Devil's Army

Soldiers of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Border Defense Brigade were attacked by the Japanese army from both inside and outside the city, and the defense line was finally breached.

The soldiers of the Second and Third Battalions withdrew to civilian houses and streets, organized a new defensive line, and blocked the Japanese army from advancing further into Tonghua County.

The First Air Force also intensified its bombing of the Japanese army, but it still could not stop the Japanese army from flooding into Tonghua County.

At a critical moment, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army Training Brigade arrived in Tonghua County.

Although only a little over a thousand reinforcements arrived, it was enough to boost the morale of the officers and soldiers of the Second Border Defense Brigade.

Exhausted, Brigade Commander Zhou of the Training Brigade rushed to the command post and asked Brigade Commander Wang about the battle situation.

Brigade Commander Wang said solemnly:

"The situation is not good; the Japanese army in three columns has already broken through our defenses."

"What do you need us to do?" Commander Wang called out to Commander Zhou.

"The situation is critical, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. The Japanese troops on the left flank have broken through our east gate defense line and are now launching a fierce attack. I have no reserves left. You're going there."

"Good, with us here, the Japanese army won't be able to attack from the east gate."

After Commander Zhou finished speaking, he prepared to lead his troops to the East Gate to provide reinforcements.

"Wait a minute," Brigade Commander Wang called out to Brigade Commander Zhou.

"Does Commander Wang have any further instructions?"

"I dare not give orders, but we just received some guns and ammunition. Commander Zhou, take whatever you find useful."

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Comrades, go get some more weapons and come with me to the East Gate!"

The training brigade soldiers quickly ran to the trucks to replenish their ammunition.

Because the Japanese troops on the left flank entered Tonghua County later than those on the right flank, they launched a fierce attack on the streets and houses defended by the soldiers of the Third Battalion in order to gain merit.

Japanese artillery launched a fierce bombardment of the houses and streets where the soldiers of the Third Battalion were hiding.

The houses and streets of the East Gate of Tonghua County were bombed into ruins by the Japanese army.

The soldiers from the Third Battalion rushed over, and without a second thought for their grief, they immediately hid behind the rubble and stubbornly resisted the Japanese attack.

However, due to the disparity in troop strength and inferior firepower, the Japanese army paid a considerable price but still gradually occupied the position of the Third Battalion.

The battalion commander now has less than half of his troops at his disposal, but he did not ask the fourth regimental commander for help because he knew that the fourth regiment had no soldiers left to send.

Just as the soldiers of the Third Battalion were struggling to hold off the Japanese attack, they heard shouts of battle coming from behind them.

The soldiers of the training brigade charged out from behind the soldiers of the third battalion and fiercely attacked the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese troops were caught off guard by the sudden attack.

By the time the Japanese army recovered and launched a counterattack, the soldiers of the training brigade had already recaptured the positions they had just occupied and were fiercely resisting the Japanese counterattack.

The battle in Tonghua County entered a critical stage, and some teachers and students from Tonghua Middle School rushed to the command post to request to join the army to fight against the Japanese.

They had also heard about the Ji'an County massacre and did not want to see Tonghua County occupied by the Japanese army.

Brigade Commander Wang was a rough man with little education. He earned his position as brigade commander entirely through years of bloody battles against the Japanese army.

Despite his current manpower shortage, he disagreed with sending these students to the front lines.

Firstly, these students have not received systematic training, and going to the battlefield would only make them look like men, increasing unnecessary casualties.

Secondly, these students are knowledgeable and are the pillars of the city's future development; they should not be sacrificed on the front lines in vain.

However, the students were eager to join the army.

Commander Wang had no choice but to assign all the female students to the medical team to assist their medics in caring for and rescuing the wounded. The male students were assigned to the transport team to help transport ammunition and the wounded.