Chapter 57: Baka, a pack of fools!

Chu Yunfei did not wait for Chen Changjie's reinforcements.

However, the warriors of the night raid did receive reinforcements from the Seventh and Eighth Companies.

Guided by illumination flares, the soldiers of the Seventh and Eighth Companies quickly moved forward to support them.

Upon closing in to near-range combat, the pursuing Japanese troops instantly realized that the situation had turned unfavorable.

Acting under the orders of their respective commanders, they decisively abandoned the pursuit.

It was crystal clear.

The encirclement and annihilation operation had failed this time.

Continuing the pursuit would not only eliminate any chance of wiping out these enemy forces, but it also ran the risk of letting the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

The worst-case scenario could even lead to the loss of their own positions.

Realizing that the Japanese invaders had no intention of continuing the chase, and after a brief, intense engagement, Zhang Fugui led his unit in a tactical withdrawal.

Inside the headquarters of the 1st Battalion of the 358th Regiment, Bian Fucheng was reporting the specific course of the battle to Chu Yunfei.

Sun Ming, meanwhile, stayed with the soldiers to tally the casualties sustained in the operation.

After listening to a general summary, Chu Yunfei continued, "So, right from the very beginning, the night raid operation was practically doomed to failure?"

Bian Fucheng nodded, "Yes, Commander. Those little Japanese devils appeared relaxed on the outside but were tense on the inside. In less than two minutes, their various units flanked us. If not for the artillery support from the mountain artillery battalion... I'm afraid those little Japanese devils really would have succeeded."

"Fortunately, in this operation, we also wiped out quite a few of those little Japanese devils, and our own losses were minimal. The only thing is we consumed a fair amount of grenades. After this strike of ours, those little Japanese devils certainly won't be getting any sleep tonight!"

Qian Bojun chuckled, "If I were the Japanese commander, having meticulously planned such an ambush only to end up empty-handed, I suppose I'd be too angry to sleep either."

As he spoke, Qian Bojun turned his head to look at Chu Yunfei beside him.

His gaze was filled with deep reverence: "Commander, your foresight is truly divine. How did you know the Japanese invaders might reinforce from that particular direction?"

Chu Yunfei smiled and rubbed his right index finger. "You, my friend, haven't studied the operational maps thoroughly enough. Based on the reconnaissance reports and the terrain maps in our possession, if the Japanese invaders had made preparations, they would inevitably deploy troops right here... This is far from the main battlefield and also the mandatory route for their reinforcing troops. If nothing goes wrong, even if it's just to put up a brave front after the battle starts, it's still worthwhile!"

...

Japanese Army.

Fushi Battalion Headquarters.

The junior officers who had participated in the operation stood in a single file before Itsuyasu Fushi.

They bowed slightly, heads lowered, their postures as stiff as if cast from the same mold.

Suppressing his surging anger, Itsuyasu Fushi asked once more, "Why did you not pursue?"

"Battalion Commander... the enemy reinforcements had already arrived, and their artillery fire was fierce..."

"Baka!"

"Slap~!"

Accompanied by an angry roar, Itsuyasu Fushi delivered a fierce slap across the company commander's face. "Stupid! Are the brave warriors of the Great Japanese Empire afraid of the artillery fire of the Chinese?"

"You are all a disgrace to the Emperor's Imperial Army! A disgrace!"

"Slap~!"

"Slap~!"

Itsuyasu Fushi struck several others across the face as well. "Get out of my sight! Continue the attack at daybreak; you must break through the Chinese positions!"

"Haii!"

Seeing the useless company commanders depart, Itsuyasu Fushi adjusted his breathing as his heaving chest slowly calmed down.

How was he to explain this to the regimental commander?

Standing before the telephone, Itsuyasu Fushi pondered for a long time without coming up with a countermeasure.

"Ring, ring, ring~!"

Sighing, Itsuyasu Fushi picked up the receiver and said, "Moshi moshi!"

