Blood-Red Front

Lin Zhiyuan, who had been marching at a rapid pace, was now panting heavily.

On the way back, although the journey was more than 20 kilometers, Lin Zhiyuan stopped and started along the way, and his legs and feet were more tired.

After jogging five kilometers, Lin Zhiyuan felt like his lungs were about to explode; his body had clearly never engaged in such strenuous exercise before.

At this moment, Lin Zhiyuan missed his old, beat-up truck. Although it was bumpy, at least he didn't have to travel on foot.

Lin Zhiyuan caught his breath for a moment, and seeing that the troops were about to pass, he straightened up again.

Just as Lin Zhiyuan was about to catch up with the main force, a soldier from the vanguard ran back to report.

"Battalion Commander, a newly promoted corps has crossed the Wen River and is fiercely attacking our positions. In addition, a small newly promoted unit of about 50 men is flanking our positions from the rear."

"The enemy has crossed the river?" Lin Zhiyuan's expression changed.

The Wen River is about 80 to 100 meters wide, serving as a natural defensive fortification for the Xia army. If the defense of the Wen River were lost, the subsequent battles would be impossible to fight.

"Ma Daxi!" Lin Zhiyuan shouted.

"Battalion Commander." Ma Daxi jogged back from the front.

Compared to the exhausted Lin Zhiyuan, the Shu army, which had marched over a thousand kilometers on foot from Shuzhou to Binxi, were now completely unfazed.

"The situation at the front is extremely critical. Enemy troops are flanking the Wenhe garrison from the rear. You must immediately lead a small unit of the newly promoted army to the left to attack the flanking force," Lin Zhiyuan ordered.

"Yes, sir! We guarantee the complete annihilation of the enemy!"

"No." Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand. "The First Company's mission is not to fight the enemy to the death, but to defend our flanks and rear."

"If the enemy attacks, you should defend with all your might and wait for the main battlefield to end; if the enemy retreats, you should follow and join the main battlefield to form an encirclement from the flank."

Once on the battlefield, Lin Zhiyuan believed that the Shu army was brave and determined to fight, but since the enemy was able to successfully cross the river, it meant that their combat strength should not be underestimated.

Although it was only a small team of 50 people, the company, which was short of guns and ammunition, was really struggling to handle the situation.

"yes!"

Having never fought against Chu Shengjun, Ma Daxi felt that Lin Zhiyuan was being overly cautious.

But he didn't offer any suggestions, since it wouldn't do any harm to the company.

Ma Daxi waved his hand and changed direction several times, heading towards the flank.

After watching them leave, Lin Zhiyuan shouted to the rest of the group, "Everyone! Follow me to the front lines and launch a flanking attack on the enemy!"

The independent battalion accelerated its march once again.

On the way, the soldiers were already in combat readiness.

The rifles that were originally carried on their shoulders were now all carried on their right hands, and the marching formation was transformed into two combat columns.

As they approached the position, Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand, and the troops immediately dispersed and took cover. Lin Zhiyuan then knelt on the ground and raised his binoculars.

The minimap, which had been shrinking in the upper left corner of the view, suddenly zoomed in and simultaneously refreshed with a large amount of information.

[Nishimura Company, 68th Regiment, 101st Division, newly promoted army, 163 men, equipment...]

[7th Company, 6th Regiment, 2nd Detachment, 8th Army, 85 personnel, equipment...]

[The 6th Regiment of the 2nd Detachment of the 8th Army, with 32 personnel, Commander Ji Qiu, and equipment...]

On the surface, Lin Zhiyuan was observing the battlefield with binoculars, but in reality, with the help of the binoculars, the mini-map clearly showed the situation of both sides.

Seeing that the two sides were still deadlocked, Lin Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, he was not too late.

Lin Zhiyuan put down his binoculars and looked at Sun Yu beside him.

"The enemy's entire attention is focused on the front; they haven't spotted us yet."

"Send an infantry platoon to cover the heavy machine gun squad as they seize Yangjiazhai. The rest of the Second Company advance."

"Once the heavy machine guns are in position, they will fire to suppress the enemy, after which each unit will fire freely."

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Independent Battalion has more than 300 men; in a real battle, this heavy machine gun will be the true source of firepower.

