Chapter 1 Nakajima Takuto, Sergeant

Sergeant Nakajima Takuto, a Japanese soldier in Captain Sanjō Jinjirō's company, was terrified when he heard his captain's order to hold their ground.

He wanted to run but dared not move, so he flopped haphazardly onto the ground and fired his rifle at the approaching soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade, "Bang! Bang!"

This kind of blind firing quickly exhausted his ammunition.

Having run out of bullets, Nakajima Takuto immediately requested more from Squad Leader Ishida Hideki, but where would they find any in this situation?

The entire squad of Japanese soldiers seemed to have suddenly opened a door, desperately pouring bullets at the distant soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade.

Captain Sanjō Jinjirō was somewhat gratified by the Japanese soldiers' shift from resistance to active firing.

However, this intensive barrage of gunfire lasted less than ten minutes before the entire company's defense line fell silent: they were out of ammunition.

What to do now?

Resupply? Impossible at this point! With no other options, Captain Sanjō Jinjirō had no choice but to order a retreat.

What could Colonel Inui Tadao, who knew they had wasted their ammunition trying to stop the advancing Special Operations Brigade soldiers, do?

Now, with pursuers behind them, he couldn't even establish a line of defense.

And ahead, the entire 161st Infantry Regiment, along with the 137th Infantry Regiment, had yet to break through the blocking line in front of them.

What could they do?

Colonel Inui Tadao and Colonel Kawasaki Shirō, at their wits' end, looked at each other, both knowing that if they didn't break through the Special Operations Brigade's blocking line, they wouldn't survive.

The two colonels made the same decision: to concentrate their remaining forces and launch a final assault. They would join the charge themselves; if they succeeded, they could break through and rendezvous with General Miyake Toshio.

If they failed, they would die here with their regiments.

With the plan settled, the two colonels gathered their last forces. This time, the Watanabe Saemon Company and the Sanjō Jinjirō Company, who had strongly insisted on being the vanguard rather than the rearguard, led the charge.

The soldiers of these two companies had scrounged some ammunition from the other units and immediately plunged into the forefront of the assault.

Standing on the hilltop, watching the remnants of the Japanese force regroup and charge towards the lines of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Companies,

Regimental Commander Shangguan Zhiwen smiled, "Brigade Commander! These Japanese are finished."

Lin Fan nodded, "They're done for!" The observation team sent by the Fourth War Area also saw it.

When these Japanese soldiers had first prepared to flee, there had been a long string of them, about two thousand strong.

After this short period of bombing and two attempted breakthroughs, their numbers had been reduced by half; they couldn't even muster a full battalion anymore.

Even as these Japanese soldiers continued to charge forward through the bombardment.

Lin Fan didn't stop as he spoke, continuing to rain bombs on the distant Japanese.

The Special Operations Brigade had stocked up on more mortar shells than any other type of ammunition.

From the moment the last Japanese force gathered, they had been under constant bombardment. Lin Fan didn't let up, and the distant Japanese were blown about, falling every which way.

Sergeant Nakajima Takuto finally got what he wished for, as he wanted to be in the vanguard. Clearly, Colonel Inui Tadao was aware of his desire.

His squad now formed the tip of the spear for the breakthrough. Squad Leader Ishida Hideki was diligently directing the entire squad's charge.

Behind them were the Sanjō Jinjirō Company and the Watanabe Saemon Company, followed by the Kame Tarō Company, and finally, the remnants of the entire Kishitani Kaisen Battalion.

Behind those Japanese soldiers were the headquarters of the 161st Infantry Regiment, led by Colonel Inui Yoshio, and the headquarters of the 137th Infantry Regiment, led by Colonel Kawasaki Shirō.

This time, they were going all out, leaving not a single soldier behind.

The Japanese charging force was still five hundred meters away when Tao Dezhun, the commander of the Eighth Company responsible for blocking them, ordered a mortar barrage from the three infantry companies.

Fei Wei, the commander of the anti-aircraft machine gun company, also ordered his guns to open fire; five hundred meters wasn't too far for them.

