Chapter 1 Lin Fan

Lin Fan stood beside the eighty-eight-millimeter anti-aircraft gun, watching the battle raging along both sides of the distant highway.

Although the four infantry regiments of the Lunan Detachment had already charged forward, the twenty ground-attack aircraft in the sky had not yet left the battlefield.

They strafed along both sides of the highway, targeting the Japanese soldiers hiding behind cover, the very ones who operated the heavy weapons.

Sergeant Ryota Endo was one such soldier, an infantry gunner in the Uehara Tetsuno Battalion. When the artillery bombardment began, his gun's commander had already been killed.

During the aerial strafing, the gun's loader also died.

That left him as the only one still holding on, yet Sergeant Ryota Endo did not give up.

Next to him was another infantry gun, but not a single Japanese soldier was left standing to operate it. The soldiers were sprawled all around the gun.

Some, clinging to life, groaned and begged Ryota Endo to save them.

Those who could still stand and charge had already obeyed orders and rushed forward. Ryota Endo did not charge, preferring to stick to what he knew best.

He moved a box of shells to a spot fifteen meters away. Then, he picked up a shell, struggling to load and fire.

Next to him, a soldier with wounded legs cried out in terror, "Endo-kun! Stop! What are you doing?"

"Firing!"

"Captain Sato fired one shot and brought down a hailstorm of bullets from the planes. We were all hit in that strafing run.

Please, be quiet! Don't provoke the Nationalists again. Their planes are too powerful."

Ryota Endo ignored the coward, continuing his work alone. He placed a shell on the ground, opened the breech, and then lifted the shell and loaded it into the chamber.

He slightly adjusted the elevation of the infantry gun, considering it aimed.

The soldier who had begged him not to fire was now desperately crawling away, using his hands to drag himself. He couldn't stay too close to this madman, for fear of another strafing.

Ryota Endo felt a surge of lonely heroism as he looked at the charging Lunan Detachment. He pulled the lanyard with all his might.

With a deafening roar, a huge cloud of smoke erupted from the infantry gun's position—the gun had exploded.

Ryota Endo, who had been waiting to fire the first shell and continue shooting, was struck by several fragments from the exploding gun.

The most fatal hit was a piece of shrapnel that struck him in the chest, tearing it open and revealing his pale pink heart still beating weakly. Blood gushed out of his open chest cavity, spraying more than two feet away.

As Ryota Endo fell to the ground, he couldn't understand why the gun had exploded.

If Lin Fan had been there to explain, he only needed to observe the soldier's actions to find the problem: after the shell was taken from the box, it was placed on the ground. When it was picked up again, the mud clinging to it had not been cleaned off.

Large grains of sand stuck to the warhead, increasing resistance. No matter how the propellant burned, it couldn't push the warhead out, causing it to burst inside the chamber.

The soldier who had crawled away heard the explosion nearby and saw Ryota Endo's fate, but felt no sympathy.

Now, he only prayed to Amaterasu that the explosion would not attract the attention of the planes overhead.

To his disappointment, the ground-attack aircraft immediately noticed the sudden cloud of smoke below.

Whatever the situation, they swooped in for a concentrated strafing run.

The short-range engagement hoped for by the entire Asao Isoroku Regiment finally arrived.

The four battalions engaged the four infantry regiments of the Lunan Detachment almost simultaneously.

Captain Akio Aso watched his entire battalion become entangled with the opposing Nationalist forces, and his long-held anxieties eased somewhat.

Although his battalion had suffered a sudden attack today, incurring heavy casualties, and two of his companies had been dispatched as reconnaissance units,

Captain Akio Aso was not worried, even though fewer than four hundred Japanese soldiers in his entire battalion were currently engaged in close combat.

He knew his battalion's soldiers well: their usual training was rigorous, and they had put their hearts and souls into bayonet drill.

In this kind of chaotic melee, his battalion could inflict grievous wounds on the enemy.

Captain Akio Aso, already imagining what would happen next, waved his katana behind the battalion and shouted, "Kill! Kill!"

Sergeant Ryunosuke Aoi, who was at the front of the Akio Aso Battalion and had luckily avoided being hit by the Lunan Detachment's Ninth Regiment machine gun fire, eagerly held his Type 38 rifle.

He was already the foremost soldier in the charging ranks. Ahead of him, many soldiers were rushing forward.

The Ninth Regiment had just recently been converted from a security regiment into a regular combat regiment. Just days ago, the soldiers were ordinary people, working on farms and harvesting crops.

It would be a lie to say they weren't afraid now that they were engaged in bayonet combat with the Japanese soldiers. But in this situation, the soldiers had no other choice.

They couldn't just drop their guns and run away! At the head of the Ninth Regiment was Commander Hua Cai Tian, who shouted loudly, "Three-man squads! Form combat teams and cover each other!"

