Chapter Sixty-Two: Every Inch of Land, Every Drop of Blood

"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Xiao Fei's voice echoed across the surface of the Yellow Sea, stirring waves higher and higher. With those three orders, the forty Japanese warships stationed in the Yellow Sea were struck—some pierced by torpedoes, some sunk by crimson cannons. Before the Japanese even realized who their adversary was, they perished in the sea, becoming the sharks' most delicious supper.

They had no idea that Xiao Fei, a man from the future armed with a super-intelligent system and a military base, had moved at incredible speed to a position less than five nautical miles from the Japanese fleet, delivering an unexpected and devastating surprise attack.

Yet, with only three torpedoes and twenty shells, it was far from enough to sink all forty Japanese warships. The Japanese suffered heavy losses, but their small nation had always been rabid in war; the blood of mad dogs flowed in their veins. They would rather sink to the bottom of the sea than retreat, fighting to the last breath. Seeing only a few thousand enemies across the waters, and suspecting their heavy weapons were spent, they launched a frenzied counterattack.

Xiao Fei, assessing the situation, immediately ordered his men to withdraw to the shore. After the brutal fighting of recent days, no civilians remained alive along the coast, and the land was already ravaged; there was nothing left for the Japanese to destroy. This was what Xiao Fei called “luring the enemy deep,” for he knew he had no advanced warships, and fighting on the open sea would be a hopeless endeavor against the Japanese navy.

The Japanese commander had already been killed by Xiao Fei’s crimson cannon. Only the deputy commander, Captain Sakata, remained. Though he had not received imperial orders to advance, the severe losses forced his hand; he had to set foot on Chinese soil and seek revenge.

"Captain Sakata, we've lost half our men. Is it not against our laws to advance without imperial permission?" one subordinate cautioned him.

"Fools!"

"Yes, sir!"

"The Imperial Army is not cowardly. They have killed so many of our dear soldiers—how can we not avenge this? Besides, the general has died for the nation, and now, I am in command! Attack! Kill!"

With Sakata’s command, his troops began a frenzied assault on Xiao Fei’s forces.

Shells flew, water and fire raged, curtains of spray and smoke enveloped the Yellow Sea. Blood and water, gunfire and flames—for three hours, both armies battled, death and injury everywhere. Yet not a single soldier flinched from the fight; all were resolved to kill or be killed.

When Xiao Fei reached the shore, only three thousand of his five thousand soldiers remained. Looking back over the vast sea, corpses soaked in blood drifted everywhere, sharks and whales leaping from the water, dancing gracefully, their mouths wide, swallowing bodies and spitting out waves as if celebrating a heavenly feast.

At that moment, Xiao Fei’s heart bled—painful, agonizing. He had never witnessed such a scene. Less than ten percent of the corpses were Chinese; most belonged to the Japanese, but regardless of nationality, each soldier was a living soul. In just a few hours, they had been separated forever by death—such is the cruelty of war.

“An inch of land, an inch of blood.” Only now did Xiao Fei truly understand these words. Yet he did not fear, nor would he retreat. When it comes to defending national sovereignty, not a single Chinese person can hesitate. If you stab me once, I’ll strike back twice. It’s either you die, or I live!

“Brothers, we must avenge our fallen comrades! Let’s wipe out every last one of these damned invaders. Let none of them return alive!” Xiao Fei shouted before his army.

“Kill them! Kill them!”

Their powerful voices resounded across the land.

Xiao Fei was not one to underestimate his enemy. To minimize casualties, he had to make a strong and meticulous plan.

He led the suicide squad himself, drawing the bulk of the Japanese forces into the mountains, while Jin Shaohua and Hu Baiwan each led a team to lure Japanese troops deep into the jungle. The three groups would then converge, encircling every invader who set foot on Chinese soil.

Orders were strict; with Xiao Fei’s command given, everyone began preparations. Sakata’s army, meanwhile, landed at lightning speed.

In truth, even now, Sakata—this old, cunning dog—could not figure out whether he was fighting Chinese troops or German ones. Judging by their weapons, only the Germans should possess such strength; from the soldiers’ appearance, they looked more like Chinese. But where did they get such advanced heavy weapons?

Now was not the time to ponder. Having landed, every man was resolved to fight to the death.

Xiao Fei relied on favorable terrain and superior tactics, and soon, everything went as planned. The foolish Japanese, relying on their numbers, were not afraid to risk their lives, and, like idiots, split into groups to chase Xiao Fei’s three teams. In fact, Sakata's three groups followed Xiao Fei’s designs, entering the deep forests.

