December 26, 1937, 5:00 PM.

Yokoto Yuto, squad leader of the 114th Division, witnessed the scene on the road:

The road ahead was piled high with naked corpses, white as snow.

The Japanese devils of Yokoto Yuto's squad were hesitant to even approach.

From a distance, it was impossible to tell!

The corpses were completely unclothed, making it impossible to identify who they were.

Yokoto Yuto cautiously led his squad of a dozen devils closer.

Small puddles of blood were everywhere on the dirt road.

Soaked, the entire road became slippery.

Yokoto Yuto approached the pile of corpses and could see:

The corpses had simply been piled together haphazardly.

Stacked in twos and threes, crisscrossing, they stretched for hundreds of meters along the road.

As Yokoto Yuto and his devils examined the scene,

they couldn't tell if the corpses piled there were Imperial warriors

or Chinese soldiers who had been disposed of by the Imperial warriors!

Yokoto Yuto was inclined to believe that the corpses were Imperial warriors.

Because he had personally witnessed the disposal of Chinese soldiers, and the Imperial warriors never removed their clothes.

Although he had his suspicions, he couldn't find any evidence!

The squad of devils advanced two hundred meters.

"Captain Kintaro Kamenoko!" Sergeant Major Takanaka Keisuke suddenly shouted.

A dozen devils gathered around, chattering at once:

"It's him!"

"It's Captain Kintaro Kamenoko! I saw him just yesterday."

Captains, of course, deserved good treatment!

Yokoto Yuto quickly directed his men to lift Captain Kintaro Kamenoko onto the truck.

Company Commander Komine Saburo, who was close to the captain, was also recognized.

"It's Captain Yamashita Kanichiro!" Exclamations followed one after another.

Whether they were company commanders or battalion commanders, they were all naked and piled together with ordinary soldiers.

Now, of course, they had to be loaded onto trucks and transported away.

The bodies of these officers needed to be personally identified by the division commander!

As for the ordinary soldiers, they would have to wait until tomorrow for someone to collect their bodies!

Knowing that the corpses were indeed those of Imperial warriors,

the devils brought by Yokoto Yuto became more careful in their identification.

Soon, they also found Company Commander Tainaka Taro and Company Commander Kitaki Takumura.

All the corpses were lifted onto the truck and laid out carefully.

These devils were all warriors of the Empire, and it was too indecent for them to be naked like this.

Yokoto Yuto ordered his soldiers to take off their clothes and cover the company commanders and battalion commanders.

After walking nearly five hundred meters of corpse-lined road, there were still more naked bodies for another two hundred meters ahead.

The devils in Yokoto Yuto's squad took a look: They didn't recognize them!

They must have been ordinary soldiers or low-ranking officers, like squad leaders.

The villager who had led the way was already paralyzed with fear by the side of the truck.

He didn't dare to move at all.

Yokoto Yuto saw that there were still some corpses not far ahead.

He led his team forward another five hundred meters.

This time, the scene ahead was different again:

The ground was covered with the bones of warhorses and white corpses.

Now, these devils no longer doubted:

These white corpses must be the entire Yamashita Kanichiro cavalry battalion.

Yokoto Yuto ordered, "Search carefully. If possible, find the remains of the three company commanders.

Then we'll go back!"

The soldiers under his command spent more than ten minutes.

Finally, all four company commanders were found.

A dozen devils carried the four corpses back.

They only had one truck, and they wanted to lay the corpses flat in the truck bed.

It was already impossible!

There were too many corpses, and the truck bed wasn't big enough!

What's more, these devils still had to ride in the truck to go back.

Yokoto Yuto could only be disrespectful to the corpses:

"Pile them up!"

"Let's go!" Yokoto Yuto said to Iwatani Kohei, the driver.

As for the guide who was still paralyzed on the ground,

Yokoto Yuto simply ignored him.

It wasn't until the devils' truck was out of sight

that Hu Hai stood up and spat.

He took a shortcut back to Hu Village, not daring to walk the main road.

It was getting dark!

