"What do you call this thing?" Lieutenant Dominiel picked up the small plate with the dipping sauce and sniffed it, but it didn't smell good.

"Mann, we call this Mann, it does smell a little weird, but it tastes amazing." Martin. Sergeant Nguyen graciously introduced the new boss to the delicacies of his hometown.

Hearing the sergeant's introduction, as a veteran foodie, Lieutenant Dominiel did not hesitate to dip his fingers into a small plate of liquid and stuff it into his mouth. "Huh?" Domin's eyes widened, a wonderful salty umami that she had never tasted before.

"Well, I like the taste, it looks like it's made from some kind of seafood or shellfish."

"The lieutenant is really a knowledgeable person, and this is made by fermenting sea fish, which is a local specialty of our Beiqi." Martin. Sergeant Nguyen complimented his company commander with an exaggerated expression.

Lieutenant Dominiel took up his post just five days ago as commander of the 3rd Battalion and 3rd Company of the Tokyo Infantry Regiment in French Indochina. Tokyo here is not the one on the island to the east, but the capital of the Annam-Li Dynasty, which was later renamed the one in Hanoi. When the French occupied Vietnam, they simply referred to the northern region of Vietnam centered on Tokyo, which is also known as the area called Beiqi by the Vietnamese. The Tokyo Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment formed in the Tokyo area of Vietnam, and as the name suggests, the purpose of forming this team is of course for the defense of the northern region of Vietnam.

In the beginning, most of the soldiers of this infantry regiment came from within France and the local French diaspora, and it was under the management of the French War Department and belonged to the regular French army, but as history evolved, this infantry regiment, like other colonial units, slowly began to be localized. Especially under the management of the previous humanist governor, the Tokyo Infantry Regiment began to recruit Vietnamese soldiers. It was at that time that Sergeant Nguyen entered the French army. As a native of Vietnam, Sergeant Nguyen was able to become a non-commissioned officer in the French Army which can be counted as a remarkable feat. In addition to being smart and clever, he can speak fluent French, and being good at reading words and emotions to figure out the mind of his boss should play a big role in this. The sergeant's name was Nguyen Phuc Huu, and the name Martin was given to him casually by the registrar of the enlistment office, which was simple and not tongue-twisting, and the sergeant was very satisfied.

"I'm going to the Tongdeng Garrison Headquarters once in the afternoon, you can go with me, and we'll stay in Tongdeng City at night." Lieutenant Dominière tore a piece of white bread from the blue bread, dipped it in the fish sauce on his plate, and put it in his mouth.

"Thank you very much, Lieutenant, I know of a few great places to go in Tongdeng City." Looking at Sergeant Ruan's flattering smile. Lieutenant Dominiel understood immediately, but he nodded at the nimble subordinate with a straight face.

"Sir, the number five post called, and their patrol found that a Japanese army was crossing Jinji Ridge and was rapidly advancing in the direction of Tongdeng." Sergeant Norva, who was on duty on the communications shift, ran into the small break room, waving a phone record in his hand.

"What? This is when it happened. Dominiel stood up and took the record.

"Twenty minutes ago, the patrol sent someone back to the outpost to report that they should still be following each other."

"Damn it." Dominiel hurried out of the lounge and into the company's war room. On the map table, a map of the Tongdeng garrison area was spread out.

"According to what was told on the phone, this Japanese unit was in this position at the time." Sergeant Norwa pointed to a ridge on the map.

"If they follow this mountain path, they can climb this ridge to reach Route 4."

"This crazy bunch of dwarfs, this is a blatant armed invasion. They must have been well prepared to evade Sentry No. 2 and Sentry No. 3, and if it hadn't been for the patrol from Outpost Five, they would probably have waited until they appeared under our noses. We still haven't found anything. ”

Although Lieutenant Dominiel had just been transferred to the stronghold and was not very familiar with the local environment and geography, he possessed a military quality that was generally lacking among local officers. On the way to his post, he had repeatedly studied the maps and materials of this defense area, and he had a clear understanding of the defense line and troop arrangements in this area.

"We should immediately report to the regimental superiors, this is a serious diplomatic incident." Sergeant Norval suggested.

"No, it's not like an accident, they've crossed the border, and the purpose of the action is clear. This is military operation, sergeant, this is war. Lieutenant Dominiel slapped the map vigorously, then marked the location of the Japanese troops and the time of their discovery with a red pencil, and then traced an extension of the road on the map.

"If they move forward, they may encounter our stronghold head-on. Immediately assemble all the squad and platoon leaders to assemble at the headquarters in an emergency manner, prepare for combat readiness, distribute ammunition, and gather all squad and platoon leaders at the headquarters. Sergeant Nguyen, you go and pick a machine gun squad to reinforce Machine Gun Fort No. 1, I order you to stay there, no one can pass from Highway 4 without my order. ”

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"Got it, Lieutenant." The two non-commissioned officers hurriedly stood up and saluted the company commander, turned around and rushed out of the war room. Dominiel dropped his pencil, strode over to the telephone, turned the handle of the magnet phone a few times, and then picked up the receiver.

