Chapter 1 Afternoon of December 14, 1937

Looking at the Nationalist army’s heavy machine gun emplacement fifty meters away, Squad Leader Ishifuku Ryota ordered, "Yamada Daiga, go blow it up!"

The Japanese squad leader knew that the machine gun emplacement in front couldn't be taken out with a grenade launcher.

He immediately ordered a soldier from the squad to go and detonate it!

This arrangement wasn't wrong!

It was just that Sergeant Yamada Daiga, who had been singled out, felt utterly distraught: he was perfectly happy looting, setting fires, and committing all sorts of evil in Nanjing.

But he'd been drafted into this unit, and now he was being ordered to go and die.

Regardless of what he thought, he couldn't disobey his squad leader's order.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga immediately grabbed a satchel charge and dashed out from their hiding place.

He charged forward a couple of steps before quickly dropping to the ground and crawling.

There were Japanese soldiers moving in that direction!

From inside the fortress, the machine gunner Chang Yixian had already spotted them.

Their small squad had been discovered.

Squad Leader Ishifuku Ryota ordered the entire squad to direct all their firepower at the enemy emplacement.

He wanted to suppress them and create an opportunity for Yamada Daiga.

The bullets fired by Ishifuku Ryota's combat squad rained down on the fortress not far away.

Chang Yixian, who was operating the machine gun inside the fortress, sneered, "These Japs think they can scare me!"

The heavy machine gun inside the fortress was protected by makeshift armor, and even if the Japanese managed to shoot bullets through the firing port.

There was still a shield protecting the gunner, so he wasn't afraid of ordinary firepower from the other side.

Chang Yixian focused on sweeping the approaching Japanese soldier with the satchel charge with bullets.

That Japanese soldier with the explosives was the biggest threat.

With support from the rear, Yamada Daiga crawled forward another dozen meters.

Ahead, there was a completely exposed section, no more than three meters long.

Once he got past this short stretch, the rest of the path would be in the machine gun emplacement’s blind spot.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga stopped and spent a full two minutes preparing himself, finally feeling ready.

He waited for the moment when the machine gun paused to reload its magazine: that was the time Sergeant Yamada Daiga was waiting for.

He sprang to his feet, leaping across that completely exposed section of the path.

One meter!

Safe!

Two meters!

...

Still no gunshots.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga was starting to feel ecstatic.

The machine gun still hadn't fired.

From the moment Sergeant Yamada Daiga leaped up until now, less than two seconds had passed.

The heavy machine gun’s magazine hadn't been reloaded yet.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga’s smile had barely bloomed on his face before it withered.

A bullet, from who knows where.

Just one: "Bang!"

In this area, temporarily free from the heavy machine gun's onslaught, the sound was so crisp and clear.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga felt like someone had hit him hard on the head with a hammer.

His body fell to the ground with a thud, just as planned.

The only difference was that this time, he didn't brace himself at all as he fell.

Sergeant Yamada Daiga ultimately failed to dodge the enemy’s attack.

The soldiers in Ishifuku Ryota's squad had just been cheering Yamada Daiga on.

But when they saw him suddenly fall, their cheers died in their throats.

They knew that one of them would be the next unlucky bastard ordered by the squad leader to go and detonate the emplacement.

Squad Leader Ishifuku Ryota looked regretfully at Yamada, who had been shot down on the assault path less than twenty meters from the fortress.

His regret was fleeting; that's just how it was on the battlefield, where unexpected events were everywhere!

Whether that bullet had been deliberately aimed or was just a stray, it no longer mattered.

As long as it had killed the man he sent to carry out the mission, the mission had to continue.

Squad Leader Ishifuku Ryota immediately ordered, "Sergeant Imaeda Naoki, you go! You must blow up that machine gun!"

"Hai!" Sergeant Imaeda Naoki accepted the order and charged out.

Of course, Sergeant Imaeda Naoki didn't want to carry out such a risky mission either.

