CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 213: [BATTLE OF SONGHU] THE BANNER OF DEATH’S GUIDANCE (4K)

Soldiers of the Sichuan Army at the front began to exchange gunfire with the Japanese Army.

But since they couldn’t hear the commands, the shooting was a bit disorderly for a while.

Liao Feng also raised his gun to shoot, but after firing just two bullets, he ran out. He crouched down to search the body of a comrade who had fallen beside him but managed to find only six more bullets.

The six bullets were quickly spent again.

No matter how he pulled the trigger of his old rifle, there was no response, which made Liao Feng so angry that he threw away the rifle in his hand.

A rifle without bullets is not as useful as a broadsword.

He drew the broadsword from his back, crouching down, ready to engage the Japanese Army in close combat when they approached.

It was at that moment.

On the battlefield, a bloodstained white cloth unfurled vigorously amidst the smoke.

On a flagpole that had been shattered by artillery fire, a large character, ’Death,’ was written in the center of the flag.

There were also several smaller lines on both sides: "When the nation is in peril, the Japanese are fierce. Carry this flag at all times. Wipe blood when injured, wrap the body when dead. Move forward bravely, never forget your duty."

Although the ears were deafened.

No one knew what the officers’ orders were.

But the moment that ’Death’ flag was raised, everyone knew what to do.

Staring at the waving ’Death’ flag, Liao Feng looked down at the broadsword in his hand, and his nearly numb right leg. He crouched down to pull a grenade off the body of a fallen comrade.

Adding his own two grenades, he made a bundle with only three grenades.

Dragging his lame leg, Liao Feng moved through the trenches.

Two hundred meters away.

The Japanese Army began to sweep the battlefield with gunfire; bullets hit the ground and struck the ’Death’ flag, with a bloodied figure tightly holding onto the flagpole next to it.

Ensuring that the ’Death’ flag did not fall, fluttering in the wind.

Liao Feng recognized the notebook on the waist of the young soldier holding the pole, who was a messenger from the company headquarters.

Only 17 years old, with a baby face.

Liao Feng shook his head and cursed under his breath:

"Damn Japanese bastards...."

Fighting until now.

The intense combat had numbed Liao Feng; too many people had died.

Limping through the trenches, Liao Feng got closer and closer to the Japanese vanguard. He tied up the grenade bundle and pulled the fuse.

Seeing the Japanese getting nearer, Liao Feng fiercely pulled the fuse!

He threw the bundled grenades towards the Japanese tank, then vaulted out of the trench, holding the broadsword and charging quickly towards the Japanese tank.

Bang bang bang bang—

A slew of bullets washed over him, and the charging Liao Feng was brought to an abrupt halt.

Several machine gun bullets had pierced his chest.

He couldn’t control his body as he fell to the ground, feeling the world swirl around him, but the humming in his ears abruptly vanished.

In a daze.

He seemed to hear the continuous sound of explosions.

Liao Feng knew it was the Sichuan Army soldiers sacrificing their lives to halt the Japanese advance, yet unfortunately, he could no longer control his body to witness the scene.

Nor did he know how many Japanese those bundled grenades had killed.

A random thought flashed through Liao Feng’s mind.

A few seconds later.

The scene faded into darkness.

This Sichuan Army, which had marched three thousand miles wearing straw sandals to the front lines, fought the Japanese in bloody combat at the Chen Family Formation for seven days and nights.

Of the more than 8000 members of the 26th Division, only a few hundred survived.

All officers above the rank of platoon leader perished in service.

Until the end, only the ’Death’ flag flapped in the wind on the battlefield, guiding the last warriors to continue their stand.

....

Next door.

Inside Shi Rui’s live streaming room.

As the Japanese artillery launched a fierce attack, the ’Republic’ forces were gradually losing strength.

During this time, Shi Rui observed from the top of a tall building the Sichuan Army’s march over three thousand miles and their seven-day-and-night battle, and how the incoming Gu Army’s six divisions were wiped out in four days.

He also visited other streaming rooms.

Witnessing the Xiang Army’s 15 divisions of soldiers steadfastly holding out for 21 days and nights, almost all perished, becoming legend, and after this battle, there was no more Xiang Army.

