Chapter 42 Severing the Devils' Tendons: Waste Not, Want Not, Perfect for Bayonet Practice

"Cavalry battalion, charge!"

At this very moment, the Red Army cavalry soldiers, who had long harbored a boundless sea of hatred and fury, unleashed every ounce of their rage.

Especially those from the Northeast who had been incorporated into the Red Army ranks.

Under the personal direction of Su Changqing, the First Red Column had recently produced a series of theatrical stories detailing the First Sino-Japanese War and the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders after they occupied the Northeast.

These stories were rehearsed by the troupe within the troops and performed for the vast ranks of Red Army soldiers.

Through this medium, the soldiers came to truly understand the cruelty of the Japanese invaders and the profound suffering of their compatriots in the Northeast.

They learned of the heroes of the Great Qinghai naval battle who willingly faced death, as well as the unbridled arrogance of the Japanese invaders.

Su Changqing had always firmly believed that the strength of an army was forged from within its spirit.

An ingrained, bone-deep hatred for the invaders could better ignite the fighting spirit of the soldiers when facing a formidable enemy.

And now!

Judging by the performance of the entire cavalry battalion, Su Changqing had indeed achieved this goal.

On the other side!

Zhu Ziming, the chief of Qingfeng Stronghold, and Li Dabensheng, the second-in-command, stood dumbfounded as they watched the Japanese cavalry company being crushed with thunderous momentum and thoroughly thrashed by the First Red Column's cavalry.

The excitement and thrill in their hearts were beyond words.

"What the hell!"

"Which unit is this? Why are they so ferocious?"

"These are elite Japanese cavalry we're talking about! A full company, more than six hundred Japanese devils, and they're just being beaten into the ground without even a chance to fight back?"

"Damn it! This is too fierce! Too exhilarating! This is what the soldiers of the Great Xia nation should look like! This is the backbone of the Great Xia military!"

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Truly heartwarming! Truly satisfying! How wonderful! These soldiers are real men—pure-blooded men, the true men of our Great Xia nation!"

Just moments ago, everyone at Qingfeng Stronghold had resigned themselves to death.

They had intended to hold off the Japanese devils and buy some time for the students to escape.

After all, though Qingfeng Stronghold had several hundred men, they were, when all was said and done, nothing more than a band of bandits.

Their weapons were far too crude. Facing the formidable Japanese invaders, renowned as the premier army in East Asia, victory was out of the question—even escaping was a luxury.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the tides of war had dramatically turned.

The seemingly invincible and terrifying Japanese cavalry company was being thoroughly trampled into the dust by a cavalry force of unknown origin from the Great Xia nation.

One can easily imagine the visual impact this delivered to Zhu Ziming, Li Dabensheng, and the crowds from Qingfeng Stronghold.

"Brothers, give 'em hell! Beat the living daylights out of these Japanese bastards!"

"Damn it, I want to be just like them!"

Watching Japanese cavalryman after cavalryman getting accurately shot in the head, and countless others having their heads severed by flashing sabers and rolling onto the ground, the bandit brothers of Qingfeng Stronghold felt their adrenaline skyrocket. Normally, watching a brilliant, breathtaking sports match could drive people crazy with excitement.

Let alone witnessing the military of Great Xia thoroughly and satisfyingly thrashing the Japanese invaders right before their eyes.

This wave of exhilaration welled up straight from the depths of their souls, making every fiber of their bodies tremble.

Among all of them, the most emotional was Li Dabensheng.

As a Red Army soldier himself, Li Dabensheng's eyes welled with tears.

Because he had already recognized that this suddenly appearing military force...

Was the Red Army!

They were his comrades!

Just like the bandits of Qingfeng Stronghold, the students who had been fleeing in a panic were also deeply shaken by the scene unfolding before them.

Clashing swords and galloping horses!

Raising rifles to slay the enemy!

The earth-shaking rumble of hooves rolled across the ground, and the arrogant, overbearing Japanese invaders were trampled to pieces one by one beneath the chaotic hooves.