In their usual training, the security regiment had practiced this kind of three-man squad formation not just once, but for half an hour during every training session.

Hearing the commander's order, the soldiers immediately formed many three-man combat teams. Hua Cai Tian roared "Kill!" and thrust the bayonet in his hand at the foremost Japanese soldier.

Sergeant Ryunosuke Aoi watched as the approaching Nationalist soldiers suddenly changed from a scattered mob into individual combat teams.

Before he could react, the officer who had given the order charged straight toward him, filling him with elation.

This Nationalist soldier could issue commands, and the soldiers listened to him, meaning he was an officer. If he could kill this officer, the charging soldiers would surely be frightened and flee.

With this thought, Ryunosuke Aoi immediately accelerated, meeting Commander Hua Cai Tian head-on.

Commander Hua Cai Tian struck first, roaring as he leaped forward, his entire body rising into the air. The bayonet in his hand flashed with cold light, aimed at the Japanese soldier's chest.

Ryunosuke Aoi had planned to advance two more steps before engaging in bayonet combat.

The sudden leap forward by the enemy shortened the distance between them, causing Ryunosuke Aoi to react hastily.

Although his plan had been good, the change was too sudden. He could only parry with the bayonet in his hand, trying to ward off the thrust.

The bayonets clashed, and Ryunosuke Aoi heard a "crack" from his arm. At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his right shoulder.

The force from the opposing side was too strong. Although he had managed to block the thrust, he could not withstand such power and staggered backward.

Ryunosuke Aoi desperately hoped that the Japanese soldier behind him would thrust out a bayonet from the side, saving his life, which was about to end.

This time, his prediction was accurate, but his expectation was absurd. The Japanese soldier beside him, seeing Hua Cai Tian's astonishing action,

was too frightened to do anything but flee, so he didn't dare step forward to his death. Hua Cai Tian's first thrust made the Japanese soldier stagger backward.

Just as his feet landed, he exerted force with his right foot and stepped forward with his left, shouting "Kill!" A second roar sounded, and the rifle in his hand thrust forward again quickly.

This time, Ryunosuke Aoi, still staggering backward, hadn't even steadied himself, let alone thought of parrying. His chest was pierced.

Hua Cai Tian lightly twisted his right hand, turning the bayonet half a circle inside the Japanese soldier's chest, shredding his heart and lungs. Ryunosuke Aoi, still staggering backward, watched as a spray of blood erupted from his chest.

He felt all the strength leave his body. His feet, still staggering backward, tangled with each other, and he fell to the ground, unable to struggle any longer.

The Ninth Regiment soldiers behind Hua Cai Tian had witnessed firsthand how their commander had taken a deep breath, killing the foremost Japanese soldier with a thrust, followed by a step forward.

The fear that had been in the soldiers' hearts vanished, and the bayonet techniques they had learned in training resurfaced.

As in their usual training, they charged forward, holding their rifles with both hands, left foot forward, right foot back, shouting "Kill!"

They thrust their rifles straight at the Japanese soldiers' chests, decisively. The three-man combat teams protected each other as they faced the enemy.

Hua Cai Tian's security regiment was fully staffed, with over two thousand soldiers. The Akio Aso Battalion, fighting against his regiment with bayonets, had only four hundred Japanese soldiers.

The sheer difference in numbers put great pressure on the Japanese soldiers. Even though the Ninth Regiment formed three-man combat teams, there were still many more of them than Japanese soldiers.

The combat teams faced the Japanese soldiers three against one. In a single exchange, they sent a large number of the fastest-charging soldiers to the ground.

Captain Akio Aso, who had been imagining how valiant his battalion would be, how they would defeat the superior Nationalist forces with their bayonet skills, watched the situation unfold before him.

For a moment, he was at a loss. This was completely beyond his expectations. He had never imagined that this enemy force would completely overwhelm the Akio Battalion in bayonet combat.

Akio Aso finally recovered from the shock. The two forces were already entangled, and he could no longer change tactics.

Moreover, the entire Aso Regiment was now being strafed from the air. If they didn't engage the Nationalist forces, they would face the merciless machine-gun fire.

Under these circumstances, Captain Akio Aso had no choice but to shout at the Japanese soldiers, who were too frightened to move forward: "Charge! Charge!"

He raised his katana and began to charge as well. The situation on the battlefield had made it impossible for his battalion to escape. He could only charge forward, hoping for a miracle.

The soldiers of the Ninth Regiment grew braver and braver! Before engaging the Japanese soldiers in face-to-face bayonet combat, they had been somewhat uneasy.

But after killing the foremost Japanese soldiers, they noticed hesitation in the Japanese ranks.

The soldiers were very familiar with that scene. It meant that the Japanese soldiers were afraid.

The more afraid the enemy was, the more courageous they became!

