Defending the Seoul defense line was the 5th Corps. The defense line consisted of five layers of positions, with the Corps Headquarters situated three kilometers behind the fifth line. Corps Commander Tang Yanming, hearing the battle report that the wounded on the first two lines could basically not be evacuated and the positions were directly torn apart by Japanese heavy artillery, could not help but sigh, "Alas..."

The Corps Chief of Staff already understood that withdrawal was imperative at this point. The ratio of enemy to friendly forces was 3:1, and the artillery ratio exceeded 10:1. Moreover, the Japanese determination to fight was incomparably firm. Just as he was preparing to suggest a retreat, he heard Commander Tang order: "Order the troops to begin retreating. The artillery will transfer to the fourth line of positions. When the Japanese attack, fire all shells, then launch a counterattack to beat the Japanese back. Once the Japanese retreat, we will withdraw immediately."

The order was immediately conveyed to the front lines, and the Japanese troops attacking the Northeast Army's third line of positions immediately felt intense pressure. The Northeast Army's shells fell like rain, forcing the Japanese attack formations to disperse. Although after destroying the Northeast Army's positions they would no longer face Northeast Army counterattacks, the Japanese also lost the reliance of complete cover. In shell craters and broken trenches, the Japanese could not even maintain squad-scale formations, only barely managing to dodge shelling as individual squads.

During the momentary pause in the attack, with the sound of the charge bugle, the Northeast Army's counterattack began.

It was a tactic the Japanese still could not understand; small teams poured into the Japanese midst through the gaps like quicksilver spilling onto the ground. Once inside the Japanese positions, the Northeast Army only attacked the Japanese to their left, right, and front. As long as the Japanese in front could not block the Northeast Army small teams, the Northeast Army continued to break through forward. Soon, the Japanese went from fighting on the front to being attacked by the Northeast Army from the front, back, left, and right.

Many Japanese infantry squads attempted to block the Northeast Army from the front. While the battle was ongoing, a Northeast Army combat team would suddenly appear on their flank or rear. The Japanese infantry squads, caught off guard, were all killed by submachine gun fire from behind.

The Northeast Army combat teams that annihilated the enemy before them then used more open passages to continue outflanking to the Japanese rear. Even though the Japanese had superior numbers, they could not find the 'Northeast Army Battalion' they imagined they could confront. Let alone company-level combat units, they could not even find platoon-level combat units.

In the brief and intense battle, the Japanese had to begin retreating. The Northeast Army drove the Japanese completely out of the third line of positions, then suddenly broke contact with the Japanese.

The combat teams broke up into parts and quickly entered the communication trenches under command orders, retreating to the rear positions with all their might. Just as the troops left the positions, they felt the mountain ground beneath their feet shaking like a wild horse. Some soldiers, their legs numb, fell directly to their knees.

"Hands on the ground, crawl forward!" Regardless of whether the people around them were from their own unit, every company commander, platoon commander, squad leader, and team leader shouted reminders, pulling up comrades who had fallen nearby, hunching over, and retreating along the communication trenches as fast as possible.

Ten minutes of Japanese shelling time, plus the time it took for the Japanese to cross two lines of positions at a slow speed—this was all the time the frontline infantry had to retreat.

Every 150mm howitzer shell blasted a crater several meters in diameter. The fragments kicked up by the explosion bloomed like flowers of death, each death flower ten meters in diameter. Compared to this, the infantry retreating from the positions were as tiny as ants.

Even without formation, everyone supported each other, pulled each other, shouted to guide directions, and retreated quickly along the slender communication trenches.

The engineers on the positions quickly laid mines, and the artillery and heavy machine gunners destroyed their guns before beginning to retreat.

The fifth line of positions was set on the side of the ridge facing the Japanese. Through a tunnel passing through the ridge, within the range of Japanese 150mm artillery, a large number of truck soldiers, unafraid of death, drove trucks to the foot of the mountain, waiting for the infantry. Soldiers carrying rifles and other weapons skillfully leaped onto the trucks. Once a truck was full, it retreated to the rear. The vacated spot was then filled by a new empty truck.

Having to abandon heavy weapons made the 5th Corps' division, regiment, and battalion commanders very uncomfortable. However, at this moment, they could not care about that much; retreating was the top priority.

5th Corps Commander Tang Yanming looked at the headquarters staff who had quickly organized documents and begun to retreat, and sighed. However, seeing the equally dispirited Chief of Staff, Tang Yanming patted him forcefully on the shoulder. "Don't worry, the rear has already prepared heavy equipment for us. At the next line of defense, it will be the Japanese turn to bleed rivers of blood!"

The Chief of Staff sighed but said nothing. Because what Tang Yanming said was very true. When the next line of defense was built, it was designed to withstand Japanese 150mm howitzers hard. If the Japanese wanted to attack that defense line, they would inevitably have to pay a huge price.

However, several corps were deployed on the next line of defense. With the Northeast Army's current truck quantity and mobility, it would be absolutely impossible to quickly withdraw an entire force carrying light weapons like this time. It wouldn't just be the Japanese bleeding rivers of blood; the Northeast Army would be the same.

But the Chief of Staff said nothing, only replying, "Commander, you retreat first. I will be responsible for the rearguard."

Tang Yanming nodded and reached out his hand to the Chief of Staff. As they shook hands, Tang Yanming said, "Take care!"

The Northeast Army's 5th Corps did not retreat in a puff of smoke. Although the Japanese carefully felt their way past the fourth line of positions and found no Northeast Army troops, and although many Japanese pursuing at high speed were killed or wounded by mines, the Japanese finally saw the tail of the Northeast Army's retreat.

By the time the Japanese called for artillery to begin interdiction fire, the tail of the Northeast Army convoy had already disappeared beyond the mountain col, with not even a shadow to be seen. That barrage of Japanese shelling, which no one knew if it hit anything, instead delayed the Japanese pursuit.

When the Japanese infantry began to pursue, they fell into the Northeast Army's minefield again. Meanwhile, the 5th Corps organized while retreating. At the same time, they linked up with the already prepared rearguard units and set up blocking positions.

At this time, the officers and men of the 5th Corps were very confident. Without the support of 150mm heavy artillery, the Japanese were nothing to be afraid of.