Chapter 1 The Beginning

Tian Huacai, the head of the Sishui Security First Regiment, was observing Shunosuke Yamada's battalion and two regiments of puppet troops frolicking on the left bank of the Yi River from the right bank.

Fearing that the reflection from his binoculars would attract the attention of the Japanese devils on the opposite bank, he simply watched the Japanese and puppet troops lingering on the left bank with his naked eyes.

Half an hour passed, and they still showed no signs of leaving. Regiment Leader Tian Huacai was getting anxious. When the Japanese and puppet troops had passed under the noses of his two regiments earlier.

Because they had not received Commander Gu Xiuming's orders, the Sishui Security First and Second Regiments did not launch an attack, allowing the Japanese and puppet troops to pass.

Originally, Regiment Leader Tian Huacai had thought that after the Japanese and puppet troops crossed the pontoon bridge, they would naturally cross the river and fall into the trap.

What he hadn't expected was that the Japanese would stop by the Yi River.

Gu Xiuming also didn't expect the Japanese to stay for so long, a full four hours. The Japanese rested and even slept in the shade of the trees.

The four regiments of the Lunan Detachment could only wait in place, unable to move or launch an attack.

The First Regiment had not planted directional mines at the Japanese and puppet troops' current location.

If the entire regiment launched an attack now, it would at most be a surprise attack, catching the Japanese and puppet troops off guard, but it would be absolutely impossible to wipe out these thousands of Japanese and puppet troops.

Commander Gu Xiuming was naturally unwilling to fail to completely annihilate this Japanese reinforcement force.

Under the scorching sun, although the soldiers of the four regiments of the Lunan Detachment were prone in the grass, it was better than being directly exposed on the road.

However, not eating, drinking, or moving for several hours was a test for the entire detachment's soldiers.

Zhang Xiuru, the head of the Fei County Security Second Regiment, had already issued the order to remain silent three times to all the militiamen in the regiment.

He was clear that the success or failure of today's ambush on the Japanese and puppet troops did not lie in the final battle, but in whether the soldiers could quietly wait for the Japanese to enter the encirclement.

As long as the Japanese came out of the Yi River, they would enter the encirclement of the main First Regiment and his own regiment.

In that case, no matter how the Japanese and puppet troops struggled, they would have no way to reverse the situation and could only wait for their doom.

If the Japanese discovered the ambush before entering the ambush circle, a large portion of the several thousand Japanese and puppet troops could escape.

In the Special Operations Brigade's ambush warfare, directional artillery shells were the main player. They could not only kill a large number of Japanese soldiers, but also destroy their will to resist and undermine their morale.

Li Quan was a militiaman from the Fei County Security Second Regiment. He had been waiting in his current position for a full four hours.

The order he received was to continue waiting. The Japanese and puppet troops had reached the Yi River and had already crossed the river.

However, the fact that the Japanese and puppet troops were resting by the river made the ambush soldiers less than a thousand meters from the riverbank very awkward.

They couldn't move in this position! They could see Japanese figures flickering from time to time in the distance.

These were the Japanese sentry teams placed along the banks of the Yi River.

Battalion Commander Shunosuke Yamada was no fool. He had arranged sentry teams on both sides of the Yi River.

Even though they were resting here for four and a half hours, he still arranged for each company to send Japanese soldiers to patrol in shifts every hour.

This was to prevent his battalion from being attacked while resting. The right bank of the Yi River was the responsibility of two puppet regiments, who also sent a company to guard the right bank of the Yi River, rotating every hour as well.

With arrangements like this, the morale of both the Japanese and puppet troops remained good today.

Even those teams assigned to guard duty could jump into the Yi River to cool off after completing their patrols.

After 1:00 PM, the Yi River finally quieted down. The Japanese and puppet troops who had been playing in the water were also tired.

They returned to the shore and began to rest, each according to their respective positions.

These Japanese and puppet troops were well aware that they still had a long way to go: nearly fifty *li* to Huangtuling.

