Chapter 53: Liberating the Prisoner of War Camp

The Japanese soldier looked around vigilantly for a long time, but found nothing. There was only the endless chirping of sparrows in the sky, startled by the sound of the explosion.

Major Akai realized that the situation was somewhat ominous and immediately shouted, "Lieutenant Iwaji! Quickly send men to the rear to check the situation!"

"Yoshi!"

Soon, Lieutenant Iwaji led men back to investigate, only to discover that their retreat route had been cut off.

When Major Akai received the news from Lieutenant Iwaji that the bridge had been blown up, he instantly realized that he had fallen into the Eighth Route Army's trap, drawn away from his base by a diversion.

"Kuso! Baka yarou!"

Major Akai's face turned ashen with rage, and he cursed bitterly through gritted teeth. Although he knew he had been tricked, the Yong'an stronghold still had to be saved.

Moreover, if the Eighth Route Army intended to attack Wuyin County, not to mention the two infantry companies he had left behind, even the-Lord Brigade Commander would not turn a blind eye to it.

Weighing the pros and cons, Major Akai turned his head and gave the order to proceed to the rescue of the Yong'an stronghold, "All units, advance at full speed! Hayaku!"

Just as Major Akai was rushing anxiously toward the Yong'an stronghold, outside the front gate of the Liuwangmiao POW camp, accompanied by two soldiers, the puppet army platoon leader was ingratiatingly handing a cigarette to the guard standing watch at the entrance.

"Imperial soldier, these are the escaped prisoners we captured back," he said, stepping aside to reveal Huang Tianning standing in the middle of the procession behind him.

The Japanese soldier's eyes widened abruptly as Huang Tianning raised an M3 submachine gun in his hands, shouting, "Attack!"

"Tatatat..."

Huang Tianning roared and opened fire first, the submachine gun in his hands spitting scorching bullets that riddled the bodies of the Japanese guards before him, sending blood spurting everywhere.

The puppet army platoon leader let out a strange cry and quickly hit the dirt, while the disguised soldiers raised their weapons and opened fire on their respective targets.

In an instant, the sentry post in front of the POW camp was thoroughly cleared out.

At this moment, the two soldiers who had already learned how to use rocket launchers pulled away the canvas covers on the two donkey carts and retrieved the pre-positioned Super Bazookas.

Each holding a Super Bazooka, they quickly dropped to one knee, aimed at the gates of the POW camp, and pulled the triggers, "Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two rockets roared toward the gate. With a deafening "Boom!", the entire gate along with a section of the surrounding wall shattered and collapsed.

Taking advantage of the lingering smoke, Huang Tianning immediately led his men charging inside, "Brothers, charge! Submachine guns, lead the way!"

Everything happened so quickly. It wasn't until Huang Tianning and his men burst into the POW camp that the Japanese soldiers realized they had been ambushed.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Woo-woo-woo..."

The Japanese soldiers let out shrill, frantic alarm cries. Awakened by the shouts of their sergeant, the troops in the barracks hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed chaotically toward the front courtyard.

Within the narrow confines of this temple, the firepower combination of submachine guns and hand grenades held a massive advantage.

"Grenades!"

The soldiers behind Huang Tianning timed their throw precisely, rapidly hurling two grenades. The Japanese soldiers who had just rushed out into the corridor were caught dead center in the blast.

Amidst the devastating explosion, the Japanese soldiers shrieked miserably as their flesh was blown to shreds. Seizing the opportunity, Huang Tianning and another soldier formed an assault team, utilizing the firepower of their submachine guns to rapidly advance.

In one of the courtyards of the POW camp, the Japanese lieutenant in command was shouting orders, mobilizing troops to reinforce the front yard.

"Baka, hold your ground, stop wasting your efforts!" Suddenly, a major wearing a matte helmet interrupted his commands.

The lieutenant turned his head and immediately bowed respectfully, "Yoshi! Major Ginjo, we have been ambushed, and the enemy has breached the front gate. Please give your instructions!"

Major Ginjo appeared extremely calm and collected, "The enemy's target is the prisoners in the back courtyard. Lieutenant Rito, immediately pull back your forces and defense lines, and dispatch men to execute all the prisoners in the back courtyard at once!"

