Chapter 1 The Sky is Bright

Dawn broke! Sergeant Shunsuke Numata leaned against a tree, staring blankly as the morning sun filtered through the leaves.

The cool morning mountain breeze, the fresh air, and the bright sunshine did little to soothe his exhausted body.

The distance they had traveled last night was not long, only about thirty *li* (approximately 15 kilometers), but they were forbidden to light fires, speak, or fall behind. These three prohibitions made them feel more tired than a fifty *li* march.

This feeling was not unique to him. Sergeant Hayato Takeda beside him felt the same. The two soldiers leaned against different trees, facing each other, slowly chewing on dry rations.

Corporal Onodera Atsuto only allowed them to rest here, and the three prohibitions were to continue. However, seeing the dawn, the soldiers could no longer restrain themselves and began to whisper to each other, like little birds in the forest.

"Did the Infantry First Regiment encounter big trouble this time?" Sergeant Shunsuke Numata asked in a low voice. He had reason to ask, based on his past combat experience.

The Japanese usually launched surprise attacks during night marches. They had never done anything like marching at night and lying in wait during the day.

Sergeant Hayato Takeda looked around mysteriously before lowering his voice and saying, "I heard the artillery regiment was completely annihilated yesterday. All the cannons were smashed to pieces, and all the shells were taken by the Nationalists.

"Before us, the First 106th Field Artillery Regiment was also wiped out. I heard the Nationalists are now using those cannons and shells to bombard us."

"What about the Infantry First Regiment? Aren't they clearing the way at the front? Why are they being rotated after only two days?" Sergeant Shunsuke Numata didn't get the answer he wanted and continued to press.

"I don't know! I didn't see the shadow of the Infantry First Regiment all the way here last night. Where did they go?" Hayato Takeda couldn't answer this question either.

Immediately, some soldiers around them joined the discussion. "I heard they've gone to fight guerrilla warfare." The soldier who spoke had a tone of gloating.

In the eyes of these Japanese soldiers, fighting guerrilla warfare was a compromise. They should charge head-on, tear open the Nationalist defense line, and defeat the Nationalist army. That was the proper way.

"Did they return?" Hayato Takeda asked.

This was a question that Lieutenant Colonel Kaname Sato of the Infantry First Regiment was asking its two battalion commanders. Major Yusuke Kamikata of the Second Infantry Battalion quickly reported.

"Reporting, Lieutenant Colonel! No detachments have returned to report. They are still operating behind enemy lines."

Major Takeo Fujiwara, seeing Lieutenant Colonel Sato's gaze turn to him, quickly said, "Reporting, Lieutenant Colonel, no detachments from the Third Infantry Battalion have returned either.

"They had to cut through the mountains, so news shouldn't be coming in till this afternoon or tomorrow."

Lieutenant Colonel Sato paced back and forth in the command post with agitation before finally saying, "That's all we can do.

"The Second Infantry Regiment has already been ordered by Chief of Staff Hata to lie in wait at the front. If the detachments we sent out can launch an attack on the Nationalist defense line from the rear tonight,

"and the Second Infantry Regiment coordinates from the front, we will surely be able to tear open the Nationalist defense line, and thus quickly locate the Nationalist heavy artillery positions."

Heavy artillery! This was already a shadow in the minds of several Japanese soldiers. They clearly recognized that if they could not find and destroy the heavy artillery positions of the opposing force, the upcoming battles would be difficult.

For a time, no one in the command post spoke.

Colonel Ryo Takahashi of the Second Infantry Regiment of the Hata Detachment had also set up his command post beneath a cliff face. He was standing on the summit, admiring the scenery.

He looked through his binoculars at the distant defense line of the Second Regiment. The defense line, nearly ten *li* (approximately 5 kilometers) away, was difficult to see clearly even with the binoculars.

But even if it was unclear, he could see a rough outline: a line that appeared very abrupt in the jungle. Other than that, he couldn't see anything else.

That line was the dirt that had been dug out when the Second Regiment had built the trenches, and the open area that they had created by clearing the bushes and trees in front of the defense line.

Colonel Ryo Takahashi scanned the visible defense line from left to right three times, but he didn't see a single Nationalist soldier. The area seemed to be deserted.