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji, who had fled back to Xuzhou from Tianjiazhuang, had not forgotten Major Oyama Takeshi's battalion on Huangtu Ridge.

He sent a telegram to inquire about the situation and learned that another day had passed, and the Lunan Detachment at the foot of the mountain still surrounded Huangtu Ridge, occasionally firing a few cold shots.

However, there had been no significant offensive. Major Oyama Takeshi also began to worry about the delayed arrival of reinforcements.

He was worried that Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji had abandoned his battalion in order to seek help from Tianjiazhuang. After all, he had not seen or been able to verify the infantry battalion, cavalry battalion, and tank company that the brigade commander had mentioned.

Only when these troops arrived at Huangtu Ridge could it be considered verified.

If Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji knew that Major Oyama Takeshi, whom he had sent so many troops to rescue, had such thoughts, he would probably be so angry that he would faint.

It was precisely because he was fighting on two fronts that he suffered a crushing defeat in the Tianjiazhuang direction. Although it couldn't be said that the entire army was wiped out, it was close.

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji now pinned all his hopes on the Huangtu Ridge direction, hoping that the dispatched troops could rescue Major Oyama Takeshi.

He had still not been able to contact Oyama Yusuke's battalion. Similarly, he had not been able to contact the tank company or the cavalry battalion, which made Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji even more uneasy.

On the other hand, he was still able to contact Yamada Shunosuke's battalion of the Independent Mixed Infantry Seventeenth Brigade and two puppet infantry regiments, and they were safe and sound, encountering no resistance along the way.

Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke remained silent about the Sergeant Kitakaze Jiro incident, as such a minor matter did not need to be reported to the brigade commander.

Knowing that Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke had crossed the Yi River and was less than fifty *li* from Huangtu Ridge.

Now Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke had no choice but to reveal his marching plan: he reported to the brigade commander that the entire army would resume its march at 4:00 PM and would arrive at Huangtu Ridge overnight. He asked the brigade commander to rest assured.

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji was not at ease at all now. Since this force, which was relying entirely on its feet to march, could reach Huangtu Ridge tonight, then what about the mechanized infantry and cavalry battalion ahead?

They should have arrived at Huangtu Ridge yesterday. Where had they gone?

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji was unable to investigate in Xuzhou. Now, his headache was not those infantry battalions that he couldn't contact for the time being.

Fleeing back from Tianjiazhuang was something that couldn't be covered up, and someone had to be held responsible for it.

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji finally reported the truth about Tianjiazhuang to Commander Terauchi Hisaichi.

What he didn't expect was that before him, Commander Uenoto Yosuke had completed his accusation with his life.

In Commander Terauchi Hisaichi's eyes, Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji's command was flawed, and he was as timid as a mouse. The main responsibility for the defeat at Tianjiazhuang should be borne by him.

However, Commander Terauchi Hisaichi also gave Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji a glimmer of hope: as long as Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji could retake Tianjiazhuang within seven days and complete this month's coal production task, he could atone for his crimes.

For Commander Terauchi Hisaichi, it was not about right or wrong, but only about whether it was useful or not. Uenoto Yosuke had already died in Tianjiazhuang, so this Japanese devil was definitely useless.

That's why he would treat Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji with leniency, allowing him to atone for his crimes.

However, he was not aware of Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji's current situation: the entire brigade was only an empty shell, unable to send out even half a Japanese soldier.

The task of attacking Tianjiazhuang and taking back the coal mine was somewhat difficult.

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji felt that he couldn't handle it, but in the current situation, taking on this task would allow him to struggle a little.

If he didn't take on the task of occupying the Tianjiazhuang coal mine, the responsibility for losing troops and losing an important coal resource center would immediately fall on his head.

With no other choice, Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji had to bite the bullet and accept the new task assigned by Commander Terauchi Hisaichi.

Now Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji pinned all his hopes on the Japanese devils in the Huangtu Ridge direction: if things went smoothly there, the Independent Mixed Infantry Tenth Brigade would still have two infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, and one tank company.