Sergeant Nakajima Takuto had been focused on being in the vanguard of the breakthrough when they were retreating, believing he would surely succeed.

But once he actually reached the battlefield, he realized that breaking through wasn't any easier than holding the line and establishing a defense.

In fact, the Special Operations Brigade's assault on the breakthrough force was much fiercer. This made Sergeant Nakajima Takuto, who had just charged out less than a hundred meters, begin to regret his decision.

But now, these Japanese soldiers assigned to the forefront had no way to retreat.

The "boom! boom!" of exploding shells rang out nearby.

Bullets whizzed past their ears, and every sound sent shivers down Sergeant Nakajima Takuto's spine.

He saw with his own eyes as a spray of blood suddenly erupted from the back of Sergeant Hyakutai Hayato, who was charging in front of him. The hole pierced straight through to his chest, and Sergeant Hyakutai Hayato pitched forward without a sound, not even a twitch.

Many of the Japanese soldiers witnessed this, and Squad Leader Ishida Hideki whispered, "Anti-aircraft machine gun!"

At the same time, in the rear of the Japanese breakthrough force, Colonel Inui Tadao also saw a fist-sized hole suddenly appear in the back of a bodyguard.

The bodyguard staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

"What kind of weapon is that?" Colonel Inui Tadao asked angrily.

"It must be a large-caliber weapon. Using anti-aircraft machine guns against infantry is too unfair," Colonel Kawasaki Shirō said, equally enraged.

The anti-aircraft machine guns had a long range, and even though they were seven or eight hundred meters from the front line, their power was undiminished.

A 12.7mm bullet was guaranteed to wound and likely kill.

Even with such intense firepower, Colonel Inui Tadao continued to urge the Japanese soldiers at the front to move faster.

They no longer had any chance of retreating; the other companies of the Fifteenth Regiment were already catching up.

However, the firepower ahead was too intense, and fearing friendly fire, Companies One, Two, and Three ceased their pursuit, although they could still use mortars.

Colonel Kawasaki Shirō watched as the increasingly dense artillery fire rapidly decimated the regiment's ranks.

Breaking through and escaping was now as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Reports of the two regiments' plight had reached General Miyake Toshio, who was already overwhelmed. Colonel Koga Ryūtarō's regiment was still attacking in the direction of Conghua, but had made no progress.

Now, receiving reports from Colonels Inui Tadao and Kawasaki Shirō, General Miyake Toshio dared not place his hopes on Colonel Koga Yūtarō.

He ordered, "The division headquarters will immediately retreat southwest. The 170th Infantry Regiment will cancel its attack towards Conghua and immediately retreat southwest, towards Zengcheng.

The 161st and 137th Infantry Regiments will also retreat towards Zengcheng."

Although the 161st and 137th Infantry Regiments might not be able to retreat all the way back, they still needed to be informed of the direction of retreat.

With the orders issued, the entire 104th Infantry Division sprang into action, the division headquarters moving the fastest, setting off immediately.

The two field hospitals that had been following the division headquarters also hurried to move, but their progress was much slower. The field hospitals had been continuously receiving wounded Japanese soldiers for treatment.

The general had ordered a retreat, but the field hospitals simply didn't have enough personnel to take all the wounded with them.

This was a dilemma! The Japanese doctors and nurses in the two field hospitals numbered only five or six hundred, but they had over a thousand wounded in their care.

And more wounded were still arriving. The Japanese soldiers in the supply units, hearing the order to retreat towards Zengcheng,

Several of them carried a wounded soldier and headed towards Zengcheng, no longer bringing them to the field hospital.

They could send the wounded directly to Zengcheng, minimizing the risk.

But this left the Japanese soldiers in the field hospitals behind.

General Miyake Toshio, during his retreat, received a situation report and coldly ordered, "The doctors and nurses from the field hospitals will leave first. The wounded will remain in place, waiting for the 161st and 137th Infantry Regiments to come and take them away."

