Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 242 Turning Point

With Zhang Hu's order to counterattack, the First Column officially began its infiltration offensive.

"Second Battalion, move quickly and launch the attack immediately!" Yuan Yelin stood on the roofless jeep, holding binoculars in one hand and a telephone receiver in the other. "I'm telling you, you must take down the Japanese command post within half an hour!"

"Did you hear that?"

The faint sound of footsteps could be heard through the microphone.

The second battalion commander snapped to attention: "Yes, sir!"

Yuan Yelin hung up the phone, picked up his binoculars, and pointed to a hill in front of him: "Drive the car there!"

"Logistics officer! Where is the logistics officer?!"

At the shouts, a colonel rushed over and quickly followed behind the jeep: "Sir, I'm here. I'm here."

The road was a bit bumpy, so Yuan Yelin grabbed a handle at random and turned to the logistics officer: "With the frontline troops making a rapid assault, can the supply lines keep up?"

Logistics officer: "Sir, don't worry, even if I have to carry it myself, I will get the supplies to the front lines!"

Yuan Yelin: "Fine! You said it yourself. If there's a problem with logistics, you'll be the first one I hold accountable!"

The logistics officer was full of complaints.

The situation was urgent, and Yuan Yelin didn't have time to say much. Before the other party could reply, he immediately called over the operations staff:
How many grenade launchers do we have left?

Operations staff officer: "Including the inventory, there should be more than three hundred left."

Yuan Yelin: "Alright, gather all these grenade launchers to the Second Battalion Commander and tell them that the weapons have been allocated. Don't try to negotiate with me anymore. If he can't take the Japanese position within half an hour, I'll dismiss him!"

The operations staff officer saluted: "Yes, sir!"

------

front.

Inside the temporary command post.

The phone rings.

The battalion commander answered the phone: "Hello, this is the Second Battalion!"

The voice of the operations staff officer came through the phone: "Battalion Commander Sun, Deputy Commander Yuan asked me to tell you that all the weapons my unit can currently mobilize have been deployed to you. Don't take the benefits and not do the work. If you can't break through the command post of Kuroda Battalion within half an hour, you will be dismissed!"

Battalion Commander Sun stood at attention: "Yes, sir! Please tell Commander Yuan that it will take less than half an hour, just twenty-five minutes, to take down the Japanese command post!"

Operations Staff Officer: "Good!"

After saying that, he slammed the phone down.

The deputy battalion commander walked over: "Old Sun, what instructions do you have from above?"

"In this battle, our Second Battalion will lead the charge; we can't afford to lose face!" Battalion Commander Sun put his hands on his hips, glanced at his watch, and said, "In two minutes, the entire battalion will launch an assault!"

The deputy battalion commander nodded: "Okay!"

Battalion Commander Sun stood in front of the observation window, picked up his binoculars, and looked at the battlefield ahead.

This was originally the position of the Second Battalion. Before the Japanese reconnaissance planes flew over, through the binoculars, it could be seen that the Kuroda Battalion was still deployed according to the previous situation.

Battalion Commander Sun muttered to himself, "Damn those Japanese devils, they've been holding back for so many days, they've finally given me my chance!"

------

In the trenches.

During the Battle of Dangshan, Chen Desheng was seriously wounded, but fortunately the field hospital in the rear was capable enough to save him. After recovering from his injuries, he immediately returned to the front line of the battle.

He was promoted from a squad leader to a platoon leader.

"One minute left, everyone prepare to charge!" Chen Desheng glanced at his pocket watch, shook his head from side to side, and said in a low voice, "Guys, get your spirits up and fuck those damn Japanese devils!"

With battle imminent, it's inevitable that the soldiers will feel some tension.

But someone immediately chimed in:
"Damn it! At worst, we'll meet at the martyrs' cemetery after we're dead!"

"Fuck! Got it!"

"."

A series of loud shouts drowned out the muffled breathing in the trenches.

"Platoon leader, want a cigarette?" A young soldier next to him took out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Chen Desheng.

"Here, light this for me!" Chen Desheng took the cigarette. The battle was about to begin, and the soldiers below were tense. As the platoon leader, he wasn't having an easy time either.

Pale blue smoke rose from the trenches.

Chen Desheng took out his pocket watch.

There's about half a minute left.

"This cigarette is good!" Chen Desheng took a deep drag. "Good stuff, what brand is it?"

