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

Linting Town was not large to begin with, and the ten Tiger tanks moved through the enemy lines as if they were nothing.

Under the combined onslaught of tanks and machine guns, hordes of Japanese soldiers were either riddled with bullets or crushed into mincemeat.

The colossal tanks they had never seen before, coupled with the bloody and brutal scenes, completely shattered the morale of the remaining Japanese soldiers.

In a panic, the Japanese soldiers fled in all directions.

They were met with a barrage of fire from MG34 machine guns and M1 Garand rifles.

During the battle, powerful grenades were thrown from time to time. Within about ten minutes of the start of the battle, the 45th Regiment and the cavalry battalion had suffered more than half casualties.

Kanda Masanaka was lying prone in a depression, no longer knowing how to give orders.

They couldn't win in a fight, and they couldn't escape either; the only outcome was to die in battle.

Watanabe Yu lay beside Kanda Masakazu, his heart breaking as he watched the cavalry and warhorses fall one after another, on the verge of annihilation.

So he grabbed Kanda Masanaka's arm in a hurry and asked anxiously.

"Kanda-kun, what do we do now? If this continues, we'll all die here soon."

At this moment, Kanda Masanaka finally understood why the 13th Regiment had been wiped out; they had encountered such a formidable Chinese army.

However, in Kanda Masanaka's mind, he believed that the Nationalist army troops on the other side should be well-equipped German-trained divisions or tax police regiments.

"Watanabe-kun, the Chinese army's firepower is too strong. We simply cannot resist it. Our only option now is to break out."

"Breakout?"

Watanabe Yu smiled bitterly and said, "In this situation, is it possible to break out? We should immediately send a telegram to the brigade commander, explain the situation, and request air support. That way, we might still have a glimmer of hope."

Watanabe Yu's words immediately reminded Kanda Masakazu, who hurriedly ordered a telegram to be sent.

The telegram stated that the 45th Regiment was in dire straits after encountering heavy firepower from the Chinese army in Linting Town, and requested that bombers be dispatched to bomb Linting Town to cover the troops' breakout.

After sending the telegram, Watanabe Yu made another suggestion.

"Kanda-kun, we can't stay here. We'll be bombed soon too."

Kanda Masanaka nodded, looked around, and decided that the troops would retreat south to defend and wait for the bombers to arrive so they could break out.

When the brigade commander, Ushijima Daiman, received the telegram, he was almost speechless with astonishment.

"What?! The 45th Regiment was completely routed after only ten minutes of fighting, and they even said that the enemy's firepower was extremely strong and that they were about to be wiped out."

However, doubts remain, now is not the time to investigate the truth; saving the 45th Regiment is the top priority.

The Kagoshima Daiman is not authorized to mobilize its air force for combat.

He had no choice but to call the division commander, Gu Shoufu, for help.

"Baka! Are you pigs? A regiment plus a cavalry battalion was utterly defeated by the Chinese army. It's a disgrace to the Imperial Army! You should all commit seppuku to atone for your sins."

This was the first time that Daiman Ushijima had been reprimanded so harshly, and his face turned bright red as he held the phone.

"Division Commander, you can punish us however you want, but shouldn't we rescue the 45th Regiment first?"

After venting his anger, Gu Shoufu sighed deeply.

"I immediately requested the air force to scramble and ordered the 45th Wing to hold out for half an hour."

After receiving Tani Morio's promise, Ushijima Daiman immediately telegraphed Kanda Masashi, asking them to find a way to hold off the Chinese army's attack for at least half an hour.

Now the Japanese aircraft carriers have all been sunk, and it would take at least half an hour for bombers loaded with aerial bombs to take off and reach Linting Town from the nearest airport.

However, half an hour was enough for Long Fei.

"Order! Sound the bugle call! Tanks in front, infantry following, launch the final assault on the Japanese!"

"Beep beep...da da da da...beep beep...da da da da..."