"Is no one over there?" Colonel Ryo Takahashi finally couldn't help but ask.

"Probably not! I heard that in the Infantry First Regiment's previous infantry assaults, they didn't meet any resistance until they charged within fifty meters of the Nationalist trenches.

"Their attacks are like thunderbolts. The Infantry First Regiment organized two attacks, both of which were wiped out. Not a single soldier returned," said Kida Masaru, Chief of Staff of Colonel Takahashi.

"So they are immovable as mountains, and swift as thunder! No wonder Sato Kaname has no options this time," Ryo Takahashi said softly.

Behind him, Major Naoki Tadoshi of the First Battalion stepped forward and requested permission to fight. "Colonel! Please allow me to attack."

Colonel Ryo Takahashi waved his hand. "Follow Chief of Staff Hata's orders!"

Chief of Staff Hata's orders were for them to lie in wait! To await the moment to act. Where that moment was, none of the soldiers knew.

Colonel Shangguan Zhiwen and his eight companies had already arrived at their predetermined location. They were now separated from the Japanese soldiers' lying-in-wait position by two mountain ridges.

At this time, Colonel Shangguan was also on a mountaintop admiring the scenery. Li Cai, the leader of the reconnaissance platoon of the First Company of the Second Regiment, was at his side, pointing to a distant mountain ridge and saying, "It's on the other side of that mountain ridge. The platoon leader is lying in wait on the opposite slope, keeping an eye on them."

Just as he was explaining this, a volley of artillery shells flew overhead.

Colonel Ryo Takahashi of the Japanese Second Infantry Regiment, still admiring the scenery on the mountaintop, watched a volley of artillery shells streak across the sky from afar.

His eyes were fixed on the shells. If his gaze could turn into a laser, he would surely intercept those shells in mid-air.

From the moment he saw those shells, Colonel Ryo Takahashi felt that they were coming to bomb him.

This time, his feeling was wrong. Lin Fan did not know that Colonel Ryo Takahashi of the Japanese Second Infantry Regiment was on the mountaintop, so the bombing target set by the Second Heavy Artillery Regiment was the north slope of that mountaintop.

This time, only the thirty-six captured cannons were involved in the bombing. In addition, Chief of Staff Shi Yi and Chief of Staff Ning Hezhi had already taken away six Type 92 infantry guns.

When the artillery shells landed, Corporal Onodera Atsuto was sitting with his back against a large rock, smoking a cigarette offered by Sergeant Hayato Takeda.

A cigarette after a meal is better than being a god. These Japanese soldiers had just eaten their dry rations and could be considered to have had breakfast. At this time, most of the soldiers were holding a cigarette and smoking.

It was already bright, and they could see the surrounding environment clearly. The three prohibitions had been effectively lifted. The voices of the soldiers had also become louder.

Just as they were each enjoying the divine pleasure of a cigarette after a meal, the artillery shells falling from the sky either smashed onto the rocks, penetrated directly into the ground, or exploded upon impact with the thick tree trunks.

Corporal Onodera Atsuto was the commanding officer in his area, so he occupied a position higher than the average soldier. An artillery shell exploded on the rock behind him. Whether it was the violent shockwave or the fragments from the shell, his upper body was blown away.

Sergeant Hayato Takeda, who was standing in a lower position, was only frightened. He stared blankly at the half-body of Corporal Onodera Atsuto. At this point, no one could recognize that this was the corporal from the lower half of his body.

Countless shrapnel and powerful air currents swept overhead. Sergeant Hayato Takeda and Sergeant Shunsuke Numata were the closest to Corporal Onodera Atsuto, and they were protected by a large rock.

Japanese soldiers slightly farther away were injured by the flying shrapnel. The soldiers who had been laughing and joking and full of imagination for the upcoming battle suddenly entered a hellish scene.

Explosions were everywhere. The gentle morning breeze in the entire mountain forest suddenly turned into a bloody storm, and the thick, bloody smell filled the entire valley.

Colonel Ryo Takahashi, standing on the mountaintop, could no longer bother to look at the beautiful scenery in the distance. His eyes were fixed on the plumes of smoke rising from the hillside below.

