Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

In addition to having a stable mental state, an excellent commander must also have a spirit of adventure.

When Da Shan Yan led his elite troops into Yongming Ridge, it was an adventure.

He knew that Ximentang's firepower was extremely strong, and that he simply couldn't withstand a head-on confrontation.

but,

Yongming Ridge covers a large area and is characterized by towering mountains.

After the Kwantung Army entered the mountains, it was virtually impossible for Ximen Tang to find himself.

not to mention,
Once they entered the depths of the mountains, the power of Ximentang's cannons and heavy machine guns was severely limited.

Without overwhelming firepower, Ximen Tang is like a toothless tiger, greatly reducing his threat.

Daisan Iwa divided his army into two parts.

Although one of Oshima Yutaka's armies was defeated, his 70,000 elite troops were still intact.

As long as one is cautious, there is a chance to break out while Ximentang is entering Yongming Ridge.

not to mention,
Da Shan Yan harbored a daring adventure plan in his heart.

With Ximentang's main force tied up in western Hunan, once the Kwantung Army breaks through, they can launch a counterattack and re-enter the Hanzhong region.

Then,

The Kwantung Army will inflict heavy damage on Ximen Tang, providing the greatest support for the Northeast Kwantung Army and Guan Qilin's North Russian Allied Army to launch a general offensive.

therefore,

Dashanyan sent out a vanguard to scout the outskirts of Yongming Ridge and investigate the movements of Ximentang.

It happened the next morning.

Daiyama Iwao quickly received the news that the vanguard of the Kwantung Army had engaged in a firefight with Ximentang thirty miles south of Yongming Ridge.

For a while,
Dashanyan was overjoyed.

The opportunity to break through has arrived!
He immediately ordered the remaining members of the Kwantung Army to prepare to set off from the west side of Yongming Ridge.

As long as they avoid Ximentang's main force, the Kwantung Army's chances of breaking out of Yongming Ridge will greatly increase.

but,

Just as he finished reorganizing his troops, Yagyu Asahi arrived in a hurry.

"General! Something terrible has happened! Ximen Tang's vanguard has discovered our camp."

Upon hearing this, Oyama Iwao was greatly surprised: "Baka—what did you say!?"

How come another army of Ximen Tang has appeared?
Isn't it thirty miles away?
When Da Shan Yan heard the news, he was startled.

He quickly found a high place, took out his binoculars, and looked into the distance.

Although surrounded by dense forests, one can still see some things from this vantage point.

really,

On the outskirts of the Kwantung Army's base, a reconnaissance company from Ximengtang was spotted. They were wearing camouflage uniforms and helmets and were steadily approaching the Kwantung Army's base.

The two sides have begun sporadic exchanges of fire.

The Kwantung Army sentries on guard duty were quickly routed and forced to retreat after engaging in battle with Ximentang's reconnaissance company.

There's no way around it, the power of a sniper rifle is just too terrifying!
The Kwantung Army sentries watched as the men around them were killed one after another, and they were terrified.

Sakata Takeo and Kishibe Fumikane also rushed to see Oyama Iwao.

"General! Ximen Tang's men have arrived. They've discovered our movements. What should we do next? Which direction should we retreat to towards Yongming Ridge?"

Da Shan Yan took a deep breath, but before he could utter a sound, he was still speechless.

suddenly,
A piercing whistling sound came from the sky.

All the soldiers of the Kwantung Army looked up and saw a huge cloud of smoke in the sky.

Signal flare!
After discovering the location of the Kwantung Army's encampment, the soldiers of the Ximentang reconnaissance company immediately fired a signal flare to request support.

When Da Shan Yan saw the signal flare, he gasped.

He realized at that moment that although he had divided his forces and hidden them deep in the Yongming Ridge, Ximentang had also divided his forces to search for them.

The signal flare launch indicated that Ximentang's main force was likely nearby.

He observed through his binoculars and found that the forces gathered in Ximentang were about two thousand men.

The longer this drags on, the sooner Ximentang's troops will arrive.

The situation is critical!
Oyama Iwao quickly made a decision. He drew his command sword from his waist and addressed his key generals, including Sakata Takeo, Yagyu Asahi, and Kishibe Fumihiro:
"Don't be afraid of them! The signal flare has just been fired. It will take at least an hour for Simon to get here."

"Currently, Ximentang only has about two thousand troops. Let's take this opportunity to wipe them out, break out, and move towards Guixi!"

He finally made up his mind to move to western Guangxi.

Although the wolf soldiers of Guixi are not easy to deal with, Ximentang is even more difficult to deal with. If they do not retreat to Guixi, the remaining forces of the Kwantung Army will probably be completely wiped out.

After hearing what Oyama Iwao said, several generals of the Kwantung Army, including Sakata Takeo, also felt that they had no choice but to retreat to western Guizhou.

If we are surrounded by Ximentang, we will have no chance of escape.

then,

Several generals led their elite Kwantung Army troops in a retreat westward towards Yongming Ridge, attempting to break through the encirclement.

It must be said that the discipline of the Kwantung Army was very strict.

