Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Where will Chapter 93 be?

The moment Song Mei jumped off the truck, Su Yaoyang seemed to see a graceful figure.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and the waistline cinched by the belt of her Type 36 German military uniform drew a breathtaking arc in the morning light.

Su Yaoyang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the curves that rose and fell with her breath, and his Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously.

"Have you seen enough?"

She suddenly turned around, her leather boots crunching over the newly sprouted weeds in the cracks of the stones. Her watery eyes pierced through him, the slight upturn at the corners giving her questioning a hook-like quality.

Su Yaoyang blushed, then coughed lightly and said seriously to Song Mei, "I haven't seen enough, so I plan to watch for the rest of my life."

"you……"

Now it was Song Mei's turn to lose her temper. She strode up to him and glared at him fiercely. Just as she was about to speak, she heard him say, "I'm not joking. I'm serious. If you're willing, I'll ask someone to propose marriage to you after this battle."

"I……"

Seeing Su Yaoyang's serious expression, Song Mei knew that he was not joking with her. She was speechless for a moment, feeling her pretty face burning. She let Su Yaoyang's hot breath hit her face, and a strange atmosphere rose between the two of them.

Just as the two were feeling a little awkward, a communications soldier rushed over, saluted him, and shouted loudly.

"Commander, Deputy Commander Huang reports that half an hour ago, the tank company encountered Japanese tank units more than 30 miles east of Teng County."

After a fierce battle, our army destroyed nine Japanese tanks, and the remaining Japanese troops are fleeing towards Tengxian County.

The arrival of the communications soldier conveniently eased the awkwardness between the two.

"Keep your eyes to yourself." Song Mei's voice was low and tinged with shame and indignation. After saying that, she turned and left quickly.

But as she turned around, the full curve of her hips, accentuated by the belt, swayed like a blur in the sunlight.

Su Yaoyang whistled as he watched her leave, then strode toward his jeep. Soon the jeep started moving, crossed the pontoon bridge, and sped toward Teng County.

"I've shed blood and risked my life for the Party and the country, so it's not too much for me to pick up a girl, right?"

"What? My tank squadron was wiped out, with only one tank returning?" Major General Seya grabbed the staff officer's collar, his eyes filled with astonishment and panic, the veins on the back of his hand bulging like twisted earthworms.

It started raining heavily again outside. The rain pounded against the roof outside the window, and the sound of rain was mixed with the muffled explosions of artillery shells in the distance.

The staff officer's glasses hung askew by his ears, the lenses splattered with mud, reflecting the major general's distorted face. His bloodshot eyes seemed about to burst their sockets, and his jaw muscles twitched incessantly.

At this moment, Keiji Seya was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe. That was an entire tank squadron! For resource-poor Japan, even he, as the brigade commander, couldn't bear such a heavy burden.

“Brigade Commander, now is not the time to be sentimental.” The chief of staff stepped forward and reminded him, “Now that the Chinese tanks have appeared, it means that their main force must be not far from us. We need to prepare in advance.”

“You’re right!” After nodding, Seya Kei immediately issued a series of orders: “Immediately order the 10th Regiment to speed up and make sure to wipe out the remaining Chinese troops in Teng County before noon today.”

The 63rd Regiment was ordered to return to their posts immediately and to hold Teng County at all costs.

"I further request that the Army Air Force dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance east of Tengxian County, and make sure to ascertain the size of the attacking Chinese army."

"Hai!"

"Brigade Commander, the Second Company of the Third Battalion stationed in the east of the city reports that an unspecified Chinese tank unit is approaching them." "The Chinese army is here so quickly?"

Startled, Seya Kei strode out of the courtyard that served as the command post.

Through the misty window, I could see the only Type 95 tank that had escaped and was parked in the mud not far away.

The gun barrel drooped like a broken reed, the armor was covered with charred bullet holes, and half a bloody twig was stuck in the gaps between the tracks. All of this showed how fierce the battle this morning had been.

A premonition suddenly welled up in his heart. The Chinese army that attacked this time even had tank units, which showed that they were no ordinary troops. Could the 33rd Brigade defeat them this time?

Just as Seya Kei ordered a full-scale alert, the damp, decaying leaves, mixed with the metallic smell of a radio, wafted into the nostrils from the depths of the dense forest on the eastern outskirts of Fuji Prefecture.

The telegraph operator sat under a crooked birch tree, his knuckles rapidly turning the knob, leaving deep red marks on his palm as he pressed the telegraph key.

In the distance, the muffled sound of artillery shells could be faintly heard, startling a few crows that fluttered across the treetops, their feathers mixed with morning dew, landing on the canvas tent.

Huang Guantao and three company commanders huddled around a waterproof map, pointing at it and discussing their battle plan.

"Commander!"

The telegraph operator's voice was filled with anxiety: "The regimental commander is calling. General Wang Mingzhang has... has already died a heroic death yesterday."

The regimental commander ordered us to halt our advance and wait for the main force to arrive before making a decision.

"What..." Huang Guantao's body trembled, he was shocked. They had arrived in Teng County on the morning of the 18th as required by the command, so how could Division Commander Wang Mingzhang still have died in battle?

However, as a veteran who had served in the military for more than ten years, he immediately realized that since Wang Mingzhang had died for his country, Tengxian must have been occupied by the Japanese army, and there was no point in continuing to advance.

"Battalion Commander, what should we do?" Several company commanders from the Fourth Battalion also looked at Huang Guantao.

Huang Guantao thought for a while, and when he glanced at the map by chance, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind, and his eyes lit up instantly.

He strode to the map and pointed to the location of Teng County: "Look, everyone... this is Teng County, and we are right here now."

According to the intelligence we had received beforehand, the attacking force in Tengxian was the Japanese 33rd Brigade and its attached units.

From yesterday until now, we have eliminated a Japanese cavalry squadron and a tank squadron, which means that the Japanese rapid-mobility forces on the outskirts of Tengxian have been basically wiped out by us.

You're saying there aren't any Japanese troops outside the county town yet?

"There shouldn't be any more," the 10th Company Commander said, puzzled. "The Japanese aren't stupid. The news that we have a tank unit must have already reached their ears."

If the Japanese commanders weren't out of their minds, they certainly wouldn't leave their troops outside the city to be our targets.

“Yes, that’s right.” The other two company commanders nodded in agreement.

"That's not necessarily the case."

Huang Guantao's sharp gaze swept over everyone. "Have you forgotten? According to intelligence, the Japanese deployed an artillery battalion and an independent heavy artillery battalion as cover in order to take Tengxian."

These cannons weigh several tons, even tens of tons. Normally, that might not be a problem, but there's definitely still sporadic fighting in Tengxian County. Unless the Japanese are stupid, they won't drag these cannons into the city. Where do you think they'll put them?

(End of this chapter)