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

Before dawn, in the darkest hour before daybreak, apart from the ongoing battle at the valley entrance, the other brothers were on high alert, ready to fight the Japanese to the death!

Silence, a deathly silence all around! No one knew what tricks the Japanese were up to this time; there was no sign of them.

"Set off fireworks!" Man Cang ordered after waiting a while without any response. The prolonged darkness, with the fighting still raging over there, was disadvantageous for them!

Whoosh! Bang!

Brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky, illuminating the entire valley as if it were daytime. The Japanese devils, as expected, hadn't been up to any good; their main force had already entered the valley and was splitting into two groups, climbing up the mountains on either side, clearly intending to launch a surprise attack under cover of darkness!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Boom boom boom boom!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The battle commenced immediately. The entire tank company and Third Master's artillery company opened fire simultaneously, relentlessly bombarding their respective targets. The Japanese attack was halted for a time. Under the illumination of the fireworks, many Japanese soldiers tumbled down the hillside, suffering heavy casualties under the barrage of arrows!

However, the Japanese soldiers showed no intention of retreating, charging up the mountain wave after wave, as if the fallen were not their own comrades! This desperate fighting style left the brothers speechless!

Dawn broke, but the Japanese charge continued unabated. A counterattack was imminent; a barrage of grenade launchers fired simultaneously, creating a hail of bullets in the air!

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

Just then, a cannon shot rang out from afar. The Japanese soldiers on the hillside visibly cheered, as if this was the moment they had been waiting for, and their fighting spirit intensified!

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

As soon as it got light, both sides became more focused on their objectives. With artillery support from afar, the Japanese counterattacks were immediately effective, and they were only a few dozen meters away from the trenches halfway up the mountain!

"Reporting to Colonel, the enemy's artillery positions have been captured!" a communications soldier reported from under a large rock in the riverbed at the bottom of the valley.

"Yosh! Order them to keep firing and destroy the enemy's tanks! Once the enemy's tanks are gone, the outcome of this battle is decided!" Tatsuo Shigeshita ordered.

This was also his tactical approach: to attack the valley under cover of darkness, leaving artillery positions to support the outside, thus making the battle more competitive! If they attacked during the day, it would be difficult for the enemy's artillery and tanks to even get close to the valley!

Of course, this would result in significant casualties, but as long as we can capture Laohekou, it would all be worth it!

"Hey!... But... the casualties are too high!..." the soldier muttered under his breath.

“Go! Taking down the Mo Dao Group is worth it!” Zhixia Longnan said unmoved.

It wasn't that Tatsuo Shige was heartless and didn't cherish his own soldiers; he knew in his heart that such an opportunity to rush into the valley and get close to the trenches was extremely rare, and if they gave up now, the next casualties would be even greater!

"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied and went to relay the order.

The fighting on both sides was fierce. Although the Japanese soldiers kept dodging and weaving, seeking cover from trees and rocks, their advance slowed and their casualties increased. After all, attacking uphill was extremely disadvantageous for them! Staff Officer Koiso had no choice but to lead his soldiers, taking turns providing cover, and slowly closing in on the enemy. If they could capture a section of the trench, victory would surely be theirs!

"Heaven fights the black dog, traitor to the nation! (Long live the Emperor!)"

"Heaven fights the black dog, traitor to the nation! (Long live the Emperor!)"

"Heaven fights the black dog, traitor to the nation! (Long live the Emperor!)"

Shouts echoed through the valley. The Japanese soldiers were sustained by a single belief; if they gave up, the battle would be over!

"Boom boom boom!"

Soon, the sound of artillery fire rang out again in the distance, and the dozen or so tanks of the Mo Dao Regiment were hit head-on by the artillery fire and were about to be grounded!

"Yoshi! The enemy tanks have been destroyed! Warriors of the Empire, you're all set!" Staff Officer Koiso turned around and saw what had just happened, his confidence soaring as he shouted at the top of his lungs!

"Rabbit, here you go!"

"Dead, dead!"

"Work like those lowly Chinese!"

In an instant, the Japanese soldiers' morale soared, and they charged up the mountain with roars, shifting the balance of victory in their favor.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Boom boom boom boom!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Boom boom boom!"

The two sides were closing in, and the battle had reached a fever pitch. A swarm of guns opened fire—machine guns, rifles—and even grenades, which were rarely used, were being unleashed!

"Order the artillery to bombard the trenches!" Ryūnō, who was constantly watching the battle on both sides of the mountain, saw that the two sides were holding out for a long time without being able to break through and were only a few dozen meters apart, so he wanted to risk sending artillery fire to attack the enemy's trenches.

The two sides were only a few dozen meters apart, making artillery fire ineffective and likely to injure their own men. However, continuing the stalemate would be extremely disadvantageous for them; casualties had already exceeded 40%! No matter how many men they had, they couldn't afford such a stalemate!

"Report! Our artillery positions have been attacked by the enemy and destroyed, rendering them unusable!" the messenger reported.

"Baka! These lowly Chinese bastards always resort to this trick, it's utterly despicable!" Tatsuo Shigeshita was furious, clearly this wasn't the first time he'd encountered this! All the enemy's artillery was captured this way!

The tanks were burned, and the artillery was destroyed; now it was all down to the men charging forward! Fortunately, the enemy also lost their tanks and artillery, bringing both sides back to level terms. However, attacking uphill was clearly disadvantageous for them, and casualties were rising rapidly!

……

"Brother Cang! The Japanese are charging forward relentlessly, and without artillery and tank support, the brothers are under too much pressure and I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for long!" Hu Zi ran over and shouted to Man Cang.

The Japanese soldiers outnumbered them by two, and with yesterday's poison gas attack and night raid, many of our brothers were fighting while ill. Under such pressure, we've already reached our limit in holding on. If we can't drive the Japanese back and get into hand-to-hand combat, things will get very difficult!

"Bow! Use the bow and arrow to target the Japanese officers! See those guys with their sabers in the riverbed? If we wipe them all out, the Japanese will be thrown into chaos!" Mancang didn't have any better ideas at the moment, so he could only let the bow and arrow try it.

"Okay!" Tiger agreed and went to make the arrangements. The enemy was too close to give them any time to assemble and aim, so everything had to be done with extreme caution.

At this point, the firing ports of the tunnels came in handy. Without artillery bombardment, it was difficult to hit the target through the firing ports with firearms alone. They were perfect for mounting crossbows!

"Shhhhhhh!"

Soon, the crossbow bolts, as tall as a man, shot out from the firing port, and one after another, the Japanese officers who were fighting on the battlefield wielding their sabers fell. Staff Officer Koiso, Kunimoto Masaji, and other officers were all skewered like candied hawthorns! Even Shida Tatsuo was grazed on the neck by a crossbow bolt, almost meeting his maker...