Bright Sword: Iron Will 45

Chapter 45: Great Victory

2025-01-21

Chapter 45: Great Victory

The soldiers drew their bayonets, neatly attaching them to their rifles. To gain an advantage in close combat, the suicide squad soldiers were uniformly equipped with Type 38 Arisaka rifles.

The sounds of gunfire and cannons were incessant on the battlefield, causing a painful ringing in the ears, but they couldn’t drown out Zhang Hu’s roaring voice.

Flank of the high ground.

The 686th Regiment launched another attack, the shrill sound of the bugle echoing across the sky.

Buzz!

Warplanes attacked again from the air. Under a fierce bombardment, fiery balls of explosion erupted on the battlefield, silencing several machine gun emplacements in an instant. This only further fueled the arrogance of the Japanese soldiers on the high ground.

The bombing came quickly and left just as quickly.

The battlefield of the Provisional First Brigade looked as if it had been plowed, the sand soft and loose, the fortifications completely collapsed. The shockwave from the exploding aerial bombs left the soldiers dizzy and their arms trembling as they held their rifles.

To steady the troops, Zhang Hu raised his right arm: “Brothers, we’re not afraid of bullets!”

“We’re not afraid of shells either!”

“Charge! Kill the Japanese devils! Seize the position!”

After shouting, Zhang Hu led by example, wielding a large saber and leaping out of the trench first. Behind him, the soldiers of the suicide squad roared their war cries, charging towards the Japanese high ground under a hail of bullets.

Bullets whizzed past their ears, adrenaline surging through their bodies, filtering out the surrounding sounds. The leading soldiers met the bullets head-on, their bodies jolting to a halt, their faces contorted in ferocity, their eyes fixed on the Japanese soldiers on the high ground. After staggering a few steps, they fell.

Sacrifice and bloodshed completely ignited everyone’s ferocity. As the soldiers in the front fell, those in the rear fearlessly filled their places. At this moment, the soldiers of the suicide squad had only one thought—to seize the high ground before them and kill the Japanese devils!

Just as Wang Feng had said.

The land of Shanxi could not breed cowards who feared death!

The deputy regimental commander watched Zhang Hu charging from the rear through binoculars, a sigh escaping his lips.

“Only when the leader braves danger can the soldiers fight fearlessly.”

Zhang Hu, as the regimental commander, was somewhat lacking in combat command, but when it came to boosting morale and inspiring troops, he was an absolute expert.

“Quick, provide covering fire!”

“Machine gunners, aim carefully before you fire!”

It wasn’t just the First Regiment that launched the charge.

The Second Regiment was no less aggressive.

The Third Battalion stayed behind to protect the position, while the First and Second Battalions launched a pincer attack, targeting the weak points of the Japanese defenses.

The 686th Regiment’s charge never stopped.

The Provisional First Brigade still had six Type 94 mountain guns for show, but the Eighth Route Army lacked any heavy firepower. Half of the captured heavy machine guns were destroyed in the first round of bombing.

The only tactic they could employ was a human wave attack to achieve close-range engagement.

Wang Feng left the command post and, surrounded by his guards, arrived at the rear of the front line.

“Commander!”

“Commander!”

Several soldiers tried to salute, but Wang Feng stopped them with a wave of his hand.

“Focus on fighting.”

“Yes!”

Five minutes ago, Chu Yunfei had reported.

The 358th Regiment suffered heavy losses; the reinforced regiment, originally over five thousand strong, was reduced to just over a thousand. Even so, Chu Yunfei didn’t mention retreat. He simply expressed his attitude with one sentence:

[A soldier should fulfill his duty to defend the country and secure peace; to die for the nation is our great fortune!]

Seeing these words, Wang Feng was deeply moved.

With such capable generals, how could the Japanese invaders not be defeated!

Yan Laosi didn’t care, Chiang Kai-shek didn’t ask, so what?

Although wearing the uniform of the Shanxi Defense Army, Wang Feng’s troops were not a private army of an old-fashioned warlord.

This battle was fought for the Chinese people!

If they could annihilate this Japanese force here, it would be a great achievement for the entire nation. To put it simply, annihilating this Japanese force, even if they died and faced the King of Hell (阎王爷, Yan Wangye – the King of Hell in Chinese mythology), they would stand tall.

