Devil's Army

Upon hearing that the Ji'an front was under attack by a large number of Japanese soldiers, Brigade Commander Wu immediately ordered Regiment Commanders Wang and Mao to find out the exact strength of the Japanese troops.

However, the morning fog had not yet dissipated, and gunfire and explosions were heard everywhere. Commander Wang and Commander Mao had no way of ascertaining the exact strength of the Japanese forces. They could only estimate that the attacking Japanese army consisted of at least one division.

A division has at least ten to twenty thousand men. Brigade Commander Wu realized the seriousness of the situation; this was no simple sneak attack. He immediately reported to Gray Wolf that very night.

Gray Wolf quickly woke up Leng Feng, and they discussed countermeasures together.

Leng Feng was furious upon hearing this. The War of Resistance Against Japan was nearing victory, and now the Japanese were pulling this stunt on the Sino-Korean border, plunging the border people, who had already begun to enjoy a better life, back into the throes of war.

After discussing with Gray Wolf, Leng Feng decided to transfer the 11th and 12th Brigades of the Southern Second Army, the 364th and 15th Brigades of the Sichuan Army back to reinforce the area.

At the same time, he ordered the 6th, 9th, and 13th Brigades in the old base area to assemble immediately and be ready to be deployed at any time.

At this moment, the Japanese artillery on the banks of the Yalu River also began to fire.

Intense artillery fire covered the riverbank positions of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade.

The four-story bunker next to the railway bridge also collapsed under the fierce shelling of the Japanese army.

A platoon of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade, which had been fiercely resisting the Japanese attack from inside the bunker, was completely buried in the ruins of the tower. The entire platoon was killed in action, with no survivors.

The reeds on the east side of the dock in Ji'an city were ignited by artillery shells, and the flames danced in the fog.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Japanese landing force seized the dock. As soon as they stepped onto the riverside road, they were met with resistance from the main force of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Border Defense Regiment of the 1st Army, which had come from the county town to reinforce them.

The two sides engaged in fierce street fighting in the alleys.

Because they were fighting on home soil, the artillerymen of the border defense brigade dared not fire for fear of accidentally bombing civilian houses.

The Japanese army, however, recklessly poured shells onto the positions of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade.

With superior firepower, the Japanese army pressed forward relentlessly, and the follow-up troops of the 2nd Regiment of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade were suppressed in the rear by Japanese artillery fire and unable to provide reinforcements.

The battalion that arrived at the front line ahead of time used civilian buildings to divide the enemy, and sniper shots kept coming out from behind doors and windows, keeping the Japanese troops tied up in the streets and alleys.

The fierce battle raged until dawn, when the morning mist gradually dissipated. The Japanese army finally broke through the bridgehead defense line and occupied the Chinese side's bunkers and streets, but at a heavy cost.

Meanwhile, in the woods of Wandu Mountain City to the northwest, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade withdrew from the woods under the fierce attack of the Japanese army.

The main force that had arrived had built a second line of defense using the city walls and beacon towers, and mortars were aimed at the roads and railways that the Japanese army was advancing on.

As soon as the Japanese follow-up troops entered the canyon on the southern slope of the Laoling Mountains, they were met with fierce fire from pre-positioned strongpoints. Machine guns on both sides of the canyon swept across the area, leaving the Japanese troops in a dilemma and forcing them to retreat into the ditches beside the road to fight back.

With artillery support, the Japanese troops on the railway bridge broke through the defenses of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment and were advancing towards Ji'an County.

As soon as the three Japanese armies occupied the beachhead positions of the Chinese army on the Yalu River, they immediately advanced into the rear, with follow-up Japanese troops arriving in droves.

The 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade withdrew into Ji'an County and fought a tenacious battle against the Japanese army by relying on the city walls.

Deep in the dense forests of the Laoling Mountains, a scattered regiment of soldiers, led by the second battalion commander, is gathering and reorganizing their equipment, preparing to launch a counterattack against the Japanese army attacking Ji'an, vowing to drive the invaders out of Ji'an's land.