Chapter 120: Abandoning the Encirclement of the 56th Division

Boom—boom—boom!

The advantage of mortars is that they fire shells at extremely high speed, providing effective fire support.

"Second round of fire."

After the first round of mortar barrage, only a few shells landed on the Japanese Army.

The battle is tense, yet no test firing is needed.

But that's fine; soon the mortar crew adjusted the firing angle.

The shell is loaded into the barrel.

Bang! With a sound, the shell is fired.

"Kill the chicken, give give!"

As soon as the Japanese Army's commander finished speaking, a mortar shell hit him, shattering him into countless pieces.

After four rounds of fire, the Japanese on the opposite position were reduced to only a few small fish.

The search squad advanced, crouching low; everyone moved cautiously, knowing the Little Devil's marksmanship was not poor. The Machine Gunner provided rear cover, and two snipers kept watch from behind the Japanese position to prevent any stragglers from harming our side's soldiers.

Clack-clack-clack.

Mi Long's machine gun cleared the way; after a few gunshots, the position gradually quieted, with only smoke drifting in the wind.

Soon the Japanese at the bridge were slaughtered clean by the Expeditionary Force soldiers, but unfortunately the bridge and railway were blown up by the Little Devil.

In Xibu, there were still occasional gunshots, but the large-scale fighting had ended.

The th Division soldiers felt incredulous; they hadn't realized war could be fought like this, because they previously knew nothing of air support.

After entering Myanmar, senior officers, including Du Lvming, vigorously sought air support from the American Army; at the war's outset the American Army agreed, and not only the American but also the British agreed, and then the Tonggu Campaign began.

British aircraft were destroyed, and American planes either went to India or retreated back to China.

This made Du Lvming very angry, but there was nothing he could do.

In Tonggu, they had constantly been pressed by Japanese aircraft.

Now, in the small place Xibu, the th Division actually received air support, and it was precisely the appearance of bombers and fighters that made the battle end so quickly.

Of course, part of the reason also lies in the retreat order issued by the Japanese commander Aihara's fearless aide.

"Victory!"

"We won!"

"We can go home!"

All the th Division soldiers were still cheering victory, but they did not know that their Division Commander Dai Anlan was at the brink of life and death.

Dai Anlan was directly treated by the medical officer of the Sixth Company; fortunately, when the Sixth Company arrived from Changshan, it brought some medical supplies, including plasma and other more effective medicines.

The soldiers began collecting the weapons and ammunition left by the enemy.

At this moment, Changshan finally told Quan Zong the commander's order: "The commander intends to have the th Division, together with our Independent Battalion, encircle the 56th Division from front and rear, and devour the 56th Division as much as possible."

Quan Zong nodded, deeming it feasible, "I'll go tell the Division Commander right now."

After all, not every Company Commander gets to see Dai Anlan; Quan Zong's presence is solely due to his solid combat ability and the battle camaraderie built with the th Division throughout this campaign.

When Quan Zong arrived at the rear, he realized something had happened; the atmosphere was heavy.

"What's wrong?" Quan Zong asked.

Regiment Commander Liu Shuren of the 599th Regiment said, "Division Commander was hit by stray enemy fire and is currently being treated."

Undoubtedly, Dai Anlan is the soul of the th Division.

Quan Zong was stunned, then said, "Now we're in trouble."

Chief of Staff Zhang Zhige stepped forward and asked, "Whole Company Commander, did something happen in Xibu?"

Everyone hearing the voice knew Xibu would soon return to calm, but they were curious what other problems remained.

Quan Zong shook his head and said, "I just received news from Lashu: after the th Division broke through Xibu, the Commander plans to gather the main forces, have the th Division cooperate with Lashu's troops at Zai An and nearby, and exert all effort to annihilate the living forces of the Japanese 56th Division."

Quan Zong embellished the text a bit.

But everyone inhaled sharply; here were all Major Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, yet the Captain Company Commander in front of them was actually thinking of devouring a Japanese division.

Crazy, must be crazy!

In the early Anti-Japanese battlefield, a Japanese first‑class division could chase after a hundred thousand troops, pursuing them from behind.

Now it seems the situation has reversed; the Japanese 56th Division before us is not much weaker in combat power than a regular Japanese division.

The key is that their division commander, Watanabe Masao, is a lunatic.

Now the th Division's officer corps has discovered that the real lunatic is actually on our side.

Chief of Staff Zhang Zhige showed a surprised look, "Whole Company Commander, if I recall correctly, your Independent Battalion consists of only one battalion—how many troops does a battalion have? Moreover, the th Division now has fewer than five thousand combat personnel. After two months of fighting the Japanese, honestly even the th Division soldiers are barely holding on; taking on an entire division's strength seems a bit too arrogant."

The only belief left to keep the th Division fighting is: go home, go home, go home!

Quan Zong shook his head and said, "Chief of Staff, our Battalion Commander in Lashu intercepted the tank regiment's forces and organized local Chinese to join the army. You should know Lashu is our rear area, so weapons and ammunition are plentiful, and it was the Chinese joining that provided the fighter and bomber support earlier. We also gathered some remnants, so our force in Lashu now exceeds four thousand men."

"The Japanese 56th Division, pursued from Tonggu to Lashu, must be exhausted. My Independent Battalion will wait for the right moment; the th Division will launch an attack from Xibu against the Japanese, sufficient to capture the 56th Division."

In reality, of course, the numbers are not limited to that; Quan Zong was merely saying it deliberately.

Now everyone understood why a Colonel Battalion Commander in Lashu had such confidence, yet even so, they still dared not.

It's not fear; if they're afraid they won't be soldiers! Not serving in the th Division, they are the vanguard, the troops that charge at the very front of the Expeditionary Force, and they die the fastest.

The crucial point is that Dai Anlan fell at this moment, and they still need to discuss who will command the th Division for the ensuing battle.

Lead the th Division home.

"Whole Company Commander, you heard that explosion just now; the bridge from Xibu to Lashu has been blown up by the Japanese. Now we must find a way to cross the river; if the Japanese launch a half‑cross attack, the loss for the th Division would be huge, making it even harder to encircle the 56th Division," Deputy Division Commander Gao Jiren said.

Quan Zong knew everyone's points were valid; he was merely a Company Commander and could not make such a huge decision.

"Alright, everyone, I'll first report this intelligence to our Commander, and let him decide," Quan Zong said.

Deputy Division Commander Gao Jiren immediately said, "Whole Company Commander, if you can arrange for a few military doctors to be air‑lifted to Lashu, or have the next batch of transport planes first take our Division Commander to the rear, our Division Commander is seriously wounded and needs treatment."

Quan Zong also understood the current situation, but he still had to report to Lashu, saying, "Alright, Deputy Division Commander, I will tell the Commander."