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

As the saying goes, "Two flowers bloom, each telling its own story."

After parting ways with Long Fei, Xu Peng led his troops to Liangxiadian as quickly as possible.

Xu Peng considered that although the 122nd Division had already entered Tengxian County to set up defenses, the Japanese Seya Detachment had not yet broken through the defenses set up by the other three divisions of the 22nd Army Group.

Therefore, at present, the 122nd Division is not in danger; the pressure is now on the three divisions of the Sichuan Army.

According to Long Fei's plan, after Xu Peng led his troops to annihilate the Seya Detachment at Liangxiadian, he would then persuade the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army to voluntarily retreat to the Taierzhuang area.

Lure the entire Japanese 5th and 10th Divisions here, then concentrate them for encirclement and annihilation.

Therefore, when Xu Peng arrived at Liangxiadian, he took the initiative to negotiate with the Sichuan Army, hoping that the two sides would cooperate in the battle.

Currently, the 22nd Army Group is deployed in a triangular defensive formation.

The army group commander, Sun Zhen, set up the three divisions in this way so that they could provide mutual fire support.

However, the commander of the Japanese Setani Detachment, Setani Kei, was no pushover either.

He also made bold adjustments, dividing the troops into three assault groups and launching simultaneous attacks on the positions of these three Sichuan Army divisions.

The Setani Detachment has more than 15,000 troops, including an independent machine gun battalion and two tank companies.

In addition, the artillery firepower of the Setani Detachment was also very strong, with three regiments: field artillery, field heavy artillery, and garrison artillery.

The Sichuan Army left Sichuan to participate in the War of Resistance against Japan, but due to their poor equipment and shortage of supplies, they requested supplies from the war zone where they were stationed. As a result, they were rejected by the First and Third War Zones.

Finally, the Nationalist government leaders had no choice but to ask Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone whether he was willing to accept the Sichuan Army troops.

Commander Li not only readily agreed and accepted everything, but also provided the Sichuan army with the best of his ability in terms of weapons and ammunition.

Therefore, the soldiers of the Sichuan Army were deeply grateful to Commander Li.

Upon receiving Commander Li's battle order, each unit swore an oath to fight to the death and never retreat.

This is to repay Commander Li's kindness and to live up to the high expectations of the people of Sichuan.

Therefore, even when facing the incredibly fierce artillery fire and the ruthless attacks of the Seya Detachment.

Despite suffering heavy casualties, not a single Sichuan soldier retreated; they fought desperately to the death.

The Sichuan Army had no anti-tank weapons and was facing Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.

They picked up explosive packs or bundles of grenades, risking certain death, one after another, fearless of sacrifice, braving the enemy's hail of bullets, and rushed forward to detonate them.

He perished alongside the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles, using his flesh and blood and his young life to block the Japanese attacks time and time again.

On several occasions, the Japanese soldiers even stormed the Sichuan Army's positions, and the two sides engaged in bloody hand-to-hand combat.

Unexpectedly, the Sichuan soldiers showed no fear and wiped out all the Japanese soldiers, holding their ground.

Seya Kei never expected that the Sichuan army, with its meager equipment and straw sandals, would fight so bravely.

Therefore, they spared no expense in launching artillery bombardments, hoping to eliminate the Sichuan army's manpower and then break through the Sichuan army's defenses in one fell swoop.

When Xu Peng was brought before Commander Sun, he immediately told him his thoughts.

"Commander Sun, we are Xu Peng, the deputy commander of the Dragon Flame Legion, who came here specifically to assist you in your operations."

"I have learned about the battle situation and hope that Commander Sun can order the 127th Division to retreat voluntarily, allowing the Japanese Seya Detachment to enter, so that our Longyan Legion can annihilate them in one fell swoop."

Unexpectedly, Commander Sun shook his head and said, "I have heard of the Dragon Flame Army's reputation. Thank you, Deputy Commander Xu. However, our Sichuan Army is ordered by Commander Li to defend Liangxiadian to the death."

"Military orders are absolute, and they concern the honor of my Sichuan Army. You want me to order the 127th Division to retreat? I'm sorry, I can't do it."

"My 22nd Army Group will fight to the last man and will not retreat even half a step."

Commander Sun's words were full of passion, which filled Xu Peng with awe.

However, Xu Peng still wanted to try his best to persuade him.

"Commander Sun, the character '川' (Chuan) has three vertical strokes, standing tall and upright. The Sichuan Army is all excellent."

“But what I mean is not for you to retreat and run away, but to lure the enemy deep into our territory and then annihilate them.”

Commander Sun certainly knew that Xu Peng's suggestion was good, but how could his 22nd Army Group possibly obey the Longyan Legion?

They must unconditionally obey Commander Li's orders.

"Deputy Commander Xu, thank you again for your kindness, but I really cannot agree. Our 22nd Army must carry out the orders of Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade them, Xu Peng felt helpless, but the war was urgent and he couldn't delay any longer.

If the Setani Detachment breaks through the Sichuan Army's defenses, the Japanese will head straight for Tengxian County.

When the Japanese troops disperse and launch an attack on Tengxian, Xu Peng's side can certainly launch an attack on the Japanese and severely damage the Setani Detachment.

However, Long Fei's demand for complete annihilation would fail, introducing uncertainties into the subsequent operational plan.

"Alright, I respect Commander Sun's opinion. I will revise the battle plan."

After saying that, Xu Peng left Commander Sun's command post.

Then he immediately summoned the four army commanders, Ding Zhipan, Liu Anqi, Jia Yunshan, and Chen Defa, to discuss the matter.

Before long, everyone formulated a new battle plan.

Since the Setani Detachment split into three groups, the Dragon Flame Legion also changed accordingly.

The Fourth and Fifth Armies respectively circled around to the rear of the Japanese left and right flanks, cutting off their retreat.

Meanwhile, the Sixth and Seventh Armies, along with their reserves, first annihilated the central assault force of the Setani Detachment from the rear.

Then, they divided their forces to quickly encircle and annihilate the Japanese troops on both flanks.

After the confirmation, just as the four army commanders were about to leave, the reconnaissance teams that had been dispatched reported their findings via walkie-talkie.

The Japanese left-wing attacking force was the 10th Infantry Regiment, and the right-wing attacking force was the 63rd Infantry Regiment. The unit responsible for the central attack could not be found by number, but it numbered approximately four battalions.

In addition, all three attacking forces were equipped with artillery, tanks, and independent machine gun units.

Upon receiving the report, Xu Peng's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Did you all know? The 10th Regiment of the Setani Detachment is no ordinary unit. Its commander is Yaezo Akashiba. This unit is extremely powerful and is known as the 'Demon Akashiba' or the 'Devil Unit'."

"In this way, we will transfer a regiment from the reserve to reinforce the Fourth Army. We absolutely cannot let the Tenth Regiment escape."

"They're called Ghost Red Chai, right? They're called the Devil Squad, right? Screw them! I'm going to kill them all today and make them all wandering ghosts."

Sometimes pre-battle mobilization doesn't need slogans. Like Xu Peng, saying a few vulgar words and showing some toughness can immediately get the blood pumping in at least a few army commanders.