Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 237 Frontline Battle
Anqing frontline.

Under the night.

On the smoke-filled battlefield, corpses piled up like mountains. Ordinary soldier Long Qingfeng huddled in the trench, dust kicked up by explosions settling on him. Every explosion agitated his tense nerves.

In a trench behind him.

Several battalion commanders were gathered together, having a heated discussion about this matter.

"Hey, have you heard? Commander Yang has been arrested by the supervisory team!"

"That Commander Yang?"

"Who else could it be but Yang Sen!"

"What did you say! He was arrested by the supervisory team?"

“It’s absolutely true. When the regimental commander and I went to the brigade headquarters to request supplies, I heard the brigade commander and staff officer say it with my own ears!”

"Then what should we do?"

"I don't know. The only thing I'm certain of right now is that Commander Wang's trusted confidants are directing the battle from the army group command post."

"Commander Wang's confidant? That's alright, at least he won't give orders recklessly."

"."

Long Qingfeng shook off the mud from his clothes, picked up the rifle from the ground, and didn't care much about the affairs of his superiors.

After fighting so many wars over the years, he finally understood.

It doesn't matter who you buy your life for.

No one cares about the lives of ordinary soldiers; they are just numbers on the battle reports.

Dispensable things.

In China, the one thing that is never lacking is human resources.

"Hey, these steamed buns are freshly made, do you want some?" A fellow villager walked over, took a cloth bag out of his pocket, and opened it to reveal a steaming hot steamed bun.

"Have one. The Japanese shelling has just stopped. I reckon they'll be up here in about ten minutes."

"Fighting at night is really tough."

Long Qingfeng took the steamed bun, which was still a little hot to the touch: "Thanks, brother!"

A fellow soldier from the same hometown said, "We're brothers who've been through thick and thin together in the same trenches. Don't be so formal. If you really want to thank me, why don't you take out the bullets from your pocket and give me two!"

Long Qingfeng patted his pocket: "I have four shots left, I'll give you half."

Fellow villager: "Only four left? You should keep them for yourself!"

Long Qingfeng didn't refuse and put the bullet back into his pocket: "These steamed buns taste really good. Do you have any more?"

The fellow villager glared at him: "There's only one per person, distributed by head. The one you ate was one I stole. You want a second one? You should be grateful. If it weren't for Commander Wang taking office, with our peasant status, we'd never eat white flour buns. Keep dreaming!"

Long Qingfeng smiled and said, "You're right. Sigh, I wonder when this war will end."

The fellow villager turned to the side, carefully protecting the half-eaten steamed bun in his hand: "When will it end? The war will end when the Japanese devils reach your home!"

Long Qingfeng casually found a place to sit down: "Attack my house? Your house is at the entrance of the village, if anyone's going to fight, it'll be your house first."

"Speaking of which, your son is getting on in years, shouldn't he be looking for a wife this year?"

His fellow villager sat down next to him and said, "Commander Wang gave us a sum of money. I've done the math, and it should be enough."

Long Qingfeng grinned: "With your family's circumstances, it's a miracle your son even found a wife. You should be grateful for your ancestors' good fortune."

The fellow villager laughed heartily: "If I had served under Commander Wang for two years earlier, I might already have bought several acres of land back in our hometown and be a landlord by now!"
"By the way, where's your son?"

Long Qingfeng: "Sigh, I've fought all my life and haven't saved much money. I plan to use this money I received to pay for my child's tuition and send him to study in the city."

"boom--!"

As the two were talking, a shell was fired.

"Bombard! Take cover!"

"Quick! The Japanese are about to attack! Quick!"

Long Qingfeng immediately got up, lay prone on the trench, and aimed his rifle forward.

"Save your ammunition! Fire when you're at least 20 meters away!"

A voice came from behind.

Long Qingfeng took a deep breath.

He joined the army and fought in battles during the warlord era. Although he did not receive much formal military training, he was still experienced on the battlefield and knew some of the tricks of the trade.

Twenty meters is an extremely dangerous distance. If one is not careful, the Japanese could accelerate their charge and break into our trenches.

"Boom--!"

He had just caught his breath when he heard another loud bang in his ear.

"tank!"

"It's a Japanese tank!"

"Grenades! Quickly, tie all the grenades together!"

Listening to the roar of the Type 97 tank, Long Qingfeng's heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest at any moment.

The fellow villager standing nearby looked grave and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Something's not right! This attack is strange!"

