sovbooks Chapter 255 Killing Tani Hisao and Cutting Off His Head
Chapter 255 Killing Tani Hisao and Cutting Off His Head
The Japanese counterattack appeared weak and ineffective.
Those armored vehicles that were tearing them apart from the flanks rarely stayed in one place for long. After firing a round of bullets and shells, they would immediately move to a new position, as cunning and ferocious as a pack of wolves on the prairie.
The Japanese troops wanted to give chase, but found that their two legs could not outrun the tracks and tires.
On the plains, tanks galloped across like wild horses, constantly reaping the lives of Japanese soldiers in the process.
Every minute someone falls, every minute blood seeps into the soil.
Besides the vanguard and rear troops being fiercely attacked by the Third Column, on the Japanese flank, Qiu Qingquan's tank convoy fought alongside the Northwest Army, tearing at the fleeing troops like a pack of wolves.
In order to speed up their breakout, the 6th and 10th Divisions abandoned a large amount of supplies, including medium and large caliber howitzers and field guns.
The cannons were abandoned by the roadside, their muzzles pointing skyward, like a group of abandoned orphans.
Of course, even if they brought them, it wouldn't be of much use. Supplies had been cut off for nearly a week, and the artillery shells had long since run out.
Before breaking out, the Japanese fired their last round of artillery shells and then destroyed all the empty cannons.
Explosions rang out one after another, and flames shot into the sky, as if holding a funeral for their own artillery.
Without artillery cover, the outcome for infantry facing a tank charge is predictable.
A new massacre has begun.
The sky gradually darkened.
The last vestige of red in the west was swallowed by darkness, as if someone had covered the sky with a huge black cloth.
Japanese fighter and bomber groups were no longer able to provide air cover for the breakout forces under such visibility conditions.
After dropping their last bombs, the planes turned around and flew away, the sound of their engines fading into the distance until they disappeared into the night sky.
For the 6th and 10th Divisions that had not yet broken through, this was the moment when the nightmare truly began.
During the day, at least a large amount of air power is providing them with some protection.
Even the tank units of the Third Column, after being bombed by Japanese warplanes, would be temporarily halted and unable to pursue at full speed.
When those bombs fell, even tanks made of steel had to take cover; no one dared to gamble with their lives.
Completely deprived of the protection of their fighter planes, the Japanese troops were like chicks without their mother's protection, exposed to the sharp claws of raptors.
Darkness became an ally of the Third Column and a death knell for the Japanese army.
Hisao Tani gave the order to disperse and break out.
The large contingent, gathered together, was an extremely conspicuous target. Being relentlessly attacked by the Third Column and Qiu Qingquan's armored vehicles, their marching speed was as slow as a snail's pace, and their personnel losses were staggering.
He watched as the soldiers around him fell one by one, like autumn leaves, silently.
It would be better to split up and charge south; perhaps more people could survive.
It was a cruel choice, but the only one.
The 10th Division also carried out similar orders.
Before parting, Tani Hisao said something to Ogishu Rippei.
The light from the gunfire illuminated the two men's weary faces, their wrinkles etched as if carved with a knife, each line a testament to their hardship.
"Ogisu-kun, if we manage to fight our way out alive, I hope we can go fishing in Hokkaido together."
Hisao Tani's voice carried a hint of bitterness, but also a rare sincerity.
He knew that this promise might not come true. But he said it anyway, as if to encourage himself and as if to bid farewell to his comrades.
Ogisu Ritsuhei took a deep breath; the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, which made him cough twice.
"May your military career prosper!"
After saying this, the two men saluted each other, then boarded armored vehicles and led their respective troops to break out south along different routes.
The two train convoys parted ways at a fork in the road, like two streams flowing separately into the unknown darkness.
Inside the armored vehicle where Hisao Tani was riding, the radio kept beeping, but it was drowned out by the roar of the engine.
The car was crowded and the air was stuffy; everyone's face was etched with tension.
Some people kept wiping away sweat, some were gripping their guns with trembling hands, and others were muttering something with their eyes closed, as if in prayer.
