After everyone had gone their separate ways, the Japanese battalion finally arrived. They gazed at the scene before them, filled with a mixture of shock and fury. The eastern outpost had been reduced to ruins, with the smoke of battle still lingering among the shattered walls. The western outpost and the supply depot were in the same state of utter devastation; all supplies had been looted, and a deathly silence hung over the area. Every Japanese soldier lay scattered on the ground, all of them dead, their blood staining the earth.
Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, the Japanese battalion commander turned ashen with rage, the veins on his forehead bulging. He bellowed in fury, "Signalman! Send a telegram to the Brigade Headquarters. Tell them that a division-level Chinese force has appeared in Sector 5, southwest of Shanping County. The outposts and supply depot here were attacked simultaneously, all supplies have been seized, and our garrison—the warriors of the Great Japanese Empire—have all been wiped out. Request tactical instructions; we must make these Chinese pay a bitter price!" The signalman, not daring to hesitate, quickly opened the radio set and tapped out the grim news with trembling fingers.
The battalion commander paced back and forth, the fires of vengeance burning in his heart. He clenched his fists, silently swearing that he would track down the force that had dealt them such a crushing blow and annihilate them entirely.
Chapter 184