Chapter 1 Lin Fan

Lin Fan led his troops towards Xiangcheng. A quick charge to eliminate a Japanese logistics company was solely for the purpose of speeding up their advance.

He was now somewhat anxious. According to Mao Wenxing's report, Xiangcheng was in dire straits.

The Japanese had already entered the city and were engaged in street fighting with the defending forces.

What Lin Fan told Division Commander Chi Fengcheng on the phone was true:

Not every unit was the 31st Division, and not every division commander was Chi Fengcheng.

Each unit had its own unique characteristics. Lin Fan liked to call this characteristic the spirit of the army!

This spirit was established by the first commander who created the unit.

The spirit of the army was invisible and intangible, but it could realistically affect a unit's combat effectiveness.

The Fifth War Area had now focused all its attention on Xiangcheng.

There was no other reason than that Linyi was now safe.

The fierce fighting around Taierzhuang suddenly slowed down.

The Japanese troops attacking Taierzhuang had suffered significant setbacks and were unable to organize further offensives.

Without new supplies and personnel, the Japanese forces in the Taierzhuang area were unable to launch large-scale offensives.

Therefore, the Japanese focused their attention on Xiangcheng.

Even Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki, commander of the 5th Division, had set his sights on Xiangcheng,

even though the 5th Division was attacking Xiangcheng.

Lieutenant General Seishiro Sakatani, commander of the 5th Division, devoted his main energy to Xiangcheng.

He strictly ordered Brigadier General Sakae Sakamoto to capture Xiangcheng today.

As an excellent commander, he was well aware of how important the Taierzhuang-Linyi defense line was to the Nationalists.

If the Nationalists wanted to hold Xuzhou, they needed to defend this line.

Every city, town, and even stronghold on this line was indispensable to the Nationalists.

If the Nationalists lost a single point, the entire defense line would collapse.

This was why Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki was willing to transfer his main forces during the most intense fighting

to cooperate with Lieutenant General Koreshige Isoya's division in attacking Taierzhuang.

Now that Brigadier General Sakae Sakamoto had made a good start, Lieutenant General Seishiro Sakatani had great confidence.

We must win!

We must win! Bai Chongxi ordered Division Commander Li Hanzhang, who was engaged in street fighting.

Troops from the entire Third Army were moving towards Xiangcheng.

As long as the 74th Division held out until reinforcements arrived, they would surely win!

But Division Commander Li Hanzhang was already somewhat desperate: the Japanese had already occupied half of Xiangcheng.

During the Japanese attack, the 74th Division had witnessed the power of the Japanese artillery.

During the Japanese street fighting, the 74th Division had witnessed the individual quality of the Japanese soldiers.

Even when suddenly attacked in the alleys, the Japanese soldiers could calmly find cover

and counterattack with grenades and rifles.

Some Japanese soldiers even charged forward directly, braving the hail of bullets.

The 74th Division could not equip every sniper in every small alley with machine guns,

which meant that the Japanese suicide charges often succeeded.

The invincible aura of these Japanese soldiers who charged into the 74th Division's positions

was unacceptable to the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division.

In such situations, the Japanese often chose bayonet fighting, a combat method that required the most courage.

Although this was not suitable for Li Hanzhang's division,

the balance of victory in the street fighting in Xiangcheng did not tilt towards the 74th Division.

In this situation, the Fifth War Area issued the latest order:

The fastest reinforcements would arrive in Xiangcheng before 5:00 p.m.

The 74th Division, no matter what, under any circumstances, must hold out until 5:00 p.m.! This was the final order!

Division Commander Li Hanzhang found it strange that even his corps commander, Cao Fulina of the 55th Corps, had not given a definite time of arrival in Xiangcheng.

Commander-in-Chief Sun Tongxuan of the Third Army, who commanded so many troops to come to reinforce,

had also not specified when exactly they would arrive.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang was clear about this point: accidents were commonplace on the battlefield.

If a time limit was set for such a mission and it was not met,

it would be a violation of military orders and someone would have to take responsibility!

It was not that the corps commander and commander-in-chief were afraid to take responsibility.

It was just that with large-scale troop movements, especially on the battlefield, accidents were commonplace.

During the operations, even a small accident could cause a large army to be unable to move.

Therefore, the various reinforcing units did not dare to give a specific time.

Only those who were particularly confident could propose a time.

Li Hanzhang asked, "Which unit can arrive before 5:00 p.m.?"

