The War of Resistance Against Japan: Special Operations Battalion Traverses Shanghai and Slaughters

The remaining Japanese engineers dared not continue clearing mines; they lay there trembling, too afraid to move.

Seeing his subordinates falling one after another, Noda Sengo was extremely anxious and could only ask Sasaki for instructions.

"Brigade Commander, what do we do now?"

But even Sasaki Ichiki himself was completely confused and his mind was in turmoil.

After thinking for a moment, he continued to issue foolish orders.

"I estimate that the Chinese army cannot lay too many landmines in a short period of time. Go and organize a suicide squad to clear a passage."

"What?! The suicide squad..."

Noda Sengo was surprised that the brigade commander would issue such an order. He glanced at Sukegawa Shinji beside him, wondering whether he should obey.

"What are you waiting for? Go now..."

Sasaki was eager to leave as soon as possible. He knew very well that if they continued to delay, both regiments would likely perish here.

Noda Sengo sighed inwardly and had no choice but to turn around and assemble a suicide squad.

However, he cursed Sasaki in his heart: "He's a fucking inhuman, a real pig. How could he come up with such a terrible idea? This is just sending Imperial soldiers to their deaths for nothing."

As a result, when the Japanese soldiers of the 33rd Regiment heard that a suicide squad was being formed to clear mines with their own bodies, no one signed up.

Left with no other choice, Noda Sengo forcibly selected thirty officers to threaten them, saying that if they disobeyed, they would be executed on the spot.

These thirty Japanese officers thought they were going to die anyway, so they might as well die on the way to clear mines.

This way, at least there will be a reward afterward, and the family members can also enjoy preferential treatment.

These thirty Japanese officers were really going all out; they took off their outer garments and wore plasters with corn plasters printed in the middle on their foreheads.

(The term "bachi-maki" is the Japanese name for a forehead band. Forehead bands originated as a means of protection against the cold, created by ethnic minorities in northern China. They were commonly worn by warriors in ancient times. The *Gujin Zhu* records, "When Qin Shi Huang toured the coast, sea gods also came to pay homage, all wearing forehead bands, scarlet robes, and wide-legged trousers, as part of military attire; this custom remains unchanged to this day." This shows that the Chinese people began wearing forehead bands as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.)

(From the time the "forehead band" appeared, there are records of wearing it in every dynasty. For example, the Zizhi Tongjian records: "Cui Chengfu, the magistrate of Shaanxi, wore a brocade half-sleeved shirt, a green robe with a hem, and a red headband. He was in front of the boat singing the 'Song of Obtaining Treasure'. The 'headband' mentioned here is the forehead band.)

(By the Ming Dynasty, the "forehead band" had reached its peak, and both men and women wore it. This trend continued in the Qing Dynasty.)

(The bowl-shaped hat worn by Japanese soldiers was originally a type of military attire, used to prevent their caps from falling off.)

(Later, the Japanese printed a corn plaster pattern and the word "victory" in the middle of the bowl scroll, making it a symbol of unity and inspiring will.)

Thirty Japanese officers, with their bodies bowed, quickly approached Sasaki, bowed to him, and then rushed into the minefield without hesitation.

Soon, the sounds of explosions and the howling of the Japanese soldiers filled the air.

The thirty Japanese officers only managed to advance less than fifty meters before they were all wounded by the bomb.

Now, not only were the two regimental commanders, Noda Sengo and Sukegawa Shinji, dumbfounded, but even the brigade commander, Sasaki Ichiki, felt a sense of despair.

"Baka! You despicable Chinese..."

At this moment, all Sasaki could do was vent his fear and dissatisfaction with angry curses.

Long Fei clearly saw the Japanese soldiers' actions through the low-light telescope as he caught the tracer bullet.

Long Fei put down his binoculars and gave another order.

"There are still so many landmines. Let the Japanese have a good time. Order all troops to attack and advance on the Japanese, and force them into the minefield."

