Chapter 12: Escaping Liaoyang

With the Russians in hot pursuit and a band of bandits fleeing frantically ahead, Yang Xiaolin had prepared a thousand dogs. Though that sounded like a great many, Liaoyang was by no means a small city, and those thousand dogs had all met their honorable ends in no time at all. The Russians, throwing all caution to the wind, now swarmed in from all directions to surround and intercept this group of bandits attempting a breakout.

Tang Yulin supported Feng Delin as they ran for their lives, the slower bandits behind them periodically picked off by the pursuing forces. Ahead, Russian troops frequently appeared, attempting to block their path. Yan Wu led the Gulushan brothers at the very vanguard to carve a path through. They were truly formidable; in the close-quarters street fighting, the combination of handguns, rifles, and grenades in their hands made life a misery for the Russian troops, who relied primarily on rifles with machine guns as secondary support.

Had it not been for these men, Tang Yulin and Feng Delin would likely never have managed to charge all the way to the gates of Liaoyang. After successively breaking through three lines of Russian interception, this band was reduced to just over forty men, nineteen of whom were brothers from Gulushan.

At the city gates, Lu Laoliu, who was using human lives to fend off the Russian counterattack, was overjoyed upon catching sight of Feng Delin—who hadn't even had time to shake off his shackles. Seeing Feng Delin's staggering gait and realizing that his elder brother had little strength left, Lu waved his arm and shouted, "Brothers! The Big Brother is out! Go and receive the Big Brother!"

The bandits who had fought their way into the city with him also ignited the courage within their chests, truly displaying the demeanor of a suicide squad by braving the Russian bullets regardless of casualties and charging forward.

By this time, the Russians had clearly turned vicious. If Feng Delin were to escape, the Russians would lose every shred of face! Casting aside all concern for collateral impact, the Russian artillery—which had been silent until now—began to roar. Several shells landed near the city gates, turning the bandits upside down.

The bandits charging toward Feng Delin bore the brunt of the blast, dozens of them falling in pools of blood. At the same time, residential houses on both sides of the street were struck. Those who had been hiding inside to watch the commotion outside became innocent victims—some were Qing subjects, some Russians, and some Japanese.

The Russian barrage continued relentlessly. Seeing this from the top of the city wall, Yang Xiaolin knew the Russians were resorting to desperate measures. He hurriedly descended from the ramparts. Two bandits, blasted off their feet by artillery fire, were running back in retreat; Yang Xiaolin drew his pistol and shot them dead on the spot. "No retreating! Anyone wanting to live, charge with me! Charge together!"

Though Yang Xiaolin had never fought in a real war within this army, the textbooks of the People's Liberation Army made it crystal clear: when your troops are caught under enemy artillery bombardment, running away is tantamount to seeking death. The only option is to charge! Rush forward right into the enemy's artillery fire; as long as you can close in and engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, you still have a sliver of a chance at survival!

This lesson was absolute truth, a rule summarized by the Red Army, the Eighth Route Army, and the Liberation Army after being bombed countless times by foreign guns and cannons!

After drawing his pistol and executing the two deserters, the bandits were genuinely cowed, stopping in their tracks one by one. Yang Xiaolin tore off his outer garment. "Afraid to die? When we set out, it was made abundantly clear that this trip was meant for dying. Whoever the hell runs, they go past my gun first!"

Lu Laoliu, retreating with the remnants of his men, wiped the blood from his forehead, spat on the ground, and turned around. "Brothers, charge again!"

This time, Yang Xiaolin charged forward right alongside them. Events proved Yang Xiaolin right: just as the bandits surged ahead, the gate tower behind them was engulfed in a sea of fire by a wave of Russian shelling. Had everyone crowded together to exit the city just then, the area beneath the city gates would undoubtedly have been a carpet of corpses.

Although the casualties sustained in the charge were heavy, the morale was entirely different! The bandits roared as they hurled themselves at the pursuers trailing behind Feng Delin, making the entire city of Liaoyang feel as though it had truly descended into total war.

