Chapter Nineteen: Give Those Devils a Taste of Their Own Medicine!

Suddenly, right beside Chen Qingzhi, where there had been nothing before, a great heap of weapons and equipment appeared out of thin air! They materialized instantly; one moment, Chen Qingzhi saw nothing there, and in the next, the pile was simply there, as if it had always been stacked in that spot.

This sight exceeded anything Chen Qingzhi had ever imagined. Though he was shaken, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the system’s unfathomable power. Yet, as he thought on it, the stronger the system, the greater its help to him—this realization put his mind at ease.

Without dwelling further, he summoned Tiger and Fang Xiaodong. The two approached and saluted, asking, “Commander, what are your orders?”

Chen Qingzhi gestured at the weapons beside him. “Distribute these to the brothers. There’s a hard battle ahead—make sure everyone familiarizes themselves with the new gear quickly, so no one fails at a critical moment.”

Hearing this, Tiger and Fang Xiaodong followed his gaze and finally noticed the neatly arranged machine guns and mortars. Both were stunned, their faces betraying shock.

“Commander, where did all this equipment come from?” Fang Xiaodong hurried forward, cradling a Czech light machine gun, stroking its smooth barrel with undisguised affection, and repeatedly pressed for an answer.

“How the guns arrived is my business. That’s not for you to worry about!” Chen Qingzhi’s expression was grave as he spoke sternly. “What matters now is getting the men up to speed. We can’t afford mistakes in the heat of battle—understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Though Fang Xiaodong still had questions, he did not press further. Instead, he gazed longingly at the array of weapons, unable to hide his excitement.

“Good heavens, twenty Czech light machine guns, ten Maxim heavy machine guns, even mortars! This kind of armament would be enough for an entire regiment, let alone us!” Fang Xiaodong couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

At the same time, he marveled at Chen Qingzhi’s connections. In his mind, there could be no other explanation—Chen Qingzhi must have a powerful backer to procure such a cache of machine guns and mortars, especially during the Battle of Nanjing, when every unit was desperate for arms and some didn’t even have enough rifles to go around. If not for an extraordinary patron, Fang Xiaodong simply couldn’t believe it.

Thinking this, Fang Xiaodong felt all the more certain he had chosen the right man to follow this time.

Once Fang Xiaodong had distributed all the weapons, every soldier who received a machine gun was beside themselves with excitement. Several were selected as mortar operators.

Meanwhile, Chen Qingzhi called Tiger over and, armed with grenades and landmines from the system, began working tirelessly around the positions, laying traps.

The soldiers watched, puzzled by the commander’s actions. As they drew closer, they saw Chen Qingzhi setting up cunning booby traps with grenades and landmines. His placements were ingenious and merciless; even these battle-hardened veterans felt a chill run down their spines as they observed.

Having seen countless battlefields, their eyes were sharp—they could tell Chen Qingzhi’s traps were brilliantly conceived, beyond what an ordinary person could imagine. To stumble into one would spell certain death!

After witnessing his handiwork, all felt a surge of relief. Thank goodness Chen Qingzhi was their commander—if he were the enemy, they might die without ever knowing how.

Tiger couldn’t help but grin slyly. “Commander, your methods are truly impressive. The little devils are in for a nasty surprise this time!”

As he spoke, he seemed to already picture the Japanese soldiers falling victim to these traps, and let out a wicked laugh.

“That’s nothing. There’s plenty more for you to learn. Far more formidable things are yet to come!” Chen Qingzhi replied with a solemn face and shameless bravado, sending the surrounding soldiers into fits of laughter.

“All right, everyone back to your positions! Prepare for battle, stay vigilant—don’t let the enemy sneak up on us in the chaos. Our main task now is to slow the Japanese advance and ease the pressure on our comrades in the rear!” Chen Qingzhi ordered loudly.

“Yes, sir!”

...

Frontline Command Post, 115th Regiment, 128th Brigade, 114th Division, Imperial Japanese Army

Yazaki Setsuzo glared furiously at the disheveled soldiers who had retreated in defeat. “Baka! A bunch of cowards and fools! You are unworthy to be soldiers of the Empire!”

Yazaki was incensed. They had nearly captured the enemy’s position and could have annihilated them, opening the way straight to the enemy’s capital. That would have made Yazaki Setsuzo a hero of the Empire.

Never did he expect reinforcements to arrive for the enemy, nor that his own troops would retreat so disgracefully!

“Idiots, a disgrace to the Empire!” Yazaki thundered, his face dark with rage.

The defeated Japanese soldiers stood, faces ashen and morale shattered. They had lost their courage before Chen Qingzhi’s battalion, and after enduring Yazaki’s tirade, their spirits sank lower still.

The lead company commander, in particular, hung his head under Yazaki’s scolding, mumbling “Hai” repeatedly. Yet, he couldn’t help but protest, “Regimental commander, the enemy’s fighting spirit is formidable—almost on par with our own. With their reinforcements arriving, we withdrew to avoid further casualties, so—”

“Baka!” Yazaki, still seething, slapped the officer hard across the face, cutting him off mid-sentence.

“Fool!” Yazaki was nearly beside himself, spittle flying onto the officer’s face as he raged. “They are soldiers of the Empire! To lay down their lives for His Majesty the Emperor and the grand vision of a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is their honor—do you understand?”

“The Empire’s goals are so glorious that every one of us, myself included, should gladly give our lives. Yet now, our advance has been halted by a mere battalion—this is a disgrace, do you understand?”

Yazaki’s anger was unrestrained. The company commander, who had dared reply, received a slap so fierce his face swelled instantly, the imprint of fingers standing out clearly, making him look like a pig’s head.