In his eyes, he seemed to see countless ghosts rising into the sky along with the smoke. This was an unprepared massacre of the Second Infantry Regiment.

The first round of artillery shells was just the beginning. Immediately afterward, the second round of bombardment began. Platoon Leader Jing Liquan, lying in wait opposite the Japanese soldiers, quietly reported, "The bombing target position is accurate. The Japanese soldiers have suffered heavy casualties."

After receiving Platoon Leader Jing's report, Lin Fan ordered, "Keep the firing parameters unchanged and continue bombing!"

Listening to the screams of the Japanese soldiers on the hillside below, Colonel Ryo Takahashi, standing on the mountaintop, was at once grateful that he could stand on the mountaintop as an onlooker, and worried about the safety of his soldiers.

He shouted loudly, "Notify everyone to retreat to the left!" He wanted his soldiers to quickly evacuate the area being bombed.

His order was immediately relayed by a soldier who ran back, but there was no response for a long time. The soldiers standing on the mountaintop, looking at those being bombed, had already begun to run around spontaneously.

What else could they do in this situation? For Colonel Ryo Takahashi, it was enough that those soldiers didn't die. He had already decided that it would be impossible to attack the Nationalists today.

After the bombing ended, he would lead the entire team back the way they came and gather the scattered soldiers so that they could prepare for the next attack.

For Colonel Shangguan Zhiwen, the sound of artillery was the order! As soon as the artillery fired, the eight companies he led immediately began to move.

When they set off in the morning, they had to move stealthily, afraid of being discovered by the Japanese soldiers. Now that the Japanese soldiers were being bombarded by artillery shells, they had no time to worry about anything else.

The soldiers of the eight companies immediately began to seize favorable terrain according to Colonel Shangguan's orders. At this time, they were at the rear of the Japanese soldiers. Seizing the mountain peaks meant blocking the remnants of the Japanese troops.

The sound of artillery was also the assembly order. The defense line that Colonel Ryo Takahashi had carefully observed for more than ten minutes was now empty.

At this time, he no longer had time to observe that defense line. Colonel Liu Laopao was leading five companies to charge from the defense line toward the direction where Colonel Ryo Takahashi was.

Chief of Staff Shi Yi and Chief of Staff Ning Hezhi were leading their two regiments to temporarily take over the defense line of the Second Regiment. At this time, they realized that Lin Fan had sent a team to the rear of the Japanese soldiers.

Now, the Second Heavy Artillery Regiment was bombing according to the coordinates provided by the Special Operations Brigade. Was the Special Operations Brigade going to annihilate all the Japanese soldiers who were being bombed?

During these days, Chief of Staff Shi Yi and Chief of Staff Ning Hezhi had already understood that when the Special Operations Brigade fought the Japanese soldiers, they would never leave a single survivor if they could annihilate them all.

This time, how many Japanese soldiers were targeted by the Special Operations Brigade?

The soldiers of the Second Heavy Artillery Regiment now treated this as if they were firing cannons on a training ground. Their firing parameters were provided by the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade. The soldiers of the Second Heavy Artillery Regiment were only responsible for adjusting the parameters according to the orders, then loading the artillery shells and firing.

Chief of Staff Xu Jingshi was very unwilling to be such a puppet, but his regiment had only just been formed. What could he do in this situation?

Even if the Special Operations Brigade gave the firing parameters, some of the soldiers under his command still made mistakes. Fortunately, there were soldiers from the Special Operations Brigade watching all the time, so there was no situation where they bombed their own people.

Fortunately, the report from Platoon Leader Jing at the front line was also reported to him. Although he did not have the initiative, he heard that the bombing effect was particularly good.

In particular, the fact that the bombing targeted an infantry regiment of the Japanese Hata Detachment made Chief of Staff Xu very happy.

What was the most painful thing for the artillery? The recent event was of course the Japanese occupation of the Madang Fortress. The Madang Fortress was a solid fortress built by the Nationalists with great effort to guard the Yangtze River. According to Chiang Kai-shek's plan, it could be defended for three months, but it was lost in less than three days.

There were mistakes made by the Nationalist army in this, but it must be said that the Hata Detachment's attack was determined and brave. The Madang Fortress was captured by the Hata Detachment.

