Chapter 272: The Final Bottom Card

The cannon fire temporarily fell silent, but the smell of blood inside Yueyang City grew ever stronger, as if it could seep into a person's marrow.

At the Front command post of the Miluo th War Zone, Xue Yue furrowed his brows; on the map, Yueyang City looked like a huge bleeding wound, the Third Division's insignia already broken and incomplete, repeatedly entangled and gnawed by the red symbols representing the Little Devil.

In fact, launching this counterattack placed pressure on Xue Yue far beyond the battlefield itself. Within the war zone, dissenting voices never ceased.

"Commander Xue, the Japanese forces are strong; we should hold steady, not take the initiative to attack!"

"Although weaponry has improved, the foundation is still unstable; a rash assault could only increase casualties!"

These words were like thorns, stabbing Xue Yue's heart. Yet he knew better than anyone that this battle had to be fought.

If they did not seize this moment to launch a hard-fought battle with the newly outfitted German equipment, boost morale, and solidify the defensive line, what awaited them would be the Little Devil's endless attrition. What awaited him would be the Fourth Battle of Changsha.

Moreover, now is the best opportunity to seize Yueyang. At this moment, the Japanese Army's large force from the Wuhan defense area is moving toward Nanchang; seizing this time lag, they could completely retake Yueyang.

"Commander Xue, the intelligence department has uncovered multiple Japanese movement reports; after translation, they show origins from Nanchang, Wuhan, Xianning, Xiantao, etc. It seems their sole target is Yueyang," Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi said.

Xue Yue stepped onto the map, linking each location, and slammed a fist onto Yueyang, "Great! Exciting! All the Little Devils around Wuhan have been mobilized by us, ha ha! Exciting!"

What Xue Yue did not understand was why the Military Commission in Chongqing was urging him to intensify the offensive—was the Principal up to another subtle maneuver?

The stir in the th War Zone on Xue Yue's side was considerable; tens of thousands of Little Devils were redeployed because Xue Yue attacked Yueyang, crucially easing the pressure on the Third War Zone.

And evidently the Principal's telegram did not place much importance on Yueyang, as if there were other moves afoot.

According to the original operation plan, this counterattack was meant to be a training exercise.

The plan was to, within three to five days, thunderously crush the isolated Japanese 6th Regiment inside Yueyang City, then swiftly withdraw to the original defensive line to regroup strength.

But now the development of the battle has far exceeded everyone's expectations; the set objective is about to be achieved, yet the Japanese 6th Regiment is a hard nut, entrenched deep in Yueyang, giving no ground!

Zhou Qingxiang's Third Division, like a red‑hot branding iron, seared the spot the Little Devil hurt most. They nailed the 6th Regiment firmly at Yueyang Train Station, making Fujii Yoji wail in pain. The scales of victory seemed to tip toward the Chinese forces. Yet only Xue Yue and a few senior officers knew how heavy the price of that victory was.

The Third Division, this elite German‑equipped division, received weapons and gear from Jiang Anguo sent to Changsha; most of it was funneled into the 10th Army, making the 10th Army the main assault force this time. Other units, even if equipped, lacked a full division's manpower, making it hard to capture Yueyang.

After another night and day of bloody fighting, casualties exceeded half. Battalion and company officers turned over repeatedly, and the soldiers were almost using their flesh and blood to fill the Little Devil's firepower net.

They fired their last shell, tossed the final Hand Grenade, and now rely solely on sheer will to grapple with the enemy. Counting on such a battered division to fully seize Yueyang is clearly a pipe dream.

Zhou Qingxiang's request‑for‑assistance telegrams kept being sent, one after another.

Even the 10th Army, which held air superiority by day, could be subjected to such repeated positional snatches by the Little Devil's 6th Regiment.

Clearly, in street fighting and urban assaults, the Little Devil has the edge!

"We can't wait any longer," Xue Yue slammed a fist onto the map, his eyes flashing like lightning. "If we wait any more, the Third Division will be spent!"

He turned, and issued the order to the Chief of Staff: "Order: Li Yutang's 10th Army, commit the reserve 10th Division to battle! Immediately! Right now!"

This was Xue Yue's final Bottom card, and also Li Yutang's final Bottom. The reserve 10th Division is the 10th Army's directly attached reserve unit, also the most elite, most complete mobile force in Li Yutang's hands. It would never be employed unless absolutely necessary.

And now is the moment of absolute necessity.

The order quickly passed from Li Yutang's hand to the hands of the reserve 10th Division commander, Fang Xianjue.

Fang Xianjue, a name that stood out among the Nationalist Government's generals at the time. He was not like some officers who came from the Huangpu Mainline and rose through seniority and connections. He graduated from Huangpu Third Period, and with solid military competence and a ruthless battlefield tenacity, he rose from Platoon Leader, Company Commander, cutting his way up to Division Commander.

He was short, dark‑skinned, with a square face that rarely showed expression, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Usually silent, he neither smoked nor drank; his sole hobby was studying maps and sand tables.

His discipline was extreme, even harsh; on the training ground his demands on soldiers were stricter than those of the German advisors, earning him the nickname "Fang Yanwang".

Yet his soldiers obeyed him the most. Though "Fang Yanwang" was strict, he never deducted pay, and in every battle he placed his command post as close to the Front as possible. He often said, "If I send you to risk your lives, I cannot hide behind and enjoy comfort."

More importantly, Fang Xianjue's mind was as renowned as his strict discipline. He was meticulous, excelled at defensive counterattacks, and calculated with great precision. The reserve 10th Division under his command was forged into a disciplined, tactically sophisticated iron army. They might not have equipment as good as the Third Division, but each soldier was like a wound‑up clockwork machine—calm and lethal.

When the order arrived, Fang Xianjue was marking something on a detailed Yueyang map with red and blue pencils. He had been waiting here for a day and a night; he had studied every battle report sent by the Third Division. He knew it was his turn.

Fang Xianjue had repeatedly petitioned his superior Li Yutang for battle, but each time Li Yutang suppressed the request.

All the forces had fought their way here; this single Yueyang, with two infantry divisions poured in directly, instead appeared chaotic.

Fang Xianjue showed no hesitation, immediately picking up the phone, his voice steady and forceful, without a hint of emotion: "Transmit my order: the whole division must assemble, prepare to engage. Tell the brothers to rally their spirits; the Third Division's brothers have had their teeth broken, now it's our turn to go up and snap the Little Devil's neck!"

He hung up, and Fang Xianjue's gaze returned to the map.

Fang Xianjue's mind raced; he needed the shortest possible time to deal with the Little Devils inside the city and figure out how to swiftly seize control of Yueyang Train Station.