Chapter 3: The Morning Star (7 Below)

"Enemy attack. Enemy attack..."When the first war horse has just jumped over the mountain beam. The devil sentry in charge of the guard shouted. Woken up by his screams. The heavy soldiers, who were panting with their backs to the carriage, jumped to their feet. Grab a rifle and light machine gun from the wagon. Fired wildly at the herd of horses that jumped over the mountain beams one after another.

"Da-da-da-da. Da da da. Dada-da-da."" Ping Pong. Ping Pong. Ping Pong." After all, it is from the most elite Kwantung Army among the Japanese invaders. Their response was not immediate. It's a pity. The target is a kilometer away from them. And it has been moving at high speed. The little devils shoot bullets frantically or fly high into the air without knowing where to go. Or hit in the grass halfway up the mountain. Green smoke splashes. But not even a single hair of the guerrillas was touched.

The only role. It is the intelligence that the baggage team has been raided. Promptly delivered to the ears of other fellow party members in the distance. I heard a sudden burst of heavy gunfire on the way. Including Kuniaki Kawada. All the devil officers turned their heads in unison. Next moment. Their mouths opened in unison. The body freezes in place. His face was as pale as snow.

Cavalry. Countless Chinese cavalry. Oh, my God. Where did they come from... How could there be so many.. Because the road took a turn halfway. The devil officers can't see the situation of their own baggage team. But I could clearly see the two rows of high-speed moving knives on the hillside. Shining. Cold whoosh. Reflects a dazzling red in the setting sun. Like the snowy teeth of a beast. Pounce down the hillside. Go straight to the throat of your prey.

"Baggage team. The baggage team was attacked." One of the quickest devil lieutenants tore his throat and shouted. Pointing to the hills two kilometers away. The body trembled like a lotus leaf in the wind.

"Chinese. The real goal of the Chinese is there." Several more devil officers have recovered from the shock. Yelling. Shout at the top of one's lungs. Fooled. Everyone is fooled. Chinese. Chinese from the beginning . I didn't plan to have a dignified battle with the emperor ** team. The cavalry from before was the decoy. Not far away this infantry is also a decoy. They are well aware of their strength. From the beginning. They set their sights on the weakest point of the newly formed Manchurian and Mongolian detachments. Endure. Await. And then suddenly jumped out from behind the hill. Open your mouth wide open.

The above is against the bottom.

Take cavalry against infantry.

And die a sudden attack at close range.

"Chinese. Chinese. Cavalry. Cavalry. It's all cavalry." More and more officers came to their senses from the shock. Gather around Kuniaki Kawada. Speak incoherently.

The smoke and dust brought up by the Chinese cavalry rushing down the hillside at high speed two kilometers away became thicker and thicker. It's getting thicker and thicker. In the blink of an eye, it became obscured. Looks like. The size is enough to have a battalion. And the baggage guards guarding the carriage at the bottom of the hillside were only half a squadron. And also pushed the car for most of the day. All exhausted.

Under the expectant gaze of the devil officers. Kuniaki Kawada was the last to regain his senses. I saw him push away the officer closest to him. Trembling, he took a few steps towards the heights. Raising his binoculars, he looked at the hillside where the cavalry had appeared. As if not believing in everyone's eyes. And then suddenly dropped the telescope. Trotting towards the heavy machine-gun position. Halfway through. Pushing away again a man who tried to come forward and hug him. Stumbling towards the artillery. In the last few meters suddenly stumbled. Holding the barrel of the Type 92 infantry gun with both hands. Open your mouth." Wow" spat out a mouthful of black blood. Artillery Captain Haruhei Ono, who ran forward and tried to support him, was sprayed red.

"Kawada-kun..."Artillery Captain Haruhei Ono hugged Kawada Kuniaki's waist. Regret. It would be nice if I held on a little more just now. At that time the troops were forcibly pulled back. Maybe you will still have time to fight alongside the baggage team. And now. The Chinese cavalry will only take a minute at most. You can step on the head of the baggage team and keep an eye on it. And on their own side. Even if you leave behind heavy machine guns and cannons, you can move forward lightly. It will be at least ten minutes before we can engage the Chinese cavalry.

"Put . . Put the muzzle. The muzzle of the gun is turned back. Fire. Fire interception." Kuniaki Kawada struggles to push Haruhei Ono away. Wheezing commands." Fast. As soon as possible. Most of the baggage soldiers were taken away by the Shirakawa staff. Leftover. The rest. It is impossible to stop the Chinese cavalry."

"Hi Yi. Hi Yi. Kawada-kun. Please don't be in a hurry. I'm going to adjust the artillery." Haruhei Ono's face was full of despair. But he didn't dare to refute Kawada Kuniaki's chaotic life. so as not to kill each other alive. The Type 92 infantry infantry gun is easy to adjust. But the maximum range is only 2,800 meters. There is a hill that is neither tall nor low in between. He simply cannot guarantee to whose head the shells will fall .

"Go. Just go. Leave me alone. Go ahead." Kawada Kuniaki regarded the two Type 92 infantry guns as a lifesaver. He pushed Haruhei Ono again. Urging loudly." There is time to explain to me. You've got the muzzle adjusted. Fast. Don't delay any longer. Lieutenant Oda is waiting for you in the baggage team."