It wasn't until Division Commander Matsue Shigeru saw the corpses that Yokoto Yuto brought back

that, upon hearing that Captain Kintaro Kamenoko's battalion and Captain Yamashita Kanichiro's cavalry battalion had been completely annihilated,

the expression on his face turned terrifyingly gloomy.

All the devils in the 114th Division headquarters knew:

Captain Kintaro Kamenoko's battalion and Captain Yamashita Kanichiro's cavalry battalion had been completely annihilated!

This was not good news!

Good news never leaves the gate, but bad news travels a thousand miles!

The fact that two battalions of devils had been completely annihilated on the same day that the Imperial Army captured Hangzhou

spread like wildfire throughout Hangzhou.

While the devils were still speculating about what kind of force could annihilate an Imperial infantry battalion and a cavalry battalion in one fell swoop,

the protagonist of the legend: the Special Operations Brigade, was camping in Xiashe Town.

In one afternoon, more than a thousand people had traveled nearly twenty kilometers.

Lin Fan was satisfied with this speed.

They were billeted in Xiashe Town.

Lin Fan wouldn't be stingy when there were opportunities for the soldiers to rest well.

Xiashe Town was only a small place compared to Hangzhou.

The devils hadn't had time to garrison troops in such places.

Lin Fan simply asked the town chief to help him find a few wealthy households

and arranged for his men to stay there.

The town chief, named Liu Changsheng, originally wanted to slaughter pigs in the town to reward this Nationalist army.

This was a common practice: The locals would send some meat to these Nationalist troops.

It was also a way to ensure that the troops wouldn't disturb the peace of the people too much.

Lin Fan smiled and pointed to the carts in his队伍.

The carts were piled high with horse meat.

The Special Operations Brigade even brought their own grain.

This horse meat hadn't been eaten at noon.

Of course, they would have a good meal tonight.

When there were only three pigs at noon, these laborers had all eaten meat.

Now, their enthusiasm was even higher than that of the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade.

In Shi Feijie's words, "Commander! You just rest, we'll take care of the cooking!"

Hundreds of laborers all had the same thought: The food was too good!

These laborers were embarrassed.

More importantly, Lin Fan had actually given everyone three yuan!

These laborers all felt a surge of *shi wei zhi ji zhe si* (a scholar dies for someone who understands him)!

They felt such gratitude.

Since they had such good intentions, Lin Fan didn't insist.

He ordered each company to send out sentries ten *li* (Chinese mile) away.

He urged them to seize the time to summarize the experiences and lessons of today's battle!

This was the Special Operations Brigade's usual practice.

Everyone in this force hadn't had a good night's sleep since last night.

Lin Fan intended for them to get a good night's rest tonight.

No one knew what they would encounter tomorrow.

Shi Feijie, Quan Wenxing, and the other laborers

first washed the warhorse entrails they had brought back tonight.

Hundreds of sets of offal, stir-fried and stewed.

The entire town of Xiashe was filled with a rich aroma of meat.

With so much horse offal, the horse meat on the carts wouldn't be eaten for the time being.

These laborers only wanted to eat meat dishes, but they didn't dare to waste anything!

For them, waste was the greatest sin!

They ate the horse offal first because it was the easiest to spoil.

If they made it tonight, even if they couldn't finish it, they could still have another meal tomorrow morning.

Lin Fan summoned more than twenty guides to ask them in detail about which places could be reached by roads passable by vehicles.

After understanding the situation, he thought about it on the map for a while.

Only then did he begin to contact the Sixth Regiment.

Liu Ziqian watched as Lin Fan sent and received telegrams alone, without taking any notes.

He didn't even use a codebook.

This should be considered the most confidential method, right?

He completed everything by himself.

Tu Dan's Sixth Regiment had already entered Mogan Mountain.

They had also received some of the retreating Nationalist troops.

The Eighth Regiment's heavy artillery had also set up positions in Mogan Mountain.

They hadn't encountered the devils yet.

The Fourth Regiment had gone even further, reaching the outskirts of Deqing.

They discovered a battalion of devils pursuing the retreating Nationalist troops.

