The sound of screaming rang out again from an ordinary farmhouse not far away. A Japanese soldier who was searching near the ordinary farmhouse rushed into the farmhouse with a gun, but then retreated again and said to the other Japanese soldiers who had heard the noise, "It's Fujitaro....... It's already broken!"

Their eyes widened in surprise, and several Japanese soldiers who rushed over when they heard the sound whispered: "How can this be?"

"Didn't you hear any gunshots? Is there an enemy in ambush?"

Shaking his head gloomily, the Japanese soldier who was the first to break into the farmhouse whispered, "It's a crossbow installed behind the door!" When Fujitaro kicked open the door, he was hit by an arrow that hit the eye......."

Turning his head to see that there was no one behind him, a Japanese soldier who rushed to hear the sound shouted in a low voice: "It's just that today and one day, three companions have fallen into such a trap, and all of them were shattered on the spot." If it was a face-to-face battlefield, it would be impossible to say anything. But like this, it's really not worth it to die in a place where even the opponent can't see it, right? Is the order of Your Excellency in front of the island really correct?"

Before the words came out, several Japanese soldiers gathered together suddenly responded with concern: "That's true!" In order to pursue those who attacked the imperial army, they have been running in the mountains for five days in a row. Except for the guys who attacked the Imperial Army from a distance, they were not able to catch or kill any of the enemies, but were attacked by such traps and killed more than a dozen Imperial soldiers. Is a pursuit that can't even be touched by the enemy really a battle?"

"Not only that, but every village we entered, no matter how much we searched carefully, we couldn't find anything of value. It looks like you're running out of supplies, right? If you can't afford to be fed in the middle of the battle, I'm afraid the pursuit won't be able to continue reluctantly......"

"It's not just the provisions, it's the lack of water. In the villages I entered these two days, even the wells were filled. Even if you let those guys from the Imperial Alliance Army dig again, all they can find is some muddy soup, and after it is clarified, it will have a foul smell!"

"Some wells are not filled, but the water is full of disgusting things......

"I found the spring water, but the few soldiers of the Imperial Alliance Army who rushed to drink the water were all poisoned......"

"Lack of provisions, even drinking water is not guaranteed, no matter how brave and fearless the soldiers of the Imperial Army are, I am afraid they will not be able to persist in the crusade, right?"

"Speaking of water...... Who's still having a little water in their kettle? I'm so thirsty, can you please give me some water? Even one bite is good, please!"

"It's been drunk a long time ago! Please bear with me, I've already asked those guys from the Imperial Concord Army to dig the wells that have been filled in the village, and they may be able to ...... soon."

Before the words fell, a dull explosion sounded beside the wheat field at the entrance of the village. However, after a few moments, a Japanese soldier had hurried from the direction of the village entrance towards several Japanese soldiers standing together, shouting loudly: "Where is Your Excellency in front of the island?" Do you know where your Excellency is in front of the island?"

Subconsciously pointing in the direction of the half-guards in front of the island, several Japanese soldiers standing together couldn't help but ask loudly to their companions who were rushing over, "What's wrong?"

"Was it an enemy attack?"

Waving their hands indiscriminately, the Japanese soldiers who rushed to the scene quickly responded: "Mines have been planted in the wells that have been filled, and all the dozen or so soldiers of the Imperial Allied Army who dug the wells are dead!"

"Is that really the case? How could those guys from the Eighth Route Army have such powerful mines? Can you kill a dozen people at a time?"

"It was buried alive by the blown soil!"

"What about the water? Did you find the water?"

"The wells have been blown down, how can we still find water?"

"Are all those guys from the Imperial Alliance Army stupid? It's useless when fighting, even if it's something like finding water! What a bastard......."

Without bothering to listen carefully to the words of the Japanese soldiers standing together, the Japanese soldiers who were summoned quickly passed through the small village, and shouted to the half-guards in front of the island, who were sitting outside a slightly larger house in the middle of the village, "Your Excellency the island, the ...... at the entrance of the village"

Before the Japanese soldier who rushed to deliver the news finished shouting, the half-guard in front of the island, who was sitting on an old chair, had already jumped up violently and kicked the Japanese soldier in the heart: "Bastard! Don't you remember military discipline at all?!"

After being kicked hard, the Japanese soldier who rushed to report the news was kicked by the half-guards in front of the island and knelt on the ground, and after a while, he stood up and stood up violently in front of the island's half-guards with a fierce face: "Hai! I beg your pardon!"

Crooking his neck, the half-guards in front of the island grabbed a half-empty kettle from the old wooden table resting beside him, drank the water in the kettle in one go, and then threw the kettle on the table: "What trouble did those stupid people of the Imperial Cooperative Army cause again?"

