Chapter 270: Peach Garden Blocking Battle

"Relay my orders," Xiao Zhichu's voice was low but as hard as steel, "the 32nd Division shall construct depth defensive works on the spot. Tell Division Commander Wang Xiushen, I don't want him to attack, I only want him to hold the line to the death. Peach Garden is our grave, but also the Japanese Army's grave! Anyone who dares to step back will be executed on the spot!"

Peach Garden outer perimeter, First Defensive Line.

The 32nd Division's reinforced camp was crouched in the crude fortifications. The Company Commander, a man in his early thirties named Wang Hu, was repeatedly checking his Czech‑style light machine gun.

"Brothers!" Wang Hu stood up and roared at his men, "Listen up, all of you! The army commander said, behind us lies Yueyang, the tens of thousands of brothers of the 10th Army! If we can't hold here, they'll be boiled by the devils! Who are we? We are the 26th Army! The unbreakable Iron Army!"

"Iron Army!" the soldiers roared in unison.

"Alright! Today, we'll let the Little Devils know how hard the Iron Army's bones are!"

As soon as the words fell, dark silhouettes of the Japanese Army appeared on the distant horizon. They marched in neat ranks, bayonets fixed on their Type 38 rifles, swarming like a horde of locusts.

"They're coming!" Wang Hu bellowed, "Open fire!"

In an instant, every weapon on the position roared. The heavy machine gun's stream of fire lashed the enemy like a whip, rifle fire rose and fell, Hand Grenades exploded repeatedly within the Japanese ranks, sending flesh flying.

Boom—

Boom—

The mortar landed on the Japanese attack route.

The Japanese Army's 68th Regiment indeed lived up to its reputation; after sustaining heavy casualties, they did not break, but quickly spread out, using the terrain to mount a counter‑attack.

The Little Devils' mortar shells began to retaliate, and were even more accurate than those of the 32nd Division, landing on the 32nd positions with deafening explosions.

"Boom!" a shell exploded a short distance from Wang Hu, the massive blast flipping him onto the ground. He scrambled up, brushed the mud from his face, and saw his Machine Gunner had his leg blown off yet was still clutching the gun, firing.

"Hold! All of you, hold!" Wang Hu's eyes reddened; he personally lifted a rifle and fired repeatedly at the charging Japanese troops.

The fighting lasted from dawn to dusk; the Japanese launched seven or eight assaults, the front of the position piled with Japanese corpses, yet the Chinese soldiers on the First Defensive Line were also few left.

Dusk, 32nd Division command post.

The 32nd Division, originally part of the Northwest Army!

"Division Commander! The First Defensive Line has fallen! Company Commander Wang Hu... the whole company perished for the country!" Staff officer Fan Huanqing reported, crying.

The 32nd Division's Division Commander Wang Xiushen staggered, but steadied himself instantly, grabbed the telephone: "Connect to the Second Defensive Line! Order Regiment Commander Pan Taowan of the 187th Regiment, push forward for me, launch a counter‑charge! Retake the position!"

"Division Commander, the 187th Regiment is our lifeline!"

"We have no lifeline!" Wang Xiushen roared, "Now, we and the Little Devils have only a national grudge! If we can't retake it, we all must die!"

Wang Xiushen turned, brushed the flash from his eyes, and regained his posture!

Wang Hu, Wang Xiushen's nephew, fell in battle at Peach Forest on May 29, 1942.

Peach Forest is only a single road away from Linxiang, so whether it's the 32nd Division or the Japanese Army's 68th Regiment, they can only throw in one company, one camp, piling up lives.

Under Regiment Commander Pan Taowan's leadership, the 187th Regiment launched a fierce counter‑charge, fighting hand‑to‑hand with the Japanese, using bayonets and Hand Grenades to force the intruding Japanese back.

As night fell, the fighting paused temporarily, but the blood‑stained air grew ever thicker. Ji Wu Xiuren did not expect this seemingly insignificant Chinese force to be so tenacious. He readjusted his deployment, preparing to launch a harsher attack at dawn.