But as a sergeant, Imaeda Naoki had no right or courage to refuse.

On the battlefield, if he dared to hesitate even for a moment, he wouldn't be met with gentle persuasion from the squad leader, but with a bullet to the head.

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki had just rushed out of the squad's hiding place.

A mortar shell came down from the sky, and the loud explosion made Imaeda Naoki, who had already run several meters, couldn't help but look back.

Imaeda Naoki turned back and saw that Ishifuku Ryota's entire combat squad was lying in pools of blood.

Now, Imaeda Naoki was the only soldier left in the entire squad.

He looked back at the lack of support, and then forward: the machine gun fire was still intense.

Without suppressing the enemy machine gun, there was no way he could charge forward.

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki finally chose to retreat quietly.

He kept retreating until he reached Kozaka Mizuki's platoon.

Imaeda Naoki finally breathed a sigh of relief as he rejoined the ranks.

He desperately hoped that the platoon leader would ignore him, as if he were just air.

Unfortunately, he was too conspicuous, as a soldier who had retreated from the front line.

Platoon Leader Kozaka Mizuki immediately asked, "What's the situation on the flank?"

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki could only stand straight and report.

"The enemy's firepower is extremely fierce; they don't care about our suppressing fire.

But it seems like the enemy garrison doesn't have many men; when we charged the flank, there was only machine gun fire, no rifle shots."

"You, take another squad and blow up that emplacement!" Platoon Leader Kozaka Mizuki ordered.

The wretched Sergeant Imaeda Naoki didn't dare to disobey and could only continue, "Hai!"

He had already walked the road ahead once.

When he set off again with a second squad of a dozen or so Japanese soldiers.

He was already very skilled at leading the soldiers in the squad, avoiding the areas that were being heavily targeted by machine gun fire.

The initial path was the same as the previous route.

Everything went smoothly, and they reached the hiding spot where the bodies had just been blown apart.

Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke, who had come up with him, was very satisfied with this location.

He smiled and said, "The chances of landing in the same shell crater on the battlefield are very low.

We'll hide here."

After issuing the first order, he continued, "Sergeant Imaeda, you take three men and go.

Blow up that emplacement in front!"

This arrangement almost brought tears of gratitude to Imaeda Naoki’s eyes: with assistance, the mission would finally be a little easier to accomplish.

"Machine gun cover!" Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke ordered loudly.

The Japanese machine gun roared to life, and Imaeda Naoki and his group of four charged out again.

Chang Yixian, inside the fortress, noticed that the Japanese had appeared again in the same area as before.

He immediately began to block the path of these Japanese soldiers.

Ma Feiwen, hiding more than a hundred meters away behind the machine gun position, saw another group of Japanese soldiers appearing.

The position where Sergeant Imaeda Naoki and his three soldiers were hiding was a blind spot for Chang Yixian.

But for Ma Feiwen, it was as conspicuous as a firefly on a summer night.

He calmly aimed and gently squeezed the trigger.

He quickly aimed at another Japanese soldier and squeezed the trigger again.

Only one left!

Ma Feiwen didn't press his luck; instead, he quickly moved to another location.

The company commander had said: a good sniper can't stay in the same place for more than three seconds after firing.

Can't be cool for more than three seconds!

Because if the enemy also had a sniper, they would find and kill you in a few seconds.

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki sadly realized that he was alone again.

The mission still had to be completed; he didn't dare to retreat, no matter what.

Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke saw that the two soldiers he had sent out had very bravely protected Sergeant Imaeda Naoki.

Very good! Very good!

Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke silently wished, "Sergeant Imaeda Naoki! Everything depends on you."

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki advanced along the path he had imagined countless times.

The deathly obstacle mentioned earlier!

Once past this obstacle, the mission would be seventy percent complete!

Sergeant Imaeda Naoki began to gather his strength, preparing himself.

