One man's resistance against Japan, I mobilized a million people to aid Shanghai.

Bald Eagle's border with Maple Leaf Country.

The scene of two million troops turning around was as if the earth itself was moving.

Along the 80-kilometer front from the Spokane Valley to the Metallurgical Creek Pass, the expeditionary force, which had been crowded in the valley, suddenly turned north like a flood bursting its banks.

Two million elite troops, drawn from the five million-strong feint attack force, carrying rifles, mortars, and artillery, surged toward the border like a migrating swarm of ants.

Li Xiangdong stood on a high ground, looking through binoculars at the army he had personally turned the tide of.

"Brothers, let's go up north and wreak havoc! Let the world see our power!!"

The expeditionary force was advancing rapidly, while the Canadian side received a telegram from Roosevelt.

When Roosevelt learned that Zhu Ganglie planned to detour through Canada, he immediately became anxious.

He immediately issued a warning to Ottawa.

"We have just received confirmation from the front lines that Zhu Ganglie's army has turned towards your country's border. This is not a probe, nor a feint, but a premeditated full-scale invasion."

"I must tell you frankly, if Zhu Ganglie breaks through the northern Rocky Mountains and occupies British Columbia, their next step will be to continue eastward and attack Ottawa."

"At that time, the entire North American continent will completely collapse. You should have heard about Zhu Ganglie's actions on the Japanese islands. That was not war, but genocide."

"Therefore, in my capacity as President of the Bald Eagle, I request that your country spare no effort to keep Zhu Ganglie out of the Rocky Mountains to the west."

"Our military will provide all possible support: weapons, ammunition, air cover, and intelligence sharing."

"But ground defense must be undertaken by your country's military."

"Remember, Mr. Prime Minister: Vancouver can be lost, Victoria can be lost, even the whole of British Columbia can be reduced to ashes, but the Rocky Mountains defense line must never be breached."

"Once the mountains are lost, we will lose our last geographical barrier."

"At that time, Zhu Ganglie's army will surge across the plains like a tide, and our children will have nowhere to escape."

"This is not alarmist; it is a reality that is happening right now."

After receiving the telegram, the Prime Minister of Canada remained silent for a long time before decisively ordering the defense of the Rocky Mountains to the death.

He was well aware of the principle of mutual dependence and could not allow Zhu Ganglie's army to cross the Rocky Mountains.

......

9:00 AM, Vancouver, Western Command of the Maple Leaf Nation

Lieutenant General Arthur Curry stood before the battle map, his face ashen.

On the map, red arrows have already extended from the border line, like three venomous snakes, pointing to Phoenix, Kamloops, and... Vancouver respectively.

"How many of them are there?" he asked the intelligence officer.

"At least... a million, General."

The intelligence officer's voice trembled. "And they're all elites."

"Reconnaissance intelligence indicates that their equipment is far superior to what we anticipated, including heavy artillery and countless heavy weapons."

"And how many do we have?" Curry asked the operations officer.

"Within British Columbia, there are 32,000 standing troops, including:"

"The first brigade has 5,000 men."

"The Second Infantry Brigade has 6,000 men."

"The Third Armored Regiment has 800 men."

"The 5th Royal Artillery Regiment, 1,000 men"

"There are also... about 60,000 militia members in various places, but their training and equipment are extremely poor."

"The total number is less than 100,000."

"What about Eagle Army support?" Curry asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

"President Roosevelt's pledge of support: The first batch, a squadron of twelve P-40 fighter planes, will depart from Washington and is expected to arrive at Vancouver Airport at noon today."

"The second batch of weapons and ammunition will be transported by rail and is expected to arrive in three days."

"That's all?" Curry smiled wryly.

"That's all, General. The main force of the Eagle Army is deployed in the Rocky Mountains and cannot be divided among its troops."

The conference room was deathly silent.

One hundred thousand people versus two million.

Twelve aircraft versus hundreds of aircraft.

24 cannons against thousands.

"Order."

Curry finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"The First Infantry Brigade is to immediately withdraw from Victoria to Vancouver and abandon Vancouver Island."

"The 2nd Infantry Brigade constructed a defensive line around Vancouver, with the Fraser River serving as a natural barrier, guarding the bridges and ferry crossings."

"The militia... must be fully mobilized and armed, even with shotguns and axes, to resist."

He paused for a moment, then added, "At the same time, issue a general mobilization order."