The two sides exchanged fire briefly, and the devil force retreated!

They were now lying in wait in the Lion Mountain and Buddha Mountain area outside Deqing County.

The First Regiment occupied Liyang today!

The Second Regiment occupied Nanxun today!

Each of these places captured five hundred puppet troops.

Now, the First and Second Regiments had captured two thousand puppet troops in the past two days.

This was a problem!

Lin Fan ordered, "All the puppet troops are to be concentrated in Changxing for training."

Regiment Commander Shangguan Zhiwen reported, "Fishermen in Taihu Lake have come to report that the devil Taihu Fleet has been active these past two days.

They fear that they are about to send troops to attack the counties occupied by the Special Operations Brigade.

However, the Special Operations Brigade has already occupied four counties around Taihu Lake: Nanxun, Wuxing, Changxing, and Yixing.

It's impossible to know which one the devils will attack!"

This was also a difficult problem!

Lin Fan ordered, "The First Regiment is to retreat to Yixing. The management of Yixing is to be handed over to the Thirteenth Regiment according to the original plan.

The Second Regiment is to retreat to Wuxing. Nanxun is to be temporarily abandoned."

The Jurong area reported, "All units have been deployed in place according to plan. The situation has not changed."

Lin Fan ordered Li Xian, "Manufacture a batch of earthen tanks.

Each company in the Special Operations Brigade is to be equipped with five of these earthen tanks!

This includes the Heavy Artillery Regiment and the Field Hospital!

Expedite the laying of telephone lines in Guangde, Jurong, Changxing, and Wuxing!

A large number of telephone lines and telephones have been seized from Jianqiao Airport.

Urge the organization to send local administrators over as soon as possible."

Lin Fan said out loud the things he thought of one by one.

Li Xian wrote them down one by one.

After Lin Fan finally finished contacting the Special Operations Brigade,

he made way, "You come! Contact the Fifth War Area."

Liu Ziqian was stunned: She hadn't expected that, even though he was so busy today,

Lin Fan still remembered this matter.

She muttered, "I don't have a codebook! I don't know what to send!"

Lin Fan had a codebook, but he couldn't give it to her.

At least not for the time being.

Lin Fan asked with a smile, "No more doubts?"

"No more doubts!"

At this time, Battalion Commander Sokabe Okahiko of the 114th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Division was frowning as he listened to his staff officer's report:

"Major Fukadai's battalion pursued the routed Nationalist troops into Mogan Mountain,

and encountered fierce resistance from the Nationalist troops, forcing them to retreat!"

"News from the 114th Division is that a Nationalist troop is retreating towards Deqing.

They have already caused the 114th Division to lose an infantry battalion and a cavalry battalion."

"Today, the pursuit of the retreating Nationalist troops has been met with resistance from the Nationalist troops in all directions.

They are not like the battles of the past,

where retreat meant collapse!

This time, the Nationalist troops' retreat is orderly.

Not only has our pursuing force not gained any advantage,

but it has also suffered many losses due to its rapid advance."

Originally, the capture of Hangzhou today was great news.

But the subsequent news was worse than the last!

Two battalions had been completely annihilated!

The pursuit had been thwarted!

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu doubted whether the troops fighting in Hangzhou this time were still Nationalist troops.

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu was well aware of the combat effectiveness of the Nationalist troops:

Some Nationalist troops were no worse than the Imperial warriors, while the combat effectiveness of other Nationalist troops was simply *zhan wu zha* (worthless)!

Could it be that they had encountered the main force of the Nationalist army this time?

The problem that gave him a headache was the Nationalist troop operating in Linping.

Their combat effectiveness was off the charts, and their whereabouts were a mystery.

This meant that they were caught off guard.

The main forces of the combat units under the 18th Division were distributed in various locations.

They were carrying out the mission of pursuing the Nationalist troops, determined to complete Commander Yanagawa Heisuke's plan:

To inflict heavy casualties on the Nationalist forces!

To make the Nationalist troops, officers, civilians, and high-ranking officials fear the Imperial Army at the mere mention of it.

