Chapter 104: Infiltrating the Enemy Camp

The moonlight faded, scattered stars twinkled faintly, and the entire land was shrouded in darkness so deep that one could not see their own hand before their face.

It was still winter, the coldest season, and since it was nighttime, the temperature was even lower. Standing outside for long would soon freeze one’s hands and feet numb.

Outside the camp of the Japanese Ninth Division, a young Japanese sentry on guard couldn’t help but cup his hands to his face, exhaling a warm breath.

He stamped his icy, numb feet, glanced around the dark sky, and muttered, “Such freezing weather, it’s enough to kill me! Those bastards actually left me here to drink in the tents. Damn it! After shift change, I’ll make sure to punish them good and proper!”

After speaking, he suddenly felt the urge to urinate. Looking around to ensure no one was near, he slung his now-cold rifle behind his back and moved toward a concealed clump of grass. He loosened his belt and began to relieve himself.

Just as he unfastened his pants, a sudden chill rolled inward beneath his clothes, causing him to shiver involuntarily. “With this damned weather, how could the Chinese army possibly launch a sneak attack? They’re just making trouble for themselves. If it weren’t for those hateful Chinese soldiers, I’d be snug in bed right now, sleeping soundly!”

He shook his hand and realized he had accidentally urinated on it. Swearing under his breath, he pulled up his pants and was about to return when a sudden coldness gripped his neck—and then he lost consciousness.

After the sentry collapsed, a figure emerged.

He glanced left and right, confirming no one had noticed, then looked down at the young Japanese soldier in his grasp. The man’s throat had been silently slit by the dagger in his hand; he was dead beyond all doubt. Nodding with satisfaction, the figure carefully dragged the body to a concealed spot and covered it.

Having eliminated the sentry, he cautiously moved to a nearby location, lay down, and whispered, “Commander, all the enemy’s perimeter sentries have been cleared!”

“Well done. Tell the brothers to stay alert and sweep the area again to ensure no hidden scouts remain,” a voice replied from the shadows beside him.

It was none other than Chen Qingzhi.

The man who had just killed the sentry was none other than Huzi.

Behind them, hundreds of soldiers lay prone, each carrying a large blade, vigilantly watching the Japanese camp.

They were the three hundred members of the “Great Blade Squad” trained by Huzi.

“Commander, leave this to us. You just need to keep watch here,” Huzi said in a low voice to Chen Qingzhi. “You’re the commander and need to oversee the big picture. This night raid on the Japanese camp is too risky. If anything happened to you, I’d lose face forever!”

“Don’t worry. No Japanese soldier capable of killing me has been born yet,” Chen Qingzhi replied calmly.

Seeing Huzi about to continue persuading, Chen quickly cut him off. “Enough, no more talk. Time is tight. Lead the men forward now. If we miss this chance, tonight’s efforts will be wasted!”

This night raid was masterminded by Chen Qingzhi himself and was of vital importance. He could not bear to leave it to others, so he personally led the Great Blade Squad to stealthily infiltrate the area.

In truth, as acting commander of the independent brigade, Chen Qingzhi understood that personally taking such risks was unwise.

After all, a scion of a wealthy family should not be recklessly exposed. Should anything happen to him, the brigade would be left leaderless and in chaos—a disaster for the upcoming major battle.

Chen understood this but insisted on coming personally to assess the true condition of the Japanese Ninth Division.

The Great Blade Squad was tasked with the night raid, while Chen sought to probe the Ninth Division’s strength.

With just over three hundred men for the raid, they could only cause some disturbances. The overall battle would not be greatly affected; the real fight lay ahead.

Chen wanted to seize this opportunity to gather intelligence on the enemy.

“To know oneself and know the enemy is to win every battle.”

Seeing that Chen would not be dissuaded, Huzi gave up but quietly instructed several soldiers to protect the commander at all costs. If anything happened, they would be held accountable.

Chen overheard Huzi’s instructions but did not stop them.

Though he ventured into danger personally, Chen was no fool. He understood his importance and accepted Huzi’s protective watchfulness.

With all preparations complete and the enemy’s perimeter sentries silently eliminated by the Great Blade Squad, Chen Qingzhi made a sweeping gesture.

Drawing a large blade from behind his back, he led the soldiers, crouching low, as they stealthily advanced toward the Japanese camp.

Inside the camp, Japanese sentries patrolled in groups of about twelve or thirteen men—roughly a platoon-sized force.

After careful observation, Chen noticed there were four such patrol groups, each taking about five minutes to sweep their assigned areas. They patrolled in staggered patterns ensuring the entire camp was covered every five minutes without gaps.

However, Chen’s detailed reconnaissance revealed a brief blind spot of less than a minute when none of the four patrols were in one particular area.

This gap occurred roughly every 45 minutes, the next one coming in about twelve minutes. Missing this window would mean waiting another 45 minutes.

It was now around 4 a.m., with sunrise three hours away. Waiting 45 minutes would leave very little time to act.

This was the Great Blade Squad’s only chance.

Ordering all soldiers to hide behind sandbags not far from the enemy camp, Chen fixed his gaze on the Japanese patrols, silently counting the seconds.

After about ten minutes, as a pair of Japanese sentries passed by, Chen signaled sharply.

Leading three hundred well-trained and agile warriors, they dashed swiftly into the camp during the less-than-a-minute gap.

At that moment, the Japanese patrol had just moved away.

Chen exhaled deeply.

Getting inside was the hardest part. Once inside, the mission would become manageable.

Making a few tactical gestures, Huzi and other Great Blade Squad leaders nodded and each led their men toward separate targets.

The Japanese camp was vast, and with only three hundred men, the squad had to split into seven or eight smaller groups to attack simultaneously.

Though simultaneous, Chen did not arrogantly expect to attack the entire Ninth Division but focused on a single regiment’s quarters for this raid.

Though only one regiment was targeted, a well-executed strike could rattle the entire division.

After Huzi and his men departed, Chen stayed with about a dozen soldiers.

Their target was the nearby tents housing Japanese troops.

Making a few tactical signals, the Great Blade Squad members nodded and set down their backpacks, opening them to reveal grenades and explosives inside.