Even with air support called in, the 45th Regiment's biggest challenge right now is how to hold off the attacks from the Special Operations Battalion and the 37th Brigade.

In particular, the Japanese had no way to deal with the Tiger tanks and could only watch helplessly as these steel behemoths wreaked havoc everywhere.

Another ten minutes passed, and the 45th Regiment was almost completely wiped out, with only two or three hundred men left, hiding in a landlord's courtyard.

Although the compound was already badly damaged by previous bombings, it was the most sturdy place that Kanda Masaka could find at the moment.

He planned to lead the remaining Japanese soldiers to continue their desperate resistance, hoping to hold out until the bombers arrived.

But the Japanese soldiers dared not show their heads, much less fire their guns, because a few of them had tried to fire, but before they could pull the trigger, they were shot in the head by a sniper.

The Japanese soldiers became much more obedient, each one clutching their guns and hiding behind walls or inside buildings, some even trembling with fear.

Even the most sturdy landlord's compound was as fragile as tofu in front of a Tiger tank.

Long Fei had already quietly retrieved five barrels of gasoline from the system warehouse and instructed the special operations battalion soldiers to lay the five barrels down and roll them in front of the tank.

Then Long Fei ordered the remaining five tanks to ram down the compound's wall and then retreat.

Next, Long Fei ordered the fuel tank caps to be opened, and then had the five tanks push the fuel drums into the compound.

"Today I'm going to roast a Japanese pig alive. You dare to come to our China and act wildly? Then let me show you our raging fury."

After saying that, Long Fei told everyone to step back, and then took an M24 grenade from a soldier of the 37th Brigade next to him.

Then, he ripped off the fuse, swung his arm with all his might, and threw the grenade at the oil drum.

"Bang..." After an explosion, the gasoline was instantly ignited, and soon five oil drums exploded in succession.

Looking at the landlord's mansion now, it was engulfed in flames and completely consumed by fire.

Heart-wrenching screams echoed from the courtyard as countless people struggling and running inside the burning structure.

Even Kanda Masanaka and Watanabe Yu, who were hiding inside the house, were not spared.

The two men, writhing in excruciating pain from the burning flames, bared their teeth and roared incessantly as they rushed out of the house.

Perhaps they felt that rather than being burned alive and enduring unbearable pain, it would be better to have a quick death.

Kanda Masanaka and Watanabe Yu, enduring excruciating pain, drew their pistols and pulled the triggers at their temples.

While the scene of burning the Japanese soldiers was very satisfying to watch, the kindness ingrained in people's bones for thousands of years still made them feel somewhat reluctant to do so.

Many soldiers of the 37th Brigade couldn't bear to watch any longer, so they picked up their guns and shot the struggling Japanese soldiers dead, giving them a quick death.

But the special operations battalion members all had icy expressions and remained calm and composed.

It wasn't that they were cold-blooded and cruel, but rather that they all knew that the Japanese were actually even more brutal and bloody towards the Chinese people; they were simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Although Chen Defa and Ge Dahai did not dare to stand up and question Long Fei's decision, they still couldn't help but whisper their doubts in his ear.

Chen Defa spoke rather subtly: "Brother, isn't what we're doing a bit...?"

Ge Dahai, being straightforward, asked directly, "Battalion Commander Long, wouldn't it be enough to just use guns and cannons to kill these Japanese devils? There's no need to burn them alive, is there?"

Long Fei laughed wildly, ignoring them completely, and turned to give the order.

"Listen up, everyone. Take the wounded and the remains of our fallen comrades and head northeast immediately. As expected, the Japanese bombers will arrive soon."

Chen Defa was not angry because Long Fei ignored him, but instead asked again.

"Brother, how did you know the Japanese bombers would be here soon?"

Long Fei smiled mysteriously and said, "Brigadier General Chen, this is the only way the Japanese can currently support the rescue of the 45th Regiment."