This was the way to put pressure on Chiang Kai-shek, forcing him to surrender.

This was the strongest desire of the Imperial General Staff!

According to the General Staff's previous thinking, Chiang Kai-shek should have already agreed to the Empire's terms and surrendered.

But he had been insisting on resisting, putting the Empire in a difficult position.

The entire domestic development plan had already been adjusted twice, and now everything was focused on military warfare.

This state of affairs was unsustainable!

If it weren't for the constant expansion of the Imperial Army, which gave spiritual encouragement to the domestic workers who worked more than twelve hours a day

and couldn't get enough to eat, the Empire would have already fallen into chaos.

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu's thoughts ran somewhat far.

Finally regaining his senses, he ordered the staff officer who was reporting to him:

"Draw out an infantry battalion as a reserve force, ready to intercept the Nationalist troops operating in Linping."

After issuing the order, he stood up.

He walked into the adjacent operations command room and ordered all the officers:

"There is a Nationalist troop in Linping that annihilated an infantry battalion and a cavalry battalion of the 114th Division this afternoon.

We must be prepared to prevent them from straying into our division's defense area and causing trouble."

The staff officers wanted to know more details.

Chief of Staff Hanasaka Eiji told them all the intelligence received from the 114th Division.

Hearing that this troop was moving with automobiles, artillery, and mule carts,

the staff officers immediately ruled out all the small roads.

Only highways could accommodate automobiles and artillery.

There weren't many highways that ran through Linping.

Even so, there were still four roads that could enter Deqing from Linping.

The 18th Division obviously couldn't deploy heavy troops to guard all four roads.

Staff Officer Higashijima Daiki suggested, "Use aircraft for a low-altitude reconnaissance.

Determine their direction of travel.

Then encircle, pursue, block, and intercept them in a targeted manner."

His statement was immediately supported by many staff officers.

Chief of Staff Hanaita Eiji denied it, "This troop has anti-aircraft guns.

They have already shot down thirteen Imperial aircraft in Linping."

Hearing this number, all the devil staff officers in the operations command headquarters

stopped mentioning aerial reconnaissance.

"What about sending out cavalry reconnaissance?

Only reconnaissance, no contact!" one staff officer suggested.

If they hadn't known that this Nationalist troop had annihilated a cavalry battalion,

this staff officer would have directly suggested that the cavalry battalion attack this troop.

"Four roads, send out four cavalry reconnaissance teams!" This plan was feasible.

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu finally agreed to this suggestion.

Major Fukadai's battalion of the 114th Regiment was ready to ambush the Nationalist troops at any time.

The staff officers of Ushijima Sadaharu's division hadn't considered the possibility that this Nationalist troop might be heading towards Shanghai.

But now all the bridges from Hangzhou to Shanghai had been blown up.

Without boats, it would be impossible for this troop to cross those rivers.

This troop now only had two paths: return the way they came, or come to Deqing.

Division Commander Matsue Shigeru of the 114th Division had reached the same conclusion.

He was now adjusting the entire division's offensive plan.

The 114th Division must catch up with and annihilate this Nationalist troop.

To achieve this goal, Division Commander Matsue Shigeru decided to send out an infantry battalion, and at the same time send out a field artillery battalion to cooperate.

This time, no matter what, they had to catch up with this Nationalist troop.

When the division commander's will was conveyed, the 120th Field Artillery Regiment immediately reacted.

This field artillery regiment had been following the foremost infantry regiment all along.

They were now on their way to Tonglu, twenty kilometers from Hangzhou.

Upon receiving the division commander's order, Regiment Commander Oyama Ogawa ordered: The Matsushita Kawashima Field Artillery Battalion was to return to Hangzhou overnight to listen to the division commander's arrangements.

This field artillery battalion was equipped with nine 75mm field guns and three 75mm mountain guns.

In order to ensure the goal of winning the battle, Battalion Commander Matsushita Kawashima had also specifically requested three hundred chemical shells.

The entire Matsushita Kawashima Field Artillery Battalion had a total of 999 personnel and 720 horses.

