Chapter 102 Always Aim Before Firing

It wasn't until the lead scouts of the Japanese army were within a hundred meters that Company Commander Hu ordered his men to start firing, telling them to aim carefully and not to rush.

Company Commander Hu kept telling his soldiers to take their time and aim before shooting.

Battalion Commander Fukuyama Yuji followed behind the main force, watching the charging Japanese soldiers fall one after another.

He silently calculated whether they could break through the front line with such losses.

Soon, his face brightened: at the current rate, at least five hundred men would be left when the two battalions charged into the Chinese army's line of defense.

This meant they would lose five hundred soldiers along the way. The thought made Battalion Commander Fukuyama Yuji feel bitter.

They had landed at Daya Bay and traveled hundreds of kilometers to Guangzhou city, losing less than two hundred soldiers along the way.

Today, they had lost five hundred men in an attack distance of less than five hundred meters. If the losses continued at this rate, the Twenty-first Army would have been too afraid to continue the offensive long ago.

The Japanese army charged to within fifty meters of the defensive line. At this point, it was clear that the defenders' firepower had intensified.

Company Commander Yamada Ueki issued the order for a final sprint. Although less than ten soldiers remained in the Miki Takeo squad, they still charged in the lead.

There could be no more slow progress in the final thirty meters. This was a time for speed and force.

The Japanese soldiers charging in front became excited. No matter how afraid they were, there was no turning back now.

Just as they were shouting and charging, a series of explosions, "Boom! Boom!", echoed through the air.

From thirty meters in front of the Tenth Company's defensive line to a distance of one hundred and fifty meters, directional mines began to detonate.

Battalion Commander Fujiwara Yuuo stared blankly at the position thirty meters ahead, where a directional mine had just exploded.

Within ten meters of the front of the explosion, not a single Japanese soldier was left standing. Even thirty meters away, many soldiers around Battalion Commander Fujiwara Yuuo had fallen.

They were now struggling and groaning, some rolling on the ground in agony.

Battalion Commander Fukuyama Yuji's earlier calculations hadn't accounted for these mines. Now, with so many suddenly appearing,

"We're done for!" After this barrage, no more than two hundred soldiers from the two battalions would be able to charge onto the Chinese army's defensive line. In this situation, two hundred men would be less effective than a hundred in normal circumstances.

While the Japanese soldiers were stunned, Company Commander Hu ordered, "Charge!"

Charge out! The enemy was few in number and had been turned into startled birds by the explosions. An attack at this moment would yield twice the results with half the effort.

Regiment Commander Koga Ryutaro watched from afar as the Fujiwara Yuuo Battalion and the Fukuyama Yuji Battalion, with their original thousand soldiers, dwindled to only two or three hundred by the time they reached the front line of the Chinese army.

He was heartbroken. Even so, he still had a final hope: that the three hundred soldiers could break through the enemy's line of defense. That would still be good.

But at that moment, he saw the remaining soldiers of the two battalions and the flashes of fire around them. Although the explosions were somewhat distant and the sounds were not very clear,

Regiment Commander Koga Ryutaro still felt the ground shaking. His whole body trembled, both from fear and anger.

The battlefield ahead was shrouded in smoke, and he could see nothing. But even with his eyes closed, he could imagine what had happened to the charging soldiers.

Battalion Commander Fujiwara Yuuo, seeing the Special Operations Brigade charging towards them, had only one option: to continue shouting encouragement to the soldiers, urging them to charge and engage the approaching troops in close combat with bayonets.

Company Commander Yamada Ueki saw that the Miki Takeo squad in front had been completely annihilated. Of his own company, less than thirty soldiers were still standing.

Even so, he waved his command saber and charged towards Company Commander Hu Xiong's troops, shouting loudly, "Kill!" With the company commander leading the charge, his soldiers had no choice but to follow.

Sergeant Nikko Yuko mechanically followed Company Commander Yamada Ueki's orders, holding his rifle and charging forward. The distance between the two sides was only thirty meters, and both armies were charging.