"The Japanese have sent their main force up here!"

In previous battles, the Japanese offensive was very weak; there were hardly any tanks, let alone grenade launchers.

Long Qingfeng: "What are you afraid of! Give them the grenades—"

He had barely finished speaking when a grenade landed beside him. The next second, the explosion engulfed him, shrapnel flew into his body, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. When his fellow villager rushed over, he was already dead.

"Damn those Japanese devils!"

The Type 97 tank's gun barrel was aimed in this direction, and the gunner stepped on the firing pedal.

"boom--!"

The 47mm shell was fired.

Before his fellow villager could even get up, he collapsed heavily onto Long Qingfeng's corpse.

rear.

The company commander squinted. In the pitch-black night, he could only perceive the battlefield situation through the flames spewing from the muzzle of his gun.

The Sichuan Army was even lacking in weapons and equipment.

Not to mention tools and equipment like telescopes and flares.

"Company commander, the Japanese have taken out the machine gun position on the left!" a soldier ran over and said hurriedly.

The company commander frowned: "Which position? How many men died?"

Soldier: "I don't know, it's too dark, I can't see anything at all!"

Company Commander: "Immediately send men to plug the hole. We absolutely cannot let the Japanese advance an inch!"

Soldier: "Yes!"

The company commander lay prone in the trench, continuing to look at the battlefield ahead. His side's firepower was becoming increasingly sparse. If this continued, the Japanese would probably break through the position in less than ten minutes.

"oops!"

The company commander was extremely anxious and punched the sandbag.

------

The 133rd Division headquarters. Battle reports flew into the forward command post like scraps of paper.

Division Commander Yang Hanzhong rested his hands on the table, coldly staring at the battle map on the wall, while the operations section chief walked over with a stack of new battle reports.

"Sir, the frontline troops are about to collapse. If we don't withdraw soon, the troops may be routed."

Yang Hanzhong: "What exactly does the higher-ups mean?"
"At first, they told us to keep pushing forward, and as soon as the troops were mobilized, they told us to retreat. They're clearly making a fool of us!"

Operations Chief: "Sir, you may not know this, but our former commander, Yang Sen, has been detained by the supervisory team sent by Commander Wang. The one currently commanding the battle is an officer from the garrison."

Yang Hanzhong turned to look at the communications section chief: "What!"
"Why haven't I received any news about such a big thing?"
"What crime should be committed for concealing major military intelligence?"

The communications section chief was startled: "Sir, the division headquarters hasn't received any official information. These are just rumors spread by the soldiers outside."

Yang Hanzhong frowned.

rumor?

"This is a matter of great importance. Now that you know about it, why did you report it to me?"

The head of the communications department had no way to express his grievances.

Everyone knows that you, Commander Yang, place the utmost importance on the authenticity of intelligence when marching and fighting. In the past, when you heard some unverified rumors, you wished you could drag out and shoot all the soldiers who spread them in private.

This matter is of great importance; let's discuss it privately. Who would dare to bring it to your doorstep?

If it turns out to be fake, then there will be consequences later.
"Didi-di-!"

The shrill sound of a telegraph machine rang out.

"Sir, telegram!" After translating the telegram fluently, the communications officer held his breath and ran to deliver it to the communications section chief.

"What's going on?" Yang Hanzhong snorted coldly, continuing to ponder the current battle situation. "The Japanese army is coming in with great force. Their previous period of lying low was probably a feigned weakness. Our Sichuan army must have backbone. No matter who is in command, as long as we do not receive a clear order to retreat, we must stay on the front line and not move an inch!"
"Move the reserves up!"

He waved his hand and spoke to the operations staff.

"Sir, our casualties are probably quite high!" the operations staff officer advised from the side.

Yang Hanzhong: "It's big, but people always die in war! Even if it means using human lives, you must build a defensive line for me!"

The operations staff officer took a deep breath: "Yes, sir!"

War is not child's play. The cheapest thing on the battlefield is human life. The 133rd Division at full strength has tens of thousands of men. If they were gathered together, they could fill the entire training ground.

On the roster, it's just a string of cold numbers.

The communications section chief ran over: "Sir, orders from above!"

Yang Hanzhong: "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

The communications section chief ordered all units to immediately move back ten miles to the second line of defense to defend against the enemy. The 133rd Division will provide cover, and the headquarters will provide weapons assistance.