All the artillery in this battalion was transported by packhorses.

It was already 7:00 PM. Upon receiving the order, the Matsushita Kawashima Battalion had no choice but to prepare overnight to go to Hangzhou first.

It took this artillery battalion until the morning of the 27th to return to Hangzhou after a journey of twenty kilometers.

At 6:00 AM on the 27th, the Matsushita Kawashima Field Artillery Battalion joined forces with the Fujiwara Kyuro Infantry Battalion and left Hangzhou City together.

They did not advance directly towards Dongming Mountain today.

The staff headquarters of the 114th Division had also reached a conclusion last night:

The Nationalist troops could only advance to Deqing and enter Mogan Mountain through Deqing.

They would pass through Anji and enter the area controlled by the Nationalist army.

Now, the various battalions under the 10th Army of the devils already knew that the Anji and Guangde lines had been occupied by the Nationalist army.

The 114th Division also had sufficient reason to determine that this Nationalist troop must be trying to go to Anji.

That night, the officers and soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade's Third Regiment and Eighth Regiment's Second Company, who had followed Lin Fan to Xiashe Town, rested well.

No one disturbed them!

Also at 6:00 AM, the various forces of the Special Operations Brigade had risen.

They began their daily morning exercises.

They still had a long way to go today, so the intensity of the training wasn't great.

Each company only trained in basic bayonet techniques.

Even so, it astonished the bold residents of Xiashe Town and the laborers who were following along.

These laborers were already used to getting up early, and they took the initiative to start preparing breakfast.

The Special Operations Brigade was very open-minded in this regard, with rice and meat being supplied openly.

These laborers were also happy to do more so that they could eat their fill.

The Special Operations Brigade's journey was very smooth throughout the morning.

Except for the reconnaissance squad of the First Company, which was scouting ahead, encountered a few devil cavalrymen.

The two sides only glanced at each other from a distance before the devil cavalry quickly retreated.

Guide Jiao Huamao pointed ahead and said, "Ahead is Da'ao Mountain, next to it are Mao Peng Mountain and Da Cai Ridge."

When First Company Commander Na Wenxuan heard that there were so many mountains, he began to feel nervous.

The Special Operations Brigade had always been good at ambushing in mountainous areas, and he was, of course, afraid that the devils would use the same tactics against him.

He ordered the first platoon and the second platoon to climb the mountain peaks on both sides of the highway.

He carefully looked to see if there were any traces of the devils.

Lin Fan led the main force to the foot of Da'ao Mountain and saw the figures of the Second Company soldiers on both sides of the mountain peaks.

He smiled in satisfaction, "Rest for twenty minutes!"

This force had been traveling since 8:00 AM and had now traveled fifteen kilometers.

This place was ten kilometers northeast of Deqing.

It was very close to the city.

However, Deqing was now the headquarters of the 18th Division of the devils.

The Special Operations Brigade couldn't enter the city.

Of the several reconnaissance squads sent out by Battalion Commander Fukadai Okahiko,

only the reconnaissance squad of Harayama Taikū discovered traces of the Nationalist troops.

From this road, it could be inferred that these Nationalist troops would definitely pass through the Koshi Ridge and Qinglong Mountain line.

Battalion Commander Fukadai Okahiko reported his deduction to Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu.

Knowing that the Nationalist troops were so close to Deqing,

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu immediately strengthened the Yamasato Taro Battalion guarding Deqing to assist in the attack.

He wanted to use all his strength to wipe out this troop in one fell swoop.

In Deqing City, after the Yamasato Taro Battalion was sent out, only a guard of two hundred men from the 10th Division remained.

In addition, there was a mountain artillery battalion and two field hospitals.

From Deqing to Koshi Ridge was a straight line distance of five kilometers, and the surrounding area was full of troops from the 18th Regiment.

Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu wasn't worried about his safety at all.

The two battalions of devils quickly set off.

They went to the Koshi Ridge and Qinglong Mountain area to set up defenses.

At the same time, the 18th Division also passed on the information that a Nationalist troop had been discovered on the road from Xiashe Town to the Koshi Ridge area in Deqing.