[Regimental Commander...]

[Haii~! Haii~!]

[Please rest assured, I shall lead my troops to capture the enemy defensive line before noon tomorrow... If I fail, I shall commit seppuku to atone before His Majesty the Emperor.]

Hanging up the phone, Itsuyasu Fushi wiped the sweat from his forehead.

With a kick, he overturned the wooden desk nearby.

"Those bastards! Why did such a meticulously planned operation fail!"

"Baka! A bunch of idiots, a bunch of trash!"

Just as Itsuyasu Fushi was venting his rage within the battalion headquarters, a skinny man wearing a monocle entered the room.

Due to his build and height, his appearance was somewhat comical.

Behind him followed two relatively tall Japanese soldiers.

The soldier on the left held two Shanxi-made ZB vz. 26 light machine guns.

The soldier on the right grasped various scattered pieces of equipment used by the assault team, including grenades and combat daggers.

The trio walked forward as if entirely oblivious to the sounds of smashing and breaking.

They continued straight toward Itsuyasu Fushi's operations room.

The man was none other than Yusuke Nakaoka, the adjutant of the Fushi Battalion.

Stopping just outside the room, he stood at attention and announced in a loud voice, "Reporting!"

Hearing Yusuke Nakaoka's voice, Itsuyasu Fushi tightened his military uniform and collar, speaking in a resonant voice, "Enter!"

"Lord Battalion Commander, while clearing the battlefield, we captured automatic firearms, pistols, grenades, and combat daggers used by the enemy."

Itsuyasu Fushi nodded slightly.

Yusuke Nakaoka immediately turned his head and gave a hand gesture indicating, "Bring the items in!"

The two Japanese soldiers bowed slightly: "Haii!"

Then they stepped into the room.

Yusuke Nakaoka glanced around the room before stepping forward to right the wooden desk that Itsuyasu Fushi had kicked over.

The two Japanese soldiers followed closely behind, neatly arranging the captured pistols, Shanxi-made Thompson submachine guns, Shanxi-made wooden-handled grenades, and combat daggers on the desk.

A Thompson submachine gun!

This submachine gun enjoyed high notoriety, and Itsuyasu Fushi naturally recognized it.

Taking it up, he inspected it closely.

"Lord Battalion Commander, the submachine guns they are equipped with should be replicas manufactured by Yan Xishan's Taiyuan Arsenal... Because the quality of their steel is substandard, after continuous firing for a period, the barrel cooling is affected, making it very prone to accidents such as exploding chambers..."

Itsuyasu Fushi nodded and turned his gaze to the combat daggers and the twenty-round Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" pistols on the table: "These soldiers must be their elite troops."

German-made twenty-rounders were produced in extremely small quantities domestically and relied heavily on imports.

As a combat pistol, its performance was exceptional.

With the addition of a wooden combat holster, it could even be used as a rifle.

It possessed sufficient firepower and strong reliability.

Items like combat daggers were even rarer... and virtually impossible to be standard equipment for regular troops.

"Has the casualty count for our forces in this battle been tallied?"

Yusuke Nakaoka nodded. "In this battle, our forces killed thirty-four enemy soldiers, while our own losses were eighty-eight men... Among them, three are slightly wounded, and eighteen are severely wounded, though they are still capable of continuing combat."

"Nani?"

Itsuyasu Fushi was stunned for a moment and confirmed, "Eighty-eight?"

Yusuke Nakaoka bowed his head. "Haii. The vast majority of these casualties were caused by artillery fire and grenades..."

"Because shrapnel embedded in the limbs is difficult to clean out, many of the wounded soldiers will likely not survive tonight."

"Bastard!"

Itsuyasu Fushi's mind had already begun calculating rapidly.

The engagement casualties totaled four hundred and eighty men, plus the eighty-five lost tonight.

After fighting for merely a single day, half of a battalion's troop strength had already become casualties.

Under such circumstances, was there still any possibility of breaking through the enemy's defensive lines?