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

The Nationalist government leaders and the acting director here finalized the plan to secretly execute Long Fei after the great battle.

Meanwhile, Hata Shunroku received a report that the 3rd Division had lost contact and could not reach the troops stationed at Ryuten Villa.

Sensing something was amiss, Hata Shunroku hurriedly dispatched troops to investigate.

Soon, the reconnaissance troops reported that the 43rd Infantry Regiment and the 11th Mountain Artillery Regiment stationed at Dragon Mountain Manor had all been killed in action, and the remains of Imperial soldiers were scattered everywhere inside and outside the manor.

After the report was completed, the reconnaissance troops continued into the mountains to search for traces of the Third Division.

Several hours later, the exploration team arrived at Wolonggou and witnessed a terrifying scene that they would never forget.

The entire Wolonggou was almost covered with corpses, and not only were the clothes of these corpses all burned, but the surfaces of the corpses were also covered with charred marks.

After their initial shock, the Japanese soldiers cautiously approached the body to examine it closely, discovering that the charred parts had penetrated deep into the bones.

These Japanese soldiers dared not linger in the ravine, which resembled a living hell, and scrambled away.

Then, still shaken, he reported to Hata Shunroku.

Hata Shunroku was truly terrified; thousands of troops from Ryuten Manor were annihilated.

Although he felt bad, he could still accept it because of the Dragon Flame Force's previous achievements.

But then he heard that the Third Division had also been wiped out without a trace, and he was truly terrified.

This is a top-tier division, nearly 30,000 elite Imperial troops, capable of holding their own even against several Nationalist armies.

The fact that they were so easily defeated by the Dragon Flame Army shows just how powerful the Dragon Flame Army is.

When Chief of Staff Kawabe Masazo saw Hata Shunroku's distraught state, he was also filled with grief, but a wicked plan suddenly came to mind.

After Hata Shunroku calmed down a bit, Kawabe Masazo slowly spoke.

"General, since the appearance of this Dragon Flame Legion, we have made hundreds of thousands of our imperial warriors die to show our loyalty."

"But now the forces in each war zone are very strained, and it is impossible to coordinate an encirclement and suppression operation in a short period of time."

Hata Shunroku sensed a hidden meaning in Kawabe Masazo's words and hurriedly asked.

"Hebei Jun, do you have any good suggestions?"

Hebei Zheng San nodded slightly and said, "General, there is an old saying in China: 'To catch a thief, first catch the king; to shoot a man, first shoot his horse.'"

"Since we can't mobilize a large army to annihilate the Dragon Flame Force for the time being, we might as well find a way to kill their commander, Long Fei."

"I believe that the Dragon Flame Force will be greatly weakened in combat when it is leaderless, and the entire force may even fall apart."

Kawabe Masazo's suggestion made Hata Shunroku's eyes light up, and he thought to himself.

"Yes, if we can take down Long Fei first, it would be the most practical and feasible way to succeed."

After pondering for a few minutes, Hata Shunroku spoke to Kawakita Masazo.

"Hebei Jun, your suggestion is excellent. We can let the Mainland Advance Team complete this mission."

He Bianzheng hurriedly chimed in, "General, you are wise. The Mainland Advance Team is known as the Ghost Force. They will surely be able to assassinate Long Fei without anyone noticing."

Hata Shunroku then issued an assassination order to the Mainland Advance Team.

To ensure success, Hata Shunroku decided to send out a small mainland advance team, dividing them into four groups, to find the Dragon Flame Force and kill Dragon Fei.

The Nationalist government's secret decision, coupled with the Japanese assassination attempt, will certainly pose a great threat to Long Fei's safety.

Most worryingly, Long Fei and his Dragon Flame Legion are currently completely unaware of this.

After Chen Defa's banquet began, everyone exchanged pleasantries and chatted, and gradually, after a few rounds of drinks, they had finished eating.

Long Fei sensed a hint of resentment in Chen Defa's expression.

So he handed Chen Defa a cigarette and asked softly.

"Commander Chen, you seem to have something on your mind. Can you talk to me about it?"

Chen Defa took the cigarette, lit it, and finished it off in two puffs.

Then he picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp before saying quietly.

"Brother, I really feel frustrated. After meeting you on the Shanghai battlefield, fighting the Japanese was so much more enjoyable."

"After retreating to Nanjing and expanding my Independent 37th Brigade into the 194th Division, although the troops were strong and well-equipped, they suffered a crushing defeat not long after arriving in Zhenhai and taking over the defense of the 19th Division. Alas..."

Long Fei had some doubts about this matter. With the strength of the 194th Division, the weapons and equipment he had donated, and the strong fortifications of Zhenhai, they should not have been defeated so quickly and so miserably.

Now that Chen Defa has brought it up on his own initiative under Long Fei's prompting, Long Fei is prepared to find out the details.

"Commander Chen, given your division's strength and coastal defenses, the Japanese shouldn't have been able to capture it so easily. What could be the reason?"

At this moment, everyone present looked at Chen Defa, waiting for him to give his answer.

Before Chen Defa could even speak, Ge Dahai, who was naturally forthright and outspoken, spoke up first, filled with righteous indignation.

"Commander Long, you don't know, the reason our division suffered such a crushing defeat was because the other Nationalist troops responsible for flank cover retreated without authorization."

"The Japanese landed on our flank and then outflanked us to launch a surprise attack from our rear."

"Our division was attacked from both sides, so we had no choice but to break out, which resulted in heavy losses."

"What is most infuriating is that these troops who retreated without authorization actually filed a false accusation against us, slandering us to the Nationalist government, saying that we had failed in our battle and were forced to retreat because we were unable to stop the Japanese."

"As a result, the Nationalist government blamed the loss of Zhenhai entirely on our 194th Division. Our division commander was speechless and could not defend himself, which is why he was so frustrated."

After Ge Dahai finished speaking in one breath, everyone learned the truth.

Long Fei raised his glass and said, "Let's toast Commander Chen together. It's truly remarkable that he fought alone and managed to break through the encirclement of the Japanese troops."

Long Fei's words warmed the hearts of Chen Defa and Ge Dahai.

For months, the 194th Division had been wronged and looked down upon everywhere, and was also blamed by the Nationalist government. Unexpectedly, Long Fei praised them highly.

After everyone toasted, Long Fei said something to Chen Defa with a meaningful look in his eyes.

“Commander Chen, the Nationalist government is full of factions that are constantly scheming against each other and undermining one another. Although your Independent 37th Brigade has been expanded into the 194th Division, it is not a core unit.”

"So it's not surprising that he was wronged and took the blame for other units."

After saying that, Long Fei stopped abruptly, picked up his chopsticks, ate some food, and drank some wine.

These words left Chen Defa with mixed feelings.

Chen Defa silently surveyed the guests present, noticing which former KMT generals had now become army commanders, chiefs of staff, and division commanders of the Longyan Legion.

They were all in high spirits, chatting and laughing, their eyes revealing confidence and pride.

Suddenly, Chen Defa had a sudden thought and immediately turned to look at Long Fei.

"What's wrong, Commander Chen?" Long Fei turned his face and asked.

"Brother, may I also lead my troops to join the Dragon Flame Legion?" Chen Defa asked with a firm and sincere attitude.

Long Fei smiled, but instead of answering immediately, he looked at Chen Yiding and the others.