Just then, a soldier suddenly shouted:
"Report! Enemy tank units spotted on the flank!"
The sound was as sharp as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Hisao Tani's gaze turned cold, his voice steady yet urgent:
"Speed up, no need to get bogged down."
He knew very well what would happen to him if he stopped at this point.
Even if he is a division commander, the enemy's bullets will treat everyone the same—piercing his head without even glancing at the rank insignia on his shoulders.
On this battlefield, rank and status are no substitute for speed and luck.
However, at the very moment his order was given, the main gun of a Puma armored vehicle, under the pale light of a flare, had already aimed at the armored vehicle where Tani Hisao was located.
The flare hung in the air like a small sun, illuminating everything around it.
Bai Chengshan personally controlled the Puma, his eyes pressed against the scope, his fingers on the firing mechanism.
He held his breath, and even his heartbeat slowed down.
The crosshairs in the scope were firmly pressed against the front wheel of the Japanese armored vehicle.
"boom!!!!!!"
With a loud bang, the 50mm main gun spewed out a ball of flame.
The flame stood out starkly in the night, like a flower blooming out of nowhere.
The shell hit the target precisely.
The enormous impact caused the Japanese armored vehicle to overturn instantly, crashing to the side of the road like a tripped bison, raising a cloud of dust.
Hisao Tani's body rolled around in the cramped carriage, his head hitting the iron wall, his forehead cut open, and blood flowed down his cheek.
His shoulder slammed into the seat, his ribs into the armrest, and his knee into the butt of the gun.
He was in pain all over his body, as if he had been thrown into a blender or trampled by a horse.
After a while, he regained some consciousness and struggled to crawl out of the hatch.
With each step he took, a sharp pain shot through his body, as if someone were cutting his flesh with a knife.
"Damn it! Damn it!!!"
He cursed as he used his last strength to crawl out. His voice was hoarse and weak, like an old wolf trapped in a trap, emitting indistinct howls.
But when he finally climbed out of the carriage and looked up, his heart sank completely.
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head.
The area was now filled with armored vehicles from the Third Column. His assault force of about a hundred men was completely surrounded, like a small puddle enclosed by an iron barrel, with no way to escape.
The chariots' headlights were all turned on, and the blinding white light made Tani Hisao unable to open his eyes.
Hisao Tani's mind raced as he considered how to survive.
Is negotiation possible? Is surrender possible? Is it possible to exchange his identity for his life?
But just as he was still making his calculations, a roar came from the other side.
He happened to understand that Chinese phrase, which was "open fire".
Bai Chengshan stood on the armored vehicle, his eyes bloodshot, and roared out those two words with all his might.
His voice was hoarse from shouting, but he felt it was all worth it.
"Fire!!!!"
He resolutely carried out Li Jianghe's order—the Third Column did not need prisoners.
"Da da da!!! Boom boom boom!!!"
Gunshots and cannon fire rang out simultaneously, as dense as firecrackers during the Lunar New Year, or a summer thunderstorm.
Bullets rained down on that small area, dust flew everywhere, and blood and flesh were torn apart.
The tank's machine guns spat fire, shells exploded in the crowd, and shrapnel from grenades flew everywhere.
The gunfire gradually subsided only when there were no more Japanese soldiers left standing.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood mixed with gunpowder, making one want to vomit.
Half of Tani Hisao's body was shattered by heavy machine gun bullets, leaving him a bloody mess and a gruesome sight.
His left arm was gone, his left leg was gone, and only half of his body remained, lying crookedly in the mud.
But the officer's sword he wore was still hanging at his waist, and on his face, which was not shattered, his eyes were half-open, as if he were looking at this land he could never return to.
There was resentment, anger, and a hint of inexplicable confusion in his eyes.
Bai Chengshan jumped off the armored vehicle, walked over, and glanced down.
He didn't speak.
He thought of Nanjing and the civilians who died under the swords of the Sixth Division.
Then he spat and roared, "Cut his head off! Take it back!"