Chapter 26: Poison Gas Shells! The Defensive Battle Turns into a Siege

“Company Commander, what kind of shells are these? They give me the creeps.”
“One of the bombs even has a skull painted on it. Those devils are twisted!”
“...”
The men exchanged murmurs back and forth.

Zhang Dabiao frowned as he observed the scene. Back when he was in the Saber Squad, comrades had mentioned rumors that the enemy sometimes marked special bombs with distinctive signs.

Recalling this, Zhang Dabiao called out anxiously, “Everyone, do not touch these! Be careful!”

“These shells are no ordinary ammunition!”

At his warning, the soldiers grew cautious.

They trusted this new company commander—Zhang Dabiao had earned their respect through his capabilities.

“Commander, this is the place!” came the voice of the scout.

Li Yunlong entered the warehouse and saw Zhang Dabiao and the others standing strangely in front of a truck, each acting very carefully.

He was puzzled.

“Zhang Dabiao, what’s in the warehouse?”

“Commander, there are about forty shells here.”

Shells?

Li Yunlong’s confusion deepened until he approached and saw the bombs marked with skulls. His heart skipped a beat.

Could these be poison gas shells?

If the enemy intended to use these, the consequences would be dire...

The thought made Li Yunlong shudder involuntarily.

“Are these... poison gas shells?”

The question caused everyone to step back, eyes filled with dread.

After all, anything associated with poison gas was terrifying.

Zhang Dabiao shook his head. “I don’t know for sure.”

“When we first attacked this warehouse, the enemy seemed very afraid. They even threw grenades at the truck, but Wang Xikui, quick and sharp-eyed, killed them before they succeeded.”

“You’ve got to thank your ancestors!” Li Yunlong joked. “Luckily, no explosion was triggered, or you’d be off to meet your great-grandparents by now.”

“Those damned dogs actually planned to use poison gas shells. No wonder they’re so cautious.”

“Find a few puppet soldiers who can drive trucks and have them move that truck away. These shells need to be transported and stored separately.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhang Dabiao responded, still uneasy.

After inspection, there were exactly 42 shells and two 60mm mortars capable of launching them.

This was an unexpected gain.

The enemy was truly ruthless to consider using poison gas—an internationally banned weapon.

But rules only bind the weak; the strong make their own laws.

Someday, the enemy would have to taste these shells themselves!

Still, why were these poison gas shells here?

Where were they headed?

Based on the direction, timing, and location of the shipment, there was only one plausible conclusion.

They were intended to be used against our forces.

It was early 1938. The enemy had gradually realized the threat our army posed and had conducted multiple sweeps to eliminate us.

However, under our headquarters’ command, these efforts had not met expectations.

No wonder the enemy resorted to unconventional methods.

Li Yunlong also understood the enemy likely intended to use these shells to confirm the approximate location of our headquarters for a decisive encirclement.

This made him all the more eager to improve their strength.

As the 1st Regiment cleaned up the battlefield, elsewhere—

After receiving a distress call from Xijing Town, the enemy commander immediately dispatched puppet troops to reinforce.

But shortly after the troops set out, they were ambushed.

On the road from Huangyadong Town to Xijing Town, fierce fighting erupted.

A company from the 2nd Battalion was tasked with blocking enemy reinforcements heading from Huangyadong Town.

Facing two companies of puppet soldiers and a small number of enemy troops, the well-trained 1st Regiment soldiers, supported by firepower, fought back with vigor.

Seeing their reinforcements stalled, the enemy commander intensified the attack.

The distress from Xijing Town was urgent—the enemy had already penetrated the town. Delay would spell disaster.

The enemy commander knew well that there was a cache of special shells in Xijing Town.

Losing them would be catastrophic.

“Kill them all!”

“We must break through the enemy line and reinforce Watanabe!”

“Li Dafu, push your men forward immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

Li Dafu eyed the fierce enemy fire with reluctance but obeyed.

After all, the enemy were his “superiors.”

He ordered, “Company Commander One, lead your men and seize the enemy position!”

“Commander, I...” The company commander hesitated but had to swallow his words when faced with the barrel of the commander’s gun.

Reluctantly, he led his men forward to attack.

Despite the multi-pronged assault from the puppet troops, the 1st Regiment soldiers resisted tenaciously.

“Comrades, hold your ground!”

“The more desperate the enemy, the closer our main force is to capturing Xijing Town!”

“Show them the strength of our company!”

“Hit them hard!”

Bang, bang, bang...

Rat-a-tat... rat-a-tat... rat-a-tat...

Boom, boom, boom... rumble...

The attacking puppet troops were once again driven back.

The enemy commander cursed in frustration, “Baka!”

“Charge! Death to all who retreat!”

He shot several of the fastest retreating puppet soldiers, instantly intimidating the others.

“Mr. Zuoquan, lead a small squad to flank and attack from the side. We must take that position quickly.”

“Zhang Dafu, personally lead your men. If you fail to capture that position again, you’re dead meat!”

“Yes, sir!”

Zhang Dafu and Zuoquan Saburo responded in unison.

They launched another assault.

Just as the enemy attacked, Shen Quan finally arrived with reinforcements.

Seeing the situation, Shen Quan quickly arranged his troops.

“Inform Captain Three to feign retreat to Erdaokou!”

“Yes, sir!”

The captain immediately understood Shen Quan’s plan.

After dealing a fierce blow to the enemy, they promptly withdrew, narrowly avoiding the enemy flanking squad.

This left Zuoquan Saburo bewildered.

Had their intentions been discovered?

But there was no time to dwell—once they captured the position, they could swiftly reinforce Xijing Town.

Zhang Dafu breathed a sigh of relief as the enemy finally retreated.

“Damn, where did these troops come from? Their firepower is unbelievable.”

“At this rate, not only will reinforcements fail, but our own troops will suffer heavy losses.”

“Those damned devils are treating us like cannon fodder!”

But when an enemy officer approached and instantly changed his expression to flatter, he reported, “Commander, the enemy has been repelled!”

“Should we press the attack?”

“Yes!” The officer nodded slightly, brandished his saber, and ordered, “Quickly reinforce Xijing Town.”

Then, they boarded trucks and advanced.

But soon they fell into Shen Quan’s ambush.

To minimize casualties among the blocking troops, Li Yunlong had assigned an artillery platoon led personally by Yang Zhihua.

This was also to give Yang Zhihua a chance to prove himself, build prestige, and facilitate the management of the artillery company.

As the enemy reinforcements entered the kill zone, the encirclement began in earnest.

Yang Zhihua watched through binoculars as enemy trucks reached the designated artillery strike point and decisively ordered, “Three rounds, rapid fire, open fire!”

Boom, boom, boom...

Shell after shell slammed into the target.