A Japanese force of over four hundred men had been cut off from the main defensive line.

This was tantamount to tearing a chunk of flesh from the regimental commander Sasaki Michiichi.

He no longer had the energy to focus on the issue of retreat to the north.

He knew that if he allowed this force outside to continue their shenanigans, further divisions would result in his position being gradually eaten away.

With this in mind, Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi immediately directed all his available artillery to bombard that area.

Although illumination rounds continued to be fired over the sectioned-off area,

they only lit up about a hundred meters in front of the position, with everything further away shrouded in darkness.

All that could be seen in the distant darkness were the cruciform muzzle flashes of gunfire.

When Sasaki Michiichi's regimental artillery bombarded the area, the teams firing from the shadows immediately changed their positions.

They then continued to fire, which exposed the locations of the 55th Regiment's artillery positions.

The Special Company's anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns immediately ceased firing during the Japanese artillery barrage.

They dispersed.

These ten heavy weapons were originally mounted on carts, making them very quick to move.

They were already in the dark, so stopping firing made them even harder to spot.

After quietly moving away, the open space was left for the Japanese to bombard.

The Special Company's mortar teams also began to return fire, but they did not directly expose themselves to the Japanese.

The mortars were hidden behind the houses in Nanzha Town, constantly firing shells.

They bombarded the areas where the Japanese had just fired from.

This situation put Sasaki Michiichi's regiment in a very awkward position: if they stopped the artillery fire, the isolated Japanese troops would soon be completely annihilated.

If they continued to fire, they would remain exposed, subjected to artillery bombardment from the Nationalist army.

At the same time, Sasaki Michiichi's regiment had only managed to find the direction of the bombardment, without any idea of the distance.

They couldn't find a target to return fire!

Less than a minute after the Japanese artillery and grenade launchers stopped firing,

the isolated Japanese troops were horrified to discover that they were being shelled from all four directions.

In particular, the fire from the two anti-aircraft guns rendered the temporary positions built by the Japanese completely useless.

This feeling was utterly despairing.

Faced with this situation, Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi had no choice but to order the last three tanks to attack.

He wanted these three tanks to break through and bring back the four hundred Japanese soldiers.

At the same time, he organized an infantry force of three companies to follow the three tanks.

He hoped that this powerful combination of firepower and manpower would be able to turn the tide.

The machine guns on top of the three tanks were all firing, and the 75mm guns in the front were also bombarding the distant muzzle flashes.

When the Japanese tanks appeared, the two anti-aircraft guns immediately changed their target.

Zhen Danxiao's Fifth Squad, which had been blocking the gap between the two Japanese positions, lost the support of the heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.

Their squad immediately felt the pressure from the Japanese coming from two directions.

Those four hundred-plus isolated Japanese soldiers saw a glimmer of hope and charged over desperately.

The Japanese soldiers, who had been ordered to rescue them, also unleashed twelve times their usual firepower, firing at the Fifth Squad blocking their path.

The Fifth Squad, now caught in a pincer movement, had no choice but to retreat under Zhen Danxiao's orders.

The Fifth Squad had to give up their position, which immediately delighted Sasaki Michiichi's regimental commander.

It also filled the trapped Japanese soldiers with elation.

They quickly abandoned their previous defense and rushed towards the gap that the Special Company had just blasted open.

The soldiers of the Fifth Squad fought as they retreated, their numbers far smaller than those of the Japanese.

However, the Japanese soldiers at this moment only had the desire to escape, and no intention of pursuing this force of just over a hundred men.

The three tanks and the four hundred soldiers who had come to rescue them also surged towards the gap opened by the Fifth Squad.

However, the three tanks did not manage to break through the gap before being blown up by the Special Company's two anti-aircraft guns.

The anti-aircraft guns were simply too effective against the Japanese tanks.

Their rate of fire was fast, and their firepower was just enough to penetrate the frontal armor of the Japanese tanks.

The continuous stream of 20mm shells hit the three tanks, tearing through their armor.

They penetrated the inside of the tanks, exploded inside, and caused the ammunition inside the tanks to detonate.

Affecting the Japanese soldiers within a radius of several tens of meters.

The three tanks caused heavy losses to the infantry following behind them.

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi had never imagined that he would suffer such a major setback again in this place called Jiangyin.

Although the three tanks were lost, at least half of the several hundred isolated Japanese soldiers were rescued.

These Japanese soldiers and the three companies that came to rescue them met up on the position that Zhen Danxiao and his Fifth Squad had just defended.

As the excited Japanese soldiers were still cheering happily, several loud explosions rang out.

The sudden flashes of light blinded Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi.

When Sasaki Michiichi raised his binoculars to observe again, there was no one standing in the place where his two forces had just met.

All the Japanese soldiers were lying on the ground.

Not far away, the soldiers who had just retreated, wearing the uniforms of his own troops, were charging towards the position where countless imperial warriors had fallen.

