The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

The grenadiers from each Japanese squad immediately deployed their grenade launchers and began firing grenades at the Chinese firing points, eliminating them in a targeted manner. "Bang!" a grenade exploded right where Lao Liao had been. The shrewd and experienced Lao Liao, already hiding a few meters away, calmly aimed at another enemy. "Bang!" the enemy fell to the ground. As Lao Liao prepared to strike another Japanese soldier, he caught a glimpse of several Japanese soldiers advancing from the right side of the position. He turned his head and saw the two soldiers defending the right side lying in a pool of blood. Without further ado, Lao Liao quickly swung his gun, aimed at the leading Japanese soldier, and pulled the trigger. With a resounding "bang!" the soldier fell to the ground. He then aimed at the next Japanese soldier, but before he could fire, a bullet mercilessly struck him in the head.

"Old Liao!" Squad Leader Wu let out a heartbreaking cry. He rushed over from the side, submachine gun tightly gripped, and fired fiercely at the flanking Japanese troops. The dense firepower temporarily forced the Japanese back, and Squad Leader Wu then flew to Old Liao's side. However, Old Liao had already died a heroic death, his departure so sudden and yet so peaceful. Squad Leader Wu suppressed his grief and silently reached out to close Old Liao's eyes, which had not yet closed, and then carefully laid him flat on the ground. Then, he reached out and untied the three British grenades hanging from Old Liao's belt, holding them tightly in his hands, and quickly flanked back to the right position.

At the same time, the platoon leader had noticed the situation on the first squad's side. He was extremely anxious and hurriedly led his soldiers to rush over from the second trench to support them. Under the tenacious resistance of everyone who risked their lives, the Japanese army finally retreated in disgrace, leaving behind dozens of corpses.

Of the 1 men in the 25st Platoon's two squads, only 13 remained, most of them gravely wounded. In other words, in just this brief battle, 12 soldiers had already fallen in a pool of blood. Platoon Leader Lu Denghui, his face etched with fury, slammed his helmet to the ground. The soldiers had fought bravely; not a single one had fled out of fear. It was simply that the 1th Division had too many new recruits, and the Japanese were far superior in marksmanship. Most of the casualties were caused by single headshots. With only 96 men left to defend two trenches, they were clearly too few. Desperate, Lu Denghui detoured back to company headquarters south of the bridge and requested that another squad of soldiers be brought over.

The company headquarters had been requisitioned by Chen Mingren, commander of the 112th Regiment, as the Binhe River North Command. He immediately ordered a makeshift platoon from the 112st Battalion of the 1th Regiment to relieve the platoon from the 96th Division's advance battalion. He observed clearly from behind that the soldiers in the platoon fought bravely, but with so many new recruits, the frontline defense was weak. After handing over the position to the 1th Regiment's platoon, the 112st Platoon Leader detoured back to the Qiaonan Command Headquarters and, along with another squad, took charge of covering the flank of Hill 501.

The improvised platoon of the 112th Regiment, which took over the position, was led by the deputy commander of the 2th Company, 5nd Battalion. Although it was called a platoon, it actually consisted of only 28 men, equipped with three machine guns and four submachine guns, weapons acquired from the retreating British-Burmese 3st Division. The British 4st Division's commander, Sleet, was also generous; since they were retreating anyway, he left all his heavy firepower to the Chinese.

"Baka! Baka! Baka!" Lieutenant Colonel Sato Akio slapped Captain Suzuki Daiyama, who was in charge of commanding the attack, several times. This was one of the prices he paid for his arrogance. Another price was that nearly half of the soldiers in his squadron could not come back.

The lieutenant colonel could only take this approach to vent his anger. Chief of Staff Colonel Seizaburo Okazaki was on the way, so he had to speed up the organization of the second attack and try to capture the north bank of the Bin River before the colonel arrived, and also prevent the Chinese army from blowing up the bridge!

The lieutenant colonel vented his anger and waved his hand. Suzuki bowed repeatedly with a sense of relief and retreated. Sato Akio ordered Captain Kobayashi Hatsu to immediately organize a second attack. Over ten mountain guns and mortars bombarded the Chinese positions again.

Lieutenant Colonel Suzuki felt a pang of pain in his heart. Once, as a captain, he commanded a squadron of Japanese troops in the Chinese battlefield, daring to attack entire Chinese regiments, often successfully defeating them and capturing abundant spoils. But now, the Chinese troops before him numbered only a few hundred men. Under the bombardment of aircraft and artillery, a reinforced squadron was unable to break through the enemy's front lines, and he himself had lost dozens of brave soldiers. The lieutenant colonel observed his men with a cold eye. These soldiers were of varying quality, their quality far inferior to the mighty squadron he had led that day.

After all, the Empire cannot match China's vastness and population. This is why we must fight bravely. May the Empire's military fortunes endure, so that our sacrifices will have a price. Suzuki Akio thought of this, gathered himself, and waved to the guards around him. He was ready to personally lead the charge and take down this abominable place in one fell swoop!

"Boom--", an artillery shell exploded in front of the company deputy Liu Jiang. Liu Jiang and a soldier were hiding in a trench. The shell did not cause any harm except covering them with mud and dust.

Liu Jiang dug through the thick dirt in front of his position, carving out a good observation spot. He calmly watched the looming enemy charging towards him. "Prepare for battle!" Liu Jiang commanded, and the soldiers cleared the dirt in front of their positions, clearing their firing range.

The new 38th Division, composed primarily of veterans and soldiers returning from injury, was significantly more effective than the 96th Division. This was the confidence that gave General Liu Fangwu of the 113th Regiment the courage to launch a counterattack against the Japanese with a regiment of more than 1300 men. Unfortunately, this brave and skilled soldier was severely wounded and forced to withdraw from the battlefield.

"Hit hard!" Liu Jiang shouted, and the entire platoon opened fire with all its light and heavy weapons at the incoming Japanese troops, who fell one after another. However, under the personal command of Lieutenant Colonel Suzuki, the frenzied Japanese continued to charge forward regardless of everything. The Japanese mountain artillery and mortars continued to bombard Hill 501, Dungong Village, and the positions on the north bank of the Binhe Bridge. The Japanese heavy machine guns "thump, thump---" continuously fired a hail of bullets, and grenade launchers rained down grenades.

The positions surrounding Dungong Village were quickly lost. The Japanese used these positions to attack the village while simultaneously attacking the frontline positions on Hill 501, a corner of the village. Liu Jiang's improvised platoon had already lost seven soldiers, and the enemy's firepower made it difficult for the soldiers to raise their heads. Fortunately, the 7nd Platoon of the 1st Company of the Advance Battalion, positioned on the hill, suppressed the enemy's charge with several heavy machine guns, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides.