Devil's Army

Chapter 2121 Battle of the Eighth River (Part 1)

The third platoon leader, waving his wounded right hand, gave the order:

"withdraw!"

The soldiers of the battalion, supporting each other in an orderly fashion, withdrew into Yanji County in the rear.

As dawn broke, the Japanese artillery began to bombard Huaiqing Street again.

The ruins on Huaiqing Street were once again ravaged by Japanese artillery fire.

The Japanese artillery had just stopped firing, and the smoke had not yet cleared when the infantry, following the tanks on both sides and behind, launched an attack on Huaiqing Street.

The Japanese tanks advanced with a rumbling sound, firing at any suspicious areas.

The Japanese infantrymen vigilantly watched their surroundings, fearing that the devilish soldiers would destroy their tanks.

The Japanese troops cautiously charged onto the street position of the First Battalion, only to find that the place was deserted.

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese soldiers, like crazed beasts, kicked open the doors of the houses that had not yet collapsed in the city, searching for the soldiers and civilians of the First Battalion. However, the soldiers of the First Battalion had already retreated into Yanji County under cover of night, and the civilians had also evacuated before the battle began.

Having gained nothing, the Japanese army continued its advance and soon reached the outskirts of Yanji County, where it began its attack.

Another Japanese force advanced to Badaohe, where they were blocked by soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment.

Badaohe is located in Longjing County, Jilin Province (along the Tiantu Railway line and in the valley of a tributary of the Hailan River).

Badaohe is a first-level tributary of Hailanhe (33.3 km long), and its valley is a narrow passage running from north to south; the Tiantu Railway (Kaishantun-Longjing) runs close to the riverbank.

There are many railway bridges, tunnels, and curves here, so Japanese tanks and cars could only advance in single file and could not spread out their flanks.

Huaiqing Street (Huaiqing Street) - Badahe Station is a key railway pass, with short intervals and undulating slopes.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion blocked the Japanese advance from the high ground on the terraces and low mountains on both sides of the river.

The valley is flanked by terraces and hills with a relative elevation difference of 50–120 meters, with slopes mostly exceeding 25°. This made it difficult for the Japanese Type 92 infantry guns and tanks to deploy, resulting in heavy casualties during their uphill attacks.

The Japanese army then adjusted its deployment, using easily movable mortars to bombard the 2nd Battalion's positions to cover the infantry's attack.

The mortars of the Second Battalion continuously bombarded the Japanese mortars in the dense forest.

The Japanese Type 92 infantry guns and tanks were unable to bombard the mortars of the 2nd Battalion, which were constantly changing positions.

Lacking artillery cover, the Japanese infantry suffered heavy casualties under the crossfire of the 2nd Battalion's light and heavy machine guns, falling wave after wave in front of the pass.

The Japanese army's first wave of attack was thwarted. After the Japanese Type 92 infantry guns approached, they launched a fierce bombardment of the 2nd Battalion's position at Badahe.

The Second Battalion's position and the surrounding area were filled with smoke and dust.

Immediately afterwards, Japanese tanks, under the cover of artillery, rumbled forward and approached the Second Battalion's position, unleashing fierce strafing and artillery fire.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion in the trenches were so bombarded by the dense machine gun fire and artillery fire from the Japanese tanks that they couldn't even lift their heads.

At this moment, Japanese infantry following the flanks and rear of the Japanese tanks also rushed over.

Unable to look up, the soldiers of the Second Battalion hurled grenades at the Japanese soldiers outside the trenches, relying on the sound of their voices.

Shrapnel from the grenade that exploded in mid-air rained down on the Japanese soldiers who were launching an uphill attack, like a shower of petals from a fairy maiden.

The screams of Japanese soldiers echoed continuously from the front of the Badaohe Pass.

The Japanese tanks, with their cannons raised, continued to rumble toward the Second Battalion's position at Badahe, while machine guns fiercely suppressed the Second Battalion's firepower as they moved.

Under the cover of fierce machine gun fire from the tanks, the infantrymen gained a foothold and continued to climb towards the positions on both sides of the Badaohe Pass.