Chapter Eighty-Two: The Battle Grows Perilous

“Brigade Commander, with the armored vehicles sent by the division commander as reinforcements, we will surely be able to capture the Chihe positions in one decisive attack this time!” Watching as three armored cars charged unflinchingly toward the defenders’ lines, the chief of staff of the Fifth Brigade of the Japanese Army spoke with a cheerful smile.

“Excellent!” Ichiro Katayama nodded with a look of smug satisfaction. “The Chinese army is absolutely incapable of dealing with our armored vehicles. As long as they reach the position, the Chinese defenders are doomed! When that happens, I will personally behead the commander of the defending Chinese forces, to let them know the terrible price to be paid for daring to hinder our Imperial Army!”

“Yes, sir! The brigade commander is wise! The Empire is invincible!” The chief of staff snapped to attention and bowed, his face filled with fanatic devotion.

“Excellent!” Ichiro Katayama drew his command saber, looking even more pleased. “Stand here with me and watch as the Empire’s armored vehicles display their might, wiping out these detestable Chinese!”

While Katayama and his chief of staff were congratulating themselves, the three Japanese armored cars had already reached within several hundred meters of the defensive line at a steady pace.

The armored vehicles rumbled across the ground, their tracks carving deep furrows into the earth. On the defensive line, the thunderous noise and the tremors beneath their feet made Wang Zanbin and the soldiers of the 174th Division look grim.

“Damn it, the Japs are damned sneaky—dragging their armored cars all the way here! And they bring out three at once—looks like we’re in for a rough day!” Wang Zanbin scowled as he watched the enemy’s movements.

Ordinary means are useless against armored vehicles like these. Bullets are nothing but tickles to their armor; only artillery or anti-tank weapons can do the job.

Yet the 174th Division had neither!

If they wanted to destroy those three armored vehicles, their only option was to use satchel charges or bundled grenades.

But the Japanese were no fools—they wouldn’t just let the defenders get close to their vehicles.

It was clear that a bitter struggle was about to unfold.

But—

No matter how hard the fight, they had to hold out!

The position must not fall. And even if they tried to retreat now, with the Japanese armored vehicles in pursuit, the 174th Division would suffer terrible losses during a withdrawal.

Better to fight the Japanese head-on than to die running!

With that thought, Wang Zanbin steeled himself, stamping his foot and shouting, “Brothers, keep your eyes peeled! Wait until the bastards get closer, then hit them with everything you’ve got!”

“Prepare the satchel charges! Suicide squad, assemble—get ready to blow up those Japanese armored cars!”

At Wang Zanbin’s command, the soldiers quietly checked the bullets in their rifles, pulled back the bolts, and took aim at the Japanese.

Dozens of men, each clutching either a satchel charge or a bundle of grenades, crouched in the trenches, awaiting the signal from the officer at the very front.

The moment they got the order, they would rush forward with their explosives, racing towards the armored vehicles to detonate them up close.

...

Everything was ready on the 174th Division’s side. Meanwhile, the Japanese armored cars had crept to within about three hundred meters of the defensive line. The Japanese infantry, rifles at the ready, surrounded the vehicles on the flanks and rear, advancing slowly in tandem.

This was a rudimentary attempt at infantry-armor cooperation.

Infantry-armor cooperation meant that infantry and tanks or armored vehicles coordinated on the battlefield: tanks would assault fortified enemy emplacements, while infantry would stay close behind to protect the tanks and, at the critical moment, swiftly clear out any remaining defenders.

At this time, only a handful of nations in the world had developed any real proficiency in such tactics. Among the Japanese, their understanding was only just in its infancy.

Even so, given the Japanese superiority in equipment, the Nationalist forces were hard-pressed to resist!

The armored car’s turret whirred as it turned toward the defenders’ position. Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, it fired a shell that landed among the defenders, blasting a deep crater. Several soldiers screamed and were hurled into the air.

That shell was like the opening note of a symphony, signaling the beginning of the battle.

“Charge!”

A Japanese infantry officer, standing behind the armored car, drew his sword and shouted fanatically, directing his men to storm the position.

The armored car’s turret fired again and again. A machine gun mounted atop the turret spat bullets—its operator grimacing savagely as he sprayed the defenders’ lines.

Bullets whistled through the air, slamming into sandbags and earth with dull thuds, sending up clouds of dust and pockmarking the ground with craters.

Many soldiers were hit, blood bursting from their wounds as they cried out and fell into the trenches.

Seeing this, Wang Zanbin gritted his teeth and shouted, “Damn it! Brothers, return fire!”

He grabbed a machine gun himself and opened up on the Japanese.

The others fought back just as tenaciously, pouring a fierce hail of bullets at the enemy.

But the Japanese infantry mostly kept behind the armored cars, rendering the defenders’ fire ineffective. Most bullets clanged harmlessly off the armored plates, leaving only white marks.

“Wretched, ignorant Chinese—how could you hope to harm the Empire’s armored vehicles with your pitiful weapons?” Inside one armored car, a Japanese soldier watched the hail of bullets bouncing off their armor, grinning with smug satisfaction.

He sneered, “Let me show you the might of the Empire’s armored vehicles!”

With that, he fired another shell. A deafening boom, and another explosion tore into the defenders’ lines, killing several more soldiers. The Japanese inside the armored car could barely contain their glee.

“If this keeps up, we’re dead for sure!” Their return fire barely scratched the Japanese, while the enemy shelled them with impunity. If this went on, they would be slaughtered.

The Japanese armored vehicles were now less than a hundred meters from the position. Growing anxious, Wang Zanbin barked, “Quick, send in the suicide squad! Blow up those iron turtles!”

“Yes, sir!” A nearby regimental commander nodded, turned, and shouted, “Suicide squad, go!”

On command, the men who had been standing by stepped forward. Three soldiers drew deep breaths, grabbed their satchel charges, vaulted from the trench, and sprinted toward the Japanese armored cars.