Chapter 1 Lin Fan Receives a Telegram

Lin Fan finally received a telegram from the Wuhan headquarters. While it still insisted that the ambush encountered by the Special Forces Brigade's artillery regiment was a misunderstanding, the telegram also informed the Special Forces Brigade that the Nationalist troops along the way had been notified of the artillery regiment's passage and would not repeat such "misunderstandings."

The telegram ended with words of encouragement, urging Lin Fan to focus on fighting the Japanese at the De'an front and not to worry about the artillery regiment's safety en route.

Finally, it stated that all Special Forces Brigade soldiers who died in this misunderstanding would receive a medal and a compensation of five hundred silver dollars.

Chen Cheng was racking his brains to appease the Special Forces Brigade. He knew its combat effectiveness and that forcing such a force to leave would be a significant loss for the Nationalist army.

Moreover, with the Battle of Wuhan raging, internal problems would only benefit the Japanese. Therefore, he specifically increased the compensation for the fallen soldiers of the Special Forces Brigade.

Upon receiving this telegram, Lin Fan ceased further action. He had already sent telegrams to Li Xian, Chen Sichuan, and Gu Xiuming about the artillery regiment's ambush in Guanqiao Town, instructing them to strengthen their defenses and watch out for any underhanded moves by the Nationalist army.

He also formulated a new operational plan with Liu Laopao and Feng Junya. If the situation continued to deteriorate, the two infantry regiments of the Special Forces Brigade stationed here would, after finishing off the remnants of the Japanese 101st Division today, immediately strike towards Guanqiao Town to reinforce the artillery regiment.

The Jiangbei Detachment and the Jurong base area were to send a total of ten regiments to support the entire force. Fortunately, the situation did not worsen. Chiang Kai-shek must have made a move, tested the Special Forces Brigade's reaction, had his outstretched hand slapped away, and then withdrawn it.

Despite such internal betrayal, the Special Forces Brigade had to continue its offensive against the Japanese at Aikou. Regiment Commander Shangguan Zhiwen also received Lin Fan's notification, warning him to be wary of the Nationalist army and prevent them from launching a surprise attack from behind.

Lin Fan had become somewhat paranoid. He was truly shocked by the Nationalist army's bizarre behavior.

The attack on the artillery regiment in Guanqiao Town delayed the Second Regiment by a full three hours. After resolving this issue, the Special Forces Brigade continued its advance.

Xue Yue, commander of the Second War Area, also had people in the headquarters. Knowing that the matter had been resolved, he immediately sent Lin Fan a telegram, stating that he would ensure the safety of the Special Forces Brigade's artillery regiment once it entered the Second War Area's defense line.

He added, "The matter has already spread, and I believe the artillery regiment will not encounter any further incidents with the Nationalist army on the remaining journey."

He couldn't guarantee that no Nationalist troops would secretly collaborate with the Japanese to harm the artillery regiment, but he could assure that the Nationalist army would not take any further overt action.

On the attacked side, Shi Honghua, the company commander of the artillery company, ordered his troops to take the prisoners and spoils of war and advance immediately. As for the wounded Nationalist soldiers, they were left behind to await rescue by their own forces.

This engagement served as a wake-up call for Company Commander Shi. He ordered the infantry company to scout the road ahead, ensuring they wouldn't blindly walk into another ambush.

After the Special Forces Brigade's artillery regiment departed, Hu Han led his troops back to gather the remnants, treat the wounded, and bury the dead.

In that brief, less than an hour-long battle, his division suffered over four thousand casualties among its four main regiments. Three of the four regimental commanders were killed, and one was wounded. Twenty-three battalion-level officers were killed, and ten were wounded. Such losses crippled the entire division.

Furthermore, all the weapons of these four regiments were taken away by the Special Forces Brigade. Gu Zhutong didn't dare to report the actual losses, and only ordered Hu Han to clean up the battlefield immediately and retreat, making sure to remove any traces of a battle.

He believed that many reporters would rush to the scene in the coming days, as the news was too explosive.

