Chapter 1 The Temporary Airfield

A temporary airfield was built in just one day, though it was more like a wide road than an airport.

It lacked any airport facilities, just a large open space. On the night of September 26th, at 9 PM sharp, bonfires were lit around this space.

The fires illuminated the night sky, as the Special Operations Brigade's aircraft flew two hundred and thirty kilometers from Tongcheng to De'an.

According to his official rank, Lin Fan was merely a brigade commander, hardly warranting the personal reception of Xue Yue, the commander of the war zone.

However, Lin Fan concurrently held the position of commander-in-chief of three base areas, overseeing tens of millions of civilians and hundreds of thousands of troops.

This status was no lower than Xue Yue's as the war zone commander. More importantly, Xue Yue wanted to see what kind of person Lin Fan was.

Therefore, he arrived near the temporary airfield after nightfall, waiting for the arrival of the Special Operations Brigade's aircraft.

At 9:15 PM, a faint "buzzing" sound gradually arose in the night sky, quickly growing louder.

One after another, aircraft descended from the sky towards the airfield, immediately being pushed to the side after landing.

Soldiers emerged from the aircraft, marching out in formation.

Large quantities of supplies were unloaded, including two cannons. This surprised the National Revolutionary Army soldiers guarding the airfield.

Xue Yue watched as aircraft landed one after another, with many others circling in the sky, not landing.

In the distance, a group of soldiers escorted a young man, followed by a cannon.

An officer introduced them: "This is Xue Yue, commander of the Second War Zone, and this is Lin Fan, commander of the Special Operations Brigade of the Fifth War Zone."

Lin Fan stepped forward and reported, saluting, "The Special Operations Brigade of the Fifth War Zone reports to Commander Xue Yue. Two regiments, six thousand men, have arrived today, fully equipped, and with high morale. Reporting officer, Brigade Commander Lin Fan."

Xue Yue returned the salute solemnly, "At ease!"

He then scrutinized Lin Fan carefully, remarking with emotion, "Brigade Commander Lin is truly too young.

Having heard so many stories, I always imagined Brigade Commander Lin, even if young, would be a strapping man of thirty!

I didn't expect him to look like a student."

Lin Fan smiled without speaking. Xue Yue pointed to the aircraft in the sky, "Why aren't they landing?"

Lin Fan replied, "They are providing aerial cover. After unloading supplies and personnel, the landed aircraft will take off immediately.

The ten transport planes that brought the Special Operations Brigade will return to Jurong, and the remaining aircraft will return to the command of the National Revolutionary Army headquarters in Wuhan."

"Those hundred aircraft?" Xue Yue asked incredulously.

"Yes!"

"Impressive, old chap! Such boldness is rarely seen in the country!" Xue Yue truly admired Lin Fan.

"Won't you leave some aircraft here to assist in the fighting, old chap?"

Lin Fan smiled wryly, "Aircraft are precious things; they need maintenance and fuel. If I leave them here, I fear there won't be enough fuel, and they'll just become scrap metal."

Xue Yue looked disappointed: He indeed lacked aviation kerosene here. Judging by his tone, Lin Fan was willing to use the aircraft.

However, the roads within the war zone were completely destroyed, making it difficult to transport fuel in. It was better for them to take off from Wuhan Airport.

Lin Fan, unaware of Xue Yue's thoughts about the aircraft, asked, "What is the current situation?"

Xue Yue said, "Let's talk in the command headquarters."

Inside the command headquarters, Xue Yue pointed to the map and said, "The Japanese 106th Division advanced westward from Mahuiling, crossed Wutailing, and sneaked south into the Wanjialing area.

The Japanese 27th Division is in Ruichang, desperately trying to close in on the Japanese 106th Division.

If they manage to link up, De'an will be impossible to defend."

Lin Fan understood, "Please give the order, Commander Xue! The Special Operations Brigade will follow your command completely. I have only one request: The Special Operations Brigade must not be divided for separate missions."