"This is the A3 stronghold, I'm Lieutenant Dominiel, give me the Tongden garrison headquarters, and ask Lieutenant Colonel Philip to listen to the phone." Domière sat back at his desk, digging out a half-pack of cigarettes from under the clutter of papers on the desk, shaking out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth, holding the microphone between his shoulders and neck, and struck a match with his free hand to light it.

"I'm Philip." The voice of the commander of the garrison rang on the phone.

"Sir, I'm Lieutenant Dominiel, and I have an emergency to report to you." Dominiel threw away the match in his hand and picked up the telephone receiver to report loudly.

As a border transportation hub, Tongdeng has always attracted the attention of the French colonial authorities. As the first town to enter Vietnam from the direction of Zhennan Pass, it has prospered through the perennial border trade. As the intersection of Vietnam's railway and highway system in the direction of Nanning, China, Dong Deng has a layer of strategic value, as long as the city is occupied, it can effectively cut off the flow of goods from northern Vietnam and China. It is also a major gateway to the interior of Vietnam, with trains from Dong Dang providing direct access to Thai Nguyen and Hanoi via Lang Son and the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.

The French were well aware of the military and economic value of the small city, so they set up a standard garrison at Tongdeng. A battalion of colonial infantry was stationed all year round. Due to the limited number of French colonial troops, the French followed the usual line of thinking, and if they did not have enough troops, they supplemented them with strong fortresses. The colonial government recruited a large number of migrant workers and built a fortified fort on a flat-topped hill in the center of Tongdeng City, which could cover a large area of surrounding peaks and passes.

Due to the relatively late construction of the fort, according to the French Army's best efforts to pursue the style of lying down to fight, the facilities and configuration of this fort are very modern, in addition to the ordinary dining room and bathroom, it is even equipped with a ballroom and an officer's bridge room, and the decoration is as luxurious and comfortable as ever. So when the fort was completed. The garrison headquarters immediately moved in, and the officers were able to enjoy their leisurely days just like the men on the Maginot Line at home.

When Lieutenant Colonel Philippe received a call from his subordinates, he began to think that the lieutenant from Marseille was joking with him, how could such a ridiculous thing happen in his own defense zone. When he realized the seriousness of the matter, he was immediately scared into a cold sweat, he knew the character of the group of Japanese people opposite, he had been to Nagasaki and Tokyo, and those guys would be completely irrational when they were hot-headed. It seems that something big is going to happen this time, and these dwarves are going to play ruthlessly.

Philip hurriedly gathered the personnel of the regimental headquarters. Commanders and operational staff officers at all levels, at the same time, through wire and radio communications, reported the emergency situation here to the Lang Son garrison and the Hanoi headquarters, and requested instructions and assistance from their superiors.

At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Philip was glad. A battalion of French Foreign Legion soldiers had arrived in Tongdeng just a day earlier, and their destination was Gao Ping, where they were now resting in the barracks near the train station, according to the commander. They were waiting for heavy equipment to arrive from Haiphong. If this new force is added, as well as the existing forces in Dong Deng, it should be possible to hold out until the reinforcements of Lang Son arrive.

Now the question is. The next movement of the Japanese, whether this was an independent military operation or a prelude to a large-scale offensive, was too small to judge for a time because of the scarcity of information at hand. But one thing is clear, and that is that at this moment he must fulfill his duty to defend the glory of the Army of the French Third Republic.

The command personnel of the garrison headquarters began to gather at the command center one after another, and a row of combat readiness telephones against the wall rang one after another, and the piercing electric bells became a mess one after another.

"Sir, the A3 stronghold is engaged in an exchange of fire with enemy forces, and Lieutenant Dominiel is calling for reinforcements."

"Colonel Bunova, commander of the Ninth Colonial Infantry Regiment in Lang Son, wants to speak to you."

"Observation Post 15 reports that enemy forces are advancing along Highway 4 in the direction of Tongdeng, and that there is a very heavy exchange of fire around the A3 stronghold, and it is found that an enemy force has bypassed the stronghold and is approaching the edge of the city."

"The first company of the 2nd Colonial Regiment is ready for battle, and the company commander asks what the order is."

The watchman and the communications officer reported to their respective supervisors.

"It's all quiet!" Lieutenant Colonel Philip's roar rang out, and the command post suddenly became silent, except that the telephone on the desk was still ringing non-stop.

"It has been confirmed, Your Excellency the Governor, yes, the Japanese army has crossed the border and launched a surprise attack on us, the front line has begun to exchange fire, the fighting is very fierce, this should be a premeditated military operation, a military invasion. Okay, I understand, I am fully confident of holding back the enemy's offensive, but I don't know if the enemy has follow-up troops, who, in my personal judgment, now have at least one regiment on the border. Philip held the phone in his hand and answered the other party's questions respectfully.

"If the opponent attacks on all fronts, I can guarantee that it will hold out for forty-eight hours, and there is no problem at all. Good Your Excellency, thank you very much, yes, yes, as ordered. Long live France. Philip put down the phone with a serious expression and turned to look at his subordinates.

His Excellency the Governor ordered the garrison troops to fight back with all their might against the enemy forces invading the border, and to start the battle, long live France, gentlemen. ”

"Long live France." The French officers cheered loudly.

Thank you for your support. (To be continued.) )