Chapter 584: Thailand Campaign (6)

Yao Quanyi, in the Battle of Yichang and the Jianghan Campaign, displayed outstanding urban combat command, deeply versed in street‑fight tactics; the Independent Regiment he leads, having been tempered by countless battles, consists entirely of street‑fight experts.

At this moment, Yao Quanyi stood on a main road in northern Manggu, holding a binocular, closely watching the front battle situation, his expression steady, his tone firm as he ordered through the communicator: "Miling, you take the First Battalion to loop around via the left‑side alley, harass the Japanese Army's fire; the Second Battalion advances head‑on, using the houses for cover, clearing the enemy street by street, alley by alley."

"Mortar company, set up quickly, suppress the Japanese Army's high ground; be sure to seize this main road swiftly, opening a gap for the following troops to advance!"

Miling is now acting battalion commander of the First Battalion, while the original Independent Regiment First Battalion commander Quanzong was reassigned by Jiang Anguo to other duties.

"Received! Regiment Commander!" Miling's bright and bold voice came through the communicator.

At this point, he had long shed the rest‑period restlessness, his whole body exuding the smell of battlefield gunpowder; he gripped an MG42 General Machine Gun, its barrel glinting with cold light.

He led the First Battalion's soldiers, darting quickly into the narrow left‑side alley, using the houses for cover, silently closing in on the Japanese Army's positions.

Miling had already spotted a Japanese Army position ahead, which happened to be an important intersection in Manggu.

If they were to charge recklessly, many soldiers would inevitably be sacrificed.

Miling now is quite tactical; although the Independent Regiment, after concluding the Golden Triangle campaign, had not been assigned other battles.

Most of the soldiers were also cultivating the Golden Triangle area.

Yet the training tasks were not abandoned; they were learning new tactics and also analyzing combat experience from previous campaigns.

"Brothers, hold steady! Take cover, listen to my command!" Miling lowered his voice, ordering the soldiers beside him; the soldiers slipped into corners and behind doors, daring not to breathe, eyes fixed on the Japanese Army positions ahead on the street.

Soldiers of the Japanese Army's 48th Division were crouched inside the houses lining the street, using windows and corners to set up fire points, firing wildly in an attempt to block the Independent Regiment's advance.

Among them were extreme militants from the southeastern islands, who shouted fanatically, bullets pouring out like raindrops.

"Now! Open fire!"

Miling's gaze hardened, he sprang up, the MG42 General Machine Gun in his hand roared instantly, "rat‑rat‑rat—rat‑rat‑rat—"; the rapid gunfire poured down like a storm, bullets flashing silver, precisely striking the Japanese Army positions on the street ahead.

The concentrated fire immediately suppressed the Japanese counter‑attack; the Japanese soldiers were hit so hard they dared not lift their heads, forced to curl behind cover, looking miserable.

"Mortar company, set up quickly! Target: front Japanese fire point!" Miling shouted into the communicator while firing.

The mortar company soldiers behind him moved deftly, swiftly setting up the mortars, adjusting angles; the range‑finder quickly calibrated the distance, shouting, "Target locked, distance 300 meters, prepare to fire!"

"Dong!" The mortar emitted a huge blast, the shell whistling as it flew toward the Japanese Army positions ahead.

"Boom—" a violent explosion; the Japanese positions ahead were blown apart instantly, fragments of stone and flesh spraying everywhere.

The Japanese fire point was completely destroyed; the soldiers crouched behind cover were either killed outright by the blast or left severely wounded, their cries endless.

"Charge!" Miling shouted, leading the charge out of cover, his MG42 General Machine Gun still spraying wildly toward the Japanese positions.

The Independent Regiment's soldiers followed close behind, like tigers descending a mountain, advancing swiftly; they used houses and corners, moving nimbly through the streets, precisely shooting every exposed Japanese target, their actions crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.