Xue Yue naturally understood Lin Fan's intentions. The Special Operations Brigade had six thousand men, about the size of a National Revolutionary Army division.

Xue Yue pondered for a moment, "You will go here, to block the path between the Japanese 106th Division and the 27th Division.

There is a strategically important terrain feature between the 27th Division and the 106th Division called Qilin Peak.

It was originally captured by our forces, but the Japanese used aircraft, artillery, and poison gas, causing all our defending soldiers to sacrifice themselves, and Qilin Peak was lost.

If this place cannot be secured, the Japanese 106th Division will be able to escape completely from here."

Lin Fan understood, "Leave this place to me! Please provide me with five guides familiar with the roads."

"Five?" Not only was Xue Yue stunned, but the staff officers inside the command headquarters were also astonished.

Lin Fan smiled and said, "I have two regiments with twenty-four companies. If possible, twenty-four guides would be most suitable.

I want to march overnight and strive to reach Qilin Peak and occupy it by dawn, preventing the Japanese 27th Division and 106th Division from joining up."

Xue Yue ordered, "Immediately find twenty-four guides for Brigade Commander Lin, they must be familiar with the terrain."

After issuing the order, he pointed to the map and said, "Qilin Peak is three hundred and fifty meters above sea level, but only about fifty meters higher than the surrounding terrain.

It is thirty *li* from here in a straight line, but the actual marching route exceeds sixty *li*.

To the east of Qilin Peak is the Wuning Highway, where the Japanese 27th Division is currently attacking.

To the west of Qilin Peak is Baishui Street, where the Japanese 106th Division is also organizing troops to attack.

This is the watershed separating the two Japanese divisions, and also the lifeline of the Japanese 106th Division.

Since the 25th, the Japanese 27th Division has been fiercely attacking Fuxue Mountain on the flank of Qilin Peak. Our army's 178th Brigade of the 60th Division is defending the area and has suffered fierce attacks from the Japanese 27th Division.

The 178th Brigade lost five battalion commanders in one day. The 60th Division had to transfer reserves from the 180th Brigade defending Qilin Mountain.

The Japanese took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Qilin Peak in the evening and succeeded. The 60th Division organized a counterattack, with the 306th Regiment commander personally leading the suicide squad, and finally retook Qilin Peak.

On the 26th, the Japanese organized more than a dozen attacks, all of which were repelled by our army. Just this afternoon, the Japanese used aircraft, artillery, and poison gas to bombard Qilin Peak, while simultaneously sending infantry to attack.

The defending soldiers engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese. Now, the two sides are in a stalemate on Qilin Peak.

The 60th Division has suffered heavy casualties and is no longer able to continue holding the position. Now, the Special Operations Brigade will take over."

After listening to Commander Xue Yue's personal introduction of the battlefield situation, Lin Fan asked, "What is the current situation in Baishui Street?"

Xue Yue immediately said, "The east side of the street has been occupied by the Japanese 27th Division, and the west side is in our hands."

"What is the current situation on the Qilin Peak section of the Wuning Highway?" Lin Fan continued to ask.

"The Japanese 27th Division has complete control of the Wuning Highway, and they can now pass through this section of the road," Xue Yue said, pointing to the road on the sand table.

Lin Fan followed the Wuning Highway forward, "If the Japanese are allowed to advance, they will reach Ruoxi. Is the defense line there strong enough?"

Xue Yue shook his head, "The sudden incursion of the Japanese 106th Division from Mahuiling into Wanjialing was completely unexpected by our army. Now, the main force on the entire defense line is focused on Wanjialing."

Lin Fan pointed to Qilin Peak and the Wuning Highway and said, "I will take my troops there and cut off this road.

I will sever the Japanese 27th Division's intention to join up with the 106th Division, and I will also cut off the Wuning Highway, so Commander Xue can rest assured about the eastern defense line of Wanjialing.

If the Japanese 106th Division is isolated, and its supply lines are cut off, it will be an isolated army trapped in our encirclement and can be completely annihilated."