"Hi Yi. Hi Yi." Haruhei Ono agreed. Squat down. Adjust the artillery mount with your own hands. While the artillerymen were busy. Kuniaki Kawada took a deep breath. Turn your head to the other devil officers. Shout out loud." A squadron was left to protect the artillery. Others. Run back to support. Fast. Imperial warriors in the baggage team. I'm sure I'll be able to hold out until you rush back. Definitely."

"Hi Yi." The six gods and masterless devil officers don't even think about it. Lead your own descendants. Turn around and run down the hill. Two kilometers. If you run at full speed. It takes about ten minutes. Kawada Nakasa was right. No matter how poor the quality of the soldiers of the baggage squad is. That's also a soldier of the Kwantung Army . It is also the elite of the first class of the Great Japanese Empire. They'll be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. They must hold out until reinforcements arrive.

The baggage squadron is indeed trying to hold on. From 1,000 meters to 800 meters. It went from 800 meters to 600 meters. Five hundred meters. 400 meters. In just half a minute. At least five rounds were fired from each rifle. Two light machine guns left in the ranks. It also made the barrel hot. Wisps of green smoke coming out of the heat sink cloth sleeve (Note 1)

However. The results of these efforts are still very small. Both the rifle's precise range and the visual capabilities of the human eye are limited. Fire at a moving target at a distance of five hundred meters. It's all a matter of luck. And the accurate range of the light machine gun is much better than that of the rifle. Rely on two machine guns to block the sector for nearly three hundred meters. It's also a fool's dream. What's more, the smoke and dust brought up by the war horse running at high speed. As a result, the entire cavalry was enveloped in a turquoise cloud. Machine gun bullets can occasionally blind a target. The shooters also don't see their results. On the contrary, the more I fight, the more panicked I become. The more you fight, the more rhythmic you lose (Note 2)

"Bastard. Aim a little. Aim a little. Slope. Pay attention to the slope." Tsuyoshi Oda, the chief officer of the baggage team, was pale in the face. Push away a main shooter. Do it yourself." Da da da. Da da da. Da Da ....... "The bullets he fired were rhythmic. However, it did not see any effect. The cavalry on the opposite side did not pause. He refused to shoot back. Just hide your body in the smoke and dust. Continue to accelerate. Hasten. Hasten. The rumbling of horses' hooves was like thunder.

"Centralized. Everyone is focused on me. Block the front. Concentrate fire on the front. Bastard. Who told you to stop? Shoot. Keep shooting." Oda Tsuyomasa continued to shoot wildly. While yelling.

"We. . We've done our best. I did my best." Not far from him. Several devil soldiers responded with tears. The cavalry on the opposite side was already less than two hundred meters away from the carriage. The horse's hooves kept hitting the ground. Will tremble and feel terrorist. From the soles of the feet into the hearts of the devils. The frightened devil soldiers turned pale. Stiff movements. Bullets one by one. More and more inaccurate.

"Bastard. Coward. Everybody will be killed by you." Squadron Leader Oda Tsuyoshi scolded. Stand up with a light machine gun. Be prepared to use yourself as a role model to boost the morale of the whole team. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden "click" in my ears. One bang. The crooked handle in the hand is a meal. No more firepower can be ejected.

"Bullets. Load me with bullets." With many years of combat experience. Oda Tsuyomasa judged that the secondary shooter had not restocked the machine gun in time. Keep your head down. Come down. The co-shooter, who held a dozen magazines in both hands, stood up tremblingly. Tremblingly, he stuffed the magazine into the barrel of the machine gun. But I couldn't get the magazine into place. On the grass next to you. Instead, it crackled and dropped a whole bunch of them.

Not only was the co-shooter scared and numb his paws. The sound of rifles around Oda Tsuyoshi. It also became sparse. Facing hundreds of horses running over at high speed. A war horse that is already close at hand. Even the most daring devil soldiers. Unable to keep composure. Individual ones are slightly less daring. Then simply throw the rifle to the ground. Turn around and run. Don't do it yourself. Will he be executed in public in the future?

"Bastard. No running. No one is allowed to run. Give it to me. on the bayonet." Squadron leader Masatoshi Oda cried loudly. But they don't get any support. Use your bayonet to smash the cavalry. That's what a madman would do. There was never such a tactic in the infantry drill code. The ghost soldiers have not been exposed to the tutorials.

"The time has come to serve His Majesty the Emperor." I watched as more and more people joined the fleeing team. Oda Masayoshi dropped the crooked handle without bullets. Draw the command knife. Facing the white war horse that rushed to the front. Smoke and dust have enveloped the entire position. Because of the distance factor. Instead, he can see his goals more clearly. It was a Chinese man in his twenties. The complexion is very dark. The back of the right hand holding the knife is covered with ugly scars...

"It's a veteran." Squadron Leader Oda Masayoshi quickly made a judgment. And then. And he found himself flying high. Over the ears of the big white horse. Gray cloth military hat over a black-faced Chinese. Over the low hills. Take in the splendid land.

At the moment when the gaze freezes. He saw a headless body whirling behind the warhorse. One lap. Two laps. Three laps. Boom.

Note 1: Because the industrial strength is not strong. The heat dissipation effect of the Japanese machine guns was generally poor. Especially crooked handles. It is easy to burn the shooter during continuous shooting. Therefore, the heat sink is usually covered with a layer of anti-scald canvas. causes the barrel to heat up. The canvas was the first to smoke.

Note 2: Experienced machine gunner. I won't keep pulling the trigger and sweeping around when fighting. Rather, it is a point shot with a distinct sense of rhythm. This kills better. And it is beneficial for the secondary shooter to cooperate with the reload.