Chapter 109: Northeast Armory 3

When the news reached Japan, inside a Western‑style building of the Japanese Army Ministry, Major General Yongtian Tieshan slammed the battle report onto the conference table, shaking the teacups to a clatter. "Gentlemen!" his voice echoed in the conference room, "The Kwantung Army's setback this time is not due to a lack of bravery among our troops! The Huaxia Northeast Army suddenly deployed 600 tanks and 300 aircraft—what a scale of armored force! Our Mountain Guns cannot pierce their armor!"

Naval Chief of Staff Guchuan Qing let out a cold laugh, leisurely adjusting his white gloves: "Didn't the Army boast at first that it could solve the Manzhou problem in three months? Now that the first battle is a setback, it starts making excuses?"

"This is no excuse!" Yongtian Tieshan's face flushed red. "Frontline reports show the enemy is commanded entirely by Huangpu officers, proficient in air‑ground combined operations; this is not the Northeast Army we know! It is the Fifth Army formed by Li Yuxuan. I request an immediate reinforcement of two Armored Divisions and three Air Groups…"

"Enough!" Guchuan Qing interrupted. "The Empire's resources are limited. The Army has already spent huge sums yet cannot even capture a small Shenyang outskirts. In my view, the Army budget should be cut, prioritizing the Navy's construction of new aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers."

The conference room erupted in chaos. Army generals slammed the table, while Navy officers stared coldly. The argument lasted a full three hours before ending on a sour note.

Meanwhile, in Changchun City, Liao Yaoxiang stood on the rooftop of the Zhong Yang Yin Hang Da Lou, using a telescope to watch the Japanese forces outside the city.

On the other side of Changchun, the autumn wind was bleak. This city, called "Bei Guo Chun Cheng," was now shrouded in the clouds of war. Liao Yaoxiang was ordered to lead the newly formed 7th Division to garrison Changchun; his troops were well‑equipped, yet the situation remained severe against the impending Japanese assault.

"Division HQ, reconnaissance reports the Japanese are massing around Changchun's outskirts." The Chief of Staff hurried over, handing a telegram, "Estimated total strength exceeds ten thousand, many of whom are local militia transferred from Chaoxian."

Liao Yaoxiang set down the telescope, his brows knit. He knew these local militia were retired veterans, battle‑hardened and far harder to deal with than ordinary soldiers.

"Order all units to enter Level‑1 combat readiness immediately," he commanded in a deep voice. "Deploy tanks scattered at the intersections of the main streets, establish mobile fire points. Set up machine‑gun positions inside key buildings to form a crossfire network."

At the Japanese command headquarters, Division Commander Duomen Erlang was planning the attack. The general, who had previously suffered losses on the Shenyang outskirts, was especially cautious this time.

"For this offensive we will employ multi‑point infiltration tactics," Duomen Erlang said, pointing to the Changchun Lao Cheng area on the map. "First echelon attacks the East Gate, second echelon assaults the South Gate, third echelon serves as reserve. We will prevent the Chinese Army from supporting each other!"

At dawn on September 2, the Japanese Heavy Artillery first shattered the morning calm. Shells from 150 mm howitzers roared onto Changchun's City wall, raising clouds of smoke. The ancient wall shivered under the bombardment, brickstone splintering everywhere.

"Take cover!" Liao Yaoxiang ordered over the phone from the command post, "Hold fire until the Japanese infantry gets close!"

The artillery preparation lasted an hour. When the gunfire faded, Japanese infantry, under tank cover, began the charge. These Type 95 Light Tanks, though thinly armored, still posed a huge threat to the defenders lacking anti‑tank weapons.

"Anti‑tank platoon, forward!" the defending Company Commander shouted loudly.

The soldiers, clutching cluster grenades and explosive charges, used the broken walls as cover to approach the Japanese tanks. A young soldier managed to jam an explosive charge into a tank track, but was hit by a machine gun while retreating. He struggled to crawl, ultimately perishing with the tank.

Towards the East Gate, the fighting was especially fierce. Japanese suicide squads braved the defenders' machine‑gun fire, desperately charging the breach in the wall. The defending 3rd Battalion Commander personally manned a Heavy Machine Gun, its barrel glowing red‑hot.

"You little Japan, come at me!" he roared while sweeping fire, until he was hit by a Japanese grenade launcher.

Just as the ground battle stalled, the roar of aircraft filled the sky. A Hawk III fighter squadron of the Northeast Army swooped in, diving to strafe the Japanese artillery positions.

"Our planes!" cheers erupted from the defending positions.

Pilot Zhang Lang piloted the fighter, diving repeatedly through the Japanese dense anti‑air fire. Beneath his wings, the Japanese artillery positions were engulfed in flames.

"Take out that heavy artillery!" he shouted over the radio, then pulled up the nose, ready to dive again.

At that moment, several Japanese Nakajima Fighters burst from the clouds. A fierce air battle erupted over Changchun. Zhang Lang's aircraft was soon hit, but he still managed to shoot down a Japanese plane before finally crash‑landing in the fields outside the city.

On the main street in the southern part of the city, a tank duel unfolded. Liao Yaoxiang split his twelve tanks into three squads, employing a mobile defensive tactic.

"Tank 1, flank left! Tank 2, frontal hold!" the tank squad leader ordered using previously trained hand signals.

These six‑ton light tanks, though not as advanced as the Japanese tanks, played a crucial role in the urban fight. They used buildings for cover, striking suddenly then withdrawing, repeatedly thwarting the Japanese advance.

After a tank destroyed two Japanese tanks, it was hit by a Japanese anti‑tank gun. Tank commander Lao Liu struggled out of the turret, continued firing with his sidearm, and died heroically.

When night fell, the fighting continued. The Japanese used the darkness to infiltrate the defenders' positions. Liao Yaoxiang ordered pre‑prepared bonfires lit, illuminating the battlefield like daylight.

"Illuminating flares! Fire!"

One by one, the flares rose into the sky, laying the Japanese actions bare. The defenders seized the chance to counterattack, engaging the Japanese in a brutal street fight.

Near the Zhong Yang Yin Hang Da Lou, both sides engaged in close‑quarters combat. The clash of bayonets, soldiers' shouts, and the moans of the wounded intertwined in the night sky, forming a tragic symphony.

A company commander named Li Zhen, despite being gravely wounded, kept directing the fight. He leaned against a doorway column of the building, used his last strength to toss a grenade, killing several Japanese soldiers.

"Brothers… hold the line…" This was his final words.