Not enough Japanese devils to kill? 1.4 billion people volunteer for the Battle of Shanghai.

Command post of the 7th Independent Tank Regiment.

It was called a command post, but it was actually just a modified Type 92 armored command vehicle.

The cramped carriage was crammed with things.

On the left is a folding table covered with a map.

On the right is a radio, humming, with red and green lights flashing alternately. The communicator is wearing headphones and receiving signals.

Three officers were squeezed together in the middle.

Colonel Takeshi Aizaki, the regimental commander, sat in the very center.

In front of him lay the order that had just come from the division headquarters.

He looked at the order.

Not moving at all.

His brows furrowed deeply.

It looks like the Chinese character "川" (river) carved with a knife.

This 45-year-old middle-aged officer had a typical Japanese military face—

Thin.

Cold and hard.

Prominent cheekbones.

He had a neatly trimmed tuft of whiskers on his chin, each one perfectly aligned, as if measured with a ruler.

The eyes are not big.

But it's very sharp.

Like an eagle.

Like an eagle circling in the sky, watching its prey on the ground.

He stared at the order.

silence.

A long silence followed.

So long that the air inside the carriage seemed to freeze.

The officers on both sides surrounding Qi Wusan were somewhat puzzled when they saw their regimental commander so silent.

In the eyes of these two officers, no Chinese army could withstand the attack of the Independent Tank Regiment.

The commander of the Independent Tank Regiment, Colonel Wu Qilian, was invincible on Chinese soil.

He was a graduate of the third class of the Japanese Army Armored Corps School.

That school trained the Imperial Army's armored elite.

Wu Qilian is the elite of the elite.

At this moment, Wu Qilian looked at the division headquarters' orders and then at the battlefield on the north bank of Luodian.

For the first time, fear appeared on his face.

Wu Qilian spent five years in Manchuria.

Over five years, he personally commanded armored operations against the Northeast Army.

He also commanded armored operations against the Soviet Union.

His 7th Tank Regiment was the most elite armored force in the 3rd Division.

They fought their way from North China to Shanghai.

Never lost.

Never.

But he knew.

Today is different.

He recalled the scenes he had just witnessed—

Those enormous, dark gray creatures.

Those incredibly fast and terrifyingly powerful "Kirin" tanks.

One shot from them could penetrate two Type 89 tanks.

One shot from them can disable three Type 95 tanks simultaneously.

Their armor is so thick it's impenetrable.

They move as fast as ghosts.

Takezo Agasaki is not one of those arrogant fools.

He had witnessed the power of those things firsthand.

Through the telescope, he saw his tank being torn to shreds like a toy.

Seeing those elite crew members, who had trained for three years, being crushed to death like ants.

Seeing those steel behemoths before those dark gray monsters—

They were completely powerless to fight back.

he knows.

Their own tanks were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter in front of these tanks.

group--

A lamb encased in sheet metal.

"Colonel."

A voice rang out.

Takezo Agasaki raised his head.

Company Commander Yamanaka Kiichi had appeared in front of him at some point.

This is a major in his early thirties.

He is not tall.

But very capable.

As lean and wiry as a compressed biscuit.

He was known in the 7th Tank Regiment for his many "tricks".

They come up with some strange and unusual tactics for every exercise.

It's impossible to guard against.

Make your opponents grit their teeth in hatred.

But let the teammates—

I love you to death.

"Colonel, what are you worried about?"

Yamanaka Kichi's voice was very calm.

Takezo Aizaki looked at him.

Looking at this young face.

Look at those bright, sparkling eyes.

"Did you see that in the mountains just now?"

"I saw it." Yamanaka nodded.

No further words were needed.

"Those enormous, dark gray creatures."

"Do you think we can win?"

Kiichi Yamanaka was silent for a second.

Only one second.

Then, he answered honestly:

"We can't win in a head-on fight."

Takezo Aizaki gave a wry smile.

That bitter smile was quite unsightly.

It looks like it was cut with a knife.

"You're honest, aren't you?"

According to Yamanaka Kiichi:

"The colonel taught me that on the battlefield, what you fear most is not the strength of the enemy—"

He paused:

"I'm just fooling myself."

Takezo Aizaki nodded.

He did indeed teach.

That was three years ago, at a debriefing meeting after an exercise.

He addressed the dejected officers:

"A loss is a loss; don't make excuses."

Making excuses is just deceiving yourself.

