One hour after Leitao and his two companions successfully destroyed the Japanese chemical weapon production and experimental base and withdrew safely, the Japanese Artillery Regiment in Teng County launched a fierce bombardment against the city gates and the interior of Teng County. The roar of artillery shook the air as Teng County was instantly enveloped in smoke and a pungent smell of gunpowder permeated every inch of the atmosphere.
After two hours of shelling, bombers from the flight group of the Japanese garrison at Beiping Nanyuan Airport arrived overhead, pouring aerial bombs down like raindrops. With every deafening explosion, the ground was blasted into pockmarks while earth and stone flew in all directions. Under this wave-after-wave bombardment by Japanese artillery and aircraft, multiple sections of the city walls of Teng County were blown apart, leaving behind several massive gaps. Lacking effective anti-air weapons, the Sichuan Army suffered heavy casualties under such ferocious firepower, losing over half of their troop strength.
Looking at the tragic scene before him, Captain Fang Tianyi of the 1st Special Battalion felt a deep, piercing sorrow, yet his gaze remained as unyielding as iron. He swiftly directed the surviving soldiers to transfer wounded comrades to relatively safe temporary strongholds, such as the basements and cellars of sturdy buildings within the city. During the evacuation, the soldiers supported and encouraged one another; battered as t…
Chapter 96