Chapter 355

The forest fire raged, the entire mountainside nearly engulfed in flames. From the moment Hu Youming gave the order to evacuate, it took roughly twenty minutes for the troops to withdraw from the 301st Regiment’s positions. The 301st position, held by the Combined Arms Regiment, was effectively on the front line of the South Tangshan Line battlefield. By the time the entire Combined Arms Regiment had pulled back, not a single Japanese soldier had managed to cross the barrier of the mountain fire. By this time, the remnants of the 66th Corps, having retreated from the northern battlefield, had also successfully cleared the South Tangshan Line area. Even after descending the mountain, the flames covering the hills and plains were clearly visible. As the incendiaries spread, vast stretches of jungle were set ablaze, leaving the large numbers of Japanese pursuers still in the mountains trapped and immobile.