Chapter Fifteen: The Predicament at Mount Laojun

July 31, 1938, Laojun Temple

Although Yamazaki Jihei had been shuffled around by Li Yunlong during this period, he never let up on Laojun Temple. He dispatched a company of Japanese troops, equipped with two Type 92 infantry guns, to infiltrate the mountainous area of Laojun Mountain and attempt a probing artillery bombardment near Laojun Temple, skirting the edge of the artillery’s firing range.

As predicted by Ichiro Heitian, the artillery fire from the edge of the firing arc could not possibly hit Laojun Temple, nestled in a hollow along the mountainside. Before the Japanese artillery could further test their range, a counterattack from Laojun Temple struck. Instantly, machine gun fire unleashed a barrage of dozens of tracer rounds, blowing apart the Japanese artillery position in an instant.

The Type 92 infantry gun had a range of 2,788 meters, while the five-barrel Hotchkiss machine gun reached 2,778 meters—seemingly a slight difference. Yet in actual combat this gap was negligible. Narasin, though not deeply versed in land warfare, was an expert in naval artillery application. Early on, Wang Yue had calibrated the firing parameters for the area around Laojun Temple based on Narasin’s experience. The moment the Japanese artillery opened fire, they were locked in by counter-battery fire. Though only two guns targeted them, their rate of fire was incomparable.

The only regret was that the Japanese managed to retrieve both their infantry guns and their dead soldiers, much to Wang Yue’s frustration. Having crossed over, he had never seen such weapons before. The Hotchkiss five-barrel machine gun’s caliber was somewhat small; during this period, Li Yunlong’s encounters with the Japanese revealed this flaw—it wasn’t capable of breaching all bunkers.

In the following days, as efforts to encircle Li Yunlong intensified, Laojun Mountain grew quiet again. Yet with the escalating battles in Heyuan County, Laojun Temple seemed increasingly vulnerable.

“On average, only about ten shells and two hundred bullets are fired each night. How does Li Yunlong manage to avoid being surrounded by Yamazaki’s detachment every time?” Wang Yue, reviewing the detailed consumption report sent by Yan Shuzhai, was surprised. Taking down four targets a night with such minimal expenditure was almost negligible. Moreover, Yamazaki’s detachment had deployed hundreds of troops in ambush twice but failed to trap Li Yunlong. They even reinforced their strongholds, yet Li Yunlong consistently bypassed these fortified positions, striking at the Japanese defenses’ weak spots.

It was as if the night before, Li Yunlong had roughed up several reactionary landlords. Even with all their scheming, the Japanese wouldn’t protect every collaborator. Besides that, he had burned several YS fields cultivated by Japanese trading companies. The entire night’s operations involved only fifty or sixty troops—utterly impossible to defend against.

Meanwhile, Old Yan had not forgotten his trade. Gradually, he exchanged for forty-three Type 38 rifles, three Type 38 mounted rifles, one Type 44 mounted rifle, two VZ24 rifles, 168 Type 91 grenades, 67 Type 90 steel helmets, and 117 pairs of Type 5 military boots. This both supported the Eighth Route Army and standardized the weaponry in his possession.

“Heyuan County is full of their informants. With so many Japanese targets, how can they possibly defend everything?” Gu Yufei, taking the consumption report from Wang Yue, was equally amazed. To wreak such havoc across Heyuan with such low consumption was impossible for the Nationalist Army. The Loyal and Righteous Salvation Army also waged guerrilla warfare, but they couldn’t achieve this.

“Director Gu, the enemy has already set their sights on us. Has the higher command said anything?” Wang Yue smiled knowingly at Gu Yufei. Since Yamazaki’s detachment entered Heyuan County, the Military Intelligence Bureau’s search for Wu Ziyu had ceased. Staying here longer seemed pointless, yet the Jiangcheng side had given no further orders, which was rather unusual.

“Commander, rest assured. The higher-ups won’t let an independent detachment take unnecessary risks.” Gu Yufei was puzzled why the military intelligence bureau was so certain Wu Ziyu was still in Heyuan County. They had almost scoured every village; if Wu Ziyu was still here, he should have been found by now. Could they really be matching photos one by one?

“Since joining the Loyal and Righteous Salvation Army, I haven’t seen a single bullet or cent of military funding from above. Even the landlord’s long-term workers aren’t treated this way.” Wang Yue was impatient. It wasn’t a matter of caring or not; whether they provided supplies was another matter entirely. Even the Eighth Route Army had a rice fund, let alone they, who were still part of the Nationalist Army.

“Didn’t the 358th Regiment just send over ten thousand jin of millet? And you confiscated their mule carts too.” Mentioning this gave Gu Yufei a headache. The higher command had indeed provided funds and supplies, but they were stuck at the Second War Zone headquarters. Those bags of millet were sent just to silence the Military Intelligence Bureau.

“Currently, Laojun Temple houses almost five hundred people, plus livestock. That ten thousand jin of millet only lasts half a month. Food prices have risen recently, and without more supplies, I might have to sell heavy weapons to the Eighth Route Army.” Wang Yue truly regretted not disbanding those puppet troops and prisoners earlier. Consuming nearly two hundred jin of grain daily was unsustainable in the long run.

“Commander, with difficult transport behind enemy lines, we must find ways to weather this together.” Gu Yufei could only say so much. In truth, she had no solution. She was just a well-off little spy, unaware of the military’s convoluted politics. Without greasing palms, how could they get supplies from the Second War Zone headquarters?

“I want to raid grain, but there has to be a target, right? Millet won’t be harvested until September, and civilians don’t have much grain to spare!” Wang Yue lamented. In reality, he had already robbed every available collaborator and tyrant near Laojun Mountain. There was little left to plunder. More distant places were either heavily guarded by Japanese troops or belonged to other defense zones, making raids impractical. Though Yamazaki’s detachment was primarily Korean troops, their combat effectiveness was undeniable. This was evident from earlier clashes. Ordinary Japanese garrison units would never dare to retrieve artillery pieces.

“Commander, rest assured, higher-ups will not forget us.” Gu Yufei sighed. She wanted to return to consult with Xu Zhongyi on how to handle the current situation. Wang Yue had saved their lives; no matter what, they couldn’t betray their interests.

Gu Yufei harbored a troubling suspicion—that the higher command believed Wu Ziyu was still inside Heyuan County town. If so, that would be troublesome. Just days ago, Li Yunlong shelled the county gates. Now, the town was as fortified as an iron bucket.

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