Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

The night in Chahar is suffocatingly dark.

Outside the makeshift tent, several torches flickered with faint light, reflecting on the pale face of the brigade commander. His fingers slowly stroked the regiment flag, and the sixteen-petal chrysanthemum pattern embroidered with gold thread glowed dimly under the firelight.

"Gentlemen, although we have become abandoned pawns, this is nothing more than the selfish actions of Okamura Neiji, Umezu Mijiro and his ilk! Your Majesty the Heavenly Locust must still be kept in the dark!"

"Don't you understand? Only death can make His Majesty see the truth!"

"The rise and fall of the empire depends on this one move!"

At this point, Matsui Setsu suddenly raised his voice, and his saber was unsheathed with a clang, with the tip of the sword pointing straight at the dark sky.

After a moment, he gathered all his strength and knelt on one knee, his saber stabbing into the soil. This senior officer who dared to insult his superior in public now bowed his head deeply to his subordinates.

"Please, everyone, follow me to death!"

"Next, please everyone!"

The officers knelt in silence, their samurai swords stuck in the soil, the ropes on the handles trembling slightly in the night wind. Their eyes were bloodshot, but burning with a strange enthusiasm.

No one spoke, only the crackling sound of burning torches, like the second hand counting down to this death ceremony.

Matsui Setsu's eyes swept across every face blackened by the smoke, and then a twisted smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He had seen through the choices of his subordinates, which were loyalty and madness driven to desperation.

"Good, very good, you are all the bravest warriors!"

With a "swish" sound of tearing cloth, the brigade commander, Major General, tore off the last intact corner of the flag and then roughly stuffed it into the trembling hands of the messenger.

"Take this with you, we will find a way to give you a chance to break out!"

After the messenger left in tears, Matsui Setsu first ordered his men to smash the radio, burn the code book and the battle map to ensure that no intelligence was leaked. Then he threw the torch in his hand directly at the regiment flag, and the flames instantly engulfed the flag that symbolized glory.

As black smoke billowed, the officers hummed "Kimi ga Yo" in a suppressed, whimpering voice.

······
Facts have proved that in 1942, even at this critical juncture at the end of the year, the quality of the Japanese soldiers still remained at the first-class level in Asia.

These soldiers, recruited from mainland Japan, were still imbued with the ruthlessness of Bushido in their bones, and showed no fear even when they knew they were about to face death.

During the time when the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade was preparing, the dark clouds in the sky had dissipated, and the pale moonlight poured directly onto the soldiers in line.

Chief of Staff Yasuzaburo Ogawa stood on a protruding rock, his eyes scanning every face below.

These faces included veterans, new recruits, and even wounded soldiers wrapped in bandages and relying on Type 38 rifles to stand, but all of them looked ready for battle.

"Gentlemen!" Ogawa's voice tore through the silence of the night, "Today, our flesh and blood will be the spear of the empire!"

The Japs raised their rifles in unison, the bayonets of their Type 38 rifles reflecting cold light, like a bamboo forest of death.

"His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

The roar of thousands of people exploded in the night sky, and the sound waves completely shattered the last bit of hesitation.

Each squadron leader took the opportunity to distribute the final "farewell wine". The turbid liquid in the wine glass glowed with a strange luster under the firelight.

In fact, sake should have been distributed now, but the Japanese had lost most of their supplies and had little drinking water left, so they could only use water mixed with gunpowder as a substitute.

But no one complained.

The Japanese soldiers took the rough ceramic cups and drank them all in one gulp, as if what they just drank was not liquid, but the determination to die.

"Let's fight again in the next life!" someone shouted.

"Goodbye, everyone. May we serve our country for the rest of our lives!" someone responded.

After the pre-war mobilization of the entire independent mixed brigade was completed, the Japanese cut a lock of hair from each other, wrapped it in white cloth, and wrote their names on it.

The small cloth bundles were piled together and guarded by an incapacitated veteran, who sat on his knees with cantaloupe grenades strapped to his body.

His final mission was to blow himself up when half of the brigade's troops were destroyed, to ensure that his colleagues' hair would not fall into the hands of the enemy.

······
December 1942, 12, 30 a.m., Suiyuan Military Region Advance Force Headquarters.