After they captured the Madang Fortress, the Nationalist army also organized elite forces to launch a strong attack, attempting to retake the fortress.

The result was very disappointing. The fortress that was easily lost by the Nationalist army became an unbreakable barrier in the hands of the Hata Detachment. After the Nationalist army lost the lives of more than 3,000 elite soldiers in one day, they finally realized that with the Nationalist army's current strength, they could not retake the fortress at all.

They then stopped their attack on the fortress. Thus, the Hata Detachment occupied and defended the Madang Fortress, and then captured Jiujiang.

All the artillery soldiers stationed at the Nationalist fortress were withdrawn to Wuhan for review. When the Second War Zone received the first batch of heavy artillery captured by the Special Operations Brigade, because the front line needed artillery, the artillery soldiers from the Madang Fortress and Jiangyin Fortress ended their review and were all transferred to the First Heavy Artillery Regiment.

The Second Heavy Artillery Regiment of course had the same spirit of common hatred. Today, being able to bomb the infantry regiment of the Hata Detachment made Chief of Staff Xu very excited. He personally cheered up all the soldiers on the position: Bomb! Bomb them to death!

The sound of artillery was also the rallying cry. As soon as the heavy artillery here began to bombard, the Special Operations Brigade began to call all the reconnaissance teams that had been sent out, ordering them to approach the artillery bombardment area and encircle and annihilate any Japanese soldiers who might escape.

The soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade received orders to approach the artillery bombardment area. Some of the Japanese detachments that Lieutenant Colonel Sato had sent out yesterday had gotten lost in the mountains.

At this time, hearing the rumbling of artillery fire, they knew that there was a battle here, so there would of course be Japanese soldiers. They also took the initiative to move closer in this direction.

Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama got lost in the mountains yesterday afternoon. After resting in the mountains for a night, when he was preparing to continue searching for a way in the morning, he heard the sound of artillery fire in the distance.

Leading a dozen or so Japanese soldiers, he climbed to a high place and confirmed the direction where the smoke was rising. There was no doubt that it must be a battlefield over there.

Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama immediately led the entire company hurriedly towards the battlefield. In his eyes, no matter where his company appeared on the battlefield, it would be of great help to the Japanese soldiers.

This was because if they appeared behind the Japanese troops, they would be reinforcements, and joining the Japanese battle would be an added force. If they appeared behind the Nationalist troops, the effect would be even greater.

Launching a surprise attack on the Nationalists from behind could even change the situation on the battlefield. With this beautiful idea in mind, the Japanese soldiers of Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama's company stepped a little more briskly.

The fear of being bombarded yesterday morning, the fatigue of yesterday afternoon, and the fear of last night all seemed to disappear at this moment.

Sergeant Minetaro Mizutori said with a smile, "Company Commander Aomasa! If we charge in from behind the Nationalist troops this time, we will surely be able to break through the Nationalist defense line, and then we will make a great contribution."

Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama was also in a very good mood, and said with a smile, "At that time, everyone in the entire company will be credited, everyone will have a share!"

They came down from a high place. At this time, even standing on a small road at the foot of the mountain, they could see the smoke in the air. The entire company rushed towards that direction.

With a target in the air to indicate the direction, Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama's company would never get lost again this time.

When Jiang Gaodan, the reconnaissance platoon leader of the Third Company of the Second Regiment, was leading his team on the hillside, he suddenly heard the gibberish of Japanese voices from the foot of the mountain.

With a gesture, all the soldiers in the platoon immediately stopped. After listening carefully for a while, they confirmed the location of the Japanese soldiers. The entire platoon then quietly moved towards the direction of the Japanese soldiers.

On the road at the foot of the mountain, thirteen Japanese soldiers were sitting and resting. They were the Japanese soldiers of Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama's company. They had been walking quickly all the way and were tired, so they were resting here for ten minutes.

Although their bodies were tired, these Japanese soldiers had already come out of their lost state. Each of them was in a good mood, and they talked more.

They did not know the danger lurking in their laughter!

It was daytime now, and the visibility was good! Platoon Leader Jiang could no longer expect to be able to sneak up to the Japanese soldiers without them being able to discover them, as they had done at night.