The main force quickly enveloped Feng Delin and his companions within the ranks. Feng Delin's eyes gleamed with fervor; knowing he was about to get out, he quickened his pace even further. His shackles dragged along the ground with a loud clatter, kicking up sparks as they scraped against the pavement.

Yang Xiaolin rushed right up to Feng Delin. At that moment, the Russians' latest round of artillery fire had ceased, and the vanguard brothers had already locked in hand-to-hand combat with the pursuing Russian soldiers, making it unlikely that the Russians would launch a second artillery barrage anytime soon.

"Brother Feng, you guys get out of the city first."

Feng Delin glanced at him. "What about you?"

"Just get yourselves out first, I can make it out! Hurry, Zhang Laowu is holding back the main Russian army outside the city, and he won't be able to hold them off for long!"

When Feng Delin had first laid eyes on Wang Jinhan, his emotions had been somewhat conflicted; he never expected Zhang Zuolin to come to his aid. Deep down, he had indeed listened to quite a bit of Japanese rhetoric of late, even viewing Zhang Zuolin and Yang Xiaolin as his rivals—his future rivals. Yet now, Yang Xiaolin was staying behind to cover his retreat, and Zhang Zuolin was personally holding off the main Russian army outside the city walls. This filled Feng Delin with deep emotion.

The muscles on his face twitched a few times before he cupped his fists toward Yang Xiaolin. "Brother, your older brother will wait for you at Motianling outside the city. If you don't come out within half an hour, I'm coming back in to rescue you!"

Yang Xiaolin smiled at him. "Rest assured, I will definitely make it out!"

Tang Yulin said no more and made his way out with Feng Delin and Wang Jinhan. Yang Xiaolin and Lu Laoliu continued to fight alongside the bandits who were already locked in close combat with the Russians.

When the battle suddenly erupted, the Russians had indeed been caught somewhat off guard. But once they recovered, the disparity in military proficiency between the two sides became stark. The bandits had been running purely on a surge of adrenaline, and upon seeing that Feng Delin had already escaped the city, half of that fighting spirit evaporated. Facing the crazed Russians charging from all directions, they simply could not hold their ground.

At this juncture, the gap between Yang Xiaolin's subordinates and Feng Delin's men became painfully obvious. After a few Russian charges, Feng Delin's forces dissolved into complete chaos; despite Lu Laoliu's incessant shouts, order could not be restored. Conversely, Yang Xiaolin's few dozen men formed a solid, compact core. Though tension was etched on every face, there was no panic, and their mutual coordination remained remarkably effective.

Yang Xiaolin felt a deep sense of reassurance at the sight.

A dozen minutes later, Lu Laoliu and the three thousand-odd bandits left behind in the city had suffered over fifty percent casualties. Yang Xiaolin noticed that the Russian offensive seemed to have slackened slightly; although troops were still surging toward their position, the charges were clearly meant to pin them down.

He instantly realized what was happening: the enemy was organizing their forces to annihilate them in one fell swoop!

"Sixth Brother, run!"

Lu Laoliu had reached his breaking point long ago. The only reason he had held on this long was his sense of loyalty—since Yang Xiaolin, an outsider who had come to help him, hadn't left, fleeing now would feel dishonorable. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly replied, "Alright!"

The moment he turned around, however, he felt something was amiss. He looked back at Yang Xiaolin and said, "Boss Yang, you go first, I'll hold them off a bit longer!"

Yang Xiaolin glared at him. "Hold them off with what? We can't hold them!"

He grabbed Lu Laoliu and bolted toward the city gate. This movement instantly drew the Russian's attention; the Russian forces immediately grasped their intent. Those attack units that were not yet fully prepared were thrown straight into the fray, and the Russian artillery barrage recommenced.