Xue Yue pointed to the sand table and said, "If Brigade Commander Lin can recapture Qilin Peak before noon on the 28th, drive the 27th Division out of Baishui Street, and cut off the Wuning Highway,

I can send troops to the rear of the 106th Division and close the door."

A guard reported, "Commander! The guides have arrived."

Lin Fan and Xue Yue walked out of the command post and saw that the guides standing outside were all soldiers. Lin Fan couldn't help but wonder, "Are they all locals?"

Xue Yue said, "These are all my men, Brigade Commander Lin can rest assured. We have been stationed in this area for two months, and we are very familiar with the roads."

Lin Fan asked, "I heard that compasses don't work in Wanjialing?"

"Yes! In the mountains, you can only rely on experience to find your way," Xue Yue said definitively.

"Since the guides are here, I will go to Qilin Peak first. Commander Xue, farewell," Lin Fan saluted and left with the guides.

A staff officer in the Second War Zone Command said, "This Brigade Commander Lin has quite the big talk! He wants to cut off the Wuning Highway and stop the 27th Division as soon as he arrives."

Another staff officer chimed in, "Yes! He only has a brigade of troops; wanting to stop a Japanese division is a bit too arrogant."

Xue Yue remained silent, only saying, "Go inside and take a look. If Brigade Commander Lin can really stop the Japanese 27th Division, will we have a chance to annihilate the 106th Division?"

For Xue Yue, annihilating a Japanese division was a very tempting prospect.

Since the start of the war, the National Revolutionary Army had never annihilated a Japanese division in a single battle. The Special Operations Brigade's previous victories didn't count, and even they hadn't achieved that feat, though they had annihilated the Xuzhou Task Force, which wasn't a fully organized division.

Lin Fan brought the twenty-four guides to the airfield and said to them, "Everyone is working together for the sake of resisting Japan.

We have only one goal now: to march overnight tonight and reach Qilin Peak before 5:00 AM.

Can you find a safe and easy road for us?"

A major stood out and said, "Commander! Let us discuss it." Among the guides, he held the highest rank, so he spoke on behalf of the group.

Lin Fan agreed and said to Liu Laopao and Shangguan Zhiwen, who came to greet him, "Each company, assemble in marching formation, prepare to depart! Company commanders, come here immediately for a meeting."

Soon, the six thousand-man force had assembled, and the twenty-four company commanders came to Lin Fan's side.

In the torchlight, Lin Fan pointed to the map and said, "Our mission is here, Qilin Peak!

It is forty *li* from here in a straight line, sixty *li* marching distance, we must arrive before 5:00 AM.

Take it down, hold it, and also hold the Wuning Highway to the east, do not let the Japanese pass.

Hold Baishui Street to the west, do not let the Japanese enter. Tonight's march, each company must keep up.

In this area, compasses are unreliable and the directions they show are inaccurate. Each company must inform every soldier of this. From now on, everyone will act collectively."

Lin Fan's military meeting was short and to the point, finished in a few words. The National Revolutionary Army major also concluded his discussion at this time.

He ran over, saluted, and reported, "Reporting, Brigade Commander! We have discussed a route."

Lin Fan asked, "Do all twenty-four of you know that route?"

"Yes!"

"How far is it? About fifty-five to sixty-five *li*." The major reported hesitantly.

The marching distance was somewhat vague and inaccurate. But that was just how it was in this era. No one could make detailed maps, let alone estimate such temporary distances.

Lin Fan walked in front of the guides and said loudly, "Brothers! Although we come from different war zones, our goal now is the same: to go to Qilin Peak and fight the Japanese.

You are the best at leading the way! Otherwise, Commander Xue wouldn't have sent you here.

We just came from Jiangbei and are completely unfamiliar with the terrain here, so we can't march at all. Therefore, whether we can reach Qilin Peak before 5:00 AM depends on you.

Once we reach Qilin Peak, it's up to us! The Special Operations Brigade is always the most professional when it comes to fighting the Japanese.

Now, each of you will go to a company as a guide. We will unite and annihilate the Japanese!"