The lights in the operations conference room remained on all night, making the contour lines on the sand table exceptionally clear.

Commander Xiao held a wooden pointer and pointed accurately at the high ground on the north side of Zhangjiakou, while Commander Yang leaned over the map and marked the firepower configuration with red and blue pencils.

The positions of the infantry and tank symbols on the sand table were constantly adjusted, the staff officers recorded the results of each tactical simulation, and the entire conference room was filled with a sense of tension before the war.

Such a tense atmosphere was indeed a bit strange, as if the advance troops of the Suiyuan Military Region were the besieged party.

There was no way. Ever since they received the secret message that the border region would send a telegram to the whole country tomorrow to officially start the general mobilization, Xiao and Yang were really excited and nervous.

This is the merit of being the first to reach the enemy line and break into the enemy's formation.

If they could have liberated the entire Chahar region in one fell swoop on the day the power was transmitted, and presented a stunning victory as a tribute to the general mobilization, they would surely have left a significant mark in the military history of the entire army.

For something as important as this, we must make sure everything goes well in advance.

Just when the two commanders had finally completed the overall deployment and were preparing to have a midnight snack and take a short rest, Deputy Division Commander Liu, who was ordered to besiege the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade, rushed into the command center with sparks and lightning.

"Leaders! The situation at the front has changed!"

"The Japanese in the encirclement will definitely make a big move tonight. The old man Matsui Setsu is likely to try to break out in the direction of Hebei Province."

Xiao and Yang's eyebrows trembled slightly when they heard this, and then they smiled at each other. They spent so much time talking in the meeting room just to take into account all kinds of situations.

Seeing his subordinate panting, XK said confidently:

"Don't worry, the headquarters is fully prepared, the devils will not be able to escape, drink some water first."

Soon, a staff officer came over with an enamel pot.

Deputy Division Commander Liu drank the water in one breath, then came to the battle map, pointed to a location 35 kilometers south of Zhangjiakou and added: "Just half an hour ago, our division's reconnaissance company discovered that the enemy in the encirclement had made unusual movements. It's a pity that the soldiers' Japanese was only mediocre, and they only understood nonsense like "onboard" and "serve the country for seven lifetimes."

"But these keywords are enough. Combined with the information that the devils are distributing ammunition and arming the wounded, our division commander made a judgment: Matsui Setsu is going to risk his life."

"Based on past experience, at the latest at dawn, these beasts will charge forward, shouting slogans of Long Live the King."

As soon as these words came out, Yang CW's eyes sparkled. The reason why he was so busy before was to wipe out the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade in the encirclement with minimal casualties and set an example for the military and civilians across the country.

Now, the Japanese have voluntarily given up squatting in the toilet, which is tantamount to seeking death.

Breakout? Long live charge? Armored units love to run into infantry! If the terrain is suitable, he will definitely let Matsui Setsu see what it means to plow through wheat fields.

Thinking of this, Commander Yang looked at his chief of staff and immediately made tactical deployment according to the original plan.

"Pass my order, have the Second Armored Division move to the border of Chahar and Hebei, and be ready for a counterattack at any time. Oh, and bring a company of flamethrower tanks."

"It's the middle of the night, and we're fighting infantry. This thing is definitely going to work wonders."

Taking into account that the Japanese army could not be speculated using normal thinking, the usually steady Commander Yang pondered for a moment and drew a heavy red circle on the battle map.

"Leave an armored company in the Wanquan direction as a reserve. Those crazy people who only think about assault butts might pop out from somewhere and ask us to load them."

"If they really go crazy, 22 T-3485s and an infantry division can easily wipe out the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade."

Seeing his old comrade finish deploying the armored forces, Commander Xiao, who had been listening for a long time, cleared his throat and told Deputy Division Commander Liu:

"I will contact your division commander directly later and ask the division's artillery regiment and subordinate artillery units to immediately start counting ammunition."

"You can take advantage of this opportunity to think about which troops have insufficient ammunition reserves, especially those front-line combat units with less than three bases."

"If there is a shortage of ammunition, you can go to the logistics transport regiment immediately without asking for permission. I want to see all the artillery positions filled with ammunition boxes in an hour!"

Arrogant, extremely arrogant.

