Chapter 319: Xiaoting: Attack Stalled

Sato is setting up the Yunchi position; the Left side is extremely weak, exactly because that area is concealed by Reed Swamp.

He didn't expect the Huaxia Army would launch an attack from this position.

"Brothers, charge!"

Wang Dezhi's shout was like thunder on flat ground; the warriors of the second Platoon opened fire together with their k Rifles.

The dense bullets instantly swept across the Japanese Army's undefended flank; those Japanese soldiers who had been crouched on sandbags focusing on the front fire hadn't turned when the second Platoon warriors emerged from the Reed Swamp and turned them into a sieve.

7.92mm bullets are enough to shred any creature on Earth.

If that's not enough, add a prefix: MG42 machine gun.

The second Platoon warriors advanced swiftly under Reed Swamp cover; Hand Grenades exploded consecutively in the enemy fortifications, sending chunks of earth and limbs flying into the air.

"Charge! Give the Little Devil no chance to catch his breath!"

Wang Dezhi led from the front, holding a bayonet‑tipped rifle, and was the first to rush into the Japanese Army's trench.

The warriors roared, pressing forward like wolves and tigers.

The roar sometimes serves to weaken the enemy's morale.

The melee broke out; the Squad and Platoon Leaders first swept standing enemies with machine‑gun fire, while the second Platoon warriors behind, wielding k Rifles, struck with buttstocks and bayonets. In just two minutes, this flank position was completely torn apart.

The Japanese Army's formation fell into chaos; under Front and Back encirclement they began to rout, the second Platoon surged like a breaking bamboo, and through the breach rushed straight into Yunchi Village.

The imagined fierce street fighting never occurred; Yunchi is small, with no contiguous houses, only scattered civilian homes around.

Watching the yellow figures fleeing all over Yunchi, Mi Long, who was leading the frontal attack, let a hint of a smile appear at the corner of his mouth, but he quickly calmed down, his gaze growing more solemn.

At that moment, inside the command post of the Japanese Army's 104th Regiment far away, Lieutenant Colonel Sen Xie Kangyan lowered his binoculars with a grim face.

The Yunchi Defensive Line was about to collapse, the flank was pierced, the front was pressed, yet he showed little panic.

All of this was part of Lieutenant Colonel Sen Xie Kangyan's calculation; he intended to lure the opposing Huaxia Army here.

The firepower in Yunchi was so fierce that the Huaxia Army must have already entered Yunchi Village.

Lieutenant Colonel Sen Xie Kangyan slowly turned his head, addressed the Artillery behind him, and in a sinister tone gave the order: "Fire special shells. Flood the Chinese forces for me."

The Japanese Army's special shells are poison gas shells.

"Whoosh— whoosh—"

A few strange high‑pitched screeches suddenly came from afar, instantly cutting through the battlefield's gunfire and artillery.

Mi Long's whole body jolted; he sensed something was wrong. He looked up sharply—it was the Little Devil firing artillery; they intended to lure their own troops into Yunchi and then shell them, annihilating their own forces.

Fortunately, Mi Long did not let the first and third Platoons enter Yunchi.

The shell streaked through the air, not landing on the second Platoon's heads, but falling directly on several intersections of Yunchi Village that had just been seized by the second Platoon.

"Boom! Boom!"

The shell exploded, producing no massive shrapnel or fireball, but raising thick clumps of yellow‑brown smoke. As soon as the smoke appeared, it spread rapidly outward; wherever it passed, vegetation withered instantly, emitting a nauseating, pungent odor.

Bad, this isn't a shell.

It's poison gas!

"Retreat! Quick retreat! Second Platoon, damn it, withdraw from Yunchi immediately! Everyone put on Gas Masks."

In Myanmar, Jiang Anguo had issued Gas Masks to all units; using a towel was impossible, because the gas also harms the eyes.

The soldiers behind Mi Long, in the first Platoon, coordinated, removing Gas Masks from each other's backpacks and quickly donning them.

This training had been conducted in Lashu for a long time, so everyone was familiar with how to use Gas Masks.

Mi Long was terrified to the point of his soul fleeing; his roar almost changed pitch, his throat nearly tearing.

At this moment, Wang Dezhi and the second Platoon warriors were searching the village for remaining enemies; before they could react, they felt dizzy, their throats like a lump of red‑hot coal lodged inside, and tears and snot streamed uncontrollably.

Wang Dezhi also realized the danger, "Quick, put on Gas Masks, this is the Little Devil's poison gas shell."

All second Platoon warriors, without hesitation, swiftly placed Gas Masks on their heads.

"Carry the wounded, retreat quickly." A muffled voice came from within a Gas Mask.

Wang Dezhi no longer lingered in battle, nor did he pursue the remaining Little Devils.

Instead, he ordered the soldiers to take the few warriors knocked unconscious by the poison gas shell and retreat swiftly backward.

After reaching a safe distance, Wang Dezhi immediately had the warriors take off their water bottles and use them to rinse the soldiers affected by the gas.

On Mi Long's side, seeing the second Platoon warriors emerging from Yunchi, he instantly said to those behind, "Doctor, quick, quick, treat the wounded."

"Yes." The line of Doctors swiftly shouldered Rescue Packs, and together with the medics behind them, rushed forward under the cover of two warriors.

"Battalion Commander! What now?" Platoon Leader Duan Qiang asked.

"You weakling, the Little Devil actually resorted to underhanded tactics! Using poison gas shells! Tell the third Platoon's Xia Hou Ping to be on alert; the Little Devil's main force stationed at Xiaoting may be very close to us."

"Yes, Company Commander." The Messenger immediately went down to convey the order.

"Artillery, extend eight hundred meters backward, follow the Little Devil's previous trajectory, fire freely!" Mi Long roared.

He was angry, extremely angry, yet the ancient road of Xiaoting could only be approached step by step.

"Yes."

The artillery squad immediately adjusted its angle, aiming at the area eight hundred meters away—unsure whether there were Japanese Army woods there—and fired shells.

"Thump thump thump!"

After a few seconds, the shells exploded in the distant forest, shattering trees and lifting the ground's soil.

"Boom boom boom!"

It was uncertain whether they could hit the enemy, but at least they ensured a safe distance for their own troops.

Mi Long looked around, shouted loudly, "What are you all looking at! Scatter your units! Disperse formation! Don't bunch together like a market crowd! If another poison gas shell falls, I'll kick you all into the Yangtze River to feed the fish!"

Platoon Leader Duan Qiang and the platoon commanders below, as if waking from a dream, immediately turned and went back to evacuate the troops.

At this point, the frontline combat medic had already returned, removed his mask, and shook his head with a look of despair: "Battalion Commander, the soldiers inhaled only a little poison gas, but it will leave aftereffects; they now need to be sent to the rear for treatment."

"Alright, go quickly, get these wounded to the rear fast." Mi Long urged.

Poison gas, this thing, must not be taken lightly.

The more you inhale, the greater the damage; even if you don't die on the spot, rotting, itching and other symptoms appear. The crucial point is the aftereffects—most turn into cancer.

He took a deep breath and shouted at the signalman: "Signalman! Quickly contact the battalion commander behind us and the headquarters of the 150th Division! Tell the commander and Xu Guozhang, the division commander, that the Little Devil has used a Poison Gas Shell! Have them be on guard!"