Chapter 28: The Infantry Charge—The Most Advantageous Way to Resolve Conflict

Shells exploded ceaselessly around them, tearing apart comrades and even themselves in the blasts.
“Is this the coming of the apocalypse?” a bandit cried out in despair. If given another chance, he would never have chosen the path of banditry, nor would he have participated in the assault on Chengyun County.
The shells fell like torrential rain, steadily claiming the lives of the bandits.
This not only caused tremendous losses among their ranks but also dealt a devastating blow to their morale.
“The Seventh Artillery Regiment’s performance is truly remarkable. Such firepower would rival that of any major power,”
Jiang Bai observed from the city walls, highly praising the artillery regiment’s display.
“In terms of sheer number of cannons, we are the equals of any first-rate army. Compared even to the Japanese forces, we may well surpass them,” Wang Xiao said, his deep understanding of the Japanese army making him keenly aware that the Seventh Reinforced Division's equipment had reached new heights.
“With our current strength, even against the main divisions of the Japanese army, we could stand toe to toe,” Wang Xiao added.
Jiang Bai smiled, his heart burning with greater ambitions.
Though the Chengyun Army might not yet match the Japanese army in individual combat prowess, their superior firepower had greatly enhanced their fighting strength, compensating for any deficiencies in single-soldier capability.
Jiang Bai hoped that in the near future, the Chengyun Army would defeat the main divisions of the Japanese army on the battlefield.
“Order the Twenty-second, Twenty-third, and Twenty-fourth Regiments to prepare for counterattack at any moment.”
As the artillery regiment neared the end of its task,
Jiang Bai issued his command: “Now is the time to let them crush the bandits!”
Calm and resolute, Jiang Bai gave the order. The fierce bombardment by the Seventh Reinforced Division had already inflicted heavy losses on the bandits and shattered their morale. If infantry units launched an assault now, it would utterly destroy any remaining will to resist.
With the continued tightening encirclement of the four follow-up infantry regiments, surrounding and annihilating the bandits would no longer pose a challenge.
“My God! The bombardment is so fierce! How many cannons do the troops in the city possess?” The bandits discussed in shock.
“Such violent shelling—I’ve never seen anything like it!” they exclaimed.
“This battle cannot be won; we simply cannot take Chengyun County!” the bandits said in despair.
“I won’t fight anymore. I’ll lead my men back to the mountains. To continue fighting is to court death—how can we survive this?” a bandit leader declared.
The brutal bombardment by the Chengyun Army had caused enormous casualties among the bandits, wrenching their hearts.
Victory had seemed within reach; they could have stormed the city and claimed triumph. Yet now, with the situation clearly against them, preserving their strength became their only concern, and they refused to fight on.
The bandits had only joined forces due to pressure from the Chengyun Army—once the tide turned, their dissolution was inevitable.
“Enough! Stop arguing. Do we have any other options?” Zuoshan Diao broke the silence.

“Zuoshan Diao, what do you mean?” a bandit leader asked.
“I’ve just received word: the main force of the government troops has arrived to support. We are surrounded on all sides. Retreat is no longer possible,” Zuoshan Diao revealed.
“What? How can that be?” the bandit leaders cried in disbelief.
“Zuoshan Diao, is this a conspiracy between you and the government troops, to lure us into a trap?” they accused.
“That’s right! Zuoshan Diao, this is clearly a trap. You seek personal glory and riches, deceiving us—do you not fear retribution from heaven?” The bandit leaders angrily denounced him.
Realizing retreat was impossible, they immediately began to suspect Zuoshan Diao.
“Me, surrender to the government? Don’t you dare slander me! Every attack, haven’t I led the charge? Isn’t it my men who suffered the heaviest losses?” Zuoshan Diao retorted in fury.
The bandit leaders fell silent.
Indeed, in the battle to storm Chengyun County, Zuoshan Diao’s unit had suffered the greatest casualties. That alone proved he could not have betrayed them or colluded with the government troops.
“Brothers, this time, it really does look like the government troops laid a trap, waiting for us to walk into it. But now, we have no other choice. If we can take Chengyun County and capture Old Wang’s son alive, we might still survive. Otherwise, it’s the end of the road!”
“Yes, Zuoshan Diao is right. We can only stake it all on one last fight!”
“A fight to the death!”
“Broken heads and bloodied bodies are but wounds of flesh.”
“Eighteen years from now, we’ll still be men of valor!”
Knowing that to refuse battle meant certain death, the bandit leaders rekindled their fighting spirit and began to reorganize their shattered ranks, preparing for another assault.
Beyond Chengyun County, in the command tent of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the “Three-point Formation”:
“Colonel, the division headquarters orders us to break camp and charge the bandits in five minutes,” a staff officer reported.
“Excellent! We finally have our chance to take the field. Let’s hope the artillery hasn’t wiped the bandits out entirely, or we’ll have no opportunity for glory.”
In fact, the earlier fierce shelling by the Seventh Artillery Regiment had left the infantry both excited and anxious. They were eager for the chance to smash the demoralized bandits with a single charge, yet worried that if the artillery had been too effective, there would be no enemies left for them to fight.
Five minutes later, at the colonel’s order, the infantry formed ranks and set out, as the shelling ceased.
The battlefield was littered with death and debris; the faint-hearted would surely believe themselves in hell at such a sight.
Some soldiers could not help but vomit.
“Disgraceful!” the colonel of the Twenty-fourth Regiment scorned.
“Load your rifles! Fix bayonets!” The soldiers drew their gleaming blades, which flashed coldly in the sunlight.

Over a thousand soldiers stood in formation, each gripping his rifle, ready to charge.
“Charge forward! Crush the bandits!” the colonel commanded.
The soldiers shouted loudly, sprinting at full speed.
Their running footsteps thundered like a storm, stirring the heart. Before the advent of tanks and armored vehicles, the infantry charge was a perfect means to decide the outcome of battle.
Especially in this case, as the Twenty-fourth Regiment faced only a disorganized group of bandits. There was no need for strict battle formation—just a direct assault would suffice.
Against the overwhelming artillery and firepower of the Chengyun Army, many bandits were terrified, nearly crushed by fear. Fortunately, with the encouragement of their leaders, some bandits rallied and prepared for another attack.
“Charge! Brothers, seize Chengyun County and capture Old Wang’s son!”
“Forward!” the bandits shouted in response, once more rushing toward Chengyun County.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed across the field. “What’s that sound? Are the government troops shelling us again?”
“No, it’s not shelling—the ground is shaking.”
“It’s the infantry! The government troops are charging!”
“Damn it, there are more government troops than us—run!”
The spectacular surge of soldiers and the flashing blades in their hands filled the bandits with terror; some so frightened they wet themselves.
“Run for your lives! How can we stand against the regular army? Another attack is suicide!” one bandit tossed aside his weapon and fled.
With him, more and more bandits chose to run.
Faced with the charge of the Chengyun Army infantry, their courage dissolved instantly.
But how could the bandits’ legs outrun the encirclement of three regiments?
One bandit was caught.
An infantryman thrust his bayonet with ease, the momentum from his sprint driving the blade cleanly through the bandit’s chest.
The head flew, blood spurted like a spring.
“Kill!”
The soldiers of the three regiments swept through the field as if unopposed, hunting down bandits—lives taken with ease beneath their guns.