"The Special Operations Brigade!" Bai Chongxi only said these three words,

not mentioning the two companies that followed.

The Japanese were too strong and too numerous.

He feared that telling Li Hanzhang that there were only two companies of reinforcements would disappoint him.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang asked, "The ones who killed people in the Military Intelligence Station?"

Good news never goes beyond the gate, but bad news travels a thousand miles!

No one remembered or spread the news that Lin Fan had destroyed two Japanese planes with two artillery shells when he was in Xuzhou.

Instead, the story of him killing four people in the Military Intelligence Station had spread.

Why he killed them was not important; those who spread the news were not interested in investigating.

They only liked the numerical gimmick in the story.

"That's them!"

"Where did they start from?" Li Hanzhang asked hopefully.

"Liujia Lake, Taierzhuang!"

Li Hanzhang immediately looked at the map.

The voice in the receiver was loud, and the staff of the 74th Division could hear it.

Seeing their commander looking at the map,

officers immediately located Liujia Lake on the map and estimated the distance. "Commander! Thirty kilometers as the crow flies!"

Li Hanzhang's excitement immediately plummeted:

"Director Bai! Are you kidding me?

Thirty kilometers as the crow flies, and it's 1:30 p.m. now.

You say they will arrive before 5:00 p.m.

Three and a half hours to travel at least forty kilometers.

Is that even possible for infantry?"

Bai Chongxi was somewhat embarrassed. He was only familiar with the unit's battle results.

He had never been clear about their operational plans and marching routes.

Bai Chongxi looked at Li Zongren as if asking for help.

Commander Li Zongren spread his hands: their operational plans had never been reported.

The fact that they were able to report this time was probably to allow the 74th Division to hold out until 5:00 p.m.

Thinking of this, Li Zongren was startled and grabbed the phone, saying loudly to Li Hanzhang:

"The Special Operations Brigade will definitely be able to reach Xiangcheng before 5:00 p.m.

Commander Li! As long as the 74th Division is still fighting in Xiangcheng at 5:00 p.m.,

you will have completed your mission.

If you withdraw from Xiangcheng after 5:00 p.m., I will not hold you responsible.

But if the 74th Division withdraws from Xiangcheng before 5:00 p.m., the entire division, from officers to soldiers, will be subject to the strictest military interrogation."

Hearing Li Zongren tell him that his division only needed to hold out until 5:00 p.m. to complete the mission,

Li Hanzhang immediately perked up. As for the threats Li Zongren made later,

he no longer cared: As long as I hold out until 5:00 p.m. and complete the mission,

whatever threats you make will be useless to me.

He immediately replied, "We guarantee to complete the mission. The 74th Division will fight to the last man and not withdraw from Xiangcheng until after 5:00 p.m."

Li Zongren said to Division Commander Li Hanzhang:

"Commander Li, you are not very familiar with the Special Operations Brigade.

But you only need to know one thing: the positions they defended were Beiluo and Nanluo villages outside Taierzhuang.

The night before last, without requesting instructions, they set out from Beiluo and sneaked out fifty *li* overnight.

They started attacking Lincheng at 10:00 a.m."

As Li Zongren spoke a place name into the phone, the staff of the 74th Division immediately marked it on the map.

Beiluo, Nanluo, and Lincheng.

"The Special Operations Brigade captured Lincheng and plundered all the supplies stored by the Japanese at the Lincheng North Railway Station.

This morning, they cooperated with the 22nd Army to occupy Hanzhuang.

Then, without stopping, they moved to Liujia Lake

and seized the Japanese artillery positions,

using Japanese cannons and shells to rout the Japanese who were attacking Taierzhuang.

Given their actions above,

I believe that it is entirely possible for the Special Operations Brigade to reach Xiangcheng by 5:00 p.m."

As Li Zongren said a place name, the staff marked the location on the map.

Looking at the Special Operations Brigade's route of action over the past two days, it had perfectly completed a circle.

In two days, they had marched over a hundred *li*.

The 74th had only focused on the fact that the Special Operations Brigade had traveled over a hundred *li*.

At this time, they slowly realized: they not only walked, but also drove away the Japanese along the way.

Capture Lincheng and seize supplies!

Occupy Hanzhuang!

The 22nd Army had been fighting for so long but had not been able to capture it.

The Special Operations Brigade had directly flattened it. How strong must their combat power be?

