Even if I'm a useless bum at Whampoa Military Academy, I'll be invincible in the War of Re

Linyi, east of the city, Xiangongzhuang, the position of the 229th Regiment of the 115th Brigade

An unexpected battle ensued. When the vanguard of the Sakamoto Detachment, numbering over a hundred, advanced to the outskirts of the village, they were suddenly met with a hail of bullets, resulting in over thirty Japanese casualties and a retreat.

Subsequently, a large contingent of Japanese soldiers surged forward and launched a fierce attack on the 229th Regiment's position. The defending troops fought back valiantly, and the Battle of Linyi officially began.

The 21st Infantry Regiment, responsible for the attack, was overconfident and committed hundreds of men to the first round of attack. Artillery shells rained down on the village, and for a time, the air was filled with smoke and the air was filled with artillery fire.

The Northwest Army soldiers of the 229th Regiment braved the artillery fire and fought back calmly, blocking the Japanese offensive. The ground was littered with yellowish-brown corpses and wounded soldiers. The Itagaki Division, which was known as invincible in the field, finally met its true opponent.

Xiangongzhuang had neither strong fortifications nor dangerous terrain, yet it managed to hold off the Itagaki Division's advance with its simple trenches. After two hours of fierce fighting, the Japanese troops retreated in disarray.

Enraged, the Japanese used dozens of heavy artillery pieces from the 5th Field Artillery Regiment to bombard the defending positions, almost turning the village upside down and destroying most of the trenches.

They thought the defenders were powerless to fight back, but when thousands of Japanese infantrymen charged into the formation, one after another, dusty-faced men emerged from the mud pits filled with loose soil, brandishing gleaming broadswords, and engaged in a desperate battle with the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers were skilled in assassination, but the swordsmanship of the Northwest was specifically designed to counter assassination. Both sides fought to the death, and the Japanese soldiers gained no advantage whatsoever, instead leaving behind a trail of corpses.

The number of men from the Northwest increased with each battle, and after half a day of fierce fighting, they finally drove the Japanese away.

The Sasaki Battalion was almost decimated, and the 229th Regiment also suffered hundreds of casualties, resulting in a draw. The Japanese casualties were even higher.

Colonel Katano Satomi could hardly believe his eyes. The small Xiangong Village had been attacked for a whole day but they still couldn't take it down, and the Sasaki Battalion had suffered nearly half its casualties.

"You bastards! You've completely disgraced the Itagaki Division! You're supposed to be a steel army, yet you can't even handle a bunch of ragtag Chinese. How dare you come back?"

Major Sasaki, filled with shame, was about to commit seppuku on the spot when Colonel Nagano stopped him, saying that it wasn't easy for the Japanese to train a major, and continued to berate him:

"Baka yarou! The warriors of the Steel Army can only die on the Chinese battlefield; seppuku is an act of cowardice!"

Senior staff officer Major Nakata suggested:

"Commander, since the defenses on the east are so strong, why not launch a feigned attack on the eastern front and send a battalion to outflank the north to see if we can achieve a breakthrough?"

Colonel Katano nodded and said:

"Then send the second battalion to quietly bypass them. Don't rush to attack. Wait until dark before launching a surprise attack. The mountain artillery company will cooperate in the operation."

Northeast of Linyi, Xiaolizhuang, Guerrilla Column Command Post

Under the dim light, Deputy Commander Lu Ping, Brigade Commander Zhang Yi, and others were discussing the battle of Linyi. Brigade Chief of Staff Lin Zheng began by introducing the situation:

"The Sakamoto Detachment's offensive against Linyi City has been very fierce and has lasted for two days. It mainly launched attacks from the east and north, and also used more than a dozen aircraft to bomb repeatedly. The Third Army Corps fought very hard, but also suffered heavy casualties."

The commander received orders from headquarters to have our unit provide support to friendly forces as needed, at least to make the Japanese hesitate to act.

After Lin Zheng finished his introduction, Lu Ping continued, "..."

"There are now two options to choose from: one is to attack the 11th Infantry Regiment at Tangtou and put pressure on the Japanese."

Secondly, we need to destroy the Japanese artillery positions. This requires eliminating the outer perimeter guard posts, advancing the artillery battalion into firing range, and then opening fire when the opportunity arises.

Lin Zheng then described the Japanese troop deployment. The first plan was relatively simple, and Zhang Yi spoke first:

"If it is only the main force of the 11th Infantry Regiment attacking Tangtou, its support for the battle of Linyi will be limited."

To attack the Japanese artillery positions, the stronghold of Wild Boar Ridge must be captured. Wild Boar Ridge is only six kilometers from Tangtou, defended by a large battalion of troops, forming a strategic defensive line with Tangtou. Attacking Wild Boar Ridge would inevitably draw Tangtou's reinforcements.

