Chapter 522: Tie Quan's Assault (1)

Just as the fighting grew intense, the rear's Tie Quan also ordered a special unit to rush to the Front.

In truth, Tie Quan's troops were also stuck in Myanmar's mud.

With no other choice, he could only order the Engineer Battalion to clear a path ahead, followed by several Transport Vehicles carrying special bombs.

After being delivered to the Front.

Tie Quan came before Dai Anlan and said, "Dai, this is the special bomb our Commander asked me to deliver."

In fact, Dai Anlan was also puzzled why the 201st Division's Regiment Commander Tie Quan had brought so many people forward, only to end up immobilized just like the tank regiment.

The moment he heard "special bomb," Dai Anlan got goosebumps and said, "Regiment Commander Tie, this can't be a Poison Gas Shell, can it?"

In Tonggu, the th Division had previously suffered a Poison Gas Shell fired by the Japanese 55th Division, which inflicted considerable damage on the th Division.

Tie Quan shook his head and said, "Dai, this is not a Poison Gas Shell but a white phosphorus shell; when Artillery fires, be sure to have the forces attacking Pingmana withdraw first to avoid friendly fire!"

Dai Anlan was unsure of the white phosphorus shell's power and hesitated, because the First Defensive Line at Pingmana had just been hard‑won; abandoning it now, if the shell's effect proved weak, retaking those positions would demand an even greater cost.

"Regiment Commander Tie, does this white phosphorus shell really work? It's still pouring rain!" Dai Anlan asked.

Tie Quan nodded affirmatively and said, "Dai, rest assured, when we bombed Tokyo in Japan, the Commander used white phosphorus shells, which inflicted massive damage on Tokyo."

But seeing Tie Quan so confident, Dai Anlan decided to keep trusting Tie Quan, or rather, Jiang Anguo.

"Send it to the Artillery position!" Dai Anlan said firmly.

"Order Liu Shaofeng to abandon the Front position." This was Dai Anlan's second command.

Dai Anlan was still uncertain of the bomb's power, but since Tie Quan said so, it must have been used before.

As expected, Liu Shaofeng, who had just received the order, thought the commander had erred and immediately replied by Telegram, questioning.

The reply he received was the same order.

"Regiment Commander, what do we do now?" the deputy Regiment Commander said.

The 600th Regiment, having paid a heavy price to seize the position, now had to hand it over.

This left Liu Shaofeng very perplexed.

Liu Shaofeng, holding the Telegram, finally said helplessly, "Notify everyone to withdraw from the position."

Liu Shaofeng punched the Sandbag; he was truly unwilling and could not understand why the commander issued such a strange order.

The Japanese Army Headquarters, Song Jing Xiu Zhi, had already received the situation of the First Defensive Line; after dispatching reinforcement troops and entering the line, they found that the Chinese army had actually withdrawn.

"Nani! What are the Chinese trying to do?" Song Jing Xiu Zhi stared at the distant Chinese positions.

Even the Chinese artillery had ceased firing; aside from the sound of raindrops, the surroundings fell silent.

"Regiment Commander, is there some conspiracy?" the staff officer said.

Song Jing Xiu Zhi also thought there was a conspiracy, but without time to ponder, he immediately ordered, "Have the support troops swiftly seize the First Defensive Line, fortify it, and must hold against the Chinese army's offensive."

"Hey!"

But as the words fell…

Thud thud thud!

The distant whistling of shells.

Boom boom boom!

White phosphorus shells rained onto the Japanese positions, and many even penetrated directly into the Japanese bunkers.

The high‑energy white phosphorus shells exploded instantly, sucking the air out of the bunkers; the Japanese soldiers defending the position felt a sudden suffocation, barely sensing the heat in the air.

The white phosphorus ignited a blinding white flame the moment it met air, like countless hellish sparks, instantly engulfing the Japanese‑recently‑re‑occupied First Defensive Line.

The reserve unit dispatched by Song Jing Xiu Zhi had not yet steadied its footing when the sudden blaze devoured it, and the once‑noisy position was instantly drowned in harrowing screams and scorching crackle.

The rain could not extinguish the white phosphorus flame; instead, the fire mingled with steam, forming billowing white smoke that shrouded the entire First Defensive Line.

Neither the surface bunkers nor the tangled underground tunnels escaped this devastating strike.

Inside the underground tunnel, Japanese soldiers who had been busy reinforcing works and counting troops were thrown into panic by the sudden violent tremor and scorching sensation.

A white phosphorus shell happened to pierce a gap in the bunker's roof and fell deep into the tunnel.

The moment it hit the ground it detonated, the white flame spreading like greedy vines along the tunnel walls and floor, igniting everything combustible; even the muddy earth baked dry and smoked.

"Fire! Extinguish quickly! Extinguish quickly!" a Japanese soldier shrieked, flailing his hands toward the flame.

But as soon as his palm touched the white phosphorus flame, a searing pain shot through him; his skin was instantly burned and carbonized, black scabs peeled off his fingers, revealing bright red flesh underneath.

He let out a gut‑wrenching scream, wildly flailing his arms in a futile attempt to shake off the flame.

Yet once white phosphorus clings to skin, it continues to burn until muscle is consumed and bone exposed, and no matter how he struggles, he cannot escape the lethal blaze.

The tunnel air was instantly heated to extremes; the once‑humid environment became oppressively hot, oxygen rapidly depleted, and suffocation surged like a tide toward every Japanese soldier.

They gulped breath, their throats emitting hoarse gasps; their faces were marked by terror and despair, many turning purple from hypoxia, vision blackening, stumbling and collapsing, unable to rise again.

"Regiment Commander! Help! We're surrounded by fire! The tunnel is all flame!" a signalman struggled toward the radio, his voice weak and hoarse.

His back had already been burned by white phosphorus flame, his uniform charred and curled, his skin massively ulcerated; every movement brought excruciating pain, yet he still mustered his last ounce of strength, trying to call for help from Song Jing Xiu Zhi.

But before his distress signal could be sent, a leaping mass of white phosphorus flame surged to his side, instantly igniting his hair and uniform.

The flame spread rapidly, devouring his body; his scream grew fainter, eventually fading into the crackle of fire, his whole form reduced to a charred husk curled in a corner of the tunnel, a gruesome sight.

Worse, the white phosphorus shell's extreme heat not only seared the Japanese soldiers' bodies but also sucked all oxygen from the underground tunnel, causing many who were not directly burned to suffocate and die.

They curled on both sides of the tunnel, hands clamped tightly around their throats, eyes wide, faces etched with agony, black blood spilling from their mouths—a tragic death.