Chapter 287: Hold Steady on the North Bank of the Yangtze River

The battlefield fell quiet; Mi Long and Luo Dashan each assigned two Platoons of soldiers, pushed forward, to check whether they had completely annihilated this group of Little Devil (Japanese soldier).

Platoon Leader Duan Qiang gestured with his hand, confirming safety.

Mi Long nodded, then shouted loudly: "Platoon One, occupy this high ground ahead; if Little Devils from the north appear, notify us immediately."

"Yes, Company Commander!" Duan Qiang, leading a Platoon of soldiers, rushed forward, quickly searching the high ground for a favorable position.

And he drew a field shovel from behind, beginning to construct simple defensive works.

Post‑battle tally.

Two unlucky soldiers were killed by the Little Devils' rifles, and several troops were shot twice by the Little Devils' Type 38 rifles.

One must admit that the Little Devils' shooting skill and level remain, after all they are a Class A Division of Little Devils. By the end of this year, with the Pacific war tightening, these four‑regiment Class A Divisions will have a battalion's worth of troops drawn out to form new infantry divisions, sent to the Pacific Ocean to be fed to the fish.

"Doctor, hurry and treat the wounded," Mi Long shouted.

Jiang Anguo's troops, the doctors in the combat zone, and ordinary soldiers alike wear military uniforms and do not don white coats. A white coat is far too conspicuous in a war zone; you become the prime target on the battlefield, and the Little Devils care little for any sense of righteousness.

A white coat moving across the battlefield is an absolute live target.

Even at front‑line hospitals, Jiang Anguo has issued regulations for doctors: white coats are prohibited unless performing surgery, and once out of the operating room they must be removed.

"Understood." Several doctors hurried forward to assess the wounded.

Mi Long carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain, then pulled out the battle map and stared at it for a long time; all the lessons he had taken seemed useless, leaving him unable to make sense of the area, and looking at the map he was at a loss.

Luo Dashan walked up from behind, a Cigarette dangling from his mouth, and said, "Company Commander Zhang, what are you doing?"

Among the supplies Jiang Anguo arranged, there were many Cigarettes; Cigarettes are a scarce commodity. Even though Luo Dashan is a Battalion Commander, he used to be reluctant to smoke, but now he can indulge.

Luo Dashan tossed his Cigarette to Mi Long, who also took one from the pack, and said, "Looking at the map! You skinny calf, I have no idea who drew this map; it's impossible to understand!"

Hearing that, Luo Dashan's eyes lit up, "Come, let me see."

Well, the turtle looks at the mung bean, big eyes staring at small eyes!

Mi Long shuffled over, saw that Luo Dashan had taken the map back, and asked puzzledly, "Brother, how's it going, did you figure it out?"

"Alright, I'll take the reconnaissance company to scout the hills ahead; Company Commander Zhang, you stay here and wait for the main force." Don't blame Luo Dashan for not seeing; he never went to school.

Mi Long watched Luo Dashan, who had already walked more than ten meters away, and wondered how he moved so fast.

"Company Commander, what should we do?" Platoon Leader Duan Qiang came to Mi Long's side and asked.

Mi Long looked at the transport ship still sailing on the River Surface in the distance and said, "First wait until the Battalion Commander brings all the troops over! Also, ask the old locals about any Little Devil‑built fortifications nearby."

The Japanese Army, when occupying an area, drives out the local civilians to build fortifications; once the works are finished, the Japanese Army massacres those villagers to keep it secret and prevent any reports.

"I feel that this Xiao Ting won't be so easy to take."

Duan Qiang looked at the mudflat and the distant mountains; the old locals were also hard to find.

"Yes, Company Commander."

Even now, the Huaxia Army north of the River has fewer than six hundred men, barely forming a battalion, but fortunately they have already secured a landing point on the north bank.

The Little Devils at Xiao Ting have at least one regiment; even if a battalion is missing, there are still over two thousand troops, plus attached units.

In the early morning a wave of fighter‑plane bombing struck, but the losses were not great; the Little Devils grew clever, either hiding inside Xiao Ting or retreating into the mountains so that the aircraft above could not see them.

On the south bank of the Yangtze River, Quan Zong and the commander of the 448th Regiment, Xie Boluan, also heard gunfire from the opposite bank; the gunfire was fierce at the start and ended quickly.

"I suppose they didn't encounter a large Little Devil force over there," Quan Zong said.

Xie Boluan nodded, "When the transport ship arrives, we should quickly move our troops over. We have a decent understanding of the situation in Yidu, but how many Japanese are at Xiao Ting on the opposite side is uncertain!"

In the end, it's still a lack of intelligence.

Quan Zong watched as only a battalion's worth of troops had been transported over; here there are nearly three thousand troops, moving six hundred at a time, requiring at least two hours to complete the deployment.

"Reaching Xiao Ting today will be difficult, Regiment Commander Xia, we'd better push the positions forward to beneath Xiao Ting before nightfall, then launch a decisive strike on Xiao Ting." Quan Zong said, looking at the rolling Yangtze River.

Xie Boluan walked past Xiao Ting, having a rough idea of the terrain, and said, "Battalion Commander, time may be insufficient; from the landing point on the north bank to Xiao Ting there are over ten kilometers of mountain road, and only one path, which is certainly a heavily defended Little Devil stronghold."

Quan Zong spread the map on the ground, crouched, pointed to Xiao Ting on it, and said, "Now, while it's still daylight, I'll order the air force here to carry out at least two airstrikes on Xiao Ting, first clearing the enemies around its outskirts for us."

"Alright, you turtle's son! Bomb the bastards to death!" Xie Boluan shouted excitedly.

Wufeng Mountain, Frontline Headquarters.

Jiang Anguo, in the rear, also learned of the frontline situation; he stood before the map in silence.

He felt uneasy; at that time he had told Principal Jiang that it would take five days to capture Yichang, and if they failed, to withdraw the troops.

The progress is smooth now, but he had underestimated the complex terrain around Yichang; for the attacking side it is truly difficult.

Even transporting a single regiment's troops across the north bank now takes several hours, which wastes too much time.

Five days, if the Little Devils put up stubborn resistance, it's unlikely to reach Yichang; at the current pace, five days will only get us to Yichang's outer positions.

At the same time, Jiang Anguo must worry about Japanese reinforcements from Dangyang.

In that case, even if he captures Xiao Ting, he'll still need to station troops there to fend off the enemy.

If they retreat like that, Jiang Anguo would certainly be unwilling; retreating would also give up Yidu, because Yidu is far from Changde, and support cannot arrive quickly.

No, we must fight!