Based on these troops, and then getting two infantry battalions from the Independent Mixed Infantry Seventeenth Brigade and two infantry brigades from the puppet troops, gathering a force of ten thousand men, it would still be possible to fight the Special Operations Brigade again in Tianjiazhuang.

All plans depended on Huangtu Ridge.

Although he had not been able to contact the dispatched cavalry battalion and infantry battalion, he could only think that it was a temporary malfunction.

Perhaps when Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke arrived at Huangtu Ridge with his troops, he would find that they were all here?

Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji, only thinking of good things, could only sit quietly in his headquarters in Xuzhou, looking at the map.

He was thinking about where else he could draw troops from to help him complete the task of occupying Tianjiazhuang.

He certainly knew that this task would not be easy. The last time the Japanese occupied Tianjiazhuang was after the Battle of Xuzhou, when the Japanese had an army of 200,000 men who advanced all the way west to capture Tianjiazhuang.

The more he understood, the more he felt that the difficulties were numerous! Even if he really organized an army of ten thousand men, wanting to complete the task.

The hope was still slim! Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji sighed deeply and slumped to the ground.

No matter how bright the sunlight outside the window was, it could not penetrate Brigade Commander Kuga Shunji's headquarters. The sunlight, filled with endless heat, did not bring him any energy, but only made him feel the coldness in his heart like ice.

The Japanese devils of Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke's battalion on the left bank of the Yi River finally began to form up under the battalion commander's orders.

"They're moving! The Japanese are moving!" Regiment Leader Tian Huacai, who had not moved for five hours, shouted excitedly in his heart.

Even though the nearest Japanese devil was 600 meters away from him, with the Yi River in between.

He didn't dare to shout out his excited voice. He could only lower his voice and report to Commander Gu Xiuming, who had also been lying in ambush for six hours, in a low voice through the radio.

At this time, Commander Gu Xiuming also saw that the Japanese devils standing on the high ground were starting to walk along the road towards the ambush circle he had set up.

Today's battle would certainly not be the most difficult battle, but it was definitely the longest time the Lunan Detachment had been lying in ambush under the noses of the Japanese devils since its establishment.

In such hot weather, all four regiments, more than 7,000 soldiers, were hidden in the grass, not a single person speaking, not a single person moving. Such discipline made Gu Xiuming very gratified.

The Mikio Ichiro company was walking at the very front of the entire formation. These Japanese devils had rested by the Yi River for five hours, and both their physical strength and energy had recovered well.

Sergeant Kitakaze Jiro showed mercy on the right bank of the Yi River, wounding but not killing those four Japanese devils. For some reason.

After resting by the Yi River, they suddenly disappeared. Company Commander Mikio Ichiro didn't ask where they had gone.

Originally, those four Japanese devils were all from the Endo Taiyu squad. Squad Leader Endo Taiyu didn't seem to care about the fact that his squad had suffered another loss.

He only urged the forty or so remaining Japanese devils in his squad to set off quickly and catch up with the pace of the entire battalion.

The scorching sun in the sky was still so hot. But as the Japanese devils of Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke's battalion, they knew very well that it was already a great kindness from the battalion commander to be able to rest until this time before setting off.

These Japanese devils also knew that although the rising heat from the ground was a bit hot at this time, the air was not as hot as it had been at noon.

These ordinary Japanese infantrymen could understand the battalion commander's difficulties, so the speed of their march naturally increased.

The puppet troops following behind the Japanese battalion had no say in the matter. The Japanese devils in front were walking fast, so these puppet troops had to keep up even if they had to give it their all.

Company Commander Feng Ruili of the First Company of Gu Xiuming's regiment heard through the radio that the Japanese devils had set off, and the expression on his face suddenly became excited.

It was really too difficult. He had been lying in this grass like a hen hatching eggs for six hours, and those death-seeking Japanese devils were finally willing to hit the road.