Li Hanzhang and the officers of the 74th Division headquarters were excited.

His chief of staff said, "Commander! With such reinforcements arriving,

Xiangcheng is safe!

This is a unit that can be compared with the 59th Corps."

Among the units on the Taierzhuang defense line, the most admired was Zhang Zizhong's 59th Corps.

The generals were well aware of the initial situation on the Linyi defense line.

Zhang Zizhong led the 59th Corps to the battlefield and immediately reversed the situation.

This was the first Battle of Linyi.

The same was true of the second Battle of Linyi. The 59th Corps arrived on the battlefield,

and Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki's division, known as the "Steel Army," had to avoid its sharp edge.

It no longer regarded Linyi as a breakthrough point and changed to Xiangcheng.

Although this was a disaster for the 74th Division, it was also the greatest compliment to the 59th Corps.

What a great honor it was to be a unit that Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki's division avoided.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang ordered, "Pass down the order! The entire division will hold firm. Reinforcements will arrive at 5:00 p.m.

The 74th Division will dig its roots into Xiangcheng until 5:00 p.m., even if we fight to the last man."

The officers and soldiers of the 74th Division received the latest order.

Hearing that reinforcements would arrive at 5:00 p.m., the soldiers immediately became excited.

From now until 5:00 p.m., there were only three hours left.

Just a little more patience and it would be over.

In fact, all the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division knew:

Even if they wanted to retreat from Xiangcheng, they had to hold out until dark.

Retreating during the day in the face of the attacking Japanese was suicidal.

All the retreating units were very clear about this point.

After all, the darkness provided camouflage for the weak and could avoid too much harm.

Because of this, the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division suddenly burst out with great combat power

and were able to block the Japanese offensive.

Many times, battles were fought for morale. Even though there was a generation gap between the weapons of the Nationalists and the Japanese,

it was not entirely impossible to fight.

In many cases, the difference in combat power between Nationalist soldiers and Japanese soldiers lay in morale and the quality of the soldiers.

There was no need to talk about morale. The Japanese had been winning battles, and their morale was high.

It was difficult for the Nationalists, who had been losing battles, to boost the morale of their soldiers.

Therefore, they could only use shared hatred to arouse the soldiers' anger

and let anger replace morale to fight the Japanese.

As for combat quality, it was a combination of physical fitness and daily training.

Most units in the Nationalist army lacked both.

Like the units in the Fifth War Area now, even in Tang Enbo's 20th Army, there were many miscellaneous units.

There were armed work teams, broadsword teams, and red-tasseled spear teams. These units were all local armed forces.

They were all skilled and could easily take on two or three opponents without hot weapons.

But even the best weapon was useless against a kitchen knife, let alone a rifle that was far superior to a kitchen knife.

This was also the reason why Tang Enbo had been wandering around the periphery all these days but had not dared to show his face.

His 20th Army was not as strong as the rumors said.

Otherwise, Lin Fan would not have been able to lead two companies of the Special Operations Brigade to capture Hanzhuang in one fell swoop.

Tang Enbo's 20th Army had also used the 75th Corps to attack.

After two days, Corps Commander Zhou Yan had not been able to capture Hanzhuang, so they had to give up

and hand over the task of attacking Hanzhuang to the 22nd Army.

Lin Fan led his troops sprinting down the road.

His unit no longer had to consider horsepower.

The Special Operations Brigade was never a cavalry unit. Warhorses were just their tools,

used specifically for traveling. As long as they could reach Xiangcheng earlier, it did not matter if the warhorses were exhausted.

As long as they could reach Xiangcheng sooner.

Lin Fan was in a hurry, but he definitely did not give up everything to rush.

The soldiers of the entire 1st and 2nd Companies were fully equipped with Land Torpedoes, infantry artillery, and mortars.

The main weapon of the 1st Platoon of the artillery regiment, the 88mm anti-aircraft gun, was also brought along.

At 3:57 p.m., the 1st and 2nd Companies could already see the walls of Xiangcheng.

Lin Fan ordered, "Everyone dismount and prepare for battle!"

The ten tanks led by Platoon Leader Feng Ruili had been following in the middle of the formation.

Now it was their turn to take the lead.

Before the officers and soldiers of the 1st Company went to the battlefield, they took off their disguises.

Disguising themselves as Japanese could give them some advantages on the battlefield.

But what Lin Fan needed more now was to boost morale.