Just as he was about to get up, a bullet flew rapidly from afar.

"Pa!" Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke, still in the rear, clearly saw a bloody flower bloom on top of his head.

Mission failed!

But Squad Leader Tomokazu Keisuke didn't panic!

There were thirteen Japanese soldiers in his squad, and only two had been killed; there were still others who could be sent out.

But before sending someone else, he needed to find the person hiding in the dark and firing the shots.

Yang Daren watched as the Japanese sent out a company.

Then they sent out a battalion.

This was somewhat different from what he had planned.

Yang Daren had planned that after defeating this company, the entire Japanese regiment would press forward, and they could go all-in.

But the cunning commander on the other side only sent out a battalion.

This made Yang Daren uncomfortable!

He only had a hundred or so men under his command; a thousand Japanese soldiers was far too many.

Even if the Japanese didn't have any heavy weapons, numbers were king!

Not to mention a thousand Japanese soldiers!

Even if a thousand pigs charged at them, the Special Operations Company would have a hard time holding them off.

Now the Seventh Platoon couldn't hide their strength anymore, and Yang Daren ordered, "Infantry guns, bombard the approaching Japanese battalion!

Mortars, assist!"

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was leading his troops and had only advanced five hundred meters.

They were still more than a thousand meters away from the enemy's position when they came under artillery fire.

Regiment Commander Ushijima Mitsuru, watching the situation from afar, finally smiled in satisfaction, nodding with a smile and saying.

"The enemy garrison is weak, but their firepower is strong.

Faced with my powerful force, they have no choice but to strike preemptively."

Captain Komoto Kichishi, who was following beside him, quickly chimed in: "This garrison will soon be defeated."

The forward Esumi Hideki battalion began to charge through the Seventh Platoon's artillery bombardment.

Their current position was very awkward: in the middle of the road.

If they didn't attack along the road, they would have to scatter onto the hillside.

The hillside was steep and difficult to climb.

And it was difficult to advance.

Therefore, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki ordered the entire battalion to speed up their charge.

When they charged up, Kozaka Mizuki's platoon had less than twenty Japanese soldiers left.

This casualty rate couldn't compare to the losses of Esumi Hideki's battalion.

Looking back at the road they had just traveled, it was littered with the bodies of soldiers lying on the road.

A rough estimate put the casualties at at least a hundred Japanese soldiers.

Yang Daren frowned deeply: these Japanese soldiers were not easy to fight.

Although they had just killed more than two hundred Japanese soldiers, there were still a thousand or so Japanese soldiers charging up.

The Seventh Platoon hadn't deployed all its soldiers, but it had deployed all its artillery.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki ordered: "Platoon Leader Kozaka! Immediately lead your men in a frontal assault!

Iwata Shu's company follows up on the frontal assault.

Kushige Ryoosuke's company attacks from the right flank;

Asai Atsuto's company, you attack from the left flank.

The remaining three companies, prepare to provide support!"

His battalion of 1,200 men had six combat companies.

There were no transport or supply units at all.

As soon as the battalion commander's order was issued, the three company commanders immediately set off.

This time, a full six hundred Japanese soldiers pressed forward, and the pressure on the Seventh Platoon's front line suddenly increased.

Yang Daren, who was commanding the battle on the front line, could only use machine guns and artillery bombardment.

Seeing that the Japanese had charged to within thirty meters of the position.

According to the Special Operations Company's previous battle tactics, this was the time to charge up and engage in bayonet combat.

But there were too many Japanese soldiers, and half of them were still in reserve not far away.

Iwata Shu, the company commander, saw that his troops were about to break into the enemy's position.

He was excited and shouted loudly, "Kill!"

Kozaka’s platoon also became excited; there were still more than a hundred Japanese soldiers around him.

They had now charged to within forty meters of the enemy position.

At this distance, it would only take a few seconds to charge up.

A smile of success had already appeared on his face.