After issuing the order to the soldiers in the two field hospitals, General Miyake Toshio also sent the same order to the already struggling 161st and 137th Infantry Regiments.

When Vice Colonel Inui Tadao received the telegram, he immediately understood: the general was abandoning all the wounded.

Looking at the many wounded soldiers behind him, Colonel Inui Tadao remained silent.

He tore up the telegram, drew his command sword, and silently waved it forward, signaling all the Japanese soldiers to continue their attack.

At this point, Colonel Inui Tadao was beyond complaining!

He knew that General Miyake Toshio had abandoned him and Colonel Kawasaki Shirō's regiments, along with all those who had fought bravely and been wounded.

Commander Tao Dazhu saw that the charging Japanese were still a dark mass in the distance, but became sparse as they approached the two-hundred-meter defensive line.

At this point, the pursuing soldiers behind the Japanese, such as Company Commanders Jing Chengxuan and Lu Lejia, had ordered a halt to their pursuit and ceased mortar fire.

Now, everything depended on the four companies on the front line.

Seeing that there were fewer than four hundred Japanese charging at them, the soldiers of the four companies felt no pressure at all.

The most shocked were the four companies from the Fourth War Area, who were fighting alongside them. They had watched as over a thousand Japanese soldiers charged forward, only to suffer two-thirds casualties before even reaching the front of the position.

Even so, these Japanese soldiers continued to charge!

The soldiers of the Fourth War Area were both impressed by the Special Operations Brigade's overwhelming firepower and horrified by the Japanese army's discipline.

Company Commander He Yuan whispered to Company Commander Lü En beside him, "These Japanese soldiers are truly fearless!"

Company Commander Lü En similarly whispered, "Only a force like the Special Operations Brigade could withstand the Japanese attack. These Japanese are just too good at fighting."

Both company commanders knew that even if their companies had the same firepower as the Special Operations Brigade, they wouldn't have been able to hold the line under these circumstances.

Without a force with a similar level of morale and strength, their companies simply couldn't have held this line against the relentless Japanese assault.

"We're all the same, and I heard that many of the soldiers in the Special Operations Brigade were formerly puppet soldiers. How can they be so strong?" Company Commander He asked, puzzled.

"It's about leadership! Their way of leading soldiers is different. Look at the spirit and morale of their soldiers. I heard they eat meat every day. What about us?" Company Commander Lü En grumbled softly.

All the soldiers on this line relaxed. This wasn't their first time fighting the Japanese, and with over fifteen hundred of them facing fewer than three hundred Japanese soldiers,

There was nothing to worry about. The soldiers and commanders of the Fourth War Area were all very relaxed, and broad smiles spread across their faces.

After the Japanese vanguard was bombarded with directional mines, the three infantry companies of the Special Operations Brigade and the four infantry companies of the Fourth War Area charged out together.

Colonel Inui Tadao of the Japanese 161st Infantry Regiment brandished his command sword and charged forward, only to find that the Japanese soldiers in front of him were already dead.

The Watanabe Saemon Company, the Sanjō Jinjirō Company, and the Kame Tarō Company had long been annihilated, all fallen during their charge.

The last few hundred soldiers of the Kishitani Kaisen Battalion were also wiped out by directional mines in the final stretch.

Of the two Japanese infantry regiments, only the remaining hundred or so soldiers from the two regimental headquarters continued to fight desperately.

As the battle in the Xiangshan and Dongling'ao areas ended, Shi Junxia, the company commander of the First Company of the Second Regiment of the Special Operations Brigade, arrived outside Conghua County with artillery.

At this time, the two divisions from the Fourth War Area, which had been assisting in delaying the Japanese, had received a notice from Chief of Staff Wang and Brigade Commander Wu Xing, who were following the Special Operations Brigade's command headquarters:

The Japanese 104th Infantry Division had been defeated by the combined forces of the Special Operations Brigade and the Fourth War Area in the Xiangshan area, with only a small number of Japanese escaping towards Zengcheng.

The Special Operations Brigade had annihilated two Japanese infantry regiments and captured the equipment of two Japanese heavy artillery regiments.

