Chapter 429: A Grand Feast

As soon as Chu Ming finished speaking, several battalion commanders spoke up one after another: "Regimental Commander, go ahead!"

"How shall we act tonight? We guarantee we will give the little devils a taste of our power and let this bunch of little devils know that our Sichuan Army is also a fierce tiger."

Chu Ming looked at everyone: "Very good, very good..."

"My idea is that the Japanese Army's defense on the east side is relatively weak; the Japanese Army has a Heavy Machine Gun squad there, as well as several Grenade Launchers."

"The whole regiment will concentrate the brothers with good marksmanship; tonight we will go and wipe out this Heavy Machine Gun position and blow up the Japanese Army's Grenade Launchers."

"Our regiment still has fifty silencers for the Mauser 98K; these fifty silencers will be used tonight to take out the sentries."

"At the same time, our regiment's 82mm Mortars will also provide full support for tonight's night raid, providing artillery support for the assault troops."

"They saw through the Republic of China Army's scheme at a glance."

Cursing and swearing, Battalion Commander Jia returned to his own unit and gathered the entire battalion: "Listen well, all of you."

Of the remaining three hundred or so Japanese and Puppet Army soldiers, fifty or sixty were Japanese, and the rest were all Puppet Army.

Japanese Army Company Commander Watanabe Yōseki led several hundred men and soon arrived at this Y-shaped intersection.

"Pah... the little devils are afraid of death, making us Puppet Army walk in front to clear the mines for them. It seems the devil's rice bowl isn't easy to hold either!"

Ten minutes passed quickly, and there was still no sound of gunfire; Boda Chongyi immediately contacted the officers in the ambush circle.

After a group of Puppet Army soldiers walked about a hundred meters without anything happening, Watanabe Yōseki ordered the Imperial Army to follow.

The Staff Officer echoed from the side: "The Battalion Commander is indeed wise."

While returning fire, the Japanese soldiers moved toward the position where Zhang Yungang was located; when the little devils closed in to two hundred meters...

Several battalion commanders expressed one after another that there was no problem and they would listen entirely to the Regimental Commander's arrangements.

"As for the Republic of China Army's mortars, there are only six, the range is insufficient, and they cannot threaten the safety of the airport; this stuff is even more troublesome for hitting blockhouses."

"Battalion Commander Li, how should we fight next? You say it and I will issue the order; this time, let our regiment properly experience the Sichuan Army's combat mode."

Inaba Shiro's gaze sharpened; the airport outside Anqing City was indeed being targeted by the Republic of China Army. Fortunately, he had listened to the Chief of Staff's suggestion earlier and dispatched troops to reinforce it.

"Tsuchi-i Enjirō, relay my order: have all units hold their positions. The Division Commander has already contacted me; two infantry battalions are about to arrive to reinforce the airport."

Because the Task Map had already marked the Japanese Army's offensive or defensive positions, etc., it was clear at a glance.

"Airport Company Commander Watanabe Yōseki sent a telegram: over five thousand Republic of China Army troops are attacking the airport. Company Commander Watanabe stated that the airport is temporarily safe, and he implores the Division Commander to urge the two reinforcing battalions."

Protected by several guards, Watanabe Yōseki was not killed by the explosion; he waved the Command Sword in his hand: "Banzai!"

A company of Zhang Yungang Regiment soldiers ambushed on the edge of the airport seized the opportunity to launch an attack on the airport, with Light and Heavy Machine Guns firing simultaneously, wiping out all the sentries on the Japanese Army's first line.

Zhang Yungang nodded, and the two talked in detail about the situation that needed to be dealt with next.

At the same time, in the 6th Division headquarters outside the city.

After the Zhang Yungang Regiment arrived at the designated location, the Sichuan Army officers gathered a company from the Zhang Yungang Regiment and drove it to the edge of the airport.

At Yixiantian Canyon! Zhang Yungang's troops had finished assembling and were now starting to march toward the airport.

"Since that is the case, I will await the good news."