As long as so many of them charged into the trenches, the garrison here would be finished.

The Japanese soldiers of Iwata Shu's entire company were going crazy; they had given up unlimited pleasures in Nanjing.

They had been forced to come to this bitter place, where they suffered and toiled, and had nothing to loot.

Now, these soldiers had unleashed all their anger.

They were going to take revenge on these annoying garrison troops.

Kushisue Yu was one such Japanese soldier; he had only stayed in Nanjing for a few short hours.

He had already taken sixty yuan from an American’s pocket.

This was what he'd managed to get from the American's bag after entering the American's house three times in a row.

Originally, Kushisue Yu had followed a pretty maid into that American's house.

The first time, he had been driven out directly by the American.

Later, Kushisue Yu couldn't suppress the desire in his heart and quietly climbed over the wall again.

This time, he had entered the American's room but was immediately discovered by the highly vigilant owner.

He was driven out again; although the American didn't have a gun and Kushisue Yu did.

But Kushisue Yu still didn't dare to attack the American.

His superiors had strictly ordered that no foreigners were to be attacked!

When Kushisue Yu entered this American's house for the third time, he was fortunate enough to enter the living room.

He took sixty yuan from the pocket of a suit hanging in the living room.

Just as he had the money in his hand, the annoying American appeared again.

Johnson smiled at this persistent Japanese soldier, pointed to the door, and told Kushisue Yu to leave.

Kushisue Yu’s mood finally improved a lot: he hadn't come away empty-handed this time!

With money in hand, he felt confident, and the expression on his face was finally no longer as stiff as it had been when he was driven out the previous two times.

He even gave Johnson a shy smile and considerately helped him close the door.

Now, Kushisue Yu touched the sixty yuan; the money was still there!

If it hadn't been for the Nationalist army causing such a commotion, the money in his pocket would definitely be more than just sixty yuan.

To get back to Nanjing sooner, he needed to end the battle here as quickly as possible.

Thinking of this, Kushisue Yu charged even faster.

He wanted to eliminate these Nationalist soldiers as soon as possible, get to Jurong early, and then get back to Nanjing as soon as possible.

Five or six hundred Japanese soldiers charged up from the front, left, and right flanks.

This made Yang Daren reluctant to engage in close combat with the Japanese soldiers.

It was time to use his trump card.

He still had a backup plan; just as the Japanese soldiers entered the thirty-meter range.

Yang Daren ordered, "Zhi Lejia, detonate!"

The soldiers of Kozaka's platoon and Iwata Shu’s company who were attacking from the front.

Still had smiles of imminent success on their faces.

Those smiles were still on their faces, and their steps were quick, in this situation.

The entire Kozaka platoon and Iwata company felt a sudden tremor in the ground.

It was as if countless bullets were whistling out, and the sharp whistling sound of the bullets cutting through the air was as dense as the sound of heavy rain falling on banana leaves.

These Japanese soldiers were immediately bombarded by countless iron pellets.

The directional mines that Yang Daren had buried in front of the position as a precaution were detonated at this time.

Two mines exploded, sending thousands of iron pellets flying, and shooting into the ranks of the two hundred or so Japanese soldiers who were attacking.

Just as Kozaka's platoon and Iwata company were suffering this devastating blow.

Yang Daren had already ordered, "Charge! Clean up the battlefield!

Heavy machine guns, provide covering fire!"

A squad of thirty or so men, led by Cao Xingguo, rushed out of the entrenchments.

They charged into the ranks of the groaning Japanese soldiers in a matter of seconds.

At this time, the area was still filled with lingering smoke.

Cao Xingguo, who had just charged in, smelled the strong, bloody odor in the air.

He said in a low voice, "Finish them off first!"

Yang Daren had just told him, "Lure the Japanese soldiers!"

They were here to lure the main force of the Japanese soldiers.

Among the Japanese soldiers who had been attacked by the two directional mines, there were still some lucky ones.