Only two companies of the Special Operations Brigade had arrived in Xiangcheng. On this battlefield, even if the two companies were made of iron, how many nails could they hammer?

The main force against the Japanese was still the 74th Division.

The Special Operations Brigade was just here to be a knife for the 74th Division.

Colonel Sadami Katano, commander of the 21st Infantry Regiment, stood outside Xiangcheng, listening to the dense sound of gunfire in the city.

He was calm in his heart. In his eyes, Xiangcheng had already been occupied by his regiment.

Colonel Sadami Katano smiled and said to the brigade commander beside him, "Brigadier General Sakamoto personally commanded the attack on Xiangcheng in one fell swoop.

The last line of defense for the Nationalists to defend Xuzhou is now gone."

Sakae Sakamoto was also full of pride: he was somewhat surprised that his troops could enter Xiangcheng so quickly.

In Linyi these days, whether it was Pang Bingxun's 2nd Group Army or Zhang Zizhong's 59th Corps,

these two units had left a deep impression on him.

From the battles of these units, Sakae Sakamoto had extinguished the morale that he had painstakingly accumulated on this land.

In Xiangcheng just now, he seemed to have regained his lost confidence.

He had once thought that the Nationalist soldiers were all fearless people like those under Pang Bingxun and Zhang Zizhong.

Listening to Colonel Sadami Katano's flattery, he felt sweeter than eating honey.

Brigadier General Sakae Sakamoto smiled and said, "It's also the result of everyone's joint efforts.

If we capture Xiangcheng today, the entire Nationalist defense line will have to retreat tonight.

Otherwise, they will be surrounded and annihilated by our division!"

"Brigadier General is right!"

The Japanese soldiers around him echoed in flattery.

At this moment, a tank convoy drove in from the west.

The convoy only cared about rushing forward, rushing all the way to the outside of the north gate of Xiangcheng.

The tanks, which had been divided into two columns, separated at this time. Three tanks drove into the city, and seven tanks stayed outside the city, firing at the Japanese not far away.

And the soldiers following behind these tanks?

"Nationalists! It's actually the Nationalists?"

At this time, Sakae Sakamoto and the others realized that the ones who had just rushed into the battlefield and divided their troops were actually the Nationalists.

The 2nd Company followed three tanks and rushed into Xiangcheng.

The tanks stabbed the Japanese in the back, immediately making the Japanese, who had been fighting in the city for five hours, a little dazed.

Major Chie Kato, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment, was directing the Japanese in a difficult battle.

Having fought until now, he was also very depressed. At the beginning, the entire battalion fought very smoothly.

They smoothly attacked the city, entered the city, and smoothly defeated the Nationalist army in street fighting.

It took less than three hours from the start of the attack to the occupation of half of the city.

Just when the entire Kato Battalion was optimistically estimating that the battle would be over in an hour,

the Nationalist army's resistance suddenly strengthened.

This made the Kato Battalion, which had been smooth sailing all the way, a little unable to bear it.

Wasn't the battle supposed to be like a landslide?

What medicine had this Nationalist army taken?

How could they turn the tide in a situation where defeat was already apparent?

No matter what Major Chie Kato thought, the Nationalist army, which had already lost half of the city, suddenly became fierce

and refused to retreat a single step.

In this way, the 1st Battalion began a tug-of-war with the 74th Division in the city.

Li Hanzhang certainly knew that the battle was like a landslide. He received an order from the Fifth War Area: hold out until 5:00 p.m., and the Special Operations Brigade would come to reinforce them before 5:00 p.m.

After receiving the order, Li Hanzhang organized more than a dozen execution teams.

That's right!

He was different from Chi Fengcheng. Chi Fengcheng's 31st Division, whenever the battle was difficult,

would organize suicide squads to suppress the Japanese arrogance.

The 74th Division was different. Li Hanzhang built execution teams.

The task of more than a dozen execution teams was to go to the front line to supervise: anyone who dared to retreat a step would be executed on the spot.

Even the wounded were not allowed to retreat!

The execution teams went to the front line, and a battalion commander soon retreated.

This was a good example.

After the execution team beheaded the battalion commander,

they also specially patrolled the various positions to warn them.

Suddenly, the 74th Division's defense line in Xiangcheng stabilized.

Since the battle with the Japanese today, many soldiers had retreated after firing a few shots.

They didn't care whether they hit the Japanese or whether they could hold on.

Anyway, retreating was the only thing that mattered.

