Chapter 47: Movements on All Sides

"Reporting to the battalion commander, the company commander sent me to report that some Japanese scout troops have been discovered in the river valley. Their numbers are small, and fearing that a large main force might be following closely behind, the company commander decided not to alert them and sent me here to ask for instructions..."

Wu Ziqiang stroked his chin.

Although the previous order was that no instructions were necessary, it was obvious that his subordinates wanted to catch a big fish.

If they could execute a successful ambush, the number of enemy casualties would certainly be much higher than at present.

However, at the same time, it carried a certain degree of risk.

What if the Japanese devils really managed to break through...

Naturally, Wu Ziqiang was unwilling to take that risk and shoulder that responsibility.

Without further ado, he made a phone call to "Fourth Battalion Commander" Zhuo Tianyu.

"Brother Zhuo, this is Wu Ziqiang. There is a situation here that I would like to discuss with you. Our soldiers have discovered Japanese scout troops in the river valley, and there is a high possibility they might attempt a breakout in that direction... If we pull away troops, vulnerabilities will inevitably appear in our frontal defense line."

[I understand your meaning. How about this: I can spare two platoons of troops from my end, along with three light machine guns....]

Wu Ziqiang laughed heartily: "Splendid! Two platoons are more than enough. Combined with my company, that's nearly two hundred men. I'll report this to the regimental commander right away!"

Meanwhile, deep in the river valley.

A few Japanese soldiers were cautiously scouting the area.

There were more than a dozen similar reconnaissance squads operating in the vicinity.

Their sole purpose was to find a suitable breakout route.

Yet, having advanced inside the river valley for at least an hour, they still had not encountered any Chinese troops.

"Kawamoto-kun, this place appears to be a vulnerability in the enemy's defense line... They have not deployed any forces here..."

The leading Japanese private first class glanced at the surroundings, stepped forward, and carefully inspected the footprints by the riverbank.

They were irregular, messy, and chaotic.

Rather than military scouting, it looked more like ordinary civilians had been fishing here previously...

After all, soldiers would not leave such obvious traces.

"Fall back to our original position, report the situation, and wait until tonight to conduct a second reconnaissance."

"Haji!"

At that moment, an observation post hidden not far away was signaling with hand gestures toward the distance.

Before long, a soldier bent low and hurried to the side of the observation post.

"What's the situation!"

The observation post lowered his binoculars: "The Japanese devils are heading back the way they came..."

"Did they discover us?"

The observation post shook his head: "Impossible. I didn't notify you until half an hour after they left, and there is nowhere to hide along the direction they came from..."

...

The vanguard of the Independent Mixed 15th Brigade was searching for a lifeline.

The reinforcing Japanese troops were also locked in a battle of wits and courage with the main force of the defending First Battalion.

To break through the defense line of the 358th Regiment, the Japanese devils not only used artillery to bombard the positions fiercely, but they even called in air support.

In less than a single morning, two defensive positions were practically pounded to ruins.

According to the original plan, they withdrew to regroup and recuperate.

Friendly forces, well-rested and awaiting the weary enemy, would then deliver another head-on blow to the Japanese troops.

To fight this defensive battle thoroughly, Qian Bogjun had established a full ten defensive positions.

And the infantry companies under his command totaled eighteen!

Stationing two infantry companies at a single location meant they had more than enough strength to simultaneously hold five lines of defense.

The Japanese devils exhausted their utmost efforts and practically expended all of their carried artillery ammunition reserves,

only to advance less than two kilometers—not even three li—

before slamming head-on into yet another brand-new defensive position...

This sense of despair gripped the hearts of the reinforcing troops.

It felt as though the defensive positions could never be fully breached...

Naturally, Itagaki Seishiro received the relevant reports.

The Shibuya Regiment was already on the way.

At the earliest, they could arrive around Guoxian County by that very evening,

and be directly thrown into combat the following day without any problem.

Anxious as he was, the various reinforcing units had already done everything in their power at the moment...

Itagaki Seishiro had no choice but to request further air support once again, while all other units along the battlefront halted their offensives

and transitioned into a defensive posture to minimize the consumption of troops, weapons, and ammunition.

................

The 386th Brigade.

Brigade Headquarters.

Regimental Commander Cheng's expression was rather grim. His lower leg was wrapped in bandages, and he leaned heavily on a crutch, looking as though he had suffered quite a severe injury.

Li Yunlong had originally figured out how to mock this old comrade of his, but upon seeing Regimental Commander Cheng's condition,

the words at the tip of his tongue turned into expressions of concern: "How the hell did you get yourself into such a sorry state, you dog? Can your leg still walk?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward to support him.

"It's nothing serious, just got blasted by a Japanese grenade. I've given you a good laugh, you old dog!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and walk; the brigade commander's mother probably has eyes waiting anxiously!"

"Who the hell are you cursing at, you dog?"

Li Yunlong froze, subconsciously straightening his back: "Oh, Brigade Commander..."

"Who the hell were you cursing at just now?"

Li Yunlong gave a sheepish laugh and hastily resumed supporting Regimental Commander Cheng: "How would I ever dare to curse at anyone? That's just a habitual phrase of mine, please don't take offense!"

"Alright, enough of the nonsense. Both of you come in!"

"Yes."

Li Yunlong and Regimental Commander Cheng walked into the conference room.

Brigade Commander Chen, Deputy Brigade Commander Chen, Political Commissar Wang,

and Chief of Staff Li were already waiting inside the room.

Regimental Commander Cheng and Li Yunlong both saluted: "Greetings, superiors!"

"Have a seat quickly!"

Political Commissar Wang stepped forward to assist, and Regimental Commander Cheng sat down on a nearby stool.

"Bringing you here today, I presume you both understand... Our losses were heavy, which can only be described as a failed battle. Comrade, we need to make a thorough summary."

Brigade Commander Chen's gaze shifted to Regimental Commander Cheng: "Briefly explain the combat deployment... and what happened on the battlefield."

"Yes!"

"During this operation, exactly as I reported previously, I deployed a main force of two battalions totaling fifteen hundred men, and gathered all the light and heavy machine guns of the entire regiment, numbering around forty-odd pieces."

"Mortars, landmines—virtually every available weapon was utilized."

Regimental Commander Cheng fell silent for a moment before adding, "When the battle commenced, these Japanese devils were extremely cautious, conducting reconnaissance and searches on both sides of the mountain. This contradicted the intelligence we previously obtained; the Japanese were not blindly arrogant and did skip reconnaissance."

"On the contrary, their scouts were extremely professional, highly acute, and experienced. The direction they climbed was precisely the location of our ambush position."

Li Yunlong looked somewhat puzzled and asked, "Why didn't you place observation posts in the ambush area and wait until all the Japanese entered before the troops made their move?"

Regimental Commander Cheng sighed: "I bear the responsibility for this."

"On one hand, I judged that the Japanese would not diligently carry out reconnaissance... They had transported goods along this supply route twice before... I failed to factor in that they would be so cautious."

"There was also an objective reason."

"The time given to our regiment was insufficient. In our haste, the chosen ambush site was not suitable for setting up secondary concealed positions."

"It was precisely for this reason that I chose to pile all our forces directly into the primary ambush position..."