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

Long Fei then took out a map and beckoned the others to gather around.

"My idea is to first send out reconnaissance troops to find out the situation ahead."

"The main force followed behind, and by the time we reached the outskirts of Zijin Mountain, it was already dawn. At that time, we launched a surprise attack on the Japanese from behind."

"We now have more than 10,000 troops, and our weapons and equipment are not bad. I think we should be able to wipe out one or two more Japanese regiments."

Ding Zhipan reacted the most strongly to Long Fei's plan.

"Commander Long, you have just wiped out the 9th Regiment of the 19th Brigade of the Japanese 16th Division at Tiger Cave."

"Then we wiped out the 33rd and 38th Regiments of the Japanese 30th Brigade in Qianjiadu overnight."

"You wiped out more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers overnight, and now you say you want to wipe out one or two regiments of Japanese soldiers on the outskirts of Zijin Mountain. Isn't that a bit too ambitious?"

"We'll be fighting in broad daylight, which I think will not only cause huge casualties, but will also be very difficult to achieve."

Although Zhou Zhengqiang was a little apprehensive, having personally experienced the two battles, he now not only admired Long Fei greatly but also trusted him implicitly.

Zhou Weiguo didn't hesitate. His father's advice to him was: "When the Japanese pirates are driven out, my son will return home."

Therefore, Zhou Weiguo was never afraid of killing Japanese soldiers, nor did he ever refuse.

Seeing that neither Brigade Commander Zhou nor Regiment Commander Zhou expressed any objection, Ding Zhipan suddenly felt that he might have said something wrong.

Long Fei took out some cigarettes and distributed them to everyone, then explained to Ding Zhipan.

"Commander Ding, do you know what tactics I used to wipe out the Japanese Ninth Regiment at Tiger Cave?"

Ding Zhipan, smoking a cigarette, looked up at Long Fei: "What battle tactic?"

"Gas warfare".

"What? Gas warfare? Where did you get the gas? Besides, using this stuff doesn't seem like a good idea, does it?" Ding Zhipan asked a series of questions.

Long Fei continued to explain, "The Japanese established a material reserve base in Tangshan Town, where they stockpiled 10,000 mustard gas bombs."

"However, I completely destroyed the Japanese base. Before I destroyed it, I smuggled out a large number of poison gas bombs and various supplies from the base."

“After deducting the two thousand poison gas bombs used in Tiger Cave, I still have seven thousand on hand.”

"These seven thousand poison gas bombs could wipe out not just one or two Japanese regiments, but an entire division."

At this moment, Ding Zhipan's inner struggle was no longer about whether or not there were poison gas bombs, or whether or not a poison gas war could be launched, but rather whether using poison gas bombs was too inhumane.

Long Fei could certainly sense Ding Zhipan's thoughts, so he spoke again.

"Commander Ding, I know you believe that our great nation of China is upright and honorable, and that using poison gas would tarnish our national image."

Ding Zhipan gave a soft "hmm" without denying it.

"But Commander Ding, think about it from another angle. If I hadn't blown up the Japanese base, wouldn't the Japanese have used these poison gas bombs against us?"

"Yes, that must be it."

Long Fei took a deep drag on his cigarette and then posed a question to everyone.

"I would like to ask you all, have you ever thought about why the Japanese dared to be so unscrupulous in using poison gas and even bacteriological weapons against our soldiers and civilians?"

This question about Long Fei is something that not only Ding Zhipan, but also Zhou Zhengqiang, Zhou Weiguo, Liu Yuqing, Liu Wei, Xu Peng, Gao Hong, and others have never considered.

So after hearing this, they all remained silent, waiting for Long Fei's answer.

"Actually, the answer is very simple: it's because our country, China, is too bad at this. We can't produce poison gas bombs or bacterial bombs."

"Imagine if we also possessed these inhuman weapons, would the Japanese dare to use them against us so easily? Wouldn't they be afraid that we would retaliate in kind and cause them heavy casualties?"

"It's like two people fighting. One is burly and wields a kitchen knife, while the other is thin and short with nothing in his hands. The big man will definitely beat the other without any scruples."

"But if the opponent becomes an equally strong man wielding a kitchen knife, do you think this big man would still dare to make a move so easily?"

The metaphor of Long Fei is very vivid and objective, and everyone felt relieved after hearing it.

Long Fei then looked at Ding Zhipan and said, "Commander Ding, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in our China, a hundred schools of thought contended, but in the end, Confucianism became the dominant ideology."

"I'm not saying Confucianism is bad, but I think it sometimes seems a bit old-fashioned and conservative."

"The Japanese devils can be inhumane and cruel, using poison gas against our soldiers and civilians."

"How come when we use the Japanese poison gas to teach them a lesson, we are considered heartless, inhumane, and inhumane?"

“Some people might even say that it was wrong and inhumane for the Japanese to use poison gas, but if you use poison gas, wouldn't you become just like the Japanese?”

"Pah! People who say such things are really out of their minds. Our ancestors said long ago, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood, blood debts must be repaid in blood,' and they also said, 'Treat others as they treat them.'"

"I just don't understand. The Japanese killed so many of us with poison gas, so why does it seem like I'm committing an unforgivable crime if I use poison gas to retaliate in kind?"

Long Fei's words resolved everyone's anxieties and made Ding Zhipan lower his head in shame.

"Now, does anyone have any objections to my using poison gas to eliminate the Japanese soldiers?"

Everyone answered in unison, "No objection, we completely agree."

"Alright, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's head to Zijin Mountain right away. However, we only have a limited number of vehicles, so we can't fit all of them."

"Therefore, the Special Operations Battalion, the New First Battalion, and the First Brigade marched on foot, while the 41st Division and the First Reserve Regiment went by vehicle."

"Xie Qiang, take a platoon of soldiers, change into Japanese uniforms, take a radio, drive a truck, and scout ahead."

Qixia Mountain is more than 20 kilometers away from Zijin Mountain, which is a little over an hour's drive for a truck at night.

However, marching on foot at a normal pace would take at least five or six hours.

Ding Zhipan and Zhou Weiguo sat in the truck for about ten kilometers, and both of them felt bad about it.

Others risked their lives to come to the rescue, and now they're even giving up their trucks. How can the officers and soldiers of the 41st Division and the 1st Reserve Regiment bear this?

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Ding Zhipan stopped the vehicle, found Zhou Weiguo, and the two discussed the matter.

The decision was made to send the trucks back and have the troops march on foot.

Both sides yielded to each other, alternating between walking and taking a car for the more than 20-kilometer journey.

In this way, it only took a little over three hours to enter the territory of Zijin Mountain at around 6 a.m.

Xie Qiang led a platoon of soldiers, pretending to be Japanese soldiers to clear the way, and finally encountered a Japanese outpost on the outskirts of Zijin Mountain.

After Xie Qiang deceived the enemy by posing as a member of the Japanese Ninth Regiment, he immediately sent a telegram to Long Fei, ordering them to halt their advance.

Xie Qiang then began to conduct reconnaissance in the area.

Xie Qiang quickly discovered that the unit attacking the Nationalist army's Zijin Mountain position was the 20th Regiment of the 19th Brigade of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army, personally commanded by Brigade Commander Tatsumi Kusaba.

In addition, there was the 22nd Field Artillery Regiment directly under the division, whose commander was Colonel Mikuni.

Just as dawn was breaking, the Three Kingdoms server received the artillery order from Kusaba Tatsumi.