Now, these soldiers saw that a dignified battalion commander had been executed for retreating.

Those commanders dared not retreat any longer.

If the officers did not retreat, the soldiers would not dare to retreat! If everyone did not retreat, the defense line would immediately stabilize.

This was what Major Chie Kato felt depressed about:

Wouldn't it be fine if you just retreated properly?

Now it was good!

The Japanese 1st Battalion, which had entered the city, had officers and soldiers of the 74th Division blocking them in front

and the 2nd Company of the Special Operations Brigade attacking from behind.

They were suddenly in a state of being attacked from both sides.

4:17 p.m.!

Lin Fan found the command post that the 74th Division had originally set up here at the north gate.

He picked up the phone, and it was still working.

The other side asked loudly, "Who is this?"

Lin Fan: "I am Lin Fan, commander of the Special Operations Brigade of the Fifth War Area. Who is this?"

The staff officer suddenly became excited, and his voice was a little choked up. "Commander Lin!"

Hearing that it was the Special Operations Brigade, Li Hanzhang grabbed the phone. "I am Li Hanzhang, commander of the 74th Division of the 52nd Army of the 3rd Group Army.

Commander Lin! Where are you?"

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Reporting to Commander Li! The Special Operations Brigade has arrived in Xiangcheng.

I am reporting to you at the command post at the north gate!"

His voice was relaxed, as if it was a trivial matter.

The 74th Division was in an uproar when they heard Lin Fan's words.

The troops that were scheduled to arrive at 5:00 p.m. had arrived 43 minutes early.

And they were already at the command post at the north gate.

Everyone present was very clear about what this position meant.

Eager officers had already stood up and were preparing to go outside.

Lin Fan continued, "Our troops are fiercely attacking the Japanese. We hope that Commander Li's troops can cooperate

and launch a counterattack against the Japanese!"

Did they even need to say that?

If they didn't seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they wouldn't deserve to be soldiers.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang immediately said, "Please rest assured, Commander Lin. All the officers of my division will now go to the front line to supervise the battle

and guarantee the completion of the counterattack mission."

Lin Fan continued, "My brigade has three tanks entering the city. These tanks were all seized from the Japanese.

To distinguish them, we have temporarily drawn a tiger on the front and sides of the tanks.

Please inform the brothers of the 74th Division not to accidentally bomb friendly forces when they encounter them on the battlefield."

Hearing that Lin Fan and the others had also brought tanks,

the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division headquarters were even more excited.

After hanging up the phone, Division Commander Li Hanzhang ordered loudly, "Chief of Staff, you stay at the division headquarters.

The rest of the staff must go to the front line to supervise the battle.

Brothers, today is the day for the 74th Division to show its face.

Let's cooperate from the inside and outside and annihilate the Japanese!"

"Cooperate from the inside and outside and annihilate the Japanese!"

The reinforcements had arrived and had stabbed the Japanese in the back.

The news spread quickly among the Nationalist troops in Xiangcheng like it had wings.

In fact, the soldiers fighting on the front line had already heard the sound of gunfire from behind the Japanese.

Just now, they didn't know what the gunfire represented.

Now, the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division understood: "Friendly forces are attacking the Japanese from behind!"

The days of the Japanese soldiers of the Kato Battalion suddenly became difficult.

If the battle against the 74th had only been slow progress just now,

the Japanese casualties had not been great. It was just that the 74th Division's fierce resistance made it difficult for them to move forward.

Now it was different.

The Kato Battalion was under attack from both sides, and the attack from behind was fierce and resolute.

The three tanks led the way, not afraid of the Japanese machine guns at all.

In the other alleys, two Land Torpedoes were also leading the way.

This small cart style was too advantageous in street fighting.

It was small, maneuverable, and had strong firepower.

Half an hour after the Special Operations Brigade joined the battle, three tanks had appeared in front of the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division.

The soldiers, who had just been notified, cheered when they saw the tanks with tigers painted on them.

Now was not the time to celebrate.

It was not just the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade who were following the tanks.

The officers and soldiers of the 74th Division automatically followed these tanks.

The tanks blocked the bullets in front, and the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division fired at the stubbornly resisting Japanese behind the tanks.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang held Lin Fan's hand tightly. "Thank you, Commander Lin, for sending charcoal in the snow. Da Feng Novel Network

I wonder how many troops Commander Lin has brought this time?"

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Four hundred men!"

