Chapter 282: Blood Battle at Yidu

Quanzong received a telegram sent by Mi Long.

"The west gate has fallen, advancing toward the south city tower!"

Quanzong did not expect that Mi Long's side was advancing so quickly.

Quanzong immediately turned, hurried into the 448th Regiment's temporary command post, and handed the news to Regiment Commander Xie Boluan.

"All battalion commanders!" Xie Boluan slapped the table, a flash of light in his eyes, "Good, the Independent Regiment knows how to fight, the aircraft have arrived! Issue the order, launch the general assault!"

In fact, the tacit coordination between the 448th Regiment and the Independent Regiment's First Battalion made the Little Devil think that the southern city's firepower was so strong it must be the main force; the key was that after fighting so long without seeing other gates attacked by the Huaxia Army, they shifted all troops to the south city.

Xie Boluan didn't even know when he had handed the initiative to Quanzong.

Quanzong slowly shook his head, his tone steady as iron: "No. A frontal assault on the wall would cause too many casualties. Now my Company Commander Mi Long has already torn a breach, drawing the Japanese Army's attention to the west city; once they are pinned and worn down, we strike, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

This may be unfair to the company, but for the overall situation, a small sacrifice is worthwhile!

Quanzong paused, looking to the sky: "Actually… the best plan is to wait for the P‑38 to return and then conduct another bombing run. But the first wave's aircraft ammunition is exhausted, the machine guns are empty, we must return to Changde for resupply. The fastest is two hours."

"Two hours?" Xie Boluan furrowed his brows, his fingers tapping the map anxiously, "Yidu's city walls are about to collapse! If we charge now, I'm confident we can take the whole city within an hour!"

"But in one hour, how many brothers will die?" Quanzong retorted, his eyes blazing, "And Mi Long has already entered Yidu…"

"In that case, I'll send a battalion's troops from the west to go in and mix with the Little Devil!" Xie Boluan said anxiously.

Before the words finished, the west city direction suddenly erupted with dense gunfire—tatata! Boom! Boom! It was the roar of MG42s, the blast of hand grenades, the horn of street fighting's start.

Quanzong snatched up a telescope, aimed at the smoke‑rising west city. A moment later, he set the tube down, his tone decisive:

"Wait."

"Wait?!" Xie Boluan could hardly believe his ears, "We've come this far, and you still wait?"

Quanzong nodded, then barked the order: "Regiment Commander Xie, heed my command—your mountain artillery company, together with my mortar platoon, all firepower, immediately cover the south gate, east wall, and the Japanese Army command area! The Little Devil must be suppressed in the south city! No reinforcement may reach the west city, and the defenders must be given no respite!"

He turned, pointing at the streets on the map: "Mi Long's company has already pierced into the city core. Our mission is to buy him time, letting him mash the Japanese's guts inside the city! Of course, Regiment Commander Xie, you may also dispatch a battalion of soldiers from the west city into Yidu to cooperate with Mi Long's operations, but they must obey Mi Long's command, otherwise friendly fire is likely."

Quanzong still worried that Xie Boluan's troops lacked street‑fighting experience; after all, casualties in urban combat are high, and Quanzong must prepare, as the Little Devil will engage them in street fighting.

Xie Boluan froze for a moment, then pounded his chest heavily: "Understood! Artillery, prepare! Bomb them to death! Third Battalion, hurry, move west to support Company Commander Mi Long."

Xie Boluan didn't even know who Mi Long was, but assumed he was an impressive figure; Sichuan folk most admire warriors, especially those who fight the Little Devil!

In the smoke‑filled Yidu streets, a company of three platoons of soldiers surged in, held the main street intersection, set up machine guns, and any enemy who showed his head on the street would be shredded by the guns.

Death's aura seeped through every corner of Yidu city.

The first company's two platoons covered Mi Long on the wall beneath the city tower; the two platoons cramped together, over seventy men, could not maneuver; if the Little Devil tossed a hand grenade, losses would be huge, so Mi Long only took one platoon to fight on the tower with the supporting Japanese troops.