Yao Quanyi personally held the front line, commanding the advance; watching the street‑fight ahead, he adjusted orders through the communicator: "Miling, watch the Japanese counter‑attack in the right‑side alley; send a Platoon of soldiers around to the rear to form a pincer; the First Battalion accelerate its advance, seize the forward intersection, control the traffic artery!"

Street fighting doesn't require many soldiers, but they must obey orders.

A company of 160 men standing together is a target.

Whereas a Platoon of 40 men is far more agile in street combat.

"Received!" Miling replied, instantly adjusting tactics, dispatching a company's Platoon to loop behind the Japanese and launch a surprise attack.

In street fighting, the Independent Regiment's soldiers fully displayed their advantage; they were versed in street‑fight techniques, adept at using terrain for cover, alternating concealed fire, rapid charges, and flanking maneuvers, leaving the Japanese disoriented.

Soldiers of the Japanese Army's 48th Division, though fanatical, were mostly skilled in open‑field combat and unsuited to narrow alleys; under the Independent Regiment's agile strikes they suffered continual casualties, their morale sinking.

On the position, several Japanese soldiers wounded by shells clutched their injuries, crying out in pain, some even kneeling and begging for mercy.

Yet the Independent Regiment's warriors, seeing these Executioners who had taken part in the Nanjing Massacre, their hands soaked with Huaxia compatriots' blood, felt no mercy; they raised a gun and shot them dead outright, leaving no quarter.

The combat regulations clearly state that no prisoners are taken before the fight ends.

The Independent Regiment's warriors also know that the Japanese stationed in Manggu had participated in the massacre of Nanjing civilians.

Therefore, they strike brutally.

"These Little Devils, who once slaughtered our compatriots in Nanjing, today is the time they repay their debt!" a warrior shouted while firing, his voice full of rage and hatred.

In the front, Miling led the First Battalion, and together with the Second Battalion that had successfully looped behind the Japanese, they formed a pincer; the Japanese were encircled front and rear, utterly trapped.

"Lay down your weapons, surrender and we won't kill you!" Miling shouted at the Japanese, but the only response was still fanatical howls and sporadic gunfire.

Those extreme militants from the southeastern islands still held their ground stubbornly, with a desperate resolve, attempting a counter‑attack.

"Since you won't surrender, then annihilate them all!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Miling's eyes as he ordered, "Machine‑gun cover, mortar bombardment, completely eradicate these stubborn militants!"

The MG42 General Machine Gun roared again, the mortars kept firing, the dense fire completely engulfed the remaining Japanese forces; on the street, Japanese corpses littered the ground, blood staining the road red, the air thick with the scent of blood and gunpowder.

Yao Quanyi looked at the captured positions ahead, a resolute smile on his face, and ordered through the communicator: "All units, stay alert, continue advancing, clear the enemy street by street, alley by alley, and be sure to seize northern Manggu quickly, link up with friendly forces, and fully capture Manggu!"

The Independent Regiment's soldiers answered in unison, morale soaring, continuing their push into Manggu city; their figures darted through the narrow alleys, each step firm and strong, each shot bringing them closer to victory.

From time to time, signal flares could be seen soaring into the sky—east, west, north.

This is the Expeditionary Force, Nanhua Army, and the Independent Regiment, informing friendly units of their current attack positions to avoid friendly fire in urban combat.

At this moment, Zhongteng Qianqiu, after receiving reports of successive losses in the northern district, fell into complete collapse.

Zhongteng Qianqiu watched the Independent Regiment soldiers closing in outside the window, hearing the gunfire growing nearer, his fear reaching its peak.

Zhongteng Qianqiu knew that the 48th Division's doom was imminent.

He sent countless telegrams to the Southern Army commander, but Terauchi Hisaichi now had no license to use; the Southern Army's gathering speed was far slower than the Expeditionary Force's advance.

Those sins once soaked in blood will eventually be punished, and Manggu's fall has become an irreversible fact.

In the street fighting, Yao Quanyi's Independent Regiment was like a sharp dagger, continuously tearing through the Japanese defenses, steadily advancing toward Manggu's core area.