Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1048 Leave no one behind

Yamaguchi Kishida looked straight at Ike, trying to maintain his last dignity: "You won, but this is only temporary. The spirit of Fuso will never be defeated!"

"Spirit?" Ike sneered, pointing his gun at Yamaguchi Kishida's chest. "Spirit can't stop bullets. Look at your city, look at your subordinates, what did they gain in exchange for their sacrifice?"

Yamaguchi Kishida's lips trembled, but he still stood up straight stubbornly: "As samurai, it is our honor to die on the battlefield!"

"Glory?" Ike's voice suddenly turned cold. "You imprison innocent overseas Chinese in the city as hostages. Is this your glory? You use living people as shields. Is this the spirit of Bushido?"

Yamaguchi Kishida finally showed a trace of panic: "That is... that is a tactical requirement..."

"Enough!" Ike interrupted his defense, "Your tactic is to massacre innocent people? Today, there is no surrender, only reckoning."

Ike turned around and ordered the guard battalion: "Leave no one behind. Clean them up."

Gunshots rang out again, and the Fuso officers in the command post fell one after another. Yamaguchi Kishida's last sight was fixed on the sand table, and the symbols representing the troops gradually blurred in his eyes.

Ike walked to the window and looked at the rising sun. After a night of bloody fighting, the city finally welcomed a new dawn. In the distance, in the direction of Kyoto, a bigger battle was waiting for them.

"Let them know that China's anger cannot be underestimated." Ike whispered to himself.

Before the smoke in the command post had dispersed, Li Feier strode in. He looked at the bodies scattered all over the floor, then looked at Ike standing in front of the window in a black military uniform, and couldn't help but laugh: "You are still one step faster than me after all."

Ike turned around, pulled out a pack of "Victory" cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to Li Fei'er: "After all, this is the main attack direction." He lit one himself and took a deep puff.

Li Feier took the cigarette and lit it with the lighter handed to him by Ike: "Main attack? You mean those crazy military police. I heard that Fonte, that crazy guy, dared to rush into the enemy with 500 people."

"Each division has its own style," Ike blew out a puff of smoke. "Your Revitalization Division is steady and cautious, while our Skeleton Division is crazy and aggressive. We each have our own way of fighting."

The two stood in front of the window, looking at Uji Castle in the morning light. The city was still burning, and the smoke and morning mist mixed together, casting a gray veil over the ancient city.

"Speaking of which," Li Feier suddenly said, "I wonder how Klinghe and Otto are doing. The defense of Otsu City is stronger than here. I don't know if they have taken it before us."

Ike flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "The 'Ghost' Special Forces Brigade of the Imperial Division is the elite that Klinge brought from Germany. I heard that Commander Stein was once the ace of the Brandenburg Special Forces."

"The Northern Division is not bad either," Liefel said with a smile. "Otto's Panzergrenadiers Regiment Commander Schmidt is a veteran who fought in the Battle of Kursk. Not to mention their newly equipped 'Thor' self-propelled artillery, which is a heavy artillery platform modified from the Tiger tank."

"That reminds me," Ike thought thoughtfully, "to remind Font and the others to be careful when searching. The infiltration teams of the Imperial Division must have sneaked in ahead of time. Klinghe, that old fox, never fights a battle without confidence."

Li Feier nodded: "Yes, I heard that his intelligence officer Reinhardt has been lurking in Otsu City for a week with a small team. These guys are very particular about fighting."

"Signalman!" Ike suddenly shouted, "Try to contact the Imperial Division's communication channel. I want to see if that old guy Klinghe has really succeeded."

The signalman immediately began to debug the radio, but all that came out was noise. Apparently, the interference from the battle was still going on.

"Forget it," Ike waved his hand, "There will be news soon. Now, let's deal with the matter of Uji Castle first. Let Hoffman's engineering battalion start clearing the streets, and Werner's military police will be responsible for searching for remaining enemies."

Li Feier nodded in agreement: "I have asked Schneider's Grenadiers to start a carpet search. But to be honest, I hope Klinge and his men can be slower than us."

"What?" Ike raised his eyebrows.

"It's not the military merit that matters," Li Feier said with a smile, "If that old fox takes the credit, he'll laugh at us when he gets back."

Ike also laughed: "You are the only one who has many little thoughts. But..." He turned his gaze towards Kyoto, "The real tough battle is still ahead."

The two smiled at each other and lit a cigarette each.

In the morning light, the shadows of the two division commanders were stretched out in front of the window, and in the distance, a larger battlefield was waiting for them.

As the two men were talking, Colonel Hoffman walked quickly into the command post with a battle damage report in his hand.

"Report to the division commander!" Hoffman stood at attention and saluted, his uniform still stained with the smell of gunpowder. "The battlefield clearing situation has been counted."

Ike motioned for him to continue.

"Our casualties: 76 killed, 142 seriously wounded, 287 slightly wounded. Armor losses: three tanks scrapped, seven armored vehicles need major repairs, and twelve armored vehicles are slightly damaged and can continue to fight."

Hoffman paused and continued, "On the enemy side: 2,476 people have been confirmed killed, and 389 wounded soldiers who gave up resistance have been captured. Weapons seized: 47 Type 31 47mm rapid-fire cannons, 3,142 Type heavy machine guns, Type rifles, and a number of various types of ammunition."

"Font's gendarmerie is still conducting a cleanup in the eastern part of the city," Hoffman added. "Major Werner reported that it is expected to complete the search of the entire city in two to three hours."

Ike nodded: "The casualties are lower than expected." He turned to Li Feier, "It seems that your Revitalization Division's fire suppression is really powerful."

Li Feier smiled and said, "We have to thank your military police for their assault, which attracted the enemy's attention."

"Signalman!" Ike suddenly raised his voice, "Send a message to the frontline headquarters immediately: Uji Castle has been completely controlled at 6 a.m., the Skeleton Division and the Revitalization Division have completed the meeting, and the remaining enemies in the city are being cleared out."

The signalman immediately started operating the radio: "Jawohl, General Herr!"

"Hoffman," Ike continued to order, "have the engineer battalion speed up the clearing of the main road. The armored battalion needs to be overhauled immediately. I estimate that it won't be long before we march to Kyoto."

"Jawohl!" Hoffman turned around and left quickly, carrying out the order.

Li Feier looked at Hoffman's departing back and said, "Klinghe's Imperial Division has always been known for its precision. I wonder how they are progressing in Otsu City."

Ike looked at his watch and said, "Wait a little longer. I believe we will receive good news soon. Now, we have to prepare for the attack on Kyoto."