The Japanese artillery fire raged, and Lin Fan watched the battlefield filled with explosions from a distance.

Two areas of intense shelling had appeared on the battlefield, with the Japanese and the Special Forces Brigade's artillery teams each bombing their respective targets.

Although the Special Forces Brigade's artillery was striking deep into the Japanese defensive lines, the Japanese artillery fire was also blocking the Special Forces Brigade's follow-up support troops.

The Special Forces Brigade's attack was not limited to a single direction; the 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion was just one of four attacking forces.

In the northeast, the 15th Regiment, led by Company Commander Jing Chengxuan, also broke through the first line of Japanese defenses.

He received an immediate battlefield report via radio: the Japanese artillery was bombarding the defensive line just captured by Company Commander Shi and his men.

Fortunately, Company Commander Shi reacted quickly, leading his soldiers in a fierce charge forward, perfectly avoiding the Japanese bombardment.

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This reminded Company Commander Jing to not linger too long on the newly captured defensive line.

Japanese artillery bombardments could come at any time, forcing Company Commander Jing's troops to accelerate their attack!

Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro never imagined that the meticulously designed and constructed fortifications would be so useless.

Only half an hour into the battle, the entire front line had already been captured by the Special Forces Brigade.

The Special Forces Brigade troops did not stop after taking the first line, continuing to attack the second line.

Hearing the constant calls for reinforcements from the front lines, Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro couldn't determine which direction the attacking troops were prioritizing.

Generally, sieges have a main attack and feints, a primary and secondary approach, to facilitate troop deployment.

This also clarifies the priorities, making the attack easier.

However, this time, the Special Forces Brigade attacked from four directions simultaneously, and Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro's first line of defense had already fallen.

He still couldn't discern the Special Forces Brigade's main direction of attack, which put Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro in a difficult position: which direction should he send the reserve forces to support?

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Support all four directions simultaneously? He didn't have enough troops for that.

Not send reinforcements? The second line of defense was already in full crisis.

Even more anxious than Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro were Captain Chiga Hayato of the mortar company and Captain Tsuruta Aoi of the machine gun company.

Their original mission was to reinforce Captain Ono Takemaru's company on the first line, but when they were about to move forward,

Both company commanders were afraid of incurring too great a cost and hesitated to advance.

As a result, they watched helplessly as the two infantry companies were completely annihilated by the attacking Special Forces Brigade troops.

Now, Shi Junxia was leading his troops to charge towards the second line of Japanese defenses again.

This time, Captain Chiga Hayato dared not delay any longer, immediately ordering his entire mortar company to open fire.

It would have been better if his company hadn't fired at all, because as soon as they opened fire, they immediately attracted retaliatory mortar fire from the attacking troops.

Shi Chengxuan's company had five mortars, which were clearly outmatched by the Japanese mortar company's twelve mortars.

This was not the full strength of Shi Chengxuan's company; seeing his company's artillery firepower was insufficient, he immediately requested artillery support from Battalion Commander Liu.

Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi threw a shell into the mortar tube, and hearing the "whoosh" sound, he didn't even look ahead before grabbing another shell.

He threw the shell into the tube again.

All twelve mortars in the Chiga Hayato artillery company were in this state, with every Japanese soldier trying to speed up their firing rate.

As soon as they started bombarding, the enemy retaliated with shells, so now it was a race against time and firepower saturation.

It was either the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind, or vice versa.

Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi knew that they no longer needed to worry too much about the accuracy of their bombardment. With twelve mortars firing simultaneously, who could tell which shell came from which mortar?

From the start of the bombardment until now, he had already fired six shells. Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi was somewhat proud of his hand speed: after so many years of training, his hand speed was indeed very fast.

Just then, he suddenly felt the sky darken, and then the earth began to tremble. Although Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi was already crouching on the ground, he still felt the ground shaking too violently and sat down.