The soldiers of the Ninth Regiment charged forward even faster and more forcefully.

Their war cries during the thrusts became louder, their movements faster, and their strength greater.

In war, the brave prevail. The Ninth Regiment soldiers had achieved an initial victory, drawing blood with their bayonets, and their morale was soaring.

In contrast, the bravest soldiers in the Aso Battalion had been at the front, and they had already been killed.

The remaining soldiers were only the second tier of the force. They had lost their courage and were demoralized, forced to charge forward by Captain Aso.

When they clashed with the charging Ninth Regiment soldiers again, Commander Tian Hua Cai was still at the front, just as before.

This time, the opposing Japanese soldier couldn't even parry the first thrust. Commander Tian's rifle pressed the Japanese soldier's rifle all the way back to his face, and Commander Tian's bayonet pierced the Japanese soldier's chest. The Japanese soldier's hands were still tightly gripping the rifle, pressed against his chest.

Commander Tian's bayonet twisted half a circle inside the Japanese soldier's chest and was quickly withdrawn. It was as if all the Japanese soldier's strength was drawn out along with the bayonet.

The rifle that he had been gripping tightly suddenly fell to the ground, and his hands frantically covered the wound on his chest.

His eyes were filled with panic and despair. Commander Tian's first thrust pierced him again, and the Japanese soldier's desire to live was so strong that Commander Tian had to give him a third thrust.

The Japanese soldier's hands were covering the wounds, so Commander Tian's third thrust didn't target his chest, but instead pierced the Japanese soldier's throat.

This time, the Japanese soldier finally had no third hand to cover the wound. His eyes were filled with longing for life and despair at reality. The Japanese soldier struggled and fell, his eyes staring fixedly at the sky, unable to close.

The Ninth Regiment of the Lunan Detachment had only been formed a few days ago, and the regiment's style was still developing. The commander's style was the model for the soldiers to emulate.

The commander was at the front, having already killed two Japanese soldiers in quick succession. The soldiers behind him saw it all, and of course, they would follow in the commander's footsteps.

As the commander advanced, the soldiers followed. They shouted and charged into the ranks of the Japanese soldiers, their battle cries shaking the sky, and the steps they took during the thrusts resonated with the earth.

When Captain Akio Aso charged to the front of the ranks, there were fewer than a hundred Japanese soldiers in his battalion still able to fight.

And all of those hundred soldiers were cowards who had quietly moved their feet backward.

In fact, Sergeant Jiro Shirakawa, who had been quietly retreating, understood that retreating on the battlefield was a disgrace.

Especially on a battlefield like today's, where they were fighting with bayonets, even if he could retreat ten meters, he would never be able to retreat a hundred meters.

Because when the Japanese soldiers fighting in front of him were all dead, it would be his turn to die.

But Sergeant Jiro Shirakawa was afraid of face-to-face bayonet combat. If he were hiding in a trench, with a safe distance of dozens of meters, exchanging fire, he definitely wouldn't be afraid.

Sergeant Jiro Shirakawa was not a new recruit. He was an old Japanese soldier who had participated in dozens of battles.

In previous battles, they had always been at an absolute advantage. Even in bayonet combat, those Japanese soldiers at the front had already routed the Nationalist forces, and cowardly soldiers like him only needed to put on a show.

But today was different. Those Japanese soldiers at the front had all died, making it impossible for Jiro Shirakawa to hide.

Captain Taro Aso didn't notice small characters like Jiro Shirakawa. In fact, Captain Aso couldn't notice anything anymore.

His eyes were fixed on Commander Tian, who was charging toward him. Commander Tian Hua Cai was an old soldier.

From the katana in Aso Akio's hand, he recognized his identity: the captain of the Japanese army!

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals! Commander Tian immediately charged toward this Japanese captain.

Seeing a soldier charging toward him, Captain Akio Aso flourished his sword twice with one hand, then stood firmly with his feet slightly apart, gripping the hilt with both hands.

With a loud shout, he slashed down at Commander Tian, who was charging forward. Commander Tian simultaneously exerted force with both feet, his entire body leaping to the left.

He perfectly avoided the slash from Captain Aso, which was another unexpected situation.

Captain Akio Aso had thought that the other party might parry or counterattack desperately. He simply hadn't imagined that the other party would jump to the left, causing the sword, swung with all his strength, to slash through the air. DaFeng novel network

That wasn't important. What was important was that slashing through the air with all his strength caused his center of gravity to shift forward.

The katana caused Captain Akio Aso to stagger forward two steps. Commander Tian, who had leaped to the left, didn't stop. His hands quickly struck, and the rifle thrust out with a whoosh.

The shining bayonet pierced into Akio Aso's right flank, piercing his liver, rupturing his gall bladder, and finally piercing his heart.

