Chapter 121 Desperate Resistance

The three company commanders charged forward, discovering that the earlier explosion had killed at least a third of their Japanese soldiers. Fortunately, nearly two hundred remained.

Nekoya Yuyo, the company commander, remained calm. He watched the ferocious man opposite him, who had already stabbed three Japanese soldiers to death.

He could no longer bear it. He twirled his officer's sword and strode toward Company Commander Hua.

Nekoya Yuyo had diligently studied kendo, and he intended to test his skills against this Guomindang soldier.

Kase Ikio, another company commander, understood his intention. He stood his ground and loudly encouraged the Japanese soldiers of the three companies to fight hard, indirectly supporting Nekoya Yuyo's battle.

Company Commander Hua Wuque also noticed the Japanese officer waving his sword and charging toward him.

Immediately, he ceased attacking the other Japanese soldiers and waited patiently, anticipating the death of the Japanese commander.

Nekoya Yuyo, true to his kendo training, charged swiftly toward Company Commander Hua. Seeing Company Commander Hua standing firmly, his rifle held in front of him, his gaze sharp, he was inwardly startled.

*This is a master!*

So, Nekoya Yuyo slowed his rapid charge. His breathing began to synchronize with his steps.

Company Commander Hua could see that the Japanese soldier, who had been rushing clumsily towards him, now moved with lightness and agility.

The officer's sword, which had been playfully twirling, was now held behind his back, concealing its true purpose.

*This Japanese soldier knows a thing or two!* Company Commander Hua sneered, *No matter how many tricks he has, I only need one!*

Seeing the Japanese soldier enter his attack range, Company Commander Hua didn't wait for the Japanese soldier to strike first. He shouted, "Kill!"

His left foot lunged forward, and his rifle, with a thrust, aimed at Nekoya Yuyo.

Nekoya Yuyo had concealed his officer's sword, intending to use a hidden blade technique to surprise his opponent. He hadn't expected the other man to attack first.

With a loud shout, Company Commander Hua's momentum surged, connecting with the momentum of the other soldiers on the battlefield, making Nekoya Yuyo's breathing difficult.

He could only stop and take a step back, not raising his concealed sword to parry.

As the Japanese soldier retreated, Company Commander Hua shouted again, "Kill!"

His left foot slammed heavily on the ground, rooting him in place. His right foot followed with another step forward, his rifle thrusting at the Japanese soldier like a divine dragon.

This thrust was faster and fiercer than the first.

Nekoya Yuyo inwardly rejoiced that he had adjusted his stance and body during his initial charge.

His movements were light, allowing him to advance and retreat at will. He took another large step back.

Seeing the Japanese soldier retreat twice without even revealing his sword, Company Commander Hua shouted once more, "Kill!"

Hua-style triple kill! His right foot firmly supported his weight, and his left foot quickly took another step forward.

The rifle in his hands, like a venomous snake striking or a dragon wagging its tail, aimed its gleaming bayonet at the Japanese soldier's chest, thrusting straight forward, even faster than the previous two attacks.

This time, Nekoya Yuyo could no longer retreat. He had already retreated three times.

Another step back would disrupt his balance. Moreover, this thrust was even faster, and if he didn't parry, he feared he would die.

Besides shock, Nekoya Yuyo felt a hint of fear: this Guomindang soldier had honed his bayonet skills to instinct, attacking without hesitation.

He could only reveal the sword hidden behind his back, slashing out a ray of light that collided with the bayonet.

Nekoya Yuyo knew that the closer to the tip of the bayonet, the easier it was to deflect the incoming thrust.

His sword clashed with the bayonet, emitting a crisp "clang" and sparks. Nekoya Yuyo felt a pang for his ancestral sword, passed down for over a century.

Such a fine sword, clashing with an ordinary bayonet, risked damaging the blade. As the weapons met, he finally managed to deflect the bayonet away from his chest.

To Nekoya Yuyo's surprise, just as he deflected the bayonet, his sword, following the momentum, slashed toward Company Commander Hua's gun-holding hand, intending to sever it.

But the rifle seemed to have a life of its own. Just as it veered off course, it began to retreat.

Seeing the bayonet move away from his chest, Company Commander Hua retracted the bayonet. The Japanese sword followed closely, slashing towards him.

The rifle was fast, but the Japanese sword was just as quick. *This Japanese soldier is skilled!*

Thinking this, Company Commander Hua lowered his right hand holding the rifle butt and used his left hand to deflect the Japanese sword upward.

The rifle no longer retreated. His right hand pushed forward, the bayonet stabbing towards the Japanese soldier's throat with lightning speed.