The various local warlords within the Nationalist army were all inquiring about the incident. Those with good relations directly called to ask, while others sent people to inquire: Was this a new move by President Chiang?

Everyone was an old fox; misunderstandings couldn't deceive anyone. Such a significant event couldn't have occurred without President Chiang's authorization.

To downplay the matter, it would be seen as undermining the united front against Japan. To amplify it, it was an act of harming anti-Japanese forces, a blatant act of treason. Gu Zhutong wouldn't dare to do such a thing even if he had ten times the胆子 (dǎnzi, guts).

Faced with the inquiries from these friends, superiors, and colleagues, Gu Zhutong used the same excuse: "A misunderstanding! It was just a misunderstanding!

"During an exercise, one of my divisions discovered an artillery force advancing. The number of cannons in this force was excessive, resembling the equipment of a Japanese artillery regiment.

"Since this was inland, we suspected they were disguised Japanese troops and sent men to inquire. Unexpectedly, this force was on edge.

"They opened fire as soon as they were questioned, and that's how the fighting started, nothing more!"

His words were a mix of truth and lies. The claim that the equipment resembled a Japanese artillery regiment was unbelievable. Even a fool wouldn't think that the Japanese would disguise a heavy artillery regiment.

As for being on edge and the other side firing first, that might be true. It was evident from Gu Zhutong's words that his troops had suffered.

Li Zongren already knew the actual situation and the subsequent resolution while en route to Wuhan: the matter would be dropped.

The Nationalist army not only had a elite infantry division destroyed in vain, but also had to compensate the Special Forces Brigade. This time, Chiang Kai-shek truly lost both his wife and his army.

As for the earlier talk of sending someone to investigate, it was forgotten. No one even mentioned the matter.

After learning of this, Li Zongren pondered for over ten minutes in the car, and finally sighed and ordered: "Return! We're not going to Wuhan!"

In the current situation, united resistance against Japan was paramount. The Special Forces Brigade hadn't suffered, and Chiang Kai-shek had to swallow his anger in silence.

Thinking of the Special Forces Brigade's combat power, Li Zongren couldn't help but sigh: If his Guangxi army could have such strength, how wonderful would that be.

In reality, Li Zongren saw through it: Lin Fan had no ambition; he was truly dedicated to fighting the Japanese. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given all the captured equipment to friendly forces.

If he had taken those weapons and equipment to his own territory, he could have armed dozens more infantry regiments.

Especially the captured cannons and airplanes, no warlord would ever think that he had too many of those things.

"Chiang Kai-shek's vision is still too narrow; he lacks the capacity to tolerate others!" Li Zongren thought to himself.

The soldiers of the Second Regiment knew that the brothers in the artillery regiment had been ambushed. Although the casualties were light, it was still disheartening.

They were now venting their anger on the Japanese in front of them. Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo, commander of the Japanese 101st Infantry Brigade, had ordered his troops to set up three lines of defense in front of Aikou.

The first line of defense was defended by Captain Yamada Takaru. According to their plan, as soon as the Nationalist forces began their attack, the 101st Field Artillery Regiment would open fire.

The attacking Nationalist force would be annihilated. Now, the Nationalist force had started bombarding the Japanese defenses.

Captain Yamada Takaru was shouting into the phone, summoning Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke. What he didn't expect was that Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke was currently anxiously asking Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo for help, requesting the brigade commander to immediately send infantry to rescue them.

Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke didn't expect to be suddenly attacked by Nationalist forces at noon. His artillery position was supposed to be guarded by Japanese troops.

What he didn't expect was that the surrounding hills were attacked simultaneously, and the gunfire was intense, which wasn't a problem.

At the same time, many Nationalist soldiers charged directly towards his artillery position, which was a big problem. The artillery position of Yamada Hidenosuke had Japanese infantry in front and behind. Where did these Nationalist troops come from?

Captain Kawauchi Akihito watched the charging Special Forces Brigade soldiers, stunned for a moment in disbelief before waking up and loudly ordering his Japanese soldiers: "Hold on! Hold them back!"

Ten reconnaissance platoons had already infiltrated the vicinity of the Japanese artillery position last night. They arrived here, following closely behind the Japanese artillery.

