. Furthermore, an additional truck fully loaded with soldiers was added at the very front and rear of the convoy, exceeding Zhou Hongyi's previous estimates; the enemy's numbers had increased by at least fifty.
But this situation was within his expectations. When Zhou Hongyi put away his binoculars, his flashlight flashed a few times at a specific frequency to signal his friends in the shadows to get ready.
"Boom boom boom~~"
The entire truck convoy drove out of the dock, and the troop carrier at the front had already driven onto the nearest bridge. Zhou Hongyi was hidden in the branches of a large tree in the distance, holding a monocular telescope in one hand and a long-range radio trigger in the other.
"Come on... a little further forward... a little further forward."
Zhou Hongyi stared at the Japanese troop transport vehicle at the front until it had completely crossed the bridge, and the ten trucks behind it had also crossed the bridge. Suddenly, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he pressed the trigger button hard with his right thumb.
The long-range wireless detonator, modified by the "Demolition Master," performed flawlessly at this moment. As soon as Zhou Hongyi pressed the button, two explosions rang out almost simultaneously.
A towering flame, carrying mud and tiles, shot into the air, and large sections of the bridge collapsed on both sides. To Zhou Hongyi's surprise, the bridge did not completely collapse; only a portion of it caved in. The bridge built by their ancestors was indeed of high quality.
With these two sudden explosions, the Japanese sentry posts that were originally placed on both sides of the bridgehead were instantly sent into the air, dying without even knowing how they died.
The truck directly below the explosion burst into flames, and its cargo was scattered everywhere by the blast.
Squad leader Gangcun, who was in charge of escorting the vehicles, was dizzy from the explosion. He jumped out of the passenger seat of the truck in the center, drew his pistol, and loudly directed the chamber of commerce employees, who were disguised as special forces soldiers, to quickly find cover, locate the enemy, and launch a counterattack.
Upon hearing the explosion, the elite members of the Military Intelligence Bureau pulled the bolts of their rifles and rushed out from the abandoned factories, houses, and bushes on both sides. One side was led by Chen Gong, and the other side was led by Li Boyang. They shouted loudly and pulled the triggers, indiscriminately firing at the Japanese convoy.
"Kill them! Brothers, blow those trucks to smithereens! We can't let the enemy's scheme succeed!"
Chen Gong held a Thompson submachine gun in his right hand and a pistol in his left, firing with both hands as if he were possessed by Sylvester Stallone. In the dim light, only the muzzle flash illuminated his profile, revealing an excited, ferocious, and murderous face.
Li Boyang's men, not wanting to be outdone, quickly engaged the elite Japanese troops. Bullets clattered against the trucks, sending sparks flying. If it weren't for the screams, blood, and corpses, people would surely have thought it was a New Year's fireworks display.
"Baka yarou! Enemies on both sides! Everyone take cover and fight back! Signalman, send a signal to the dock and barracks requesting support!"
Despite facing a sudden ambush, Captain Okamura remained calm, commanding his elite soldiers to counterattack on the spot and immediately calling for reinforcements.
In fact, he didn't even need to call for help. The Japanese troops were already on high alert tonight. As soon as the explosion occurred, the dock staff immediately organized manpower to provide reinforcements from the rear.
At Wujiaochang, Kondo, who was waiting to provide backup, was struck dumb when he heard the direction from which the explosion and firelight came.
"How is this possible? How did they guess the real transport route? Only a very few people knew the route this time, and the rest only knew a small part of it... Could there be a traitor within our ranks?"