He gestured for the three squads to separate and cut off the Japanese soldiers' paths in front and behind, then ordered them to open fire. When the gunshots of "Bang! Bang! Bang!" rang out, Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama immediately fell to the ground without saying a word.

Sergeant Yutaka Kazuki was the fastest to react. When the gunshots rang out, he rolled away from his original position.

Then, he scurried into the jungle and ran towards the target direction. His movements were very fast. After he scurried into the jungle, Minetaro Mizutori realized that he also had to run.

But it was too late. Although he was not in the first batch of Japanese soldiers to be hit, he was also hit by a bullet in the second batch of supplementary shots.

The gunshots behind him were intense. Sergeant Yutaka Kazuki did not dare to look back at all. He just ran heedlessly in the jungle.

Before it ran a hundred meters, several soldiers from the Special Operations Brigade suddenly stood up. Without saying a word, one of them thrust his bayonet forward at the Japanese soldier's chest.

Unable to stop, Yutaka Kazuki looked in shock as he actively charged his chest into the other party's bayonet. He could feel the other party's bayonet gouging in his chest. This time, he was really being gutted!

"He ran really fast!" Wen Qiang pulled out his rifle and quickly added a knife to the Japanese soldier's throat.

Then, he shouted, "The Japanese soldier who escaped is dead!"

Platoon Leader Jiang counted clearly. "There were thirteen Japanese soldiers. There are twelve bodies over there, plus the Japanese soldier who ran away is dead. All the Japanese soldiers who were just discovered are dead here."

The Japanese soldiers of Company Commander Aomasa Kiyotama's company never expected that they would just rest here, and the sound of their laughter was a little louder, exposing their whereabouts, and then the entire team would die here.

Unfortunately, they did not know this until they died. None of the Japanese soldiers in the entire Company Aomasa's company knew how they were exposed.

However, Platoon Leader Jiang used the Japanese soldiers' experience as a teaching material to tell the soldiers, "The brigade commander said: The War of Resistance is about being prepared for battle at any time.

"Everywhere is a battlefield. Obviously, these Japanese soldiers do not know this. They simply do not understand that every step they take from the moment they set foot on this land is a battlefield.

"Just now, these Japanese soldiers were just loud for a while, and they were discovered and annihilated by us. We must take this as a warning."

Platoon Leader Jiang led the team and disappeared into the jungle. They continued to move towards the battlefield that was still being bombarded. Last night, each reconnaissance platoon maintained silence, because they were afraid that the walkie-talkie would suddenly make a call while they were lurking close to the Japanese soldiers, which would expose their whereabouts.

Now it was different. Each reconnaissance platoon was reporting its location. They did not need to gather together. Each reconnaissance platoon was lurking far away on the roads leading to the battlefield, with the platoon as a unit.

When Platoon Leader Jiang and the others were lurking, they had arranged sentries in several directions. Now it was daytime. The positions that the sentries could see were still very far away.

Colonel Ryo Takahashi of the Japanese Second Infantry Regiment, who was originally standing on the mountain peak, had moved his position at this time. He could not continue to wait in place.

This was the suggestion of Chief of Staff Kida Masaru: If the Nationalist artillery shells deviated slightly from the target, the Japanese soldiers standing on the mountain peak would easily be bombed to death.

A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall! Colonel Ryo Takahashi was very willing to listen to this opinion.

The messenger he sent to notify the team to retreat to the left was unable to complete the mission and was killed by artillery shells on the way.

However, the second batch of messengers he sent finally managed to convey the order. Major Naoki Tadoshi of the First Battalion was just serving Colonel Ryo Takahashi when the artillery bombardment began, so he hurriedly descended the peak and scurried into the First Battalion.

It was he who led the Japanese soldiers to begin to retreat to the left with difficulty amid the artillery bombardment. Captain Taiga Hoshino looked at the Japanese soldiers who were able to obey the order and follow the difficult retreat in the artillery bombardment, and there were less than fifty soldiers in the entire squadron.

Of course, he did not feel good in his heart. When they entered this jungle, there were more than 180 Japanese soldiers in the entire squadron.

