Chapter 277: Battle of Yichang, Assembly at Wufeng Mountain

Jiang Anguo looked at the prompt in the system.

+8000 points.

That means his air squadron had once again achieved a great feat, taking down a Little Devil regiment commander.

Jiang Anguo clenched his right fist and swung it hard.

"Regiment Commander, we have reached Wufeng Mountain; Yao Quanyi has sent people to meet us," Guard Company Commander Jiang Xingxue, covered in mud, ran to Jiang Anguo and reported loudly.

Jiang Anguo only then snapped out of his worry over the Yangtze River battle situation, glanced at the endless mountains before him, and nodded.

"Let's go, take me to the 150th Division's command post first."

On the way there, Jiang Anguo had already ordered the Guard Company soldiers to push the eight 75mm mountain guns forward as quickly as possible. The terrain is all mountains and rugged roads; if it were 105mm howitzers, they'd need time to dig trenches and build positions, which there is none. Everything else will wait for the actual battle conditions.

However, Jiang Anguo was not anxious. His 'mobile warehouse' had already reached the front line; no matter how large the artillery, it can be bought with points at any time. What he lacks now is not firepower but timing.

The temporary command post of the 150th Division was set in a wind‑sheltered rock cave; under a dim kerosene lamp, Xu Guozhang was fretting over a map when he heard footsteps and snapped his head around.

"Brother, you finally came," Xu Guozhang said, his tone carrying a trace of unmistakable unease.

Jiang Anguo strode forward, gave the older brother a firm pat on the shoulder, and laughed, "Brother, I haven't even taken my seat yet, how can the dishes be served already!"

Seeing Jiang Anguo's confident demeanor, the stone hanging in Xu Guozhang's heart finally settled considerably.

He let out a long sigh, pointed at the Japanese Army deployment on the map, and gave a wry smile, "You don't know, I feel I've gone mad; my single division is to attack a Little Devil division. Usually, a Little Devil division chases us with more than ten of our divisions."

"Ha ha, Brother Xu, let's not bite the hard bone first; let's have an appetizer and take Yidu first for a feast!" Jiang Anguo said, pointing at the map with a relaxed smile.

Whether it's Yidu or the Little Devils at Xiaoting, Jiang Anguo needs to eliminate them one by one; only then can he go to Yichang to strike the 13th Division.

He folded away his smile, his gaze sharpening again as he stared at Yidu on the map and asked, "Brother Xu, how big is the Yidu platter, how much Little Devil meat is inside, have you scouted it?"

Xu Guozhang leaned over the map, his stout finger jabbed hard at Yidu's location, his brows knit, "In Yidu city, not too many, about a battalion of Little Devils. However, the weird part was yesterday afternoon when Xiaoting across the river suddenly erupted with a massive swarm of them, a black mass. I thought our few troops had been spotted, my palms broke into sweat. What happened? They all boarded boats and slipped downstream along the river!"

Xu Guozhang moved to the front of the map, pointing toward Yidu, "The Yidu direction has roughly a battalion's strength, and yesterday afternoon Xiaoting across the river suddenly gathered a large Japanese force. I thought the Little Devils had discovered us, but after they boarded the boats, they headed downstream."

He shook his head, his face full of lingering fear and confusion, "Brother, I figure this bunch of bastards are definitely heading to relieve the siege of Yueyang. My mind has been hanging, so I quickly sent a telegram to Officer Xue and also to you, fearing they'd come by water and strike the soft spot of the th War Zone."

Jiang Anguo, hearing this, gestured confidently and cut off his worry, "Brother Xu, about the Yangtze River waterway, put your mind back in your belly. Send Officer Xue another telegram and tell him what I, Jiang Anguo, said: the matter on the Yangtze River, my Independent Regiment has encircled it!"

"Encircled?" Xu Guozhang was startled, his eyes wide like copper bells, "Brother, what do you mean by 'encircled'... did you send people to carve boats in the river?"

"Just now, my air squadron destroyed at least five Little Devil vessels. We ran out of aircraft cannon shells, so three of them escaped," Jiang Anguo said with a hint of regret but mostly composed, "The sky cleared, I see the rain is about to stop; we can launch a second wave of ghosts from Changde and let these devils swim upstream on the Yangtze River."

Xu Guozhang read the telegram in a single glance.

"Bang!" Xu Guozhang slapped his hands together loudly and laughed, "Got it! Brother, your aircraft are amazing! Now the upstream Little Devils won't think of reinforcing Yueyang; I kept worrying they'd flank via the water and encircle the th War Zone. With this, you've solved a huge internal trouble for Officer Xue!"

At that moment, Independent Regiment Commander Yao Quanyi had returned from patrolling the position, shaking his raincoat.

Seeing Jiang Anguo there, he stood at attention, "Commander!"

Jiang Anguo nodded, "Regiment Commander Yao, tell us how you plan to fight."

"Commander, I'm not sure if we can get air support; the Little Devils have set up several bunkers outside Yidu, and a frontal assault would cause too many infantry casualties."

Jiang Anguo nodded; he heard the rain outside had lessened considerably, making it easier for fighter takeoffs and landings.

"No problem at all. Since the Little Devils have occupied Yichang these years, they've likely built many bunkers in Yichang, Yidu and elsewhere. Xiao Si, send a telegram to Yan Xing immediately; besides having aircraft patrol the Yangtze River, dispatch a squadron of fighters to clear these obstacles for me," Jiang Anguo ordered.

Xu Guozhang, anxious, said, "Brother, you said you'd make my 150th Division the main force, why does it look like you don't intend to let me be the central spearhead!"

"Sigh," Jiang Anguo turned, looking at Xu Guozhang, "Brother, don't worry. First let my aircraft bomb the Little Devil bunkers; the destructive power is huge, sending infantry up is just piling human lives. I'll drop a 500‑kilogram bomb; even if it doesn't explode, the shock will kill the Little Devils inside."

Hearing Jiang Anguo say that, Xu Guozhang felt much more at ease.

"Yidu's terrain is complex; my tank units can't be used. Otherwise we could employ tanks, followed by infantry, approach the bunkers, and use flame throwers to burn the Little Devils inside," Jiang Anguo said slowly.

But these words fell on Xu Guozhang's ears, and he just couldn't grasp them!

"Brother, you just mentioned tanks; does your Independent Regiment even have tanks?" Xu Guozhang asked with a puzzled expression.

It seemed Xu Guozhang still didn't believe, so Jiang Anguo decided to encourage him.

"Brother Xu, you're not looking down on me! Not to mention tanks—if you want a warship, I, Jiang Anguo, can conjure one for you," Jiang Anguo said earnestly.

Xu Guozhang, however, wore an incredulous face, feeling Jiang Anguo was joking with him.