You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you ended up with a German-equipped division

Chapter 4: Lieutenant Liu's Astonishment, Japanese Army Releases Poison Gas Bombs

Looking at the retreating Japanese troops, Kameda said coldly:

"What's going on? Why did the flank attack suddenly stop?"

One of the squad leaders said:

"Report: The enemy has deployed bounding mines. Our engineers who went to detonate them suffered heavy casualties and have to withdraw."

"Bouncing mine?"

Kameda was quite surprised. "Does the Chinese army also have this kind of weapon?"

"Yes, there seems to be a German-equipped division of the Central Army, but the number isn't very large. Could it be that the reinforcements sent this time are German-equipped divisions of the Central Army?"

The squad leader spoke, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Kameda shook his head and denied it:

"Impossible. The 88th Division, equipped with German weapons, is fighting in the Zhabei area. The 87th Division was decimated a few days ago. How could they possibly have extra troops to support Chen Jiaxing?"

"So, how should we attack in the next round? Should we call in naval gunfire?"

"The squad leader said from the side."

But Kameda sneered:

"I've already figured out how to launch the next attack."

He was confident that the Chinese army would be absolutely unable to withstand the next round of attacks.

As the gunfire and explosions at the grain depot ceased, Xu Dingguo said with a grave expression:

"Lieutenant Liu, the gunfire has stopped. Go check out the warehouse up ahead."

If the enemy captures that area, you will construct a defensive line in the block behind it, and you are not allowed to retreat without my orders.

He didn't think that the few men Li Jianghe had were enough to defend the warehouse.

They might not even be able to withstand a single charge from the Japanese.

The hundreds of Guangxi soldiers' corpses left there by the Fifth Regiment have already proven this point.

Lieutenant Liu had long, slender legs and a straight back; he stood there like a flagpole.

He led more than thirty soldiers into the darkness ahead.

Lieutenant Liu also concluded that the soldiers led by Li Jianghe were unable to withstand the attack of a Japanese company.

Upon arriving at the rear of the granary, Lieutenant Liu noticed figures moving around there, all of whom were soldiers dressed in Nationalist army uniforms.

On the side of the granary, you can still see the bodies of Japanese soldiers left behind, as many as seven or eight.

Several wounded Japanese soldiers were groaning in pain, while gunshots could be heard intermittently from the firing ports on the side of the granary.

The bullets either landed on wounded Japanese soldiers or missed and hit the ground to one side.

"Something's not right. Did they repel the Japanese charge?"

Lieutenant Liu looked somewhat surprised.

Actually, he looked down on the 714th Regiment.

These troops, dressed in military uniforms, actually engaged in banditry.

That company commander, Li Jianghe, seems to have a strong sense of justice, and it's not easy for him to bring his soldiers to fight.

"I'll go take a look."

The soldier standing nearby said this and then jogged over.

He quickly ran back to confirm that the people inside were indeed his own.

Deputy Liu led his men into the warehouse from the back, only to be surprised to find that there were dozens of people inside.

When Li Jianghe came over, wasn't there only a dozen or so people with him?

However, under the system's "rationalization" procedure, Lieutenant Liu could only assume that Li Jianghe had gathered up the defeated soldiers from other units, since defeated soldiers were all too common in such a fiercely contested area.

"Lieutenant Liu, what brings you here?"

Li Jianghe asked with some surprise.

Only then did Lieutenant Liu say:

"The regimental commander sent me to check on the situation."

Li Jianghe knew in his heart that Xu Dingguo probably believed that the people under his command would soon be eaten up by the Japanese.

The reason for sending Lieutenant Liu over is also to check if the granary is still there.

"We just repelled a wave of Japanese attacks and killed about twenty of them, but I reckon the Japanese won't give up and will definitely launch another attack. Lieutenant Liu, why don't you go back to the regimental headquarters to report the situation? Our company is guarding this place, it's absolutely impregnable."

When Lieutenant Liu recalled the corpses of those Japanese soldiers, he knew that Li Jianghe was not exaggerating.