"Then, you will coordinate with my subordinates to hold the defense line," Major Ginjo said, gesturing toward the dozen heavily armed Japanese soldiers behind him, every single one of whom carried a submachine gun and wore a matte helmet.

"Once there are no targets left, as long as we hold our defense lines, the enemy will naturally retreat on their own—after all, this place is very close to Wuyin County!"

This Japanese major's plan was well-conceived, but unfortunately, not a single part of it went his way. No sooner had he finished speaking than a violent explosion echoed from the back courtyard.

Just as Huang Tianning successfully launched his surprise attack, a little over a hundred meters outside the outer perimeter of the POW camp's back courtyard, Li Yunlong—who had been waiting for a long time—instantly let out a furious roar, "Brothers, charge!"

With that roar, Li Yunlong personally hoisted a Super Bazooka onto his shoulder and pulled the trigger aimed at the distant courtyard wall.

"Boom!"

A huge breach was instantly blown into the courtyard wall. Before the Japanese watchtowers could react, two roaring rockets flew through the air, striking the two watchtowers with pinpoint accuracy and blowing away their top halves.

The remaining two watchtowers had originally been keeping a watchful eye on the prisoners, who were growing restless due to the gunfire and explosions at the front gate.

Now, their attention was entirely drawn by Li Yunlong's forces.

Meanwhile, several prisoners who spotted the opportunity looked at the breached wall and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Brothers, people have come to rescue us! If you're not afraid of dying, follow me and charge out! Charge!"

Over two hundred prisoners, seeing hope of survival before them, had their fighting spirit thoroughly ignited. Putting every ounce of strength they had, they charged toward the barbed wire fences.

A few Japanese guards outside the barbed wire stepped back a few paces in fright before raising their rifles to fire. Several prisoners were unfortunately hit and fell to the ground, but the rest continued forward, utterly defying death as they slammed their bodies heavily against the wire mesh.

Among the prisoners, a tall National Revolutionary Army soldier with a nearly bald, short-cropped haircut roared at the man beside him, "Brother, give me a hand!"

The soldier beside him understood his intent immediately, instantly bending over at the waist and arching his back while gripping the wire tightly, "Step on my shoulder!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the short-haired soldier lifted his leg and leaped up, stepping squarely onto the other man's shoulder.

The bending soldier pushed upward with all his might, and utilizing that momentum, the short-haired soldier vaulted over the barbed wire. The moment he landed, he lunged forward like a tiger, closing in instantly on the nearest Japanese soldier.

"Hmph!" Ducking sideways to evade a thrusting bayonet, his left hand instantly clamped onto the rifle barrel and he yanked violently, sending the Japanese soldier lunging forward off balance.

Twisting his waist and bending his elbow, he delivered a ferocious elbow strike straight to the Japanese soldier's chest, sending him flying backward. The soldier vomited a mouthful of blood and died the moment his staring eyes hit the ground.

Spinning around, the short-haired soldier held his rifle vertically to block as another Japanese soldier thrust his bayonet, deflecting the blade to the side before fluidly executing a spinning back kick.

"Bang!" The heavy, powerful whip kick slammed into the Japanese soldier's neck.

"Crack!" The Japanese soldier's neck snapped, bending into a bizarre angle.

In a mere dozen seconds, Li Yunlong and his soldiers had already surged through the breach into the courtyard.

The short-haired soldier's dazzling succession of swift, feline movements—taking down two Japanese soldiers in the blink of an eye—was witnessed firsthand by Li Yunlong, who had just charged in, prompting him to praise loudly, "Hahaha, fine martial arts!"

Li Yunlong immediately took a liking to this soldier, shouting, "Quick, clear out the remaining enemy!"

The remaining few Japanese soldiers were instantly cut down by submachine gun fire, and the final two watchtowers met the same fate as the previous ones, blown sky-high by rockets.

Li Yunlong walked up to the soldier, looking him over with satisfaction, "Fine martial arts, brother! What's your name?"

The soldier immediately straightened up and saluted respectfully, "Thank you, Officer, for saving us! My name is Wei Dayong!"

Li Yunlong then turned his gaze toward the prisoners trapped inside the barbed wire, "Brothers, all of you fall back a bit! Let's get out of the POW camp first!"