Spy Wars: I have space, but I choose to work alone

However, in order to capture the Madang Fortress, which poses a huge threat to the naval fleet, the Xiangkou position, which serves as the barrier of the Madang Fortress, must be captured, so that the land road leading to the Madang Fortress can be opened.

The Hata Detachment had already wasted two full days at the Xiangkou position, and all the officers of the Hata Detachment were thinking about how to quickly break through the Xiangkou position.

Suddenly, an advisor had an idea and asked tentatively:

"Sir, in this situation, can we request support from the Fifth Mortar Battalion?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the officers in the Hata Detachment's eyes lit up. This was a good idea.

"It's a bit against the spirit of Bushido to use the 5th Mortar Battalion less than two days after the war started, isn't it?" A regiment commander expressed his objection.

At this time, Major General Hata Shigekazu suddenly smiled and said to the commander who raised the objection:

"Well, then, your regiment will launch an assault on Xiangkou's position and show us your regiment's bushido spirit."

At this moment, the captain who had sang a different tune immediately stopped talking and smiled awkwardly.

I'm not stupid! I won't play hand-to-hand combat with bullets at every turn!

Soon, the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment of the Hata Detachment received the task of launching another attack on the Xiangkou position before dusk.

Thinking about the nine unsuccessful attacks during the day, the soldiers of the Third Regiment couldn't help but complain about being used as cannon fodder.

"We from the Third Regiment were raised by a stepmother since we came to Taiwan. We are also the people of the Sky Locust and the warriors of the great Locust Army." A soldier from Taiwan complained in a low voice.

The predecessor of the Hata Detachment was a garrison stationed in Wanwan, which was composed only of retired soldiers.

Its role was nothing more than guarding some key parts of the city, railways and ports, and its combat effectiveness was only third-rate among the Japanese troops.

Use the Hata Detachment to attack the solid Madang Fortress instead of using the more powerful standing division.

The idea of the Japanese military headquarters was probably similar to that of the National Government, which used the 16th Army as a garrison to defend the fortress.

These third-rate Japanese soldiers were bound to feel resentful about this brutal assault mission. Just when a second lieutenant was about to teach these soldiers a lesson, a group of strange Japanese soldiers walked into the barracks of the Third Regiment.

Watching these new soldiers skillfully put on full-body protective gear and start assembling mortars.

"Fifth Mortar Battalion?"

An experienced veteran shouted in surprise, and the soldiers of the Third Regiment immediately distanced themselves from the Japanese army as if they had seen a ghost.

"Sergeant, why are we running? There's nothing to be afraid of in the mortar battalion."

A retired veteran who had just been transferred from China and had little experience asked his sergeant in confusion.

The sergeant was about to answer when an officer ordered each squad to send two soldiers to the quartermaster's office to get their supplies.

The sergeant smiled mysteriously, pointed at the soldier who asked the question and another soldier beside him, and asked them to go and lead the way.

Not long after, the soldier who had asked the question just now returned to the queue with a pale face and a pile of Type 95 gas masks in his hand.

"Special bullets?"

A word came to the mind of the soldier who asked the question.

The sergeant then began to emphasize again the key points of using the Type 95 gas mask, and emphasized it for the last time.

"You must get the consent of the Fifth Mortar Battalion and the order from the officers before charging. The Type 95 gas mask is only effective against low-concentration special bullets. Don't go to places with high concentrations."

The soldiers all listened to their sergeant's experience with serious expressions.

In the command room of the Xiangkou position, the commander of the 544th Regiment of the Central Committee, who had just been transferred here, was listening to the chief of staff report on the casualties of the troops.

"In two days, our regiment repelled nine Japanese attacks, killing and wounding more than a thousand Japanese invaders. We lost 289 people, 98 were seriously injured, and countless were slightly injured. We used up one-third of our ammunition, and there were still 1600 people in the regiment who could fight."

In general, the number of people killed in battle accounts for about one-third of the number of people injured.

Hearing that the number of casualties was twice the number of injured, a soldier with a resolute face and a delicate dagger on his waist raised his head. Li Longting, the colonel commander of the 544th Regiment, stood up straight and said seriously:

"Brothers are all great!"

At this time, Li Longting seemed to have thought of something.

"The superiors have repeatedly stressed that if the Japanese army fails to capture the city after a long period of siege, they are likely to use poison gas bombs. We must arrange for people to observe the Japanese army's movements at all times!"

"Don't worry, Commander. I have sent a squad of troops to observe the movements of the Japanese troops!" the chief of staff answered confidently.

“Bang…Bang…”

Before Li Longting could say anything, intensive mortar fire was heard.

The soldiers of the 544th Regiment, who had been prepared in advance, did not panic. Instead, under the command of their officers, they quickly retreated to the blind spot of firepower behind the position and assembled on standby.

Li Longting's pupils were filled with blood, and he said incredulously:

"Do the Japanese really dare to use poison gas bombs openly?"

But it was too late to condemn the Japanese now. Li Longting shouted:

"Third Company, everyone prepare! Once the Japanese enter the position, you must stop them for half an hour at all costs! Buy time for the brothers who follow!"

The more than one hundred men of the third company did not give a loud response to their commander, but drew their bayonets in unison.

The sound of the bayonet locking was heard continuously.

Then he silently put on the more than 100 sets of various gas masks that were distributed to the more than 2,000 people in the regiment, and waited for the officer's order.

Behind them, more than a thousand soldiers were using water from their kettles to wet the masks that had been urgently made in the rear, and put on these simple "gas masks" with heavy faces.

Twenty minutes later, a second lieutenant from the 5th Mortar Battalion carefully observed the poison gas concentration at the Xiangkou position through a telescope.

Based on his rich experience, he did not need any equipment to judge that the gas mask could protect against the current concentration. He turned around and nodded firmly to the captain of the first battalion of the third regiment beside him.

The captain was also wearing a gas mask, and his expression could not be seen. He drew the saber from his waist and swung it forward fiercely, and a dull command sounded:

"Give me the assault!"

A large group of Japanese troops, which had been well prepared, began to move towards the Xiangkou position.

Ten minutes later, Japanese soldiers wearing gas masks and peeking their heads around appeared in Li Longting's telescope. Without a word, he waved his hand and the third company, which had been prepared for a long time, rushed forward with bayonets in hand.

"boom!"

"what!"

"Qiang!"

·····

Soon, the sound of bullets being fired, the screams of soldiers before death, and the harsh metallic sound of bayonets colliding reached the ears of other soldiers of the 544th Regiment, and all the soldiers looked anxiously at their commander.

Team leader Li Longting kept looking at the slowly ticking watch on his wrist. It was the first time he realized that half an hour took so long.

Behind him, a young man wearing a gas mask and casual clothes instead of a military uniform was holding a camera tightly in his hands, his hands and feet shaking uncontrollably.