Kushisue Yu was one of the lucky ones.

When he heard countless bullets flying past him, he was so scared that he quickly dropped to the ground.

After the fatal whistling sound passed.

The sound of orderly footsteps was already approaching.

Kushisue Yu had no choice but to stand up hastily; he had just stood up and wasn't ready yet.

The battlefield was full of smoke and couldn't be seen very clearly at all.

But he could see a flash of cold steel stabbing towards him.

Unable to parry, Kushisue Yu could only take a big step backwards.

This time, all his good luck was used up.

Behind him, a wounded soldier was groaning in pain.

The wounded soldier's hand happened to grab Kushisue Yu's foot at this time.

As a result, Kushisue Yu, unable to retreat, watched helplessly as the flash of cold steel slid into his chest.

He only felt a chill in his chest, followed by a burst of heat.

After pulling out his bayonet, Cao Xingguo gave the Japanese soldier in front of him another thrust.

Seeing him fall, he then gave the Japanese soldier lying on the ground, who had dragged down his teammate even in death, another thrust.

In Iwata’s company which was attacking from the front, there were fewer than ten Japanese soldiers like Kushisue Yu who were lucky enough not to be injured in the explosion.

After they were prioritized and taken care of, all that was left were the wounded soldiers lying on the ground groaning.

Cao Xingguo had absolutely no intention of saving the wounded.

They had charged up here to send these wounded on their way.

Regiment Commander Ushijima Mitsuru, watching from afar, only saw a flash of fire and smoke suddenly erupt on the front of the enemy position, making the entire position somewhat unclear.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki, who was closer, could see clearly: the attacking troops had stepped on a landmine.

Then, the enemy soldiers charged out, finishing off the wounded imperial warriors.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki could see that the attacking troops on the front had suffered heavy losses.

Clearly, the attack from the front had failed.

How could he tolerate such a sudden loss of victory?

He immediately sent the remaining three companies to reinforce the frontal attack.

This was not Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki being reckless.

In Esumi Hideki's eyes, since the landmines on the front battlefield had already been detonated.

Then it must be safe here.

And there were enemy infantry exposed in front of the position: not many, about thirty or so.

These thirty or so enemy soldiers proved one thing: there were no landmines where they were standing.

There were also no landmines in the area that Iwata’s company had already passed through.

Combining these two deductions, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki concluded that there were no more landmines on the front.

As he was thinking this, Asai Atsuto’s company on the left flank and Kushige Ryoosuke’s company on the right flank simultaneously stepped on landmines.

The enemy soldiers in those two directions also charged out, launching a counterattack against the remaining imperial warriors.

But now, Esumi Hideki could no longer make any tactical changes.

He had already concentrated all the remaining three companies to the frontal attack.

At a distance of two hundred meters, the charging Japanese soldiers were very fast.

Cao Xingguo and his thirty or so soldiers, seeing the charging main force of Japanese soldiers.

Didn't run back.

They continued to stab the Japanese soldiers who were still lying on the ground.

The Seventh Platoon’s machine guns were also firing non-stop.

There were too many Japanese soldiers charging this time, and the machine guns were obviously not enough.

Kiryama Kazuki was mixed in with the battalion as he charged; his steps were unsteady, and his mood was heavy.

From the fate of Iwata’s company, he saw his own fate.

This regiment had seen too many bodies of imperial warriors on the way here.

The layers upon layers of bodies piled up on both sides of the road had made the soldiers of the entire regiment tremble with fear.

Just now, they had witnessed the enemy garrison using only two landmines to wipe out Iwata’s entire company.

Kiryama Kazuki was really scared, but he didn't dare to stop.

Military law was ruthless!

Regiment Commander Ushijima Mitsuru, who was watching the battle from afar, hadn't seen clearly how Iwata's company had been annihilated.

But he had seen that Esumi Hideki's entire battalion had pressed forward.