Platoon Leader Jing and his men watched as the Japanese busily dragged the cannons into position and began setting them up. While the Japanese were busy arranging the cannons, Platoon Leader Jing was planning how to attack.

These ten platoon leaders even held a military conference via walkie-talkie, determining the route and task for each platoon's attack.

When the 15th Regiment began attacking the defensive fortifications surrounding the artillery position, the reconnaissance platoons launched their attacks simultaneously.

Sergeant First Class Fujikawa Tatsunosuke was terrified as he watched the charging Special Forces Brigade troops. He was an artilleryman, not an infantryman. His weapon was the 150mm Type 96 howitzer.

Facing the Special Forces Brigade soldiers less than fifty meters away, this large-caliber howitzer was useless.

Sergeant First Class Fujikawa, usually a chatterbox, reacted the fastest and shouted, "Run!" What else could these Japanese soldiers with only one cannon do but run?

Captain Tanaka Yusuke was now in a dilemma. On one hand, there was the captain's order to hold on. On the other hand, they were unarmed. How could they hold on?

In the end, Captain Tanaka Yusuke's desire to survive prevailed. He ignored Fujikawa Tatsunosuke and the other Japanese soldiers who were running away and followed them.

They fled in time, and Platoon Leader Jing and his men couldn't even catch up. After occupying the Japanese artillery position, Platoon Leader Jing directed his soldiers to turn the cannons around and open fire on the Japanese infantry still resisting on the hilltops.

At such close range, it was direct fire. When the first shell landed on Captain Uehara Tomoya's company position, he didn't even know where it came from.

Captain Uehara Tomoya was extremely anxious when the attack began: Nationalist battalions were attacking his forward position, and Nationalist soldiers were also attacking the artillery position he was supposed to protect.

He had no idea which side he should protect first.

In the end, the Nationalist soldiers attacking his defensive line seemed more urgent. According to Captain Uehara Tomoya's plan: first, repel the attacking Nationalist force, and then, from a high vantage point, drive away the Nationalist soldiers attacking the artillery position below.

The idea was good, but it was difficult to execute: the attacking Nationalist force was not only fierce, but also had strong firepower.

This made his plan impossible from the start. Captain Uehara Tomoya personally witnessed the artillery position below being occupied by Nationalist soldiers.

Now, he was personally watching the cannons below fire at him. How could he fight this battle? The attacking force in front was strong, and the artillery in the rear was plentiful.

Captain Uehara Tomoya had no choice but to abandon his position. He had to lead his entire company of Japanese soldiers to retreat.

The situation was similar on the other hilltops. They were already struggling to withstand the fierce attacks of the 15th Regiment.

Now, with constant artillery bombardment from behind, they couldn't withstand it. One by one, the Japanese units retreated from their positions after leaving behind dozens of corpses.

At this point, the first phase of the reconnaissance platoon's mission was complete. Next was to adjust the cannons and attack the Japanese still in Aikou.

They only had a map, and without a forward artillery observation point, they couldn't accurately bombard the Japanese.

At this moment, the 6th, 7th, and 8th Companies of the 15th Regiment rushed down to take over the artillery position. These three companies had plenty of experience operating cannons at Ma Huiling a few days ago.

Regiment Commander Shangguan, as before, had three companies operate the cannons and two infantry companies provide protection. He personally led five companies, carrying the newly captured twelve Type 92 infantry guns, and rushed towards Aikou along the road. Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo was already shocked when he saw Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke. Before he could even begin to question him, Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke was already lamenting that the artillery position had been seized by Nationalist forces.

Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo, completely unprepared, stood there dumbfounded. Before he could even digest the news, Captain Uehara Tomoya rushed in.

He reported that all the defensive positions surrounding the artillery position had been lost. The battle had just begun, and his troops had been cut in two. How could he fight this battle?

Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo felt lost and didn't know what to do. After a long pause, he said, "Order Captain Akanishi Takeo to leave one company to hold the position. The rest of the troops must turn back and fully retake the artillery position.