The bayonet twisted half a circle inside the Japanese soldier's body before being withdrawn. That immediately shattered Akio Aso's heart, ruptured his liver, and destroyed his gall bladder.

Akio Aso, struggling to steady himself, finally dropped his katana and fell to the ground. The fallen Captain Aso didn't even try to struggle.

He just died like that! Behind him, to his left and right, were a dozen guards. When those Japanese soldiers saw the eighth-dan swordsman, Captain Aso, die in a single move,

they couldn't accept the fact. Soon, those Japanese soldiers were surrounded by the Ninth Regiment soldiers. After they fought with the Ninth Regiment soldiers, they realized that the captain had not died unjustly, and they followed him to the afterlife.

Jiro Shirakawa watched as the captain was stabbed in the right flank. Soon, there were only a dozen Japanese soldiers left in the entire battalion in this area.

Jiro Shirakawa couldn't care less anymore. He plopped to the ground and shouted loudly, "I surrender!"

This was the first time that Commander Tian had seen a Japanese soldier surrender so readily on the battlefield.

The soldiers who had already charged in front of Jiro Shirakawa had raised their bayonets, but when they saw this Japanese soldier kneel and beg for mercy,

they, who had been honest civilians just a few days ago, saw his act of kneeling and begging for mercy as a complete abandonment of resistance.

So they didn't continue to attack. At that moment, Commander Tian rushed over, looked at the kneeling Japanese soldier, and said to his soldiers:

"Seeing him in such a pathetic state, you would never imagine that if we didn't have weapons in our hands, they would kill our loved ones and burn our villages.

I hope that today's events will be the last of their kind to happen in the entire regiment. Everyone must remember: the Special Operations Brigade doesn't take Japanese soldiers as prisoners.

Our motto: the only good Japanese soldier is a dead Japanese soldier."

After saying that, Tian Hua Cai thrust the rifle in his hand at Jiro Shirakawa's throat, and after stabbing him, he added another stab before he felt relieved.

He gave the order: "Clean up the battlefield!"

Captain Akio Aso had died, but the Aso Battalion had not been completely wiped out. Two companies of the battalion were still struggling to break through to the artillery positions set up by Lin Fan.

The Anda Takeharu Company and the Tomo Fuji Yu Company had not been hit by the artillery fire. The three hundred Japanese soldiers originally thought that they were the lucky ones.

As the two companies charged toward the direction from which the shells had come, they could no longer escape the subsequent aerial strafing.

They were strafed again and again by the ground-attack aircraft. Despite this, the two company commanders stubbornly ordered their forces to advance in the direction from which the shells had come.

The distance to the artillery positions was not far, only about two kilometers. Captain Takeharu Anda looked at the artillery positions in the distance and immediately became excited.

"Kill! Kill!" Captain Takeharu Anda and Captain Yu Yuuto simultaneously issued the order.

Although they had lost more than half of their soldiers, the combined strength of the two companies was now less than that of a single company.

An Ping, the commander of the Fifth Regiment, who had been waiting here impatiently for a long time, had been waiting for the Japanese soldiers to come to the area he had ambushed since the artillery positions received the order to open fire.

After waiting until now, he was finally able to see the Japanese soldiers fleeing over, and he immediately called the ground-attack aircraft in the air: "Are there any large units of Japanese soldiers behind these soldiers?"

"No!" The plane in the air answered straightforwardly.

Hearing that there were only about a hundred Japanese soldiers, not enough for his Fifth Regiment to fill their teeth, Commander An Ping quickly said: "Just let these soldiers go! There are only so few of them."

Captain Takeharu Anda and Captain Yu Yuuto would never have imagined that among the troops surrounding them, there would be a commander who would help them.

Seeing the plane that had been following them and strafing them fly away with a flap of its wings, the Japanese soldiers who had survived in the two companies all cheered.

They could still see the planes in the air weaving back and forth, and they could guess that the rest of the regiment must be suffering in hell.

Without comparison, there would be no happiness. The Japanese soldiers in the two companies now felt an explosion of happiness.

Commander An Ping now only felt dissatisfaction: the intelligence said that there were four battalions of Japanese soldiers, nearly five thousand Japanese soldiers, coming today, but only less than two hundred had charged to his front.

How could he divide that among the four thousand soldiers who were waiting? The Third and Fourth Regiments were too ferocious, not letting go of any of the four battalions of Japanese soldiers for their brother regiments. Eating alone like that was not right.

He thought about the two commanders, Shan Hua Can and Dan Cheng Fu, who had always had big appetites, and even had such big appetites when it came to fighting the Japanese.

Watching the hundred or so Japanese soldiers enter his ambush circle, which had originally been prepared for the entire regiment of Japanese soldiers,

and was full of directional mines, he knew that the directional mines would not be dismantled until the battle was over, and now was the time to use them.

Commander An Ping ordered: "Detonate!"