Over two thousand men fought desperately to push outward. Cries of agony rang out continuously from all around; bullets zipped past so close to their ears that one could almost feel the concussive heat waves of exploding shells washing over their faces. Yang Xiaolin could no longer afford to worry about anyone else—if he stayed to fight any longer, he wouldn't make it out alive. This was a moment where life and death were left entirely to fate, depending on whose ancestors had blessed their graves.

His only remaining worry was whether the main Russian army had blocked the exit outside. If they had blocked it, it truly was the end.

Of the two thousand-plus bandits, no more than three or four hundred remained after charging through the city gates. Fortunately, Zhang Zuolin's mission had been accomplished far more brilliantly than Yang Xiaolin had anticipated; upon exiting the city, he did not yet see a single shadow of a Russian soldier.

Zhang Zuolin was shrewd. Knowing that his own forces stood zero chance of blocking the tens of thousands of troops stationed at the Russian military camp outside the city, he hadn't wasted time trying to halt Russian reinforcements head-on. Instead, he first severed the Russian telephone lines, then set up deceptive camouflage across the surrounding hills so they appeared to be swarming with ambush forces.

Then, the moment gunfire echoed from within the city, he immediately unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire shooting toward the Russian barracks. The Russian commanders inside had no idea what was happening, and because they could not get through to headquarters by phone—while radio responses were not instantaneous—they did not dare venture out immediately.

They first dispatched a reconnaissance squad of Russian soldiers to investigate, and only after discovering that the so-called ambush positions were shams did the main Russian force mobilize. This bought Yang Xiaolin critical time.

Once outside the city gates, the bandits sprinted madly toward Motianling. Since a contingent of Feng Delin's men was already stationed at Motianling, combined with the few thousand who had fled ahead of time, reaching the heights of Motianling meant they were finally safe.

General Akberil was in relentless pursuit right behind Yang Xiaolin. Naturally, he knew the bandits' destination; watching Yang Xiaolin flee ahead like a stray dog, Akberil's eyes turned blood red!

Yang Xiaolin ran for five or six uninterrupted lis, but the Russians remained hot on his heels. The bandits around him had dwindled by another half, and the bullets whistling past him grew ever denser. Lu Laoliu suddenly displayed a rare streak of loyalty: "Boss Yang, you take your men and go first! I'll hold them off for a bit, or none of us are getting out!"

Yang Xiaolin offered a bitter smile. Hold them off? Hold them off with what? A collapsing army was like a crumbling mountain, and besides, they weren't even fighting a tactical retreat—they were in total rout!

At that very moment, Yang Xiaolin made a horrifying discovery: the Russian cavalry had deployed as well! Right behind them, a thousand Russian cavalrymen came thundering forward atop towering steeds, their carbines firing incessantly. Lu Laoliu abruptly dropped the subject of holding the line; spotting a patch of woodland up ahead, he cried out, "Boss, let's head into the woods!"

Yang Xiaolin knew that entering the forest risked encirclement by the Russians, but with no other viable alternatives, he snapped his head in agreement. "Alright!"

The two hundred-odd survivors fled into the woodlands. While the Russian cavalry dared not enter the forest, the infantry behind them pressed on with unyielding pursuit.

As he ran, Lu Laoliu suddenly let out a miserable scream and crashed to the ground right beside Yang Xiaolin. Yang Xiaolin saw a gruesome, bleeding wound on Lu Laoliu's thigh, from which blood was gushing profusely. He reached out and tugged at Lu Laoliu. "Move!"

Lu Laoliu pushed his hand away. "I can't walk anymore!"

A bullet struck the ground right by Yang Xiaolin's feet. Yang Xiaolin hesitated for a fraction of a second, preparing to abandon Lu Laoliu and save himself, when the deafening roar of a Maxim heavy machine gun suddenly erupted from deep within the forest! Tongues of fire spat out from the trees, sweeping over Yang Xiaolin and his desperate band of bandits to rain leaden death upon the pursuing Russians behind them!