Chapter 437: 200th Division's Assault on Mandalay

The rain in Mandalay fell so heavily it blackened the heavens.

Lead‑gray clouds pressed down extremely low, the downpour hammered the tank armor with crackling splashes, sending a spray of mist into the sky.

The Eastern Front battlefield had been furrowed by artillery, then soaked by rain; everywhere lay rotten mud, shell craters, broken logs, shattered steel helmets, and the tangled, blood‑smeared corpses of Japanese Army soldiers.

The air was filled with gunpowder smoke, blood, rot, and the earthy scent of rain‑soaked soil, a mixture that made one retch.

Just then.

Buzz——!!!

A low, raging engine roar suddenly ripped through the rain curtain!

Hu Xianqun's Tank Regiment moved.

Dozens of T‑34 tanks formed a wide attack formation, their tracks crushing mud and raising half‑person‑high waves of sludge, like steel beasts, rolling straight toward the front of the Japanese Army's 18th Division on the Eastern Front.

The gun barrel pointed forward, the machine‑gun turret turned slowly, the cold metallic sheen in the rain exuding a chilling pressure.

Hu Xianqun sat at the hatch of the command tank, his raincoat unbuttoned, rain streaming down his resolute cheek.

One hand braced the hatch, the other gripping the radio handset, his voice steady and fervent, cutting through the clamor of rain and engines, echoing across the entire Tank Regiment:

"Brothers! It's our turn to shine! The Artillery has already bombed the Little Devil almost to nothing; now it's time for us Tank Soldiers to charge in and finish it! Crush their positions, shatter their resistance, storm into Mandalay, and retake this city!"

"Yes!"

"Charge!"

A thunderous response erupted instantly over the radio.

Tank drivers slammed the control levers, floored the throttle, and the tracks spun wildly. The T‑34's advantages—strong off‑road ability, thick armor, fierce firepower—were displayed to the fullest, still delivering powerful impact even on this miserable, muddy battlefield.

Squeak—Clank—!!

The tracks rolled over the Japanese Army's trenches and bunkers, over the chaotic battlefield, over the lifeless, blood‑smeared corpses.

Mud, blood, and shredded flesh were flung backward by the tracks, leaving a series of snarling, terrifying tire marks.

The surviving Japanese soldiers on the position were terrified, their souls fleeing in panic.

They huddled in the blown‑up fortifications, watching the looming mass of black tanks approach, hearing the hopeless engine roar, their last shred of will to resist nearly shattered completely.

The 18th Division, a Class A Division once boasting the nickname "Jungle Tiger," after days of bombing by the Chinese Air Force and today's artillery barrage, failed gas, cut‑off reinforcements, and loss of air superiority, was finally driven to the brink of madness.

In the desperate situation, the Japanese Army went completely mad.

"Board‑loaded——!!!"

A scream of extreme anguish suddenly erupted from a ruined machine‑gun bunker.

The soldier, driven by militarism, had already gone mad in this circumstance.

A Japanese Army Second Lieutenant, covered in mud and blood, his body strapped with Hand Grenades and Explosives, like a demon, roared as he charged out of the bunker, his eyes blood‑red, staring straight at the foremost T‑34 tank, throwing himself at it recklessly!

He wanted a human bomb, to go down with the tank!

"Little Devil! Human bomb!"

The observer inside the tank gasped instantly.

"Machine gun! Sweep him down!" the tank commander shouted loudly.

The coaxial machine gun on the side of the turret fired instantly, a rapid "tat‑tat‑tat" of bullets sweeping out; the Japanese Second Lieutenant was shredded on the spot, his body crashing heavily into the mud, the Explosives pack never having time to detonate, his life extinguished.

However, this was only the beginning.

One, two, ten, dozens…

The remaining Japanese soldiers, like driven mad dogs, strapped with explosives and clutching Cluster Hand Grenades, howling "Board‑loaded", rushed out of every ruined fortification, charging wildly at the tank formation.

They no longer had heavy artillery or effective Anti‑Tank Weaponry, only this most primitive, most frantic, most inhuman suicide attack.

