Chapter 280: Mysterious Dragon: Firepower Suppression!

Yichang.

The headquarters of the 13th Division, Division Commander Nei Shan Yingtao, stared at the map, focusing on Yidu.

Nei Shan Yingtao received a telegram from the 58th Regiment, First Battalion, in the Yidu direction, reporting that they were preparing for a last stand; it also stated that China's forces had very strong firepower, and that heavy artillery was also attacking Yidu.

"Yidu is under attack; does China have such nerve?" Nei Shan Yingtao could not believe it—Yidu was actually being attacked by China.

He deployed a battalion's forces toward Yidu to prevent China's army from the Western Hunan direction from attacking Yichang.

As long as Yidu holds, the threat to Yichang will be greatly reduced.

Chief of Staff Major Xiao Lin Xinnan pointed at the map and said, "Division Commander, China's forces in the Nonary War Zone, Xue Yue, are attacking Yueyang, and last night the 104th Regiment we sent for support lost its commander Hai Fu Sanqian Xiong, suffering heavy losses. Now China is again attacking Yidu, apparently to tie down our support for Yueyang!"

"Division Commander, should we still dispatch support troops?"

Nei Shan Yingtao shook his head and said, "No. We now lack air support, so sending more troops is meaningless. Moreover, order the remaining forces of the 104th Regiment to land somewhere directly, without proceeding to Yueyang. I trust that Commander A Naganuma in Wuhan has sufficient troops to support Yueyang."

Clearly, as a division commander, Nei Shan Yingtao's perspective was sharp; he did not allow the remaining transport ships to continue eastward to support Yueyang.

From the Changde direction, after dawn, another flight squadron was dispatched to chase the Little Devil's support fleet. Although they destroyed the remaining two gunboats and transport ship, the damage to the enemy was minor. Under the leadership of a surviving Lieutenant Colonel, they landed at a place called Little River Mouth, following the division commander's orders.

Nei Shan Yingtao felt a hint of unease, "China is truly massive; I have a feeling of anxiety, but I just don't know where the problem lies!"

After fighting for so many years, Nei Shan Yingtao had considered advancing on Chongqing, but several probing offensives were repelled by China's garrison at Shipa.

Just as China's army dared not attack his Yichang.

The terrain is treacherous; even if our side holds it with firepower, manpower, and air superiority, we still cannot advance further.

"Could China be planning to attack Yichang?" Nei Shan Yingtao voiced his thought.

"Nani!" Chief of Staff Xiao Lin Xinnan could not believe China had such nerve.

"Division Commander," Chief of Staff Xiao Lin Xinnan analyzed, "According to our intelligence, China's forces in the Shipa area consist of only one division, and that is yesterday's information. Moreover, the 18th Army in Enshi shows no signs of troop movements."

"Is that so?"

The Japanese Army's 13th Division stationed in Yichang primarily faced the 18th Army, commanded by Fang Tian.

"Division Commander, should we have the Xiaoting side support Yidu?" Xiao Lin Xinnan asked.

At that moment, a telegram was placed before Nei Shan Yingtao, "Baka!"

Nei Shan Yingtao grabbed the cup on the table and smashed it viciously onto the floor, shattering it instantly into pieces!

Clearly, after seeing the telegram, Nei Shan Yingtao was extremely angry; his mustache bristled upward toward the sky.

"Bastard, China's army is too overbearing!" Nei Shan Yingtao felt as if a knife had been placed at his neck.

The airports in Wuhan, Nanchang, Guangzhou, and including Yichang, were all bombed to ruins by China's forces within a single day.

Today the sky no longer belongs to the Imperial Japan.

Xiao Lin Xinnan took the telegram and saw that the remaining elements of the 104th Regiment from the Xiaoting direction had been hit by China's air force, severely damaging their defensive positions.

The foremost were the bunker clusters built to defend against China's forces.

According to the telegram, China's air corps used aerial bombs over five hundred pounds; when was China's army ever so wealthy?

Nei Shan Yingtao shouted angrily, "Damn Americans, it must be the Americans!"

Undoubtedly, everyone present blamed this air raid, as well as the earlier attacks on Central China's land-based aviation, entirely on the American air force.

How detestable!

Nevertheless, Nei Shan Yingtao seemed unable to counter China's offensive on Yidu.

He didn't even know how many troops China had deployed.

Yidu, western city.

The cannon fire roared like thunder, shaking the earth. Since the main forces of the 150th Division and the Independent Regiment launched a general assault on Yidu, the rumbling bombardment has never ceased. Smoke filled the low sky, mingling with dust and the smell of char, shrouding the ancient city torn by war.

"Boom— Boom—!"

Another round of artillery slammed into the city wall, sending shards of stone flying and bricks cracking. The defending Japanese Army scrambled in panic, their formation in disarray.

At that moment, a sharp howl rang from the sky.

Several P-38 "Lightning" fighters swooped over the city walls like silver eagles, their wings flashing cold light. The pilots dipped their noses and decisively pulled the triggers—

"Rat‑rat‑rat‑rat—!"

A torrent of Machine Gun Bullet rained down like a storm, precisely sweeping the Japanese fire points on the wall. A few Little Devil (Japanese soldier) troops hadn't even had time to react before they shrieked and fell from the city tower, their blood staining Yidu's blue bricks.

Mi Long stood on an unnamed hillside, a spot that perfectly overlooked the entire city of Yidu.

He held a telescope in his hand, looking toward the city interior.

Mi Long's subordinate, a long line of troops, thrust forward and shouted excitedly, "Company Commander! Attack! Look, the enemy on the city tower has clearly been reduced by more than half, and their firepower is weaker!"

Mi Long did not act rashly because his men begged for battle; back when he was in the Guard Company, he had better prospects, but he voluntarily requested to join the front-line troops.

Mi Long squinted his blood‑veined eyes toward the city walls.

Sure enough, the once dense Japanese presence was now sparse; only a few scattered positions had tan‑colored figures moving about, looking truly unsightly.

Company Commander Mi Long sprang to his feet, his voice booming like a thunderclap:

"Mortar, aim at the city gate and fire! Don't hold back ammunition; smash that rotten wooden gate into rubble!"

He turned and pointed to the right side of the city tower, "Sniper! Keep the enemy machine gunners in sight, don't let a single one escape!"

Then he shouted to both flanks, "MG42 squad, spread left and right, lay crossfire! Press the enemy's heads against the wall base so they can't rise!"

"First line, lead the assault! Second line, follow! Third line, hold the formation, ready to reinforce at any time!"

Mi Long's face was smeared with smoke and sweat, but his eyes still burned with excitement. He spat an ash‑filled droplet, seized the heavy MG42 General Machine Gun beside him, slung the stock over his shoulder, swung his arm, and roared:

"Brothers, charge with me! Yidu, today is ours! I'll have our regiment commander host a meal in Yidu before noon!"

Before his words finished, he leapt out of the trench first, the machine gun spitting fire like a dragon from the abyss, charging straight toward Yidu's city below!

"Yes!" Soldiers of the Independent 448th Regiment, First Battalion, and a company launched an attack on Yidu's western city.