nycdaug Chapter 212: War and Death
Chapter 212: War and Death
The light of dawn was obscured by the smoke of war, and the tranquility was broken. An armored battalion and an infantry battalion of the Japanese army, like a surging wave, marched quickly for a day and rushed straight to the defense zone of the National Security Army. A brutal battle began.
As the Japanese vanguard emerged, a shrill alarm pierced the air. The National Security Army soldiers quickly took their positions, their guns gripped tightly, their eyes steely, their heartbeats quickening with the sound of their footsteps. Trenches snaked along the perimeter of the position, sandbags piled high and low, providing the soldiers' first line of defense. Inside the bunker, machine guns were already loaded, their black muzzles trained in the direction of the incoming Japanese attack, waiting for the enemy to enter range.
The Japanese army first launched a long-range bombardment with artillery. Shells rained down on the Guoan Army positions, creating craters and sending tumbling rocks and earth scattering. Then, tanks and armored vehicles led the way. These steel behemoths, armed with thick armor and formidable firepower, charged relentlessly toward the Guoan Army positions. Their tracks kicked up clouds of dust, their engines roared deafeningly. Wherever they went, obstacles were crushed and deep ruts were carved into the ground. Japanese infantry followed closely behind, using tanks and armored vehicles as cover. They advanced in skirmish formation, their rifles drawn, cautiously observing their surroundings as they gradually approached the Guoan Army positions, attempting to break through the defenses.
On the Guoan Army side, the positions were equipped with permanent trenches, and soldiers moved rapidly through them to avoid Japanese artillery fire. Seeing approaching Japanese tanks and armored vehicles, the soldiers in the artillery positions quickly maneuvered their four Bailu M1935 47mm anti-tank guns to counterattack. They first aimed their guns at the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles, carefully adjusting the angle and direction of the guns according to the distance and speed of the targets. Meanwhile, the soldiers in the bunkers were also on high alert, closely watching the Japanese movements through their firing slits, their weapons ready to fire at any moment.
When the Japanese entered effective range, the National Security Army commander gave the order, and anti-tank guns opened fire simultaneously. Shells flew towards Japanese tanks and armored vehicles. Some hit their targets directly, blasting large holes in the armored vehicles, scattering internal parts and instantly disabling them. Others struck the tanks' tracks, causing them to spin in place, unable to advance. The Japanese attacking formation was thrown into disarray, and the infantry began to seek cover, some lying on the ground, others hiding behind damaged armored vehicles.
However, the Japanese commander quickly adjusted his strategy, ordering his infantry to disperse and outflank the Guoan Army positions from multiple directions, while simultaneously directing the remaining tanks and armored vehicles to continue searching for breakthrough points and suppress the Guoan Army's counterattacks with firepower. The Guoan Army soldiers, relying on trenches and bunkers, continued to engage in fierce fighting with the Japanese. They constantly shifted their firing positions, accurately shooting at the Japanese infantry while taking care to avoid Japanese artillery fire. The two sides reached a stalemate, and the fighting continued fiercely. The battlefield was filled with smoke, and the shouts of killing and the sound of gunfire intertwined, the situation was extremely tense.
However, seeing their conventional offensive stalled, the Japanese resorted to chemical weapons. They quietly launched several chemical shells from behind their positions. As the shells exploded on the Guoan Army positions, clouds of yellow-green smoke quickly spread, their acrid odor making the air nauseating. Many Guoan Army soldiers, after inhaling the poison gas, experienced difficulty breathing, stinging eyes, a burning sensation in the throat, and symptoms of poisoning such as convulsions and dizziness, severely weakening their combat effectiveness.
On the Guoan Army's positions, smoke filled the air as the Japanese attacks intensified. Shells exploded one after another, sending boulders flying. A pungent smell mingled with dust filled the air. Soldiers frantically searched for any source of water to soak towels. Chaos and clamor reigned in the battlefield, a cacophony of shouts and gunfire mingling with a throbbing, heart-wrenching intensity.
Li Zhigang darted quickly through the trenches, his figure nimble and agile, his eyes revealing anxiety and determination. He carefully dodged the whistling Japanese bullets while frantically searching for water. Beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, and his uniform, already soaked with sweat, clung to his back.
Huang Weiguo's face was also covered in sweat and dust. He rushed back and forth between bomb craters and piles of sandbags, his eyes anxiously scanning every corner, not missing any place that might contain water. But each search ended in disappointment. His breathing became rapid and heavy, and his eyes were irritated by the dust and pungent smell, tears streaming down his face. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. But even so, the determination in his heart never faded, and he continued to search for hope.
As the poisonous gas released by the Japanese chemical weapons gradually spread, danger loomed. Some soldiers, searching for water in vain, a flicker of determination crossed their eyes. Huang Weiguo watched helplessly as his comrades collapsed in agony from inhaling the gas. Filled with grief and indignation, he gritted his teeth, resolutely unbuckled his belt, and soaked a towel with his own urine. Then, swiftly and expertly, he tied the towel tightly around his head, completely obscuring his mouth and nose, revealing only his bloodshot, yet furious eyes. Though the pungent odor nearly suffocated him and his stomach churned, in this crucial moment, it was their only hope against the gas.
Li Zhigang also suppressed his inner and physical discomfort. He tightly grasped the urine-soaked towel in both hands and quickly and steadily tied it around his head, covering his mouth and nose. Then, he re-gripped his weapon and leaned against the trench wall, breathing heavily, trying to calm his pounding heart. After recovering a little, he carefully poked his head out, his eyes sharp as torches, closely watching the Japanese army's every move. He saw that the Japanese infantry, under the cover of tanks and armored vehicles, were approaching their positions step by step like a tide, with a momentum that seemed to engulf everything.
Huang Weiguo took a steadying breath, raised his rifle, and knelt on one knee, his posture steady and resolute. Through the crosshairs, he zeroed in on a Japanese soldier stalking closer. With a finger lightly on the trigger, he held his breath, calming his nerves. The moment the soldier came within optimal range, he decisively pulled the trigger. With a resounding "bang," the bullet blasted into the Japanese soldier with lightning-fast precision. Without even a scream, the soldier collapsed, tumbling heavily to the ground.
Li Zhigang was not to be outdone. He crouched down, moved quickly and flexibly in the trench, and soon arrived near a bunker. At this time, a Japanese armored vehicle was turning around and heading towards the bunker, obviously trying to destroy this firepower point that posed a great threat to them. Li Zhigang saw this scene, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes. He took a deep breath, then quickly ran to the side of the anti-tank gun, cooperated tacitly with the gunner, and adjusted the direction of the muzzle with both hands, aiming at the Japanese armored vehicle with concentration and precision. With a deafening bang, the shell was fired like an arrow from a string, directly hitting the side of the armored vehicle. In an instant, thick smoke billowed out of the armored vehicle, and an unpleasant sound of metal twisting was emitted, and then it stopped in place, unable to move forward even half a step.
Like Li Zhigang and Huang Weiguo, the other soldiers endured the physical and psychological torture, steadfastly clinging to their posts. Not a single one flinched. Some lay at the edge of the trenches, accurately firing rifles at the Japanese infantry; some weaved through the hail of bullets, quickly passing ammunition to their comrades; and still others, deep in the bunkers, their eyes bloodshot but completely focused, operated their heavy machine guns, bringing down fierce suppressive fire on the Japanese. The battle on the positions had entered a fierce stage, with both sides locked in a fierce, blood-soaked battle, each side refusing to yield. Every inch of land, stained with blood, became the focus of a desperate struggle.