Chapter 126: The Japanese Soldiers Are Stunned!

The entire first regiment, once numbering over a thousand, had been reduced to just over eight hundred men. Under the rallying cries of several battalion commanders, the troops quickly regrouped and then quietly withdrew from their positions, heading toward Dingyuan County.

Less than ten minutes after the first regiment had pulled back, Jiro Hizaka led the 36th Regiment charging toward the same position.

Passing by the resting point of Suetoshi Fujii’s regiment, Hizaka cast a disdainful glance at them, a faint sneer playing on his lips. “Fujii-kun, it seems your regiment’s fighting spirit is lacking! A proud regiment of the Empire, yet you can’t even take this small Chinese military position. If others find out, your 35th Regiment will become a laughingstock.”

“Baka!” Before Fujii could reply, an officer beside him exploded in anger.

The soldiers of the 35th Regiment also changed expressions dramatically, their eyes darkening with hostility as they glared at Hizaka. Their faces betrayed the fury of insult.

They knew better than anyone the fighting strength of the Chinese troops.

Before the assault, they had underestimated the Chinese army’s strength, believing them weak and fragile. But once the attack began, reality struck hard.

The Chinese forces, with their superior firepower alone, matched them blow for blow. On top of that, the defenders fought with a madness that inflicted heavy casualties upon the attackers. This was why the 35th Regiment suffered great losses and failed to advance even a single step.

Their failure to take the position was due to the enemy’s strength, not their own weakness.

So when Hizaka spoke those words, the entire 35th Regiment was incensed, feeling deeply humiliated.

“Hmph! Just a defeatist commander,” Hizaka sneered, watching their anger as if daring them to charge. Then he turned back to Fujii with contempt. “Fujii-kun, failure is failure. Not taking a position held by merely a Chinese regiment is a disgrace. If it weren’t for my concern that your 35th Regiment’s weakness might tarnish the honor of the Ninth Division, I wouldn’t have bothered helping you.”

With that, he ignored Fujii’s ashen face and waved his hand. “Brave warriors of the Empire, charge! Kill every last Chinese soldier and show them who the true warriors of the Empire are!”

“Izumi!” The 36th Regiment’s soldiers wore fanatical expressions, their eyes flashing with scorn as they glanced at the 35th Regiment’s men.

To them, being unable to defeat even the weak Chinese forces was the Empire’s greatest shame, unworthy of being soldiers of the mighty Imperial Army.

The honor lost by the 35th Regiment would be reclaimed by the 36th.

With this resolve, the 36th Regiment marched forward, proud and spirited. But before the assault, Hizaka carefully laid out a detailed plan.

Though he despised the 35th Regiment, he understood that their combat effectiveness was comparable to his own regiment’s. Their failures might be partly due to the foolish leadership of Fujii, but the Chinese forces should not be underestimated.

To secure a swift victory with minimal losses, Hizaka thoughtfully devised a battle plan before giving the order to attack.

First came a fierce artillery barrage. Countless shells screamed through the air, raining down and engulfing the entire position.

The bombardment lasted nearly half an hour before ceasing.

At that moment, the Japanese soldiers, under the command of their officers, charged the position without hesitation.

They intended to give the defenders no respite.

Hizaka smugly believed that once his troops reached the position, the Chinese forces would have already suffered devastating losses from the shelling.

But reality proved far different from his expectations.

As the battalion shouted their war cries and charged with wild fervor, the anticipated fierce counterattack never materialized.

The battalion commander, trusting in the bombardment’s effectiveness, assumed the defenders had been wiped out.

Yet when they reached the position, every soldier was stunned.

The position was deserted—no enemy in sight, not even a single corpse. No trace of the Chinese army remained.

The men were dumbfounded, then quickly became disoriented, unsure of their next move.

They had prepared thoroughly, expecting a decisive battle. Instead, they found an empty field.

For a moment, every soldier felt an unreal, unsettling sensation.

It was as if two master swordsmen prepared to duel to the death, and at the moment one unleashed their ultimate strike, the opponent simply vanished.

This discomfort gnawed at every soldier’s heart.

“Baka! The Chinese troops actually ran away?!” The battalion commander stared in disbelief before struggling to accept the truth.

“Sir, what do we do now?” a company commander stammered, lost and uncertain.

If the Chinese had fled before, it wouldn’t have been so troubling. But this time, the enemy had fought as if possessed, recklessly defending the position to the death.

Now, they had suddenly abandoned it.

No one could comprehend what had just happened.

Unconsciously, the once-rising morale plummeted.

A heavy weariness filled every soldier’s heart; they longed for a moment’s rest.

“Report this to the regimental commander immediately and await his orders!” The battalion commander was troubled, unable to decide what to do next, feeling a stifling pressure in his chest.

When this news reached Hizaka, even he found it hard to believe.

“What? The Chinese abandoned their position? Impossible!” Suetoshi Fujii, nearby, was shocked, his eyes wide with disbelief. No matter how he tried, he could not accept the truth of this report.