Chapter 26: We Are on the Fifth Floor!

Li Yunlong personally operated one of the Oerlikon 20mm autocannons. He pressed his shoulder firmly against the gun stock, gripped the cold, heavy iron handles with both hands, and pressed down hard.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Simultaneously, over a hundred dazzling tongues of fire erupted, instantly tearing into the ranks of the Japanese cavalry. In the next heartbeat, those unfortunate enough to be struck by the barrage were reduced to shredded, blood-spattered fragments before they could even let out a scream.

Zhang Dabiao, who had acted as the bait, and Huang Zhiyong, who was in charge of fire support, were not to be outdone. Each manned an Oerlikon 20mm autocannon, unleashing a fierce torrent of fire upon the nearby Japanese cavalry. It must be understood that both the M2 Browning heavy machine gun and the Oerlikon 20mm autocannon were genuine, standard anti-infantry weapons. A single bullet or shell could effortlessly blast through several Japanese soldiers lined up in a row, turning them into pulverized flesh.

Heidao Morita was exceptionally lucky, or perhaps he simply understood the essence of self-preservation. When he realized what the dense, dark specks in the distance were, he sobered up instantly. Thoughts of his beloved, revenge, and the noble demeanor of an officer were cast to the wind. After shoving a bewildered cavalryman off his mount, he vaulted onto the horse and turned, all in one fluid motion. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Heidao Morita snatched two precious seconds of life from the hands of death. He now lay flat against the horse he had stolen from his subordinate, galloping toward the rear. Listening to the thudding artillery fire behind him, cold sweat soaked his uniform.

Escape! He had to escape to the rear! Escaping backward meant there was still a chance to live. As for those fools who thought they could charge through with a cavalry assault, they were simply courting death. The enemy was not holding ordinary rifles capable of single shots; they were armed with large-caliber, automated weaponry. Was charging forward simply a way to ensure a faster death?

Many Japanese cavalrymen shared Heidao Morita's sentiment. They whipped their horses—mounts they usually cherished—with desperate intensity, hoping to gain even a slight advantage in survival. While luckless soldiers continued to be turned into gore within the fleeing ranks, a flicker of hope ignited in Heidao Morita’s eyes. Three hundred meters to his front-left, a few low, rolling mounds appeared. They were the kind of insignificant hills one could step over in a few paces, yet to Heidao Morita, they were the salvation he craved. The Oerlikon 20mm autocannons had a long range, but these mounds could provide cover from the shells. He immediately veered his horse toward the mounds, followed closely by the remaining cavalry.

Meanwhile, behind these waist-high mounds, Shen Quan and the soldiers of the Second Battalion had crawled out from camouflaged trenches nearby, having waited patiently while the Heidao Cavalry Regiment was distracted by Zhang Dabiao’s forces.

Though their hiding spots could not accommodate heavy weapons like M2 Brownings or Oerlikon autocannons, every soldier carried three MP40 submachine guns loaded with ammunition. As the remaining two hundred Japanese cavalrymen entered their range, the stuttering crackle of gunfire erupted. A wall of lead from seven or eight hundred MP40s rained down on the remnants of the Heidao Cavalry Regiment. Before the bullets, all were equal. The Japanese cavalrymen shrieked as they were struck and fell from their saddles, only to be trampled into the mud by their own horses.

Heidao Morita, leading the charge, did not even have the chance to scream; he was turned into a bloody sieve in an instant, sent off to meet his Shinto gods. The soldiers of the Second Battalion, having emptied their first submachine guns, immediately switched to their second, giving the remaining cavalry no room to breathe. By the time all three MP40s were spent, not a single Japanese soldier remained standing, save for the horses.

...

In Changye City, Liu Jianguo, who had just returned from Jincheng, sat down and allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host: The New First Regiment has completely annihilated the Japanese 4th Brigade's Heidao Cavalry Regiment. You have earned 3 intermediate draws and 2 advanced draws!]

Not bad at all. It was a pity, however, that he hadn't captured the Heidao Cavalry Regiment's colors; that would have doubled the satisfaction. Liu Jianguo crossed out the Sakata Regiment and the Heidao Cavalry Regiment from his notebook.

Indeed, Li Yunlong’s fixation on the Heidao Cavalry Regiment was no accident. In war, what is most important? Weapons? Numbers? The commander? None of these. It is intelligence.

Liu Jianguo understood the vital importance of intelligence. Through the system’s rewards, he had long since established an intelligence network for the New First Division. While Terauchi Hisaichi had no idea what kind of force he was facing, Liu Jianguo had already thoroughly investigated every Japanese unit the New First Division might encounter. Even minor details, such as the blood relation between Matsuda Takeshi and Heidao Morita, had been noted in detail.

Once he identified the first Japanese units to arrive near Changye, Liu Jianguo had a plan. Together with Li Yunlong, they devised this chain of tactical maneuvers. Montgomery might have thought he had seen through Li Yunlong, believing he was playing on the second level, but in reality, Liu Jianguo and the Regiment Commander were on the fifth. The Sakata Regiment’s First Infantry Battalion, the Sakata Regiment headquarters, the 4th Brigade’s Heidao Cavalry Regiment, and even the 4th Brigade itself—they were all prey in the sights of the New First Regiment.

"But this streak of good fortune will likely end here," Liu Jianguo mused, shaking his head. "Miyamoto Ichiro and his 4th Brigade won't be fooled again."

Anyone who treats the Japanese as idiots will eventually become the idiot himself. Having lost the Sakata Regiment and the Heidao Cavalry Regiment, the Japanese would surely begin to take the New First Division seriously. The opportunity to exploit information asymmetry was gone. The true battle was only just beginning. When the Japanese returned, the New First Division would likely face an assault force of at least ten thousand men. That would be the real test for Liu Jianguo.

One-on-one, the New First Division feared no opponent. But as the old saying goes, two fists cannot fight four hands. That was a hundred thousand Japanese invaders—and the enemy possessed absolute air superiority. Furthermore, there was the meddlesome Yan Lao-xi in the rear, acting as a constant drain on their efforts.