"I'm lying to myself, I'll lose again next time."

"More people will die."

At that time, he felt very clear-headed.

It's very clear.

very--

amazing.

But now.

He wished he had never taught it.

Because not lying to yourself means—

He knew that the tanks he sent out might not come back.

Those elites who have trained for three years.

Those veterans who followed us from Manchuria to Shanghai.

Those ones--

It was a steel behemoth that took countless resources from the empire to build.

It's very likely they won't be able to come back.

The problem is, the division headquarters has already issued the order.

The order was personally signed by Fujita Susumu:

The 7th Independent Tank Regiment is launching a full-scale attack, determined to break through the Chinese defenders' lines of defense.

Those who disobey orders will be dealt with according to military law.

Takezo Aizaki looked at the order.

Looked for a long time.

long time.

So long that the lights in the carriage dimmed.

Then, he looked up.

Looking towards the mountain, one sees Guiyi.

"In the mountains, do you have any ideas?"

Yamanaka Kiichi's eyes lit up.

That's exactly what he was waiting for.

What we've been waiting for is—

this opportunity.

"Colonel, I've studied the tactics of those dark gray behemoths."

Yamanaka Kiichi strode to the map.

The finger pointed to the locations marked as Chinese positions.

"I've summarized their playing styles, and they basically fall into two categories—"

He paused:

"First, firepower coverage."

"They like to use those powerful shells to target the areas where our tanks are most concentrated."

"One shot can destroy several vehicles."

"Second, precise targeting."

"When our tanks are dispersed, they will use those highly accurate shells to pick them off one by one."

Takezo Aizaki nodded.

He saw it with his own eyes.

He would never forget the power of those shells.

"But regardless of the style of play," Kiichi Yamanaka continued, "there's one thing in common—"

He paused.

Word by word:

"They need to aim."

Takezo Aizaki frowned:

"Aim? What do you mean?"

Yamanaka Kiichi's explanation:

"Colonel, think about it, no matter how powerful their shells are, they still have to hit the target."

He pointed to the densely packed markings on the map:

"The reason we suffered such a crushing defeat was because our tanks were all crammed together."

"If they're all packed together, one shot from them can hit several of them."

"But if—"

He paused.

Word by word:

"Should we spread out the tanks?"

Takezo Aizaki was stunned.

spread?

The basic principle of tank warfare is to concentrate resources and form a powerful force.

This is written in the textbook.

This is written in the manual.

This is something every armored officer has to memorize on their first day of school.

spread?

Isn't that just sending them to their deaths?

That's not—

Does this go against the decisions of our ancestors?

Looking at his expression, Yamanaka Kiichi knew what he was thinking.

"Colonel, I know what you're thinking."

His voice was calm:

"But please let me finish."

"When I say 'scatter,' I don't mean scatter randomly."

He pointed to the map:

"We can do this—"

"Send out two tank squads first, a total of six tanks."

"These six tanks are not following the usual tactics."

"Not in formation."

"Not cooperating."

"No covering for each other."

"Each one operates independently."

"Maintain a distance of at least fifty meters from each other."

"Advancing in a straight line towards the Chinese positions."

Takezo Aizaki's brows furrowed even deeper.

Deep as if carved by a knife.

"This means the tanks will lose coordination."

"Yes." Yamanaka nodded.

They ordered very decisively:

"Loss of cooperation".

What should we do with the infantry?

"Infantry followed behind, using tanks as mobile cover."

"If one tank is destroyed, the infantry will take its place."

"Use the wreckage of that tank as cover and keep going."

Takezo Aizaki remained silent.

He was mentally simulating this tactic.

Six tanks.

Dispersed into a straight line.

The spacing is fifty meters.

Those massive, dark gray creatures wanted to overwhelm them with firepower—

One shell can hit at most one vehicle.

Want to make precise kills?

Six tanks require six shells.

And those massive, dark gray shells—

There are obviously not many left.

"so……"

Takezo Agasaki murmured:

"Even if all six tanks are destroyed, we can still deplete six of their shells."

Shan Zhonggui nodded repeatedly:

"right!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch:

"Colonel, what we fear most right now is not dead people."

"What we fear most is that those dark gray behemoths will never run out of shells."

"Just keep using up all their shells—"

He paused:

"They're just a pile of scrap metal!"

"A bunch of things that can't be moved or fired—"

"Scrap metal!"

"Then, we'll swarm in with our remaining tanks—"