Although they had already suffered a defeat, the military orders were transmitted very quickly, and the actions were swift and decisive.

Within ten minutes, almost all the junior commanders had received orders to retreat.

Boom—boom—!
Gunfire continued, and the Kwantung Army began to move towards western Guangxi.

It turned out that the main force of the Dashan Rock was a 10,000-strong army personally led by Chen Jie.

Because Chen Jie's spiritual perception ability surpasses everyone else's, his spiritual refinement realm has broken through to the 'Concentration' stage.

Once the spiritual sense is activated, it can detect distances exceeding ten kilometers.

After entering the forest of Yongming Ridge, he played an important role in the search for the main force of the Kwantung Army, relying on his incredibly powerful spiritual senses.

Originally, more than ten kilometers away, the special operations reconnaissance battalion discovered two valleys that seemed to be hiding Kwantung Army troops.

but,

After Chen Jie used his spiritual senses to investigate, he quickly confirmed that there was no large army stationed in the valley.

Da Shan Yan deliberately created a diversion by making noise in some valleys, cutting down trees, and messing up the passageways, all in an attempt to distract Xi Men Tang from his search.

but,

Faced with Chen Jie's powerful spiritual sense, all pretense and mystification were rendered useless.

After the reconnaissance battalion discovered the third valley.

Chen Jie's spiritual senses quickly detected that a large number of Kwantung Army soldiers were hiding in the valley.

Although the exact number is unknown, based on the results of spiritual perception, it exceeds 50,000.

Then,

Chen Jie used a thermal imaging sensor to investigate for a while and confirmed that there were a large number of elite Kwantung Army troops stationed in the valley.

then,

He ordered the reconnaissance battalion to assemble its forces and launch an attack on the valley where the Kwantung Army was stationed.

At the same time, signal flares were fired to attract troops searching in other areas to gather around.

With a fierce attack, Ximen Tang caught the Kwantung Army stationed in the valley off guard.

The key is,
The soldiers of the Kwantung Army developed a psychological aversion to Ximen Tang.

When they learned that Ximentang's elite troops had caught up, panic gripped the people. Almost everyone was terrified and fled in disarray.

As a result, an attack was ordered.

With only two thousand troops, Ximen Tang captured an important stronghold of the Kwantung Army and occupied the high ground.

After the signal flare exploded high in the sky, a large number of troops began to gather in the valley.

The signal flares used in Ximentang come in three types.

There are three types of signal flares: one is a signal flare to request reinforcements, another is a signal flare to launch a general offensive, and the third is a signal flare to assemble troops.

The signal flare launched at this time was a sign of troop concentration, indicating that the main force of the Kwantung Army had been discovered!
but,

The Kwantung Army that followed Daisan Rock into the deep mountains of Yongming Ridge were, after all, elite troops from Northeast China, and their combat power was much stronger than that of other armies.

Although they didn't know how many people Ximentang had at the beginning, they were caught off guard.

After stabilizing the situation, it was soon discovered that Ximentang only had a little over two thousand people.

then,

Generals such as Takeo Sakata and Asahi Yagyu began to launch counterattacks. After all, the Kwantung Army had 70,000 elite troops.

With a significant numerical advantage, the Kwantung Army quickly gained the upper hand, forcing Nishimundo to retreat and create distance.

Mortars are suppressed in this terrain.

Chen Jie naturally noticed this situation as well.

then,

He ordered the vanguard battalion to retreat and create distance, waiting for other reinforcements to join and encircle them.

Although Ximentang did not build any fortifications or dig any trenches.

but,

This is inside a forest, and the surrounding rocks and trees can serve as cover.

Although the power of artillery was suppressed, assault rifles and heavy machine guns were not restricted, nor were hand grenades.

Ximentang's elite reconnaissance battalion launched a fierce attack on the Kwantung Army troops attempting to break through the encirclement.

Gunfire continued, and the firepower was extremely intense.

Mountain warfare is completely different from plain warfare, and human wave tactics cannot be used.

Because the valley passage is narrow, once the entrance is blocked, it will be very difficult for the other party to break out.

Although the Kwantung Army had a much larger number of troops than Saimon, their numerical advantage was difficult to utilize at this moment, and they could only launch continuous attacks.

The key is,
As time went on, reinforcements from Ximentang continued to arrive.

In less than half an hour, Ximentang's total force exceeded five thousand men.

After the Kwantung Army soldiers launched their charge, wave after wave of them rushed toward the gun barrels like moths to a flame.

As a result, row after row of Kwantung Army soldiers fell down.

Moreover, Ximentang occupies the high ground of the valley passage.

When the Kwantung Army soldiers charged outwards, grenades were thrown, causing even greater casualties.

The Kwantung Army's continuous charges resulted in over 10,000 casualties in less than half an hour, with corpses piling up throughout the valley passage.

When the Kwantung Army broke out, Chen Jie ordered another signal flare to be fired, prompting the other armies to encircle them.

Da Shan Yan was extremely anxious, never expecting that Xi Men Tang would actually chase him all the way to the deep mountains of Yongming Ridge.

in addition,

Ximentang's troops are arriving here in droves. If we don't break through quickly, we'll be surrounded by Ximentang's large army.

