Chapter 160

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Zhu Xia Jun's Special Warfare Squadron and the remnants of Cangyong Regiment, two Japanese army units that should have fought side by side, were now engaged in a senseless, fierce firefight on the outskirts of Yangxing Town.

Had the various division commanders of the army seen this scene, they would surely have been utterly baffled.

Cangyong Lianzuozhang was now possessed by madness, waving that precious regimental flag and shouting hoarsely: "Tianhuang Black Card! Banzai! For the glory of the Sixth Regiment, annihilate this Youth Army disguised as the Locust Army! Kill them!"

He was now completely immersed in his own world, thinking of the words Ying Sen Xiao Lianzuozhang had used to encourage him that afternoon: he must live up to Emperor Tenghuang!

The remnants of the Sixth Regiment now regarded Zhu Xia Jun's squadron as an enemy that must be eliminated.

Seeing their lianzuozhang fight so bravely, and seeing Xia Guo army uniforms and German steel helmets scattered on the enemy position, the remnant soldiers of the Sixth Regiment also believed it without doubt, thinking they had truly encountered a cunning Youth Army unit.

Although the fear Liao Yaoxiang had brought to the Sixth Regiment was still fresh in their minds, Cangyong Lianzuozhang himself was charging in first, and the Japanese soldiers, their morale whipped up by fanaticism, howled as they launched a death charge against Zhu Xia Jun's position.

Slogans like "Take down the Youth Army" and "Avenge our comrades" shook the heavens.

Zhu Xia Jun's special warfare soldiers did return fire, but more than that, they wore looks of utter confusion and indignation.

"Bajiyalu! What unit are they from? Are they crazy?!" one soldier shouted in disbelief from behind cover, watching the Sixth Regiment friendlies charging over.

"Squadron Leader! Must we really kill them? We are all Imperial Locust soldiers—look at that regimental flag!" another soldier said, pointing at the flag Cangyong Lianzuozhang was waving.

Zhu Xia Jun didn't know whether to open fire and kill Cangyong Lianzuozhang; killing a few privates was nothing, but unauthorized killing of an army colonel—he truly didn't know how to extricate himself from that.

Zhu Xia Jun's face turned green with rage as he fired to hold off the Sixth Regiment remnants charging close, shouting: "Contact Kana Lianzuozhang by radio—we've been attacked by the Sixth Regiment, the Sixth Regiment has all gone mad, please come coordinate immediately!"

Amid the deafening gunfire and frenzied battle cries, Zhu Xia Jun's voice was completely drowned out.

A Japanese soldier of the Sixth Regiment, bayonet fixed, shrieked as he charged recklessly at Zhu Xia Jun's position.

"Bastard, don't come near! I'm from Kyoto, headmaster of Hokushin Ittō-ryū, Army Lieutenant Colonel Zhu Xia Jun—do I look like the Youth Army to you?"

However, the Sixth Regiment remnants, spirits high and convinced they were enemies, refused to listen to any explanation.

"Damn Chink, I say you're the Youth Army—die!"

"Bastard! Can't they understand human speech?!" Zhu Xia Jun was forced to return fire; his MP28 submachine gun spat tongues of flame, mowing down several Sixth Regiment soldiers who had charged too close.

The battle became extremely chaotic and bizarre: on one side, the mad, fanatically charging lunatics of the Sixth Regiment; on the other, Zhu Xia Jun's special warfare squadron, forced to fight friendlies.

In the ruined temple north of Yangxing, in the joint command headquarters of Ying Sen Xiao and Kana, the two men were puzzled: where had that madman Cangyong Chengzhi run off to?

"Report to both lianzuozhangs, Squadron Leader Zhu Xia Jun calls: Lianzuozhang Cangyong is leading troops in a fierce attack on Zhu Xia Jun's squadron; please give instructions from command headquarters, otherwise Zhu Xia Jun will annihilate the Sixth Regiment!"