Lupin nodded and said:

"This is indeed a difficult problem. The Japanese have built complete field fortifications on Wild Boar Ridge, and the artillery battalion carries a large number of shells. There is no way to bypass it, and it cannot be taken down in a short time."

"Commander Zhang, what are you thinking?"

Everyone turned their attention to Zhang Yi; if he was willing to bring it up, he must have a solution.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Zhang Yi stopped being coy and said directly:

"Since we can't get around the main Japanese force in Tangtou, let's just besiege them and attack their reinforcements!"

The distance between Tangtou and Yezhuling is only about ten miles, and it is a plain with a wide field of vision, making it impossible to hide a large force in an ambush. This is also what the Japanese relied on.

However, they were unaware of the existence of the cavalry regiment. The plains were the most suitable terrain for cavalry warfare, and the Japanese reinforcements, on their high-speed maneuver, were unable to organize an effective defense.

The cavalry regiment lay in ambush two kilometers away, undetectable even with a wide field of vision. A cavalry attack would cover two kilometers in just three or four minutes; the Japanese wouldn't have a chance to react…”

As Zhang Yi explained, everyone listened with great delight, and the second regimental commander, Luo Wen, excitedly said:

"After defeating the Japanese reinforcements, we can attack Wild Boar Ridge with full force. With the cavalry regiment there, we can fight off the Japanese reinforcements every time they come, keeping them guessing with our feints and real attacks."

This is a top-tier, overt strategy; Commander, brilliant!

Zhang Yila laughed and scolded:

"Get lost, stop flattering me!"

Lupin immediately made the decision:

"Fight on this day! Chief of Staff Lin quickly drafted a telegram and submitted it to the Commander for approval!"

Such an important combat mission naturally needed to be reported to Zhao Yunwen for a decision, and Lu Ping was aware of this.

Lin Zheng drafted the telegram quickly, and Zhao Yunwen replied even faster, his reply so concise it was almost stingy—just two words: "Agreed!"

Having obtained the imperial sword, Lu Ping began to deploy his troops:

"The Second Regiment will attack Wild Boar Ridge. The offensive must be fierce, and we must inflict heavy damage on the defending troops, forcing them to seek reinforcements from Tangtou."

The cavalry regiment and the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Brigade were tasked with catching reinforcements. The cavalry regiment was responsible for scattering the Japanese soldiers, while the 5th Regiment followed behind to clean up the mess. They retrieved everything except the Japanese corpses.

The First Regiment was designated as a reserve force, while the Third Regiment guarded the supplies and command post, remaining stationary at the garrison.

After Lu Ping finished making his deployment, he looked at Zhang Yi, who said he had nothing to add, and the battle plan was finalized.

The main force of the guerrilla column was mobilized again, with Regiment Commander Luo Wen leading his troops straight towards Wild Boar Ridge. In order to enhance their offensive power, Lu Ping temporarily assigned their only five Schneider mountain guns to them, increasing the number of artillery pieces in the regimental artillery company to 17, far exceeding the heavy firepower of an entire Japanese infantry regiment.

There's a reason for sending only one regiment: too few wouldn't be enough to establish a stronghold, and too many would attract too many reinforcements.

The Second Regiment launched its attack on Wild Boar Ridge in a blatant and undisguised manner. After emerging from their hiding places, they split into three groups and marched directly to the foot of Wild Boar Ridge before setting up their chariots and horses to begin the attack.

The Second Regiment dispatched a battalion in its first offensive, launching a strong attack from the left, center, and right. One company was responsible for one direction, while the artillery company provided fire support in the center.

The Second Regiment's offensive was very sharp. They were the original guerrilla detachment's veterans, and they were very good at the "three-three system". In later terms, "they looked like they were all over the mountains, but there were only 27 of them". The skirmish lines were spread out, but the formation was very orderly.

The Japanese soldiers hastily responded, and under the immense pressure of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, they unleashed their full firepower, blocking the assault battalion at the foot of the mountain.

The artillery batteries that accompanied the attack opened fire to suppress the Japanese firepower. The defending troops only had two Type 92 infantry guns and were almost powerless to fight back, relying mainly on heavy machine gun positions for suppression.

The observation detachment of the regimental artillery company approached to conduct reconnaissance, drew up a map of the Japanese fire positions, and then had a professional staff officer convert it into coordinates that could be used by the artillery.

After achieving their probing objectives, the assault battalion feigned defeat and retreated, taking all their wounded and injured comrades with them as they left.

Seeing that the assault battalion had withdrawn and the artillery group was ready, the second regimental commander loudly gave the order:

"fire!"