Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Battle of the Chihe River Begins

Chi River

Major General Ichiro Katayama, commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade under the Japanese 3rd Division, stood at the rear lines, observing the distant defensive positions through his binoculars.

He could see that the defenders were fully prepared, their fortifications completed, eyes locked on his troops with predatory intensity. Yet, ever observant, Katayama noticed a flicker of panic and fear in the defenders' eyes, a detail that brought a faint, mocking smile to his lips.

“These Chinese are as timid as ever!” Katayama said to his chief of staff with a laugh. “With an army like this, how could they possibly hope to halt the advance of our great Empire? They know resisting us means death—so why do they bother to struggle? Why not simply lay down their arms and allow our imperial warriors to dispatch them without fuss?”

His words dripped with scorn for the defenders, his tone relaxed, betraying none of the urgency one might expect before a great battle. Indeed, this arrogance was typical among both Japanese officers and soldiers when facing the Nationalist defenders; they habitually held their enemy in contempt.

The chief of staff, hearing this, replied with equal ease, “Who knows? Who can fathom what goes through the minds of these ignorant Chinese?”

“As the strong, we need only to disdain the weak—who would bother to guess what the weak are thinking? That would be laughable!” With that, he burst into hearty laughter, and Katayama joined in, both utterly dismissive of the defenders across the field.

“Enough, Brigadier. The division commander’s orders are paramount—let’s take this position first. I must prepare for our next assignment.” With a wave of his hand, the chief of staff turned and strolled back to headquarters, showing not the slightest concern for the coming battle.

“Indeed, let’s seize this position first,” Katayama agreed with a soft chuckle.

Their words made it clear they already considered the Chi River defenses to be as good as theirs. And in truth, among Japanese officers, it seemed almost inconceivable that a mere brigade could fail to take such a small blocking position.

Katayama drew his command sword and pointed it forward, shouting, “Advance and kill!”

“Banzai!”

At his command, a battalion of Japanese soldiers let out a thunderous cry. Rifles at the ready, backs hunched, they surged forward to attack.

“Brothers, open fire! Pin those devils down right here!”

Seeing the Japanese attack, Wang Zanbin, commander of the 174th Division of the 31st Army, raised his rifle and shot down a Japanese soldier, then shouted loudly to his men.

That shot was but the prelude—a signal for the curtain to rise.

Suddenly, a cacophony of gunfire erupted. The Japanese battalion, led by their commander, charged at the Chi River position, forming skirmish lines in groups of three, advancing and covering one another as they fired at the defenders.

The defenders, for their part, fought back fiercely with strong firepower, refusing to yield. Bullets flew in both directions, the gunfire unceasing, casualties mounting on both sides. Under the defenders’ fierce counterattack, the Japanese battalion could not break through and, after leaving a carpet of corpses behind, was forced to retreat.

“Quickly, notify the artillery regiment to commence bombardment! Blast those Chinese defenders to pieces!” Katayama was displeased by the failure of the first assault and barked at a nearby officer.

He had expected that a single volley would send the defenders fleeing in terror, yet to his surprise, they dared to resist.

“Chinese, all must die!” Katayama fumed.

The 3rd Division was an elite division of the Japanese army, among the earliest modern army units to be formed. Unlike other divisions, and even other elite divisions, which typically had only one artillery regiment, the 3rd Division boasted an entire artillery brigade—specifically, the 1st Field Heavy Artillery Brigade, which included the 2nd and 3rd Field Heavy Artillery Regiments and the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment.

It was a formidable force, and Katayama's 5th Infantry Brigade had brought the 2nd Field Heavy Artillery Regiment along for the assault on the Chi River.

Upon receiving Katayama's order, the artillery brigade’s commander, Ichiro Onogi, immediately called out, “The Brigadier's orders: commence bombardment of the Chinese positions at once!”

“Hai!”

An officer bowed and signaled to two flagmen, who raised their flags to direct the gunners.

Soon, the artillerymen reported, “Commander, shells loaded!”

“Very good!” Onogi nodded in satisfaction, drew his command sword, and shouted, “Prepare!”

“Fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the order given, shell after shell soared into the sky, the recoil sending the guns sliding backward, shockwaves kicking up dust until the entire battery was obscured in smoke and grit.

The shells arced through the air, their target: the 174th Division’s positions at the Chi River.

A piercing whistle filled the air. Wang Zanbin, leading his men in the defense, heard the shrill sound above and glanced skyward, only to see dozens of shells screaming down toward them.

Alarmed, he shouted, “Down! Incoming Japanese artillery!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the shells landed nearby. Nearly half struck the positions directly, while others fell wide. This was only the first salvo—adjustment shots—but the next would be far more accurate and devastating.

Even so, the positions were already engulfed in fire.

The explosions hurled earth and debris skyward, reducing carefully constructed fortifications to wreckage as if they were made of paper. Gun emplacements and bunkers were torn apart, shattered timber and stone raining down. Some soldiers, unable to dodge in time, were hit directly, their bodies obliterated in the blast, while others fell to shrapnel and the shockwaves, even if not struck head-on.