Lin Fan shouted loudly, "Second Regiment, First Company Commander!"

"Here!" Shi Junxia responded loudly and stepped forward.

"Take a guide back to your company and depart immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Second Regiment, Second Company Commander!"

"Here!" Xuan Yiren stepped forward.

"Take a guide back to your company and depart immediately!"

"Yes!"

...

All twenty-four guides were assigned to companies. Guo Juncai was a communications staff officer from the Second War Zone. He had been following various troops to set up telephone lines these days.

Therefore, he was very familiar with the road from De'an to Qilin Peak. When he received the task today, he looked at the Special Operations Brigade, which had just gotten off the plane.

He felt a little curious: What kind of troops are these that can fly in to participate in the war?

The aircraft on the temporary airfield were taking off one after another into the night sky, and the aircraft circling in the air also left.

The bonfires on the entire temporary airfield gradually went out. Guo Juncai looked at the company commander in front of him. He was young, in his twenties, with a fierce look on his face.

Company Commander Shi Junxia extended his hand, "Let's get acquainted. I am Shi Junxia, company commander of the First Company, Second Regiment of the Special Operations Brigade."

"I am Guo Juncai, communications staff officer of the Second War Zone Command!" Guo Juncai quickly extended his hand.

"Staff Officer Guo, point us in the right direction, and we'll talk as we go," Shi Junxia said.

"This way!" Guo Juncai immediately pointed the way to the east. He was about to walk to the front, but Company Commander Shi stopped him.

"You walk in the second row!" At the very front were two heavy machine guns, looking like two small carts from the front.

Walking behind these two carts, Guo Juncai pointed to the heavy machine guns and asked, "Did you make these yourselves?"

Company Commander Shi Junxia said proudly, "Yes! Don't think they look ugly; when fighting, they are pushed to the very front, and Japanese machine guns and rifles can't penetrate them."

This was completely being used as a shield, with a heavy machine gun mounted on top. Both offense and defense combined!

Guo Juncai looked at the cart, thinking. Shi Junxia said to Guo Juncai, "We are marching a bit fast. Can Staff Officer Guo keep up?"

Guo Juncai wouldn't brag about other things, but when it came to rushing, he wasn't afraid. Hearing Company Commander Shi's words, he immediately said with a smile:

"To be honest, Company Commander Shi, I am a communications staff officer, and the telephone lines in this area are always being damaged.

I am always taking my brothers out to repair the lines. In this battlefield, I haven't had the chance to shoot any Japanese soldiers.

But when it comes to running, I won't lose to anyone."

Shi Junxia was pleased and immediately ordered, "Slightly increase the speed. But not too fast. Just enough for the Second Company to keep up."

After he gave the order, Guo Juncai immediately felt that the soldiers' steps had lengthened, and the speed increased suddenly.

Shi Junxia smiled and said, "Coincidentally! Our Special Operations Brigade is also a unit that likes to run.

When we joined our unit, the first thing we had to do was practice running. The brigade commander said: When the Japanese run, we must be able to catch up. When we retreat, we must not let the Japanese catch up.

Usually, we do ten kilometers of morning exercises every day, so marching is also one of our strengths."

Hearing Company Commander Shi's words, Guo Juncai was a little surprised. He was in the Second War Zone Command and connected telephone lines for various units every day, so he had contact with every unit.

He had never met a company commander who was so cocky. But he didn't know Liu Laopao, the Second Regiment commander.

Regiment Commander Liu Laopao was the kind of person who liked to talk based on his strength. If he said ten points, his unit would do ten points.

With such a regiment commander, of course, there would be such a regiment!

Major Chang Wende was guiding the last company. He discovered that the weapons of this company were different.

They were pushing a weapon with many tubes, and there were only four of them in the entire company. The remaining soldiers carried weapons and a long bamboo tube on their backs.

He asked Company Commander Jiang curiously, "Company Commander! What are those weapons?"

Jiang Binwei said with a smile, "We call them rocket launchers!"