He nodded slightly: Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki had the ability to seize the opportunity.

He had to take advantage of this opportunity to strike the enemy hard and break through their lines.

Break through one point, and the entire line collapses!

This time, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki also personally followed the troops in the charge.

The company that was charging in the lead was Matsui Masaya’s company.

Company Commander Matsui Masaya was in the middle of his company, loudly urging the soldiers to charge faster.

Maeda Kota’s company and Miyake Atsushi’s company followed closely behind.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was in the middle of Maeda Kota’s company, his command saber in his hand.

Pointing it at the enemy soldiers who were not far away, he shouted: "Kill them!"

Cao Xingguo and his thirty or so soldiers seemed to have finally reacted.

They ran back to the trenches in a panic.

This situation made the soldiers of Matsui Masaya's company even more excited.

The battlefield was like this; either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

Now that the enemy soldiers were scared and ran back, the attacking Esumi Hideki battalion was of course high in morale.

Matsui Masaya’s company, which was charging in the lead, had already stepped into the area where the fallen Iwata’s company had been.

They were about to break into the enemy's defenses.

With nearly six hundred soldiers charging close, there was no way for the enemy garrison to resist this time.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was thinking this.

When another series of explosions rang out, the dense rain of bullets came even faster.

And even more densely.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki saw the soldiers who had just run back to the trenches rush out again.

He was in the smoke, watching the soldiers in front of him, behind him, to his left, and to his right.

Most of them had fallen to the ground, and the bloody smell in this area was so strong that every breath felt like sucking blood.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki waved the command saber in his hand and shouted loudly.

"Get up! Get up, all of you!

Attack! Attack forward!"

His three companies, which had nearly five hundred men.

Now had fewer than a hundred soldiers standing.

Even if there were only a hundred soldiers, he wasn't afraid of the thirty or so enemy soldiers charging at them.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki felt a little calmer.

He shouted loudly: "Prepare! Bayonets!"

When the enemy charged up, the rifles they raised were so familiar.

Just like his own troops: using Type 38 rifles.

There wasn't even the slightest difference in the bayonets attached to the rifles.

Esumi Hideki's shout had worked.

Those Japanese soldiers who had just experienced the most difficult journey of their lives finally calmed down.

And began to meet those charging soldiers.

Cao Xingguo, who was charging in the lead, shouted: "Kill!"

The bayonet in his hand thrust towards the enemy soldiers.

His squad had only about thirty men, and there were fewer than a hundred enemy soldiers.

A one-to-three fight!

Didn't scare the soldiers of the Seventh Platoon; they had been practicing every day and were no longer novices.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki wasn't scared at all: the imperial soldiers’ bayonet skills had been tested in World War I and the Russo-Japanese War.

Even in the recent Battle of Shanghai, one imperial soldier wasn't afraid of Nationalist soldiers in a bayonet fight.

Now, not to mention that the imperial soldiers outnumbered them.

With this in mind, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki waved his command saber.

Stepping forward, he was going to join the melee himself.

Regiment Commander Ushijima Mitsuru, who was watching the battle from afar, saw that close combat had broken out on the front line.

He finally ordered, "Everyone, advance!"

The entire Ushijima Mitsuru regiment finally began to move forward.

Yang Daren, who was watching this scene from afar, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When Cao Xingguo and his thirty or so men charged into the ranks of the Japanese soldiers.

They immediately formed combat teams of three men each.

The Japanese soldiers on the other side were the same, also in groups of three.

The fighting between the two sides was orderly.

No matter how much Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki encouraged them, his battalion, which had been more than five hundred strong just a moment ago.

Had suddenly been reduced to less than a hundred men.

This gap greatly dampened the morale of his soldiers.

Although these soldiers were trying hard to make themselves stronger and faster.

They now found that, no matter what, the enemy soldiers were much stronger than them.

And their speed was also much faster.