Looking at Li Jianghe again, his eyes showed more admiration. After saluting him, he led his soldiers to the rear of the city to set up defenses.

Shortly after Lieutenant Liu left, the Japanese army launched another attack.

"Bang bang bang!!!"

A series of muffled thuds were heard, but instead of an explosion, plumes of brownish poisonous mist shot out upon impact.

Those were poison gas shells fired by the Japanese grenade launchers.

"Poison gas!!!"

Upon seeing this, Lin Yongzhi shouted with eyes wide open in fury.

He had fought the Japanese before and died from poison gas.

Every soldier in the class perished.

Long Wenzhang had never seen any poison gas bombs before. He had only been a quartermaster for two months, and his specialty was summoning souls, not combat.

Without saying a word, Li Jianghe put the gas mask on his head.

"Put it on properly, these are Japanese poison gas bombs."

"Yes, platoon leader."

Hearing this, Long Wenzhang felt a bit of lingering fear.

He had never seen poison gas, but he had heard of it from veteran soldiers who said that people would die or even have their bodies ulcerated if they smelled it.

Holding his binoculars, Kameda saw the brownish poisonous gas enveloping the entire granary, and his mood relaxed somewhat.

This asphyxiating gas is mainly phosgene or cyanide gas. When inhaled, it can cause pulmonary edema and eventually lead to suffocation and death.

Chinese troops generally did not wear gas masks; they could only cover their mouths and noses with strips of cloth soaked in urine.

This crude and primitive method has limited effectiveness in resisting poison gas.

"The game is over."

Kameda spoke coldly, convinced that the outcome of this operation was already decided.

Wearing gas masks, the Japanese soldiers, like giant locusts walking upright, marched into the gas-filled granary in the darkness.

They did not adopt traditional combat formations.

They knew the power of the poison gas; once released, the Chinese army's positions would be ravaged by casualties, and those who survived would be largely unable to resist.

Behind them, Lieutenant Liu was also observing the granary through binoculars. He had seen the poisonous fog billowing out before; it was right there in Chenjiaxing.

At that time, a company of soldiers on the position were attacked by this poisonous fog, and none of them survived.

"It's over, it's all over. Go report to the regimental commander that the Japanese used poison gas. Company Commander Li is probably in grave danger."

"Lieutenant Liu said to the soldier beside him."

"yes!!"

But just then, gunshots rang out.

The roaring weapons are Czech-made and Min 24 heavy machine guns.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Liu hurriedly called out to the soldier.

"Don't go yet, something's not right. This is Maxim and Czech style, and they're still resisting."

"Da da da!!!!"

At the same time, the Type 24 rifles began firing, and the sounds of exploding grenades could be heard continuously.

Li Jianghe ordered his troops to place the Japanese soldiers inside the granary, and then concentrate their firepower on the second floor to kill the Japanese soldiers on the first floor below.

Grenades and bullets exploded on the first floor, intertwining and crashing into a small Japanese squad, resulting in heavy casualties in the blink of an eye.

Before the Japanese soldiers could react, a roar came from within the poisonous fog.

"kill!!!!"

Li Jianghe roared, and Lin Yongzhi led the way, charging down with his infantrymen towards the remaining Japanese troops below.

The hand-to-hand combat unfolded amidst the clash of bayonets and desperate shouts.

Lin Yongzhi took the lead, and the bayonet of his Mauser rifle was the first to pierce the abdomen of a Japanese soldier.

With a twist of the rifle butt, the sharp bayonet blade shredded the Japanese soldier's intestines, and when it was pulled out, it brought out bright red blood.

Kameda was quite surprised by the sudden gunfire. Could it be that the enemy still had the ability to resist?

Soon, he heard screams echoing through the dark streets.

In less than ten minutes, Japanese soldiers, covered in blood and in a disheveled state, came running out of the warehouse.

The Nationalist soldiers behind them pursued relentlessly, frequently pulling the trigger and knocking the fleeing Japanese soldiers to the ground.

Those Nationalist soldiers were all wearing gas masks.

Seeing this, Kameda realized that something was seriously wrong.