Most of these students had studied history; from their textbooks, they had read many historical accounts of great Xia generals like Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Yue Fei—their horses trampling the northern invaders, shocking the entire Central Plains.

Yet written words were, after all, merely words.

How could they compare to the overwhelming shock of this real, living scene before their eyes?

"Professor, I want to enlist! I want to join the army too!"

"I want to be just like these heroic soldiers!"

Chen Jiashu exclaimed with immense excitement as he watched the First Red Column's cavalry of the Great Xia charge forward relentlessly, unseating the Japanese devils.

"Yes, yes, yes! Me too! I'm going to lose weight, and I'm going to be just like them!"

In stark contrast to the bandit soldiers of Qingfeng Stronghold and the students from the various universities in Beiping...

At this very moment!

The panic-stricken, utterly terrified Japanese cavalry had completely lost their courage.

Cunning!

Brave!

Well-trained!

These were the assessments that this group of Japanese soldiers gave to the Red Army cavalry who had pursued them to the rear and launched this strike.

Terrifying!

Their horsemanship was astonishingly superb, and even more critically, even while atop their galloping horses...

Their marksmanship remained unfailingly precise, hitting the target every single time.

In this regard, even the Japanese soldiers, who had undergone years of rigorous training, simply could not compare.

It had to be said that, bolstered by the system's "training" skill enhancements, the progress of the Red Army soldiers had leaped forward by bounds, far outpacing even the Japanese who had spent vastly more hours in training.

Moreover, Su Changqing was a famously "generous" commander when it came to provisions.

Poor marksmanship?

Splendid! Fire away!

Keep shooting!

Bullets were in endless supply!

When it came to live-fire shooting training, not even the Japanese were as willing to invest such a staggering amount of resources as Su Changqing.

If it were merely precise marksmanship, it might not have been enough to strike true terror into the hearts of the Japanese.

What terrified the Japanese the most was close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

The valor, courage, and multifaceted combat techniques displayed by the Red Army soldiers achieved an absolute, crushing superiority over them.

One must understand that close-quarters cold-weapon combat and slaughter tested a soldier's courage above all else. Though the Japanese soldiers were brainwashed by the Bushido code, it could never hold a candle to the firm convictions of the Red Army soldiers and their bone-deep hatred for the invaders.

Ever since the September 18th Incident, the arrogance of the Japanese invaders had grown increasingly unchecked.

Across the land of Great Xia, they could truly be said to have never tasted defeat.

Yet today!

This army of Great Xia had delivered a resounding, brutal slap across the face of the Japanese invaders.

Half an hour later!

Su Changqing stood holding an M1910 Mosin-Nagant rifle, taking aim at the remaining few Japanese soldiers attempting to flee.

With a series of crisp bangs—*bang, bang, bang*—he dropped them right where they stood.

By the end of this battle!

Not a single soul escaped from the entire Japanese cavalry company of over six hundred men.

Aside from those killed outright, the remainder were wounded and tumbled to the ground, emitting pig-like shrieks of agony.

Of course, the First Red Column's cavalry battalion paid a price as well.

Twenty-five soldiers were killed in action, and sixty-three were wounded.

"Commander, how should we deal with these wounded Japanese devils?" Liu Yun彪 asked, turning his gaze toward Su Changqing.

"These Japanese devils have been brainwashed by Bushido; watch out for any attempts to drag us down with them."

"From a distance, use your rifles to shoot the tendons in their hands and feet, then tie them up."

"Let the comrades practice their bayonet techniques!"

"Remember!"

"The First Red Column does not take any beastly Japanese devils as prisoners."

"Understood, Commander!"

The sounds of gunfire rang out successively, and another wave of pig-like shrieks echoed from the wounded Japanese soldiers.

Meanwhile, Su Changqing walked toward the groups that had already gathered: the bandits of Qingfeng Stronghold, the students from the universities of Beiping, and their professors.

"The First Red Column!"

"Su Changqing!"

"Very pleased to meet you all!"

Su Changqing looked at the crowd and raised his hand in a standard military salute.