What had just happened?

Could it be that this cunning Nationalist army had planted mines there?

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi's guess was correct.

The reason why Zhen Danxiao and his squad had infiltrated the middle of the Japanese position was to plant directional mines.

Regardless of whether or not the Japanese had sent a force to rescue the isolated Japanese soldiers, the Fifth Squad was going to retreat.

Zhen Danxiao planned to use bombs to eliminate the Japanese soldiers, which was safe, fast, and could also reduce casualties for his own squad.

They had planted fifteen directional mines in that area.

For this reason, apart from the two soldiers pulling the cords, the rest of the Fifth Squad had retreated far away under Zhen Danxiao's orders.

They hid far away in the darkness, just to wait for the moment of the explosion, and then quickly charge back.

Those Japanese soldiers who had survived by chance, looked at the hellish scene before them and forgot everything else.

They turned around and ran back, needing to get back into the main force in order to regain some sense of security.

None of those Japanese soldiers who were still in their own positions were willing to rush out and offer help to those Japanese soldiers who were still groaning and wailing.

These Japanese soldiers watched helplessly as a team wearing the same uniforms and equipment as themselves emerged from the darkness.

The difference was that this team rushed into the battlefield, quickly stabbing and shooting at those Japanese soldiers who were still groaning.

Some of the soldiers had already lain down in front of the position, setting up machine guns.

Guarding against the Japanese soldiers inside the encirclement.

The illumination rounds illuminating the area slowly went out.

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi looked at the area that was gradually fading into darkness.

There, at least six hundred imperial warriors had fallen.

Earlier in the north, the imperial warriors had also suffered the same kind of attack.

After being attacked, the wounded imperial soldiers had also received the same treatment.

That time, Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi had ordered artillery fire to strike those who were tending to the imperial warriors.

This time, Sasaki Michiichi finally did not issue the order to bombard.

He just watched from afar, powerless.

This time, he didn't even have the idea of ordering his soldiers to bombard that area.

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi was unwilling to see his soldiers, after their deaths, having their bodies torn to pieces under the bombardment of his own troops.

Furthermore, he now understood that this kind of bombardment in the darkness was not very effective against the attacking force.

The cavalry battalion commander, Mizumoto Kaedezaburo, standing beside him, shouted loudly: "Report to the regimental commander, please allow us to fight!"

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi had not allowed this cavalry battalion to fight, for one reason only: night battles were not the cavalry's forte.

He asked: "In such a dark night, you will rush into the darkness without being able to spot the enemy."

Mizumoto Kaedezaburo replied loudly: "We can fire illumination rounds while charging."

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi looked at the cavalry battalion commander in front of him, wanting to say something.

In the end, he said nothing.

After a pause, he finally ordered: "You will attack towards the north!

If you can break through, bring back reinforcements.

We can hold out here until dawn without any problems."

Cavalry Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo immediately returned to his squad and loudly ordered: "Cavalry Battalion! Prepare to attack."

Surrounding them to the north were the two platoons who had just blown up a Japanese tank and captured another, totaling three hundred and fifty men.

The bombs from earlier were very useful, and the two platoons didn't hesitate to plant many more.

Liu Laopao and Xiao Dongbei both knew that if the Japanese stopped holding their ground, their first choice for escape would be from this direction.

Therefore, they had laid a minefield stretching five hundred meters along the road.

They also had machine guns ambushed on both sides, leaving only one machine gun and twenty-odd soldiers to intercept them head-on.

The majority of the soldiers and a large number of machine guns were all hidden in the darkness.

Watching Cavalry Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo leave, Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi suddenly ordered:

"Artillery and grenade launchers, fire towards the northeast, all machine guns, sweep towards the northeast."

He said to the heavy artillery battalion commander, Kojika Harayuki: "Order the soldiers to immediately gather and break through towards the northeast."

Battalion Commander Kojika Harayuki was stunned and said, "Are these cannons to be destroyed?"

"No! We'll be back when it's dawn," Regimental Commander Sasaki said calmly.

He had just told Cavalry Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo that they could hold out until dawn.

After giving the order to the heavy artillery brigade commander, Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi gave orders to the two battalion commanders under his command:

"Goto Battalion, break through to the northeast with all your strength, to open the way for the regiment's breakout.

Masada Tatsuya Battalion, cover our rear."

Tonight, the force wearing the same uniforms as his troops had powerful firepower.

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi was afraid that if he continued to hold out here, he would be divided and annihilated by the enemy, just like before.

Therefore, he decided that while the cavalry battalion charged out, he would lead the infantry to charge out as well.

At this moment, the direct subordinate team's heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns opened fire again in the darkness.

This time, they changed direction, but it was still the same tactic: the powerful machine gun fire forcibly blasted open the Japanese defensive circle.

Having learned from the last time, this time, when the heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns were firing vigorously,

The Japanese soldiers on the position that was about to be cut off immediately retreated.

