Devil's Army

The entire Tonghua County began operating efficiently. The local people who remained in Tonghua County were doing their part to assist the Second Border Defense Brigade in repelling the Japanese attack.

The Japanese attack never stopped; as soon as the soldiers in front fell, the soldiers behind rushed in.

The houses and streets of Tonghua County continued to be occupied by the Japanese army.

The Second Border Defense Brigade and the Training Brigade have less and less room for maneuver.

The fierce street fighting lasted for three days, and the Japanese army had advanced to the main street of Tonghua County, not far from the command post.

Japanese artillery shells had already exploded around the command post.

The soldiers advised Brigade Commander Wang to lead a unit to retreat so that he could make a comeback.

Brigade Commander Wang refused without even looking up:

"This is my place of glory, Wang Guohua. I will not go anywhere else."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Brigade Commander Wang to retreat, the guards quickly sought out Brigade Commander Zhou from the Training Brigade to come and persuade him.

At this time, the training brigade had also suffered more than half of its casualties and was struggling to resist the Japanese army's frenzied attack together with the 3rd Battalion.

Upon hearing the guard's plea, Brigade Commander Zhou also felt that as the main force stationed in Tonghua County and Ji'an County, they could not be completely wiped out here. They should preserve their strength and wait for an opportunity to reclaim the territory occupied by the Japanese army.

He accompanied his bodyguard to the command post to persuade Brigade Commander Wang to lead a unit to retreat, leaving the area to their training brigade.

Brigade Commander Wang smiled bitterly, his heart aching:

“My Second Border Defense Brigade has a large number of men, but now there are less than 4000 left. We have not been able to protect Tonghua County. Can your Training Brigade, with only 1000 men, do the same?”

Brigade Commander Zhou was speechless. With their training brigade's small force, they could at most hold off the Japanese attack for a few hours. But he still tried to persuade them, unwilling to give up:

"Take a troop and withdraw from Tonghua County first. When reinforcements arrive, seize the opportunity to retake Tonghua County."

"I am already a sinner for failing to defend Ji'an County, which led to the Ji'an Massacre. I cannot allow a massacre to happen in Tonghua County as well. You should withdraw and wait for reinforcements to arrive before seizing Tonghua County."

"You are the main force in resisting the Japanese invaders. With you here, there is hope for the recapture of Tonghua County and Ji'an County."

"At this point in the war, it's no longer a matter of main force or not. We are all Chinese soldiers. If the Japanese invaders want to occupy Tonghua County, they will have to step over our dead bodies!"

"We are all Chinese soldiers! How resounding!" Brigade Commander Zhou stopped trying to persuade him; he was determined to hold the defensive line east of the command post. If the Japanese wanted to break through, they would have to step over his dead body.

At that moment, a communications soldier rushed over and reported:

"Report! We've arrived!"

Brigade Commander Wang glared at him with displeasure, and shouted angrily:

"What's the panic? We're here now. Grab your guns and come with me to stop the Japanese devils."

"No, no, the ghost has arrived."

"Take a sip of water, catch your breath, and clear your tongue before you speak. What the hell is going on?"

The communications soldier grabbed a glass of water from the table, gulped it down in one go, then wiped his mouth and said:

"Brigade Commander, it's not the Japanese who have arrived, it's our reinforcements! The 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army has arrived!"

"Oh?" Brigade Commander Wang put down his submachine gun and asked:

"Be more specific!"

Brigade Commander Zhou, who was about to leave the command post, stopped and turned back.

The communications soldier handed Brigade Commander Wang a telegram and then said:

"Two battalions of the 728th Regiment, the vanguard of the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army, have arrived outside Tonghua County. When I arrived, they were fighting the Japanese army."