A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Dawn breaks once again.

The Japanese army repeated its old tricks: first bombing with planes, then artillery bombardment, and finally using smoke bombs.

This time, however, the seasoned soldiers on the front lines of our army have already felt the tension before the big battle.

After a barrage of bombardments, the Japanese artillery fire extended.

Before long, a commotion arose ahead, and the Japanese attack formation could be faintly seen advancing steadily.

A sharp alarm whistle rang out.

"The enemy is approaching! Prepare for battle!"

At the command of the forward company commander, the soldiers on the front line quickly took their positions, machine guns were set up and aimed at the enemy.

Intense gunfire suddenly erupted!

Under the cover of heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, a large number of Japanese troops rushed in like a tide, launching a fierce attack on our defense line.

Our soldiers fought back fiercely, with heavy machine guns unleashing a dense hail of bullets, and mortars roaring as shells streaked across the sky and accurately struck the enemy lines.

In an instant, the battlefield was filled with a hail of bullets, and the fierce sounds of gunfire and artillery echoed through the sky.

The enemy's vanguard struggled to advance under the powerful firepower of our army, and their attack was thwarted. However, they did not give up. Instead, they made use of the terrain and features to organize fortified positions, set up grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to cover the advance of infantry artillery and rapid-fire cannons.

Immediately afterwards, the two brigades on the left and right flanks of the 101st Division launched wave after wave of fierce, tiered attacks in an attempt to break through our army's defenses.

The Xijing River, running north-south, runs between Xujia Lane on the left flank and Qujiaqiao on the right flank of the Training Corps. It flows all the way to Zhangjiazhai and then crosses the south of the village before flowing into the Wusong River.

The Xijing River naturally separated the Japanese attacking forces on both flanks, forcing them to fight independently and preventing them from coordinating with each other. It also hindered the Japanese flanking attacks.

Conversely, the 1st Regiment on the left flank and the 3rd Regiment on the right flank of the Training Corps took advantage of this natural terrain, relying on each other to effectively protect their flanks and carefully deploying a deep, tiered defense.

The battle intensified, and our casualties continued to rise in the face of the enemy's fierce and sustained attacks.

However, our soldiers did not flinch in the slightest. They held their ground with an iron will and fought a thrilling and desperate battle with the enemy.

Our second-line troops launched successive counter-attacks, but the Japanese soldiers resisted stubbornly under the strict supervision of their officers, resulting in close-quarters melee!

Our machine guns, submachine guns, and Mauser automatic weapons roared incessantly, weaving a deadly net of fire. Grenades and hand grenades from both sides whizzed and exploded amidst the enemy formations, bursting into bursts of sparks.

The Japanese reinforcements continued to pour in, their faces contorted with rage, roaring as they charged forward. Their offensive was extremely fierce, and the two sides clashed in close combat! The fighting grew increasingly intense!

With their superior numbers, the Japanese army has breached our front-line positions in several places!

"Abandon the front line and retreat!"

Song Hongfei decisively adjusted the tactics and organized the 3rd Training Regiment to implement flexible mobile defense.

After a long period of rigorous training and combat experience, the soldiers of the Training Corps have become highly skilled in the application of flexible mobile defense tactics.

The two battalions at the forefront of the 3rd Regiment fought and withdrew in an orderly manner, using pre-set multi-layered positions to carry out tiered resistance, thus wearing down the Japanese army's offensive strength and morale.

Our army has long since deployed a crossfire network of light and heavy machine guns and mortars between the first and second lines, creating a kill zone that is all-encompassing, without blind spots, and airtight. This is a graveyard tailor-made for the enemy!

The Japanese attack echelons were subjected to a barrage of fire with light and heavy machine guns and mortars, which effectively blocked the enemy's breakthrough route and prevented the Japanese from continuing their attack into the rear after a partial breakthrough.

Heavy machine guns, infantry guns, and field guns were used to block and block the enemy's follow-up echelons, making it difficult for the enemy to continue their offensive.

Reserve troops are concealed and ambushed on the flanks and rear, which can both prevent the enemy from flanking out and wait for the opportunity to launch a counterattack and deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

"Da da da!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

Our general-purpose machine gunners were very experienced, combining long and short bursts, and their blocking fire was both accurate and fierce, disrupting and suppressing the Japanese battle formations.

The Japanese soldiers, who were shouting and charging forward, convulsed and fell headlong!

"Heavy machine gun fire! Grenade launchers, take it down!"

Lieutenant Colonel Morita, the vanguard commander of the Japanese 101st Brigade, brandished his command sword and roared.

"You little punk, come and fire back! You're asking for it!" Xu Guohua, the number one machine gunner of the 2nd Battalion, was operating this general-purpose machine gun. He smiled contemptuously as the 250-round yellow ammunition belt bounced merrily, unleashing a fierce hail of bullets.