The enemy was at their doorstep, and it was an active enemy attack, yet they only just realized someone had come knocking.

"No!" Yamazaki Gōnei waved his hand, "The airport is the most important thing right now."

"You immediately send a telegram to Division Commander Inaba Shiro, stating that my airport is under attack by five thousand enemy troops, and tell the incoming reinforcements to speed up, so we can bloom from the center."

"The little devils and the Puppet Army are less than five minutes away from us."

"Baka yaro!" Boda Chongyi cursed in anger.

After arriving here, Watanabe Yōseki first had the whole army stop, then had the Interpreter call the Puppet Army Battalion Commander over.

"Pass on my order: the whole regiment is to prepare for battle." After Zhang Yungang gave the order, he also came to Li Husheng himself.

Yamazaki Gōnei smiled triumphantly.

Now the Japanese and Puppet Army's firepower was completely at a disadvantage; Zhang Yungang's regiment mobilized six more mortars and bombarded the besieged Japanese and Puppet Army, blowing open the defensive line.

Once the whole regiment surrounded them, they quickly annihilated the remaining Japanese and Puppet Army. As for the Puppet Army, seeing the Chinese troops arrive, they raised their guns and surrendered directly, but the little devils resisted to the end and were directly riddled with holes by machine gun fire.

Just as Tsuchi-i Enjirō was about to leave, Watanabe Yōseki said: "Wait a moment."

Walking another fifty meters forward, the lead soldiers of the Puppet Army were about to approach the minefield; the first minefield was a Front-stepping Rear-exploding Mine.

Interpreter Zhang looked at Puppet Army Battalion Commander Jia: "The Imperial Army officer said, let your Collaborationist Army walk in the very front; hurry up and assemble the troops, don't dawdle."

The Front-stepping Rear-exploding Mine was connected to Mother-Child Mines, and the Mother-Child Mines were strung together with Chain Mines; in an instant, the entire minefield exploded.

With so many landmines and explosives mixed together, Zhang Yungang thought that once the little devils fell into this ambush circle later, it would be enough to give them a hard time.

At the same time, several Sichuan Army soldiers hiding in the dark also saw this scene through telescopes, and they quietly left.

"If the Sichuan Army inside the city breaks out from the east, your Detachment must intercept them and wipe them out."

The blockhouses and high walls around the airport were solid defensive fortifications; they couldn't be taken down by just a few mortars.

"Seize the commanding heights! Quickly, quickly!"

Inside the city, the 4th Battalion Commander led his troops, and after wiping out the Japanese Army on the east side, he saw the way out was right in front of him. After gazing for a dozen seconds, he turned his head and said: "Brothers, clean up the battlefield, pick up the important things, and then go back."

At this time, a Communications Soldier from the 26th Group Army's Zhang Regiment came to Zhang Yungang.

"The Sichuan Army in the city is breaking out, they definitely need to scout; let's wait another ten minutes, the ambush circle will definitely start the battle."

He guessed that the attacking company and the battalion of Puppet Army had now been completely annihilated by the Republic of China Army.

The Japanese soldiers and the Puppet Army also moved quickly. A company commander led his subordinates, plus a battalion of Puppet Army, and killed their way out of the airport to pursue the company of Zhang Yungang Regiment soldiers who had just attacked the sentries.

The Sichuan Army's Grenade Launchers also showed their power against the Japanese Army, first blowing up the Japanese Army's Grenadier Squad.

In their first training in battle, the new recruits of the Zhang Yungang Regiment had all experienced a fight, and everyone was at least familiar with the battlefield.

These Puppet Army soldiers were usually fine at bullying the common people, but now that they were on the battlefield, they were all firing blindly, shooting even when they didn't see anyone, firing wildly with a bang-bang-bang.

"As long as we hold the airport now and wait for reinforcements to arrive, we can bloom from the center."

"Once I open fire here, the Japanese Army will move toward you; you wait until the little devils are close before firing. This engagement's main purpose is to train the troops."

At the several ambush points outside the airport, the Sichuan Army Independent Brigade had not seen any signs of movement from the Japanese Army inside the airport.

Only then did they blast the Japanese Army back and stabilize the defensive line.

After a series of violent explosions, several machine gun positions at the little devils' airfield were instantly turned into a sea of fire.

It took ten minutes for the main force to successfully maneuver in front of the Japanese Army's machine gun and grenade launcher positions.

"It seems the enemy is attempting a breakout?"

"Boom—!!"

Boda Chongyi and Inaba Shiro, these two old devils, were drinking alcohol while eating roast chicken. Although the Japanese Army prohibited drinking in the military during wartime, for Inaba Shiro and Boda Chongyi, this was all nonsense.

Because the new recruits had doubts, they specifically asked if there was something wrong with this command?!

Under the explanation of the old soldiers, this group of new recruits realized that this was a specific combat mode of the Sichuan Army under the command of Adjutant Yu.

"I know the schemes of the Republic of China Army; they want us to leave the airfield voluntarily, set up a pocket formation outside, and strike my Imperial Army."

Leading the team was the Battalion Commander of the Fourth Battalion; seeing that the time was ripe, he ordered to open fire.

Li Husheng smiled, "Regimental Commander Zhang, our geographical position is a 'human' character-shaped junction; once the Japanese Army is bombed, they will definitely want to occupy the commanding heights."

"Boom—!!"

"Judging from the firepower just now, the Republic of China Army has five thousand men. We have many blockhouses and high walls at the airfield."

For some new recruits of the Independent Brigade, this was also their first time participating in combat, but when the Regimental Commander distributed the mission maps to each battalion or company.

During this training battle, the little devils had once assembled a squad to assault the positions of two companies of new recruits.

Seeing this fawning Puppet Army Battalion Commander, Watanabe Yōseki babbled a string of words and had the Interpreter translate.

Some new recruits were instantly stunned; this actual combat was different from the training they had received in the rear before!

Zhang Yungang ordered to open fire, and the dense firepower net instantly took out about a hundred Japanese and Puppet soldiers, plus the two hundred or so Japanese and Puppet soldiers wiped out by the minefield just now.

Upon learning that the Sichuan Army had not come at all, he had his officers dispatch teams to check the eastern urban area. When the Japanese Army arrived at the eastern urban area, they only discovered that after the Sichuan Army finished fighting, they had taken the captured spoils and returned to their own defensive zone.

"Hai!"

Li Husheng ordered to open fire, and the light and heavy machine guns and rifles swept toward the Japanese Army at the fork in the road together.

At this time, in Anqing City.

After the Zhang Yungang Regiment left, Yu Hua began to issue orders to the Independent Brigade, and each regiment had its attack zones and interception zones delineated.

Because the minefield had wiped out the Japanese Army's mortars and grenade launchers, and the Japanese Army had to suppress the Puppet Army's firepower to form an advantage, this resulted in Battalion Commander Jia's troops having no heavy weapons.

"The Imperial Army is making us lead the charge now, everyone move forward for me; whoever dares to sneak toward the back, watch out, my gun doesn't recognize people."

With a "Ta-ta!" sound, several lead soldiers among the Puppet Army stepped on front-stepping rear-exploding mines.

Tsuchi-i Enjirō turned around and looked at Watanabe Yōseki, "Battalion Commander, do you have any other instructions?!"

Whether it was the Japanese Army or the Puppet Army, everyone started crying and wailing, with severed limbs and arms flying everywhere.

With silencers in hand, several Japanese Army sentries died silently just like that.

The Staff Officers of the Independent Brigade also distributed mission maps to each regiment; for the regiments of the Independent Brigade, they had received such mission maps many times already.

To the old soldiers, this was a familiar taste; they had already grown accustomed to this mode of Adjutant Yu's when fighting the Japanese Army before.

"Regimental Commander, the reinforcement unit has already met up with Zhao Qiang and the others."

