diymy Chapter 251 Japanese Army Drops Incendiary Bombs, A Desperate Situation
Chapter 251 Japanese Army Drops Incendiary Bombs, A Desperate Situation
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In his view, the one who caused all of this to spiral out of control was not necessarily Li Zongren—Li Jianghe was the most crucial pawn in this whole affair.
"Li Jianghe, you're really crazy, even crazier than Qiu the Madman."
He said the name through gritted teeth, as if he were chewing on a hard bone.
To the west of Huoqiu County, smoke filled the air, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and scorched earth.
The adjutant handed the newly received telegram to Qiu Qingquan, his voice tinged with nervousness:
"Sir, this is a telegram from the Chairman, ordering our troops to withdraw from the battlefield before dawn."
Qiu Qingquan took the telegram, glanced at it, and remained silent for a moment.
Then he turned his head and looked at the still-burning battlefield in the distance.
As night faded, a thin line of gray appeared on the horizon. The firelight flickered along that line, like a wound torn open between heaven and earth.
The soldiers of the Northwest Army and the Third Column were engaged in fierce fighting at the front. The shouts of battle could be faintly heard, mixed with the sound of artillery fire, and were not clearly audible, but one could feel the desperate spirit of the soldiers.
"No callback will be made."
Qiu Qingquan casually stuffed the telegram into his pocket, his gaze fixed firmly ahead:
"Our mission now is singular—to charge forward and kill our way out!!!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a hammer.
"Yes!! Charge forward!!!"
The adjutant and the soldiers around him responded in unison, their hearts filled with fervor.
The tank convoy continued forward, like a raging torrent, joining forces with the Northwest Army and the counter-offensive troops of the Third Column, forming an unstoppable tsunami.
A torrent of steel and a wave of infantry surged toward the Japanese positions.
At the same time, in addition to concentrating their forces to launch a fierce attack on Gushi, the Imperial Guard Division and the 13th Division were also launching a frenzied attack on Fenshuiting Township.
The troops guarding this place were the Northwest Army under Sun Lianzhong and part of the 27th Army under Zhang Zizhong.
From Fenshuiting Township all the way to Gushi County, on this battlefield stretching dozens of miles wide, tens of thousands of Northwest Army soldiers faced a formidable enemy whose troop strength and firepower far surpassed their own.
They gritted their teeth and persevered, like a wall that was repeatedly struck but never collapsed.
It was almost dawn, and the position was still in the hands of the Northwest Army.
Iida Sadako and Shinotsuka Yoshio stood on a high ground, looking at the front line with binoculars.
Neither of them had a pleasant expression on their faces.
Yoshio Shinotsuka asked with some surprise:
"Something's not right. Aren't the main forces of the Northwest Army and the Third Column currently attacking the Sixth and Tenth Divisions from both sides? There should only be a small number of Northwest Army troops defending this place."
Iida Sadako lowered his binoculars, his tone grave:
"Judging from their firepower, they should only be a portion of the Northwest Army. But these guys are incredibly powerful."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts:
"The position was fought over seven or eight times. Even when the troops were almost wiped out, the survivors showed no sign of retreating."
Iida Sadako did not stay on the Chinese battlefield for very long.
But in these short days, his understanding has been refreshed time and time again.
He originally thought that the Northwest Army was just a ragtag force with poor equipment and training, and would fall apart in a fight.
But these people in front of me showed an amazing fighting spirit.
He finally realized that the "sick man of East Asia" narrative promoted by domestic media in the past was completely wrong.
On this vast land, there may indeed be many cowards and traitors.
But there are also those Northwest Army soldiers like these before us—warriors who are not afraid of death and fight for their country.
Yoshio Shinotsuka gritted his teeth, his anxiety almost overflowing:
"Is there any other way? We must break through their defenses as soon as possible. Otherwise, the Sixth and Tenth Divisions really won't be able to hold out."
As he looked at the gradually brightening sky, he added, "Our situation will get worse once it gets light."
Iida Sadaharu pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up:
"Air Force. Order air force units to bomb the Northwest Army positions in Fenshuiting Township and Gushi."