"Four hundred men!" The excited expression on Division Commander Li Hanzhang's face froze.

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Doesn't Xiangcheng have nearly ten thousand brothers from the 74th Division?"

Division Commander Li Hanzhang said with a bitter smile, "Commander Lin! The Japanese combat power far exceeds that of our army.

Although my division has tens of thousands of men,

you have also seen that the Japanese who rushed into the city are only one battalion, more than a thousand Japanese.

They have made my ten thousand men helpless."

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Commander Li, please rest assured.

Even if the Japanese are iron walnuts, we will smash them.

Let the Special Operations Brigade be the hammer and the 74th Division be the arm.

We will join hands to smash the Sakamoto Regiment to death."

His words were full of heroism and strongly infected Li Hanzhang.

Li Hanzhang watched the tanks of the Special Operations Brigade lead the way, moving forward without hesitation.

Many soldiers of the 74th Division followed behind.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Good!

It's a pity that there are too few three tanks."

People were never satisfied! If there were no tanks, he would not have made such a comment.

Lin Fan smiled and said, "There are more Japanese outside Xiangcheng.

Our army also has seven tanks outside the city blocking the Japanese."

Division Commander Li Hanzhang then remembered that the Japanese who had come to attack Xiangcheng were a regiment.

Not just one battalion. They had sent one battalion into the city.

Like a rat pulling a cart, the big head was behind.

The Special Operations Brigade had also sent heavy troops to block the main force of the Japanese outside the city.

Li Hanzhang couldn't help but ask, "How many troops do you have outside the city?"

At this time, he thought to himself: So the Special Operations Brigade sent 400 men into the city.

There must be more outside the city.

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Seven tanks, one hundred infantry, and a platoon of artillery."

Hearing that there were only one hundred infantry outside the city,

Li Hanzhang became anxious. "Brother Lin, your forces outside the city are too weak."

Lin Fan said, "Yes! But I only have 400 men.

We have to recapture the city first."

Li Hanzhang only thought for a minute and immediately said,

"Commander Lin! You came from Liujia Lake, a straight-line distance of thirty kilometers, and only spent three hours.

The 74th Division is grateful for such speed.

Now I will send a regiment out of the city to support the troops outside the city."

Lin Fan was overjoyed. "That's great! That's of course great!"

The Special Operations Brigade liked to fight the Japanese, and they liked to fight the Japanese with friendly forces even more.

Leading friendly forces to become kings and allowing friendly forces to become kings in fighting the Japanese

was what Lin Fan liked to do most.

The War of Resistance was not a one-man affair, nor was it a matter for that unit.

The War of Resistance required the participation of the entire nation and the entire army.

Only by training all the soldiers of the entire army could the end of the Japanese be near.

Now Division Commander Li Hanzhang of the 74th Division had begun to change.

When he first received the order to hold out until 5:00 p.m., he thought of leaving at 5:00 p.m.

Whether the Special Operations Brigade came or not, he would leave! Li Hanzhang was afraid that if he didn't leave at that time, he wouldn't be able to leave.

Now he took the initiative to send a regiment out of the city to fight the Japanese together.

This was a change from retreating to attacking, and the progress could not be said to be small.

The Special Operations Brigade had already opened up the north street of Xiangcheng.

Those Japanese who had rushed into the city were divided into two halves.

They received the order from Major Chie Kato: "Withdraw from the east and west gates."

It was not that Major Chie Kato didn't know the benefits of keeping the troops in the city.

It was just that he saw that the city was now full of gunfire.

All the Nationalist troops had become man-eating tigers.

Each and every one of them was full of life, completely different from the soldiers who had just entered the city.

Now, Major Chie Kato seriously suspected that the troops in the city had deliberately dragged his battalion into the city.

The purpose was to close the door and beat the dog, annihilating his battalion.

Therefore, he issued the order to break out from the east and west gates.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang was already reporting good news to his superiors: "The Special Operations Brigade divided the Japanese at 4:13 p.m.

They recaptured the north gate from the Sakamoto Regiment.

Our army took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack.

We have now completely driven the Japanese out of Xiangcheng.

More than 400 Japanese corpses were left in the city.

The Special Operations Brigade and the 74th Division are still fighting fiercely with the Japanese outside the city."

Chiang Kai-shek saw this battle report almost at the same time as Li Zongren of the Fifth War Area.