The airfield! Japanese Army Battalion Commander Yamazaki Gōnei heard the intense gunfire and constant explosions outside the airfield, plus the sound of the Japanese Army's Arisaka Type 38 Rifles decreasing.

Suddenly, violent explosions, like a volcanic eruption, swept through the Japanese Army ranks.

The firepower net built by the Sichuan Army's submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns, combined with the high-ground advantage, instantly threw the Japanese Army's machine gun positions into chaos.

"Battalion Commander Watanabe Yōseki wants to encircle and annihilate the Republic of China Army attacking the airfield, to achieve a 'blossoming from the center'."

Inaba Shiro on the side was no better off; just a moment ago, the two of them had been swearing that the Sichuan Army would definitely break out, never expecting that they would insist on urban warfare and fight the Imperial Army to the end.

The Japanese Army's powerful combat effectiveness almost scared the two companies of new recruits into dropping their guns and running away, but fortunately, a Sichuan Army Company Commander discovered it and told everyone to throw hand grenades at the little devils.

"Please rest assured, Division Commander, my Detachment will absolutely not let you down; you have seen this bloody battle in Anqing, my subordinates are very brave."

"Hai!" Tsuchi-i Enjirō nodded heavily.

A battalion of the Puppet Army was driven to the front like ducks, while Battalion Commander Jia crouched at the back of the formation.

After Inaba Shiro and Boda Chongyi heard the exchange of fire in the east of the city, Boda Chongyi said, "Division Commander."

After Sichuan Army officer Zhao Qiang succeeded in his strike, he ordered the whole company, "Retreat... retreat quickly, retreat to the designated location."

At this, Inaba Shiro also felt the judgment of the Central China Area Army Commander was astonishing.

The fifty snipers of the Chu Ming Regiment took their Mauser 98Ks equipped with silencers and scopes and began their sentry-clearing operation.

Following closely, Zhang Yungang concentrated six mortars and launched a bombardment on several of the Japanese Army's machine gun positions.

This group of Japanese soldiers still didn't know how the Sichuan Army had passed through the outposts they had set up; were the eyes of the sentry soldiers blind?

It wasn't that Yamazaki Gōnei was bragging, but now his battalion still had 1,300 men, plus the Puppet Army troops, so he was completely unafraid of the 5,000-plus Republic of China Army.

"Battalion Commander!" A Japanese Army Staff Officer ran over, "Shall we dispatch troops again to rescue the Imperial Warriors?"

The Japanese Army troops watched the Puppet Army formation move forward, and everyone waited slowly.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Battalion Commander Jia nodded and then left.

The entire company of soldiers headed quickly toward the designated location, and at the designated location, Zhang Yungang saw with his own eyes the Sichuan Army officer teaching his soldiers how to bury landmines, what mother-child mines, chain mines, front-stepping rear-exploding mines, and so on.

The Puppet Army Battalion Commander learned that the devil officer was calling him, wore his hat crookedly, and trotted to Watanabe Yōseki, nodding and bowing, "Officer... Officer, you were looking for me."

"Boda-kun... don't be anxious; there is an old Chinese saying that says haste makes waste."

Twenty minutes later, the ambush position still hadn't transmitted the sound of gunfire, and Boda Chongyi's brows furrowed slightly, "Division Commander..."

Now the Japanese and Puppet Army only had half their strength; among them, Battalion Commander Jia of the Puppet Army was firing wildly, shooting without even seeing the soldiers of the Sichuan Army or the Zhang Yungang Regiment.

Inaba Shiro smiled slightly, "Yosh, Boda-kun, is your Detachment ready?"

"They will definitely pay a heavy price for a frontal assault; what we need to do now is hold our ground and wait for reinforcements."

Suddenly, the devil soldiers inside the airfield shouted, "Enemy attack... enemy attack..."

"Division Commander."

They immediately made a phone call to Adjutant Yu.

"Lao Liu, the little devils are hunkered down and won't come out; let's serve them a big meal."

(End of chapter)