Chapter 130: Fierce Battle at the City Gate—We Shall Settle This Above!

Although Wakizaka Jiro had yet to capture Dingyuan or be promoted to brigade commander, this officer’s deliberate change in address struck a chord with him. The words, so perfectly tailored to his aspirations, immediately lifted his previously agitated mood.

Hearing this, Wakizaka Jiro could not help but gloat, "Yoshi! Rest assured, Yagyu-kun. You are my chief of staff, and after working together for so many years, I have long been satisfied with your service. If I become brigade commander, you shall certainly be my brigade chief of staff!"

Upon hearing this, the officer was overjoyed. He quickly replied, "Hai! Thank you for your promotion, Excellency. This subordinate will follow your lead in all things!"

Wakizaka Jiro burst into laughter, and the Japanese officer, Yagyu, grinned, his face etched with excitement.

***

"Brothers, fire! Give them everything you’ve got! Kill these Japanese bastards!" The west gate of Dingyuan County was held by the 566th Regiment of the 135th Division. At this moment, Regiment Commander Zhang Zhisong was leading his troops in a fierce exchange of fire with the Japanese.

The attacking Japanese forces were relentless, appearing as an endless stream of soldiers surging toward the city walls. Japanese mortars and grenade launchers pounded the defenses, while their infantry advanced, shielded by sheets of scrap metal.

Seeing the Japanese charge, the soldiers fired down from their elevated positions. Bullets tore through the ranks, cutting down several of the enemy, while others struck the iron shields with a metallic clatter.

"Damn it! Those Japanese bastards think they’re safe behind some scrap metal! Erdan, bring out all the grenades from the company! Give them a taste of real steel!" bellowed a burly company commander.

"Company commander, just watch us!" came the reply from nearby. A dozen soldiers hauled out crates of grenades, pulled the pins, waited a heartbeat, and hurled them down in unison.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Because they held the high ground, the grenades traveled seventy or eighty meters, landing precisely among the Japanese. A dozen soldiers huddled behind their metal shields were instantly blown to the ground.

Watching this, the company commander’s face lit up with satisfaction. He shouted, "Good! That’s it! Keep throwing! Hit them hard!"

Seeing the success, the soldiers fought with renewed vigor, raining grenades down upon the Japanese. For a moment, the enemy's momentum was stalled by the heavy losses.

"Baka! Damn it!" Below the wall, a Japanese captain saw the carnage and roared in fury, his face black with rage. "Quickly! Bring up the mortars! Destroy those Chinese grenades!"

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Several mortars fired instantly, their shells landing squarely on the position where the soldiers were throwing grenades. The explosions engulfed the area, killing a dozen men instantly.

Seven or eight soldiers who had already pulled the pins on their grenades were caught in the blast; as they fell, their live grenades dropped onto the ramparts, detonating and killing several of their own comrades.

And that was only the beginning.

There had been over a dozen crates of grenades on the wall. While many had been thrown, at least a third remained. The mortar shells ignited them, triggering a secondary chain reaction. Over a hundred grenades exploded at once. The force was terrifying, blasting a massive gap in the city wall and hurling several nearby soldiers over the edge, where they plummeted to the ground, broken and half-dead.

"You son-of-a-bitch Japanese! I’ll kill you all!"

Seeing this, the company commander’s eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted with rage.

Yet, before his curses could fade, a soldier scrambled over, shouting urgently, "Company commander, it’s bad! The Second Battalion’s position has been breached! A platoon of Japanese has broken through. The Second Battalion is tied down fighting the main force, so they can’t stop them—and they’re heading straight for us!"

"What!" The company commander was stunned. He reacted quickly, cursing angrily, "Are the men in the Second Battalion eating dirt? How could they let the Japanese break through and leave us to clean up their mess? Damn it, I don't have the spare troops to hold off an entire platoon!"

"We don't, but our allies do!" the soldier replied. "Isn't the Independent Brigade defending the section near our post at the South Gate? They have heavy firepower; maybe they can spare some men! Should we ask them for reinforcements?"

"This..." the company commander hesitated. "They’re holding the South Gate, and that’s where the Japanese are concentrating their main attack. Their situation is even tougher than ours. Do they really have men to spare?"

"We won't know unless we ask! Company commander, if we don't request reinforcements, we won't be able to stop this platoon. If we get caught in a pincer movement, our entire position will be overrun!" the soldier pleaded.

Hearing this, the company commander made up his mind. "You’re right! We have to ask! Go to the Independent Brigade, and ask if they can spare anyone to help us intercept this Japanese platoon!"

"Yes!"

The soldier responded and took off running, not daring to waste a second.

Their position was at the corner where the West Gate and South Gate met, covering about two hundred meters of the wall. The Independent Brigade’s sector bordered theirs, just a few hundred meters to the left, while the Second Battalion was to their right.

The Japanese platoon that had broken through the Second Battalion's lines was clearly trying to force a gap here to link up with the main Japanese force and shatter the South Gate defenses. Therefore, the Independent Brigade was their only hope.

As the company commander waited anxiously, the soldier sprinted toward the Independent Brigade’s sector. He reached them in minutes.

The troops stationed there were the Second Regiment of the Independent Brigade—Huzi’s men.

Huzi happened to be inspecting the lines when he received the plea from the neighboring unit. Seeing the urgency and unable to pull troops from elsewhere, he immediately mobilized his Blade Team and sent them running to support their allies.

Whatever the cost, they had to hold the line!