Chapter 469: Smoke over the Golden Triangle (Part 1)

Lv Guoquan walked to the center of the division headquarters and shouted toward the doorway, his voice loud and carrying an unquestionable command.

"Transmit my order! Immediately order the 273 448th Regiment's entire officers and soldiers, fully armed, to rush reinforce Da Qili!"

South of Da Qili lies Thailand, east lies Laos, so this area is also called the Golden Triangle.

"Tell Regiment Commander Cao Zhengde, be sure to speed up the march, reach Da Qili, then immediately join the fight, support the garrison camp, hold the frontline position, and do not allow Thai devils to advance a single step!"

273 448th Regiment, Regiment Commander Cao Zhengde

"Additionally, order the division's directly attached Artillery Camp to move immediately toward Da Qili and be ready to provide artillery support; order each regiment to prepare for combat, stand ready, and if a crisis arises on the Da Qili battlefield, dispatch troops to reinforce at once!"

"Yes, Division Commander!" the communications soldier outside immediately bowed and replied, turned and sprinted to deliver the order, his rapid footsteps fading away.

Qian Yunzhou watched Lv Guoquan's steady demeanor, and the panic in his heart completely vanished; he stepped forward, his tone firm: "Division Commander, I request to go personally to the 273 448th Regiment to assist Commander Cao in directing the battle, and be sure to hold Da Qili!"

Lv Guoquan gave him a glance and nodded: "Very well, Yunzhou, you are familiar with the border situation and understand the Thai Army's condition; with you going, I am at ease.

Remember, be extremely careful; you must hold the position and also minimize the soldiers' casualties.

If the chance arises, give them a stern warning so they know our 93rd Division is not so easy to bully!

"Division Commander, rest assured! I will not disgrace the mission!" Qian Yunzhou bowed to receive the order, turned and hurried out of the division headquarters, heading straight to the 273 448th Regiment to arrange reinforcement matters.

Lv Guoquan walked alone to the map, his gaze fixed rigidly on the direction of Da Qili, his eyes filled with resolve.

He knew this battle concerned not only Da Qili's safety but also the honor of the 93rd Division and the situation of the Expeditionary Force in eastern Myanmar.

The Thai Army fields three divisions' worth of troops, yet he is not frightened at all.

He believes the warriors of the 93rd Division can, through steadfast belief and tenacious combat power, repel the invading enemy, hold Da Qili, and deliver a heavy blow to the Thai and Japanese.

At this moment, faint artillery fire could be heard from afar; the battle at Da Qili had already begun.

Lv Guoquan gripped his pistol tightly, with only one thought in his mind: Da Qili must be held, and the Thai Army and Little Devil's plot must never succeed!

The frontline position at Da Qili was shrouded in smoke, and the cannon fire was deafening.

The soldiers of the 93rd Division's Reinforced Camp huddled in the trench, soil and rubble constantly sliding from the trench top onto their steel helmets and uniforms.

Camp Commander Li Tiezhu, rifle in hand, stared rigidly at the gap in the forward position, his face full of determination, sweat mixed with dust on his forehead streaming down his cheek and dripping into the trench soil.

"Brothers, hold steady! The Thai devils' artillery barrage will stop soon, and they will soon launch a charge; everyone, rally your spirits!" Li Tiezhu shouted loudly to the soldiers beside him, his voice hoarse yet powerful.

The Reinforced Camp had fewer than a thousand troops, facing the rotating assaults of three Thai divisions.

Having held the line for over an hour, casualties had already exceeded three hundred, ammunition was gradually running low, yet not a single soldier retreated; each gaze was firm, weapons gripped tightly, awaiting the enemy's charge.

As soon as the words finished, the artillery fire ahead gradually subsided.

Thai Army soldiers shouted wildly, charging out from the forest ahead of the position, dense as a tide, surging toward the Reinforced Camp's position.

The Expeditionary Force suffered heavy casualties here, while the Thai Army opposite suffered even greater losses.

The warriors instantly entered combat mode, rifle and Machine Gun fire erupted instantly, bullets rained like rain at the enemy; Thai soldiers at the front fell one after another, while those behind remained fearless and kept charging forward.

"Fire! Hit them hard! Do not let them get within a step of the trench!" Li Tiezhu shouted while firing, his rifle spitting flames, each bullet striking a Thai soldier with precision.

"Tatata!" the Czech-style light machine gun began firing at the Thai Army opposite.

The warriors performed their duties: Machine Gunners raked the area madly, Snipers hidden deep in the trench precisely shot enemy officers, Grenadiers continuously tossed Hand Grenades into enemy clusters, explosions rose and fell, and smoke filled the entire position.

Just as the fierce clash peaked, a heavy footfall sounded, accompanied by the trumpeting of elephants, causing the whole position to tremble slightly.

Instinctively, the warriors looked up and saw, behind the Thai Army, a peculiar unit emerging.

Dozens of massive elephants, each clad in heavy armor, bore several Thai soldiers on their backs, rifles and curved swords in hand, charging toward the position; at the elephants' feet marched a group of Thai soldiers wielding shields, protecting the elephants' advance.

"It's an elephant unit!" a young warrior shouted, panic filling his eyes.

Most of these warriors came from inland China and had never seen such gigantic elephants, let alone elephants on a battlefield; watching the imposing elephant unit charge, many soldiers' hands began to tremble slightly, and their firing rhythm faltered.

If it weren't for having seen elephants after entering Myanmar, they would have been scared away by the elephants at this moment.

Elephant skin is rough and thick; ordinary rifle bullets cannot penetrate their armor, and it's unclear what the Thai thought, but they actually forged armor for the elephants.

The few elephants at the front forced their way through the warriors' fire blockade, charging toward the trench; their massive hooves struck the ground with a thundering "dong dong", collapsing many trenches, and several soldiers unable to dodge were trampled and killed on the spot.

"What the panic!" Li Tiezhu roared upon seeing this, snatched a Machine Gun from the nearby gunner, and ragedly sprayed the Thai soldiers on the elephants' backs.

The Thai soldiers on the elephants' backs were also hit by the machine gun, fell off the elephants, and were trampled to death.

"Elephant skin is thick, but the devil's skin on top is thin! Concentrate fire, strike the soldiers on the elephants' backs and bring them down! Grenadiers, aim at the elephants' eyes and noses—that's their weak point!"

Li Tiezhu's shout, like a thunderclap, roused the panicked warriors.

They quickly calmed, recalling the camp commander's orders, readjusted fire deployment, ceased blind firing at the elephants, and concentrated fire on the Thai soldiers atop the elephants.

Snipers fired precisely, one shot per soldier, dropping the soldiers on the elephants one by one.

Now the 93rd Division's ammunition supply is fairly ample, and the Expeditionary Force soldiers are also willing to open fire freely.

Grenadiers timed it right, tossing Hand Grenades at the elephants' heads; explosions rang out, many elephants hit in the eyes and noses, roaring in pain, rampaging wildly, even trampling nearby Thai soldiers.

"Well done! Brothers, push harder!" Li Tiezhu, seeing the tide turn, loudly encouraged the warriors.

The warriors' morale surged; gunfire, grenade explosions, elephant trumpeting, and enemy screams intertwined, turning the entire position into a battlefield.

Although casualties kept rising and ammunition dwindled, the warriors' fighting spirit grew ever higher; they held the position with flesh and blood, repelling the Thai Army's assaults time after time.