Nekoya Yuyo hadn't expected his first counterattack to be so easily defeated. His sword, deflected upwards, could no longer slash at the wrist.

The bayonet was deflected upwards, carried by a great force, as if it had come to life and wanted to escape his grasp.

He tightened his grip on the sword, preventing it from escaping, while twisting his wrist and using the back of the blade to smash down on the approaching rifle.

This time, he didn't have time to aim for the bayonet. The weapons clashed again, with sparks flying. Company Commander Hua, instead of retreating, advanced, using the force of the Japanese soldier's heavy blow to slide his bayonet forward and downward.

This time, Nekoya Yuyo immediately felt a chill in his chest, followed by a burning sensation.

He had excellent control over his body and knew immediately that he was injured. Company Commander Hua, using the Japanese soldier's own strength, had slid the bayonet from his throat down to his navel.

If the stab hadn't been so shallow, he would have been disemboweled with a single blow.

The front of Nekoya Yuyo's uniform was completely torn, revealing a bloody line on his chest.

This was the first time he had been injured in a bayonet fight on the battlefield. Greatly shocked, he had manipulated the blade at the last moment to avoid the blade-on-blade contact, resulting in this serious injury. Nekoya Yuyo regretted his decision, yelling in pain like a wounded beast.

Company Commander Hua also shouted, "Kill!"

His rifle thrust out again, aiming for the Japanese soldier's chest. Nekoya Yuyo saw the same straight thrust, as if that was the only move he knew.

But that simple thrust suppressed all of Nekoya Yuyo's techniques, forcing him to retreat again.

His heart was no longer as calm as when he had charged forward. He felt anxious, resentful, and fearful. His mind was no longer clear, and his retreat was slightly slower.

The bayonet pierced his chest immediately. Fortunately, he retreated proactively and managed to break free after being stabbed.

This was the first time Company Commander Hua had stabbed a Japanese soldier. He didn't have time to twist the bayonet before the soldier broke free.

He couldn't help but shout again, "Kill!"

He stepped forward, his rifle thrusting again. Nekoya Yuyo had lost all will to fight, only wanting to escape the Guomindang soldier's pursuit. He feebly waved his sword, trying to parry the lightning-fast thrust.

Having lost his courage and bleeding heavily, Nekoya Yuyo's movements were slow. By the time the bayonet entered his body, his sword finally struck the rifle.

This time, he no longer cared about damaging the sword's edge. Only after the bayonet entered his body did he strike the rifle barrel with force.

It was like a butcher using a hammer to strike the back of a cleaver when it couldn't cut through bone, trying to split it open with force.

But this time, Nekoya Yuyo was splitting open his own chest.

Company Commander Hua once again failed to twist the bayonet in the Japanese soldier's chest before the soldier knocked it away. But this time, the bayonet had penetrated deeply.

The Japanese soldier's chest was ripped open, Nekoya Yuyo assisting in splitting himself open. Now, he was filled with regret and pain, no longer able to fight.

He watched helplessly as his heart was split in two, blood gushing out like a fountain. He could no longer grip his sword.

His body collapsed to the ground. Company Commander Hua thrust out again, striking the Japanese soldier's throat, ending his life with a single blow. Nekoya Yuyo gurgled a few times and then fell still.

Kase Ikio watched Nekoya Yuyo charge forward, then retreat step by step, finally collapsing on the ground.

He hadn't clearly seen Nekoya Yuyo's struggle, but he saw him lying motionless on the ground.

He was shocked: Nekoya Yuyo was a renowned kendo master in the entire battalion, now lying dead on this unknown hillside.

What to do?

The Japanese soldiers were already outnumbered on this hillside, and after fighting the Special Operations Brigade soldiers, the remaining Japanese soldiers were in even worse shape.

They were fewer in number, and the courage they had just mustered had vanished.

To these Japanese soldiers, the Guomindang soldiers charging from the mountaintop were more terrifying than demons, their combat power even greater.

After fighting for so long, few of these soldiers had been injured. But the Japanese soldiers, who had been so confident in their bayonet skills, had fallen in large numbers.

Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro was terrified, looking at the soldiers charging like tigers down the mountain and the corpses of the Japanese soldiers lying scattered on the ground.

He had a realization: "We can't escape."

Company Commander Kase Ikio now had the same feeling: that was how Kwanetsuki Kazuo's and Sakaekura Eita's companies had been killed.

They had all been wiped out. Now, it was his company's turn.

He was afraid, muttering something to the company commander beside him, but Kase Ikio didn't even know what he was saying.

Then, he shouted and charged toward Company Commander Hua, waving his officer's sword.

After Company Commander Hua killed Nekoya Yuyo, he directed the soldiers to charge forward. Kase Ikio realized that he was also a commander.