However, Hu Baiwan, though he had pledged loyalty to Xiao Fei, was a mediocre warlord with almost no experience in leading troops. Facing the fierce Japanese, he was nervous. Leading his thousand men, his movements were slow and sluggish. Worse, he was pursued by Captain Sakata himself. Before long, Sakata caught up and engaged them, exceeding Xiao Fei’s timeline by far.

“Damn! That fool Hu Baiwan is going to ruin everything!” Xiao Fei muttered.

But Hu Baiwan’s side was already under fire. He commanded only a thousand soldiers, while Sakata personally led five thousand elite troops. Outnumbered, Hu Baiwan was soon driven into the thickets.

“Commander, the brothers can’t hold out! We’ll cover you—please retreat!” his adjutant, Li An, pleaded.

“Nonsense! The master’s orders were to lure these invaders into the old forest ahead. We’re less than two thousand meters away—we must persist. If we can’t, we must kill as many as possible. We cannot drag the master down!” Hu Baiwan replied.

“But commander—”

“What commander! I am no longer a commander; we are all the master’s subordinates now. Stop fussing, hand me a new rifle—damn it, I’ll kill these invaders myself!” Hu Baiwan ordered.

Because they were so close, Sakata’s troops could faintly hear someone called “commander” on the other side, indicating a high-ranking officer was present. This excited the Japanese greatly.

“Captain Sakata, we’ve found the enemy commander in the thickets ahead!” a soldier reported.

“Excellent, ha! Heaven favors us. Listen, I want him alive—no one is to shoot. Approach them slowly!” Sakata commanded.

This tactic changed the situation. The Japanese “held their fire,” while Hu Baiwan’s side aimed to kill with every shot. Though Hu Baiwan had fewer than three hundred men left, Sakata’s unit still had three thousand. Yet, in less than ten minutes, over a thousand enemies fell.

Still, outnumbered and outgunned, Hu Baiwan’s side soon ran out of ammunition. If the killing continued, they would soon be left without a single bullet.

“Commander, commander, please retreat! We’re almost out of bullets!”

“Nonsense! Anyone who disrupts morale will be shot! Listen up! Even in death, we must bite off their ears. We must complete the master’s mission, no matter what! Cherish your bullets—aim carefully! No wasted shots, understood?”

“Understood!”

Hu Baiwan repelled three or four attacks. In the end, he had ten soldiers left, while Sakata’s unit was reduced to three hundred. Most critically, Hu Baiwan’s group had not a single bullet left.

“Commander, we’re out of bullets…” his men wailed.

“What? Damn it, if I had a few hundred more rounds, I’d take down every last one of these invaders!” Hu Baiwan sighed.

“Commander, commander, we still have three packs of explosives,” a soldier whispered, running up.

“Shh, that’s enough. Brothers, gather around me,” Hu Baiwan summoned his ten men. “Brothers, I’ve spent my life as a soldier, doing wrong, but thanks to our master Xiao Fei, I learned what conscience means, what it is to be responsible as a Chinese. I haven’t fulfilled the master’s orders, but even in death, I must not bring shame to him. Are you afraid to die?”

“No!” they shouted together.

“Good, are you ready?”

“Ready!”

The dozen men formed a tight circle and began to sing the Qinhuai folk song “Good Sons Defend the Nation”—“If the homeland is invaded, brave men must stand strong. Drink this hometown wine—heroes never return. The Yellow River flows, the Yangtze surges, giving me life, giving me strength. Let blood bloom as the most beautiful flower, stained on my chest. The bugle calls, the sword is drawn, thunder and lightning—we advance, we advance, Qinhuai’s good sons!”

Sakata was baffled by this, approaching with three of his soldiers, ordering his men not to shoot, wanting the commander alive.

As they drew near, three hundred men surrounded Hu Baiwan’s small group, sealing every escape. Hu Baiwan smiled mysteriously, slowly took out a cigarette and lighter, inhaled deeply, and lit it with the air of a former “Bandit Suppression Commander.”

Sakata felt lucky, thinking, “Surely this is a high-ranking officer—good thing I didn’t shoot.”

But in the next moment, Hu Baiwan flicked his burning lighter to the ground, igniting the fuse of the three explosive packs.

Instantly, with a thunderous blast, over three hundred Japanese soldiers were blown sky-high…

PS: Brothers, this novel will be officially launched at noon on the 11th of this month. Before then, I’ll unleash several explosive chapters. After launch, I’ll update daily. My last two books totaled over seven million words, updating fifteen thousand words daily, never missing a day. Character guaranteed—I promise you a great read. If you haven’t yet bookmarked this book, please do so; every click, every bookmark, every reward is the motivation for Xiao Hun to keep going and pour passion into explosive stories. Thank you all!