And Xiao Zhichu also stood in the darkness, knowing the toughest moment was not yet over. He picked up the phone and connected to Li Yutang in Yueyang.

"Division Commander Li, this is Xiao Zhichu. My 26th Army is holding at Peach Garden for you. Over there... hurry!"

On the other end, Li Yutang's voice was equally hoarse and heavy: "Old Xiao, thanks! Hold out one more day, just one day! My 10th Army will definitely capture Yueyang!"

After hanging up, Xiao Zhichu looked toward the flickering lights of the Japanese positions in the north, then turned back to glance at the direction of Yueyang. He knew that tonight, every inch of Peach Garden would be irrigated with blood. They were sacrificing their lives to buy time for the 10th Army.

This blocking battle has no retreat; defeat means death.

Nanchang, Japanese Army's 11th Army, temporary command post.

Meanwhile, A Naganuma was also frantic, having just been appointed commander of the Central Defense Army; his former superior, Yuanbu Heichiro, had already been dismissed due to the destruction of Wuhan Airport.

A Naganuma's command post should be in Wuhan.

But this order came far too suddenly; the Japanese Army's 11th Army, including the 34th Division, a portion of the 3rd Division, the Jinde Detachment, the Imai Detachment, etc., had already gathered in Nanchang, preparing to deliver a devastating strike against the Huaxia forces in the Zhejiang‑Jiangxi area.

The sudden telegram from Yueyang also caught A Naganuma off guard.

"Baka, this is the Chinese tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao; they want to force us to pull troops back by attacking Yueyang," A Naganuma quickly calmed down and analyzed this bizarre assault on Yueyang.

Little Devils being able to become theater commanders is very

The Japanese Army's 3rd Division commander, Lieutenant General Gaoqiao Duojiaer, stood aside and said, "Commander, should we now return to rescue Yueyang? The situation there is extremely critical."

After all, the 3rd Division's defensive sector is the front line at Yueyang, and the forces guarding Yueyang are also the 3rd Division's 6th Brigade.

A Naganuma's expression turned dreadfully grim; Lieutenant General Gaoqiao Duojiaer and the other Japanese officers stayed silent, awaiting A Naganuma's next order.

"Gaoqiao Jun, your unit should immediately head to Jiujiang, take a boat to support Yueyang," A Naganuma ordered.

"Hey."

Gaoqiao Duojiaer lowered his head and stood at attention.

The remaining units, defend Nanchang, be extra cautious.

Only one day's request for tactical guidance from the 6th Regiment has nearly filled up.

Alas, A Naganuma dared not move the forces in Wuhan.

A Naganuma issued another order, "Send the 40th Division under Qingmu Chengyi to support Yueyang. Detach a portion of the 6th Division, reinforce Yueyang by train, and station them in the 40th Division's defense zone."

Qingmu Chengyi, commander of the Japanese Army's 40th Division, a Type‑B division, garrisoned at

A Naganuma himself had to follow the 3rd Division back to Wuhan, because at this time Wuhan was the priority, and the Zhejiang‑Jiangxi line could only be handled by the 13th Army's Ze Tian Mao on its own.

Perhaps if the Japanese came, the Chinese forces would not launch a counter‑offensive at this season; even the Burma‑Myanmar campaign the Japanese fought was flawed.

Yet they still completed the mission, occupying most of Myanmar and cutting off the Chinese Burma‑Myanmar supply line.

For the already supply‑starved Chinese troops, this was an added calamity!

The headquarters was very dissatisfied with the performance of former 'Chinese Expeditionary Force' commander Tian Junliu, so they urgently transferred Gangcun Ningci from North China to Nanjing to serve as the new 'Chinese Expeditionary Force' commander, while Tian Junliu was recalled to headquarters.

Almost all eyes were focused on Yueyang!