This barely stabilized his body. Around him, far and near, came the "rumbling" sound of explosions, the sound of artillery fire resounding through the heavens and earth.

Captain Chiga Hayato could clearly see that shells were exploding everywhere in the area where they were located, and his artillery company was still intact.

However, the Japanese soldiers in the entire artillery company were clearly frightened, and for a moment, they stopped firing.

Captain Chiga Hayato was furious and loudly ordered: "Bombard! Continue to bombard!"

Just because his company was intact didn't mean all the Japanese soldiers were.

Captain Tsuruta Aoi was now very depressed as he looked at his company. In just the previous round of artillery bombardment, he had lost five machine guns and a squad of Japanese soldiers.

These five machine gun crews had come to the battlefield without firing a single shot. And then they were dead.

One of the machine gun operators, Takahashi Daiki, was his neighbor, and the two Japanese soldiers were good friends in private.

Now, having witnessed his good friend being blown into a pile of minced meat, Captain Tsuruta Aoi was enraged.

But his anger was completely useless. The charging troops on the other side had scattered and gone prone after being bombarded.

They were still a full five hundred meters away from his machine gun positions, too far to open fire.

Not long after the first round of bombardment, the second round came, and this time his machine gun company suffered much less damage, with only two machine guns destroyed.

Even so, it was already an unbearable loss for the Tsuruta Aoi company.

He now had a choice: retreat or hold his ground?

Captain Chiga Hayato ordered the entire company to continue bombarding. His company had suffered no casualties in the first round of bombardment.

In the second round of bombardment, a shell suddenly exploded on the edge of his artillery position, instantly killing more than thirty Japanese soldiers.

Although Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi was not injured, the fear in his heart was indescribable.

Just now, a piece of shrapnel grazed his head and struck another Japanese soldier next to him in the neck. This Japanese soldier immediately clutched his neck with both hands, muttering for help.

Blood flowed down his hands like water gushing from a tap.

Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi no longer continued to throw shells into the tube. He rushed over and took out a bandage.

Nervously, he told the Japanese soldier to let go and bandaged him. Looking at the wound after he let go, blood spurted out like water from a high-pressure faucet.

Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi immediately understood: the artery was severed, and there was no hope.

He hastily wrapped the Japanese soldier's neck tightly with a bandage, almost causing the Japanese soldier to die of suffocation before he could die of blood loss.

Even so, Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi could not save the Japanese soldier's life.

In fact, he couldn't save anyone's life. The third round of artillery bombardment was coming, and this time the entire Chiga Hayato artillery company was within the range of the artillery bombardment.

Captain Chiga Hayato, who had been standing firm, finally slowly fell after being hit by an unknown number of shrapnel.

He fell, along with the entire mortar company.

This time, although Sergeant Major Fukada Taichi still managed to survive, he no longer had any intention of continuing to throw shells.

He just wanted to escape from this bombarded area as soon as possible.

When Company Commander Shi Junxia was attacked by Japanese mortar fire, he immediately began to retaliate.

At the same time, he called for support from the rocket artillery company. Ten minutes later, the Japanese mortar bombardment completely stopped.

The 1st Company's charge began again. Captain Tsuruta Aoi watched as the Special Forces Brigade soldiers started charging again from a distance.

He immediately perked up. His company had suffered more than half its casualties in the previous bombardment. He was not the only machine gun company defending this line.

There was also the Kobayashi Ryo infantry company, and they were all mixed together on the same defensive line.

This infantry company had also suffered heavy casualties in the previous bombardment, and Captain Kobayashi Ryo, filled with anger and unable to vent it, saw the Special Forces Brigade soldiers still three hundred meters away.

He began to issue orders: "Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Captain Kobayashi Ryo had long known that the Special Forces Brigade troops were strong, but he also had his reliance.

Not only were the Japanese soldiers in his company strong, but the main thing was that there was now a reinforced machine gun company on this defensive line.