They abandoned the position and frantically fled back to the defense line of the main force.

This scene made Battalion Commander Fujiwara feel very ashamed. What about the bushido spirit of the imperial warriors?

Had they all thrown it to the back of their minds?

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi saw this scene, surprisingly, he didn't blame or scold them.

He just said faintly: "Battalion Commander Goto, attack immediately."

The scene before him was completely one of a crushing defeat.

Regimental Commander Sasaki Michiichi no longer dared to excessively pressure these soldiers under his command.

He was afraid that they would not be able to withstand the pressure and suddenly collapse.

Battalion Commander Goto immediately ordered: "Yanashita Company, attack towards the northeast at full speed. The logistics team, follow up."

This was also the last infantry company of his battalion, this time he had even sent the logistics team.

Battalion Commander Goto Yoichi also knew that the situation was urgent. This time, he personally led the team at the front.

Mizumoto Kaedezaburo's cavalry battalion fired illumination rounds towards the north and immediately began to charge.

The cavalrymen charging at the front, every few dozen meters, would fire an illumination round towards the front.

They charged north in this way, and just as they ran out of the infantry's defensive circle, they were met with a fierce attack from Liu Laopao, Xiao Dongbei, and their men.

The sparse rain of bullets that had been fired at the infantry in the defensive circle suddenly turned into a torrential downpour when dealing with the cavalry.

The Special Company's soldiers had long had a unified standard for dealing with cavalry: shoot the horse before shooting the man.

The dozen or so cavalrymen charging at the front could only return fire with illumination rounds at the distant hail of bullets directed at them.

The illumination rounds had a limited range and couldn't reach the Special Company's lurking soldiers at all, making the scene very awkward.

These cavalrymen, who had originally planned to clear the way, fell from their horses one after another.

Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo felt very frustrated: a dignified cavalry battalion was actually unable to move a single step by the infantry.

Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo, who was still in the middle of the squad, loudly urged all the cavalrymen to continue charging forward.

Now was not the time to stop, the squad needed speed, needed to charge.

The dozen or so cavalrymen charging at the front had already fallen.

Yamashita Iesada had now become the leader of the entire cavalry battalion.

He nervously hunched over, his body almost hidden in the saddle.

Even so, he still didn't feel safe.

Yamashita Iesada's horsemanship was very good, and he cooperated very well with his warhorse.

Many times, he only needed to give it a slight hint, and it would be able to act exactly according to his ideas.

This allowed Yamashita Iesada to win all the battles in his usual training and in the battles of the past few days.

Now, the stirrup hiding technique he was displaying was one of the horsemanship techniques.

During ordinary training and performances, he felt that this was a very awesome technique.

But tonight, Yamashita Iesada wished he could turn into a fly, attached to the tail of his warhorse.

As long as it could avoid harm, he would do anything.

The dense gun muzzles firing in the distance put more pressure on him than charging during the day.

When charging during the day, the warhorse could see, and he could also see the enemy.

But he couldn't see the flames when they fired.

Tonight, everything was reversed, he couldn't see the attackers on the opposite side, and he couldn't see the road clearly.

The only thing he could see clearly was the muzzle flashes in the darkness that fired deadly bullets.

Behind him, the neighing of warhorses falling to the ground and the moans of soldiers falling from their horses constantly rang out.

Each of these sounds was clearly transmitted into Yamashita Iesada's ears.

Making him always want to look back, just take a glance.

Just as he turned his head, the warhorse beneath him suddenly staggered and fell to the ground.

The warhorse's heavy body pinned Yamashita Iesada's left foot, with a cracking sound.

Yamashita Iesada only felt a sharp pain in his thigh.

He also began to scream loudly, at this time he hoped so much that among the comrades running past him, someone would jump off their horse and give him a hand.

Yamashita Iesada shouted loudly: "Brothers! Give a brother a hand!"

His voice may not have been loud enough, or he may have fallen in a slightly off-center position, or perhaps all the passing comrades were concentrating on the front.

In short, no one jumped off their horse to help Yamashita Iesada.

Yamashita Iesada fruitlessly pushed the warhorse pressing on him with his hands, his best partner.

It hadn't died yet, but it was only breathing lowly, unable to make a high-pitched, powerful sound.

Yamashita Iesada suddenly heard the order: "Charge! Continue charging!"

This was the voice of Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo, the battalion commander was nearby.

This voice rekindled the hope of survival in Yamashita Iesada, who had already been in despair.

He shouted loudly: "Commander Mizumoto! Commander Mizumoto! Save me! Save me!"

After Yamashita Iesada's cry for help, at least a dozen other people shouted the same thing around him.

Now was the time to see who had the louder voice.

Yamashita Iesada used all his strength and began to shout.

However, Battalion Commander Mizumoto Kaedezaburo seemed to have suddenly lost his job, and set off again like a gust of wind.

Leaving a dozen or so shouting soldiers, messed up in the wind.