This crushing disparity in strength had caused heavy casualties among the remnants of the Esumi Hideki battalion from the very beginning.

Bayonet fighting was something that produced immediate results.

With one thrust, either you died or I died.

There was no such thing as fighting for dozens or hundreds of rounds without a winner.

Life and death were in an instant!

Pu Junxian had just thrust his bayonet into a Japanese soldier’s chest when a knife suddenly appeared from the side.

Fujino Kuro watched as the bayonet of the Nationalist soldier in front of him was still stuck in the chest of Yamasato Eishi.

He immediately attacked, his bayonet flashing like lightning as he stabbed towards the Nationalist soldier.

Unable to react in time, Pu Junxian could only hastily use the butt of his rifle to block the incoming thrust.

He aimed accurately and met the attack head-on; there was no sound, only a collision.

Fujino Kuro’s fierce thrust had pierced into the butt of the enemy’s rifle.

He tried to pull the rifle out.

But before he could, Pu Junxian reached out his right hand and grabbed the middle of the rifle that had suddenly attacked him.

Preventing the Japanese soldier from pulling the rifle back.

His left hand reached for the bayonet and unhooked it from the muzzle.

His left foot took a step to the side, bringing him closer.

His left hand thrust out, and the bayonet pierced into Fujino Kuro’s chest.

Pu Junxian held the bayonet in his left hand and twisted it before pulling it out.

Fujino Kuro, whose chest had been torn open, suddenly lost all his strength.

His body slowly fell; at this time, Pu Junxian released his right hand holding the rifle.

His left hand held the bayonet and returned to his previous position, pulling his rifle from Yamasato Eishi’s body.

Xiao Weimao, who was following behind him, said enviously: "Brother Pu! Your move of detaching the bayonet was so beautiful."

Pu Junxian smiled triumphantly: "This is the benefit of practicing disassembly and reassembly every day.

Go back and practice hard too!"

"Understood!" Xiao Weimao replied loudly.

Lu Ziping, crouching in the pit, felt his legs go numb; the Japanese battalion still hadn't come forward to die.

He could only stay in the pit he had dug, drawing circles on the wall of the pit and cursing.

He wasn't the only one crouching in the pit; there were also Qiu Yushan, Ji Yan, and a dozen others.

They were all waiting for Lu Ziping's signal.

Because Lu Ziping was closest to the Japanese, he had to watch the last Japanese soldier enter the ambush circle.

After pulling the pin on the grenade, the other soldiers would immediately pull theirs.

Lu Ziping was drawing his hundredth circle when more Japanese soldiers walked forward.

Four, eight, twelve...

Lu Ziping silently counted; a thousand!

There were still more behind; Lu Ziping was a little excited.

Two thousand!

I'm going to pull the pin!

Lu Ziping was overjoyed.

There were about five thousand Japanese soldiers in this unit, and more than a thousand had already gone up in the first wave.

Now, two thousand more had passed; there were fewer than two thousand Japanese soldiers left behind.

Lu Ziping suppressed his crazed heart and continued counting.

Three thousand!

Three thousand Japanese soldiers were already in the ambush circle.

Not only Lu Ziping was counting, Qiu Yushan was also counting the Japanese soldiers passing by.

His heart was also ecstatic.

These Japanese soldiers not entering the circle made the people crouching in the pit very uncomfortable.

Not only because the pit was uncomfortable, but mainly because the Japanese soldiers didn't enter the circle.

The directional mines they had spent hours setting up would be useless.

This made Qiu Yushan and the others, who had already used this method to blow up four Japanese cavalry regiments, feel like they had lost face.

Fortunately, these Japanese soldiers finally came in.

Of course, the people crouching in the pit couldn't see that Cao Xingguo and his thirty or so men, who were still fighting with the Esumi Hideki battalion, had lured the group of Japanese soldiers up there.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki watched as his force, which had had nearly a hundred men just a moment ago, had been reduced by half in such a short time.

