Chapter 109: Cease Fire
“Boom…”
Zhuang Xiaoman finally fired the cannon. A 75mm shell broke free from the barrel’s constraint, striking the pile of abandoned rubble on the right wing at 600 meters per second. Amid the massive explosion, rubble scattered everywhere in the sky. The Type 94 37mm rapid-fire cannon that was still shooting rapidly was also flung into the air, with scattered parts flying all over the place.
Gun smoke slowly rose around the Xiafei Tank, the barrel still retaining scorching hot breath.
John abruptly flipped open the hatch, and pungent gun smoke immediately surged into the turret. His oil-stained face was full of anxiety.
He urgently slapped the tank’s exterior, roaring hoarsely: “Everyone get out! This iron coffin could explode at any moment!”
The co-driver and loader quickly opened the escape hatch at the bottom of the tank and crawled out from below.
But the remaining Qiao Erdan and Zhuang Xiaoman were reluctant to leave.
Qiao Erdan said somewhat reluctantly: “Boss, this is such a great tank. You said it’s worth 600,000 silver dollars. It’s just stalled now. Fix it up and it’ll run again. You guys go first. Xiaoman and I will stay, fix it, and drive it back. What do you think?”
“Bullshit!” John gritted his teeth, his eyes red as he roared in anger: “People are more important than the tank. All of you get out!”
Qiao Erdan clung tightly to the control lever, unwilling to let go. Zhuang Xiaoman was wiping blood from the sight with his sleeve. At the sound of the roar, his shoulders visibly trembled, but he still stubbornly moved half a step toward the ammo rack.
“Are you deaf?”
John directly grabbed Zhuang Xiaoman by the back of the collar and dragged him outward. The belt dug deep marks into the military uniform, and several scorching hot shell casings were kicked away with clinking sounds.
Qiao Erdan suddenly lunged for the control lever but was smashed hard in the back by John with a steel helmet. In the metallic clash, a screw popped out from the track gap and rolled lonely into the shell crater.
A shrill whistle of incoming shells came from afar, and John’s eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. He grabbed both by the collars and flung them outward with all his might, finally throwing them out of the tank.
Zhuang Xiaoman stumbled and knelt on the scorched earth. Although his palms were blistered red by the hot armor, he still stubbornly turned back to gaze at the Xiafei Tank behind him, his face full of reluctance.
After these days of constant companionship, he had long regarded this tank as a brother with whom he shared life and death.
“Hurry up and go!”
John kicked him in the butt and dragged both into a shell crater.
Just as the three hid in the crater, a shell pierced the smoke and struck the side armor of the Xiafei Tank more than ten meters away.
Accompanied by a massive explosion, the Xiafei Tank’s fuel tank ignited, followed by the ammo inside detonating sympathetically. Amid the deafening roar, the turret was flung into the air and then crashed heavily to the ground.
In the shell crater where the gun smoke had not yet dissipated, John stood up supporting his bleeding left arm. Just as he was about to speak, a figure rolled in.
Zhuang Xiaoman and Qiao Erdan tensed up and were about to act when John stopped them. He smiled at the newcomer: “Company Commander Wang, now we’re all infantry like you. Get us a gun each, and we can keep fighting.”
The man glanced at the three and cursed grumpily: “Fight my ass! The regiment commander orders that all tankers whose tanks are destroyed must not linger at the front line and immediately return to regiment HQ to receive new orders.”
He continued: “Don’t forget, you’re armored soldiers who drive tanks, not infantry.”
“Alright!”
Seeing that all group members were safe and sound, John’s suspended heart relaxed. He patted Zhuang Xiaoman and Qiao Erdan on the shoulders and said loudly: “Guys… our battle today is over. Follow me back.”
Not mentioning this tank crew of five who escaped death.
At this time, in the Guandi Temple near the north bank of Tai’erzhuang, Su Yaoyang received news that the attack was stalled and the tank company had suffered heavy losses. He sighed lightly: “Order the troops to stop the attack, fortify positions in place, and have the tank company withdraw to the south bank of the Yunhe River.”
“Yes!”
After arranging all this, Su Yaoyang connected the call to the theater commander’s headquarters.
“Commander Li? This is Su Yaoyang… Yes… The Japanese reinforcements have arrived. Our offensive is stalled, and we’ve lost nearly half our tanks.
Now I’ve ordered the tank company to withdraw to the south bank of the Yunhe River, and have the troops fortify in place for the offensive.
Although we didn’t achieve the goal of fully recapturing Tai’erzhuang, we’ve at least recaptured four-fifths, completing the basic objective. Continuing to push forcefully wouldn’t mean much, so I hope the troops can pause the attack first. I hope you can approve.
Okay… I understand. Thank you for your understanding, Commander…”
Li Zongren hung up the phone and, looking up, saw Sun Lianzhong’s piercing gaze.
He let out a long breath, took a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to him, smiling: “That kid Su Yaoyang really knows how to fight. After half a day’s battle, he’s recaptured most of Tai’erzhuang. Currently, the Japanese have retreated to the Chengmen Ditch area and are in a standoff with the security regiment.”
Sun Lianzhong took the cigarette, lit it with a match, took a deep drag, and asked puzzled: “Commander Li… I don’t quite understand. Since Su Yaoyang has nearly driven the Japanese out of Tai’erzhuang, why stop instead?
I remember he only committed three battalions upfront, with three more battalions on the south bank of the Yunhe River. If he threw all his forces in, I believe recapturing all of Tai’erzhuang would be no problem.”
“And then?” Li Zongren countered with a question.
“What then?” Sun Lianzhong said puzzled.
Li Zongren slowly exhaled a plume of smoke and asked rhetorically: “Recapturing all of Tai’erzhuang—what then? Could we defeat the Japanese?”
“This…”
“Don’t forget, to win the Xuzhou Campaign, the Japanese have currently committed six main divisions.
We’re already struggling so hard against just the 33rd Brigade, and Su Yaoyang’s security regiment is now our most capable unit on hand.
If we suffer too heavy losses in the Nanjing Security Regiment from a forced assault on Tai’erzhuang, what will we use to resist the Japanese counterattack next?
The 31st Division that just withdrew?
So don’t blame me for favoring Su Yaoyang. The Nanjing Security Regiment is simply too important. As long as Su Yaoyang’s main force remains, there won’t be any issues defending Tai’erzhuang.
Once our main force arrives, it will be time for our full counteroffensive.”
Sun Lianzhong pondered for a long time before slowly nodding: “Commander Li is truly far-sighted. I am really inferior.”
“Hahaha…”
Li Zongren chuckled lightly, just about to speak, when the staff officer hurried in to report: “Sirs, Japanese planes are here, bombing Tai’erzhuang…”
