Devil's Army

At 7:00 a.m. the following day, more than 20,000 Japanese and Korean troops on the banks of the Yalu River, having broken through the outer defense line of the First Border Brigade, launched a fierce attack on Changbai County.

The Japanese 4th Division in Korea and the Japanese 21st Division, armed with heavy artillery and tanks, fiercely bombarded the north, west, and east gates of Changbai County.

Taking advantage of the insufficient manpower of the First Army Air Force, and with the support of Army intelligence, the Japanese air force continuously crossed the border to bomb Changbai County, intending to eliminate this stronghold of the anti-Japanese war on the northeastern border in one fell swoop.

The 4th Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the First Army Defense Force, a directly subordinate unit, combined with scattered troops from several other regiments that had retreated from the front lines and local anti-Japanese armed forces, totaling no more than 6,000 men, put up a tenacious resistance against the Japanese army.

The brigade commander already knew that reinforcements would not arrive so quickly and that the chances of holding the county town were slim, so he evacuated the county government offices, government departments, and the people in the county town to the rear in advance.

In an effort to slow the advance of the Japanese army, the officers and soldiers of the First Border Defense Brigade and local armed forces put up a desperate resistance against the powerful Japanese-Korean allied forces.

Ammunition, supplies, and food prepared in the rear were urgently delivered to the soldiers at the front through the South Gate, which gave the officers and soldiers of the brigade the belief to hold on.

Under the constant bombing by Japanese heavy artillery and air force, the officers and soldiers of the defending brigade and local armed forces suffered heavy casualties. Moreover, the officers and soldiers were quite exhausted from days of continuous fighting.

The Japanese army, with its ample manpower, launched repeated attacks.

Fortunately, the air force of the First Army had already gained air superiority and frequently flew over to launch fierce bombing and strafing attacks on the Japanese and Korean allied forces attacking Changbai County, effectively striking the momentum of the Japanese and Korean allied forces' offensive and slowing down the speed of the Japanese advance.

After several days of fierce fighting, the north, east and west gates of Changbai County were successively breached by the Japanese-Korean allied forces.

The ragged border defense brigade and local armed forces retreated into the city and held out against the ruins.

Machine gunners took turns dying for their country, and supplies from the rear were difficult to reach the soldiers fighting on the front lines due to the blockade by Japanese artillery.

When soldiers ran out of rifle bullets, they fixed bayonets; officers led the charge, taking the lead in counter-attacks.

The river wind swirled snowflakes and gunpowder smoke, and the frozen ground in front of the position was soaked with blood.

At this time, many streets in Changbai County were occupied by the Japanese army, and the First Border Defense Brigade no longer had a united front or complete fortifications.

Every street, every courtyard wall, and every house became a battlefield.

The defending troops broke into smaller groups and used their familiarity with the terrain to resist house by house, fighting the enemy to the death with grenades, bayonets, and even sticks and bricks.

The fires burned all night long, and the sounds of gunfire, fighting, and roars filled the air, making the entire city tremble in the flames of war.

After two full days of street fighting, the First Border Defense Brigade suffered heavy casualties due to the vast disparity in troop strength.

In order to preserve the anti-Japanese forces for the counterattack in Changbai County, the brigade commander decided to break out of the encirclement.

A brigade commander led his remaining troops and local armed forces, totaling less than 3000 men, and fought their way back into the vast Changbai Mountains under the cover of night and snow.

Although Changbai County fell, their spirit remained unbroken. Six thousand soldiers fought against five odds, battling to the death in the isolated city, writing a tragic song of unyielding spirit between the white mountains and black waters.

The Japanese army was not satisfied with occupying Changbai County; its goal was to annihilate all the anti-Japanese armed forces in the area and consolidate its defense zone.

Therefore, the Japanese army relentlessly pursued the retreating border defense brigade and local armed forces.

In order to cover the retreat of the main force of the First Border Defense Brigade, the local armed forces volunteered to stay behind and block the pursuing Japanese army.

A stirring battle song echoed through the dense forests outside Changbai County.