The soldier quickly said, "Limin, this is a new product from our cigarette factory!"

Chen Desheng nodded.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out in my ears.

Chen Desheng flicked away his cigarette butt and was the first to stand up: "Brothers, attack!"

"Kill!"

"Charge forward and chop those Japanese devils to pieces!"

"."

Along the long battlefront, shouts of battle filled the air as infantrymen, under the cover of grenade launchers, surged toward the Japanese troops like an overwhelming tide.

"boom--!"

"Da da da--!"

------

On the Kuroda Battalion's position.

Three poles in the sun.

The fighting between the two sides was not intense; there were only occasional sniper shots fired from time to time.

At that moment, the Japanese soldiers were squatting in the trenches, gathering in twos and threes, scrambling for a bowl of miso soup and a few steamed buns.

"Nani?"

"Why is there less kelp in this soup than yesterday?"

"What exactly is going on?"

Why is there sand in this steamed bun?

"Baka! There's shrapnel too!"

Hearing the complaints, the company commander strode over and said, "Having food is already a blessing. Don't complain here. With this energy, you should go kill a few more Chinese soldiers!"

The restless crowd immediately quieted down.

next second.

A grenade landed precisely in the rice bowl containing miso soup.

Before the group of Japanese soldiers could even react, they were instantly enveloped in the smoke and dust raised by the explosion.

The squadron leader was relatively far away and his injuries were not serious, but he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

At the moment of the explosion, he heard shouts of killing.

"Enemy attack!"

"Fight back! Fight back!"

He shouted loudly, but almost at the same time, dozens of grenades landed in the trenches. Amidst the booming explosions, this commotion seemed insignificant.

But it is, after all, a top-tier elite division.

Some of the Japanese soldiers, regaining their senses, shook their heads, forcibly suppressing the dizziness caused by the blast wave, and lay prone on the trenches, beginning sporadic returns of fire. The machine gunner returned to his position, his face contorted with madness, his voice hysterical.

"Black Card Chaos!"

"Da da da--!"

The Type 92 heavy machine gun fired a barrage of bullets, sweeping towards the charging enemy.

"boom--!"

Before they could even be arrogant for two seconds, several grenades flew over, and the entire machine gun team, along with several riflemen nearby, were engulfed in the explosion.

"The Japanese machine guns have stopped firing! Brothers, charge!"

"kill!"

The charging soldiers, carrying rifles in one hand, moved swiftly through a hail of bullets under the cover of grenade launchers.

According to the training manual, when using assault tactics to seize a position, the primary principle is speed—to rush onto the enemy's position as quickly as possible, at all costs.

This is the key.

Only in very special circumstances will they shoot while moving.

"Defense! Defense!"

Inside the trench, the Japanese company commander was still shouting incessantly. Unfortunately, the entire company was scattered by the first volley of grenade launchers when they were almost completely unprepared. No more than fifty soldiers were still putting up a fight.

In some extremely critical foxholes, there was only a single corpse lying inside, and no one went to defend them.

"idiot!"

"Go on the bayonet!"

As the enemy drew ever closer, the Japanese company commander gritted his teeth and glared, shouting, "Your Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Having said that, he was the first to leap out of the trench.

Chen Desheng rushed to the front, and when he saw a Japanese soldier suddenly appear in front of him, he subconsciously raised his pistol.

"Snapped!"

The company commander, sword raised high, fell to the ground with a thud, staring blankly at the azure sky.

The bullet hit his abdomen, and the intense pain rendered him unable to fight, but he wouldn't die immediately; he remained conscious.

After taking care of one enemy, Chen Desheng ignored him, stepped on the company commander's body, and jumped into the trench.

The squad leader clutched his wounded abdomen tightly, whimpering, but unfortunately no one listened to what he was saying.

The charging soldiers behind them followed suit, stepping down one after another. Whether it was intentional or due to carelessness, some of them specifically targeted the face or the bleeding abdomen, grinding their feet down as they did so.

------

Inside the headquarters.

Wang Feng sat in the chair, and the perspective shifted back to the naked eye.

They stood in front of the strategic map and studied it carefully.

A short while later, Zhao Fangyuan came over: "Sir, the First Column is moving very fast. They caught the Japanese off guard and are advancing at a very fast pace. They have already broken through the Japanese front and are now advancing into the rear."

Wang Feng nodded: "Okay, I understand. Order the rest of the troops to immediately crawl through this opening and smash the abdomen of the Sixth Division."

