You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

"Trying to run? No way!"

Zhao Qiang snorted coldly.

Beside him, a flamethrower soldier, his eyes bloodshot with rage, suddenly stood up, picked up the barrel of his flamethrower, and roared as he was about to pull the trigger.

"You fucking insane! Put the gun down!"

Zhao Qiang reacted quickly, grabbing the flamethrower soldier by the back of his collar and dragging him face down onto the concrete path.

"Company commander?" The flamethrower soldier was stunned.

"Did you forget everything you learned about 'Underground Space Tactics' from the training battalion?!"

Zhao Qiang lowered his voice and cursed through gritted teeth:

"This is a semi-enclosed pipe. If you spray fire out, you can instantly suck all the oxygen out of this area."

Add to that the backfire blast in the pipes, and the fire would roll back, and we'd all suffocate and be roasted along with these Japanese devils.

If you want to die, don't drag your brothers down with you.

Upon hearing this, the flamethrower soldier broke out in a cold sweat and quickly switched off the safety on his flamethrower.

"I don't need fire, I'll still turn the Japanese devils into dead water ghosts."

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Qiang's eyes. He yanked the M24 long-handled grenade from his waist and shouted the order:

"Everyone, get your grenades ready! Two-second delay, then smash them down!"

Shatter them with shrapnel and shockwaves.

The reconnaissance soldiers on both sides of the trail moved in perfect unison.

Dozens of people quickly pulled out the long-handled grenades from their waists, unscrewed the bottom caps, and pulled out the trigger ropes.

"Sizzle—"

The smoke from the burning fuse rose into the darkness.

The soldiers silently counted to two, then, from their elevated position, they rained dozens of grenades down on the Japanese soldiers huddled together below, like a hailstorm.

"Grenade, take cover."

The Japanese sergeant in the sewage below screamed in despair.

But in this knee-deep sewage, even taking a step was difficult, let alone finding cover.

"Boom! Boom! Rumble—!"

Dozens of high-explosive grenades detonated simultaneously inside the narrow water inlet.

The deafening explosion echoed through the enclosed underground pipes, amplifying its power several times over.

A massive column of water, mixed with severed limbs, shot into the sky.

The shrapnel bounced wildly off the blue brick wall, forming a metal meat grinder with no blind spots.

Even more deadly was the terrifying shockwave generated by the explosion.

In the confined space, the shockwave had nowhere to dissipate and struck the Japanese soldiers directly and violently.

"puff--"

Many Japanese soldiers didn't even get hit by shrapnel; their internal organs were shattered, blood flowed from their seven orifices, and they collapsed headfirst into the sewage.

The piercing screams were instantly drowned out by the continuous explosions.

The entire inlet has become a giant underground meat grinder.

The smoke from the gunpowder mixed with the stench of the sewers, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

The water surface churned violently, and the originally black sewage had now turned into a thick, dark red color.

Sun Tiezhu lay on the walkway, looking down at the hellish scene below.

His stomach churned violently, and he almost vomited up his dinner from the night before.

But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to swallow the nausea.

Watching those Japanese soldiers who usually swaggered around being blown to bits like rats in a sewer, I was amazed.

A feeling of unprecedented exhilaration welled up in Sun Tiezhu's heart.

"Good blast! Blow up those sons of bitches!"

Sun Tiezhu raised his pistol and, pointing it at the wrecked enemy still convulsing in the sewage below, pulled the trigger hard.

The battle ended very quickly.

In less than ten minutes, the more than two hundred Japanese marines who attempted a surprise attack were almost completely wiped out.

All that remained in the sewers was the nauseating smell of blood and the sound of sewage flowing.

Zhao Qiang waved his hand, signaling to cease firing.

He glanced at the confluence below, where countless mutilated corpses floated, then turned to look at Sun Tiezhu:

"Mr. Sun, well done."

You've done a great service this time. After the battle, I'll personally petition Commander Lin for your commendation.

Sun Tiezhu wiped the cold sweat from his face.

He looked at this elite force, which was not only well-equipped but also commanded by a commander with an extremely calm mind and high tactical skills, and grinned.

"I don't ask for any reward, I just want to fight the Japanese devils with you."

To be honest, I admire your equipment, but I admire even more your cleverness in fighting...

Zhao Qiang gave Sun Tiezhu a careful look:

"Sure, our Commander Lin welcomes any conscientious Chinese from Great Xia to join the ranks and fight the Japanese together."

But our legion has high requirements for officers.

"You used to be a battalion commander in the Northwest Army. If you don't pass the assessment after you come here, you might only be able to become a company or platoon leader."

Sun Tiezhu smiled憨厚ly and patted his chest vigorously:

"I don't care about that. As long as I can kill Japanese devils, I'd be happy to be a common soldier."

At the same time, he secretly made up his mind.

I'll work for Commander Lin for the rest of my life.

-----

Let's go back two days.

Inside the conference room of the Navy Ministry in Kasumigaseki, the Chief of the Naval General Staff, Prince Hiroyasu Fushimi, convened an emergency meeting specifically for the battle of Aojo Port.

At this moment, a combat staff officer with the rank of colonel stood in front of a huge map of East Asia, holding a command baton and striking it heavily on the location of Qingcheng Port.

"Gentlemen, Lieutenant General Kuwabara Aone has sent an urgent telegram."

The staff officer's voice sounded particularly jarring in the quiet conference room:

"The 102nd Regiment of the 5th Division, which was sent out of the city to rescue the army, was completely wiped out."