Then,

Once Ximen Tang's forces exceed 20,000, the remaining troops of the Kwantung Army will be completely annihilated.

Therefore, Da Shanyan urged commanders at all levels to break through the encirclement with all their might.

in fact,

Most of the Kwantung Army soldiers knew very well that if they wanted to survive, they had to break out of the encirclement.

If we are surrounded, we will die.

The key issue is that we've run out of food and salt. Fleeing towards the main peak of Yongming Ridge would be extremely dangerous, so fleeing west into western Guangxi is the wisest choice.

But breaking through is easier said than done.

The crossfire from Ximentang's assault rifles, heavy machine guns, grenades, sniper rifles, and other weapons was too intense.

Moreover, the valley passage is too narrow to accommodate a large number of assault troops.

Seeing that their repeated charges and attempts to break through the enemy lines had failed, the Kwantung Army soldiers lost their will to fight and retreated into the valley, on the verge of complete collapse.

When Da Shanyan saw the defeated charging troops, his veins bulged with anxiety.

He brandished his command sword and yelled, "Baka! Keep charging! Don't back down! Bastards—!"

Unfortunately, morale had already collapsed by this time. As the firepower from Ximentang's encirclement intensified, the Kwantung Army's rout could not be stopped at all.

Da Shan Yan became completely enraged. He killed a retreating soldier with a single stroke and roared:

"Charge! You idiots—anyone who retreats will be killed!"

boom!
A gunshot rang out.

Da Shanyan felt a chill run through his body, and then he saw his bodyguard, who was protecting him, with a bullet piercing his chest and blood gushing out.

Hot blood splattered onto Da Shanyan's face.

If it weren't for this bodyguard who blocked the bullet, it would have hit Da Shanyan.

Da Shan Yan was completely terrified, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Swish-!
Next, his bodyguards, who were responsible for protecting his safety, quickly gathered around him.

Da Shan Yan breathed a sigh of relief when he took cover behind a large tree.

suddenly,
He remembered something, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately shouted:

"Quickly, set fire to the surrounding trees and let the thick smoke block the enemy's view."

Generals such as Sakata Takeo and Yagyu Asahi were taken aback upon hearing this.

Then,

Everyone realized what was happening and quickly ordered their soldiers to start burning the dry leaves in the woods.

Thick smoke began to spread throughout the entire mountain forest.

It must be said that Da Shan Yan has a wealth of experience.

The dry leaves on the ground caught fire quickly, and the entire forest was soon filled with thick smoke, obscuring the view of all the soldiers in Ximentang.

Not only could snipers not aim, but even heavy machine guns and grenades became useless.

Firing in this state could easily result in friendly fire.

Due to the changeable wind direction in the mountains and forests, the thick smoke quickly spread towards the Ximentang area after it was lit.

Unable to see the enemy clearly, Ximentang had no choice but to cease fire and retreat.

Chen Jie was stunned when he saw the thick smoke rising around him.

He hadn't expected that Daisan Iwa would come up with such a move, which immediately prevented both sides from firing fiercely.

Although Ximentang possessed mortars and heavy machine guns, their crossfire was extremely fierce.

However, when we were blocking the Kwantung Army's breakout earlier, our formation was a bit too far forward.

If we had known that the mountain rock would ignite and produce thick smoke, we should have attacked it directly with incendiary bombs.

With personnel now dispersed, the lethality of incendiary bombs has been greatly reduced.

Although assault rifles and heavy machine guns could continue to hold off the Kwantung Army soldiers, and grenades could be used when the Kwantung Army broke through and approached.

Although the thick smoke obscured visibility, the Kwantung Army could still be repelled by bombarding them with grenades when they got close.

but,

The impact of this attack is much less than before.

After thinking for a while, Chen Jie realized he had no better solution, so he ordered everyone in Ximen Hall to retreat 500 meters.

After creating distance, launch a crossfire attack.

Use retreat to advance!

The most urgent task is to eliminate the main force of the Kwantung Army as much as possible.

When Da Shan Yan saw that Xi Men Tang's army had retreated, he immediately regained his confidence.

This trick really works.

Only after Ximen Tang had retreated 500 meters did the Kwantung Army launch its fiercest counterattack, attempting to break out from the west.

but,

What awaited them was the most terrifying incendiary bomb from Ximentang!
After retreating and creating a distance of 500 meters, Chen Jie did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered his artillery battalion to start firing incendiary bombs.

Although the surrounding terrain limited the power of the artillery, the purpose of the Ximentang attack was not to attack the Kwantung Army, but to launch incendiary bombs to create an isolation zone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
After the incendiary bomb was launched, an isolation zone of more than fifty meters was quickly formed.

If the Kwantung Army wanted to break out, they had to cross the fire-scorched isolation zone.

The Kwantung Army soldiers who had just rushed to the firebreak were quickly engulfed in flames, their bodies sizzling and oozing oil as they screamed in agony.

Although Oyama Iwao's tactics were very effective.

Unfortunately, this breakout attempt also resulted in heavy casualties and was unsuccessful! (End of Chapter)