Captain Kobayashi Ryo believed that with the help of the machine gun company, he could hold this defensive line.

He looked back, knowing that an infantry company was rushing towards him at this moment.

Battalion Commander Tobe Forty-two had learned from the loss of the first line of defense. This time, he had sent him a reinforcement team as soon as the battle started.

No matter what the Japanese soldiers on the other side were like, Company Commander Shi's attack plan was always the same: six heavy machine guns pushed forward, with the rest of the company's soldiers following behind.

The soldiers of the 1st Company were now rushing forward with all their might. They had just fought two consecutive battles.

It would be a lie to say they weren't tired. But as long as it was necessary for the battle, they could still persevere.

Ahead were the Japanese fortifications. Five mortars and two infantry guns had stopped, establishing an artillery position on the spot and starting to bombard the Japanese defensive line.

Although this defensive line had just been bombarded by the rocket artillery company, some of the firing points still needed to be dealt with manually when it came to the infantry assault.

Captain Chiga Hayato saw the Special Forces Brigade soldiers charging within three hundred meters and immediately ordered his Japanese soldiers to open fire.

The sound of heavy machine guns firing, "da-da-da," spread out, and the Japanese soldiers of the Kobayashi Ryo company were not to be outdone, and they also began to fire sporadically.

The Special Forces Brigade soldiers charging in front were still far away, but since they were idle anyway, firing two shots to make some noise was better than just staying here.

The gunfire on the position was intense, and the six heavy machine guns pushed to the front of the 1st Company were under great pressure.

Japanese heavy machine gun bullets hit the carts, ringing loudly, and each bullet carried a strong force, making it difficult for the soldiers pushing the carts.

Company Commander Shi Junxia was anxious and shouted loudly: "Artillery! Blow them up!"

The artillery position, which had already been established, immediately began to bombard the Japanese machine gun firing points after receiving the order.

The sound of explosions, "boom, boom!" sounded again. Captain Tsuruta Aoi was surprised to find that although the shells fired this time did not sound loud.

But the damage to his machine gun company was much greater. Each shell seemed to have eyes, and when it exploded, it was always near the machine guns.

One of the characteristics of mortars was their fast firing rate. Shells flew in strings, one after another, towards the machine gun positions under his command.

Even if these machine gun firing points were inside bunkers, they could not withstand such bombardment.

There was no way around it, who told Regimental Commander Miyazawa Taro to only think about quantity and majesty when building these bunkers a few days ago, and not about quality?

In fact, these bunkers were completely sufficient to defend against bullets.

But the attacking Special Forces Brigade troops did not follow the regimental commander's plan at all. They didn't play fair.

They would throw shells over at the drop of a hat, and that was what was happening now. Captain Tsuruta Aoi saw that three more bunkers had collapsed in the artillery bombardment, and he could only order: "All machine guns retreat from the bunkers."

He understood: those bunkers were completely deadly graves. After being bombed and collapsed, they even saved them the effort of burying them; they were directly buried.

The Tsuruta Aoi machine gun company had just started fighting and had already begun to adjust its battle plan, and the machine gun fire was reduced.

The 1st Company's attack had not changed, and they had now advanced to within one hundred meters of the Japanese defensive line.

At this time, the Japanese soldiers of the Kobayashi Ryo company began to get busy. If they were just firing to make noise at three hundred meters.

Now they no longer dared to think like that: if they didn't take it seriously, the enemy would rush into the trenches.

Fortunately, at this time, the Akasaka Makoto company that came to reinforce had also arrived on the battlefield, and now there were four companies of Japanese soldiers on the entire defensive line.

Although the Chiga Hayato artillery company was already crippled, and there was not a single mortar firing, even if they were excluded, there were two infantry companies and a machine gun company on this defensive line.

Battalion Commander Tobe Forty-two knew that the Akasaka Makoto company had arrived on the battlefield and joined the battle.