The deputy regimental commander arrived, “Commander!”

Wang Feng nodded slightly, switching his view to an overhead perspective.

Zhang Hu’s suicide squad was stuck on the hillside, struggling to advance. The high ground held by the Japanese had extremely dangerous terrain, especially the rear. The higher they climbed, the steeper the slope became.

Zhao Fangyuan ran to report: “Commander, the mountain artillery battalion is ready!”

Since the Japanese 105mm heavy artillery joined the battle, the rear mountain artillery battalion had been completely useless; they dared not use it. But without artillery support, attacking the strategically important high ground would result in exponentially higher casualties. After much consideration, he could only disperse the six mountain guns, decentralizing them; otherwise, once the artillery fire became concentrated, the Japanese artillery could use surveying and measurement methods to pinpoint a general area, leading to a one-sided artillery barrage.

Zhao Fangyuan responded: “This subordinate understands!”

On the battlefield of the Provisional First Brigade, the soldiers, whose morale had been shattered, immediately picked up their rifles and fired wildly at the Japanese high ground upon seeing Wang Feng’s arrival. Even the top commander has come to the front lines, so what do we common soldiers have to fear!

“Urgent dispatch from the 115th Division!”

“The 685th Regiment has currently reached the operational area and is intercepting the Japanese forces on the flank!”

Wang Feng’s brow gradually relaxed.

The 685th Regiment arrived earlier than expected. Speed is key in war; the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army were known for their endurance. The legendary Fei Duo Lu Ding Qiao (Flying over the Luding Bridge), a 240-li forced march in less than 24 hours, was a miracle in military history.

“Send a telegram to Kong Zhiyong, the reserve troops will immediately reinforce and support the First and Second Regiments’ attack!”

“This battle must not fail!”

Wang Feng remained calm, forcing himself to stay collected. He had already bet everything he had. The 358th Regiment was at its last gasp; this was their final attack. If it failed, the battle would be lost. No matter how difficult it was, they had to grit their teeth and persevere.

Sparse artillery fire erupted from various locations, temporarily suppressing the fierce Japanese firepower.

On the hillside, Zhang Hu gasped for breath, hiding in a blind spot in the Japanese’s line of fire. Of the more than 300 suicide squad soldiers, nearly half were lost when they reached the hillside.

“Brothers, reinforcements have arrived from the Commander, charge!”

“Quickly!”

Under the pincer attack of the three units, the Japanese on the high ground gradually showed signs of weakening.

“Baka!” (Japanese for “idiot”)

“Hold the line! Machine gunners! Fire!”

The Japanese commander drew his saber, repeatedly waving it in the air.

“Banzai!” (Japanese war cry)

“Go to hell!”

With the cover of rear artillery fire, Zhang Hu was the first to charge onto the Japanese position. With a swift stroke, he cut off the neck of the Japanese soldier in front of him. Blood gushed out, spraying Zhang Hu.

A brutal melee ensued.

The deputy regimental commander, quick-witted, grabbed a Type 38 rifle and started firing around him.

“The brothers of the suicide squad paved the way for us with their blood; we can’t let them down!”

“Charge!”

Almost simultaneously, the lead troops of the 686th Regiment, roughly a battalion’s worth of soldiers, also stormed the high ground.

Both sides fought fiercely, using every possible means to eliminate the enemy before them. Bayonets, rocks, fists, even teeth served as weapons.

The Second Regiment followed closely, then the attacking force of the 358th Regiment. Faced with several times their number, the Japanese were thrown into disarray. Having lost their advantage in heavy firepower, the tide of battle began to slowly turn.

In the rear, Wang Feng observed every move on the battlefield through the overhead view.

Seeing the situation turning against them, the Japanese commander attempted to retreat to other positions. However, Liu Zhijian, leading the Second Regiment, launched a sudden attack, catching the Japanese off guard and blocking their only escape route.

More than 2,000 Japanese soldiers were surrounded by 6,000 or 7,000 Shanxi Defense Army and Eighth Route Army soldiers on a high ground of less than two square kilometers. This high ground was the main Japanese position. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers on both flanks were rushing to reinforce this position.

Wang Feng let out a long sigh of relief. The tension and fatigue of recent days vanished.

“Even if Amaterasu herself descended, the Japanese devils are beyond salvation.”

(End of Chapter)

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