"Order Captain Miki Sho to immediately lead the entire battalion to attack the artillery position. You must fully cooperate with Captain Miki Sho's battalion and retake the cannons as quickly as possible."

Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo was very clear about the importance of the cannons, so he wanted his troops to attack from the front and rear, ensuring that they retook the cannons.

"If you can't retake those cannons, destroy them, but you must clear the road," he continued to order.

"Hai!" Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke and Captain Uehara Tomoya present responded in unison. Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke was powerless to retake the artillery position.

His Japanese soldiers were now without weapons. There were still over a thousand Japanese soldiers who had fled with him, but they were all empty-handed. It would be difficult for them to operate the cannons, let alone charge into battle.

However, Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo felt that he didn't have enough infantry. One battalion was already engaged in fierce fighting with Nationalist troops in front, and he had to pull out another battalion to cooperate with the rear battalion to retake the artillery position.

Now, he had no reserves left. What could he do? Ask Chief of Staff Nishiyama Fukutaro for help. Chief of Staff Nishiyama Fukutaro was at Donggu Mountain, hearing that Nationalist forces had launched an attack on Aikou, and Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo was asking him for help.

But where could he find a single soldier to send? He only had one complete infantry battalion and a few battered battalions from yesterday. All together, there were less than three thousand infantrymen.

Chief of Staff Nishiyama Fukutaro would never send out such a small force. He could only reiterate his point of view: you have to rely on yourself!

Unable to find reinforcements, he had to rely on himself. Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo could only dig deep internally. The engineer battalion was sent to the front line. This unit had some guns, and even if they were short on guns, they could pick up the weapons of the fallen Japanese soldiers to fight.

The field artillery regiment followed Miki Sho's battalion, acting as a mobile source of replacement personnel. Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke was helpless at this point. They were very lucky today. They didn't even receive a slap, which made Colonel Yamada Hidenosuke a little unaccustomed to.

Company Commander Shi Junxia of the Second Regiment led his troops to attack the Japanese defenses at Aikou. The Japanese defenses here consisted of a joint position formed by the two peaks of a mountain and a section of fortifications.

Attacking any of the positions individually would be subject to the fire from the other two positions. It was here that Lieutenant General Ito Masuyo, commander of the Japanese 101st Division, was wounded in the head by a stray bullet.

Liu Laopao sent three companies to attack the three positions simultaneously, with the goal of separating their joint defense line.

The First Company was attacking the left-hand high ground. The mountain was steep, and the First Company's usual method of using heavy machine guns to clear the way and block bullets was useless.

Now, Shi Junxia could only concentrate the company's mortars, constantly bombarding the Japanese positions on the high ground, while heavy machine guns pulled back a distance at the foot of the mountain to suppress Japanese fire. Infantry guns fired directly at the Japanese positions from further away.

Platoon Leader He Yi led his soldiers, using the slopes and rocks on the hillside as cover, and struggled to charge towards the top of the mountain. This defensive line was originally built by the Nationalist army. They held this position for more than a month before the Japanese captured it using poison gas.

It was now very difficult for the First Company to capture this high ground. The Japanese were hiding in bunkers and firing outwards, making it impossible for the First Company's attack to advance.

The attacks by the Second and Third Companies were the same. The defensive line here was built too scientifically. The failure of the frontline attacks not only made the company commanders feel ashamed, but also made Liu Laopao furious.

However, the situation here did not allow for recklessness. Even if the soldiers charged desperately, those open areas could not be crossed by just dozens or even hundreds of soldiers.

If it would cost the lives of dozens of soldiers to capture this hilltop, Lin Fan would definitely not agree. He would rather take the mountain road and bypass the position back to De'an.

When Lin Fan heard that the frontline attack had been stalled, he personally went to the front line. He looked at the machine guns constantly spitting fire from the Japanese bunkers on the hillside and understood.

The Japanese positions on the hillside were all built as bunkers. Mortar shells had little effect, and they didn't care.

Even if a Type 92 infantry gun hit the bunkers directly, it still wouldn't destroy them unless it could hit the firing port.

