Chapter Sixty: Special Forces Display Their Might

  "Report! The Asano detachment, which was reinforcing Nao County, was ambushed by an unidentified Chinese armed group in the middle section of the Naohe Highway. Detachment commander Lieutenant Colonel Asano Kōji and 1,100 men were all killed!"

  Standing on the city wall of Hefei, Major General Sakai Tokutarō had not yet had time to savor the joy of capturing Anhui's stronghold of Hefei when he was stunned by this unbelievable news and couldn't speak for half a day. What kind of army could have such combat power?

  It is worth noting that although the Hefei garrison had an army group, the Sakai detachment of less than 5,000 men captured Hefei in just one day and defeated Xu Yuanquan's 26th Army Group. Last year, the Eighth Route Army used a whole division to annihilate the Fifth Division's logistics unit, but they also lost 800 men.

  To think that they could devour the Shinano fleet in such a short time, what kind of strength should the other side have? The intelligence department is so stupid, they don't even know that there is an elite troop on their own flank.

  Just as Sakai Tokutarō was getting indignant, the staff officer next to him spoke up: "Lieutenant General, the top priority now is to find these Chinese troops. In my opinion, although the Asano detachment has been loyal to the Emperor, their opponents must also be on their last legs. If we can catch up with this unit, it will also be a good excuse for us to report back to the division commander."

  Yes, an entire battalion was annihilated. If I couldn't find the culprit myself, even if the division commander didn't pursue it, the Huazhong Military Region Command would not let it go. At that time, I might even have to face a military tribunal for failing to provide adequate rescue efforts.

  Thinking of this, Sakai Tokutarō made up his mind. He left a large contingent to defend Hefei and immediately set off with the rest of his troops to rush to Asano's location where he had died in battle.

  "The Divine Eagle" Independent Regiment suffered the heaviest casualties since its establishment after annihilating the Asano detachment. Chen Jifang, who was well aware of the Japanese military's temperament, ordered an immediate withdrawal after clearing the battlefield. At this point, the "Divine Eagle" Independent Regiment had no combat capability except for the three regiments outside Anhui County and the fourth regiment in Hanshan County. Not only were personnel casualties heavy, but ammunition was also almost depleted. In such a situation, if the main force of Sakai's brigade in Hefei pursued them, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  Chen Jifan ordered the third battalion to withdraw, although most of the troops immediately withdrew to Quanjiao for rest and reorganization. However, Hu Yunfeng disagreed, reasoning that if Sakai's detachment could not find the "Divine Eagle", they would definitely attack Hancheng and Quanjiao, and might even raid Xuchang's old home, which would not only prevent the troops from resting but also implicate countless civilians.

  "What's your good idea?" Chen Jifan asked.

  "Most of the troops returned to Quanjiao for reorganization, and the highway from Hefei to Quanjiao has been severely damaged by the National Army. The devils will have to take a detour if they want to attack Quanjiao. However, we can't let them attack wherever they want. I suggest immediately recalling Zhao Jun, and with the assault team and reconnaissance team as the backbone, select the elite from each unit to form an agile force. After Sakai's detachment sets out, this force will closely follow him, leading him on a wild goose chase in the wilderness, wearing down the strong and exhausting the weak."

  This idea is really poisonous, Chen Jifan did not hesitate and made up his mind immediately.

  He let the battalion commander bring back all the troops and spoils of war to Quan Qiu, and immediately replenish and reorganize the troops with Deng Fangshun, Gao Huanjie and others from Quan Qiu. He himself, along with Zhong Dingcheng, Hu Yunfeng, Luo Yugang, Wen Chuanhao, Zhao Jun, Su Jingwei and others stayed behind to form a temporary special forces unit.

  "Old Song, after you return, the troops' training and preparation will depend on you. The devils may attack at any time, so we can't be careless. Tell Gao Huanjie to immediately send out a coded telegram nationwide: On May 13th, 1938, in the afternoon, our National Revolutionary Army 'Divine Eagle' Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment annihilated over 1,100 people from the Japanese Sakai Brigade's Asano Battalion on the He-Song Highway, killing the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Asano Kōji."

  "Squad leader, rest assured, I will definitely get the troops back in shape as soon as possible." Song Guantao saluted.

  "I've already sent someone to inform the three battalions, immediately withdraw from Raozhou and assemble at Quanbu. Remember, you must march at night and avoid exposing your tracks. Go!"