Of course, it was not that only these dozens of Japanese soldiers were alive in the entire squadron, but some of the Japanese soldiers in his squadron had run around in panic during the bombardment, and he did not know where they had run to at this time.

There were also situations like Corporal Atsuto Onodera's team, where only two Japanese soldiers were still alive in the entire team. Even the two surviving Japanese soldiers were like fools, their mouths always open, not knowing how to close them.

Even if there were Japanese soldiers who kindly helped them close their mouths, these two Japanese soldiers, Hayato Takeda and Shunsuke Numata, would open their mouths again in a dazed manner, still looking like fools.

Captain Taiga Hoshino did not have a good solution for this situation, so he had to let the two fools open their mouths and drool, following in the middle of the team.

Captain Taiga Hoshino was ashamed that there were less than fifty Japanese soldiers in his own squadron who still obeyed orders when he suddenly discovered that the team led by Captain Kazuki Miyamoto, which was walking in front of his squadron, had only one squad, and the entire squadron had less than twenty Japanese soldiers.

There was no gap without comparison, and no sense of superiority could be found. Fifty was greater than twenty, and Captain Taiga Hoshino had a strong sense of superiority. At least his squadron still had the number of a squad, right?

Captain Kazuki Miyamoto knew what he was thinking just by looking at the expression on Taiga Hoshino's face, and said helplessly, "I don't want this either. Originally, my squadron only had about thirty Japanese soldiers killed or wounded.

"After receiving the order to retreat, the entire squadron gathered together, and the entire squadron moved forward towards the target direction indicated by the lieutenant colonel.

"I led the squadron headquarters to walk behind the team to rescue the dead and wounded, but..."

His eyes were red, and he looked like he had suffered all kinds of grievances. He could no longer continue, and said to a Japanese soldier from the squadron headquarters next to him, "Corporal Takuto Uchiya, you continue!"

Corporal Takuto Uchiya continued, "As a result, the team walking in front was walking well, when suddenly an artillery shell fell into the middle of the team, and it exploded with a bang.

"Then, more than 100 Japanese soldiers in the entire squadron fell to the ground, dead or wounded. That artillery shell seemed to have magic power.

"After it fell, several artillery shells fell around our squadron, and we did not dare to delay any longer, so we had to retreat first.

"After the artillery bombardment ends in a while, we will go back and rescue the wounded."

Captain Taiga Hoshino heard him say that he was going to rescue the wounded in a while, no matter what he thought in his heart, he could only persuade him, "The Nationalist artillery bombardment is too fierce. I just picked up a hot piece of shrapnel and looked at it. These artillery shells are produced by us.

"This is all the fault of those pigs in the 106th Division. They gave all the cannons and artillery shells to the Nationalists, and now the Nationalists are using those cannons and artillery shells to bombard us."

Captain Kazuki Miyamoto sighed, "This bombardment has been going on for thirty minutes, and it has not ended yet. How long are they going to bombard for?"

Captain Taiga Hoshino did not know what the Nationalists' purpose was. He could only sigh, "Let's go! It's not safe here either."

The position where they were staying was also an area of artillery bombardment. Captain Taiga Hoshino had just finished speaking.

"Boom!" An artillery shell exploded in front of his squadron, instantly causing a large number of Japanese soldiers in Taiga Hoshino's squadron to fall down.

This time, his sense of superiority was broken. The artillery shell took away about twenty Japanese soldiers from his squadron, and the numbers of the two squadrons were about the same.

The big brother doesn't laugh at the second brother, the subordinates have the same number of Japanese soldiers!

In any case, the two squadron leaders still managed to break through. Major Naoki Tadoshi looked at the Taiga Hoshino squadron that had broken through first, and there were only a dozen Japanese soldiers. He asked in disbelief, "What about the others?"

"There are no more!" Captain Taiga Hoshino said with a crying face, looking as if his parents had died.

"A squadron, a fully staffed squadron of more than 180 Japanese soldiers entered the mountain, and now you have only brought back a dozen Japanese soldiers, and you say there are no more? Where did the rest of the Japanese soldiers go?" Major Naoki Tadoshi's anger could no longer be suppressed.