The Suiyuan Military Region is backed by the Tongpu and Pingsui railways, which are like blood transfusion arteries, pumping ammunition and medical resources to the advance troops every day.

Commander Xiao is even more adept at using the trick. I may not know when the enemy will attack or where they will attack, but I know exactly how much ammunition the troops have in stock.

If the current situation continues to develop, there will definitely not be any more terrible scenes of people throwing up their hands and dying in the future.

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

······
An hour and a half later, at the front-line position of the 54th Division of the Suiyuan Military Region.

In the standard-sized trench, the commander of the 54st Regiment of the th Division once again went to the front line and began to check the firepower configuration of each bunker.

The second battalion commander next to him was huddled behind a command post made of sandbags, his fingers unconsciously stroking the safety catch of the Mas-40 rifle.

At the heavy machine gun position on the left, Hotchkiss's assistant gunner repeatedly wiped the ammunition belt with an oily cloth. The tiny sound of metal collision was particularly harsh in the middle of the night.

Just as several soldiers were about to stand up to report, he stopped them with his hand.

"Okay, just lie still and don't worry about me. I'm just here to take a look and see if your anti-gun holes are deep enough."

Perhaps because they were getting bored of waiting, a soldier decisively spoke up when he saw his regiment commander passing by, lowering his voice and asking his immediate superior:
"Captain, why haven't the Japanese from the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade made any moves yet? Could it be that there's something wrong with the intelligence from the reconnaissance company?"

"If the enemy doesn't break out, it will be dawn. By then, there will be planes overhead and tanks on the ground. I'm afraid that even if the troops directly under the North China Front Army come to support them, they will not be able to escape the encirclement."

As soon as these words were spoken, the commander of the 54st Regiment of the th Division waved his hand, directly denying the possibility that the reconnaissance company directly under the division headquarters would make a mistake.

Based on his many years of military experience, the Japs have not launched an attack yet, simply wanting to use the fog before dawn as cover and at the same time waste their patience and energy.

Thinking of this, he first looked at the preset battle zone through the periscope, and then responded in a relaxed tone:

"It's the devils who should be anxious, why are you anxious? No matter what tricks the enemy may use."

The commander of the first regiment had just said half of his words when a series of muffled mortar explosions suddenly came from the third regiment's position in the distance. The harsh sound of the firing abruptly cut off his words.

He dove for the observation port just in time to see the first flare streak through the night like a silver comet.

The dazzling light from the burning magnesium powder exploded at an altitude of 200 meters, instantly illuminating the entire preset battle zone in a pale white.

Soon, the second shot, the third shot, and until the entire artillery company's flare launching group began to fire rapidly, the whole sky seemed to be filled with mercury.

Under the strong light, every detail of the battlefield is clearly visible.

"Look! It's the Japs! The 15th Independent Mixed Brigade is rushing out of the woods!"

Upon hearing this, the regiment commander immediately looked in the direction the soldier pointed, and sure enough, he saw thousands of Japanese troops pouring out of the forest in three wedge-shaped formations.

The officers in the front row held up their samurai swords, the blades reflecting the cold light of the flares.

The wounded soldiers in the second row dragged their stumps and volunteered to serve as human shields for the soldiers behind them. They tied grenades to their chests with bandages, with the fuses pointing outwards.

Although they were enemies, it had to be admitted that the scene before them would indeed be unforgettable for the soldiers of the Suiyuan Military Region.

"What a black card! Onboard!"

"Fire! Everyone, fire!"

Both the enemy and our side roared in anger almost at the same time, but inside and outside the trench were two completely different worlds.

On the position of the 54th Division, white smoke rose from the air-cooled heat sink of the Hotchkiss machine gun, and brass shell casings clanged and fell to the bottom of the trench, instantly forming a golden stream.

The soldiers operating the mortars opened fire at full capacity, loading high-explosive shells into the barrels one after another. The shock waves of the explosion tore the Japanese charging column into pieces, and broken limbs and arms mixed with sand soared into the sky.

The Japanese soldiers, however, seemed to feel no fear or pain. They continued to charge forward, stepping on the broken bodies of their companions. It was obvious that they had taken excessive amounts of drugs.

The sergeant in the front row had his left arm blown off, but he still held his saber with his teeth and stepped forward mechanically. (End of this chapter)