This certainly created difficulties for the attack, but it wasn't difficult for Lin Fan. Lin Fan ordered, "Feng Junya, deploy the anti-aircraft guns."

He was 1,500 meters away from the closer of the two hills, and 2,800 meters away from the farther one. The 88mm anti-aircraft gun had enough power, range, and rate of fire.

Within three minutes, an anti-aircraft gun was in position. Lin Fan operated the cannon and opened fire on the bunkers on the left high ground.

"Dong!" With the sound of the cannon, Liu Laopao and Feng Junya watched as a puff of smoke came out of the firing port of the bunker that had been spewing fire. The Japanese inside were definitely dead.

Lin Fan didn't stop. "Dong!" The second shell was fired. Liu Laopao and Feng Junya seemed to return to the days when they were still in the Special Forces Company: at that time, Lin Fan used mortars to clear the way for the charging troops.

Now, this scene reappeared. Platoon Leader He Yi watched as the bunker in front of him, which he couldn't destroy, suddenly exploded, and they felt the ground tremble.

The Japanese machine guns finally stopped firing. This opportunity could not be missed. Platoon Leader He Yi immediately stood up and shouted, "Charge!"

Squad Leader Nikko Ayumu hid with his men in a bunker and hadn't fired a single shot since the battle began.

It wasn't that they were afraid; it was that there were too many bunkers here, and the charging Nationalist soldiers had not yet posed a threat to them, so there was no need to fire.

When he suddenly saw a Nationalist unit boldly stand up and charge, he quickly ordered: "Fire!"

"Tuk-tuk-tuk!" The rhythmic sound rang out, and his squad opened fire. Sergeant First Class Kitakaze Ryosuke operated the heavy machine gun, aiming at the charging Nationalist soldiers. Seeing them all immediately prostrate themselves, he smugly said: "With me here, you won't be able to charge up."

Seeing that no one continued to charge, Sergeant First Class Kitakaze Ryosuke also stopped firing, and the other Japanese soldiers squatting in the bunker all laughed.

They were very safe staying here. They had also been bombarded by mortar shells, but they were unharmed.

Platoon Leader He Yi had just led his troops to charge when they were pushed back by the new firepower coming from the flanks. He was anxious.

At this moment, he saw a shell drill into the firing port of a Japanese bunker. He could see that the bunker seemed to come alive, jumping up as if it had eaten something.

The entire earth jumped, and then a flash of fire came out of the firing port, followed by smoke.

Squad Leader Nikko Ayumu watched as Sergeant First Class Kitakaze Ryosuke's head suddenly exploded. A shell that drilled in from the firing port hit him and exploded. All thirteen Japanese soldiers in the bunker were killed. There was nowhere to escape in the small bunker.

"Well done!" Platoon Leader He shouted loudly and ordered his soldiers to charge again. This time, their path forward was finally smooth.

Even so, the steep mountain road was still difficult to traverse. This was also the reason why their several previous charges had failed.

Lin Fan stared at the distant high ground, where there were muzzle flashes from the weapons, and fired a shell there. Ten minutes later, Platoon Leader He Yi finally rushed to the top of the high ground and began a bayonet charge with the Japanese entrenched there.

At this time, Lin Fan began to strike the other high ground. Every shot hit its mark! Although the Japanese bunkers were well used, they could not withstand Lin Fan's godly cannon fire that destroyed one bunker with each shot.

Captain Ichito Daisuke, who was defending the front line, could not believe his eyes. They had defended this place for an hour, and the Nationalist soldiers could not attack at all.

The cannon that suddenly appeared on the opposite side destroyed the strongest defense line on the front line in half an hour. The First and Third Companies, having occupied the left and right high ground, had no difficulty dealing with the defense line between the two peaks.

Not to mention the assistance of Lin Fan's precision strikes, the three companies in one fell swoop broke through the first line of defense of the Japanese at Aikou.

The subsequent attacks were much easier: the Fourth and Fifth Companies rushed猛 (měng, fiercely) in along the cleared road. Captain Yamada Takaru was anxious, and he kept requesting reinforcements from Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo.

Although he had established three lines of defense here, the first line was the most dangerous. As long as the first line was not broken, he would not panic.

