Chapter 13: The First Clash

Under the bombardment, the position of the New First Regiment roared with thunder, flames and dust billowing into the air.

Seizing this opportunity, the Fourth Company of the Third Battalion, under Captain Kaomura’s command, began a rapid advance.

“Hayaku! Hayaku! Move fast!”

Captain Kaomura drew his command saber and shouted loudly, pointing toward the New First Regiment’s position, which was exactly where Li Yunlong had prepared the minefield. The optimal distance for their charge was two hundred meters in front of the position.

From Captain Kaomura downward, all the soldiers were filled with high spirits. In their eyes, this was a glaring opportunity for battle achievements!

In the past, the so-called Central China Army would break the enemy with a single wave of assault after artillery fire, followed by the battalion pressing forward to seize the position, with the rest left to pursue and expand the victory.

Not to mention, now they faced the poorly equipped local guerrillas.

At this moment, the artillery barrage paused. The Fourth Company advanced by alternating squads covering each other, having reached between three and four hundred meters from the New First Regiment’s position.

Captain Kaomura knelt behind a small earth mound alongside his grenade launcher and a heavy machine gun squad. “Hayaku! All squad machine gun teams, seize advantageous positions!”

Then the Fourth Company’s nine crooked-handle rifles, along with the infantry guns from the Third Battalion behind them, Type 92 heavy machine guns, and four 37mm rapid-fire guns, all began to blaze.

On the New First Regiment’s position, as the bombardment ceased, the watch post shouted loudly. The dust-covered soldiers rose without hesitation, lunging to the trench edges.

“Pah, pah, pah,” Li Yunlong ignored the dust settling on his cap brim and quickly assessed the enemy’s situation.

The air was filled with the relentless whistling of bullets, dust clouds bursting at the trench edge, and scattered artillery shells landing on the position.

Occasionally, anguished cries from wounded soldiers echoed from the trenches before they were swiftly carried to the rear. The entire regiment held back from immediate counterattack, awaiting Li Yunlong’s orders.

To avoid prematurely revealing firing points and suffering another artillery strike, Li Yunlong restrained his anger for the moment. “Damn those devils, you’ll pay for this soon enough!”

Though cursing under his breath, Li Yunlong’s gaze remained fixed unwaveringly on the enemy’s movements.

As two squads of the Fourth Company entered the concave area two hundred meters ahead of the position, Li Yunlong pulled the trigger.

Under the squad leader’s cry of “Rabbit, go, go!”, nearly a hundred enemy soldiers shouted “Tenko Banzai!” and suddenly charged forward.

Caught up in their excitement, the enemy neglected the danger beneath their feet. Within just a few steps, as the first dozen charged forward, violent explosions erupted underfoot.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Dust flew, limbs and corpses scattered, and the lucky survivors screamed in agony. “Ah! My leg!” “Ahhh! Damn it…”

The morale of the remaining few dozen dropped instantly as they shouted, “Mines!”

Yet these soldiers were elite; they did not stop. Though their pace slowed, under their leader’s urging, they pressed forward once more.

However, with the mines detonating, Li Yunlong fired the first shot. “Damn it, shoot those bastards dead!”

Instantly, the New First Regiment roared in response. Half of the light machine guns from the first and second battalions, along with hundreds of rifles, opened fire, unleashing a dense hail of bullets at the enemy.

Under this first wave of heavy fire, the enemy’s two squads suffered over twenty casualties due to the minefield’s blockade. Across a mere hundred meters, nearly half of their forces were lost, infuriating Captain Kaomura in the rear to fury.

The remaining fifty or so enemy soldiers were pinned down, unable to advance beyond a hundred meters from the position.

“Shame! Huff!” Though enraged, Major Kaomura retained his composure. He ordered the machine gun and grenade launcher squads to attack all exposed firing points on the New First Regiment’s position while maneuvering two other squads to flank and continue the assault around the minefield’s sides.

Unfortunately for them, Li Yunlong had anticipated this. On both sides of the minefield rose gently sloping ridges, making climbing difficult and exposing them completely.

Moreover, Li Yunlong was prepared for the enemy’s grenade launchers. “Tiger, tell Chu to use the old artillery to take out those grenade launchers and that heavy machine gun! Quickly!”

Chu, upon receiving the order, did not hesitate. At four to five hundred meters, he quickly calculated the firing data at a glance, adjusted the gun slightly, and called, “Shells!”

Loading the shells without pause, Chu fired three rounds rapidly. “Dong! Dong! Dong!”

At such close range, the whistling of mortar shells approaching left the enemy grenade launcher squad no time to evade. One enemy soldier screamed hoarsely, “Artillery!”

Prideful Captain Kaomura could not escape his fate either; a single mortar shell lifted him into the air.

Seeing the enemy grenade launchers silenced, Li Yunlong was thrilled. “Ha ha! Chu did well!”

After firing, Chu immediately shouldered the mortar and moved swiftly to avoid enemy counterattack.

With their company commander down, a junior lieutenant temporarily took command of the Fourth Company.

The New First Regiment fought bravely, denying the enemy any advantage; they only managed to approach within thirty meters of the position.

In the rear, Major Fukuda, commander of the Third Battalion, watched the Fourth Company fail to breach the position, his expression darkening. He lowered his binoculars. “Baka! That idiot Kaomura has shamed my Third Battalion!”

However, with Kaomura dead and the Fourth Company suffering one-third casualties, this was treated as a mere probing attack. Fukuda immediately ordered, “Enough! Relay the order—Fourth Company withdraw from combat! Fifth and Sixth Companies prepare to strike!”

“Machine gun and artillery squads, provide full fire suppression!”

As Fukuda’s retreat order reached the troops, the Fourth Company began to pull back. Despite executing tactical maneuvers and fire cover well, the enemy still suffered around ten casualties before fully withdrawing.

With the enemy retreating, the New First Regiment’s gunfire ceased temporarily, but the soldiers remained vigilant, knowing this was only the enemy’s first wave.

They hurried to aid the wounded and began repairing and reinforcing the defenses.

Li Yunlong immediately issued orders. “Communicators! Have the Sixth Company relieve the Second Company’s position. Bring all grenades to the front line. Prepare all weapons—ready for close-quarters combat at any moment!”

“Don’t hold back the Type 92 machine guns. Fire them hard!”

“Tiger, tell Chu to stand by for my orders, and let Brother Xu’s precious toys have their first taste of blood!”

“Let’s see if heaven smiles on us. With a range of three thousand meters, heh heh, I won’t miss the chance!”

Li Yunlong raised his binoculars again. As the saying goes, example flows from above to below. If the enemy company commander was so arrogant, their senior officers likely moved forward to observe closely as well.

After all, these were just local guerrillas, poorly armed and poorly equipped.

This time Li Yunlong’s guess was correct. The elite Sakata Nobukazu had chosen to advance his headquarters forward.