The Special Operations Brigade forces that had fought in Xiangshan were marching towards Conghua County, preparing to recapture the county.

This news greatly excited Yu Hanmou, the commander of the Fourth War Area. He quickly ordered the 186th Infantry Division and the 153rd Infantry Division to immediately attack Conghua County.

They must be the first to enter Conghua County.

The Fourth War Area had been performing poorly recently, and he urgently needed a major victory to prove to Chiang Kai-shek that the Fourth War Area was still capable of fighting, and that the recent setbacks were only due to a Japanese sneak attack.

At this time, Captain Kanze Yoji Koji Oda, stationed in Conghua County, also received an order from General Miyake Toshio: "Hold Conghua!"

The entire 104th Infantry Division had been ambushed by the Nationalist army while marching, which was why they had suffered so many casualties.

General Miyake Toshio believed that Captain Kanze Yoji Koji Oda and his battalion, with their strong fortifications and trenches in Conghua, would be fully capable of holding the county.

Despite this, he still reported the current state of the entire division to Commander Kojiro Ganjuro.

Commander Kojiro Ganjuro, who was waiting in Guangzhou City for good news from the 104th Infantry Division, could not believe that the telegram in his hand was real.

The telegram read: The 104th Infantry Division encountered a Nationalist ambush in the Xiangshan area. The entire division worked together to break through the Nationalist encirclement, and most of the 108th Infantry Regiment had broken through and reached Zengcheng.

The 170th Infantry Regiment was also en route to Zengcheng. The Nationalist army was concentrating over one hundred thousand troops to attack Conghua.

Commander Kojiro Ganjuro certainly knew that the Nationalist army had set up an ambush in the Xiangshan area. The entire Japanese 21st Army knew about it.

The purpose of sending the 104th Division was twofold: to rescue the 5th Fleet's naval landing force and to defeat the Nationalist forces in Xiangshan, then occupy Fogang.

General Miyake Toshio had not mentioned either of these tasks, and the specific situation could only be imagined.

Commander Kojiro Ganjuro recalled that the entire 21st Army had specially strengthened the Miyake Toshio force with a heavy artillery regiment, a cavalry regiment, a tank regiment, and three machine gun companies to ensure a successful operation.

General Miyake Toshio had not mentioned the fate of these forces. If he didn't mention it, Commander Kojiro Ganjuro had to ask.

He didn't know until he asked, and what he learned was shocking: The answers to the fates of all the units were the same.

Annihilated, none survived!

The heavy artillery regiment! Annihilated!

What about the tank regiment? Annihilated!

What about the cavalry regiment? Annihilated!

The exchange of telegrams was swift, and the staff officers of the entire 21st Army could tell from Commander Kojiro Ganjuro's face, as black as the bottom of a pot, that they had suffered a great loss in Xiangshan.

After completing his inquiries, Commander Kojiro Ganjuro understood.

Of the entire 104th Infantry Division, plus the forces strengthened by the 21st Army, all that remained alive were two infantry regiments that had already suffered many casualties.

The rest of the forces had been annihilated!

He thought about how he had led his forces from Daya Bay and fought all the way into Guangzhou City, suffering fewer than two hundred casualties in total.

This time, in the Xiangshan area, they had lost almost an entire division's worth of troops, although General Miyake Toshio had not yet reported the exact casualty figures.

However, the staff officers of the 21st Army headquarters had already silently calculated the losses: The 5,000 marines were dead, the entire 137th Infantry Regiment was dead, at least 5,000 soldiers.

The soldiers of the 161st Infantry Regiment were all dead, at least 5,000 soldiers. The two artillery regiments were all dead, which was 2,000 soldiers.

The three machine gun companies and one cavalry regiment that had been reinforced were all dead, at least 1,200 soldiers.

Adding in the cavalry regiment and tank regiment that had been part of the 104th Infantry Division, they had lost at least 1,000 more soldiers.

By this calculation, at least 20,000 soldiers had died in the attack on Fogang, not including those who had died in the other two infantry regiments.