Now, Nationalist soldiers had set up mortars on the left and right high grounds of the first line and were constantly bombarding his second line of defense, which was built on flat ground.

How could his troops defend this way? Under the threat of the Special Forces Brigade's firepower, Captain Yamada Takaru had to withdraw all the Japanese soldiers back to Aikou for a final defense.

Lieutenant General Sato Shozaburo was also very helpless at this time: he had no soldiers to send. He had just sent all his troops to attack the artillery position, wanting to retake the lost cannons.

Without cannons, based on what he had learned about the combat power of this Nationalist unit yesterday, he had no confidence that he could stop this unit.

Captain Miki Sho and his entire battalion were cooperating with Captain Akanishi Takeo's battalion to attack the ambushing Nationalist unit from front and back, but no good news had come back yet.

After seizing the Japanese artillery position, Regiment Commander Shangguan Zhiwen immediately ordered three companies to take over the forty-eight cannons here. The Type 92 infantry gun was lightweight, weighing only 400 pounds, and could be easily pulled along with the troops.

When he led his troops to突击 (tūjí, assault) towards Aikou, he was carrying these twelve infantry guns with him.

The five infantry companies of the 15th Regiment and Miki Sho's battalion were all marching quickly, both sides were running on the road. When they collided head-on, the first company of the Special Forces Brigade, led by Jing Chengxuan, was at the front. Six heavy machine guns were lined up in the middle of the road, immediately forming an unbreakable steel defense line.

Six heavy machine guns opened fire, catching the Kudo Taisei squad at the very front completely off guard. Originally, when Squad Leader Kudo Taisei discovered the Special Forces Brigade soldiers opposite, he was still ordering the Japanese soldiers to return fire on the spot.

His squad also had heavy machine guns, but these firepowers were all suppressed and unable to fire in front of the six heavy machine guns.

Sergeant First Class Rikuzen Naoki was operating a heavy machine gun, and he was hit by the densely sweeping rain of bullets just after firing a burst, and fell down at once.

What scared the Kudo Taisei squad of Japanese soldiers the most was that they could not move under the attack of the bullets from the opposite side, and the Special Forces Brigade soldiers were pushing the heavy machine guns and advancing steadily.

Watching them advance more than 30 meters, if this continued, all the Japanese soldiers in the Kudo Taisei squad would be completely exposed to the enemy's guns.

After Sanura Taro's company commander found that the front was encountering resistance, he immediately ordered the Iguchi Yuto squad to lead the troops to occupy the high ground on the left, ordered the Sekiya Ryo squad to lead the troops to occupy the high ground on the right, and at the same time ordered the Kudo Taisei squad to retreat.

Squad Leader Kudo Taisei could not speak of his suffering at this time. He wanted to retreat, but he could not move. Without firepower to contain the heavy machine guns of the opposing force, his squad's retreat was completely撞 (zhuàng, colliding) into the enemy's guns.

Company Commander Jing Chengxuan saw that there was a rush to the high ground and they wanted to occupy the commanding heights, and immediately reported to Regiment Commander Shangguan.

The twelve infantry guns that had just been captured were just right for the job. The original five infantry companies had ten infantry guns, 22 infantry guns, and 60 mortars, just one round of bombardment bankrupted the plans of the Iguchi Yuto squad and the Sekiya Ryo squad.

Captain Yamada Takaru ordered: "The infantry guns are bombarded in front!" His battalion also had two infantry guns and twelve mortars.

Now that the advance was stalled, of course, these artillery pieces had to be used to open the way. The First Company of the 15th Regiment had been advancing, and at this time had already broken through the defense line that the Kudo Taisei squad had just established.

The whole squad of Japanese soldiers, less than ten escaped back. Squad Leader Kudo Taisei returned to Company Commander Sanura Taro and reported loudly: "The enemy's firepower is too fierce. Their cars are like tanks, and machine gun bullets can't penetrate at all."

Company Commander Sanura Taro looked at the three squad leaders of his command all returned, but the three squads now added up to only one squad of soldiers.

