Chapter 129: Intercept the Japanese Invaders at All Costs!

Following the failure of the night raid, Lieutenant General Kamio pinned all his hopes on the 29th Infantry Brigade. His voice carried a trace of urgency and expectation:

"As long as they succeed, the tide of the battle can still be turned."

The staff officer, noticing the Lieutenant General’s fury, felt his expression shift. He cautiously maintained a distance to avoid becoming the next target of the General’s wrath, then replied hurriedly, his voice laced with tension:

"Reporting to the Division Commander, the 29th Infantry Brigade will launch their full-scale assault within the hour."

Lieutenant General Kamio took a deep breath, attempting to steady his emotions, and said in a low voice: "One hour from now will be the critical moment for the outcome of this battle!"

However, after four hours of rapid marching, the 29th Infantry Brigade was exhausted, and their combat effectiveness had been severely diminished. The Brigade Commander’s eyes betrayed exhaustion and concern; he had no choice but to order his soldiers to rest for half an hour before launching a fierce assault on the enemy's positions.

What he did not know was that from the moment they began their flanking maneuver, every step had been tracked by the Cheng Yun Army scouts and reported regularly to Jiang Bai.

Looking at the telegram on his desk, Jiang Bai curled his lips into a confident smile, his eyes glinting with cunning and anticipation: "Finally, the wait is over. The prey is about to enter the net."

He stood up slowly, his gaze firm and filled with confidence, and whispered: "Let us write the final chapter for these wretches!"

Jiang Bai turned to a burly, stern-faced man from the north standing beside him, his eyes reflecting a mixture of respect and anticipation:

"Jin'an, the performance of your 212th Brigade depends on you now."

His voice was resolute, filled with trust in his old subordinates.

"Your 212th Brigade is the veteran unit that rose with me; I have deep confidence in your strength."

Jiang Bai’s gaze swept over everyone, every word emphasizing his absolute trust in them.

"You must hold your position. At all costs, you must intercept them, understood?"

"Understood! Legion Commander!"

The 212th Brigade Commander, Shi Jin'an, replied immediately. His eyes flashed with determination, his voice as solid as bedrock.

"They will never cross my line!"

In his voice, one could sense an unquestionable confidence.

***

At half-past two in the morning, under the cover of a quiet night, the 29th Infantry Brigade launched a fierce assault on the 212th Brigade’s positions.

To maintain the element of surprise, they conducted no preliminary bombardment, approaching the 212th Brigade’s front lines in total silence. Although a short rest had failed to fully restore their strength, their tenacious fighting spirit kept them prepared for combat.

Each of them appeared remarkably fierce, as if they intended to shatter the obstacles before them with sheer aggression. Their confidence stemmed largely from the fact that the 29th Infantry Brigade was one of the elite units of the 3rd Division.

The 3rd Division was among the first elite divisions established in the Imperial Army. Among those standing elite divisions, these earliest-formed units were the elite of the elite.

Therefore, for this breakthrough operation, Lieutenant General Kamio had specifically deployed the 29th Infantry Brigade as the vanguard. He hoped to use their formidable combat prowess to shatter the 64th Division’s frontline, further expand their success, and occupy the entire Lan Province.

Even from a position far behind the front, the 29th Infantry Brigade Commander could clearly feel the intense gunfire and the tremors of the ground, a testament to the ferocity of the battle. He took a deep breath, his eyes filled not only with resolve but with a complex mix of anticipation and anxiety.

"It seems the initiative of the battlefield is firmly in our hands!" he said, attempting to mask his inner tension with firm words. "As one of the Army's top-tier elite brigades, we will surely wash away our previous shame and bring glory to the Army!"

His voice held both a hunger for victory and infinite anticipation for the future. If he were to win this battle, his path to promotion to Lieutenant General would be virtually paved. The Brigade Commander’s eyes glinted with ambition, his face set in uncontrollable confidence. He was not only confident in victory but held a conviction rooted in the fact that the two infantry regiments under his command were the best the Army had to offer.

If these two regiments served as the core, they were entirely capable of rapidly expanding into two or three infantry divisions, a testament to their immense combat power. Despite the fact that their opponent was one of Jiang Bai’s powerful veteran units, the Brigade Commander remained resolute, believing that with their strength, they would certainly prevail.

But before he could plan further for the future, the enemy’s intense shelling reduced all his hopes to ashes.

***

Amidst a series of explosions, the night sky was illuminated by flares, casting looks of shock upon the soldiers' faces.

Following this, wails and blasts rang out incessantly as a barrage of high-explosive shells rained down, detonating among them. Only then did they realize they were under a heavy artillery strike from the 212th Brigade.

"What is happening? High-explosive shells again! Shouldn't their artillery be at the front?"

The Brigade Commander’s face turned pale, his voice laced with confusion and rage.

"Take cover! The shockwaves from these large-caliber shells are lethal!"

His voice was urgent as he ordered his soldiers to scatter.

"Retreat! We have been exposed!"

At his command, the soldiers’ expressions turned to terror. They scrambled to flee, hoping to quickly escape the 212th Brigade’s kill zone. However, they soon fell into despair as the relentless, flood-like artillery fire shattered their formations.

In the extreme chaos, many soldiers were blown apart on the spot. The scene was filled with severed limbs and blood, a hellish sight too gruesome to behold.

The Brigade Commander’s expression turned grim to the point of extremity, a flicker of fear and rage flashing in his eyes.

He bellowed furiously: "Order all units to continue the attack at all costs! Since we are exposed, the element of surprise is meaningless!"

His voice was hard and unwavering: "Spare nothing to break through their lines!"

In his roars lay not only anger at the current situation but a cold resolve to fight through adversity.

"This is the critical moment to turn the tide of the battle!"

His eyes gleamed with a cold, ruthless light. It was as if, in this bloody struggle, the lives of his soldiers meant nothing to him; as long as final victory was achieved, any sacrifice was worth it. To these military officers, soldiers were merely pawns to secure victory—a cold indifference clearly etched into their iron-hard features. As long as they could win, no matter how heavy the cost, it was a price they were willing to pay.