Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

At this time, a Japanese officer walked over quickly and said respectfully: "Report to His Excellency the Commander, I just received a report from the front line that the enemy reinforcements are attacking rapidly, and the locust army's defense line is too long and the troops are insufficient. They are about to collapse."

"Bagaya Deer~!"

Hearing this, Yokoyama Yong flew into a rage and said, "What a bunch of good-for-nothings! Tens of thousands of locust soldiers can't even stop a few tens of thousands of enemy reinforcements. The locust army has lost all its face because of these idiots."

"Immediately order the 13th Division, the 40th Division and other units to do their utmost to stop the enemy's reinforcements."

"If they let an enemy into Hengyang, they will commit seppuku to apologize."

"Also order the 58th Division to immediately dispatch troops to the south to provide support."

"The 68th and 114th Divisions attacking the city, immediately dispatch effective troops to join the blocking ranks. Make sure to stop the enemy's reinforcements and never allow a single enemy to enter Hengyang City."

"Hayi~!"

A Japanese officer nearby responded respectfully and turned to convey the order.

At this moment, the troops reinforcing Hengyang are also attacking towards Hengyang with all their might.

Under the tenacious resistance of the Japanese, the battle was extremely brutal.

The main force of the 62nd Army fought very tenaciously in order to reinforce Hengyang. A deputy division commander and two regiment commanders died in the battlefield.

At this time, the main force of the 62nd Army had arrived at Wuliting and continued to advance northward, only miles away from Hengyang City.

At the same time, another reinforcement force, the 74th Division of the 58th Army, led by Division Commander Zhang, successfully occupied Jiwo Mountain after a bloody battle.

Jiwo Mountain is only twenty li away from Hengyang City.

The rest of the reinforcements, including the 100th Army and the 46th Army, were also approaching Hengyang, and the battle situation was very favorable for the Chinese army.

But at this time, Yokoyama Isamu ordered his troops to defend the city strictly and block the reinforcements from entering Hengyang, and the battle became more intense.

The Japanese even began to withdraw troops from the siege forces to block the enemy. This was good news for Li Guotao and his men.

Because part of the troops here were transferred over, part of the Japanese defense zone would be left unguarded. In this way, Li Guotao and his men would be able to leave the city more smoothly.

But something worse happened because the Japanese mobile force successfully cut off the reinforcements' retreat route and destroyed a large number of logistical supplies.

Moreover, many of the troops that were originally scheduled to rush to the front line were blocked behind.

This resulted in the reinforcements being caught in a difficult situation where they were attacked from all sides and their retreat was cut off.

At this time, the senior officers of the various armies supporting the troops generally believed that this was a trap set by the Japanese devils, whose purpose was to lure them near Hengyang and then encircle and annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Faced with such a situation, the reinforcements began to hesitate.

After continuous fighting, they had consumed too much ammunition, but support supplies could not be delivered, which would inevitably affect the subsequent battles.

More importantly, it would be very dangerous if they were out of ammunition and food.

……

Li Guotao and his friends did not know this news, but as a time traveler, Li Guotao knew the final outcome of the matter.

He also guessed that this time the reinforcements would have no chance of entering the city smoothly.

But he didn't know the details, and he insisted on taking the mission because it was the hope of the 10th Army.

After dark, Li Guotao set out with the suicide squad, carrying the hope of the 10th Army.

Under the cover of darkness, they successfully left Hengyang City and entered the Japanese defense zone in an area where the Japanese defense was weak.

As the Japanese stopped attacking Hengyang, their defense line also shrank, resulting in some gaps.

Moreover, their defenses against a breakout by the Hengyang defenders were not that strong, because they were actually hoping that the Hengyang defenders would break out as soon as possible.

Because the Japanese's goal was only to capture Hengyang, it was not necessary to completely annihilate the 10th Army.

So now the Japanese's main energy is focused on how to prevent reinforcements from entering Hengyang.

Therefore, Li Guotao and his team had a relatively smooth journey when leaving Hengyang.

Led by Li Guotao himself, they successfully avoided the Japanese positions and sentries and quietly approached the direction of Wuliting.

But the further we went, the more strict the Japanese's defenses became.

Li Guotao quickly realized that this was to prevent reinforcements from entering Hengyang.

Of course, Li Guotao was also thinking about whether he could change history and successfully receive reinforcements to Hengyang. Even if only a small force arrived, it would relieve a lot of their pressure and make the next battle easier to fight.

Although this may be difficult, Li Guotao himself is the biggest variable, so Li Guotao still has the opportunity to change history.

So even though Li Guotao knew the outcome, he still tried his best to change his fate.

In the darkness, Li Guotao and his men hid in a remote ravine.

Li Guotao scouted the situation and then said to Chen Jianghe and Song Weiguo, "There is a Japanese sentry post ahead, blocking the way."

"After careful reconnaissance, it turns out that there is no way around it."

"And we don't have much time left. We must reach the Wuliting area before dawn."

Chen Jianghe said: "Then kill them and break out."

Li Guotao thought the same and said, "I observed carefully and found that the Japanese had a squad of soldiers."

