Chapter 289: All Parties Arrive, Await the Feast!

Xiaoting, the throat of the south bank of the Yangtze River, has long been a bloody choke point contested by armies; here two mountains flank the river, cliffs sheer as knives, the ruined ancient beacon tower stands on the hilltop, mottled with moss, still bearing the smoke of the Three Kingdoms.

In ancient times Liu Bei's seven‑hundred‑li encampment was met here with Lu Xun's fire attack; four hundred thousand troops turned to ash and smoke, the defeat at Yiling became an eternal lament.

A thousand years later, though the war drums have ceased, the killing aura lingers; scorched earth buries bones, broken spears sink in sand, each new battle feels like an old soul returning.

One thousand seven hundred years ago Liu Bei failed at Yiling; this time the Sichuan Army under Jiang Anguo and Xu Guozhang will finish it.

The ancient battlefield, after a millennium, roars again.

Their opponents are no longer the Jiangdong rats, but the even more hateful Little Devil!

Fight for the nation!

"Lao Luo, what does this 105 mean?" Mi Long crouched behind a broken tree, squinting at the hand‑drawn map in his hand, his brows knotted.

The map was drawn by a scout.

Just now that kid had pointed here and told him, but when he fired, his mind heated up and he forgot everything.

Luo Daxian squatted nearby, stuffing dry tobacco into the smoke pipe, and upon hearing it said, "No, it seems to be called 105 High Ground!" He deliberately emphasized the word "High Ground," showing off that he'd attended a few days of literacy class.

"Weakling!" Mi Long snapped at the sound, "You think that's right? Duan Qiang! Come over!"

Mi Long felt Luo Daxian's statement was also wrong.

A platoon‑long Duan Qiang crouched, silently slipping behind Mi Long, his submachine gun—a Thompson— constantly aimed at the trees ahead, without turning his head, and whispered, "Company Commander, 105 High Ground means this mountain is 105 meters tall. Didn't we learn that in class, the teacher told us!"

"Alright, alright, go down, I get it," Mi Long waved his hand, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Being lectured by a subordinate in front of the whole platoon was a bit humiliating.

"Wait, come back."

Duan Qiang immediately turned back, his movements sleek as a mountain cat, "Company Commander, any other orders?"

"What's this place called again?" Mi Long asked.

Duan Qiang glanced at the map, "The locals say this mountain pass is called Lúzi Ridge; there used to be many lime kilns, their night flames blazing red like a furnace."

Mi Long nodded, "Alright, go."

Boom!

An explosion sounded from behind.

Mi Long was startled; the soldier behind him was as well. Turning around, he saw the blast seemed to come from the landing zone.

"What's happening! What's going on! Little Devil attacking from behind?" Mi Long asked, puzzled.

Luo Daxian's eyes widened, "Turtle son, the Little Devil has snuck in!"

Ya Zi Shan.

Quanzong, with the second wave of transport vessels, quietly approached the north bank of the Yangtze River; dawn had just broken and the river mist lingered.

He leapt from the LCI landing craft, his leather shoes sinking into the wet mud; his first move was not to look toward Xiaoting but to spin sharply and stare at the road behind him leading to Zhi Jiang.

He knew the real threat lay not ahead but behind.

According to the latest command orders, the original plan to storm Xiaoting was altered: Jiang Anguo and Xu Guozhang judged that the Japanese Army would attack the crossing from both Zhi Jiang and Dangyang; a rash advance would risk isolation. Therefore, the 448th Regiment must immediately construct a bridgehead on the north side of the river, hold the landing site to the death, until the entire 150th Division crosses the river.

Quanzong did not immediately monitor the enemy toward Xiaoting on the north side; his greatest concern remained the rear, the forces at Zhi Jiang.

Stationed at Zhi Jiang was the Japanese 39th Division's 232nd Regiment; conversely, the Japanese 13th Division's 104th Regiment at Xiaoting worried Quanzong less.