The sound of "Slap! Slap! Slap!" echoed as the slaps landed on Taiga Hoshino's face. In fact, Major Naoki Tadoshi knew in his heart.

This sudden artillery fire came quickly and fiercely, and it also lasted for a long time. It has not stopped until now.

Heavy casualties among the Japanese soldiers were unavoidable, but these heavy casualties were not the current situation!

Only one-tenth of the Japanese soldiers in a squadron managed to break through. How could they fight the next battle?

Captain Kazuki Miyamoto saw from afar that Taiga Hoshino was standing at attention and being beaten. Every time he was beaten, he said, "Hai!" The sound of "Hai" did not stop, and neither did the sound of slaps.

Major Naoki Tadoshi glared at Captain Kazuki Miyamoto and asked, "How many Japanese soldiers broke through from your squadron?"

"Thirteen!" Kazuki Miyamoto did not dare to lie. These Japanese soldiers were grazed by the edges of the artillery shell explosions during their escape, and they lost more than ten Japanese soldiers.

Being able to escape with these ten or so Japanese soldiers was already thought by Captain Kazuki Miyamoto to be a blessing from the gods.

On the way, he also saw Captain Torataro Kazuki of the Third Squadron dead on the road. There were no less than fifty Japanese soldiers who fell around him.

Major Naoki Tadoshi heard the number thirteen, and his anger rose to another level. He rushed over and swung his palm to start beating.

Captain Taiga Hoshino felt relieved in his heart: Finally, Kazuki Miyamoto came to take the punishment for himself. Although he was still standing at attention and dared not move at this time, he no longer had to be slapped.

Every time Captain Kazuki Miyamoto was slapped, he quietly took a step back, matching the sound of the slaps on his face perfectly, and at the same time, he shouted loudly, "Hai!"

Captain Kazuki Miyamoto's exaggerated step back, although it reduced the force on his face, also made Major Naoki Tadoshi's beating uncomfortable.

The anger in his heart rose to another level again, and all the anger that was three floors high was vented on Captain Kazuki Miyamoto's face.

This time, the sound of the slaps was louder, and Captain Taiga Hoshino did not have the slightest idea of going up to take his place. His face was already swollen, and his teeth were almost knocked out.

Major Naoki Tadoshi's anger finally stopped. It stopped, but the Special Operations Brigade's bombardment of the Japanese Second Infantry Regiment had not stopped.

Major Naoki Tadoshi asked, "What about the other two squadrons? Why don't I see them?"

Captain Kazuki Miyamoto reported in a muffled voice, "Captain Torataro Kazuki has already died a glorious death."

"Nonsense! Slap! Slap!" Two more loud slaps were given as rewards.

At this time, Captain Kazuki Miyamoto could not help but want to slap himself twice: Let you be mouthy! If you don't open your mouth, wouldn't this have happened?

Major Naoki Tadoshi also realized at this time that he had directed his anger at the wrong object. Of course, he could not admit his mistake, as this would affect the authority of the battalion commander.

His gaze swept over the remnants of the two squadrons, which were less than a squad, and suddenly found two fools with drool, wearing Japanese uniforms and carrying rifles askew.

Their faces wore an expression of shock, their mouths were wide open, and saliva flowed down their mouths. This kind of Japanese soldiers made Major Naoki Tadoshi, whose anger had risen to three floors, even more angry.

He strode over and slapped them twice. These two Japanese soldiers did not stand at attention, nor did they say "Hai!"

He felt that something was wrong, so he asked, "What's wrong with them?"

Captain Taiga Hoshino wanted to kill Hayato Takeda and Shunsuke Numata. He had finally managed to make the battalion commander not think of him, but because of these two fools, he had to appear in front of the battalion commander again.

These two fools just followed the team, and they encountered artillery bombardments twice in the middle. They stood there foolishly, without even making the movement to lie down, but more than a dozen Japanese soldiers died, and these two were still fine. Was it really true that fools are blessed?

"Reporting, Battalion Commander! They are from Atsuto Onodera's squad. They have been like this since they were discovered. I have already treated them, but it was ineffective," Captain Taiga Hoshino's voice was not loud and was also muffled.

This was not intentional, but his face, which had just been swollen from being beaten, was still a little numb, and his tongue was a little off when he spoke.