Mi Long had just led his men to clear the remaining enemies on the tower when the third platoon was about to advance toward the county office direction, when suddenly, "Bang! Bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted from the eaves and broken walls on both sides! Bullets skimmed the scalp, and two soldiers fell dead.

"Ambush!" the third platoon leader shouted.

Mi Long also heard the explosion, immediately ordered a platoon leader to hold the wall position.

He went to see what was happening below.

Tatata!

Another stream of bullets came through.

Mi Long quickly rolled into a half‑collapsed pharmacy doorway, the MG42 perched on the windowsill, eyes blazing forward: "Not an ambush… a counter‑attack!"

Sure enough, over thirty Japanese troops surged from the street corner, steel helmets, bayonets, the leader clad in charred uniform, shoulder insignia tattered, looking ragged, but the Little Devil's eyes gleamed ferociously—it was Battalion Commander Sasaki!

He personally led the team, a fight of a cornered beast?

No, Sasaki was scared; he wanted to flee.

In the face of absolute power, anyone would be afraid.

Yet at this moment, he ran into the invading Chinese army.

"Chinese pig! Damn it!" Sasaki roared, drawing his sword, "Kill them all!"

Sasaki dared not say he would board the reserved boat; he could only summon his last courage and fight the Chinese army.

Retreat now, leaving his back to the Chinese army, is certainly death!

"Ha, the Little Devil's leader has come to the door!" Mi Long grinned, though there was no humor in his eyes, "Third platoon, hand grenades incoming! Second squad, take the rooftop for suppression! Today I'm going to skin this damned dog!"

Boom! Boom!

Several hand grenades exploded in the street center, stone and flesh flying. The MG42 opened fire, a wall of flame sweeping, the Japanese front line instantly fell.

But Sasaki excelled at street fighting; he ordered the remnants to use civilian houses as cover, leapfrog forward, and forced within a hundred meters. A Japanese grenade‑launcher operator hid behind a millstone, thud, and a grenade shot straight toward Mi Long's hideout!

"Company Commander, be careful!" a warrior beside Mi Long lunged, pushing him aside.

Boom!

The pharmacy collapsed completely, smoke and dust billowed skyward.

Mi Long looked at the soldier who had just protected him; a shrapnel piece lodged in his neck, he began spitting blood, trying to speak but it was difficult, and soon his life faded.

Mi Long crawled from the rubble, face covered in blood, gritted his teeth and seized the machine gun: "You weakling, I'm fighting you to the death!"

Meanwhile, Yidu's east gate.

While the west city battle raged, Sasaki had earlier ordered his adjutant to lead the remaining main force, about two squads with two light machine guns, quietly gathering inside the east gate. Though the gate was cracked by artillery, it could still be pushed open.

"Quick! While the Chinese main force is tied down on the west side, break out! Head toward the Yangtze River bank!" the adjutant whispered.

Creak, the heavy east gate slowly opened a slit.

But at this moment!

Boom!!!

A 75‑mm mountain artillery shell struck precisely above the doorway! Bricks and stone collapsed, a column of smoke rose. Immediately, dense mortar fire rained over the hundred‑meter area outside the east gate, churning the ground like boiling water.

"What's happening?!" the adjutant shouted, turning in shock.

It turned out Quanzong had already anticipated the Japanese might retreat eastward. He ordered Xie Boluan's artillery to lay "harassment coverage" on the east gate and surrounding roads every five minutes, to block the Little Devil's retreat and make them think the Huaxia forces had also deployed at the east gate.

"Report, Regiment Commander!" the observation post shouted urgently, "Movement at the east gate! Large numbers of Japanese have gathered!"

Xie Boluan's eyes lit up, and he suddenly drew his reinforced shell gun: "Fine! You walked right into it! Second Camp, move immediately to encircle the East Gate! Not a single one may escape!"

In West City, Mi Long and Sasaki clashed in close combat.

Captain Sasaki had no desire to fight China.

Yidu had already become a cage of hopelessness.

In the distant sky, a faint familiar engine roar echoed—P‑38, returning.