Lin Feng's 33rd Army Corps is advancing towards Qingcheng Port, where the defenses are sparse.

Qingcheng Port could change hands at any moment.

A collective gasp filled the meeting room.

"Baka!"

Admiral Suetsugu Nobumasa, then a military councilor and the absolute core leader of the fleet faction, slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"What are those peasants in the army doing? They just wiped out an entire regiment like that?"

Suetsugu Nobumasa's gaze swept fiercely over the group:

"Qingcheng Port must not be lost."

If Lin Feng captures Qingcheng Port, it will be the first modern metropolis that the Chinese army has recaptured from us since the start of the war.

The fighting spirit of the Chinese will surge as a result.

The headquarters' strategic plan to force the surrender of the White Party's top brass in Jiangcheng will be completely thwarted.

Suetsugu Nobumasa turned to Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, who was seated at the head of the table, and loudly proposed:

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, I suggest..."

Immediately issue combat orders to the Third Fleet stationed in Shanghai.

A bombardment fleet, centered around heavy cruisers, was dispatched and headed north overnight to support Qingcheng Port.

It would be best if Qingcheng Port could be held.

If the defenses cannot be maintained, the fleet will remain in coastal waters.

Using the 203mm main guns on the heavy cruiser, indiscriminately and devastatingly bombarded the urban area and port of Qingcheng Port.

What we cannot have, we must never let the Chinese have either.

As soon as this ruthless scorched earth plan was announced, Admiral Takahashi Sankichi and other fleet commanders in the conference room nodded in agreement.

"I object."

Just then, a sudden voice rang out from the left side of the conference table.

The speaker was Vice Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was then serving as Vice Minister of the Navy.

Yamamoto Isoroku stood up, placed his hands on the table, and looked directly at Suetsugu Nobumasa:

"It is permissible to deploy the artillery fleet."

However, considering Lin Feng's air force's previous record of sinking the Ryujo aircraft carrier.

I propose that at least one regular aircraft carrier must accompany the fleet to provide absolute air cover.

Otherwise, I would never recommend that the Third Fleet be deployed.

That's going to your death.

As soon as Yamamoto Isoroku finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Suetsugu Shinsuke narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Yamamoto Isoroku.

Within the rigidly hierarchical Japanese navy, the class and seniority system at the Etajima Naval Academy was an absolute ironclad rule.

"Yamamoto-kun."

Nobumasa Suetsugu's voice wasn't loud, but his words were full of pressure:

"I graduated from the 27th class of Etajima University."

You are issue number 32.

According to Etajima's rules, since I'm standing here speaking, you should stand at attention and bow your head to listen to my instructions, instead of spouting nonsense and refuting your senior.

Yamamoto Isoroku gritted his teeth, his body taut, but his gaze remained unyielding.

General Takahashi Sankichi, a member of the 29th class of Etajima University, also sneered and joined in the suppression of Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto, were you scared out of your wits by Lin Feng's plane?"

Lin Feng was able to sink the Ryujo light aircraft carrier last time purely because he took advantage of a surprise attack.

At the time, the Ryujo was anchored in the narrow harbor and had no way to maneuver to avoid danger.

Have you forgotten?

Based on our navy's previous exercises, it is simply impossible for aircraft to sink a fleet maintaining a high speed of thirty knots and constantly conducting anti-aircraft maneuvers on the vast ocean.

At this time, the Japanese navy had an extremely peculiar tradition of "hammocks".

At Etajima Military Academy, the better your grades, the closer you are to the front of the hammock.

Those who were able to serve as captains of battleships and heavy cruisers after graduation were all absolute elites, ranking in the top ten of each year's graduates.

Those who go on to fly planes or work in aviation are mostly so-called mediocre talents with low rankings in the hammock number system.

Therefore, the fleet faction in the Japanese high command naturally looked down on the aviation faction.

As for the internal exercises, they were never allowed to win from the very beginning; they were all scripted to prove that battleships were invincible.

At this moment, facing the combined pressure from his two seniors, Yamamoto Isoroku was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed.

He was well aware of the decisive role that air force would play in future naval battles.

But he felt a deep sense of powerlessness when faced with this group of rigid and stubborn old men.

The tension in the meeting room was growing stronger.

Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai, who also graduated from the 29th class, had to step in to smooth things over.

Mitsumasa Yonai, from the 29th class, had to step in to smooth things over:

"Alright, everyone, say less."

Yonai Mitsumasa waved his hand and looked at the operations staff officer:

"Let's not argue about tactics for now."

"Staff officer, could you please report which aircraft carrier we currently have that can be deployed to escort the Third Fleet?"

The operations staff officer opened the folder in his hand, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead:

"Reporting to Your Excellency the Minister."

The aircraft carrier Soryu of the Second Carrier Division had only been in service for a short time at this time.

The fleet was severely undertrained, with a total of only 18 Type 95 carrier-based fighters, 12 Type 96 carrier-based attack aircraft, and 27 Type 96 carrier-based bombers.

They haven't even had time to equip themselves with the latest Type 96 carrier-based fighter jets yet.

"Combat strength is extremely limited..."

The staff officer turned the page and continued reading:

"The First Carrier Division's Kaga is currently in the South China Sea, carrying out air raids on Guangdong and Guangxi."

The distance is too far; I can't come back anytime soon.

As for the First Carrier Division's Akagi, it is currently undergoing major repairs and modernization in the Sasebo shipyard.

"They will be absolutely unable to go into battle in the blink of an eye."