"We must kill them as quickly as possible, then quickly pass through the area ahead, enter the mountainous area in the southeast, quietly bypass it, and head straight for Wuliting."

"We have to hurry. If we are held back by the Japanese, we may not be able to get through."

"I estimated that if the gunfire started, the battle would have to be resolved within a minute."

"Then pass through quickly, without losing a moment."

"Even if we don't fire our guns, there could be a Japanese patrol on the road at any time. We have to hurry."

Song Weiguo gritted his teeth and said, "What are you waiting for? Just do it!"

"We've come this far, we can't give up halfway."

Chen Jianghe also nodded firmly.

Li Guotao nodded and said, "That's the only way. I'll take a few good guys with me and try to kill these devils without firing a gun."

"You two, take the brothers and follow from behind. You must pass the area ahead quickly."

"Yes!"

"Five minutes to prepare, then start moving."

"Yes!"

Afterwards, Li Guotao and several soldiers quietly moved forward and successfully eliminated two outer sentries.

Then Li Guotao and his men approached quietly. At this time, a Japanese soldier suddenly turned around and saw a dark figure approaching. He quickly raised his gun and shouted: "Who is it?"

Li Guotao swung his hand and the bayonet in his hand flew out, piercing the Japanese soldier through the heart. The Japanese soldier died instantly without even having time to open fire.

However, the little Japanese soldier's shouting also alarmed other Japanese soldiers.

Li Guotao quickly pounced over and knocked down another Japanese soldier. Before he could react, he broke his neck.

Several other soldiers also rushed forward. The remaining Japanese soldiers were sitting on the ground, dozing off against the sandbag fortifications. They were awakened by the shock. Before they could understand what was going on, the brothers rushed forward and wrestled with them.

After Li Guotao broke the Japanese soldier's neck, he took off the bayonet on his rifle, rushed forward and killed two more Japanese soldiers in no time.

At this moment, the remaining Japanese soldiers were all dealt with by the soldiers who rushed up.

The Japanese soldiers didn't even have a chance to fire their guns and died in a daze.

Li Guotao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then waved back.

Chen Jianghe and Song Weiguo followed them with other soldiers. When they saw the fighting breaking out in front, they all rushed forward.

Fortunately, the Japanese were all dealt with. Li Guotao waved his hands and shouted, "Hurry up and get into the mountains."

Led by Li Guotao, the soldiers quickly crossed the open area ahead and then plunged into the mountains.

The soldiers did not dare to delay for a moment and continued to hurry on their way.

With Li Guotao leading the way, they successfully avoided the Japanese sentries and arrived safely near Wuliting.

Li Guotao asked the soldiers to hide in a forest. Fearing exposure, the soldiers all wore camouflage and lay in the grass.

Chen Jianghe came up to Li Guotao and said, "We sent scouts to investigate the situation, but when they arrived at the designated location, they didn't see any friendly forces at all."

"There's no movement in the surrounding area. There are no friendly troops!"

Li Guotao's face darkened instantly, and he frowned and said, "Is the location correct?"

"It has been confirmed. This is Wuliting."

"There seems to have been a battle on the hill ahead. There is an open space over there and there are signs of a camp, but there is no one there."

In fact, Li Guotao also checked the system map and found that there were indeed no troops nearby, no friendly troops, and even no Japanese soldiers. However, there were Japanese soldiers a little further away. Li Guotao frowned and said, "That's strange. We had clearly discussed it in advance, so why is there no one suddenly?"

"I'll go and see for myself!"

Li Guotao did not dare to delay and decided to go there personally to investigate the situation carefully.

Chen Jianghe said: "I'll go with you."

Li Guotao nodded and said, "Old Song, I'll leave this to you."

"Be careful and don't expose yourself."

Song Jianghe nodded and said, "Don't worry, you all should be careful."

Afterwards, Li Guotao led several soldiers out of the hiding place, and the group carefully walked around the area.

Arriving near the camp, Li Guotao observed carefully and found that there was indeed no one nearby. The camp was in a mess with some discarded and worn-out supplies.

A soldier came up to Li Guotao holding a torn military uniform.

Li Guotao frowned and said, "It seems that some of our people have been stationed here."

Chen Jianghe said helplessly: "But they have already left, and I don't know where they went?"

Li Guotao frowned and said, "It's definitely impossible for them to go to Hengyang. If they entered Hengyang, we should be able to meet them along the way."

"Let's continue walking south and see what the situation is."

"This mission is of great importance and there can be no mistakes."

"Yes!"

Afterwards, Li Guotao led his men to continue scouring southward. As they went further south, they found traces of the Japanese invaders, and there were Japanese invaders guarding the commanding heights of some hilltops.

It was broad daylight, and even though Li Guotao and his men had changed into the Japanese military uniforms, they did not dare to be too conspicuous.

After walking around the area and scouting south for several miles, they found no signs of friendly forces.

There was no fighting going on nearby and no gunfire could be heard.

Li Guotao was now certain that the reinforcements had indeed arrived, but for some unknown reason they had retreated.