In less than five seconds, the two sides clashed. The soldiers of the Tenth Company stepped forward, shouting, "Kill!" At that moment, the earth trembled slightly, and the air seemed to compress and explode with the force of the battle cry.

Faced with this group of high-spirited soldiers, Company Commander Yamada Ueki felt the command saber in his hand become incredibly heavy, and his steps even heavier than the saber.

He could already deeply feel the killing intent coming from the opposite side. Company Commander Yamada Ueki knew that if he took another step forward, he would surely die.

Sergeant Nikko Yuko, who had been following behind Company Commander Yamada Ueki, rushed ahead when the company commander hesitated.

He thrust his bayonet forward, uttering an unintelligible sound. Nikko Yuko's bayonet charge looked fierce, but it lacked real power. Ma Dawei, facing him, shouted "Kill!"

He raised his rifle and parried, knocking Nikko Yuko's rifle away. This sudden turn of events was unexpected for Nikko Yuko.

It also surprised Company Commander Yamada Ueki, who watched helplessly as the unarmed Nikko Yuko was stabbed twice in quick succession by the enemy soldier.

Then, Nikko Yuko slowly knelt down, his knees giving way first, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing forward as if admitting defeat.

This posture immediately made Company Commander Yamada Ueki feel intense shame. He shouted and waved his command saber, rushing towards Ma Dawei.

Shi Jiang, the Tenth Company Commander of the Fourth War Area, who was working with the Special Operations Brigade, saw a Japanese lieutenant rushing towards Ma Dawei and was greatly alarmed. He knew that these grassroots Japanese commanders had undergone several years of training at military academies.

Their command and combat abilities were both quite strong, while Ma Dawei was just an ordinary soldier. Company Commander Shi Jiang took a few steps forward, preparing to rescue the Special Operations Brigade soldier.

Ma Dawei saw the Japanese officer charging towards him with a command saber and, instead of retreating, advanced, calmly approaching the enemy.

When they were at the right distance, both shouted, Ma Dawei thrusting his bayonet at the Japanese officer's chest, and Company Commander Yamada Ueki slashing his command saber down at Ma Dawei.

Seeing the saber coming down quickly, Ma Dawei used his right hand to press down on the butt of his rifle, raising the bayonet to block the Japanese officer's saber. He suddenly quickened his pace and charged forward, while also shifting his body to the side, slamming his shoulder into the enemy's chest.

Company Commander Yamada Ueki, whose saber was blocked, didn't have time to retract it, so he could only take a step back. Ma Dawei pressed his advantage, taking a big step closer.

He pushed the rifle butt forward, directly smashing it into the face of the short Japanese soldier in front of him. This time, Yamada Ueki couldn't dodge, and the rifle butt struck his face, causing tears and blood to flow.

When the two separated, Company Commander Shi Jiang, who had rushed to the scene, saw that the Japanese officer's nose was crooked, his teeth were missing, and his face had a large gash. He looked as pathetic as could be.

Ma Dawei had no sympathy for the Japanese soldier. As soon as they separated, he shouted, "Kill!" With this roar, the bayonet was thrust out like lightning.

With tearful eyes, Company Commander Yamada Ueki raised his command saber and hastily swung it forward, parrying the blow. The force transmitted through the rifle made his arm ache.

At this point, he felt that he could no longer withstand the next strike. Just then, Ma Dawei shouted again, "Kill!" And thrust his bayonet once more.

Company Commander Yamada Ueki raised his saber again to parry, but this time, Ma Dawei's thrust was even stronger, making Yamada Ueki unable to bear it any longer.

He cleverly took a step back to defuse the force coming from the other side. Unexpectedly, as he stepped back, the other side took a big step forward, shouting again: Kill!