After saying that, he pulled out a second telegram.

"Yang Sen, commander of the 27th Army Group, has been detained by the supervisory team for violating military discipline and disobeying orders. He is awaiting sentencing after the battle. Military orders are as firm as mountains, and military law is merciless. All units should take this as a warning!"

"Sir, the rumors outside are true. Commander Yang has really been arrested. What should we do?"

Yang Hanzhong: "What should we do? The telegram clearly states that all units of the army group should retreat, and my division will be responsible for covering them."

Communications Chief: "Sir, what I mean is, Commander Yang is in trouble, what should we do now?"

Yang Hanzhong: "With a formidable enemy at hand, what's the point of thinking about these things? If you say anything like that again, I'll call the supervisory team over and have you dismissed!"

The communications section chief shuddered: "Sir, please calm down...please calm down."

Yang Hanzhong took a deep breath, his expression solemn.

The communications section chief was right; Yang Sen's detention was too sudden, and he was somewhat at a loss.

The 133rd Division belongs to the 20th Army and is considered an elite unit within the 27th Group Army.

Including himself, the three division commanders under his command were all his loyalists.

Given the current situation, and considering Commander Wang's style, it's almost impossible for Yang Sen to be released.

Within the command headquarters, no one would plead for a Sichuan Army general.

His dismissal is a foregone conclusion.

Now, at this crucial moment, it's a matter of who can set an example and raise the banner of "ousting Yang".

But this is not a simple matter.

At its core, the 27th Army Group is still an old warlord force. As the name suggests, it is a group of large warlords who contain smaller warlords, and smaller warlords who contain even smaller warlords.

Even if I wanted to take the initiative to get closer to Commander Wang.

It depends on the attitude of your subordinates.

But these are extraordinary times. The battle on the front lines is escalating and the defenses are crumbling. If we suffer a defeat at this juncture, it will be a huge loss. Not only will we fail to prove our loyalty, but we will also be tainted.

------

General Command Post.

After the order to retreat was reissued, Wang Feng kept his perspective on the overhead view and hardly ever left it, except when responding to Zhao Fangyuan.

After Yang Sen was dismissed from his post, Jin Lei and some of the garrison staff moved into the command post of the 27th Army Group.

Currently, the situation is still under control.

The 44th Army carried out its orders very decisively, which may be partly due to the fact that it had executed the former army commander, Liao Zhen, a few days earlier.

The commander's authority has been established, and he is not afraid that his subordinates will disobey his orders.

As for the elite 20th Army.

From an aerial viewpoint, the 133rd Division was the first to set off.

I had heard of Wang Feng, the division commander.

It wasn't that they were particularly brave in battle.

During the Battle of Shanghai, Division Commander Yang Hanzhong was honorably wounded. While recuperating, he used the disability allowance issued by the Nationalist government to introduce pomelo saplings from Liangping to Guang'an.

In previous lives.

Wang Feng even bought one while traveling.

It tastes really good.

Hearing this story now, I can't help but feel a little emotional.

Zhao Fangyuan strode closer: "Reporting, sir, urgent telegram from the front!"

"The Sixth Division has slowed its offensive. I estimate that their supplies are probably running out!"

Wang Feng: "Hmm, no need to worry about it. We are on the defensive. The attacking side delaying the offensive, no matter what the reason, is beneficial to us. Order the 26th Army Group to speed up the regrouping of troops and build a new defensive line!"

Zhao Fangyuan said with deep concern: "The Japanese offensive is so swift. If this continues, we will eventually have most of our manpower depleted by the Japanese."

Wang Feng: "Did you notice that the Japanese army's offensive posture is still obvious? After the bombing ended that day, the Hata Detachment was no longer the main attack direction. The flank battlefield became the main battlefield. They wanted the 6th Division to launch a surprise attack on the flank and complete the encirclement of our troops."

"How is the evacuation of the rear troops going?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "It will probably take another two or three days."

Wang Feng: "Alright, then let's stay with the Japanese for a few more days. When the time is right, we'll order all units to move south and break out of the Japanese encirclement!"

Zhao Fangyuan looked at the map: "Move south."

Looking at the overall battlefield situation, the 6th Division was to the north, the Hata Detachment was to the east, the Madang Fortress was to the west, and to the south was a vast expanse of hilly and mountainous terrain.

"If we move in this direction, the Japanese army will probably notice us!"

(End of this chapter)