The two battalions of the 114th Division, which had started marching at 6:00 AM, had now reached Dongming Mountain.

These two battalions had marched twenty-three kilometers in four hours.

They were now somewhat tired.

Now that they knew the target's location,

Infantry Battalion Commander Fujiwara Kyuro and Artillery Battalion Commander Matsushita Kawashima immediately ordered:

"The entire army is to speed up and advance towards Koshi Ridge."

The Nationalist troops who had annihilated the two battalions of the 114th Division had entered the defense area of the 18th Division.

These two battalions could have turned around and gone home, without having to continue the pursuit.

Division Commander Matsue Shigeru was unwilling to let go of this Nationalist troop no matter what.

That was why he had ordered them to continue the pursuit! Division Commander Ushijima Sadaharu had already sent two battalions to intercept them.

Now, hearing that the 114th Division had also sent out two battalions to pursue them,

he readily agreed to the entry of the two battalions.

Lin Fan was resting with the main force in Da'ao Mountain.

Na Wenxuan's First Company was still scouting ahead.

The reconnaissance cavalry of the First Company, who were at the forefront of the scouting, discovered that a small number of devils were stationed in the Koshi Ridge and Qinglong Mountain area.

They immediately sent someone to report back to Na Wenxuan.

Soon, Lin Fan received the intelligence.

He immediately found the guide and asked, "Is there a road that can bypass Koshi Ridge?"

Jiao Huamao said with difficulty, "If we take the small roads, I know at least five routes.

But the Special Operations Brigade can only take the main roads.

Now, there are only two roads: one is to enter Deqing City,

and the other is to pass through Koshi Ridge.

Otherwise, we would have to go back ten *li* and bypass Deqing County from another direction."

Hearing this, Lin Fan understood: No matter how they went,

Koshi Ridge had to be seized.

He immediately ordered, "The First Company is to immediately seize Koshi Ridge.

The Second Company will arrive soon to reinforce them."

"The Fourth Regiment is to advance towards Deqing County disguised from the Lion Mountain area.

Do not expose your target for the time being.

Await orders: Seize the opportunity to attack Deqing."

After receiving the order, Xiao Dongbei also checked the map.

The Fourth Regiment and the Third Regiment were now in the northeast and southwest directions of Deqing.

They were separated by Deqing County.

The brigade commander had ordered them to disguise themselves and lurk on the edge of the county.

This was a plan to relieve the state of Zhao by besieging Wei!

He immediately ordered, "The entire regiment is to change their uniforms!"

The Special Operations Company had stripped off so many devil uniforms that each soldier had been issued a set.

It was for times like these!

Company Commander Na Wenxuan, who had received the order to occupy Koshi Ridge,

immediately ordered, "Platoon Leader of the First Platoon!"

"Here!" Platoon Leader Qi Gaoge replied loudly.

"Immediately take the First Platoon to occupy Koshi Ridge!

Occupy Koshi Ridge at all costs. The entire regiment is behind us.

We have to take this road."

"Yes! Guarantee the completion of the mission!"

The platoon leader led the entire platoon on horseback and quickly rushed forward.

He looked at the mountain that was less than two hundred meters high in front of him.

There was a T-junction fifty meters in front of Koshi Ridge.

One road meandered eastward.

The other road, also winding, went towards Deqing County.

Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke looked at Koshi Ridge in front of him and ordered:

"Matsushita Kamesuke Squad! Charge up! Occupy it!"

This company was the vanguard of the entire battalion,

and as long as they could occupy this high ground, they could ambush the Nationalist troops who had escaped from Hangzhou.

Of course, Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke wouldn't just occupy Koshi Ridge, Qinglong Mountain in front of him also needed to be occupied.

Qinglong Mountain, as a second line of defense, would make it impossible for the enemy to escape.

The Matsushita Kamesuke Squad, which had received the order, immediately charged towards Koshi Ridge from the west.

When Platoon Leader Qi Gaoge led his force to the mountainside, he discovered a troop of devils passing through the highway.