The Japanese heavy machine guns, fed by 30-round magazines, had poor sustained firepower and were no match for our general-purpose machine guns. Instead, they were easily suppressed by our forces.

The Japanese heavy machine gunner was killed after being hit by several bullets. His assistant gunner immediately took his place, but was also killed. Another assistant gunner rushed forward and continued firing, but was soon shot and killed as well. Immediately, someone else took his place!

Several reserve marksmen of the Japanese company fought bravely and relentlessly, one after another.

Our machine gunners had to admire their fearless fighting spirit, and put away their previous mockery, retaliating with an even fiercer hail of bullets, their guns spitting out long tongues of fire.

However, the Japanese grenade launchers were getting closer and closer with a series of loud thuds, so our machine gunners had to grab their general-purpose machine guns and the assistant gunners carried the tripods and moved to a different position.

"Chase them! Kill them!"

Lieutenant Colonel Morita took the lead and charged into our ranks, only to find that the ground was covered with small pits, each about twenty centimeters in diameter and depth.

These numerous small pits make it very awkward to walk, forcing the attacking echelons to slow down and preventing them from charging forward!

"idiot!"

Lieutenant Colonel Morita looked around again and found that the firing range of a large open area of ​​three to four hundred meters had been completely cleared.

The enemy did not fire, but Morita knew very well that they had not been eliminated. Although their own artillery fire was very intense, it was not intense enough to suppress the enemy's firepower.

Looking at the dense yet chaotic infantry assault formation, Lieutenant Colonel Morita sensed something was wrong and broke out in a cold sweat!

"Baka! This is a trap!"

The Japanese attack echelon had advanced to within tens of meters.

"beat!"

At a command, all our weapons opened fire at once. Countless bullets swept towards the Japanese assault formation like a storm, and long flames spewed from machine guns everywhere, instantly engulfing the Japanese formation in a net of fire.

Caught off guard, the Japanese troops suffered heavy casualties immediately.

Blood mist burst from the Japanese soldiers at the forefront. The fire net formed by our hundreds of light and heavy machine guns was like a life-reaping machine, forming a "harvesting fire net" on the open ground. Japanese soldiers who were caught in this fire net fell to the ground one after another after being hit by bullets.

“Important! Important!”

Captain Hirokawa, the company commander who was in command, was hit by several bullets and died on the spot.

First platoon leader Lieutenant Nagai immediately took command, but was shot in the head and killed. Second platoon leader Lieutenant Nezuki then took command, but was also shot and killed. The third platoon leader, Lieutenant Wakasugi, who took over afterward, was also wounded. Officers continued to be killed and wounded, until finally a sergeant major took command of the dwindling company.

Lieutenant Colonel Morita, who was brandishing his command sword and shouting wildly, was very conspicuous. He and the soldiers next to him were then mowed down by several machine guns of our army. He was hit by several bullets and collapsed headfirst in convulsions.

"Fire rapidly! First, take out the enemy grenade launchers and heavy machine guns! Then take out the enemy attack echelon!"

Battalion Commander Wang Jingxiong roared orders to the mortar unit.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The 82mm mortars, concealed in their firing positions, roared rapidly, unleashing a hail of shells that rained down on the Japanese assault troops exposed in the open field, inflicting heavy casualties.

The regimental infantry artillery company and anti-tank artillery company, personally commanded by Song Hongfei, bombarded the enemy's follow-up echelons with fierce artillery fire, forming an insurmountable barrier of death together with the infantry heavy machine gun fire, firmly blocking the enemy from breaking through.

Subsequently, anti-tank guns and machine guns were leveled, joining the deadly barrage of fire that enveloped the entire Japanese attacking echelon with terrifying direct-fire power, creating a chilling symphony of death.

Level the anti-aircraft guns, and order a military court!

A storm of high-explosive bullets swept across the battlefield, instantly unleashing a bloodbath wherever they went.

The human body, shattered by shrapnel, was instantly torn to pieces, with limbs, severed arms, and internal organs flying everywhere. The burst of crimson blood mist and the flying bits of flesh intertwined to create an extremely terrifying scene, resembling a hellish landscape.

The Japanese soldiers were terrified, and our soldiers were also shocked by the horrific scene.

"Sound the bugle call! Counterattack!"

The stirring and awe-inspiring bugle call suddenly rang out across our positions. Soldiers leaped out of the trenches, unleashing a deafening roar and shouts of battle as they bravely charged toward the enemy.

The Japanese troops, suffering heavy casualties, were in a panic and utterly powerless to resist. They abandoned their armor and weapons and fled in disarray, completely losing their previous arrogance.

"kill!"

"Push forward! Push all the way to the bottom! Don't give the enemy a chance to breathe!"

Our officers raised their arms and shouted, leading their troops in an assault.

Our soldiers relentlessly pursued and killed the Japanese troops, who fled in panic like stray dogs, eventually escaping back to their fortified position in an unnamed ditch.