Chapter 139 The Courageous Advance

Sergeant Watanabe Emon watched with wide eyes as the gleaming bayonet hurtled towards him, his body unable to keep up with his mind's reaction.

He thought of raising his rifle a little higher, just a little, enough to block the fierce Guojun soldier's bayonet.

Unfortunately, he couldn't manage it.

Sergeant Watanabe Emon felt a chill in his chest, quickly followed by a burning sensation. Blood flowed from his chest, bringing a brief warmth before his heart turned cold.

Watanabe Emon staggered back and fell to the ground, watching Shichijo Taichi beside him groaning, begging for help.

Looking at his pig of a teammate, Sergeant Watanabe Emon had no thoughts left, not even the will to scold him.

Sergeant Watanabe Emon silently endured the next two thrusts from Battalion Commander Wang, who then turned and gave Shichijo Taichi two more for good measure.

After finishing off the two Japanese soldiers, Captain Fujiwara Hayato charged to the front line of the battle.

Battalion Leader Feng Zhiyong, staring at the newly arrived Japanese commander, became excited. For the Guojun soldiers, killing a Japanese commander was a much greater accomplishment than killing an ordinary soldier.

Feng Zhiyong shouted, "That Japanese officer is mine! Don't any of you try to take him from me!"

He was the platoon leader. Unless Battalion Commander Wang said otherwise, he was in charge.

Since Platoon Leader Feng had called dibs on the Japanese commander, no one contested him.

As Captain Fujiwara Hayato charged forward, waving his katana, he saw the Guojun soldiers giving way, and assumed they were afraid.

His arrogance soared, and he bellowed loudly, bringing his katana down on the head of the only Guojun soldier standing in his path, full of bravado.

Platoon Leader Feng didn't dare to meet him head-on, and stepped back slightly to avoid the Japanese officer's blade.

Once the Japanese officer's strike missed, he took a step forward and thrust his bayonet forward with a shout: "Kill!"

His movements were practiced and fluid, smooth as running water.

The roar startled Captain Fujiwara Hayato, who was completely immersed in his own fantasy.

He hadn't expected the soldier to retreat suddenly, never imagining that a soldier would dare to block his path, but then lack the courage to parry.

By the time he recovered his katana, before he could make another move, the other soldier had charged forward and thrust his bayonet.

With one step back and one step forward, the momentum shifted, and Captain Fujiwara Hayato's outward swing faltered.

Platoon Leader Feng's rifle didn't stop, thrusting forward fiercely, aiming straight for Fujiwara Hayato's throat.

Captain Fujiwara Hayato quickly slashed his katana to the left, trying to deflect the incoming bayonet before cleaving the soldier's chest.

His plan was perfect, but a small glitch occurred during its execution: his full-force strike only managed to deflect the opponent's bayonet slightly to the left.

Platoon Leader Feng Zhiyong, seeing his thrust deflected, simply pressed his rifle downwards.

The gleaming bayonet slashed down at the Japanese officer's arm.

If this blow landed, Captain Fujiwara Hayato's left arm would be useless.

Unwilling to sacrifice an arm for his life, Captain Fujiwara Hayato had no choice but to retreat, taking a large step backwards.

As the Japanese retreated, Feng Zhiyong advanced. The Japanese retreated quickly, and he pursued even faster.

Captain Fujiwara Hayato retreated three steps, and Feng Zhiyong advanced three steps, his rifle still waving in front of the Japanese officer's chest.

Having run out of room to retreat, Captain Fujiwara Hayato had to face reality.

His katana, during the continuous retreat, had been adjusted into position. Though he couldn't exert much force while retreating, he still tried his best to use his katana to deflect Feng Zhiyong's incoming rifle.

The weak blow didn't move the rifle, and Feng Zhiyong seized the opportunity, shouting again: "Kill!"

His rifle shot forward with a swish, extending a foot, and the bayonet pierced Captain Fujiwara Hayato's chest.

He felt the cold bayonet against his skin, and was immediately terrified.

Captain Fujiwara Hayato erupted completely, taking a large step backwards, and then heedlessly raising his katana high again.

Feng Zhiyong was regretting not thrusting forward three more inches just now; the Japanese officer would have been dead for sure.

Now, he had to fight the Japanese for a few more rounds. Seeing the Japanese officer grip his katana with both hands, he thrust his bayonet upwards, and the blades clashed before the Japanese officer's katana could fall.

Captain Fujiwara Hayato's katana hadn't even started accelerating when it was stopped by a great force.

At the same time, another great force pulled his katana outwards forcefully. His tiger's mouth aching, Captain Fujiwara Hayato could no longer hold onto his katana.

The katana slipped from his grasp and flew away.

This made the struggling Captain Fujiwara Hayato despair. He could only watch as the bayonet flashed towards his chest.

Once the bayonet pierced his flesh, Captain Fujiwara Hayato grabbed the barrel with both hands, trying to steady it, as if he didn't want Platoon Leader Feng Zhiyong to pull it back.

Unable to pull back his rifle, Platoon Leader Feng, gripping the rifle with both hands, twisted it clockwise. Caught off guard, Captain Fujiwara Hayato suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain.

His hands could no longer grip the barrel, and Platoon Leader Feng pulled out the rifle, then thrust it forward twice more with a whoosh.

This time, Captain Fujiwara Hayato was dead, truly dead beyond any chance of revival.

With Captain Fujiwara Hayato dead, his company of Japanese soldiers didn't last much longer. This was the first time Wang Hua's company had independently annihilated a Japanese company.

His company also suffered more than thirty casualties. Compared to the annihilation of the entire Japanese company, with more than 180 Japanese soldiers dying on this defensive line, this was a great victory.

The First Company wasn't the only one fighting on the entire defensive line; soldiers from the Fourth War Area were also fighting in other directions.

After the First Company opened a gap, they immediately continued to advance into the depths.

Defending Qingyuan was the Japanese 11th Infantry Regiment. Regiment Commander Yamaguchi Ryunosuke, hearing Captain Kita Wakateru's report from the rear that the first line of defense had been broken by the Guojun, and that Fujiwara Hayato's company had been completely wiped out, was so angry he almost passed out. The defensive line he had meticulously arranged had been breached by the Guojun in just half an hour.

This was simply too disrespectful, and too infuriating.

Regiment Commander Yamaguchi Ryunosuke loudly ordered, "You must immediately organize your men and retake the first line of defense!"

"Hai!" Although the Regiment Commander wasn't in front of him, Captain Kita Wakateru still nodded, stood at attention, and responded loudly.

Putting down the phone, before Captain Kita Wakateru could dispatch a team to retake the defensive line, the Fourth War Area's troops continued their attack.

They had reached the second line of defense held by Kita Wakateru's battalion.

This line of defense, defended by the Shirakawa Yoto Company, had an advantage over Fujiwara Hayato's company's line. After all, the second line of defense hadn't been subjected to the Fourth War Area's heavy artillery bombardment.

This meant that all the bunkers on Shirakawa Yoto Company's line were intact. Although the machine guns inside these bunkers were ineffective against the wheelbarrows pushed in front, they could still harm the soldiers who weren't completely protected by the wheelbarrows.

This made Battalion Commander Wang Hua, who was in charge of the attack, very helpless. He could only order six wheelbarrows to converge and charge towards one of the Japanese bunkers.

After reaching the bunker's blind spot, the soldiers hiding behind the wheelbarrows rushed out and used explosive packs to blow up the Japanese bunker.

As a result, the speed of the advance slowed down, and casualties increased significantly.

Brigade Commander Wu Xing had been worried that his troops would retreat if they encountered setbacks during the attack.

To his surprise, although the First Company was now facing setbacks and increasing casualties, not a single soldier had actively run back.

The soldiers were still striving to charge forward, with six wheelbarrows at the front, using heavy machine guns and explosive packs to clear the way.

After blowing up thirteen Japanese bunkers in a row, they finally cleared the obstacles in front.

The soldiers following behind continued to charge forward.

Captain Kita Wakateru watched as his bunkers at the front were silenced one after another, blown to smithereens by explosive packs.

The enemy was using the most brutal methods, leaving him at a loss.