But the enemy soldiers had only fallen one or two.

And those who had fallen were being dragged back for treatment.

He looked at the wounded groaning on the ground and thought sadly.

"I need to end the battle here quickly and send these wounded back."

His ideals were great, but reality slapped him in the face.

His battalion, which had more men than the enemy, had suffered far more casualties than the enemy.

What was even more serious was that Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki had discovered that the fighting on the left and right flanks had ended.

The Nationalist soldiers in those two directions were charging towards this position.

If his soldiers didn't fight hard to repel the Nationalist soldiers in front of them, they would be surrounded.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki finally personally took up arms.

He waved his command saber and charged to the front, slashing at the soldier in front of him.

Song Weiyi saw a Japanese soldier holding a command saber charging out of the enemy ranks:

"That must be the Japanese commander. I'm going to kill him!"

Before Song Weiyi could charge up, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki had already identified him.

It wasn't because Song Weiyi had any particularly fierce aura, but because the two were closest to each other.

Song Weiyi saw the Japanese soldier slash down with his command saber and thrust his rifle diagonally upwards.

The bayonet steadily deflected the command saber, preventing it from harming him.

Esumi Hideki wasn’t a coward either; he tried to split the mountain!

But it was neutralized by the enemy soldier, so he immediately pulled back.

As he pulled back, Song Weiyi also retracted his rifle.

At the same time, he shouted: "Kill!"

The rifle retracted quickly, and the thrust was even faster at the same time as the shout.

With a flash of steel, the bayonet seemed to appear in front of Esumi Hideki and rang in his ears at the same speed as the sound.

At this speed, the bayonet was in front of Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki in the blink of an eye.

His command saber, which had just changed from a slash to a thrust, had to change its move.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki slammed the back of his command saber hard on the barrel of Song Weiyi's rifle.

A strong force was transmitted, and Song Weiyi's rifle tilted to the left, taking the bayonet with it.

Song Weiyi took a step to the left and thrust the butt of his rifle forward, smashing it directly at the commander, who was much shorter than him.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was furious: just because he was tall, he bullied people!

This tall Nationalist soldier had missed with his bayonet and was now smashing his face with the butt of his rifle.

He was angry, but he couldn't help it; Song Weiyi's smash was powerful and difficult to parry.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki could only retreat a step in resignation.

He immediately took another step forward, returning to his original position.

His command saber was short, so he wanted to engage the enemy soldier in close combat.

Song Weiyi's rifle was long, so he preferred to stay farther away.

An inch longer, an inch stronger!

An inch shorter! An inch more dangerous!

Song Weiyi didn't smash with the butt of his rifle; when he saw the Japanese soldier retreat a step.

He also took a step back, righting his bayonet that had missed.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was terrified to discover that his aggressive step forward was a death sentence.

The shining bayonet in front of him was still stabbing towards him.

The force of his advance made it impossible for him to retreat at the same time.

After all, he was just an ordinary person and couldn't perform a fifth-dimensional action of advancing and retreating at the same time.

So Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki could only try his best to lean to the side, his command saber once again striking the bayonet.

This time, it was too hasty, and the force of his strike was much weaker.

Song Weiyi's bayonet changed position slightly and stabbed Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki in the stomach.

Strike when the iron is hot!

Song Weiyi twisted his right hand slightly, and the bayonet stirred up Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki's intestines, rolling around in his belly.

At this time, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki began to regret it: he shouldn't have blocked it; letting the bayonet pierce his heart might not have been as painful as this.

Excruciating abdominal pain! This was just an adjective, describing great pain.

Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki was now truly experiencing abdominal pain.

With a gentle twist from Song Weiyi, Battalion Commander Esumi Hideki, who was in excruciating pain, loosened his grip.

The command saber fell to the ground.

At this time, Song Weiyi pulled out his rifle and immediately thrust it