"Rocket launchers? I've never heard of such a weapon?" Major Chang Wende was a graduate of a military academy. He tried hard to remember.

But he couldn't recall any country's arsenal including such a weapon.

Company Commander Jiang said proudly, "This is a special weapon of our unit, and only our Special Operations Brigade has it for now."

"What are its characteristics?" Major Chang was feeling that there was nothing to see on this night march.

He was very interested in finding out what this new weapon was used for.

"It fires quickly, scatters widely, and is the best weapon for dealing with group charges or saturation bombardments," Company Commander Jiang said proudly.

Major Chang couldn't understand these characteristics. Someone who had never seen a rocket launcher fire couldn't understand how this weapon worked.

Company Commander Jiang also knew this, so he said with a smile, "If Major Chang is interested, you can wait a while after we get to Qilin Peak this morning and see us fire them. Then you'll understand."

Major Chang Wende really didn't understand this unit. They flew in from Tongcheng without taking a break.

They started marching immediately after getting off the plane. He originally thought that it would be difficult for this unit to walk sixty *li* of mountain road overnight.

But after walking for an hour, he realized that the entire unit's marching speed hadn't slowed down at all.

What surprised him the most was that no one had fallen behind along the way.

He was the last of the twenty-four guides to be taken. That is, he was with the last company of this unit.

This showed that no one in the twenty-three companies in front of them had fallen behind. This situation was simply unimaginable for a brigade.

Night marches always had various unexpected situations. As long as there were accidents, there would be soldiers who fell behind.

But no soldiers in this unit had fallen behind! He finally asked this question.

Company Commander Jiang heard his question and replied with a smile, "We did have soldiers who fell behind when we first started training.

But after training for a longer period of time, the soldiers gradually got used to it, and the issue of falling behind on night marches stopped happening.

And even if one or two soldiers were occasionally injured, they could be carried by the other soldiers in their squad."

Major Chang was a careful person, and he clearly heard that Company Commander Jiang said, "when we first started training."

He waited patiently for Company Commander Jiang to finish speaking before asking, "Have you trained for night marches?"

Company Commander Jiang smiled, "When soldiers fight wars, they have to anticipate all kinds of situations. More sweat in peacetime, less blood in wartime.

We are stationed in the rear, so of course we have to train more. From top to bottom, our regiment would rather fight the Japanese every day. Fighting the Japanese is actually easier.

Days without fighting are the real hard days."

After saying that, he sighed happily, "This kind of march tonight is too easy."

Chang Wende only carried some dry rations, a pot of water, and a pistol. He saw that Company Commander Jiang was carrying a pistol, a rifle, a long bamboo tube, six grenades, a large ammunition bag, and a backpack.

And he still thought this was easy? Chang Wende looked at all the equipment on Company Commander Jiang and asked, puzzled, "How much does all that weigh?"

"Nearly a hundred *jin*! It's not usually this heavy during training, I just have one extra thing today!" Company Commander Jiang pointed to the bamboo tube.

Major Chang was shocked, "You're crazy! Marching with a hundred *jin* of weight?"

"If we carry more, it will be more useful when fighting the Japanese. More sweat in peacetime, less blood in wartime," Company Commander Jiang didn't think there was anything strange about it.

"What's in this bamboo tube?" Major Chang asked. He had seen that everyone was carrying the same size and thickness of bamboo tube, so he asked.

"This is a shell, the one used in the rocket launcher you asked about earlier," Company Commander Jiang said easily.

Chang Wende was even more surprised. He had just seen the companies in front also carrying this thing.

He silently estimated that they were carrying at least a thousand of these things.

If he had initially wanted to scoff when he heard Lin Fan say that he wanted to take back Qilin Peak and cut off the Wuning Highway, not allowing the Japanese 27th Division to pass, he now really believed that this unit could complete the task.

This wasn't an ordinary unit. Just the fact that they could carry so much equipment and still maintain such a fast marching speed showed their combat effectiveness.

