Chapter 368: Launch the Attack on Dangyang

June 2, 1942, midnight.

Southern foot of the Jingmen Mountains.

The moon hung high, spilling over the winding mountain path.

Before the Battle of Xiaoting, a downpour poured, but once the fighting began, bright sun shone—a rare fine weather.

It was that rain the day before the battle that slowed the Japanese Army's mechanized units.

Heaven seemed to know a great event tonight: Yichang had been retaken, the counterattack was timely.

"Damn it! Quick! Whoever the hell fell behind, I'll kill him!" Xu Guozhang lowered his voice, and on the march, dared not speak loudly.

Although the Han-Yi Highway could be used by vehicles, the vehicles were actually slow; after all, the Han-Yi Highway is mainly hilly, with a single main road in the middle.

When the troop numbers grew, Transport Vehicles could no longer be used.

Xu Guozhang's 449th Regiment was even more so; it didn't march with the main force, but went directly from Zengjiagang, straight toward Dangyang, i. e., northeast, striking Dangyang.

Xu Guozhang, with twin pistols at his waist, personally walked on the flank of the 449th Regiment's vanguard camp; sweat soaked his uniform, yet his steps never halted.

Behind them, three thousand Sichuan Army soldiers of the 150th Division rushed like wind. Their leg bindings were tight, weapons wrapped in cloth to prevent reflection, even coughs were stifled with a hand.

They knew: Dangyang lay ahead, honor at their feet.

"Old Zhang, slow down!" a young soldier gasped, shouting to the veteran ahead, "My soles are full of blood blisters."

"Shut up!" the veteran said without turning his head, "If it hurts, grit your teeth! We're going to attack Dangyang; it's said that Zhang Fei once repelled Cao Cao's hundred‑thousand troops at Dangyang!"

Speaking of the old Sichuan troops, many admired Zhang Fei, and many could recount one or two of his deeds.

"Exactly!" another man replied, "The Division Commander hasn't called out tired, what are you whining about, keep up."

No one answered in the ranks, but the steps quickened.

Regiment Commander Lu Zongjing of the 449th Regiment quickened his pace to catch up with Xu Guozhang, his voice hoarse: "Division Commander... slow down a bit. The brothers haven't slept for two days, their water bottles are empty; when we reach Dangyang, they might not even be able to lift their bayonets."

"Bullshit!" Xu Guozhang snapped around, bloodshot eyes, "If we slow another step, Dangyang will be credited to Hu Lian's 11th Division! Have you forgotten the days we drank the northwest wind at Xiaoting?"

Even though Xu Guozhang had taken the top credit from Nei Shan Yingtairan, he still felt uneasy; Sichuan men are proud, and he sensed this was Jiang Anguo handing him the credit.

He didn't know that Jiang Anguo really couldn't bend a sword!

He seized Lu Zongjing's collar, his voice pressed low, and said: "Everyone shouts 'Kill the devils' in everyday life, and now when it's truly a life‑or‑death moment, you drop the chain for me? Get back and keep your 448th Regiment in order! Before dawn, I will stand atop Dangyang's city walls!"

Lu Zongjing stiffened, stood at attention: "Yes!"

He turned and ran back to the troops, shouting: "First Battalion! Throw away everything unnecessary, lighten the load! Second Battalion, carry the engineer shovels, when we enter the city dig trench warfare shelters! Remember, the primary credit for Dangyang must belong to us Sichuan troops; today we must raise our 150th Division's flag inside Dangyang city!"

A deep response rose from the ranks: "Got it!"

The original plan was to launch the main assault on Dangyang on the daytime of June 2, after William's P‑38 bombed the airport.

But Xu Guozhang suddenly issued a new order: "Seize the moment of enemy panic, night assault to capture the city! The airport is crippled, the defenders' morale shattered, it's a perfect opportunity!"

When the order reached them, the entire division had just finished the last bite of dry rations.

No one complained, only swift re‑equipping.

