Devil's Army

When the commander of the first regiment saw that the attention of the Japanese troops on the north bank of the Songhua River was attracted by the second battalion, he immediately ordered to cross the river.

The three ships immediately sailed towards the other side of the Songhua River like arrows.

What the regimental commander did not expect was that although the sound of gunfire from their base attracted the attention of the Japanese army, it also aroused the Japanese army's vigilance.

The Japanese troops on the other side of the river launched a flare 20 minutes earlier than expected.

The dark night was immediately illuminated by the flares, and the three ships that had not yet docked were immediately discovered by the Japanese army.

Fierce gunfire erupted from Aomutai, and shells rained down one after another around the boat.

A small boat in the front was hit by a shell and several soldiers were killed instantly.

If they continued to force their way across the Songhua River, even if they could get these platoons of soldiers to the other side, it would be difficult for them to send follow-up troops over. Then these platoons of soldiers would become isolated and surrounded by heavy Japanese troops.

The regimental commander decisively asked the signalman to send a flag signal, asking the three ships to return.

The Japanese artillery shells continued to chase and bomb the three returning small boats.

After being hit by a cannonball, the boat, which had been creaking, finally gave up and broke apart before crossing the center of the river.

The soldiers and boatman on the boat fell into the Songhua River together.

The dark surface of the river was illuminated red by the fire from the exploding shells.

The regiment commander on the shore was so angry that his eyes were burning with anger, but he could do nothing.

The two returning boats quickly entered the reed marsh and disappeared without a trace.

The sound of Japanese gunfire gradually subsided, but they still fired flares into the air from time to time.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion who were holding wooden boards and trying to swim ashore on the river were shot sporadically by the Japanese army, and some soldiers were shot and sank to the bottom of the river.

The regimental commander did not leave, but kept watching the situation on the river. He was waiting for the soldiers to return, and he believed that the soldiers on this ship would not disobey orders to return.

In the end, two of his 25 soldiers were rescued by the boatman.

Six more soldiers swam back holding onto the wooden planks of the boat.

The noise on the river surface also completely stopped, but the Japanese army still fired flares into the air from time to time.

The villagers of Lianhua Village found two horses, and the regiment commander and the guards rushed back to their original base overnight.

The battle here is still going on. The Japanese army on the other side of the river occasionally fires a few shells at this side, and the gunfire continues intermittently.

The Second Battalion Commander saw the First Regiment Commander coming over and immediately walked over and asked:

"Captain, did our soldiers successfully cross the river?"

The captain shook his head sadly and said:

"The river crossing failed. One of our three ships was sunk by the Japanese, and 22 soldiers were killed. Stop the feint and retreat."

This result was not expected by the second battalion commander.

Originally, they thought their battalion was here to attract the Japanese army's attention. After crossing the river from Aomutai, the third battalion would attack the Japanese army from the flank and seize the north bank of the Songhua River in one fell swoop. But now...

After the Second Battalion retreated, the river gradually calmed down. However, the Japanese searchlights shortened the search period and occasionally swept across the dark river.

The Japanese troops at Aomutai probably ran out of flares and did not fire any more. Instead, they dispatched three trucks, which occasionally swept the river with their headlights.

The Japanese patrol team on the river bank kept an eye on the situation on the river surface and immediately fired warning shots at the slightest sign of trouble.

While the 4th Brigade's offensive was blocked by the Songhua River, the 7th Brigade was still fighting a hard battle with the Japanese army in the east.