When the unit had been marching for two hours, an order came from the front to rest for half an hour.

The soldiers of the 12th Company of the 15th Regiment, who were at the rear, began to put down the things they were carrying to relax.

Major Chang Wende pretended to be casual and reached out to lift the bamboo tube. He then felt that it was very heavy. The bamboo tube alone must weigh more than fifty *jin*.

Thinking that it was a shell, a fifty-*jin* shell must have considerable power.

Major Chang Wende saw that the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade didn't sit down immediately after putting down their equipment. Instead, they stood in place, casually moving their arms and legs.

He was a little curious again and asked, "What are they doing?"

Company Commander Jiang was also moving his arms and legs, even doing a few bayonet thrusts with his rifle. He then answered, "After a long continuous march, you can't sit down immediately. You need to move around a bit and wait for your blood to return to normal before sitting down to rest."

In Major Chang's view, all the soldiers looked like this: Most of the soldiers were practicing bayonet thrusts with their rifles.

Although they were just thrusting into the air, Major Chang could already imagine what these soldiers would look like when facing the Japanese.

About five minutes later, the soldiers slowly stopped moving and began to sit down to rest.

The half-hour rest period quickly passed, and the unit started moving again, still maintaining the same speed.

Guo Juncai felt a little tired after getting up from the half-hour rest. Shi Junxia, who had been marching alongside him, was completely fine.

He was no different from when they first started. The same was true for the soldiers pushing the carts in front. They hadn't slowed down at all.

Company Commander Shi did tell them to slow down a couple of times to wait for the units behind to catch up.

With such a unit and such a marching speed, Guo Juncai pointed ahead at 3:30 AM and said, "We're four *li* away from Qilin Peak. Do we need to continue?"

Company Commander Shi Junxia immediately asked Lin Fan for instructions. Lin Fan knew that there were National Revolutionary Army troops stationed around Qilin Peak, and going there at this time could easily cause misunderstandings.

He immediately sent a telegram to the Second War Zone Command, reporting that the Special Operations Brigade was four *li* away from Qilin Peak and needed to coordinate with the 60th Division stationed at Qilin Peak to complete the transfer of the defense line.

After seeing Lin Fan and the others off, Xue Yue and his staff officers studied the situation of the entire defense line. If the Special Operations Brigade could really do what they said, the Second War Zone could annihilate the Japanese 106th Division in the Wanjialing area.

But he didn't know how effective this Special Operations Brigade would actually be.

At 3:43 AM, an urgent telegram arrived. The guard woke Xue Yue, who was resting, and handed him the telegram, which stated that the Special Operations Brigade had arrived four *li* from Qilin Peak, one hour earlier than expected. They now needed to complete the transfer of the defense line with the 60th Division stationed at Qilin Peak.

Xue Yue was immediately invigorated: The Special Operations Brigade's first step was a good start.

The 60th Division had been fighting the Japanese 27th Division on this defense line for several days in a row and had suffered heavy casualties.

The entire division was now only supported by a belief that they could not retreat. When they heard that a unit was coming to take over four *li* behind them,

The division commander personally led a group to welcome them. At 4:23 AM, Lin Fan met with Division Commander Chen of the 60th Division. Division Commander Chen explained the entire division's defense line and the deployment of the Japanese troops in front of them to Lin Fan on a hand-drawn map of the division headquarters.

Lin Fan took the map. The signalmen of the 60th Division, taking advantage of the darkness, were now leading the soldiers of the Second Regiment to take over the defense.

According to the markings on the map, Lin Fan ordered the troops to continue moving forward until they reached the west end of Baishui Street, where the Special Operations Brigade stopped.

Lin Fan ordered: "The two rocket launcher companies of the Second Regiment and the 15th Regiment will be used together. The remaining companies will act according to plan."

The twenty-four guides couldn't return yet. The companies of the Special Operations Brigade were not familiar with the area and still needed guides.

Division Commander Chen generously sent nearly a hundred soldiers to the Special Operations Brigade, saying that these soldiers would be guides for the Special Operations Brigade.