He also saw the Guangdong Army, 50,000 strong, fighting head-on with 90,000 Japanese troops, depleting entire regiments and battalions, and fighting until only around 3000 survived.

And the Northeast Army’s 76th Corps of over 10,000 men who covered the retreat of the 700,000 main forces, ultimately being wiped out. The corps commander Wu Keren charged with his pistol, hit by multiple bullets, dying a hero in the river.

These scenes.

Made many loyal Blue Star Polestar players feel both familiar and strange.

Familiar because they had last seen such scenes during the Battle of Moscow in Europe.

Strange because the situation here was not exactly the same as in Europe.

The same sacrifice, the same heroic tragedy.

But the difference was.

The Soviet Union was a highly organized state machine, maintaining the operation of the war machine with structured sacrifice.

While the tragedy on the Huaxia Land was a desperate counterattack by an agrarian civilization under the invasion of industrial power, as 22 provincial forces joined the fight, breaking the barriers between warlords.

Warlords abandoned personal interests, peasants donned straw shoes, tycoons donated savings, soldiers blocked tanks with flesh and blood.

Compared to the steel flood of the Soviet Union.

This desperate attempt to bridge the technological gap with flesh and blood was what awakened an ancient nation amidst scorching flames.

Most distinctively, it was Shi Rui who risked his life to infiltrate the Sihang Warehouse and capture a video.

Although he was shot dead shortly after filming this segment....

Since some streaming rooms were ahead in time compared to Shi Rui’s, they roughly knew the direction of the subsequent battles.

And the perspective of the Sichuan Army, Gu Army, Xiang Army... troops from all over the country were present, except for the Central Army’s perspective.

Strangely, no one triggered the plot.

Hence Shi Rui became the best candidate because other streaming rooms featured soldiers from various local units, while he alone was an imposter reporter overlooking the battlefield.

Moreover, he knew the subsequent battle direction. At the request of many Blue Star viewers, Shi Rui infiltrated the Sihang Warehouse a day earlier than the others.

Recording the most unforgettable scenes for Blue Star viewers.

Inside the empty warehouse.

There was smoke and gunfire throughout.

Central Army soldiers charged head-on with the Japanese, with a distance of barely 20 meters between them. The fierce gunfire clashed, and almost immediately, the front-line soldiers fell simultaneously.

The soldiers in the back line quickly filled the gaps in such close quarters.

The face-to-face shootout shocked the Blue Star netizens.

Because even in a game where they could restart infinitely, they never imagined exchanging fire at such close range.

meters, almost face-to-face.

meters, the sound of bullets piercing the chest was distinctly audible.

meters, the blood mist erupted in the smoke, and you could even smell the stench of blood.

Fear is a human instinct.

But at that moment, hotter than fear was the determination in their eyes.

There was no cover, no tactics, not even many bullets, just aim, fire, fall.... the next soldier stepped over warm bodies to continue shooting at the incoming Japanese.

Building a Great Wall with flesh and blood, each inch resisted the invaders’ footsteps.

Shi Rui’s video quickly gained traction on social media.

The hashtag #SihangWarehouseTwentyMeterShootout# exploded across major Blue Star platforms.

Even the Federation forces on Blue Star who had been through training were still shaken by this resolute will.

Because this wasn’t about tactics, it was pure determination and faith.

....

At night.

Polestar Company, president’s office.

Looking at the current online comments.

The impact of the [Battle of Songhu] continued to ferment.

Compared to the shock in Europe, Huaxia-style shock had a more profound, heart-stirring tragic grandeur.

Just because of trigger issues, many Blue Star players couldn’t participate, only watching others experience it. Zhao Ming collected some opinions.

Planning to extend the timeline a little further.

The farthest they could choose was originally up to 1931, now open until 1937.

Further was definitely not feasible, since the [World War I] timeline would end by 1939.

And Zhao Ming focused next on the [World War II] side.

With the buildup over this time, although the sequel [Cold War Clouds] had no explosive plot points, gathering intelligence was also a kind of fun.

Especially as the Blue Star players had a lot of free time; from the backend data, they’re spread across the globe, even in African tribes.

As players exchanged information, sharing intelligence increasingly clarified the post-World War II world structure and various conspiracies.

Waiting for the storyline in the [Awakening Era] DLC to conclude sufficiently, players could naturally transition to the [World War II] side.