"All men aged 18 to 45 must report to designated locations, and all civilian vehicles, fuel, and food will be under military control."

"General, this will cause panic..." an advisor warned.

"Panic is better than extinction."

"Tell the citizens: Zhu Ganglie will not take prisoners," Curry said coldly.

"In Asia, they have slaughtered tens of millions of people. If you want to live, you take up arms."

The order has been relayed.

But everyone knows that this is just delaying the time of death.

......

Outside Phoenix

Zhao Tiezhu's 31st Mountain Army's vanguard had been fighting here for two hours.

Phoenix is ​​not a strategic location; it's just a small border town with a population of less than five thousand.

But at this moment, this place has become the first line of defense for the Maple Leaf Nation's army—or rather, the first meat grinder.

The Canadian garrison consisted of an infantry battalion, plus local militia, totaling approximately 3,200 men.

They relied on the hilly terrain outside the town to construct three lines of defense.

The first barrier was constructed on the highway two kilometers outside the town, using sandbags and barbed wire.

The second line is in a house on the edge of town, where the windows have been converted into firing ports.

The third line of defense was the church and school in the town center, serving as the last stronghold.

The attacking force was Zhao Tiezhu's 5,000-strong mountain vanguard.

The battle began at 8 a.m. with a round of artillery fire.

Twelve 75mm mountain guns unleashed three hundred shells on the town in ten minutes, destroying most of the houses on the outskirts of the town.

After the shelling stopped, the infantry charged.

Then, the Maple Leaf soldiers displayed surprising tenacity.

"For the maple leaves!"

Battalion Commander Major James McCrae stood atop the church bell tower, observing the battlefield through binoculars.

"Machine gunner, wait until they're within 200 meters before opening fire!"

"Mortars, aim at the crowd behind!"

The first wave of Chinese soldiers who charged forward were met with fierce resistance when they were 300 meters away from the roadblock.

Four Vickers heavy machine guns and a dozen Bren light machine guns opened fire simultaneously, bullets cutting down charging soldiers like scythes.

"Rocket launcher!" Zhao Tiezhu ordered from the rear command post.

The RPG team crawled forward.

Then—

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Dust rose as the enemy's heavy machine gun position was wiped out.

Subsequently, Zhao Tiezhu ordered another artillery barrage.

The Chinese army's mortar positions began to return fire. 82mm mortar shells rained down on the Canadian positions, destroying some machine gun positions, but more machine guns moved to new locations and continued firing.

The battle reached a stalemate.

Five thousand men against three thousand two hundred should have been a crushing defeat.

However, the terrain limited the deployment of troops. The town's front width was less than one kilometer, and it could only accommodate a maximum of two thousand people attacking at the same time.

However, the Maple Leaf Kingdom's garrison, relying on sturdy buildings and unwavering will, managed to withstand Zhao Tiezhu's attack.

At 3 p.m., Zhao Tiezhu changed his tactics.

"Divide your forces and flank from the side."

The two regiments circled around to the east and west sides of the town, attempting to break through from the flanks.

Meanwhile, Zhao Tiezhu increased firepower support.

"Artillery, bombard it! Flatten the whole town!"

"But Commander, there are still civilians in the town..." the adjutant reminded him.

"civilian?"

Zhao Tiezhu sneered, "The village is full of rioters, where are the civilians?"

More intense shelling began.

This time, in addition to mountain guns, there were also 105mm howitzers brought up from the rear.

The shells pounded the town from its outskirts to its center, like plowing a field.

Houses collapsed one after another, streets turned into ruins, and church spires snapped in a loud crash.

The shelling lasted for an hour.

By 5 p.m., when the shelling stopped, the town of Phoenix was gone.

Instead, there was a pile of rubble billowing smoke, and charred corpses could be vaguely seen among the broken walls.

Most of the Maple Leaf Kingdom's garrison was either buried alive or blown up in their fortifications.

The remaining few dozen soldiers retreated to the church basement for a final stand.

But the Chinese army no longer needed to launch a direct assault; the engineers simply used explosives to collapse the entrance to the basement, burying everyone inside alive.

At 5:30 p.m., Zhao Tiezhu rode his horse into the town.

He stepped over rubble, over corpses, over the still-burning remains.

"The Maple Leaf Nation dares to defy the Heavenly Army; their deaths are not a pity!"

"Search the town inside and out again. Leave a hundred men to finish them off; don't leave a single survivor!"

"The rest of you, keep moving forward."