This immediately solved the difficulty of the Special Operations Brigade not being familiar with the terrain. Lin Fan looked at the map and memorized all the place names.

These place names also had to be linked to the actual map. Now, the companies of the Second Regiment were beginning to take over the defense.

During the darkest moment before dawn, the Japanese troops in front were not alarmed by the transfer of the defense line in the Second War Zone.

According to Division Commander Chen's introduction, there was the 3rd Garrison Infantry Regiment of the Japanese 27th Division east of Qilin Peak, and the 123rd Regiment of the Japanese 106th Division attacking Baishui Street.

Lin Fan marked these materials on the map one by one, and also added a special note: Poison!

This indicated that the attacking Japanese troops were equipped with poison gas shells. The Luxi Detachment had not been attacked by Japanese poison gas shells for some time during its operations around Xuzhou.

Encountering them again, Lin Fan especially notified each company: Be sure to pay attention to preventing Japanese poison gas shell bombardments. When encountering poison gas shell bombardments, retreat immediately without worrying about the loss of the position.

For the Special Operations Brigade, they were never afraid of not being able to take back a position. Preserving people while losing land would ultimately result in both people and land being preserved. Preserving land while losing people would ultimately result in both people and land being lost.

The soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade knew this principle, and the evening study sessions were not in vain.

Dawn broke! The 60th Division also withdrew. The Special Operations Brigade began to act.

When it was just dawning, the companies of the Second Regiment had launched a full-scale offensive, from the Wuning Highway to Qilin Peak to Baishui Street.

Guo Juncai personally saw those carts that had been pushed all night at the very front, rushing towards the other side of Qilin Peak.

"Da-da-da!" "Da-da-da!" The sounds rang out. Both sides were using the same weapons, all heavy machine guns firing at each other.

The First Company Commander looked at the two machine gun positions opposite him and ordered loudly, "Rocket launchers!"

Two soldiers rushed forward from the back, crawling behind the carts. From the front, they wouldn't be noticed at all.

"Boom! Boom!" With two loud bangs, Guo Juncai saw that the two firing points that had just been spewing flames had suddenly gone silent.

"Continue the attack!" The First Company Commander ordered. According to the information obtained before the battle, Qilin Peak was the most important point on this battlefield.

Company Commander Shi Junxia wanted to occupy the entire Qilin Peak as quickly as possible, to provide support for his comrades on the east and west sides.

Behind the First Company, the anti-aircraft machine gun company was ready and ready to go up the mountain at any time.

At this time, defending Qilin Peak was the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Garrison Infantry Regiment of the Japanese 27th Division. Battalion Commander Yamada was commanding the Japanese counterattack on the top of the peak.

Division Commander Ochiai Shintaro of the 27th Division was also planning to occupy the entire Qilin Peak position today, opening the last gate to the 106th Division.

From Qilin Peak, the Japanese troops of the 123rd Regiment on the east side of Baishui Street could already be seen.

In order to occupy the entire Qilin Peak, Division Commander Ochiai Shintaro was also very worried.

His mountain artillery regiment had used up all its poison gas shells in the past two days, and yesterday he had urgently transferred poison gas shells from the rear.

He wanted to use all these poison gas shells on Qilin Peak. He believed that Qilin Peak was the most important point in the entire situation. As long as this point was activated, the entire Japanese defense line would be activated.

Commander Okamura Neiji also thought so, so even though he knew that poison gas shells were weapons prohibited by international conventions, he still distributed them to the 27th Division in large quantities.

Yamada Masato, the battalion commander on Qilin Peak, was also planning to attack today. He didn't expect that the National Revolutionary Army, which had been fighting for a day, would be able to launch an offensive.

Soon, he discovered that this attacking unit was different: This opposing unit had too much firepower!

The Makishima Hyuga platoon under him had just made contact with the other side, and two heavy machine guns had been shot down.

How could he endure this? Battalion Commander Yamaguchi Masato immediately ordered: "Immediately push back the National Revolutionary Army's offensive."