"Where is your squad leader?" Major Naoki Tadoshi asked, suppressing his anger.

"Dead! Boom! Cut into two pieces! Dead, all the Japanese soldiers are dead! You are going to die too!" Sergeant Hayato Takeda's expression suddenly became serious.

After saying these things, he was again in that stunned expression, opening his mouth and drooling.

Major Naoki Tadoshi was no longer interested in slapping such fools. This time, even Taiga Hoshino, the temporary Taiga Hoshino squadron, was spared the slaps.

He stood there blankly, looking at the direction where the artillery shells were still falling in the distance. "When will it stop?"

He did not know who he was asking, and no Japanese soldier dared to answer. Major Naoki Tadoshi did not even dare to report to Colonel Ryo Takahashi.

No matter how unwilling he was, Major Naoki Tadoshi had to go. An ugly daughter-in-law must always see her parents-in-law, and the real situation of his battalion had to be reported.

When Colonel Ryo Takahashi heard that the most elite First Infantry Battalion had escaped to here with less than 100 Japanese soldiers in total, including more than 60 Japanese soldiers from Naoki Tadoshi's battalion headquarters,

and that only thirty or so Japanese soldiers had broken through from the two squadrons so far, the enraged Colonel Ryo Takahashi's actions were exactly the same as Major Naoki Tadoshi's actions against Captain Taiga Hoshino.

The sound of "Slap, slap, slap!" was endless, and the sound of "Hai! Hai!" was loud and clear. Major Naoki Tadoshi was demonstrating to the two squadron leaders how to correctly receive the teachings of their superiors.

It was just that he did not receive many slaps. After more than ten slaps, Kida Masaru, the Chief of Staff of the Second Infantry Regiment, persuaded Colonel Ryo Takahashi to stop.

"Baka! Why is this happening?" The question asked by Colonel Ryo Takahashi was not easy to answer.

"Report to the Chief of Staff! His wrong decision has buried the entire Second Infantry Regiment," Colonel Ryo Takahashi shouted angrily.

When Chief of Staff Hata Shigeichi received the report from the Second Infantry Regiment, he stood there blankly for a long time before sitting down in despair: His field artillery regiment was completely annihilated, more than half of his First Infantry Regiment was killed or wounded, and now even the last infantry regiment had suffered heavy casualties.

Judging from Colonel Ryo Takahashi's report, although the final casualty data had not yet been collected, it could already be predicted that more than half of the casualties would be the most fortunate outcome.

A fierce wind does not last a whole morning, and a torrential rain does not last all day!

The Special Operations Brigade's bombardment of the Japanese soldiers also did not last a whole day. The Second Heavy Artillery Regiment did not receive the order to stop the bombardment until after bombing for a full two hours.

Artillery bombs, infantry charges! This was the Special Operations Brigade's usual practice. When the artillery had just started bombing, Colonel Shangguan Zhiwen, leading the infiltrating and lurking teams, began to move. For two hours, they had been watching the battle for a full hour and a half.

The soldiers of the eight companies had been waiting for a long time, and they were already eager to see the battlefield full of artillery fire.

Now that the artillery fire had stopped, except for three companies guarding the various intersections, all the other companies rushed towards the center of the battlefield.

Liu Laopao led the Second Regiment to charge out from the defense line when the artillery bombardment began. Two hours of layout time had allowed his team to rush to the destination of the attack and rest for an hour.

Now that the artillery fire had stopped, it was time to attack. With an order, the five companies he led immediately charged towards the south of the battlefield.

The Japanese soldiers of the First Battalion of the Second Infantry Regiment were really not all dead in the area of artillery bombardment.

When the artillery fire had just stopped, Captain Yoshise Mochizuki stood up and shouted loudly, "Assemble! Assemble!"

He shouted twice, and when he saw a few Japanese soldiers standing up sparsely, he could not help but become anxious. He shouted again loudly, "First Battalion of the Infantry, assemble! Everyone assemble!"

His voice was very loud, but all the Japanese soldiers had just experienced two hours of artillery bombardment, and the sound of the artillery shell explosions was many times louder than his shouts.

Captain Yoshise Mochiz