Chapter 450

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu rubbed his eyes, simply unable to believe that a tank could unleash such powerful firepower.

The incredulous Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu pressed his eyes to the artillery observation mirror again to continue observing.

In his view, that strange tank topped with sixty rocket launcher tubes had its tracks ruthlessly crushing the rubble on the river valley beachhead.

The Japanese Army's Type 94 Anti-Tank Guns kept roaring futilely, shells striking that thick armor only to send up a shower of sparks, not even leaving a dent.

Swoosh—swoosh swoosh!

The sharp whistling stirred up a deafening echo within the narrow river valley.

The originally sturdy stone cover, along with the anti-tank guns and soldiers inside, was blown into flying dust together.

"Infantry follow up! Alternating cover!"

The Youth Army sergeant gripped his weapon, bent at the waist, and advanced quickly under the tank's cover.

The Garand Rifles in the soldiers' hands rang out crisp and rhythmic bangs, suppressing the Japanese soldiers who tried to poke their heads up to shoot.

Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu watched the firepower points on the first defensive line go out one after another, his heart nearly stopping.

The defensive line he had painstakingly built, the firepower points he had carefully arranged, were being quickly washed away by rocket shells.

Before the Youth Army's firepower, all of Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu's efforts were futile, causing him immense pain and despair.

"The first defensive line cannot be held, don't defend anymore, retreat quickly!"

"Pass the order down, all withdraw from the first defensive line and move to the second defensive line! Quick!"

Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu urged loudly, and the Japanese soldier beside him carrying the radio immediately began calling the frontline.

At this moment, in a trench at the edge of the first defensive line.

More than ten Japanese soldiers with headbands tied on their foreheads held their breath, tightly clutching two-meter-long spike mines in their hands.

That was their last suicide weapon; as long as the Youth Army's Sanhao Tank crossed the trench and exposed its hull before them, the devils would use the spike mines in their hands to blow it up.

Image source from the internet. The language is pale, more or less this meaning, spike mine is a type of suicide weapon of the Japanese army haha

This pair of devils responsible for suicide attacks was the last squad of devils left on the first defensive line at Niangzi Pass, with no intention of returning alive.

A Japanese sergeant warned:

"The time to serve Emperor Tenghuang has come! When the Youth Army's tank hull appears, it will be our time to show loyalty!"

The devils in the trench had even heard the trembling sound of tank tracks crushing stones and dirt, right above their heads!

According to the direction of the sound, the sergeant major instructed the devil soldiers to move positions, ready at any time to use the spike mines to blow up the Youth Army's tank at the best angle.

However, the expected situation of the tank crossing the trench did not happen.

A Sanhao Tank commander, following procedure, first cleared the trench.

"Operate according to regulations, adjust the rocket artillery depression angle, wash the trench ahead first, lest we be poked by the little devils' spike mines!"

The rocket artillery tubes atop the tank sounded again, but this time, the rocket shells were poured directly into the trench.

Dense high-explosive warheads repeatedly skipped and exploded in the narrow space, the shock waves tearing the soldiers clutching spike mines directly into pieces.

More than ten seconds later, an engineer carrying a flamethrower and more than ten Youth Army infantrymen holding submachine guns rushed to the trench edge.

Hah!

The engineer pulled the flamethrower's trigger, the scorching fire dragon winding into the trench, the air instantly filled with a nauseating burnt smell.

Youth Army infantrymen threw hand grenades into the trench.

The screams of the Japanese soldiers who luckily survived were completely ended by the hand grenades thrown in afterward.

This tactic called "battlefield mopping" by Lv Muzhi, led by Sanhao Tanks carrying rocket artillery and charging with infantry, made the Japanese Army's strategically important first defensive line completely change hands within two hours.

Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu ordered the troops to retreat to the second defensive line; the terrain here was not as strategic as the first defensive line, but rather more open.

The devils dragged out their remaining ten-plus Type 97 Medium Tanks, hiding behind fortifications to serve as fixed turrets.

"Rely on tanks and fortifications, organize defense! Must stop the Youth Army!"

But the Youth Army did not immediately charge up, making the little devils very nervous.

The Youth Army not taking advantage of the momentum to launch an attack must mean they were preparing something again.