To suppress the advance of this team, he had to continue to increase his forces. The Japanese soldiers of the Shirakawa Yohto Company had already suffered more than half their casualties inside the thirteen bunkers.

The remaining fewer than one hundred Japanese soldiers were simply unable to fight against a team whose morale only grew stronger as they fought.

Platoon Leader Feng Zhiyong shouted loudly in the ranks, "Brothers, we've really made a name for ourselves today! One company completely annihilated a Japanese company.

We're going to continue to fight the Japanese. Next time we see the brothers from the Special Operations Brigade, we can pat our chests and say: We've also successively annihilated two Japanese companies!"

These soldiers had fought alongside the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade a few days ago, admiring them in their hearts, but they weren't completely convinced.

After all, the Special Operations Brigade's soldiers had far better weapons and equipment. Today, Battalion Commander Wang Hua felt that if his company could annihilate another Japanese company, then they would have the qualifications to talk to the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade.

For these soldiers, only fighting the Japanese like today could be considered true combat.

Chen Feiyi, the squad leader of Wang Hua's company, echoed in the ranks, "Brothers, charge forward and kill the Japanese!"

They had now broken through the nodes on the Shirakawa Yohto Company's defensive line, and now it was time to charge forward for the final battle.

These soldiers, who had just fought a battle, were now at the peak of their morale.

What could Shirakawa Yohto, the company commander do?

He could only order the entire company to counterattack immediately.

Company Commander Shirakawa Yohto knew that the Fujiwara Hayato Company had lost in bayonet combat, so this time he didn't want to engage in bayonet combat with these soldiers from the Fourth War Area at all.

But they came too fast, and his own organized firepower defense line completely collapsed. The entire company of Japanese soldiers was forced onto the only path left: bayonet combat.

If they didn't engage in bayonet combat, they would have to abandon their positions and flee.

The remaining dozens of Japanese soldiers of the Shirakawa Yohto Company, not yet brave enough to do that, also charged forward shouting.

This time, the numbers on both sides were evenly matched. Now, it was a contest of each soldier's fighting spirit and bayonet skills.

If they were compared to the Special Operations Brigade in bayonet skills, Battalion Commander Wang Hua wouldn't dare claim to be the best.

Compared to the Japanese soldiers, he was no longer afraid at all. The victory in the first bayonet fight not only gave Battalion Commander Wang endless courage, but also seemed to give his company boundless strength.

Squad Leader Chen Fei clearly felt that this time, his thrust was faster and more powerful.

"What's going on?" He didn't understand. The soldiers in the entire company had this feeling, as if they had killed the Japanese soldiers, and after their bayonets had tasted blood, their bayonet skills had suddenly improved.

They didn't understand what was going on, and thought that there was providence protecting them. In reality, it was because they had been flustered and clumsy the first time they went to the battlefield, and hadn't used even half of their usual training level.

Now, after being baptized by blood, their thrusts were stable, accurate, and ruthless!

And they still left room for maneuver, so that they could make changes at any time according to the Japanese soldiers' movements. This way of leaving three parts of their strength when thrusting was what a real master should do.

When eliminating bandits, eliminate them completely, but leave three parts of your strength!

Squad Leader Hoshino Takumi, seeing that the Guojun had already charged into the trenches, could no longer bear it.

Waving his katana, he slashed at Battalion Commander Wang Hua, who was closest to him. Battalion Commander Wang Hua parried with his rifle, and the two began to fight.

Private First Class Otera Hibiki thrust his rifle straight at Feng Zhiyong, who deflected it with his rifle. While the front sight hooked onto the other's rifle, he pulled back hard, and then quickly thrust his own rifle forward.

The pull caused Otera Hibiki to lose his balance and charge straight towards Feng Zhiyong.

Private First Class Otera Hibiki, seeing himself rushing towards the other's gun muzzle, screamed in terror. His scream continued even as the bayonet pierced him.

Feng Zhiyong didn't indulge the Japanese soldier, and took advantage of his scream to add two more thrusts.

Otera Hibiki's scream immediately turned into a groan and a cry. He was just a private first class, and had only joined the 5th Division less than a month ago.