In retrospect, this move was indeed a risky one.

Such "loopholes" that may appear unintentionally due to frequent troop movements will be immediately patched up as the movements continue.

This gap period may be short or it may be long.

The specific situation depends on the deployment of the Japanese army.

Fortunately, we discovered it in time. If we had relied on scouts or aerial reconnaissance to gather intelligence, the defenses would probably have been repaired before we even noticed.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, what should we do next? The troops that withdrew from Jiangbei have been reinforced on the 189th Division's defensive line. It is estimated that they can hold out for a while, but how long they can hold out depends on the frequency of Japanese air support. Judging from the current situation, even if the reinforcements from the 31st Army arrive later, they can only hold out for another two or three days."

Wang Feng: "Two or three days is more than enough time. The turning point of this battle lies with the First Column!"
"The 27th unit on the Anqing defense line is ordered to gradually withdraw under alternating cover."

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Understood, I'll go right away!"

Wang Feng added on the spot: "Go and tell Zhang Hu that after the two infantry battalions of the First Column have completely passed through the Japanese defense line, they should stop and not rush to continue forward."

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "Yes!"

After saying that, he immediately turned around and strode away from the command room.

With no one around, Wang Feng sat in a chair and switched the view to an overhead perspective.

Keep zooming in until you spot the 6th Division command post.

"Sure enough, as long as the advance is fast enough, the Japanese can't react at all," Wang Feng muttered to himself.

Only within the field of view.

Division Commander Shiro Inaba sat upright in his chair, leisurely wiping his sword, a symbol of his lifelong honor.

Beside the chart, several staff officers were busy drawing lines with rulers.

Chief of Staff Tatsusuke Kamei flipped through the telegrams. Although Wang Feng couldn't read Japanese, the peaceful scene before him was undeniable.

Perhaps because of the surprise attack and the extremely fast advance, they had not yet received news of the defeat of Kuroda's battalion.

Wang Feng glanced at it a few more times, marked the location, and then shifted his gaze elsewhere.

------

13:25 PM.

A map was laid out on the hood of the jeep, and Zhang Hu was drawing on it with a pencil in his hand.

The operations staff officer stood beside him, blinked, stared at the markings for a long time, and then realized what they were—to put it bluntly, even a chicken could be drawn more clearly by scattering rice on a map.

Indeed, professional matters should be left to professionals.

Zhang Hu straightened up: "Come here, take a look. So much time has passed, the Japanese must have discovered something. They've stationed a reserve force in this position."

Suddenly, a messenger rushed over:
"Reporting, sir!"
"Urgent telegram from the rear!"

Zhang Hu put down his pencil, took the telegram, glanced at it, and then immediately looked at the map on the hood of the engine.

Operations staff officer: "Sir, what happened?"

Zhang Hu picked up a pencil, his eyes moving back and forth between the map and the telegram: "Look here, the telegram says that the Japanese division command post is probably here, within a mile radius!"
"Our superiors have ordered us to move there immediately and wipe out the Japanese command post in one fell swoop!"

The operations staff glanced at it: "It's very close. The straight-line distance is no more than thirty li. If we have to march, two hours will be enough!"

"However, the only obstacle may be this reserve team."

Zhang Hu was in a dilemma.

According to the reconnaissance soldiers, this reserve force is on its way here, and it is estimated that the two sides will encounter each other within an hour.

The force was also considerable, numbering approximately two to three thousand men.

It's not difficult to deal with, but it will take a lot of time.

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a wall. The Japanese are also very shrewd and have probably already begun to move their command posts. If this goes on for too long, the duck that is being fed will fly away.

"If we go around it"

The operations staff officer immediately said, "Sir, if we want to bypass them without anyone noticing, the troops will have to travel at least twenty more miles!"

Zhang Hu frowned.

Twenty li, or ten kilometers, would likely take an hour to cover, even with the estimated distance error, if calculated at the speed of a forced march.

"What's the situation with the Second Battalion?" Zhang Hu thought for a moment, then made up his mind. "Tell Yuan Yelin to lead the Second Battalion to circle around and attack the Japanese command post. I need to keep the time under two and a half hours!"

The operations staff officer nodded: "Yes, sir!"

Zhang Hu leaned against the hood of the car, lit a cigarette, and said, "The order from the commander has come down. It's time for us to move out and prepare to fight!"

(End of this chapter)