He paused, then continued, "As for the Sixth and Tenth Divisions—since the air force can't break through the Third Column's dense air defense network anyway, they should be more willing to support our operations."
Yoshio Shinotsuka's eyes lit up, and he immediately said:
"Alright! I'll send a telegram to the Commander-in-Chief now, instructing the air force to change its attack direction."
He thought to himself that if the air force could arrive in time and drop high-explosive and incendiary bombs, the Northwest Army's positions would turn into a sea of fire.
Even the most tenacious soldiers cannot hold out for long in a sea of fire.
More than an hour later, it was already bright daylight.
Japanese air force units formed large formations, bypassed the air defense network of Li Jianghe's Third Column, and rushed towards the Northwest Army positions in Gushi and the southern part of Fenshuiting Township.
The buzzing of the planes grew louder as they approached, like a swarm of giant wasps pressing in with the threat of death.
Inside Gushi City, Chi Fengcheng and Zhang Zizhong, who were directing the battle, heard that familiar, chilling voice almost simultaneously.
"It's a Japanese plane!"
Zhang Zizhong suddenly looked up and roared, "Attention everyone—enemy bombing!!!"
His voice boomed across the battlefield, and the soldiers scrambled for cover, but it was too late.
"Whoosh whoosh!!!"
The bombs dropped by the Japanese army whistled sharply through the air, like death knells from hell.
Immediately afterwards, the bombs crashed to the ground, striking the defensive positions of the Northwest Army.
"Boom!!!!!"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!"
That's an incendiary bomb.
In the blink of an eye, the entire position was transformed into a sea of fire. Orange-red flames soared into the air, and waves of heat swept over you; you could feel the scorching power even hundreds of meters away.
The Northwest Army soldiers who remained on the position were instantly engulfed by flames.
"ah!!!!!!"
Heart-wrenching screams echoed continuously, but many more soldiers didn't even have time to scream before being burned to black charcoal by the flames.
The air was filled with a nauseating, acrid smell—the smell of burning flesh.
The Japanese Mitarai Detachment on the opposite side had long been prepared to attack.
Upon seeing the enemy positions on the opposite side ablaze, many Japanese soldiers couldn't help but cheer.
Major General Okamoto, the brigade commander, stood in front of the command post, looking at the sea of fire through his binoculars, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He held up one finger and pointed forward:
"kill!"
Under his orders, the Japanese soldiers immediately advanced, using the cover of the air force to attack the Northwest Army's positions.
In Mitarai Okamoto's view, this could no longer be considered a charge.
Under such intense flames, the Northwest Army on the other side should have been burned to a crisp.
There couldn't possibly be any survivors left on the position.
His troops rushed over only to take over the position and, incidentally, clean up the charred remains.
The Japanese troops quickly arrived in front of the burning positions.
The flames had weakened considerably by now, but they were still burning, emitting thick smoke.
They were waiting for the flames to completely die down before they would rush in and take control of the position.
Compared to the previous fierce tug-of-war, this charge seemed far too easy.
Some Japanese soldiers even started making jokes.
"Sakata, guess how many Chinese will be burned to death on the battlefield?"
"There should be at least a few hundred, hehehe."
"I wonder if the flesh on these people will smell bad after it's cooked, just like their bodies."
The group burst into laughter, their faces filled with cruel glee.
But just as they were saying these words, a muffled sound suddenly came.
The sound was deep and powerful, like something churning underground.
The flames rising ahead seemed to be shaken by the muffled sound, swaying a few times.
"What...what is that sound?"
The Japanese soldiers charging ahead were somewhat surprised and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Before they could react, the flames in front of them suddenly split open.
It was like a huge curtain being torn open from the middle.
One by one, Northwest Army soldiers, their bodies stained with flames, rushed out of the fire.
Some of them held Hanyang rifles, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the firelight; others held their broadswords high, the blades still catching flames.
They were engulfed in flames, yet seemed oblivious to the pain, roaring as they charged towards the Japanese army.
"kill!!!!!"
The shouts of battle were deafening, as if they were trying to drown out all other sounds in the world.
Chapter 251: Japanese Army Drops Incendiary Bombs - A Surprise Amidst Desperation. Click to unlock now.