What could Company Commander Yamada Ueki do now? He could only continue to retreat. He didn't know how many steps he had retreated when his foot stumbled and his body became unstable. Facing the thrusting bayonet, he couldn't parry and could only watch helplessly as the bayonet pierced his body.

He had to rely on the force of the bayonet piercing him to maintain his balance. As the bayonet was pulled away, Company Commander Yamada Ueki felt weak all over, his entire body leaning forward.

His knees buckled, and he knelt down towards the soldier opposite him, just like Sergeant Nikko Yuko had done.

The Japanese commander had actually knelt down! Company Commander Shi Jiang, who was nearby, was shocked. If only there were a camera to capture this scene!

What a classic moment! A Japanese commander kneeling before a Chinese soldier begging for mercy on the battlefield. Ma Dawei clearly didn't have so many thoughts. He thrust his bayonet out again.

Company Commander Yamada Ueki, who had been stabbed twice, didn't even realize how humiliating his posture was. To maintain his balance and avoid falling, he tried to support himself on the ground with his hands, making him look even more like he was prostrating himself in a five-body salute.

This scene was not only seen by Company Commander Shi Jiang, but also by many of his soldiers. These Chinese soldiers all imitated the Special Operations Brigade soldiers' battle cry.

With each thrust of the bayonet, they shouted "Kill!" With each step forward, they stomped their feet! The whole earth trembled with the soldiers' advancing steps, and the air vibrated with the sound of their battle cries.

Squad Leader Kitakaze Yuuki also saw that humiliating scene of Yamada Ueki. What could he do? He was powerless to stop it.

He could only take over command after Yamada Ueki died on his knees and tried to lead the entire company to continue resisting. Soon, he realized that there was no need to command anymore.

Not to mention the Yamada Ueki Company, even the entire Fujiwara Yuuo Battalion had been almost completely wiped out by this point. Less than thirty soldiers were still standing.

Company Commander Hu Xiong was already ordering his men to clean up the battlefield. From his vantage point, he could still see some Japanese soldiers lurking in the distance, not showing their faces.

Company Commander Hu ordered his soldiers to return to the trenches and conceal themselves, preparing to face the next wave of Japanese attacks. He also ordered the First Platoon to replenish the directional mines they had just used.

Regiment Commander Koga Ryutaro looked at the two battalion commanders who had come to the regimental headquarters. He couldn't punish these two battalions. They had already done their best, sending all the soldiers of their battalions to the battlefield.

It wasn't that these Japanese soldiers were unwilling to fight, nor were they fleeing from battle. It was just that the Chinese army was too strong, and they were simply unable to break through!

Although his regiment wasn't completely wiped out yet, with the remaining soldiers from the regimental headquarters and the four battalions, there were still four or five hundred men left.

But he didn't dare to order these soldiers to attack again. After the smoke cleared, it was clear that the battlefield in front of the Special Operations Brigade's defensive line was piled high with even more Japanese corpses.

He dared not continue the attack and could only report the setback to Division Commander Miyake Toshio, explaining that the entire regiment had suffered heavy casualties and was unable to continue the offensive.

Division Commander Miyake Toshio had never imagined this kind of situation. He had sent a whole infantry regiment just to retrieve the cannons and clear the road to Conghua.

But the attacking infantry regiment had been completely annihilated. He couldn't accept such a result. But now was not the time for futile rage.

He could only order: "The 170th Infantry Regiment, immediately retreat towards Zengcheng." As for the cannons, Division Commander Miyake Toshio was no longer willing to think about them.

At the same time, he angrily questioned Regiment Commander Inui Tadao: "Your retreat? Why hasn't it happened yet? Do you want to disobey orders?"

Regiment Commander Inui Tadao was currently feeling extremely frustrated. He had only been ordered to retreat from the battlefield for less than half an hour.

Moreover, the entire division had not come to help his regiment.

Facing Division Commander Miyake Toshio, Regiment Commander Inui Tadao felt like he had found someone to confide in and immediately recounted all the difficulties his regiment was currently facing.

