Chapter 147: Fight to the Death, Never Retreat!

"Kill them all!" The Japanese officer waved his command saber wildly, shouting like a madman.

"Kill! Kill these devils! Even if we die, we’ll take one of them down with us!"

The soldiers of the regiment roared in unison, their bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely. Their bodies were covered in wounds, blood splattered over them like specters emerging from a mountain of corpses and seas of blood.

Indeed, that was exactly what they were.

To hold back the Japanese assault, the regiment had already killed countless enemy soldiers. They stood their ground, and whenever the enemy charged, they fought back fiercely with their blades. Unconsciously, the entire street was littered with corpses.

The bodies piled high like mountains, severed limbs scattered everywhere, blood flowing like rivers, leaving no place to stand.

They were like immortal gods of death, guarding this crucial pass. No matter how many enemies charged, no matter how fierce, they resolutely held their ground.

They fought to the death, never retreating!

This was true, unyielding, death-defying combat!

So far, the combined death toll of the Japanese and the regiment’s soldiers here had exceeded two thousand. Reinforcements kept coming for the Japanese, yet the regiment did not retreat—not even a single step.

"Chinese dogs, die! Die!" A Japanese soldier sneered savagely as he thrust his bayonet into a soldier’s body. Before he could even flash a bloodthirsty grin, another soldier rushed forward and shattered the Japanese soldier’s skull with a gunshot.

Zhao Sanqiang swung his blade fiercely, killing a Japanese soldier, and then saw the regiment commander beside him, hands resting on his knees, gasping heavily.

What mattered wasn’t that the commander was panting, but that behind him, a Japanese soldier grinned viciously, raising his bayonet to strike—yet the commander remained unaware.

"Commander, watch out!" Zhao Sanqiang’s face changed, and he shouted urgently.

At the same time, he dove toward the descending blade.

Alerted by Zhao Sanqiang’s shout, Fang Xiaodong finally reacted—but it was already too late!

The bayonet was already thrusting forward, just inches from his body. The Japanese soldier’s face lit up with grim satisfaction.

The Japanese clearly saw that the officer he was ambushing must be a high-ranking official of the Chinese forces. Killing him would surely earn a significant reward.

Just as the soldier thought this, he suddenly felt a powerful force surge through the rifle in his hands. He lost grip, and the rifle slipped away.

Before he could react, a fierce shout rang in his ears: "Die!"

The shout stunned the Japanese soldier, making his head spin and stars flash before his eyes. Then, suddenly, a massive fist appeared before him.

Bang!

He felt a tearing pain on his face, and everything went black. He lost consciousness.

"Commander, are you alright?" Zhao Sanqiang asked, catching his breath and wiping sweat from his brow, concern evident in his voice.

What had just happened was a flash of lightning. From the bayonet’s thrust to Zhao Sanqiang’s counterattack, barely a moment had passed.

Yet in that moment, Zhao Sanqiang executed several moves—

First, he dove forward. In mid-air, realizing he couldn’t block the bayonet, he threw his blade with all his might, knocking the rifle from the Japanese soldier’s hands. That was why the soldier felt the sudden violent force on his rifle.

Then Zhao Sanqiang landed, mustering every ounce of strength into a punch that crushed the Japanese soldier’s skull, creating a deep dent. The face caved in completely.

Only then was it over.

Though it sounded simple, completing such a sequence in such a short time was no easy feat.

Afterwards, Zhao Sanqiang panted heavily, sweat pouring from his brow, his right arm trembling violently. The strain had been immense.

Yet he ignored his injuries, looking anxiously at Fang Xiaodong.

"I'm fine," Fang Xiaodong finally came to, shaking his head. Then he noticed Zhao Sanqiang’s trembling arm and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Although Fang Xiaodong was the regiment commander, his spear skills were not remarkable. His strength lay in courage and strategy. Though he had learned some swordsmanship from Huzi, it was average at best. He could handle a few Japanese soldiers, but more than that would be difficult.

So he hadn’t clearly seen Zhao Sanqiang’s moves.

He only heard the fierce shout and then saw the Japanese soldier fall dead.

Hearing Fang Xiaodong’s concern, Zhao Sanqiang shook his head and laughed dismissively. "It’s nothing serious. Just a cramp from overexertion."

But then Zhao Sanqiang’s sharp eyes caught sight of a large patch of dark red bleeding through Fang Xiaodong’s uniform, and he gasped. "Commander, you’re injured?"

"It’s nothing serious—just a bayonet scratch. Don’t worry," Fang Xiaodong waved him off.

Only then did Zhao Sanqiang notice the commander’s pale lips and sallow face. This was no mere scratch—it was a severe blood loss.

His gaze shifted to Fang Xiaodong’s back, where a ten-centimeter gash had long since scabbed over but now seemed to be reopening from the exertion, oozing fresh blood.

The sight was shocking.

Zhao Sanqiang urgently said, "Commander, you need to fall back and get that treated! If you don’t, it’ll be over!"

"Retreat?!" Fang Xiaodong’s eyes blazed with fury. "My brothers are fighting desperately against the Japanese. If I run alone and become a deserter, how can I face the brothers who died?"

"But—" Zhao Sanqiang tried to argue.

"There is no ‘but’! The division commander entrusted us with this position. If I pull back, how do I explain that to him? Or to the brothers who sacrificed their lives?!"

"The Japanese are crazy and reckless—aren’t we brave enough to die for this? If need be, our entire regiment will block this spot. Even if we all die, we won’t let the Japanese take a single step!"

Fang Xiaodong arched his brow and roared fiercely, "Order all of our brothers in the regiment to hold this position at all costs! Even if we die, we die here! We must never let the Japanese break through our defense!"

"Damn it! If the Japanese want to fight, we’ll fight them to the end! Even if it means biting them back for every bite they take!"

Hearing Fang Xiaodong’s words, Zhao Sanqiang clenched his teeth and stomped. "Damn it! Brothers, our commander fights shoulder to shoulder with us. If he’s not afraid, why should we be afraid? At worst, we die together! Even in death, we’ll take one with us!"

"Brothers, let us swear to live and die with this position!"