Ying Sen Xiao and Kana stared with eyes as round as could be: such a thing could actually happen, and it could be done by an army colonel.

Kana Lianzuozhang summoned the sentry of the alert command post and asked in disbelief: "Isn't... isn't Cangyong Chengzhi this fellow taking all his own troops out?"

The Japanese sentry replied: "Yes, before setting out, Lianzuozhang Cangyong Chengzhi gave a rousing pre-battle mobilization speech to the remaining soldiers of the two squadrons, and swore an oath under the Sixth Regiment's regimental flag; everyone was deeply moved!"

Kana Lianzuozhang slapped the sentry across the face: "Bajiyalu! He's a madman—how could you let a madman go out? Letting one madman go out is one thing, but he took more than three hundred army soldiers out to go mad with him?"

The sentry lowered his head, aggrieved: "Hai! He's an army colonel, we didn't dare stop him... besides... we also received no order to restrict Colonel Cangyong Chengzhi's personal freedom."

"Still talking back?" Kana Lianzuozhang was about to slap the sentry again.

"Stop!" Ying Sen Xiao Lianzuozhang stopped Kana Lianzuozhang: "What did you just say? The Sixth Regiment's regimental flag was taken out?"

"Hai!" The sentry nodded in admission.

Kana Lianzuozhang looked at Ying Sen Xiao: "Ying Sen Xiao, Cangyong Chengzhi is a lianzuozhang of your Third Division, yet now he's attacking Squadron Leader Zhu Xia Jun of our 101st Division—is there any law? I'm issuing an order now to have Zhu Xia Jun kill that madman!"

"Wait!" Ying Sen Xiao still wanted to protect Cangyong Chengzhi, a lianzuozhang of his own division: "An army colonel isn't someone you can just kill on your say-so. I'm calling Division Commander Fujita now to request orders. Before that, please have Squadron Leader Zhu Xia Jun exercise restraint as much as possible; he can withdraw and break contact with Lianzuozhang Cangyong Chengzhi!"

After speaking, Ying Sen Xiao made a call to Division Commander Fujita at the Shizilin Command Post, and the news also reached Commander Matsui Iwane's ears.

Commander Matsui Iwane muttered: "What a strange thing? If Lianzuozhang Cangyong opened fire and accidentally injured the navy's marine corps, I could still understand—but accidentally injuring Squadron Leader Zhu Xia Jun of the 101st Division, fellow army, what the hell is that?"

"Nani?" Commander Gu Qingchuan didn't hear clearly and asked Commander Matsui Iwane.

"Nothing, just a little 'problem' on the army side."

Commander Matsui Iwane summoned the communications staff officer again: "Tell Fujita, that useless thing Cangyong Chengzhi—dead is dead, but the regimental flag absolutely cannot be lost!"

————

Division Commander Fujita, having received the order, hurriedly contacted Ying Sen Xiao's regiment at Yangxing.

"Lianzuozhang Ying Sen Xiao, listen well: find a way to bring back Cangyong Regiment's regimental flag; as for the conflict with Squadron Leader Zhu Xia Jun, resolve it if you can; if you can't, then..."

"Then what?" Lianzuozhang Ying Sen Xiao asked.

"Then just kill that fellow Cangyong Chengzhi outright—he's truly a disgrace to our Third Division!"

After hanging up, Fujita ordered the signal squad: "The Youth Army often uses radios; increase monitoring on all channels!"

Under the cover of night, Lv Ziqing's reconnaissance company, accompanied by Infantry Company Chen Kairong of the Guangxi Army, advanced slowly, encountering a Yue Army infantry company on the road.

The Yue Army infantry company was lying in the trench watching the spectacle, the spectacle being a place of gunfire and cannon fire.

"Hey, brother, what are you watching?" Lv Ziqing asked.

"Hey! The Japanese dogs up front are biting each other—you think they're stupid or what!"