Chapter 366

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On the hillside, among the trees, everywhere were panicked, fleeing figures in earth-yellow.

The organizations of the Sixteenth Division and the One Hundred Eighth Division had been completely shattered.

Japanese remnants in groups of three or five left the main mountain roads, darting into thickets-filled woods, drilling wildly through the mountains like headless flies, only hoping to evade the gunfire and shouts drawing ever closer behind them.

The Youth Army, the 200th Division, the 71st Army, and Huang Wei's Eighteenth Army organized a strict search, scouring everywhere for Japanese remnants.

To clear all Japanese fleeing into the mountains and simultaneously expand their gains, Lv Muzhi specially established the Dabie Mountain Suppression Headquarters, abbreviated as the Dabie Mountain Suppression Command.

Dividing the great mountain into several regions, they sent troops to clear them one by one.

The Xia State Army was like giant combs, repeatedly combing through this continuous green mountain range.

In a mountain pass, seven or eight Japanese soldiers hid behind rocks and thickets, nervously looking outward.

This group of devils still had several rifles and some bullets, but had long lost command.

Suddenly, a strange rustling sound and the low hum of an engine came from far to near.

Not horse hooves, nor automobiles—the sound was lighter, more agile.

"The enemy is coming, no one make a sound!" a sergeant warned, while poking his head out in confusion.

Before he could see clearly, several figures in gray-blue uniforms riding bicycles burst out from the bend of the mountain path.

Following closely were two motorcycles with sidecars, the machine gunners on the sidecars vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

They were the Youth Army's Mountain Search and Suppression Team; bicycles and motorcycles were more suitable for rapid maneuvering and patrolling in these low mountains with some paths and complex terrain.

The Japanese sergeant dared not make a sound, and the other devils were even more silent as a grave, only hoping this convoy would leave quickly.

The Youth Army's mountain search team did not find the devils hidden in the woods, but according to procedure, the machine gunner on the motorcycle sidecar used a light machine gun to fire probing shots into the woods.

Rat-tat-tat!

A short burst struck the rocks, sparking a string of sparks, scaring a devil lying behind a stone into squealing.

"Damn it! This is just a probe by the Xia State people, you've doomed us!" the sergeant major cursed, then raised his rifle: "Prepare for combat!"

After hearing the noise, the Xia State soldiers on bicycles quickly dismounted, using the vehicle bodies or nearby trees as cover, raising their rifles to aim.

Machine guns, rifles, submachine guns, sweeping into the woods......

Similar scenes played out in multiple hills and valleys of the Dabie Mountains.

Under the guidance of local guides, the Xia State soldiers carefully searched every cave, gully, and dense forest.

Lv Muzhi's Suppression Command Headquarters had advanced from outside the mountains to a village on the edge of the Dabie Mountains.

Standing outside a tent temporarily erected, Lv Muzhi looked at the continuous mountain ranges and ordered Qiu Qingquan and others beside him:

"The Japanese fleeing into the mountains have no baggage trains and will soon run out of ammunition and food." Lv Muzhi pointed to the scattered village markers among the mountains on the map, "Order all units to immediately ascertain the distribution of all villages in this area north of the Dabie Mountains, and station troops in each village or traffic node."

"On one hand, protect the civilians, preventing Japanese remnants from jumping the wall in desperation, rushing into farmers' homes to seize grain, or even taking hostages;"

"On the other hand, using these strongpoints as support, control the main routes, and compress the activity space of the Japanese remnants."

"Commit all forces we can mobilize to conduct a mountain search and sea sweep!"

"Tell all search and suppression units, even if we turn this area upside down, that Prince Tōgū must be found!"

"Alive, I want to see the person; dead, I want to see the corpse!"

At the same time, deep in the Dabie Mountains, on a hillside where trees were relatively sparse.

Prince Tōgū Toshihiko and his twenty-plus guards were climbing toward higher ground, one foot deep and the next shallow.

Everyone's face was covered in mud, their uniforms torn to shreds by thorns; most had lost their rifles, only a few officers still wore pistols, and the captain of the guards had the last two grenades hanging at his waist.

"Water... give me some water..." Prince Tōgū panted.

A guard unbuckled his canteen and handed it over; Prince Tōgū took it and drank in large gulps, only to find only a few drops came out of the canteen.

"Your Highness, the water is gone... there is no food either," the captain of the guards said weakly.

Hearing this, Prince Tōgū was extremely desperate and asked: "Radioman! Where is the radioman?"

The radioman, carrying a heavy radio and already exhausted to the point of collapse, stumbled forward: "Your... Your Highness..."

"Can you send a report? Immediately contact the China Expeditionary Army Headquarters and report to General Hata Shunroku!"

"Report our current location and predicament, request air support or guidance for a breakout route!"

The radioman obeyed, put down the radio, and began adjusting and calling in a fluster. However, after a few minutes, he raised his head, his face full of despair: "Your Highness... still cannot... the terrain in the Dabie Mountains is complex, signal interference is severe."

"The telegram cannot be sent! We... we have completely lost contact with the outside world!"

"Tch!" Prince Tōgū punched the rough tree trunk beside him.

The last hope was shattered.

His last hope was General Hata Shunroku.

Although knowing General Hata Shunroku had no good options either, seeking help still had to be done—who knew if it might work? At least General Hata Shunroku could offer some comfort, couldn't he?!

But now, not even this last distress signal could be sent!

"Go! Continue toward the mountaintop! Find a more open place and try again!" Prince Tōgū suppressed the panic in his heart and gritted his teeth, ordering.

Everyone could only drag their exhausted bodies, continuing to climb laboriously toward the higher mountaintop, while carefully avoiding Xia State pursuers who might appear from any direction.

The search entered its third day.

In the command headquarters, Lv Muzhi was studying the latest consolidated search and suppression reports with Qiu Qingquan, Du Yuming, and others:

Investigation found that the commander of the Japanese 108th Division, Lieutenant General Shimomoto Kumaya, was killed by a shell at the foot of the Dabie Mountains;

The commander of the 16th Division, Nakajima Kyongo, led over a dozen Japanese remnants into a mountain to loot grain, was ambushed by local Xia State soldiers, and was killed in a pigsty.

For several days running, over three thousand routed Japanese troops had been eliminated, yet no clear trace of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko had been found.

While the men were deliberating at the Suppression Headquarters Command, the position where Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko was located had already been surrounded by a unit of the Youth Army.

On Yezhuling, more than twenty guards of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko were raising their rifles and opening fire on the encircling Youth Army.

Bang bang bang!

After a round of engagement, the Japanese Army's ammunition soon ran out, and they began retreating again and again.

A sharp-eyed Youth Army soldier said to his Platoon Leader, "Among those devils, someone is carrying a radio; it looks like there's a high-ranking officer inside too!"

The Platoon Leader mused, "We've searched for so many days and haven't seen that devil prince; this might just be him. Everyone be careful—the devils are out of bullets, don't easily open fire and kill that prince!"

"Report upwards immediately, suspected discovery of an enemy high-ranking officer!"

The Youth Army officer at the front waved his hand, and the soldiers began holding bayonet-fixed rifles, carefully and slowly approaching, compressing the encirclement.

On the Cliff Top, Prince Higashikuni looked at the gradually approaching Xia Guo soldiers, then glanced back at the bottomless Cliff, a complex emotion flickering across his face.

Must it really be done this way?