192: Sniper

August 25, 1937.

The rumbling sound of cannons echoed from the direction of Baoshan and Luodian.

The Japs launched an unprecedentedly fierce offensive against the Baoshan-Luodian line.

Under the repeated bombardment of naval guns, aircraft, and heavy artillery, gaps began to appear in the defensive line despite the National Revolutionary Army's desperate efforts to hold it.

Japanese infantry battalions took the opportunity to launch landing operations; the beachhead positions changed hands repeatedly, and casualties on both sides were extremely heavy.

Entire companies and battalions were wiped out and thrown into the fray; the battle was deadlocked and bloody, truly becoming a battlefield meat grinder.

In the afternoon, news of the tragic situation at the front line reached them.

Inevitably, this caused some emotional fluctuations within the Security Team.

Especially among the student soldiers brought by Feng Hanqing.

They had come with a heart full of passion, eager to immediately head to the front line to fight the Japs.

Yet at this moment, they were hiding far away with the Security Team in a concealed base to the south, unable to do anything.

Hearing about the massive sacrifices on the northern front, private discussions and confusion were unavoidable.

"Why aren't we going north to support them?"

"We agreed to fight the Japs, so why are we here hiding in peace and feeding mosquitoes?"

"Exactly, I want to fight the Japs with real blades and guns to make up for the regret of non-resistance back then."

"Get lost, regret means nothing! I want to kill Japs to avenge my grandparents!"

"I heard that Mr. Lu judged the Japs would land here? How is that possible? The main forces are clearly fighting in the north!"

"Yeah, how could there be a battle here? If it really doesn't work out, let's head north!"

"Everyone shut up! Since you're here, maintain discipline!"

Although Feng Hanqing immediately and sternly suppressed these discussions, he also harbored a sense of doubt in his own heart.

After repeatedly giving instructions, he stood up and found Lu Fan, who was studying a map at the temporary command post.

He spoke tactfully, "Boss Lu, there's been fighting in the north all day. The brothers are eager for battle. Do you think we should..."

Before he could finish his sentence, suddenly, the roar of an airplane engine came from the horizon.

"Enemy plane! Reconnaissance plane! No one move without orders!" Lu Fan reacted extremely quickly and immediately issued a warning.

For a moment, everyone fell into a state of silence.

A reconnaissance plane skimmed past at low altitude, almost brushing the rooftops.

The Japanese pilot carefully inspected the seemingly peaceful village below, circling several times before finally leaving resentfully.

Not long after, the faint sound of airplane propellers and sporadic sounds of counter-fire were heard again.

As the planes attacked continuously, the sounds of retaliatory gunfire also became more frequent.

For a time, the atmosphere of war grew thick, and the tension instantly spiked.

Li Zhenshan asked in a low voice, "Boss, the little Japs' reconnaissance planes are coming more and more frequently. What are they trying to do?"

Lu Fan stared intently at the sky and said in a heavy voice, "This isn't ordinary routine reconnaissance. This is the little Japs confirming the safety of the landing site."

"At the same time, they are testing the strength of the coastal defense positions. They might be planning to act ahead of schedule."

"Then that's great! We were only afraid the Japs wouldn't come." Li Zhenshan's eyes began to gleam. "Boss, what's the plan?"

Lu Fan checked the time, thought for a moment, and spoke steadily, "Pass down the order: everyone, enter first-level combat readiness."

"Immediately check your equipment, replenish ammunition, eat and rest where you are, and maintain absolute silence."

"Note that without my order, no one is allowed to expose our position."

The orders were quickly relayed. The veterans of the Security Team looked solemn and began to act silently and efficiently.

The student soldiers brought by Feng Hanqing were somewhat skeptical, but under strict discipline, they could only follow suit.

The sun slowly sank in the west, and twilight began to fall. The world was in that delicate moment of transition between light and dark.

Suddenly, a denser and more muffled engine sound came from where the sea met the sky.

The next moment, a dark mass of Japanese bombers swooped in like locusts; this time, it wasn't reconnaissance.

They targeted the coastlines, highways, and military stations at Jinshanwei, Caojing, and Quangong Pavilion.

They carried out intense and targeted bombing on suspected fortifications.

The explosions were deafening, flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke filled the air.

The bombing lasted for nearly an hour, only stopping when the sky had turned completely dark.

As soon as the bombing stopped, Lu Fan immediately said to Li Zhenshan and Bai Jinbiao, "I'm going out to take a look. Don't act rashly until I return."

He quickly left, donned his Bionic Flight Suit in the reed marshes, and rose silently into the night sky, flying towards the seaside.

He turned the night vision and long-distance observation functions of his multifunctional glasses to the maximum.

The pitch-black sea and coastline appeared as clear as day in his eyes.

Soon, he discovered the target.

On the distant sea, a large number of shadowy ship silhouettes appeared.

They were rapidly approaching his location. It was clear the Japs were about to launch a landing operation.

Looking at Jinshanwei nearby, it was exactly the area recorded in the records: Jinshanzui and Caojing south of Jinshanwei City.

"They really came!"

Lu Fan's heart tightened. He immediately returned to the base and issued combat instructions: "The Japs have begun their landing operation."

"Target: the Jinshanzui-Caojing line. According to the first plan, everyone, enter the preset sniping positions. Fast!"

The team acted immediately, moving quickly and silently into the ambush points they had already scouted.

The reverse slope of a sea wall, a hollow in a saline-alkali field, a dried-up river ditch...

Feng Hanqing's student soldiers were placed in a relatively rear position as a reserve force.

Watching the veterans enter their positions in an intense and orderly manner, setting up machine gun nests, distributing rocket launchers, and digging foxholes.

Although these young students followed orders, they could not hide the confusion and slight contempt on their faces.

"Will they really come? Is all this fanfare necessary?"

"It's probably just a blind guess. The fighting in the north is so fierce, how could the Japs split their forces to come here?"

"Exactly. Sniping? Sniping mosquitoes?"

Whispers spread through the reserve force.

Hearing these discussions, Feng Hanqing frowned deeply, but he couldn't refute them either. He could only scold in a low voice, "Shut up! Carry out the orders!"

Time passed minute by minute. The night was deep and everything was silent, except for the sound of waves hitting the shore.

Just as the students were becoming more and more impatient, almost certain that nothing would happen tonight.

Suddenly!

Intense, deafening shelling erupted from the sea. The Japs' naval guns had begun to show their might.

Immediately after, flames soared from the distant positions, and the shockwaves from the explosions swept across the area.

Faced with the powerful bombardment, the sporadic counterattacks from the coastal troops seemed pale and weak.

After a full hour, the shelling stopped.

Countless dark shadows began to wade through the water and rush the beach. The sound of leather boots stepping on the mud of the tidal flats was chaotic.

The low-voiced urgings of Japanese officers and even the sound of weapons clashing could be faintly heard.

The Japs! They really came! And they had walked right into the Security Team's ambush circle!

Lu Fan's calm voice reached every ambush member through their individual communication devices.

"Everyone pay attention, let them get close before firing! Wait for my command!"

Seeing that the lead Japanese squad was almost at the foot of the sea wall.

Follow-up troops were also continuously coming ashore, their formation gradually becoming denser.

Lu Fan gave the order: "Fire!"