Judging from the traces left behind, they probably retreated yesterday evening.

……

At this moment, Commander Fang was slamming the table in the military headquarters and yelling, "Assholes! How could they do this? They just retreated when I said so?"

Sun Mingyu said helplessly: "Their retreat has been cut off, and the higher-ups are worried about being surrounded by the Japanese, so they can only retreat first."

Commander Fang said angrily, "What a bunch of cowards. I think they did it on purpose. They never thought about saving Hengyang."

This time, Commander Fang was completely furious.

Just as the reinforcements were about to arrive in Hengyang, we didn’t expect that they would retreat like this.

The hope that had just been ignited was shattered just like that. How could Commander Fang not be angry?

Sun Mingyu couldn't help but sigh deeply. This was too much of a blow for them.

Everyone knew that without reinforcements, their 10th Army would not be able to hold out for long.

Commander Fang said angrily, "They have difficulties? Are they more difficult than us?"

"We have been trapped in Hengyang for more than a month, and our entire 10th Army is about to be wiped out."

"We are in such a difficult situation and are trying our best to hold on. What about them? They have already reached the outskirts of the city and dare not take another step forward."

"This is really unreasonable."

"We trusted them so much that we sent people to pick them up."

Speaking of this, Commander Fang suddenly thought of Li Guotao and others.

"By the way, how are Li Guotao and the others?"

Sun Mingyu shook his head and said, "They didn't bring a radio with them, so we couldn't contact them."

"But he should have gotten out of the city by now!"

"Hey~!"

Commander Fang sighed helplessly and said, "It's my fault that they made this trip in vain."

"But if they manage to get out of the city, it may not be a bad thing."

"At least you don't have to wait here to die like us."

Sun Mingyu said: "Maybe they will come back."

"If they can't find reinforcements, they will naturally come back. It's just that it's easy to go out, but it may not be so easy to come back."

If it were an ordinary person, after finally breaking out, he would definitely not come back.

but……

Commander Fang frowned and said, "Based on my understanding of Li Guotao, this guy will most likely come back."

"But now I hope that they won't come back, so that they can leave some seeds for our 10th Army."

Sun Mingyu asked: "General, what should we do now?"

Commander Fang said with a sad face: "What else can we do? The reinforcements were repelled by the Japanese. I guess the Japanese will soon organize their forces and launch a new attack."

"Notify the brothers and prepare to meet the enemy! Fight the Japs to the death."

At this time, a staff officer came over quickly and said, "Report to the commander-in-chief, there is an urgent telegram from Chongqing."

Commander Fang was no longer in the mood to watch. He just wanted reinforcements, nothing else mattered.

Sun Mingyu took the telegram, read it carefully, and said, "General, the chairman has severely reprimanded the armies and ordered them to reorganize their forces and attack Hengyang."

"The chairman has promised that reinforcements will arrive in Hengyang soon. We must hold on."

Commander Fang sneered and said, "Humph! We have received more than a dozen telegrams like this. Is his guarantee still useful?"

Commander Fang really wanted to say that the principal’s current guarantee was bullshit and worthless.

But in the end, I didn't dare say it out loud.

Commander Fang said helplessly: "Forget it, in the end, we can only rely on ourselves, so let's keep persevering."

"As long as we continue to hold on, there is always hope. We will hold on as long as we can."

"Yes!"

……

Li Guotao and his men encountered several patrolling Japanese soldiers in a bamboo forest, so they ambushed them, killed several of them, and captured one alive.

Under Li Guotao's questioning, the Japanese soldier actually told the truth.

Some reinforcements did arrive at Wuliting yesterday, but they retreated in the evening.

They retreated all the way south and are probably now dozens of miles away.

Now Li Guotao and his men were even more certain that the reinforcements had withdrawn. Although they didn't know the specific reason, everyone was very angry, but there was nothing they could do.

Chen Jianghe was filled with rage and had no place to vent it, so he stabbed the Japanese prisoner several times, killing him.

Then several people carefully returned to the troops' hiding place.

Li Guotao gathered several officers under his command and briefed them on the situation.

Song Weiguo said, "Captain, what should we do next? Can you make the decision?"

Li Guotao said: "The reinforcements have retreated. It is hard to say when they will come back. We can't wait here forever."

"If you ask me, we should go back and continue to defend the city with our brothers."

"But I won't force you. If anyone doesn't want to go back, you can ask for it and leave now."

In fact, everyone understands that if we go back to the city now, we will be in mortal danger. Can reinforcements arrive?
The brothers had lost confidence in their hearts. They had finally managed to get out, and going back now would be tantamount to committing suicide.

Li Guotao naturally understood this truth, so he would not force it and left the decision-making power to everyone.

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Guotao continued, "If you are willing to go back, I will take you back to the city and we will continue to kill the devils."

"At worst, I can die for my country, but I believe we can win this battle."

"If you don't want to go back, you can take this opportunity to break out. We have scouted the situation. As long as you are careful and avoid the Japanese, it should be no problem to break out."

"Everyone, think about it carefully and make a decision before dark." (End of this chapter)