After all, the commander of the 104th Regiment had been sunk in the Yangtze by William's bombing squadron, suffering massive losses.

It's simply that the 104th Regiment holds advantageous terrain; to attack, they must advance step by step.

But now he has only one battalion—just 653 men in three companies—to both attack and defend.

Quanzong's characteristic is mountains.

The terrain of western Hunan is dominated by mountains and hills, a feature that greatly favors the defenders.

Quanzong knows that in this criss‑crossing hill country, high ground is the lifeline.

He immediately ordered, "Second Company, Zhang Liang! Lead the whole company to seize Ya Zi Shan at once! Build circular fortifications immediately—cut trees, dig trenches, stack stones, use everything available!"

At once, Quanzong sent Zhang Liang of the Second Company with his troops to Ya Zi Shan to construct defenses.

He also ordered Zhang Liang to mobilize nearby civilians to help build the works.

Ya Zi Shan is only a little over twenty kilometers from Zhi Jiang; with transport vehicles, the Little Devil can arrive in a few hours.

Fortunately, yesterday's rain made the roads muddy, slowing the Little Devil's march.

This is a breathing room granted by Heaven.

But this respite vanishes in an instant.

"Battalion Commander! The Second Company is engaged!" the messenger ran up, panting.

Quanzong arrived beneath a hill, lifted his binoculars, and looked toward the Second Company's position; indeed the Second Company had already clashed with the Little Devil.

"That was close..." his heart tightened. Had they not rushed to repair the makeshift beachhead right after landing, the crossing would have fallen now. If the retreat were cut off, these hundreds of men would become an isolated force stuck in the enemy's heart, causing huge trouble.

Fortunately, a simple fortification was erected immediately after landing; otherwise the crossing might not have been held, turning into a lone force.

"Turtle son, these Little Devils give us no peace for a moment!" Regiment Commander Xie Boluan, commander of the 448th Regiment, spat at the Little Devil.

According to the original plan, they would have been storming Xiaoting by now.

It was precisely because of Jiang Anguo and Xu Guozhang at the command that the plan changed, ordering the 448th Regiment to establish a defensive perimeter in place until the main forces of the 150th Division cross the river.

Zhi Jiang.

Zhi Jiang, the garrison of the Japanese 39th Division's 232nd Regiment.

Regimental Commander Colonel Tian Dao Xinfu had just received an urgent telegram: Yidu has fallen.

The news rang like a thunderclap.

Inside Yichang City, Lieutenant General Nei Shan Yingtailang of the 13th Division's headquarters turned ashen, sending three urgent telegrams to the 104th Regiment at Xiaoting, demanding details of the enemy attacking Yidu.

The reply contained only one sentence: "Firepower is intense; from the start of battle to collapse, artillery never ceased, and aircraft continuously provided support in the air."

Nei Shan Yingtailang immediately realized this was not a raid but a counter‑offensive!

Assigned Artillery and aircraft, this is definitely the Huaxia Army's main force; they are about to strike Yichang.

He immediately ordered: the 116th Regiment in the Dangyang direction to rush toward Yichang; at the same time, an urgent telegram was sent to Nanchang, requesting tactical guidance from the commander of the 11th Army, A Naganuma.

However, at this moment the Japanese Army in Central China was already overextended:

The gunboats on the Upper River of the Yangtze River were almost entirely wiped out, and the air power in western Hubei suffered repeated heavy losses; even Reconnaissance Planes struggled to take off.

The main forces of the 11th Army, still in Nanchang and preparing to support Yueyang, but now A Naganuma seemed to realize something was amiss; the Huaxia Army's 13th Division is set to attack Yichang, and Yueyang is merely The bait.

A Naganuma, after much deliberation, could only pull the main forces of the 39th Division from Jingzhou and Zhijiang to rush to Yichang.

At this point, the various forces were like chess pieces set on a board.

The Huaxia Army pressed from the south, while Japanese reinforcements rushed in from the north and east.

A table of dishes was set; both host and guest had arrived, awaiting the opening of the banquet.