  The next morning, the "Divine Eagle" Independent Regiment's temporary special warfare team was established, with Chen Jifan as its captain. There were 180 people in total, divided into six small teams. Zhong Dingcheng and others served as team leaders. Before Song Guantao led his men to withdraw, he left most of the remaining ammunition for the temporary special warfare team. The temporary special warfare team was fully equipped with submachine guns

  "Comrades, although we have won the battle of annihilation, we have also paid a great price, with over 700 comrades sacrificing themselves on the battlefield. The devils will definitely take revenge for such heavy losses. In order to allow the main force to rest and regroup in the rear without worry, and to avoid implicating the surrounding civilians too much, we cannot retreat. Not only can we not retreat, but we must also keep a distance from the devils who come to take revenge, leading these beasts on a wild goose chase through the mountains. In short, we cannot let them easily find the main force. This mission is even more arduous, with the possibility of sacrifice at any moment. From now on, we will not have logistical supplies; everything will depend on ourselves. Comrades, do you have confidence?"

  Yes!

  "The devils want our lives? Not that easy! This time, let them experience the power of our 'Divine Eagle' special forces squad. Let's move out!"

  The special forces are operating independently, and intelligence is crucial. So Chen Jifang marched on the one hand, and on the other hand, he sent out many scouts to conduct close reconnaissance on the Japanese army in Hefei and Chaohu directions.

  Sakai detachment arrived quickly and reached the scene of the incident at Asano's unit on the morning of the 14th.

  The flames had not yet been extinguished, and the bodies of Japanese soldiers were scattered all over the place. The guns, ammunition, belts, and boots on their bodies had been looted clean. Asano's body was found next to a burnt-out truck, his chrysanthemum-crested sword, pistol, and uniform all gone, leaving behind only a naked corpse that mocked the dignity of the Imperial Japanese Army.

  Sakai ordered the bodies to be collected and cremated, then sent a telegram report to the division headquarters about the annihilation of the Asano detachment.

  "Hey! Hey!" It seems that the instructor's department was extremely outraged about this matter, and Sakai got scolded a lot.

  "Gentlemen! The division commander, Tani Hisao, has ordered us to suspend our advance on Anqing in Zhina. The task of attacking Anqing will be carried out by the Hata detachment. Our primary mission is to immediately locate this Zhina armed force. Division headquarters intelligence says that it is highly likely that this unit is the Zhina 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment, which caused trouble for our various units in the past. However, there is no detailed information on the combat strength of this unit, its numbers, or its armaments. All we know is that this unit is active in this area. Therefore, I order:"

  Sakai gave a single order, and all the squadron leaders, staff officers, etc. stood at attention.

  "The troops immediately spread out to search the surroundings, not a single clue can be missed, we must find the 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment! Then capture them! Annihilate them! Gentlemen, this battle must be won! Otherwise, I will apologize to His Majesty the Emperor together with you all!"

  Sakai's squadron commander had given a death order, and the various liaison teams below naturally began an efficient search.

  The movements of Sakai's troops naturally couldn't escape the reconnaissance soldiers sent by the "Divine Eagle" special warfare team. After Chen Jifan received the report from the reconnaissance soldiers, he decided to take action against Sakai's artillery first. To deal with the artillery, of course, there was no need for a head-on confrontation, just blowing up the shells would be enough.

  The artillery unit attached to the Sakai detachment was a battalion of the 6th Artillery Regiment, with 12 field guns, 646 men and 500 horses. The location was two kilometers away from the infantry, and even farther from the cavalry reconnaissance troops.

  The reconnaissance results were not very satisfactory, as the enemy's ammunition depot was located in the middle of the entire army, and it would be difficult to blow up the devil's ammunition without using artillery. A hard charge was impossible, and before the 180 men even approached the enemy's big guns, they would probably have been surrounded by Sakai's troops who had rushed to the scene.

  Just when Chen Jifan was at a loss, Zhao Jun came up with a plan. He first took out a grenade from his bag and showed it to everyone, then said: "Hey, you forgot, we all know Japanese!"

  After listening to Zhao Junyi, everyone understood. Chen Jifan pushed Zhao Jun: "You little devil, why didn't you say it earlier? Old Zhong, Luo Han, Little Hu, and you, let's change clothes quickly!"

  In a short while, everyone changed into the enemy's clothes, which were carried in their backpacks. Chen Jifan decided to take a risk and lead these people to infiltrate the enemy's artillery battalion, using Zhao Jun's timed bomb to detonate the enemy's shells.

