A Prophet - Chapter 19 (Part 4)
Chapter 4 - Feng Shui Formation: Burning the Japanese Legion
Ten days later, the Japanese troops in Hankou began to assemble, temporarily organizing a bandit-suppression unit of over a thousand men. Fan Yifei and Yan Laoqi were also incorporated into the suppression unit, serving as reconnaissance company soldiers.
That night, a thousand devils marched imposingly toward the Hubei-Hunan border.
There was no moon that night, and the wind was fierce. Fearing exposure, the Japanese army turned off all vehicle headlights and advanced riskily. The reconnaissance company took the lead, with dozens of men nervously searching according to the map.
"We've arrived!" Yan Laoqi shouted. "See that? It's right in that mountain hollow ahead. Let's split into three routes: one goes straight through, while the other two ascend the hills on the left and right to gain the high ground and wage a thorough, decisive annihilation battle!"
The commander of the suppression unit inspected the terrain and muttered, "Yoshi!" Thinking to himself: This terrain is an exact match for what his dispatched scouts had previously observed; bandits indeed frequented this location. He immediately drew his saber and deployed his forces.
At the third watch, the Japanese deployment was complete.
"Open fire!" At the commander's command, dozens of mortars fired into the mountain hollow. Shells exploded with deafening roars, and the mountain hollow flashed with fire. Immediately, the center-route army charged in.
Scarcely had they run a thousand meters when the Japanese troops suddenly fell into chaos; landmines beneath their feet detonated with loud bangs. The devils in the rear had no idea what was happening, assuming a mortar range calculation error had friendly-fired on their own men.
Soon more landmines were triggered, the explosions merging into a continuous chain. Several hundred men entered the minefield, plunging into total disarray.
"Bad! It's an ambush!" The Japanese reacted.
The Japanese troops echoing the movement from the left and right mountain peaks could not figure out the situation and dared not act rashly, only to suddenly discover snipers firing dark shots from the mountain hollow behind them.
Two sharp crack-crack shots rang out.
"What is going on?" "Bad! An ambush! Retreat down the mountain!"
It was already too late. Fires suddenly ignited at the foot of the mountain; those two shots had been signals, and the men down below began setting sulfur and straw ablaze. The fire borrowed the wind's force, and the wind lent majesty to the flames, swallowing the mountainside in an instant. Simultaneously, battle cries erupted from both sides of the mountain hollow as Hong Laohu's forces charged forward.
Seeing the opportune moment, Yan Laoqi and Fan Yifei cursed, "Go to hell!" Channeling strength into the soles of their feet, they leaped into the forest with a swish, their footsteps stepping continuously as they vaulted across tree crowns, darting through the sea of trees like monkeys. The devils raised their rifles and fired blindly into the forest, failing to hit a single shot.
On a distant hillside, Grandfather, Hong Laohu, Liu Congyun, Zhu Jin, and others watched intently as the Japanese troops were thrown into complete turmoil amidst a sea of fire.
"Back in the day, Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Kongming used this exact strategy to ambush Sima Yi. Today, we are using it to deal with the devils. When Kongming employed his strategy, heaven did not cut off Sima's line, and rain suddenly poured down, allowing Sima and his sons to escape by the skin of their teeth. Today, however, the weather is dry and arid, and the heavens will absolute not drop a single drop of rain. Burn, burn away," Grandfather said, narrowing his eyes with a vacant expression.
"To set up this formation, we spent months planning and walked every large and small mountain peak before selecting this spot. This place naturally forms a Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams layout, with the six animal shapes of the left and right hills tilting obliquely and the White Tiger sticking its head out, while only the Zhuque and Xuanwu directions remain wide open. With the southern wind rising just in time to use fire attack, tonight's battle was well worth it!" Liu Congyun said with a smile.
"The tons of sulfur I bought with those several hundred silver ingots were worth it too!" Hong Laohu sighed with emotion.
"Commander, do not worry. Suffering a crushing defeat, the devils are bound to throw away their armor and helmets, leaving behind plenty of firearms and ammunition. We will know precisely when we clean up the battlefield and count them tomorrow," Grandfather said.
After dawn, the suppression unit retreated, leaving behind a dozen corpses. Hong Laohu tallied the spoils of war, capturing a total of 15 firearms and 208 hand grenades.
"Fall back," Hong Laohu ordered, and everyone vanished back into the mountains.
This place was still over a dozen miles of mountain road away from the real bandit lair, and by the time everyone arrived, Fan Yifei and Yan Laoqi were already sitting inside the cave drinking wine.
Seeing the main force arrive, they hurriedly stood up. "Commander!" "Grandfather!"
"You two have worked hard! A monumental achievement!" Hong Laohu laughed heartily.
"Are there any clues regarding the China dragon vein map?" Grandfather asked.
Yan Laoqi and Fan Yifei shook their heads. "The blueprints are definitely inside the Plum Blossom Mansion, but it's heavily guarded and no one can get in."
"Mm," Grandfather nodded. "As long as you've returned safely, that's what matters."
"Grandfather, are we still going to dig up Jiang Tiancheng's ancestral grave? We obtained the exact location!" Fan Yifei said.
Grandfather fell into deep contemplation. "Forget it, the risk is too high."
News of the suppression unit's defeat reached Eda Eiji's ears, and he rushed furiously from the Northeast to Shandong.
Noda was inside his room wiping his military saber, preparing to commit seppuku.
"Noda-kun!"
"Hai!"
"What are you doing?"
"Suffering repeated defeats, the only choice left is to commit seppuku and die for my country."
Eda Eiji looked at him and let out a sigh. "Victory and defeat are common matters for military strategists. The Chinese are cunning and deceitful; we will chalk this debt up for now and redeem ourselves through meritorious service later."
"Yes!" Tears were nearly falling from Noda's eyes.
"Are you certain the ones who ambushed us were Hong Laohu's men?" Eda Eiji asked.
"Uh... who else could it be?"
"During their retreat in the mountains, the suppression unit encountered a second round of ambush, which appears to have been carried out by the New Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army."
It turned out that after withdrawing from the mountains that day, the Japanese suppression unit happened to cross paths with a contingent of the New Fourth Army shifting operations to northern Jiangsu. The two forces accidentally clashed, leading to an encounter battle where the Japanese suppression unit suffered further heavy damage, losing half of its personnel and equipment.
Eda Eiji was left somewhat bewildered: The military command has already issued a stern warning instructing us not to act on our own initiative anymore! Now we have Chiang Kai-shek's troops resisting in front and Eighth Route Army ambushes in the rear; we need to handle things with extreme caution. The Battle of Changsha is about to erupt, so you must strictly manage the 'Sectarians' under your command. The moment Changsha is captured, immediately set up formations to coordinate with the military occupation.
"Yes! ... Then what about the Jiangxiang Sect?"
"If the enemy does not move, we do not move. Otherwise, with the opposition in the dark and us in the light, we will always suffer. Do not jeopardize the big picture over minor details!"
"Yes!"
"Once we take the entirety of Zhina, let's see where the Jiangxiang Sect can hide!" Eda Eiji said viciously.