He wasn't the only one who thought this way. Only the company commanders temporarily knew about the Japanese devils' departure.

In ten minutes, the soldiers lying in ambush by the road could already see the figures of the Japanese devils.

The militiamen of the Fei County Security Second Regiment were so excited that they wanted to cheer, but they could only suppress their excitement.

The soldiers of the Lunan Detachment's First Regiment were all long-term trained. Although they had not trained in today's subject before, the discipline of those soldiers was very strong. They could still persevere after lying in ambush for six hours without moving.

It was difficult for these militiamen of the Fei County Security Second Regiment. They usually trained in aiming, shooting, and learning assassination techniques. When had they ever practiced this kind of ambush?

Everyone lay on the ground, motionless, like a wooden puppet. They were not allowed to speak, not allowed to move, and could only relieve themselves on the spot.

A venomous snake crawled past their eyes, watching it crawl onto their shoulders, onto their backs, and then crawl back to who knows where.

They were not allowed to move even then. There were fellow villagers and childhood playmates by their side, but they couldn't talk to them for six hours.

They were not allowed to sleep, and the weather was so hot. It was too difficult!

This ambush was too difficult for these militiamen.

Fortunately, it was finally over.

They could already see the figures of the Japanese devils walking past on the road, row after row of Japanese devils, as if they would never finish walking.

Li Quan silently counted the number of Japanese devils. Although he could only count to fifty, and after counting to fifty, he would start from the beginning again, he still kept counting silently in his heart.

He didn't know how many fifties he had counted, ten? Or twenty?

Anyway, the Japanese devils had already finished walking on the road, and now it was the puppet troops walking.

Team after team of puppet troops, like the Japanese devils, from Li Quan's perspective, all the puppet troops were walking between two green grass stalks.

A row of puppet troops had to take three steps between two green grass stalks, one, two, three, and then they disappeared.

Regiment Leader Tian Huacai watched as all the Japanese and puppet troops on the left bank of the Yi River left, and he felt a little flustered in his heart.

He felt that something was not right! The two regiments in Sishui had been busy for so long yesterday, and today they had been lying in ambush here for six hours without moving.

Were they just going to watch the Japanese devils and puppet troops slip away from under their noses like this?

He was a little anxious and wanted to ask Commander Gu, but then he thought: the Japanese devils were now entering Commander Gu's ambush circle. Would asking questions at this time affect the commander's command?

Tian Huacai endured it and waited. He would wait for the gunfire on the opposite bank to ring out before asking Commander Gu Xiuming: what is our mission?

Commander Gu Xiuming watched as the Japanese and puppet troops, a force of nearly four thousand men, walked into his ambush circle end to end.

The original plan of annihilating the Japanese devils on the left bank and the puppet troops on the right bank separately was no longer possible.

Now the Japanese devils had reached the bottom of the ambush circle, but most of the puppet troops had not yet entered the ambush circle.

"We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, the Japanese devils will walk out of the ambush circle." Commander Gu Xiuming ordered into the radio: "Detonation of directional mines! Each company attack!"

His order was issued, and all twelve company commanders ordered: "Detonate!"

In particular, Company Commander Wu Zhizhi of the Eleventh Company and Company Commander Kong Heze of the Twelfth Company held their breaths and stared at the Japanese devils of the Mikio Ichiro Company, watching them approach the bottom line they had set up step by step.

If the commander didn't give the order, these Japanese devils would walk out of the area ambushed by the directional mines.

The commander ordered each company to detonate! Attack!

The twelve companies of the First Regiment and the twelve companies of the Fei County Security Second Regiment, four thousand soldiers, all stood up from the ground when the explosion sounded.

They had been lying on the ground for too long, and each of them had a belly full of fire: it was all these Japanese devils and puppet troops who were not conscious. If they had entered the ambush circle earlier, we wouldn't have had to wait here for so long.

The shouts of four thousand men shook the earth, scaring the two regiments of puppet troops.