On the first defensive line just captured, the Youth Army's artillery had already built mortar positions, rows of 120mm caliber heavy mortars ready.

At the same time, the Sanhao Tanks were busily replenishing rocket shells, to provide powerful supporting fire for the next wave of attack and for the Youth Army infantry.

Boom boom boom!

The 120mm heavy mortars opened fire first, bombing the Japanese positions.

Several Sanhao Tanks carrying rocket launch tubes also advanced toward the Japanese second defensive line.

"White phosphorus rocket shells ready, fire!"

The first to charge toward the Japanese second defensive line were still those Sanhao Tanks topped with sixty rocket launch tubes.

But this time, a considerable portion of the Sanhao Tanks fired the terrifying white phosphorus shells.

The rocket shells did not explode on the Japanese positions, but burst in the air above the Japanese positions.

A rocket shell exploded in the air, immediately bursting out nearly a hundred white fireworks, these nearly a hundred white fireworks did not disappear, but scattered like heavenly maidens scattering flowers, quickly falling toward the ground.

The sky seemed to rain down a strange white rain, countless white fireworks fell on the Japanese firepower points and in the trenches.

These were white phosphorus particles burning, ignition point 40 degrees, the temperature generated by burning actually reached over one thousand degrees.

White phosphorus begins to burn crazily once it contacts air; this kind of fire is basically impossible to extinguish.

Maeda Osamu saw through binoculars that the soldiers splashed with white phosphorus were rolling crazily on the ground.

Flames penetrated the military uniform, burned through the skin, and even directly burned into the bones, emitting terrifying white smoke.

No matter how the Japanese soldiers rolled on the ground, these flames could not be extinguished, until the little devils attached with white phosphorus were burned dry.

"Ah! Save me! Save me!"

Wails filled the Japanese position, as horrible as Asura Hell, with some devils' heads even burned through!

This intuitive tragic sight caused those soldiers who had originally been shouting about loyalty to collapse instantly.

As the Japanese army's morale wavered, seven or eight Type 3 Assault Guns of the Youth Army charged out.

Their mm Long Barrel Guns targeted those Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks serving as fixed gun emplacements, picking them off one by one.

Lieutenant General Maeda Osamu looked at the position ahead, shrouded in white smoke and hellish, and slumped to the ground.

His lips trembled as he mumbled to himself.

"It's over... the 35th Division is over... Niangzi Pass cannot be held..."

"Division Commander Sir! Please rally!" The staff officer anxiously supported him, "Quickly request reinforcements from Commander Xiao Zhukazuo!"

Xiao Zhukazuo's headquarters was located in the Jingxing Coal Mine Area, fifteen kilometers from Niangzi Pass.

The Independent Mixed 8th Brigade was stationed here, serving as the reserve force for the Niangzi Pass and Old Pass directions.

Xiao Zhukazuo received reinforcement telegrams from both Niangzi Pass and Old Pass, and couldn't help but have a huge headache.

His Independent Mixed 8th Brigade had a total of only five battalions.

Thus, he sent two battalions to reinforce Niangzi Pass, two battalions to reinforce Old Pass, and stationed one battalion at the headquarters in the Jingxing Mining Area.

After arranging all this, Xiao Zhukazuo called the North China Area Army Headquarters again for reinforcements.

The phone connected, but for a long time he heard no voice from Commander Tada Toshin of the North China Area Army.

"Mode Mode? This is Lieutenant General Xiao Zhukazuo defending Niangzi Pass, Commander Sir, please dispatch reinforcements quickly!"

On the other end of the phone, Tada Toshin in Beiping City stood with his hands behind his back, having no mood to reply to Xiao Zhukazuo.

A staff officer covered the phone and asked, "Commander Sir, how should we reply to Lieutenant General Xiao Zhukazuo?"

Commander Tada Toshin turned around and said, "Still the same sentence, I have no reinforcements on hand to send him!"

The staff officer removed his hand from the phone, replied to Xiao Zhukazuo, and said, "Sir Xiao Zhukazuo, the Commander says, firmly hold your ground, and there will be a way!"

After hearing this reply in the Jingxing Mining Area, Xiao Zhukazuo's phone slipped directly from his hand...