"Madmen! Little Devil is completely mad!"

"Stop them! We must not let them get near the tanks!"

A rapid chorus of shouts rose instantly on the position.

At the moment the Japanese madly counter‑attacked.

"Charge! Cover the tanks!"

A roar rang across the battlefield.

The 200th Division 598th Regiment, Regiment Commander Gao Jiren, personally led the entire infantry, following the Tank Regiment, treading ankle‑deep mud, and surged swiftly into the battlefield!

Gao Jiren led from the front, brandishing a submachine gun, at the head of the line. Rain soaked his uniform, clinging to his body, yet his steps remained steady, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Brothers! Tanks ahead, us behind! Shoot down every Little Devil that rushes at us!" Gao Jiren roared, "We must not let them damage our tanks!"

"No prisoners; any Little Devil that shows surrender, kill them!" Gao Jiren shouted loudly.

"Yes!"

The soldiers of the 598th Regiment answered in unison, morale soaring.

The weapons in their hands were no longer the old Zhongzheng rifles.

This time they were equipped with brand‑new Mauser rifles, and each combat unit carried a large number of MG42 General Machine Guns.

It is said that Colonel Jiang Anguo introduced this from Germany, because his own superior was the brother‑in‑law of the foreign side, allowing the 200th Division to equip such lethal weapons; now, for the first time, they are being deployed on a large scale in the northern Burma battlefield.

A young Machine Gunner named Wang Erzhu, just twenty, a new recruit conscripted from Yunnan, crouched on a slightly raised earthen slope, his hands gripping the MG42 stock tightly, his eyes nervous and excited.

Beside him, Squad Leader Li Laosuan, a veteran who had fought at Kunlun Pass and the Tonggu campaign, was experienced.

He patted Wang Erzhu's shoulder and shouted loudly, "Erzhu! Don't be afraid! Hold steady! When the Little Devil rushes, keep the trigger pressed! Remember, this gun fires fast—use short bursts, fire as soon as you see the enemy, and don't waste Photon Bullets all at once!"

"Understood, Squad Leader!" Wang Erzhu nodded vigorously, his throat dry.

The next second, over a dozen Japanese suicide assault troops roared forward, less than fifty meters away!

"Fire!!" Li Laosuan shouted, firing first.

Wang Erzhu slammed the trigger down.

"Zzz—zzzzzzzz—!!!"

A burst of extremely terrifying sound, like tearing canvas, like a high‑speed chainsaw cutting wood, suddenly erupted!

MG42 General Machine Gun opened fire!

High rate of fire, great power, stable and reliable, the gunshots are sharp and dense, you can't tell single shots from bursts, only a continuous, spine‑tingling roar.

Wang Erzhu was still too nervous, his grip on the trigger was a bit tight.

The dense bullets swept out like a metal storm!

The Japanese Army soldier at the Front, his body struck as if by an invisible hammer, instantly torn into fragments, blood mist splashing, a scream never even made, and he fell headfirst into the mud.

Back Japanese Army, frightened by this terrifying firepower, halted their steps, their faces showing extreme terror.

They had never heard such dreadful gunfire, never seen such terrifying rate of fire.

"Ah—!!"

A Japanese Army soldier, terrified, turned and ran, but the bullet caught up, instantly punching a huge blood hole through his Back.

Wang Erzhu held the machine gun, feeling the gun's slight Back recoil, hearing the death‑like roar in his ears, and was completely stunned.

In his life he had used old tube guns, used the standard model, carried the Czech style, but had never used such domineering, terrifying, exhilarating machine gun!

"Squad Leader! This gun... this gun is too awesome!" Wang Erzhu shouted excitedly.

Li Laoshuan looked at the swathes of fallen Japanese Army, laughed heartily: "Impressive, right! This is Commander Jiang's treasure for us! MG42! Little Devil, when you hear this sound, your heart will be scared to death! Hit them hard! Sweep all these mad dogs dead!"

"Alright!"

Wang Erzhu pulled the trigger again.

"Zzzzz—!!!"

The chainsaw‑like gunfire swept the battlefield again.