Nodding his head violently, the Japanese soldier who reported the news replied loudly: "That's true!" The Imperial Concordia soldiers were digging a landfilled well when they set off a bomb! Because the well was blown up, more than a dozen soldiers of the Imperial Alliance Army were buried alive!"

With a low snort of nonchalant, the half-guards in front of the island shouted fiercely: "Just to report such a small matter, can you forget military discipline?" Don't you understand what really matters? A sucker! Did you find the water?!"

Subconsciously stood up again, and the Japanese soldier who reported the news replied: "Your Excellency, there is no way to dig the well that has been blown up, and there is no drinking water to be found around the village!" And also...... Because of the explosion just now, the marching pot erected next to the well was also blown up......."

With a pair of round eyes, the half-guards in front of the island shouted: "How could even the marching pot be destroyed?!" Why do you want to set up a marching pot next to a well?"

"Your Excellency, you really ....... Everyone is out of water, and they all ran out of dry food last night. Because I want everyone to eat hot meals as soon as possible, that's why I ......."

Like a vicious wolf trapped in a cage, the half-guards in front of the island didn't pay attention to the communication soldiers standing straight in front of them, but just walked back and forth on their own, and their eyes were also a little erratic.

After joining up with the reinforcements from Youfang Village, the half-guards in front of the island, who were completely enraged, did not even wait for all the reinforcements to land, and had already ordered some of the Japanese troops who had landed to launch a pursuit of the rapidly retreating Eighth Route Army. The pursuit formation, which was supposed to be relatively rigorous, was pulled into a long snake formation, and it was not until a full day later that the pursuit team formed a barely qualified pursuit formation.

Except for a small number of Japanese soldiers who remained in the village to guard the cars and automobiles, the strength of the Japanese and Imperial Allied troops around the island's semi-guards reached nearly 400 people. Even on the battlefield in a head-on battle with the regular Kuomintang army, this force was enough to pose a great threat to the regular Kuomintang army in front of it. At some point, a surprise attack by this force may be able to cause a complete collapse of the defenders of the opposite position!

But in this pursuit operation, those unusually slippery soldiers of the Eighth Route Army did not seem to be afraid of the team chasing behind them. In some positions with terrain advantages, the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army in a state of retreat could even organize an effective blockade, until the Japanese soldiers who rushed to the front were suppressed, and then Shi Shiran retreated. This also made the evil fire of the first half of the island guards rise, and they carried out the pursuit regardless of it.

In the villages that followed the Eighth Route Army in pursuit, they could not find any useful supplies, let alone any food that could be used as supplies. The more you chase deep into the mountains and villages, the more scarce the water becomes. Gone are the watered fields that are common outside the mountains, replaced by dry hillside land. In some villages, there was only one well, and those wells were filled or polluted, making it impossible to provide drinking water for the Japanese during the pursuit.

On the third day of the pursuit, various traps began to appear in the houses in the deserted villages. Some of them are crossbows and bows buried behind the doors, bowstrings made of wooden bows and hemp rope that are so rough that they have not even peeled off the bark, and one or several arrows made in a hurry, which look crude but do not compromise in the slightest. In just two or three days, several Japanese soldiers had already claimed their lives with such crude weapons.

Some of them are mines buried in villages or mountain paths, and the earth explosives that are not very powerful, plus all kinds of scrap iron fragments, and even all kinds of mines made of broken gravel, cannot even cause fatal injuries to the Japanese soldiers who step on the mines after an explosion, but the resulting war wounded greatly slowed down the pace of the Japanese pursuit, and the painful moans and low cries of the wounded have caused a great blow to morale!

The lack of food, the lack of water, the wounded soldiers, and the low morale of the troops were all sufficient to justify a rapid withdrawal. But if the withdrawal of troops is like this, it will alarm the five counties in southern Hebei to clean up, won't it become a huge joke?

Even if you return to Qingle County safely, how will you raise your head in front of your colleagues in the future?

Not to mention the phone call from the headquarters of the Baoding occupation army, how will you blame yourself?

But what would happen if the pursuit was carried on any longer?

What are the odds of winning?

Subconsciously grabbed the empty kettle on the table, and the half-guards in front of the island, who were tormented by the anxiety in their hearts, shook the empty kettle a few times, and suddenly turned their heads to look at the orderly standing at the table: "Where's the water?" Do you want me to fetch water myself?"

He lowered his head in a sneer, and the orderly standing at the table whispered to the half-guards in front of the island: "Your Excellency, it has been ...... There is no water left. The half pot of water just now is the last bit of ......"