With a wave of his hand, Sun Yu ordered the 4th Platoon of the 2nd Company to cover the heavy machine gun squad as they rushed to Yangjiazhai on the side, while he himself led the main force of the 2nd Company to quickly advance.

The communications soldiers also began laying cables with reels on their backs. Lin Zhiyuan needed to ensure that he could maintain contact with the first and second companies at the same time to coordinate and unify the operation.

Soon, the heavy machine gun squad had set up its position at Yangjiazhai.

"Da da da..."

The Type 16 heavy machine gun, a copy of the Maxim heavy machine gun, began firing at the newly formed army.

The Nishimura Company, which was fiercely attacking the 6th Regiment's position, did not expect to be attacked from the flank. In the blink of an eye, a large number of them were wiped out.

On the open ground, the suppressive power of the heavy machine gun was evident. More than 100 men from three squads of the newly promoted army were all forced to lie down on the ground by a single heavy machine gun.

The various units of the Second Company quickly joined in the firing, and the firepower of the Nishimura Company began to be at a disadvantage.

"Damn it! The enemy reinforcements arrived too quickly; we've already missed our best chance!"

Seeing the independent battalion suddenly appear on his flank, the newly promoted company commander Nishimura's face was very grim.

The successful crossing of the Wen River was purely accidental. If the Xia army's defenses could be broken in one fell swoop, the 101st Division could have a forward position. But now it seems that the hope of success in the short term is slim.

However, before Nishimura could make any adjustments, a messenger rushed in to report: "Company Commander! The first squad that attempted to outflank the enemy has been ambushed!"

Nishimura's expression turned even uglier.

"Pass on my order: the first squad is to withdraw, and the troops are to establish defensive positions on the spot."

"We need to hold the Wenhe River beachhead to create an opportunity for the main force to cross the river."

Since there was no longer any opportunity to expand their position, Nishimura decisively chose to hold on.

If they can hold this position, they might be able to continue their infiltration into the rear once the rest of the troops cross the river again.

After withdrawing all its troops, the Nishimura Company quickly set up a defensive formation on the spot.

After recovering from the chaos, the newly promoted troops demonstrated superb combat skills.

Infantrymen fired from a prone position, keeping their guns close to the target.

The machine gunners quickly dug simple firing bunkers and set up their light machine guns on the mounds of earth to fire.

The number of members in the independent battalion shown on the minimap began to decrease steadily.

Seeing that continuing the exchange of fire would result in a significant loss, Lin Zhiyuan put down his binoculars, turned around, and waved to Liu Tianle.

Liu Tianle jogged over.

"battalion commander."

"I'll show you the location. Can you fire the cannon and take out the enemy's machine gun position?" Lin Zhiyuan asked.

On the minimap, enemy firing positions are clearly visible and their locations are marked.

"It's difficult unless we advance the cannon forward." Liu Tianle shook his head.

"Without a scope, anti-tank guns can only aim through the barrel, and even if I spot them, it's very difficult to hit them accurately."

The anti-tank gun is now more than 400 meters away from the front line. At such a distance, the enemy's machine gun position looks like a tiny dot.

"At this distance, I can only guarantee that the high-explosive shells will hit the crowd gathered together," Liu Tianle said.

High-explosive shells can cause casualties with a single blast, even without precise aim. However, machine gun positions are different; the shrapnel from the explosion is unlikely to kill machine gunners lying prone in their firing positions.

Lin Zhiyuan sighed helplessly, "Damn it, after this battle is over, I'll definitely find a way to get you a scope!"

Unable to use artillery, Lin Zhiyuan decisively changed his plan and waved to Wang Xiaoliu.

"Battalion Commander." Wang Xiaoliu approached.

"You immediately go around to the friendly positions in front, find the commander of the 6th Regiment, and tell him that my unit is preparing to launch a bayonet charge. If they are willing to cooperate, fire a white signal flare and then wait for my signal to launch together."

If cannons are useless, then we'll have to resort to bayonets.

Although close-quarters combat would rapidly increase casualties, Lin Zhiyuan, as a seasoned commander, understood the principle that one should not be a merciful general.

If we cannot seize the position in one fell swoop at this point, even more people will die later.

"yes!"

Wang Xiaoliu ducked down and quickly ran out.