Upon receiving the order, the ten Tiger tanks, which had been itching to charge, roared and sped toward the Japanese.

Not to be outdone, Zhou Weiguo ordered his first reserve regiment to immediately follow the tanks and launch a full-scale attack.

Other units also began encirclement operations in accordance with Long Fei's orders.

In just a short while, more than a thousand Japanese soldiers were wiped out.

Seeing that the number of soldiers around him was dwindling, Sasaki frantically ordered all troops to advance into the minefield at all costs, determined to open a passage.

At this point, the Japanese soldiers were also fully aware of their situation and their fate.

They either stay where they are and get killed or blown up.

They could either risk crossing the minefield, where there might still be a glimmer of hope.

So all the Japanese soldiers who were still able to move, whether voluntarily or forced into it, rushed toward the minefield in rows.

"Boom boom boom..."

Two thousand anti-personnel mines were scattered densely across the area.

However, as the Japanese continued to detonate them, their numbers inevitably dwindled.

A dozen minutes later, the two Japanese regiments, at the cost of more than a thousand soldiers suffering leg injuries from the explosions, finally broke out of the minefield.

In addition, thousands more Japanese soldiers were killed during the process of breaking through the minefield.

After passing through the minefield, Sasaki dared not linger for a moment, much less engage in prolonged combat, and immediately ordered the two regiments to continue their retreat towards Qixia Mountain.

In less than an hour, the seven thousand Japanese soldiers who were once ferocious were now reduced to less than two thousand.

Seeing this, Xu Peng hurriedly asked, "Commander, are we just going to let the rest of the Japanese soldiers get away like this?"

Long Fei smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, didn't you see the Tiger tanks and Zhou Weiguo's first reserve regiment chasing after them?"

"In addition, I left twelve Wild Bee self-propelled guns behind; they will be responsible for sending the Japanese devils to their doom."

Not long after Zhou Weiguo entered the Qixia Mountain position, he was besieged by the Japanese.

Although his first reserve regiment was equipped with German weapons, many of the recruits had not received much training.

They were all green recruits who had never been on the battlefield.

Therefore, after fighting the Japanese, the reinforced regiment of 3,000 men suffered heavy casualties and now only has half its strength.

Seeing so many vibrant lives disappear before his eyes, Zhou Weiguo was heartbroken and determined to avenge his brothers.

Zhou Weiguo was not about to let such a good opportunity slip by.

Therefore, with the first reserve regiment, they relentlessly pursued the Japanese.

Although the Japanese soldiers were well-trained, they quickly established a tiered defense during their retreat after passing through the minefield.

But how could the Japanese soldiers stop the Tiger tanks from attacking?

In addition, their tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, etc., had long been destroyed by Tiger tanks, and now, how could two legs outrun tank tracks?

Therefore, the defenses that had been painstakingly built up were instantly destroyed by Tiger tanks.

What infuriated the Japanese was that five Tiger tanks sped forward, reaching the very front of the Japanese ranks before turning around and launching a pincer attack.

The Japanese could only put up a last-ditch resistance, and in that delay, Zhou Weiguo and his first reserve regiment caught up.

"Brothers, the chance for revenge has come! Kill all the Japanese devils!"

"Kill...kill..."

The soldiers of the First Reserve Regiment, fearless and courageous, launched a charge against the Japanese invaders.

The Japanese soldiers had to defend against attacks from Tiger tanks and also resist the offensive of Zhou Weiguo's troops.

The crew members operating the Tiger tanks, along with Zhou Weiguo's troops, began the final haul.

For those far away, a high-explosive shell is fired directly; for those close by, machine gun fire is used; and for those in front, tracks are used to crush them.

The Japanese soldiers were not only being beaten to a pulp by Tiger tanks, but they were also being utterly thrashed by Zhou Weiguo's troops.

Before long, apart from Sasaki Ichiki, Noda Sengo, Sukegawa Shinji, and more than a hundred Japanese soldiers, the rest were all wiped out.