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

Just as he expected, when the troops quickly crossed the mountaintop, the enemy's artillery had not yet been adjusted. The group of men, like fish that slipped through the net, quickly descended the mountain and ran out of the enemy's position through the farmland.

"That was close! The Mo Dao Regiment was the fastest to react when fighting against so many Chinese troops. They are a formidable enemy!" Staff Officer Koiso exclaimed after reaching the safe zone.

"They are indeed fierce! However, we have inflicted considerable damage on them this time, and it's not impossible for the main force to swarm in and wipe them out in one fell swoop!" The successful night raid greatly boosted Kunimoto Masaji's confidence, and he would have an absolute psychological advantage if he faced the Mo Dao Group again next time!

"Haha, first count the casualties and report the results to the regiment, then await further instructions. Colonel Koiso will certainly not miss this opportunity!" Staff Officer Koiso instructed.

Yesterday's bombing and last night's night raid have kept the Mo Dao Regiment busy. With such a good opportunity, if commanded properly, they will surely reap great rewards! As Kunimoto Masaji said, it is not impossible to wipe out the Mo Dao Regiment in one fell swoop!

"Hey! The count is in. Of our two thousand men who raided the enemy's position at night, a total of 1,204 successfully escaped. The rest were all left on the position..." Kunimoto Masaji reported, holding up the newly compiled data.

"What?... Such heavy casualties?" Staff Officer Koiso exclaimed in surprise.

"The enemy reacted too quickly! The rain of arrows and artillery fire caused considerable casualties to the troops... But it was all worth it. I believe it won't be long before we can avenge these Imperial soldiers!" Kunimoto Masaji comforted him.

"...Go send a telegram!..." Staff Officer Koiso felt terrible. A few years ago, they were almost wiped out by the enemy. At that time, they were blindly arrogant and underestimated the enemy's strength. After so many years, they still suffered such heavy casualties under the surprise attack. It is clear that they still underestimated the enemy!

"Reporting to Staff Officer Koiso, Colonel Shieda has replied!" the communications officer reported, holding the telegram he had just received.

"Read it!" Staff Officer Koiso no longer cared about reading the telegram himself; he was preoccupied with how to seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy and avenge the many Imperial soldiers who had died!

"Yes, sir! Your unit is ordered to rest in place, keep a close watch on the enemy's movements, and launch a general offensive together with the main force once it arrives!" the soldier announced loudly.

"Yosh! Order everyone to rest where they are and wait for the army to arrive!" Staff Officer Koiso stood up in high spirits and gave the order loudly.

……

After the Japanese were driven away, the entire camp was shrouded in a strong sense of grief and indignation. A count revealed that the Japanese ambush had resulted in the deaths of 1,321 men and the serious injury of 567 others. This was undoubtedly a further blow to the Mo Dao Regiment, which had just been afflicted by poison gas. Everyone was determined to fight the enemy to the death!

"Mancang! This grudge must not be left unresolved! Our brothers died too tragically! Many of them were just eighteen or nineteen-year-old kids... I am willing to lead our battalion to catch up with these invading enemies and strike them hard to avenge our brothers!" Qingquan said indignantly.

“Yes! When has our Mo Dao Regiment ever suffered such a huge loss since its establishment? More than 1,300 men! That’s almost three battalions! I’m willing to fight alongside my brother and try to wipe out these little devils!” Shimizu chimed in.

"Brother Cang, give the order! This time the Japanese devils have gone too far. We can't vent our anger without giving them a good beating!" Tiger said indignantly.

"Yes, Commander! We suffered huge losses this time, we must avenge this!"

"Yes! We must get it back!"

A dozen battalion commanders surrounded Mancang, eager to fight. Indeed, yesterday's air raid and this morning's sneak attack had dealt them an unprecedented blow. The Mo Dao Regiment had never suffered such a loss before. They all wanted nothing more than to rush out and have a good fight with the enemy!

"Stop arguing! From yesterday until now, first the poison gas bombs and then the sneak attack, has anyone counted how many soldiers are still combat-ready? Thirty percent! I'm telling you, only thirty percent of our brothers are capable of fighting! How are we going to avenge ourselves?"

"Also, who arranged the guard posts last night? Why were we only discovered when the Japanese were practically right under our noses? Weren't there any sentries on the position?" Man Cang sternly questioned the dozen or so battalion commanders.

"It was...it was me!...It was my arrangement!...At the time, I thought that since the Japanese hadn't made any moves all day, it should be safe at night. Plus, the poison gas on the position hadn't dissipated yet, and there weren't enough people to handle the poisoning, so I didn't make any arrangements!...It's all my fault! My carelessness caused this disaster...I, I'm willing to atone with my death!" Man Xin said with a face full of remorse, drawing his Mauser pistol from his waist and preparing to shoot it at his own head!

"This……"

"I don't want a brand new one!"

"Do not do this!"

Upon seeing this, the crowd quickly tried to dissuade him, and the Qingquan and Qingshui brothers immediately stepped forward and grabbed him from the left and right, taking away the Mauser pistols they were holding.

"What do you want to do? Try to emulate the Japanese samurai spirit by committing seppuku? This is a battlefield! Do you know how many brothers' lives we could lose with just one mistake? Losing more than a thousand brothers' lives at once wouldn't be enough to warrant being shot a hundred times over!" Man Cang said fiercely.

“This… Mancang, Manxin, it was an unintentional mistake. Why not spare his life for his past merits and let him fight the Japanese to avenge himself!” Qingshui said, trying to dissuade him when he saw that Mancang was really angry.

"Yes, yes! Man Xin's unreasonable arrangement was also out of consideration for the brothers to prevent more people from being poisoned. Let's spare his life and see what happens!"

"Uncle Cang, the ancients said that changing generals in the midst of battle is a great taboo. Why not spare Brother Manxin's life and let him kill the Japanese devils properly?" Tiger also advised.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen battalion commanders pleaded for Man Xin's life. After all, they were brothers who had gone through thick and thin together for several years, and no one wanted to see their former brother become the first to be shot!

"Hmph! Considering your hard work over the past few years, you may be spared the death penalty, but you will not escape punishment! From this moment on, you are demoted to a common soldier in the Third Battalion. If you have the ability, kill the Japanese devils and work your way back to the position of battalion commander! Otherwise, slowly atone for your sins by fighting the Japanese devils!" Man Cang said sternly.

"...Yes! Thank you, Commander, for sparing my life! Thank you all for pleading for me! I will kill as many Japanese devils as possible, and I will not be promoted until I have killed 1,321!" Man Xin said firmly, his eyes filled with determination.

"Hmph! Go report to Xizi!" Mancang said with a stern face.

"Yes, sir!" Man Xin gave everyone a standard military salute, turned around and left, his back view full of determination!

"Gentlemen! This battle is unlike any other small skirmish. One wrong move and we'll lose everything, and all the hard work we've put in over the years will be wiped out! Order all troops to retreat now and return to Laohekou to redeploy! Be quick, the enemy won't give us much time!" Man Cang commanded after Man Xin left.