At the same time, Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke also discovered the platoon on the mountainside.

Platoon Leader Qi Gaoge shouted, "The first squad is to charge to the top of the mountain.

The second squad is to go to the west side of the mountainside to see if there are any devils climbing the mountain.

The third squad is to stay in place and snipe the devils."

The three squads immediately began to act according to the orders.

The devils of Tainaka Keisuke's company had already started shooting.

The sound of gunfire immediately alerted the devils of the Matsushita Kamesuke Squad.

They looked around and carefully searched for the direction of the gunfire.

Squad Leader Ji Junba led his force and had just turned around the mountainside when he saw a troop of devils about to charge to the top of the mountain.

Squad Leader Ji Junba became anxious, "Chen Chao! Machine gun! The riflemen are to shoot the devils at the front first.

Stop them!"

The machine gunner immediately began to strafe.

The remaining soldiers all followed the squad leader's order and opened fire on the devils at the front.

Squad Leader Matsushita Kamesuke immediately saw through Squad Leader Ji Junba's intentions.

He shouted, "The machine gunners and grenade launchers are to stop the Nationalist troops below.

The rest of you charge to the top quickly!"

Ji Junba saw that the devils weren't fooled and were still continuing to charge upwards.

He immediately ordered, "Chen Chao! Block the devils' charge path!"

Chen Chao's machine gun immediately fired in front of the devils' charge path.

It immediately cut off the path for the Matsui Kamesuke Squad to climb the mountain.

At this time, the machine guns and grenade launchers of the Matsushita Kamesuke Squad were also attacking here.

According to the Special Operations Brigade's past experience, at this time, they either had to concentrate their forces to attack the devils' machine guns and grenade launchers;

or the machine guns needed to change positions and fight guerilla warfare!

However, in this situation, the machine gun firepower couldn't be relaxed in the slightest.

As long as the machine gun stopped, the devils would pass through that narrow path.

Once they were up there, there wouldn't be such a good line of defense.

Ji Junba ordered, "Wang Degui, He Jiaqing, Zhang Youshu, the three of you are to take out the devils' grenade launchers.

Chen Chao stays, the rest of you charge upwards."

Just now, the devils had fired grenades to a position less than thirty meters away from the machine gun.

It was already very dangerous here!

Squad Leader Ji Junba could only charge upwards now, trying to hold the devils back.

He was trying to buy the first squad more time.

These people had just charged upwards for more than ten meters.

A grenade fired by a devil exploded not far from Chen Chao.

The machine gun's firing stopped slightly.

It immediately rang out again.

Squad Leader Ji Junba asked, "Chen Chao, are you injured?"

His deputy gunner, Zhao Jiawen, paused for a moment before saying, "No!"

Chen Chao had a large gash on his back, and Zhao Jiawen was frantically bandaging it for him.

Chen Chao said in a low voice, "Don't distract the squad leader! When the first squad opens fire from the top of the mountain,

we'll retreat!"

The devils' grenade launchers and machine guns were still attacking here.

They weren't paying attention to the squad leader and the others who were charging; they were just staring at this machine gun.

As long as this machine gun was still firing, all the devils of the Matsushita Kamesuke Squad

could only be suppressed on the mountainside and couldn't charge to the top.

The heavy machine gun of the third squad was set up and began to fire at the charging devils.

At a distance of less than one hundred meters, the heavy machine gun suppressed the Tainaka Keisuke Squad on the highway as soon as it opened fire.

Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke commanded his men and shouted,

"Grenade launchers, bomb the Nationalist troops on the top of the mountain!"

He had also seen that a Nationalist troop was about to charge to the top of the mountain.

They had to be stopped.

"Machine guns! Machine guns, fire at the troop on the top of the mountain.

Hold them back!

Don't let them get to the top!" Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke knew this clearly.

Platoon Leader Qi Gaoge shouted, "Heavy machine guns! Take out the devils' machine guns!

Take out the devils' grenade launchers!

Don't let them fire!

Mortars! Take out the devils' grenade launchers!"