"Heard about it?" a Machine Gunner muttered to a comrade while walking, "Yesterday evening, a P‑38 bombed Dangyang airport, targeting gun positions and barracks; not a single blade of grass on the runway moved."

"Why?" the comrade asked.

"Stupid!" the Machine Gunner sneered, "Those iron machines we saw in Changde are definitely meant to use Dangyang as a springboard; tomorrow we'll take off from there and strike Wuhan! We're not just retaking lost ground, we're the vanguard!"

The words spread, morale surged.

Suddenly, a forward scout rushed back: "Report! Fifteen li from Dangyang, we spotted a Japanese Patrol Squad, already eliminated by our forward troops, no survivors."

"Good!" Xu Guozhang's eyes flashed, "The entire division lightens gear, loads bullets, draws bayonets. After entering the city, no gunfire, no shouting, close‑quarters blades will take out the sentries!"

"Understood!" officers of all ranks whispered orders.

The troops turned onto a dense forest path, disappearing completely into darkness.

Inside Dangyang city, the Japanese Army stayed awake through the night.

Since yesterday evening's precise air raid, the defenders were like startled birds.

The outer fortifications of the airport were leveled, dozens of corpses lay across the runway, blood seeping into the soil.

The most critical point was that the Huaxia Air Force hadn't bombed the runway.

What does this mean?

It means they intend to use this airport!

At the same time, Zhongcun and Xiaolin were very clear that the China Army's next move would be to attack Dangyang, but now the bridge to Jingmen had already been cut.

Garrisoned at Jingmen were the Japanese Army's 39th Division, 231st Regiment; Zhongcun Xinsai and Xiaolin Zhengxiong, after receiving news that their headquarters had been completely shattered, had already sent a Telegram to the 231st Regiment requesting tactical guidance.

But now the problem was that the Japanese Army in Dangyang was in severe panic; many were already looking for nearby boats, ready to, at the slightest sign of trouble, take a small boat to Jingmen.

Even Zhongcun and Xiaolin were pondering whether to defend Dangyang; now Dangyang seemed as if the headquarters had forgotten it, or perhaps everything happened so fast that the 11th Army Commander A Naganuma hadn't yet reacted, and he didn't even understand the situation of some units.

Zhongcun Xinsai ordered all to be on guard, but the soldiers' eyes were scattered, and sentries repeatedly gave false alarms of 'enemy aircraft incoming'.

Some even collapsed at the sound of wind, their spirits nearly breaking.

Zhongcun Xinsai shouted, "Baka! You are warriors of the Imperial, how can you be so cowardly! Stand up, grab your guns, aim at the China Army!"

The scolded soldiers dared not speak, trembling they straightened their helmets, bowing ninety degrees with utmost respect, "Hey!"

"Zhongcun, what should we do now?" In fact, not only the soldiers below were scared; even the 91st Battalion, its commander Lieutenant Colonel Xiaolin Zhengxiong, also felt fear.

This was on the Chinese battlefield; it was his first time feeling fear, as if everything had already exceeded the Imperial Army's control.

"Lieutenant Colonel Xiaolin, continue requesting Commander A Naganuma's tactical guidance, and also issue orders to be loyal to the Emperor!" Zhongcun Xinsai said loudly.

"Dawn is breaking!" Zhongcun Xinsai looked toward the distant horizon, a reddish glow slowly rising.

"Loyalty..." Xiaolin forced a wry smile, "but the soldiers can't even hold their guns steady."

Before the words finished.

Whoosh!

A sharp howl sliced through the dawn!

"What is that sound?" Xiao Lin Zhengxiong, standing to one side, looked up at the sky, his eyes a little puzzled.

Or perhaps he already knew what the sound was, but just wanted to see where it came from.

But the source of the sound was to the due south of Dangyang, that is, the direction of Yichang Xiaoting.

"It's the Huaxia army..." he murmured.

Boom!

An 80mm mortar shell landed between Xiao Lin Zhengxiong and Nakamura Shinsuke; the explosion's fragments instantly tore apart the spot where the two stood.