Anti-Japanese War: Starting from Yaobai

Chapter 3083 The Great Retreat of the Japanese Army!

Just as everyone was deadlocked and the atmosphere became slightly tense, Duanwu suddenly raised his head, a sly glint in his eyes, and then ordered, "Clean up the battlefield and retreat!"

Long Qianyan, Ma Shanpao, and One-Eyed Dragon were all dumbfounded, and the soldiers were also stunned, completely unable to understand what was going on.

After all, although the troops had suffered significant casualties, they still held an absolute advantage overall. Given a few more hours, they could absolutely annihilate the enemy.

However, at this moment, the battalion commander ordered the battlefield to be cleared and the troops to retreat, which was highly illogical.

But no one dared to disobey Duanwu's orders. Despite their doubts, they quickly got to work, cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the weapons, ammunition, and supplies left behind by the Japanese, and then preparing to evacuate in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, the Japanese soldiers also noticed this unusual behavior of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army soldiers.

A Japanese soldier rushed to the south of Kitashirakawa, stood at attention, saluted, and urgently reported, "Your Highness, the Anti-Japanese Allied Army is cleaning up the battlefield; it seems they are about to retreat!"

"Nani?"

When Kitashirakawa Minami heard the news, he was slightly taken aback, but then a mocking smile appeared on his lips. He thought that the Anti-Japanese Brigade had taken advantage of the situation and wanted to run away!

After all, he and Commander Ito had learned about the Anti-Japanese Brigade's fighting style, one of which was that the Anti-Japanese Brigade would run away once they gained an advantage and never linger in battle.

The Japanese chief of staff's eyes lit up, seeing this as a golden opportunity. He quickly said, "Your Highness, the Anti-Japanese Alliance's retreat at this time is the perfect opportunity for us to pursue them! We can catch them off guard and perhaps turn the tide of the battle!"

Seeing the chief of staff's eager and excited expression, Kitashirakawa Minami chuckled warmly and said, "Haha, alright then, go after him!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff assumed that Kitashirakawa Minami had truly agreed to his suggestion, and was actually about to turn around and order the Japanese soldiers to follow him in pursuit.

But just then, Kitashirakawa Minami's smile vanished, and he immediately ordered, "Everyone, take your weapons and equipment and evacuate!"

The chief of staff stared wide-eyed, his face full of confusion, and asked, "Your Highness, why? This is the best time to pursue the Anti-Japanese United Army!"

Kitashirakawa Minami cursed, "You idiot! How could you be so stupid? It's dark now, we've suffered heavy losses, and if we pursue now and fall into another enemy trap, we'll all be dead! Do you understand?"

The chief of staff then realized what was going on. Indeed, this mountainous area was the Anti-Japanese United Army's home ground. They had planned for so long but had fallen into the enemy's trap. There was no guarantee that the Anti-Japanese United Army's retreat wouldn't be another trap.

Having realized this, the chief of staff quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was too naive."

Kitashirakawa Minami waved his hand and said, "Forget it, the most important thing now is to evacuate safely. We did lose this battle. We underestimated the enemy's cunning. Go, gather the troops and regroup, then we'll withdraw."

"Hi!"

The chief of staff received the order and immediately went to relay the command from Kitashirakawa South.

Upon receiving the order, the Japanese soldiers felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly packed up their equipment to prepare for withdrawal.

Soon, the Japanese soldiers from various squads met at the entrance on the east side of Luoxia Valley.

The soldiers were covered in dust and blood, their uniforms torn in several places, looking extremely disheveled.

They stood there dejectedly, like defeated roosters, completely devoid of the arrogance they had displayed upon arrival.

Suppressed coughs and painful groans could be heard from time to time within the ranks. The wounded Japanese soldiers' wounds were still bleeding, staining their bandages red.

They endured the excruciating pain and tried their best to keep up with the group, but their bodies swayed uncontrollably, as if they would collapse at any moment.

At this moment, the chief of staff walked over and shouted, "Everyone, snap out of it! His Highness the Prince said we must evacuate here safely as soon as possible. Anyone who dawdles will be court-martialed!"

Hearing this, the Japanese soldiers mustered their spirits and quickened their pace.

Moreover, they were well aware that if they did not evacuate this dangerous area as soon as possible, they would be in extreme danger.

Kitashirakawa Minami rode a tall warhorse, his face terribly gloomy.

He not only lost this battle, but also suffered heavy losses, which will be a stain on his military career.

Seeing this, the chief of staff could only cautiously comfort him, "Your Highness, we were careless this time. However, we still have a chance. As long as we can withdraw safely and reorganize our troops, we will definitely be able to make a comeback and avenge ourselves!"

Kitashirakawa Minami snorted coldly and said, "Revenge? Easier said than done! This time, the Anti-Japanese Alliance has caused us such a great loss, with our main force suffering heavy casualties. It's unlikely that we'll be able to conduct any military operations for a while. So, when you get back, be prepared to return to our homeland with me!"

But the chief of staff hesitated for a moment and said, "Then how are we going to explain this when we get back?"

Kitashirakawa Minami scoffed, "What are you going to explain? Can't a prince be defeated? Besides, there's Kujo Miyamoto, Maruyama and others who were defeated first."

The chief of staff hesitated, "But what about Kujo Miyamoto, and Maruyama?"

Kitashirakawa Minami cursed, "Baka! Who said we killed Kujonomiya Kita and Maruyama? They died at the hands of the Anti-Japanese Brigade. Go back and tell them to shut their mouths tightly. Otherwise, I'll make them wish they were dead, you understand?"

"Hi!"

The chief of staff dared not say anything more, because this prince was notoriously cruel.

He was about to pass on the order to make the troops march faster.

But just then, gunshots suddenly came from the mountains on both sides of the mountain road, and dense bullets rained down like raindrops.

On the mountain road, whether they were riding in trucks or walking alongside them, the Japanese soldiers were all shot and screamed in agony.

And with the sound of grenades exploding, bursts of intense sparks bloomed among the Japanese soldiers, blasting away those who couldn't dodge in time.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, severed limbs and broken arms flew in all directions, and flames soared into the sky.

The Japanese soldiers were thrown into chaos. The already exhausted and demoralized troops were now like headless flies, not knowing where to hide.

Some Japanese soldiers fell to the ground in panic, and before they could get up, they were trampled underfoot by their comrades who rushed in after them, letting out shrill screams; other Japanese soldiers desperately crawled under trucks to avoid the dense rain of bullets.

But the space under the vehicle was so small that the Japanese soldiers fought over it, even resorting to violence.

Kitashirakawa Minami, witnessing this scene, was utterly shocked. He roared, "Baka yarou! What on earth is going on? Didn't the Anti-Japanese Alliance retreat? Who ambushed us?!"