He hadn't even finished his basic training when he died here today, how could he not feel wronged?

But no matter how wronged he felt, no one cared on the battlefield. War doesn't believe in tears!

Feng Zhiyong killed this Japanese soldier who didn't have much combat power, and was a little puzzled: This Japanese soldier was too weak, completely just an ordinary person who didn't know anything.

Even his strength wasn't strong. He had meat to eat every day now, and his staple food was enough to fill him up. His strength and bones had been tempered a lot these days.

Just as one Japanese soldier died here, another Japanese soldier charged up.

Corporal Tokugawa Hyoe charged up, not saying a word, and thrust his gun. Feng Zhiyong, seeing that the other side was also thrusting with a gun, didn't mind that killing this Japanese soldier wouldn't be a great achievement.

Seeing the other side thrusting with a gun, he raised his gun to block, and then took the opportunity to pull and push his rifle forward. The rifle was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, retracting and extending instantly.

In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Corporal Tokugawa Hyoe, whose rifle was still in front of his chest and hadn't been retracted.

He could only move his right hand horizontally, trying to guide the other's bayonet away.

With this move, although he guided the tip of the rifle away, his chest was slashed open by the bayonet.

Feeling a sudden coolness in his chest, Tokugawa Hyoe was startled and quickly looked down at his chest.

Only then did he see clearly that the rifle had only stripped off his clothes, revealing a body of white flesh, with a patch of black hair on his chest.

Feng Zhiyong's rifle didn't keep following the Japanese soldier's guidance. Seeing that it had already been parried by the Japanese soldier, he pulled back and thrust again, his movements very fast.

This retraction and thrust made the hairy Japanese soldier panic. His rifle hadn't returned to position yet.

At this time, the Japanese soldier's rifle was still on the right side, but the thrust was coming from the left. Corporal Tokugawa Hyoe quickly turned his body, retracted his rifle, and tried to avoid the thrust.

Obviously, his movements weren't as fast as the bayonet. Feng Zhiyong thrust into the middle of the hairy patch, gently twisting his right hand, and then pulled it out.

The Japanese soldier immediately dropped his gun and covered the wound on his chest with both hands. Strike while the iron is hot!

Corporal Tokugawa Hyoe had been stabbed, and pressed his hands tightly on the wound on his chest, his mouth uttering some unknown words. When he opened his mouth, a mouthful of blood flowed out.

Even so, he was still struggling to say something.

Platoon Leader Feng Zhiyong didn't pay any attention to what the Japanese soldier was saying, and just kept stabbing his rifle at him.

When Corporal Tokugawa Hyoe was stabbed for the second time, he was still able to spare one hand to press on one wound.

But when the third wound appeared on his body, he was no longer able to press down with both hands.

By the time the Japanese soldier finally fell to the ground, Feng Zhiyong had stabbed him seven times. He really didn't know how his desire to live was so strong.

Battalion Commander Wang Hua and Squad Leader Hoshino Takumi fought back and forth for six or seven rounds, neither side able to do anything to the other for the time being.

This stalemate didn't last long. Soon, Squad Leader Hoshino Takumi noticed that the Japanese soldiers of the entire Shirakawa Yohto Company were falling.

There weren't even two Japanese soldiers like him who could fight the Guojun soldiers for a few rounds without falling. As he continued to fight with Battalion Commander Wang, he was obviously distracted. He had been distracted to observe the situation of the other Japanese soldiers.

Battalion Commander Wang Hua, who was completely focused, took advantage of the Japanese soldier's distraction, and launched several consecutive attacks, seizing the initiative.

Falling into a passive position, Squad Leader Hoshino Takumi was unable to defend against Battalion Commander Wang, whose thrusts were getting faster and faster.

Constant defense will inevitably lead to mistakes! His constant defense without being able to counterattack, of course, would only lead to death.

After being stabbed twice in the chest by Battalion Commander Wang Hua, Squad Leader Hoshino Takumi finally gave up resisting.

He said unwillingly, "Without outside interference, it's not certain who would win!"

Battalion Commander Wang Hua sneered, "In any case, you're doomed!"