Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 103 Entering the Manor
"Enough...stop arguing!"

Looking at the several battalion commanders arguing below, Su Yaoyang felt both gratified and helpless.

It is said that the ability to rejoice at the prospect of war is an important indicator of an army's excellence, but having overly belligerent subordinates can also be a happy problem.

After a moment's thought, he slowly stood up and declared loudly, "I command!"

"Wow!"

All the officers below stood up.

"Tonight I will personally lead the 1st, 3rd and 6th Battalions, the guard company, the communications company and the tank company into the village to prepare for tomorrow's counterattack."

Huang Guantao led the remaining troops to stay on the south bank of the canal as a reserve force, ready to reinforce the village at any time. The counterattack against Taierzhuang was scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Let me make this clear from the start: in this battle, there is no retreat, and I am invincible. If anyone dares to desert or retreat without a fight, don't blame me, Su, for enforcing battlefield discipline! By the end, Su Yaoyang's voice was filled with a chilling killing intent.

Seeing Su Yaoyang's murderous aura, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. No one dared to doubt Su Yaoyang's resolve, and they all answered in unison, "Yes!"

The night was as dark as ink, and the pontoon bridge could only be seen as a blurry outline under the faint moonlight.

The creaking of the wooden planks mingled with the soldiers' rapid breathing, and the German-made military boots splashed up tiny droplets of water as they stepped over them.

Among the crowd, some people walked carefully while cursing under their breath about the slippery bridge surface, their fingers gripping the rifle sling tightly.

The muffled roar of engines came from hundreds of meters away from the pontoon bridge. The sound of several pontoon bridge vehicles rolling over the gravel beach startled a few night birds, and their fluttering shadows skimmed across the water.

The river breeze, carrying the smell of gunpowder, pierced their nostrils. Suddenly, the leading officer raised his hand, and the entire team froze into a series of dark silhouettes.

A flickering light appeared on the opposite bank. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and stared intently at the bright light beneath his helmet until he confirmed it was just a phosphorescent remnant.

The pontoon bridge vehicle has deployed its steel frame, and the clanging of metal is particularly jarring in the silence.

In the midst of the busy work, a soldier suddenly stumbled, his helmet hitting his comrade's shoulder with a dull thud, immediately drawing a fierce glare from his squad leader. He bit his lower lip, forcing back the cry of pain that welled up in his mouth, and wiped the sweat from his palms on his trouser seams.

By the time the eastern horizon turned a bluish-green, the queue on the pontoon bridge had thinned considerably.

As the last few engineers were piling sandbags onto the bridgehead, cheers suddenly erupted from the pontoon bridge vehicle. Someone took off their hat and waved it, but stopped awkwardly after seeing the officer's gloomy face.

The moment the pontoon bridge was completed, a series of low rumbling sounds rang out from the south bank. The tracks of nine Chaffee tanks rolled over the steel plates, making a dull creaking sound, startling a few water birds in the reeds on the bank. The river surface shimmered with a leaden gray light, reflecting the blurry image of the steel behemoth.

At the same time, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the other side of the pontoon bridge. The officers and soldiers of the 31st Division, who had just finished changing shifts with the security regiment, came out of the village. When they saw the steel monsters coming towards them, they were all startled.

The leading officer suddenly raised his hand, bringing the ranks to an abrupt halt. His pupils contracted sharply, and his right hand instinctively pressed against his holster.

Before him, more than a dozen enormous vehicles were crushing through the morning mist and approaching them, their towering cannons gleaming with a cold, sinister light as they pointed at them.

The soldiers in the front row instinctively stepped back and bumped into the people behind them, causing a chorus of shouts and curses.

Some soldiers looked on with despair, while others began to unfasten the grenades from their waists, until the rising sun pierced through the clouds and illuminated the Kuomintang emblem on the tank hatch.

"It's our tanks!" someone shouted. With the rumble of tanks, these steel monsters drove up and stopped in front of them, and the two teams suddenly met.

Under everyone's gaze, a brown-haired, blue-eyed foreigner crawled out of the turret and shouted in broken Mandarin, "Get out of the way! We have a mission to enter the village. You can't afford to delay the battle!"

"My grass..."

The soldiers of the 31st Division were startled by the sudden appearance of the foreigners, but then they felt a surge of anger as they realized what was happening.

We're all soldiers, who the hell is afraid of who? Why should I have to give way?

Just as everyone was at an impasse, a voice rang out from behind: "What the hell are you all looking at... Didn't you hear what they said? Get out of the way!"

Upon looking, everyone saw that it was Division Commander Chi Fengcheng, Deputy Division Commander Kang Faru, and the Chief of Staff who had appeared behind them. He wiped his face, the bloodstains on his palm leaving dark red marks on his cheekbones, and said in a low voice, "Make way!"

Upon hearing his order, the soldiers of the 31st Division stood close to the bridge railing, watching the steel torrent pass by.

After the nine Chaffee tanks passed by, four M3 troop carriers and dozens of trucks loaded with supplies rumbled past.

Watching the vehicles rumble away, Chief of Staff Qu Shen's eyes revealed envy as he sighed, "If only our division had equipment like that!"

Deputy Division Commander Kang Faru said with a wry smile, "Last night, when I was changing shifts with them, although it was too dark for me to see clearly, I could already feel that the equipment of this Nanjing Security Regiment was really too good."

But only now do I realize that the difference between them and us is like that between a beggar and the Dragon King.

Qu Shen retorted somewhat defiantly, "So what? If we had such equipment, I dare to order our division to launch a full-scale counterattack against the 10th Division!"

"Alright!" Chi Fengcheng shook his head. "No matter what, they are our allies. If word gets out that we're being jealous, it will only make us look bad."

Besides, I think Brother Su is a magnanimous person. Building a good relationship with him will benefit us in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Qu Shen's eyes lit up.

Yes, judging from the equipment of the security regiment, Su Yaoyang clearly has his own methods. Otherwise, how could he be equipped with a full set of American-made equipment? This is unique in the National Revolutionary Army.

If you get on his good side, I can't say for sure what else, but getting a batch of submachine guns, machine guns, or mortars shouldn't be a problem, right?
Just as Chi Fengcheng, Qu Shen, and others were pondering and leading the remnants of the 31st Division across the canal back to the south bank, dozens of miles away from Shijiazhuang, Li Zongren, Sun Lianzhong, and others sat quietly in the Second Army Group headquarters, all drinking tea in silence.

Sun Lianzhong raised his wrist to look at his watch, then looked at Li Zongren: "Commander Li, it's almost seven o'clock."

I'd really like to see if that kid Su Yaoyang can keep his promise and take back the lost territory of Taierzhuang.

Li Zongren chuckled and said, "I don't ask for much. I would be satisfied as long as he can take back half of the position at Taierzhuang."

As they were speaking, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out in the distance.

One of the staff officers shouted excitedly, "It's starting... the security regiment has launched a counterattack!"

(End of this chapter)