At this moment, the heart he had been holding in his throat finally relaxed: now it was stable! They could definitely hold the defensive line.

In his opinion: whether it was troop strength or firepower, his side was much stronger.

Sergeant Kazuo Suzuki had just run into the trench, gasped for a few breaths while crouching on the edge of the trench, and then set up his rifle.

He fired a shot at the Special Forces Brigade troops charging in front. Then he saw a string of sparks on the cart that was being pushed forward within the range he was aiming at.

He couldn't help but ask: "What's going on?"

Sergeant Hiroto Fujiwara next to him said helplessly: "I don't know what their cart is made of, it can't even be penetrated by heavy machine gun bullets.

They just keep pushing it in the front, and their people hide behind this cart to charge, it's too rogue."

The rogueness of the Special Forces Brigade soldiers caused the helplessness of the Japanese soldiers.

Company Commander Shi didn't care about these things. They had now rushed to within fifty meters of the Japanese defensive line, and Captain Tsuruta Aoi realized it.

No matter where his machine guns were set up, they always attracted attacks at the first moment.

Now, there was not only mortar bombardment, but also direct fire from rocket launchers. The battle had not been going on for long, and his company's machine guns had been used up.

The battle was still going on, but the machine guns were blown up. The Japanese soldiers were still alive, which was really sad.

Captain Tsuruta Aoi could only order the Japanese soldiers under his command to pick up rifles in the trenches and join the battle. His machine gun company had now become an infantry company.

This was not such a professional matter; the Japanese soldiers in the machine gun company were still able to adapt.

Sergeant Yuji Hasegawa was originally a machine gun assistant shooter and had fortunately survived just now.

Now, holding a Type 38 rifle in his hand, he had just fired two shots when he heard the company commander order: "Fix bayonets!"

The three Japanese companies on the entire defensive line received the same order: there was no other way.

Who told the Special Forces Brigade troops who came to attack to never stop their advance from the beginning of the charge? In such a short period of time, they had already rushed to within thirty meters of the trenches.

If they didn't prepare for bayonet combat at this time, there would be no chance.

When the Japanese soldiers began to prepare for bayonet combat, 1st Company Commander Shi Junxia was also ordering: "Grenades! Throw!"

He ordered the soldiers charging at the front to throw grenades. A round of grenades was thrown out.

The Japanese soldiers of the Kobayashi Ryo company, who were preparing to counterattack, were caught off guard. Sergeant Kazuo Suzuki was extremely lucky not to be killed by the grenades.

Then he heard the company commander shouting: "Charge!"

Shouts resounded throughout the battlefield, and hundreds of Japanese soldiers charged out of the trenches at the same time.

The soldiers of the 1st Company were not to be outdone, and they also shouted and charged towards the Japanese soldiers. Company Commander Han Xi, who was acting with the 1st Company, and his soldiers also charged towards the Japanese soldiers.

In fact, Company Commander Han Xi and his men now had no less desire to fight the Japanese soldiers with bayonets than the 1st Company. They had already found the feeling in the previous fight.

They had also established confidence: the feeling of bayonet combat, where every thrust went straight to the flesh, was really good.

The Japanese soldiers were right in front of them, and as long as they used the bayonet in their hands well, the Japanese soldiers would not be able to escape.

Unlike being a little further away, where inaccurate marksmanship meant they couldn't hit, or the Japanese soldiers hid well, so no matter what, they couldn't hit.

This time, the strength of both sides was similar. Sergeant Kazuo Suzuki came out with his rifle, and encountered Zhong Youcai head-on.

Zhong Youcai thrust his rifle forward, easily killing the Japanese soldier.

He continued to advance, with Li Youde following to cooperate. The soldiers of the Special Forces Brigade were like this. On the surface, it looked like they were fighting independently when fighting with bayonets.

If you paid attention, you would understand that they always maintained the foundation of three combat teams no matter what. As long as needed, the combat teams would immediately gather together.