The uniforms of this unit were all the same, making it difficult to distinguish soldiers from officers.

Now he had identified a commander. Maybe killing this commander would turn the tide?

In any case, Kase Ikio felt he had to do something. So, he charged towards Company Commander Hua.

As Kase Ikio charged, Company Commander Fukatsu Yo also moved, charging towards another commander.

Company Commander Fukatsu Yo was charging towards Company Commander Su Bufang.

He charged quickly, slashing at Company Commander Su as soon as he reached him. Company Commander Su quickly parried, and Dan Yixiong, who was working with Company Commander Su, stabbed at the Japanese soldier from the side.

This put Company Commander Fukatsu Yo in a difficult position. His sword was already out, and he had no second weapon to parry. He could only watch helplessly as he was stabbed in the stomach.

Although Dan Yixiong hadn't fully mastered the Special Operations Brigade's bayonet techniques, he had learned how to twist the bayonet half a circle after it entered the body and then pull it out.

With this twist and pull, he ripped out Company Commander Fukatsu Yo's intestines.

Company Commander Fukatsu Yo cried out, released his sword, and desperately tried to stuff his intestines back into his stomach. Company Commander Su retracted his rifle and thrust it out again even faster. This time, Company Commander Fukatsu Yo could no longer withstand it and fell to the ground.

Even as he fell to the ground, he didn't forget to stuff his lost intestines back into his stomach.

As Kase Ikio charged towards Company Commander Hua, he was startled by Company Commander Hua's shout, "Kill!"

He held his sword high, afraid to swing it down, and watched helplessly as the bayonet entered his body. Then, he fell.

The attack of the three companies, carefully organized and hoped for by Captain Uehara Yosuke, had failed.

All three company commanders were dead. Although over a hundred Japanese soldiers were still resisting, their fate was already sealed.

Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro saw all three company commanders die in front of him. Although the presence of officers on the front line could boost morale, the officers' deaths had a devastating effect on morale.

Although Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro didn't dare turn and run, his steps forward began to falter.

He wasn't the only one hesitating. All of the remaining hundred-plus Japanese soldiers began to hesitate.

Squad Leader Ito Naoki saw this situation and quickly stepped forward. He pointed his sword forward and ordered loudly, "Charge!"

With the order of a commander, all of the Japanese soldiers ended their hesitation and charged towards the Special Operations Brigade soldiers who were close by.

Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro didn't want to advance, but his position was awkward, right next to Squad Leader Ito Naoki. The squad leader, giving the order, pointed his sword directly at him, his gaze fixed on the cowardly Japanese soldier.

His eyes had a hint of bloodlust, and Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro could read from that gaze: *If you dare not charge, I'll cut you down immediately.*

Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro cried out in despair, gripped his rifle, and blindly charged towards Company Commander Hua. After running for a dozen steps, he suddenly realized:

*He's a master of close combat, and the battalion's top kendo expert, Nekoya Yuyo, died at his hands.*

*Charging towards him is like holding a lantern over a latrine— courting death!*

Just as Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro was filled with regret, Company Commander Hua shouted, "Kill!" His rifle was already thrusting towards him.

Sergeant Major Yakusho Masahiro frantically raised his rifle to parry, but after only two exchanges, he was stabbed in the chest. He fell to the ground, unable to struggle.

Squad Leader Ito Naoki watched as the cowardly Japanese soldier, inspired by his gaze, charged forward, only to see a bayonet tip emerge from his back.

Squad Leader Ito Naoki understood: *That cowardly Japanese soldier is dead! Definitely dead.*

He watched Yakusho Masahiro fall to the ground, no longer moving. Then, he continued to order loudly, "Charge! Charge!"

Sergeant First Class Yokotsute Ryo, Sergeant First Class Nagase Kazu, and Sergeant First Class Baisho Kametaro were clearly much smarter. The three Japanese soldiers formed a combat team and charged towards the Special Operations Brigade soldiers in front of them.

Wu Dazhi, Jin Youcai, and Shangguan Hong saw the three Japanese soldiers charging towards them and immediately went to meet them.

Wu Dazhi charged at the front, stabbing at the Japanese soldier in the lead, ignoring the fact that the Japanese soldier's rifle was also thrusting towards him. Jin Youcai stretched out his rifle, intercepted Sergeant First Class Suto Taka's thrust, and deflected Sergeant First Class Nagase Kazu's rifle.

At this moment, Wu Dazhi's bayonet had already pierced the Japanese soldier's chest. Sergeant First Class Suto Taka had never imagined that his combat team would be defeated so quickly, with him dying first.

He cried out in terror, desperately retreating, hoping the other two Japanese soldiers would cover him.