  The artillery battalion is now the most relaxed, they don't need to search around like cavalry, nor do they need to be on high alert like infantry. Except for the sentries on the periphery, the ammunition handlers, gunners and commanders inside are all leisurely enjoying the spring sunshine.

  Su Jingwei looked at the team leader and they dared to rush into the tiger's den with just six people, he admired them in his heart. He followed the team leader's orders and withdrew the troops as far back as possible, leaving only a sniper squad to respond.

  Chen Jifan and the other five people mixed in from where the horses were tied up. After mixing in, the six of them lined up in a patrol formation and very seriously made their way slowly towards the center of the horse grounds on "patrol". Because they were wearing Japanese military uniforms, no one questioned them along the way.

  The shells were all loaded onto dozens of large carts in the middle of the position, with several devils guarding around. Chen Jifan was not in a hurry either, and after making a hidden gesture with his right hand behind him, the six people pretended to be unintentionally walking towards the shell cart, and one of the guards shouted at them: "Bastards! Can't you see there are shells here? Get away!"

  Six people didn't say a word, continuing to "patrol" on the other side of the ammunition truck. As soon as they walked out of this soldier's line of sight, Zhao Jun suddenly flashed to the side, and Chen Jifan and the other five immediately stood together to block the view. Zhao Jun rolled under the big car, easily placing a timed bomb he had made under a truck loaded with shells, starting a 10-minute timer before leaving.

  Zhao Jun came out and made an OK gesture before joining the queue. The six of them walked forward as if nothing was wrong.

  "Head, 10 minutes." Zhao Jun said softly behind Chen Jifan.

  Chen Jifan nodded slightly and led six people to change direction unintentionally, patrolling in the direction they came from.

  The devils were indeed too light, perhaps really unaware that anyone dared to shoot at the artillery, and even less interested in a patrol team appearing on the battlefield. The entire artillery position was as if nothing had happened, resting as usual, standing guard as usual.

  Six people emerged from the horse group, and everyone's palms were sweating. "Starve to death for being timid, burst to death for being bold", it seems this saying is true. Chen Jifan made a gesture to the distance, everything went smoothly.

  Wen Chuanhao, who was ordered to cover, had seen everything clearly through the scope, and a rare smile appeared on his face, which was usually not talkative.

  A few people returned to the troops, Chen Jifan ordered to withdraw from this area at the fastest speed, because in a few minutes, this place will be a hell on earth. The special forces did not have time to cheer, seeing the regimental commanders strolling around the enemy camp like tourists and returning unscathed, everyone's morale was boosted.

  The special forces team withdrew to a slope several kilometers away from the devils' artillery battalion and hid, now far out of sight of the devils. Zhao Jun raised his hand to look at his watch, "About time! Everyone hide!"

  After Zhao Jun finished speaking, everyone covered their ears. Time passed second by second, and everything seemed to have stopped, with only the sound of Zhao Jun's watch ticking seemingly audible around them.

  "Boom!" The timed bomb finally exploded under the ammunition car, followed by a series of explosions of shells. In an instant, the artillery battalion's position was in complete disarray, while the soldiers around the shells had long been blown to pieces by the continuous explosions.

  Explosion! Explosion! Still explosion!

  The artillery position of Sakai's detachment turned into a purgatory, the explosion of dozens of shells destroyed everything within a square kilometer, and the shockwave reached several kilometers away. Of course, more than 600 devils and carts, horses around were also annihilated in this terrible moment.

  Sakai was thrown off his horse by the shockwave while he was observing the terrain with binoculars. The subsonic waves generated by the explosion were first received by **'s mount, and the warhorse unhesitatingly threw its master to the ground. The explosion lasted for several minutes, and Sakai and his infantry brigade also lay on the ground for several minutes.

  When he rushed to the explosion site, what he saw in his eyes made him furious. A big pit! All around the pit were severed limbs, scattered weapon parts and dead mules, and charred black land everywhere.

  The cavalrymen arrived after hearing the news, and Sakai decided to use the cavalry as a vanguard to redeploy the pursuit around. Because he believed that this must be done by the despicable Chinese, and another artillery battalion was lost, if they returned without success, what awaited him would be seppuku.

  But he soon had the opportunity!

  Because around him, the troops of the Fifth War Zone of the Nationalist Party were coming from all directions like cats smelling fish.