Platoon Leader Makishima Hyuga looked at the National Revolutionary Army soldiers charging nearby. The two sides were less than seventy meters apart.

He jumped out of the trench and ordered loudly: "Charge! Charge!"

Battalion Commander Makishima Hyuga wanted to use bayonet combat to defeat this attacking unit.

His platoon still had about one hundred and fifty Japanese soldiers, and the number of people charging up on the other side was also about one hundred.

With the same number of people on both sides, Makishima Hyuga was not afraid of not being able to fight. Moreover, he had just noticed that the small carts pushed out by the opposing unit could block heavy machine gun bullets.

It was with this in mind that he ordered the unit to charge.

Company Commander Chang wasn't playing tricks with the Japanese today. Time was tight, and the mission was heavy. Only by confronting the Japanese head-on and annihilating them could he occupy Qilin Peak in the shortest amount of time.

Seeing the Japanese charging forward, the First Company was also charging forward. This made Guo Juncai, who had come to guide them, a little confused.

The Special Operations Brigade clearly had a firepower advantage. The Japanese launched a charge because their firepower was inferior and they had to charge.

But he was just a guide and couldn't make any suggestions about this unit's tactics.

He could only carefully follow behind the heavy machine guns, quickly charging towards the Japanese.

After charging forward less than twenty meters, he heard Company Commander Chang order, "First Squad! Grenades!"

Three seconds later, there was a series of grenade explosions in front of them.

"Second Squad! Grenades!"

Again, a series of grenade explosions rang out in front of them. Guo Juncai looked out through the gaps in the carts. In the dim morning light, the front was a cloud of smoke.

He couldn't see clearly, but he could hear many Japanese soldiers wailing and groaning.

Company Commander Chang's voice didn't change: "Continue forward! Clear the battlefield along the way!"

Wasn't clearing the battlefield supposed to be done after the fighting was over?

In reality, no unit had time to clear the battlefield during these past few days of fighting.

In the weather of September, the corpses would start to stink after only one day. The total number of people killed on both sides of Qilin Peak had already exceeded a thousand. When the smell first came, it was unbearably foul.

Fortunately, after a longer period of time, they didn't feel it as much.

Guo Juncai continued to charge forward with the First Company. When he reached the wounded Japanese soldiers, he understood what "clearing the battlefield" meant!

The soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade used their bayonets to stab the throats of the Japanese soldiers who had just fallen, whether they were corpses or wounded soldiers.

Guo Juncai finally couldn't help but say, "Prisoners! These are prisoners!"

Chang Junxia said with a smile, "There is a saying in our unit: Only dead Japanese are good Japanese!

Prisoners? These Japanese don't deserve it!" As he spoke, the soldiers didn't stop.

They were still continuing to charge forward, and the carts were hit by bullets, making a clanging sound.

Guo Juncai couldn't help but continue, "A prisoner is more valuable than a corpse. It's generally difficult to capture Japanese prisoners."

Company Commander Chang said with a smile, "If they surrender before we launch an attack, I might consider sparing their lives.

But after we start the attack, we won't spare them, even if they surrender!"

Battalion Commander Yamaguchi Masato watched from not far away as the Makishima Hyuga platoon was wiped out by the attacking National Revolutionary Army in less than a face-to-face encounter.

He was frightened by this! He quickly ordered: "The Hoki Mizuki platoon and the Futamata Yusuke platoon will also go out.

No matter what, we must push this unit back. The Kotake Taro platoon and the Miyatou Ibuki platoon will provide cover."

He had already pressed all the troops of the entire Yamaguchi Battalion into the battle. The entire battalion still had more than five hundred Japanese soldiers who could fight.

When Guo Juncai saw so many Japanese soldiers charging over in a dark mass, his pace couldn't help but slow down.

With so many Japanese soldiers charging over, the First Company's firepower advantage could still allow them to establish a defense line.

But to his surprise, Company Commander Chang, who was beside him, shouted loudly: "Speed up