He received a briefing from the division commander on the latest battle situation: the 170th Infantry Regiment had been completely annihilated, and the 108th Infantry Regiment had withdrawn from the battlefield and was heading southwest towards Zengcheng.

Listening to Division Commander Miyake Toshio's explanation, Regiment Commander Inui Tadao felt his blood rush to his head and almost fell over. Was it possible that there wasn't a single Japanese soldier in the entire division who could come and help him?

Thinking about the annihilation of the 170th Infantry Regiment, coupled with the current state of the 137th Infantry Regiment, Inui Tadao felt an increasingly strong sense of foreboding.

But all four of his battalions were entangled with the Special Operations Brigade and couldn't retreat at all.

He hardened his heart and ordered: "All soldiers of the regimental headquarters, prepare to break through! Order the Kishitani Coastal Battalion to send a company to the regimental headquarters.

The Akasaka Yuuki Battalion, the Nakamura Takuma Battalion, and the Aiba Kaede Battalion each send a company to the regimental headquarters to form a strike force."

Inui Tadao had a plan: he would take a company from each battalion to form a new infantry battalion to protect the regimental headquarters and break out.

As for the various battalions, he would have them hold back the Special Operations Brigade and then find an opportunity to break out. Inui Tadao thought that as long as he opened up a path of retreat, the other battalions could follow.

The plan was, of course, perfect, but he couldn't care less about what the outcome would be.

Battalion Commander Kishitani Kaizumi, who received the regiment commander's order, looked at the Special Operations Brigade soldiers who were constantly charging down the hillside. Under these circumstances, withdrawing a company that he had left as a reserve was equivalent to taking his life! But military orders were like mountains. He had to carry them out, whether he understood them or not.

There was no room for discussion!

Company Commander Kobeya Taro received the order: report to the regimental headquarters immediately!

This order delighted Sergeant Fujieda Taichi. Since his unit had entered the battlefield, he had seen the piles of corpses on the hillside.

Although they were a bit far away, he could still make out which side the corpses belonged to. Fujieda Taichi was certain that the corpses were all Japanese.

There was no other reason, except that the 137th Infantry Regiment had been attacking without success, which was why they had been sent to rescue them.

Since they had been attacking without success, they must have suffered heavy casualties. Just by looking at the pale faces and disoriented expressions of the Japanese soldiers in the 137th Infantry Regiment, anyone could tell that they must have lost too many men.

Seeing this scene, Fujieda Taichi wanted to turn around and run, but he couldn't retreat without orders.

Now, it was great: the whole company was retreating, following the regimental headquarters. This was a good thing!

For the Kobeya Company, this was definitely a good thing. The atmosphere among the company's soldiers immediately became lively. Company Commander Kobeya didn't delay and immediately set off with his men.

Battalion Commander Akasaka Yuuki sent back the Kagemasa Kametarō Company. The soldiers of this company were also happy, as long as they could get away from the battlefield, they would be satisfied.

The Kagemasa Kametarō Company was withdrawing from the battlefield, and their defensive line was immediately taken over by another Japanese unit in the battalion.

Battalion Commander Akasaka Yuuki also wanted to retreat with them. He could already see that the entire regiment couldn't retreat completely intact. There had to be a unit left behind to cover the retreat.

He hoped that the unit left behind to cover the retreat would be the Nakamura Takuma Battalion. The Nakamura Takuma Battalion was in front of him, and even further ahead was the Aiba Kaede Battalion.

Battalion Commander Aiba Kaede roared: "I have no troops to send back." His battalion was at the very front of the formation, and the other Japanese units were only facing attacks from one direction.

His battalion was facing attacks from two directions. As soon as he entered the battlefield, his entire battalion had been committed to the fight. Facing attacks from two directions, Aiba Kaede not only couldn't send troops.

He also had to send a messenger back to request reinforcements.

But the messenger he sent out soon returned with news: retreat! Retreat at any cost!