The Japanese devils in front of them were so startled by the sound of the directional mines exploding that they couldn't hear the shouts of the Lunan Detachment's soldiers charging forward.

The First Regiment of puppet troops was marching next to the Yamada Shunosuke Battalion. Regiment Commander Huan Anran was not walking at the very front of the formation.

Therefore, he had not been hit by the directional mines, but he was even more afraid than the puppet troops who had been hit.

The puppet Regiment Commander Huan Anran, riding on his warhorse, sat high and saw far. He was the first to see the scene of the Japanese devils of the Yamada Shunosuke Battalion being hit.

Countless fragments poured out from both sides of the road towards the Japanese devils, instantly hitting those Japanese devils, and many Japanese devils immediately fell.

When the smoke had not yet cleared, the puppet Regiment Commander Huan Anran felt that he had first seen a cloud of blood spurt out from the Japanese devils and puppet troops who had been ambushed.

Not only were the Japanese devils ambushed, and the bombs blew them to pieces, but half of his infantry regiment was also bombed.

Huan Anran did not think at this time, and made the most direct reaction: "Retreat! Retreat the way we came!"

He was a conscientious commander, and at this time he did not flee on his own horse, but first issued the order to retreat the way they came, and then began to turn his horse around.

His guards quickly conveyed the commander's order loudly.

The Second Regiment, following behind his regiment, Regiment Commander Song Cai could not see what was happening in front, but he clearly saw the rising smoke and dust in front, heard the dense explosions coming from the front, and felt the slight tremors coming from the ground.

He did not immediately issue the order to retreat, but instead ordered the troops to stop advancing temporarily, he wanted to wait and see.

He did not wait and see for long. The puppet Regiment Commander Huan Anran had already rushed over and shouted at him: "The *Taijun* have been attacked and the entire army has been wiped out. I have decided to take the troops back to Xuzhou to report the news."

"Let's go together!" Song Cai did not hesitate for a moment, his mind was very clear at this time.

"It doesn't matter whether the Japanese devils were really wiped out, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall.

He wanted to take the troops to a safe place first!"

"The regiment commander has ordered: the entire regiment retreats! Retreat the way we came! To the other side of the Yi River!" The order immediately rang out in the puppet troops.

The sound continued to spread, and even Huan Anran's puppet First Regiment was spreading the order.

These orders seemed to have their own range, and when they reached the smoky battlefield, they automatically stopped.

It was as if they could not be transmitted into the smoke at all. The Yamada Shunosuke Battalion trapped in the smoke was now like a headless fly, unable to find its way.

Company Commander Mikio Ichiro was walking in the middle of the entire company when the explosion occurred.

There were Japanese devils in front of him, behind him, to his left and to his right who helped him withstand those ubiquitous iron bullets.

As a result, Company Commander Mikio Ichiro was only frightened and did not suffer any physical harm.

However, there were not many Japanese devils in his company who were as lucky as him. The entire company had more than 170 Japanese devils when they set out from the Yi River, and after this wave of explosions, less than half of them could stand up.

These Japanese devils were in the smoke, the smoke and dust were hazy, and they could not see through or far away.

They could only hear shouts of killing coming from both sides of the road. In this situation, the commander needed to make a decisive decision and point out the direction for the entire team.

Now, even pointing out the wrong direction and having all the Japanese devils work hard was better than staying in place.

Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke finally came back to his senses from the shock. He drew his command sword and shouted loudly forward: "Charge out!"

The direction he pointed out was their destination: the Huangtu Ridge direction.

In Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke's mind, he believed that there were two Japanese infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, and one tank battalion in that direction, and that such strength was fully capable of protecting him.

He was able to think of so much in the face of such a sudden situation, and his mind was clear enough.

The Japanese devils around Battalion Commander Yamada Shunosuke who could still stand up and move immediately obeyed the battalion commander's order and rushed out quickly in the direction he pointed.

These Japanese devils were running while conveying the battalion commander's order:

"Charge out!"