What can be done in this situation? Retreat! It led the troops to retreat, and retreated all the way to the Ogura Yosuke company here.

The Ogura Yosuke company had resistance from the previous Japanese soldiers, and it had already established a temporary defense line here. After letting the remaining Japanese soldiers of the Sanura Taro company into the defense line.

They immediately fired on the chasing Special Forces Brigade troops. He once again experienced how helpless it was to break through the opponent's defense.

His company had been prepared in advance, hiding behind various obstacles, no longer fully exposed, so that the heavy machine gun attack effect of the first company was no longer so obvious.

But Captain Ogura Yosuke found that most of the bullets fired by his company hit the other's推车 (tuīchē, pushcarts), making some jingling sounds, splashing out a few sparks, and had no effect.

The soldiers of the attacking force were all hiding behind these pushcarts, and both sides had cover, which was supposed to be fair, but the other party's pushcarts could move.

They kept moving forward, which made the Japanese郁闷 (yùmèn, depressed). If they were allowed to advance like this, they would be under their noses in a few minutes.

Captain Yamada Takaru指挥 (zhǐhuī, commanded) the gunners to fire. He was now just blindly轰 (hōng, bombard), relying on his familiarity with the road to bombard, and at his side was Yamada Hidenosuke artillery regiment commander guiding指挥 (zhǐhuī, command).

On the other side, Regiment Commander Shangguan Zhiwen was also firing under the guidance of Jing Li Quan platoon commander. Jing platoon commander's ten reconnaissance platoons, after the three companies of the 15th Regiment took over the artillery position, once again disintegrated and潜 (qián, infiltrated) into the mountains, five of them侦察 (zhēnchá, scout) towards De'an direction, and five platoons towards Aikou direction侦察 (zhēnchá, scout).

Jing platoon commander was向 (xiàng, towards) Aikou direction侦察 (zhēnchá, scout), and saw that there was a small artillery position in the Japanese infantry, and immediately报告 (bàogào, reported) the position of the Japanese through the walkie-talkie.

The dozens of artillery pieces of the 15th Regiment immediately found the direction, and the initial shells fell on the hillside, without causing any threat to the Japanese.

The shells that followed were closer and closer to the temporary artillery position of the Japanese. Yamada Hidenosuke, the artillery regiment commander, looked at the increasingly accurate landing points of the shells, his face changed drastically, and he said to Captain Yamada Takaru: "Order the artillery to retreat quickly, the Nationalist's轰炸 (hōngzhà, bombing) is coming."

After finishing speaking, he撒 (sā, scattered) and retreated. Their current location was not far from the artillery position, and if they did not run, they would surely catch fire in the city gate, and the fish in the pond would suffer.

Of course, Captain Yamada Takaru相信 (xiāngxìn, believed) in Yamada Hidenosuke, the artillery regimental commander. He did not hesitate, while running to the distance, he命令 (mìnglìng, ordered) the artillery position to转移 (zhuǎnyí, transfer).

Just as his命令 (mìnglìng, ordered) was传达 (chuándá, conveyed) down, dense shells fell down. This time, as many as eighty-two shells fell down.

In a倾刻 (qīngkè, instant), the twelve mortars and two infantry guns of the Yamada Takaru infantry battalion were全军覆没 (quánjūnfùmò, annihilated). This round of fireworks had just opened, and more artillery火 (huǒ, fire) was bombing down.

This time it was not bombing the artillery position, it was盯着 (dīngzhe, staring at) the Japanese and轰炸 (hōngzhà, bombing), although the Yamada Takaru infantry battalion was已经不满编 (yǐjīng bù mǎnbiān, already understaffed), but there were more than 900 Japanese soldiers, plus the Yamada Hidenosuke artillery regiment, there were as many as nearly 2,000 Japanese soldiers.

These Japanese soldiers挤 (jǐ, squeezed) together on the公路 (gōnglù, highway). When they were testing artillery shells in the Special Forces Brigade, they had already escaped from the公路 (gōnglù, highway) and窜 (cuàn, rushed) into the trees on both sides to隐蔽 (yǐnbì, hide).