Squad Leader Xian Junhao of the first squad heard gunfire everywhere: below the mountain, on the mountainside, and on the side of the mountain.

He shouted, "Hurry! Hurry!

The devils are also trying to seize the mountain on the other side!

We must rush up and get ahead of the devils!"

Squad Leader Ji Junba suddenly couldn't hear the machine gun behind him.

He looked back from a distance and saw: There were two craters in the position where Chen Chao and the others had just been!

The second squad's machine gun had been blown up by the devils' grenade launchers.

Company Commander Matsushita Kamesuke, who had taken out the machine gun, sneered and ordered, "Machine guns, suppress the Nationalist troops who are attacking below.

The rest of you, quickly get up the mountain!"

These devils quickly passed through the mountain ridge that had just been blocked.

After ascending the ridge, they would climb for another ten meters to reach the top.

When Xian Junhao and the others had just rushed to the top of the mountain, they saw that the devils had also rushed up.

The thirteen soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade didn't have time to lie down.

They just fired while charging towards the devils.

Both sides were armed with Type 38 rifles. The devils had already emptied their magazines when they were on the mountainside.

Before they had time to reload, they encountered the soldiers of the first squad.

Both sides were charging forward!

The thirteen soldiers of the first squad only had time to fire two shots.

They killed a dozen devils.

The two sides were already engaged in close combat.

Matsushita Kamesuke heard shouts of killing from the top of the mountain.

He was very anxious and ordered, "Everyone, quickly get to the top of the mountain!"

Those devils who had been stopping the second squad on the mountainside all rushed to the top of the mountain.

Only one machine gun was left to suppress the second squad.

Wang Degui moved slightly away from the second squad and carefully aimed at the devil machine gunner.

Now, his position was no longer in the devil machine gunner's sights.

He could focus on aiming, undisturbed!

"Bang!" A shot rang out.

The devil machine gunner fell to the ground, and the machine gun's firing immediately stopped.

Squad Leader Ji Junba shouted, "Charge!"

"Bang!" Another shot rang out!

The devil's deputy gunner was shot and killed.

The soldiers of the second squad quickly charged towards the top of the mountain.

When Second Platoon Leader Gao Dewen led his force to Koshi Ridge,

he saw a troop of devils charging up the mountain.

He immediately ordered, "Charge up!"

Each company in the Special Operations Brigade was equipped with warhorses.

Now, the second platoon was riding over on warhorses.

Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke saw a Nationalist troop charging over from the east.

There weren't many of them, about the size of a squad.

He immediately ordered, "The Yamaoi Kazuma Squad is to meet the Nationalist troops charging over from behind."

These soldiers of the second platoon could ride horses for transportation, but they weren't qualified as cavalrymen.

They dismounted and pushed out an earthen armored vehicle.

They pushed forward while firing.

The mortars of the second platoon also began to fire.

The machine guns were lying down directly on the highway and firing.

The situation of the Tainaka Keisuke Squad immediately became dangerous.

There were originally only two squads here, but now they were under attack from two sides.

And there was an attack from the hillside.

Soon, more than half of the devils in the entire company were killed or wounded.

Company Commander Tainaka Keisuke had no choice but to order, "Retreat!"

Just as he issued the order, he heard the sound of machine gun fire from behind him.

These machine guns were firing at the hillside.

The devils of the battalion behind the Tainaka Keisuke Squad had arrived.

Battalion Commander Fukadai Okahiko hadn't expected that this Nationalist troop would move so quickly.

They had sent a troop to seize Koshi Ridge first.

He was standing five hundred meters south of Koshi Ridge.

Listening to the fierce gunfire in front of him,

he shouted, "Advance! Advance!

Occupy Koshi Ridge!"

The second squad leader, who hadn't yet reached the top of the mountain, discovered that a large force of devils had come from below the mountain.

They were now charging up the mountain.

Squad Leader Ji Junba immediately ordered, "Hold your ground!"

At the top of the mountain: The bayonet fight between the Matsushita Kamesuke Squad and the first squad had reached its end.

The narrow top of the mountain was piled with corpses.

Xian