The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 409, 8:00 (Bonus Chapter 12 for Strobes)

At 6:07 PM, the day-long battle for Nanning City finally came to a complete halt.

According to the Japanese statistics, the Nationalist army launched a total of 26 attacks from multiple directions today, three more than yesterday, and suffered no less than 3 casualties.

The casualties suffered by the Nationalist army did not mean there was no progress at all.

They successfully captured several outer positions and depleted a significant amount of the Japanese troops' weapons and ammunition.

If this pace continues, after half a month or even longer, the Nationalist army will still be able to capture Nanning after suffering enough casualties.

Despite all this, Imamura Hitoshi, who was inspecting the area near the North Gate at the moment, didn't care at all.

He had received news that the Independent Mixed Brigade 19, which had successfully landed yesterday, had set off early this morning and was heading at full speed to support Nanning City.

If the Nationalist army does not stop them, then these 6,000 reinforcements will arrive outside the city by the evening of the day after tomorrow.

If the Nationalist army chooses to block them, it will have to mobilize several times the number of troops; in this way, the number of troops and the intensity of the attack on the city will definitely be reduced.

In short, Imamura Hitoshi was in a very good mood at the moment.

Not only were they confident in holding Nanning, but they also envisioned a coordinated attack with the 18th Division once it arrived, giving the Nationalist army a severe lesson.

This would wash away the humiliation suffered by their Fifth Division in the Battle of Kunlun Pass.

Under these circumstances, he suddenly saw three people riding warhorses slowly approaching from two miles away outside the north gate.

Through the telescope lens, it can be seen that the two men in the lead are wearing crisp military officer uniforms, while the man behind them is wearing a suit.

The man in the suit was holding a white flag high in his hand.

Jin Cunjun was not surprised at all by the arrival of these people, because they had received a notification from headquarters the night before.

A small observation team from Uncle Sam's household, consisting of two officers and a translator, will enter the city through the North Gate at 6 p.m. and then conduct a series of visits and surveillance.

After discussing this with Ando Toshiki, he had already arranged for military police to be in charge of receiving or monitoring these Uncle Sam's monsters.

Anyway, when the time comes, we can just arrange some fake ones for them to see.

Otherwise, if these three dared to approach so blatantly, the defending troops on the front line would have already opened fire and blown them and their horses into the air.

Perhaps because he was in a pretty good mood, Imamura suddenly became interested and prepared to meet these three devils from Uncle Sam's house in the manner of an occupier and victor.

So, under the protection of the guards, he arrived outside the North Gate and began to wait.

Before long, the three men appeared in front of him. When he saw one of them, who was a captain, Imamura Hitoshi's expression suddenly changed.

Speaking in English with a strange accent, but still barely understandable, he uttered a curse:
"Damn it! How come there's another Chinese person besides the translator? Tell me, isn't all of this a conspiracy by the Nationalist army?"

Unexpectedly, the captain seemed to have been greatly insulted by the question. He didn't even bother to dismount and remained seated high on his horse.

He looked at Imamura Hitoshi with an air of superiority, as if looking down on someone.

He pulled a military ID from his pocket, threw it on the ground, and arrogantly said in a perfect West Coast accent:

“Island nation! Watch your words.”

I am both a citizen of Uncle Sam's household and an active-duty captain in the army.

May I interpret your attitude as a provocation from the island nation against Uncle Sam? If so, I will record and emphasize this point in my report.

Upon hearing this, Imamura almost issued an order for the guards to shoot the Japanese soldier to death.

However, he knew that now was not the time for the island nation to turn against Uncle Sam, so he had no choice but to swallow his order once again.

"Damn Uncle Sam's family devils, one day I will make you pay for everything you have today."

After silently cursing in his heart, Imamura Hitoshi turned around and left without saying another word, as if he wanted to avoid seeing it altogether.

He no longer had any doubts about the identity of the Chinese-American captain.

In his mind, apart from these monsters, there was no other Chinese person who would dare to act like this in front of them...

The captain who had infuriated Imamura Hitoshi was, of course, Uncle Bo in disguise. Seeing that the Japanese soldiers hadn't recognized him or continued to suspect his identity, he finally let go of his biggest worry.

Then, led by a Japanese military police major, the three of them headed into the city.

Along the way, he pretended to be very interested, constantly looking to both sides of the street, or perhaps carrying out the work of the observation team.

Every now and then, he would pick up his camera and snap a photo.

In reality, he was using these actions to try to spot Lao Yu and Lao Tai in the crowd, and then secretly greet them, letting them know that they had also entered the city.

Unfortunately, they didn't see either of the two men along the way, nor did they see the guards they had brought with them.

Instead, what I saw was the way those city dwellers, pretending to be calm, lived cautiously amidst the seemingly clean and festive atmosphere of the market.

For a moment, I couldn't help but feel a little down.

They became even more determined to protect them from this great calamity.

After spending more than ten minutes, the Japanese military police major escorted him to a hotel and settled him in, then said:
"Gentlemen, please rest in your rooms for a while."

I will pick you up at 7:40 PM. His Excellency Rikichi Ando is hosting a welcome dinner for you, and he hopes you can attend.

“It would be an honor, and we will certainly be there on time,” Bill Eulton said; then the three of them went into their respective rooms and began to wash up.

So the question is, where did Lao Yu and Lao Tai go?

All I can say is that Lao Tai didn't leave the house all day; Lao Yu was originally helping to maintain order on the street, and under normal circumstances he could have run into Uncle Bo.

But just as Uncle Bo and his two companions entered the city, he was hurriedly summoned to the puppet government.

Upon meeting, Chairman Yang, whom he had long labeled a staunch traitor, immediately delivered a piece of tremendous news that excited him:

"Get ready right away, I'll take you to the welcome banquet at eight o'clock tonight..."

*****
At 7:50 p.m., three or four miles north of Dadong Township, outside a village called Shuangbanqiao Village.

"These Japanese soldiers are really good at running; they probably received orders to reinforce them immediately."

After putting down his binoculars, Hu Biao muttered to himself.

What prompted his remark was that in those days, the Nationalist army's daily march distance was only about 30 kilometers when they were on foot.

If the officer wants to go faster, many people might get separated and lost along the way.

The Japanese soldiers were clearly physically stronger, and they could march up to 40 kilometers a day.

Based on this experience, they thought that the 6,000 Japanese soldiers would not be able to enter the encirclement until noon the next day.

As a result, the 19th Independent Mixed Brigade marched 60 kilometers in one day and arrived at Dadong Township just as it was getting dark.

However, this was also a good thing, as these Japanese soldiers were exhausted after a day of forced march.

He was somewhat listless and his guard was much lower than usual.

Now, these 6,000 people are scattered in Dadong Township and several surrounding villages, directly occupying the villages where the people have all fled to spend the night.

Overall, it made it easier for Hu Biao and his men to launch a night raid.

And so, Hu Biao, leading two companies as the spearhead and two regiments of the Nationalist army, secretly sneaked to their current position under the cover of night.

The other time travelers also dispersed to the surrounding areas of other villages.

According to the battle plan, at 8:00 AM sharp, the Nationalist army's artillery units would bombard these villages. Once the bombardment was over or about to be over, they would swarm in and attack.

The National Army has prepared 28,000 infantry troops tonight alone.

Annihilate these six thousand Japanese soldiers within two days?

Just kidding! This is the first time Hu Biao has fought such a costly battle. If he can't resolve the conflict in a day, he's decided to buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it...

(End of this chapter)