Now the shells that were bombing over were not only infantry guns and mortar shells, but also the Type 96 150mm caliber cannons left behind by the Japanese were 加入 (jiārù, joined) in.

If the mortar and infantry guns in front were bearable, the 150mm large-口径 (kǒujìng, caliber) shells that suddenly 加入 (jiārù, joined) in now made them unable to hold on.

Not only 12 96-type 150mm榴弹炮 (liúdànpào, howitzers) 加入 (jiārù, joined), but also 105mm caliber and 75mm caliber cannons.

Listening to the熟悉的炮弹爆炸声 (shúxī de pàodàn bàozhà shēng, familiar sound of artillery shell explosion), Yamada Hidenosuke was heartbroken: these cannons were all his, all of his artillery regiment.

In the past, they were all used by him to轰炸 (hōngzhà, bomb) the Nationalist's army, but now they had become weapons used by the Nationalist's army to轰炸 (hōngzhà, bomb) his regiment.

Yamada Hidenosuke 仓皇逃窜 (cānghuáng táocuàn, fled in panic), he had nowhere to escape and only to escape towards the隘口 (àikǒu, pass) direction, where the步兵一零二旅团 (bùbīng yīlíngèr lǚtuán, 102nd infantry brigade) was in that direction.

The regiment commander was逃跑 (táopǎo, running away), what could Kawauchi Akihito do, although he and Yamada Takaru were both 大队长 (dàduìzhǎng, captain), their levels were lower than Yamada Takaru by many levels, and now these artillery pieces in his hands, except for being cannon fodder, had no other use, and even did not have a burning stick on his hands, how could they fight.

Originally, Captain Kawauchi Akihito thought that with the步兵 (bùbīng, infantry) of Captain Yamada Takaru, he could顺利 (shùnlì, smoothly)抢 (qiǎng, seize) the 大炮 (dàpào, cannons) back, and he would have a place to use it, now watching those Japanese soldiers拿 (ná, taking)步枪 (bùqiāng, rifles) although they had not崩溃 (bēngkuì, collapsed), they were being blown up by one shell after another.

The Japanese soldiers who were击中 (jīzhòng, hit) by the炮弹 (pàodàn, shells) were really被炸 (bèi zhà, bombed) up, some of these被炸 (bèi zhà, bombed) Japanese soldiers解体 (jiě tǐ, disintegrated) in the air, scattered四分五裂 (sìfēnwǔliè, broken in pieces), looked恐怖 (kǒngbù, terrifying) very.

藤川树之介 (Tengchuan Tatsunosuke)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class), 藤条用介 (Tengtiaoyongjie)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class), 上野用佑 (Shangyeyongyou)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class) they were all操纵 (cāozòng, operating) the same 大炮 (dàpào, cannons), and they had always been together when fleeing.

Just now when they saw the密集的炮弹 (mìjí de pàodàn, dense shells) falling on Yamada Takaru's artillery position, the three Japanese soldiers started to 逃跑 (táopǎo, run away).

They became the leading sheep among these escaping Japanese soldiers, 藤条用介 (Tengtiaoyongjie)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class) ran for a section of the road, and saw that the artillery shells had not追 (zhuī, chased) up, then stopped and said: "Just now I told you to run, you still did not believe, now look back."

藤川树之介 (Tengchuan Tatsunosuke)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class) said in a low voice: "Keep your voice down, it would not be good if other Japanese soldiers know that we were逃跑 (táopǎo, running away)."

"Yamada Hidenosuke regiment commander has also逃跑 (táopǎo, ran away) back, what are you afraid of?" 藤条用介 (Tengtiaoyongjie)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class) said nonchalantly.

"The regiment commander does not call it逃跑 (táopǎo, running away), he calls it转进 (zhuǎnjìn, retrograde), we call it 逃跑 (táopǎo, running away)." 藤川树之介 (Tengchuan Tatsunosuke)上士 (shàngshì, sergeant first class) was still very grateful to Tengtiaoyongjie today, today both key periods were Tengtiaoyongjie shouted them to 逃跑 (táopǎo, run away) together, otherwise he