Chapter One Hundred: The Ninth Division

On a dirt road, a large troop was marching swiftly.

The formation stretched like a long serpent, its head unseen at a glance. Among the ranks, several vehicles passed by, alongside pack horses hauling artillery.

Within the orderly marching soldiers, groups of four bore heavy machine guns, while many others carried light machine guns with grenade launcher components strapped to their backs.

Overall, their equipment was quite refined.

This was an active military unit, with soldiers clad in earth-toned uniforms, their legs turning slightly outward as they marched briskly under officers’ urging. Occasionally, sharp commands rang out: “Hurry up! Pick up the pace and get moving!”

Clearly, this was a Japanese force.

“Baka! Didn’t you eat lunch? Move faster and keep up!”

An officer kicked a straggling soldier back into line with a loud shout.

The soldier fell face-first into the dust, looking quite embarrassed, but dared not resist. Seeing the officer’s fierce expression, he quickly dusted himself off and rejoined the column.

Watching this, the officer cursed under his breath and resumed urging the others onward.

At that moment, a jeep rolled up from the rear of the formation. The officer glanced at it, his indifferent expression instantly replaced by deference as he snapped to attention and saluted the vehicle, evidently preparing to welcome whoever was inside.

Unexpectedly, the jeep stopped right before him, and a senior officer stepped out.

This officer appeared to be in his thirties or forties, sporting a small beard on his chin and holding a finely crafted command saber. His crisp new uniform bore two gleaming gold stars on his shoulders, reflecting a soft radiance in the sunlight.

A lieutenant general’s rank!

The saluting officer glanced sideways at the insignia with a hint of envy before quickly composing himself and respectfully addressing, “Division Commander, sir!”

“Hmm.” The lieutenant general responded with a nasal grunt, without another word or even a glance, waving his hand impatiently to dismiss him.

Seeing the gesture, the bowed officer quickly stepped aside and moved on to oversee the troops elsewhere.

The officer with the saber surveyed the marching formation with a satisfied expression, then murmured, “How far are we from the destination?”

He spoke softly, almost to himself, eyes still on the troops.

From behind, another officer stepped forward—a colonel, unfolding a map and studying it carefully before replying, “Division Commander, we are about four hours away from Dingyuan. By the time we arrive, night will be falling.”

This was Lieutenant General Yoshika Ryosuke, commanding the Ninth Division.

The man speaking was Colonel Nakagawa Hiroshi, Chief of Staff of the Ninth Division.

“Very good,” Yoshika nodded approvingly. “Maintain this marching pace. Once we reach Dingyuan, we’ll rest briefly on the spot. At dawn tomorrow, we’ll launch an assault, aiming to capture Dingyuan within a day.”

“Understood!” Nakagawa saluted promptly.

“By the way, the Seventh Regiment under Isao Isa, as the vanguard, should have already scouted the enemy’s strength in Dingyuan. Have they made contact?” Yoshika asked casually.

Nakagawa answered, “The Seventh Regiment has not yet reported back, but Isao Isa is impatient. It’s quite possible they’ve already engaged the Chinese forces in Dingyuan.” He smiled wryly. “Maybe they’ve even taken Dingyuan by now!”

“Isao Isa is too impetuous! When I assigned his regiment as the vanguard, I explicitly told him not to engage prematurely but to first assess the enemy’s strength. I didn’t expect he’d ignore my orders!” Yoshika sounded displeased.

“Ha, Division Commander, please don’t be angry. Though Isao Isa is rash, he fights wholeheartedly for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere! His intentions are good.” Nakagawa reasoned. “Besides, what he’s facing is just a bunch of Chinese soldiers. Nothing to worry about.”

Yoshika nodded.

His words were more a formality; he was not truly upset with Isao Isa.

His caution before the campaign was merely prudent.

In truth, the Chinese forces posed little threat.

Since the Ninth Division deployed to the Republic battlefield, Yoshika had yet to encounter an enemy worthy of his full attention.

Previously, the Chinese troops had often fled in disarray before significant engagement.

Even with the heavy mobilization for the Battle of Xuzhou, Yoshika saw no cause for concern.

Just as he prepared to continue his discussion with Nakagawa, a soldier came running up in a panic, shouting, “Division Commander! Division Commander! Something terrible has happened!”

“Baka! What are you panicking about?” Nakagawa’s face darkened as he scolded the soldier sharply, fearing he might disrupt Yoshika. “You don’t look like a proper Imperial soldier with this clumsiness. What happened?”

“Understood, Chief of Staff!” the young soldier bowed apologetically, then reported hurriedly: “Commander, several scattered soldiers from the front lines have retreated back. Upon questioning, we learned they belong to the Seventh Regiment under Isao Isa!”

“Nani?” Yoshika’s indifferent demeanor vanished, replaced by surprise. “The Seventh Regiment under Isao Isa? Why would soldiers from the Seventh Regiment retreat? What’s going on?”

“Division Commander, during the assault on Dingyuan, about ten miles out near Shuanglong Valley, the Seventh Regiment was ambushed by Chinese forces. The entire regiment was annihilated, and Colonel Isao Isa was shot and killed!”

“Division Commander, our Ninth Division’s Seventh Regiment is finished!”

The soldier quickly relayed the grim news, then stood silently, head bowed, unwilling to meet Yoshika’s gaze.

Even as an ordinary soldier, he knew this was an extraordinary disaster.