Chapter Fourteen: Reinforcements Arrive!

"Blood will not cease to flow; we will not rest until death!"
Hearing Chen Qingzhi's words, all the remaining warriors roared in unison. Their voices merged and echoed across the vast land, carrying a sense of desolate grandeur and tragic heroism.

"Better to die than retreat, face death with courage!"
Tiger swung his blade, desperately slashing down a Japanese soldier before him, then raised his arm and shouted loudly.

At that moment, Tiger was covered in blood, his body marred by deep wounds. Anyone could see he had indeed fought his way out from piles of corpses and rivers of blood.

Such was the truth. With his gleaming saber, Tiger had fought his way through, cutting down more than thirty Japanese soldiers. It might sound exaggerated, but Chen Qingzhi himself had witnessed it. Tiger had already broken two blades in battle, and the one he wielded now was his third. Even so, this third blade was already chipped.

With a kick, Tiger knocked another Japanese soldier to the ground. Before his foe could react, Tiger stepped forward and hacked off his head.

A chilling crack split the air. The enemy's head soared upward as Tiger's saber snapped cleanly in two.

Yet Tiger paid no mind. He laughed heartily and said with boldness, "Captain, looks like today you and I will meet our end together!"

"Why, are you afraid?"
Chen Qingzhi smiled faintly, fighting another Japanese soldier as he spoke.

"Afraid? Not a chance!"
Tiger glared fiercely at the enemies surrounding him and shouted, "I've already killed dozens of these bastards—I've earned my keep! Even if I die, it's worth it!"

The two men exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter.

Tiger tossed aside his broken blade, drew a grenade from his waist, and grinned at Chen Qingzhi. "Captain, fighting the enemy alongside you is damn exhilarating. I hope in the next life, we can fight them together again. And then, I'll still be your soldier!"

With those words, he pulled the pin, standing tall and proud, showing not a hint of fear.

The Japanese soldiers around him turned pale, their faces contorted in terror as they screamed, "Damn! The Chinese want to die with us! Retreat, retreat!"

"Trying to run?"
Tiger saw them attempting to flee and tried to leap forward, but just then, intense gunfire erupted not far away. At the sound, Chen Qingzhi was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with sudden excitement.

"That... that's the sound of the Zhongzheng rifle!"

Chen Qingzhi was shaken, then shouted loudly to Tiger, "Tiger, that's the Zhongzheng rifle—our reinforcements have arrived! Quickly, throw the grenade!"

Tiger had already reacted upon hearing the gunfire. As Chen Qingzhi spoke, he hurled the smoking grenade with all his might.

A thunderous explosion followed. The grenade landed among several Japanese soldiers, instantly killing or injuring four or five.

"Brothers, our reinforcements have come! We've held our position!"
Chen Qingzhi shouted with delight.

"Brothers, attack! Counterattack the enemy!"
Tiger echoed, picking up a Japanese Type 38 rifle from the ground, bayonet fixed, and led the charge against the enemy.

"Kill! Kill the enemy!"

Hearing Chen Qingzhi and Tiger, all the remaining warriors were reinvigorated. They gathered their last reserves of strength, shouting hoarsely as they launched a counterattack against the Japanese.

For a moment, under the warriors' fierce assault, the enemy's casualties soared.

Meanwhile, the gunfire from the position drew ever closer; the reinforcements' shouts could now be heard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amidst the rapid gunfire and the soldiers' cries, Chen Qingzhi looked up to see dozens of warriors, led by an officer, launching a swift assault in their direction.

Though their numbers were few, every one of them fired their rifles at the Japanese. Caught off-guard, the enemy suffered heavy casualties.

"Brothers, attack! Kill the enemy and reinforce our comrades!"

The leading officer among the reinforcements waved his pistol, firing and shouting loudly.

The crackling gunfire rang out, felling many of the Japanese soldiers.

Because the Japanese, during bayonet charges, would eject their rounds to avoid friendly fire, they could not retaliate when suddenly struck by the reinforcements' gunfire. They could only fight while retreating.

Moreover, the Japanese soldiers had already been intimidated by the desperate tactics of Chen Qingzhi's battalion. Their fighting spirit had long faded; what kept them fighting was merely their numerical advantage.

Now, seeing Chen Qingzhi's reinforcements arrive, panic seized the enemy. Fear could not be concealed, and many began to waver, withdrawing slowly.

"Damn it! Hold your ground! Hold and destroy them!"
Seeing his imperial warriors begin to retreat, the Japanese captain was furious, waving his command sword and shouting, "No retreat! Hold your ground!"

Hearing the captain, many Japanese soldiers hesitated, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

But at that moment, the reinforcements kept firing at the enemy. Those with bayonets were struck down by bullets, collapsing with screams; in the blink of an eye, over a hundred were killed or wounded.

Witnessing this massacre, the hesitant Japanese soldiers turned pale, disregarded their captain, and fled outright. The threat of death overrode all orders.

No matter how the captain raged, he could not reverse the collapse.

In the end, he had no choice but to retreat unwillingly.

Defeat came like a landslide, scattering the monkeys as the tree fell.

Once some began to retreat, panic spread instantly. Those still fighting saw their comrades withdraw and quickly followed, fearing they'd be caught and killed by the Republic's warriors if they delayed.

Everyone scrambled to escape, and what began as an orderly withdrawal soon devolved into a rout.