When he saw the familiar three words appearing on the battle report,

he ordered: "Ask about this Special Operations Brigade."

Soon, clear news came: Lin Fan, commander of the Special Operations Brigade of the Fifth War Area, led a company from Jurong to Teng County on March 13.

During these days, he had been fighting all the way and had been holding on to Taierzhuang.

In view of the tense situation, the Fifth War Area had airlifted three more companies from Jurong.

Then Lin Fan seemed to have a plug-in. He attacked Lincheng, occupied Hanzhuang, and seized cannons.

Today, his reconnaissance aircraft crew returned from their injuries. During aerial reconnaissance, they discovered the Japanese artillery positions.

They guided the Special Operations Brigade to seize the Japanese cannons and patrolled to Xiangcheng, discovering that Xiangcheng was in crisis.

Lin Fan, commander of the Special Operations Brigade, took the initiative to request reinforcements for Xiangcheng and signed a military order to arrive in Xiangcheng before 5:00 p.m.

In fact, he had seized the north gate from the Japanese at 4:13 p.m.

Seeing this, Chiang Kai-shek was silent for a long time and sighed:

"Such talent, why can't I use it!"

The adjutant beside him certainly knew Chiang Kai-shek's thoughts.

He was lamenting that talent was hard to come by. This Lin Fan was so good at fighting and leading troops.

But he did not follow the same path as President Chiang in terms of belief.

This was what President Chiang regretted the most.

Originally, he thought that he would just let him operate around Nanjing.

He did not expect that this person would take the initiative to seek battle, traveling thousands of miles to risk his life in Teng County and Taierzhuang.

It could be said that wherever there was danger, there he was.

It would be a lie to say that he didn't like such a fierce general.

However, Chiang Kai-shek was unwilling to actually use such a person.

There was no other reason: He was afraid that it would be easy to let the tiger out today, but difficult to restrain him tomorrow!

Chiang Kai-shek ordered: "Send an order! Commend the 74th Division."

He did not express any opinion on the Special Operations Brigade!

However, he revealed a hint of his thoughts to Bai Chongxi: Probe Lin Fan's tone and ask him if he was willing to temporarily join his party.

Now it was a national united war of resistance, and it was very normal for various parties to join each other.

Chiang Kai-shek wanted to try to recruit Lin Fan first and then slowly change him later.

The Japanese troops in the city had withdrawn, and the 74th Division immediately stepped up its efforts to rebuild the defense line.

Li Hanzhang sent another regiment out of the city on the basis of having already sent one regiment

and said to Lin Fan, "Commander Lin, you only have 400 men on your hands.

The number is too small to form the most effective attack on the Japanese.

These two regiments will be temporarily under your command

to assist in defending Xiangcheng."

Now Division Commander Li Hanzhang did not mention the matter of retreating at all.

The battle was going so well, whoever retreated would be a fool!

Now, the chairman's commendation order had been issued.

Now it was wartime, and the commendation order was first announced in telegram form.

After the battle, there would be a celebration ceremony.

Division Commander Li Hanzhang and all the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division were clear that

if it were not for the Special Operations Brigade's quick reinforcements and its strong combat power,

the 74th Division would not have received such an honor as the entire army being commended.

The greatest possibility was that the entire army would be notified that Xiangcheng had been lost in one day!

Who in the army didn't want to win a battle?

Now the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division felt that they had ridden on the victorious horse and were galloping towards victory.

Li Hanzhang knew very well that the Special Operations Brigade's reinforcements were only the first to arrive.

Three more corps were on their way to his direction.

Victory was in sight, provided that he could seize it.

The Special Operations Brigade had now pulled the 2nd Company out of the city as well.

Colonel Sakae Sakamoto was very, very angry.

He had never imagined that the Kato Battalion, which had occupied half of Xiangcheng, would be driven out of the city by the Nationalist army.

This was too outrageous.

Too outrageous!

What made him feel even more outrageous was that the empire's tanks had begun to attack the empire's warriors!

How could such an absurd thing happen?

The 10th Division had strictly kept secret the fact that the 10th Division's defense of Lincheng had been broken by the Nationalist army and all the stored supplies had been taken away by the Special Operations Brigade.

These Japanese outside did not know how these tanks had fallen into the hands of the Special Operations Brigade.

The 21st Brigade had only brought the 21st Regiment to Xiangcheng.

The entire regiment had four infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, and one tank company.

The artillery battalion and the tank company were