I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

"Boom boom boom!"

The next morning, while the entire town was still asleep, a violent explosion resounded throughout the Shijiawan position! Before the soldiers on duty could react to the rumble of the planes, the bombs were already falling! Immediately afterwards, explosions rang out everywhere, and the hills on both sides were filled with waves of dust kicked up by the explosions. Thick yellow smoke rose from the craters and soon filled the entire valley.

"Damn it! The Japanese used poison gas!" Mancang hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with one hand and tore off a pocket from his clothes with the other, tying it to his face. "Tear off your clothes, wet them, and cover your mouth and nose. Quickly get into the tunnel to hide. Remember to block the tunnel entrance! Hu Zi, quickly tell everyone to release the balloons!"

Mancang rushed to the position after receiving a message from Lao Yao and the others via carrier pigeon. He never expected that the Japanese would use poison gas in the first wave of attacks. Moreover, the enemy had obviously scouted their deployment. The planes only circled over the hills on both sides, and the large fields of crops in the middle were not affected at all!

"Understood!" Tiger tore off his collar, wet it with a water bottle, tied it to his face to block his mouth and nose, and called to several panicked soldiers to quickly learn from him, tearing off their clothes to tie their mouths and noses and running away into the distance.

They were naturally prepared to deal with the Japanese planes, but the Japanese, lacking any martial spirit, launched a surprise attack early in the morning, catching them off guard. Soon, a cluster of colorful hydrogen balloons rose from the position. The two planes, seemingly swallowed by the balloons and losing their bearings, made a mistake and plunged straight into the deep hills, crashing into rocks and bursting into flames!

Immediately afterward, several colorful balloons rose from various locations on the position. Seeing the situation was not good, the remaining three planes quickly increased their altitude, made a sharp turn ahead, and left! Don't underestimate these small hydrogen balloons; they can cause significant interference to pilots in the air, and a slight mistake could result in a crash and loss of life! If the soldiers had detected the approaching planes in time and released the hydrogen balloons beforehand, these planes would have been helpless!

"Uncle Cang! The Japanese poison gas is too powerful. Too many brothers have inhaled the gas and are having difficulty breathing, panting like bellows! The medical team is simply overwhelmed!" The hunter ran over to report as the plane flew away.

"One wrong move and the whole game is lost! A small poison gas bomb has ruined all our previous efforts. It seems we've been complacent these past few years!" Man Cang sighed as he looked at the mess on the ground.

"Huh?... Brother Cang and his men were only injured by the poison gas bombs. It's not like they've lost everything yet, is it?..." The hunter was puzzled. Why was their usually resilient leader so fragile this time? Did a single wave of poison gas bombs make him lose confidence? Was that really necessary?

"Hehe, just a casual remark. Quick! Order each battalion to leave one squad to release the balloons, and all the other brothers to evacuate the position and rush to treat the wounded! The Japanese bombing will definitely not be limited to this wave, so hide well and don't let the Japanese planes find you. Let them bomb as many bombs as they want! We'll give the Japanese a surprise attack!" Mancang ordered.

Since the Japanese have chosen to use poison gas, they won't be able to attack us for a while. In that case, let's cooperate and put on a show like "The Empty City Stratagem"!

"Ah?...Yes!" The hunter thought for a moment, understood the leader's intention, and immediately responded.

Constructing tunnels on the position was one of their magic weapons against the Japanese. Located in a hilly area, the layout of tunnels was naturally indispensable. All that preparation over such a long period of time was not in vain. After the order was given, each battalion arranged its tasks and quickly withdrew from the position through the tunnels. In the blink of an eye, the position, which was filled with screams of agony just a moment ago, became silent, with only thick yellow smoke billowing towards the farmland in the middle.

Sure enough, the second wave of bombing by the Japanese arrived as scheduled half an hour later. Five bombers lined up and flew over the position in the blink of an eye, dropping a string of bombs!

"Boom boom boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, and in no time the entire hill was blasted into scorched earth, its height reduced significantly. However, the Mo Dao Regiment was well-prepared this time, releasing hydrogen balloons early on. The sky filled with hydrogen balloons, forcing the fighter jets to climb and flee in panic. Although they failed to capture another aircraft, the Japanese bombers also gained no advantage, forced to withdraw before completing a single bombing run, clearly failing to achieve the desired effect.

Soon after, a reconnaissance plane flew overhead, turned around in front of the position, and flew back. Below, on the back side of the hills, the brothers were huddled in the woods, itching with hatred!

"Damn it, those Japanese devils are just taking advantage of the fact that we don't have any anti-aircraft weapons. If they have the guts, fly lower! I'll shoot them down without a swarm of them!" Tiger said through gritted teeth in the woods.

"The Japanese suffered a great loss in the county town last time, so of course they dare not fly at low altitude! Just wait! The Japanese didn't gain much advantage in the two bombings either. I estimate that they will organize an attack soon. After taking care of the wounded, let the brothers go all out and kill them and vent their anger!" Qingquan advised from the side.

"Those Japanese devils are despicable! Their poison gas has rendered more than 20% of our brothers incapacitated. When has our Mo Dao Regiment ever suffered such a loss? I wonder where their airfield is? I really want to lead my men there and wipe them out!" Tiger said viciously.

“It’s a bit late! If we had received the news earlier, it might have been in time. Once the battle starts, the Japanese will definitely protect the airport like a solid fortress. Sending people to bomb the airport now will most likely not succeed. Tell the observation posts at the front to keep a close eye on the Japanese movements. This battle has only just begun!” Man Cang said from the side.

They bombed two airports in succession but still couldn't escape the fate of being bombed. Judging from the interval between the two bombings, the Japanese airports were not too far away from them. However, it was too late now. They would definitely eliminate the surrounding threats when they had the chance later!

They waited all day, but apart from the initial two rounds of bombing, the expected attack did not occur. By dusk, the poison gas on the position had dissipated, and the men returned to their positions.

This is the only way to get into Guya County from this direction; by waiting patiently, we can surely wait for the Japanese to arrive.

……

Twenty kilometers from Shijiawan, in Sanqiao Town, Zhishita Tatsuo's 139th Regiment had already assembled. Tanks and artillery were readily available, and 20,000 elite imperial troops, along with 1,500 soldiers under Kunimoto Masazumi, formed a powerful attack force. They awaited only the order to strike; it was believed that even the most formidable army could not withstand the imperial onslaught!

"Colonel, it's already night, is it time to launch an attack?" Kunimoto Masaji asked impatiently, glancing at the time, which was already 10 p.m.

The daytime bombing did not achieve the desired results. No one expected that a few small hydrogen balloons would actually cause trouble for the usually invincible bombers! So they decisively abandoned their original plan and prepared to launch a night attack on Shijiawan!