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

The attack by the Guozhi Brigade ended in a crushing defeat. After the casualty figures were released, the chief of staff hesitated, but Major General Guozhi coldly shouted:

"I think the Imperial Army can still afford this loss."

The chief of staff straightened his back again and reported loudly:

"477 brave soldiers, including majors and below, were killed in action, and 285 were seriously wounded. Five artillery pieces were lost."

Major General Guozhi's facial muscles twitched a few times. The absolute casualties were 762 men, almost a whole battalion. This was no longer a minor loss, but a annihilation battle. The Fifth Division simply couldn't afford to fight.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

How many Chinese people were lost?

This is the first time Major General Guozhi has paid attention to the enemy's losses. He needs to carefully calculate and prepare for a war of attrition.

The 5th Division did not have control of the battlefield, so the casualties of the defending troops could only be estimated. The chief of staff was about to give a number, but then doubled it before he could say it:

"More than a thousand people!"

This requires careful consideration. Sufficient flexibility must be maintained, and even three thousand is still more than a thousand men. It depends on how Major General Guozhi interprets it.

Major General Guozhi's expression did indeed improve, as if he were trying to convince himself:

"The 107th Division's combat strength was about 50% of that of the Imperial Army. Coupled with the terrain advantage, the casualties were considerable."

We can't keep fighting like this; the casualties are too high during the day. We need to switch to nighttime and bring in an engineering regiment to build a pontoon bridge overnight.

The 5th Field Artillery Regiment provides suppressive fire!

After careful consideration, Guo Zhideng took the lead in making adjustments and did not launch any more large-scale infantry assaults in the following hours.

They changed tactics, sending only three to five hundred men to charge each time, with heavy firepower as cover, to continuously deplete the 644th Regiment's strength and firepower, focusing on artillery and machine guns.

Luo Wen quickly discovered the Japanese's intentions and ordered the regimental artillery company to ignore them and only use battalion-level light firepower to fight back. The battalion-level artillery company was not used, and most of the heavy machine guns were hidden.

The Japanese probes were not very effective. As long as they did not cross the river, the garrison rarely paid them any attention, which allowed the snipers and M2 mortars to steal the show.

The 60mm mortar could easily suppress the Japanese machine guns, and the snipers specialized in shooting Japanese infantry, giving them a significant advantage in marksmanship.

The intensity of the battle decreased significantly, and casualties were also greatly reduced. The Japanese were clearly stalling, and the defending troops were playing along.

Chief of Staff Liang Zhou frowned and said:

"Commander, what kind of tricks are the Japanese playing? The 5th Division doesn't seem like the type to back down easily."

Luo Wen smiled faintly and said:

"There's no need to speculate. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. No matter what tricks they play, the Jialu River is an obstacle they can't get around."

Neither the northern nor southern fronts are suitable for large-scale military operations. With cavalry regiments and independent regiments in place, the Japanese cannot outflank the enemy; they have no choice but to launch a direct assault.

Liang Zhou nodded:

"That's right. The tactics of both sides are already out in the open. As long as my Tiger Army holds the Jialu River to the death, the Japanese will have to pay with their lives."

"Chief of Staff Liang, it's getting dark soon. We must strengthen our nighttime defenses to prevent the Japanese from sneaking across the border at night."

Every half hour, launch a volley of flares into the sky. You will personally control the firing, but the launches should be unpredictable to prevent the Japanese from figuring out the pattern.

The 644th Regiment used more than just these methods. Within 30 meters of the river embankment, they had buried a large number of anti-personnel mines and a trench.

The Japanese army's first offensive had not yet reached this area, otherwise there would have been a great surprise.

Rowan was very cautious, and his need for nighttime protection was a normal reaction.

It got dark quickly, and the Japanese soldiers did not launch a new attack, as if they were going to rest.

The 644th Regiment was not swayed by the Japanese actions. They split into two groups: one group took night watch, and the other group rested in the trenches.

The 60mm mortar can fire illumination rounds, which Zhao Yunwen redeemed from the system, as well as incendiary rounds. These are all conventional ammunition, which were already well-developed before 42, and their prices are not much different from ordinary artillery shells.

The 644th Regiment's practice of launching a flare every half hour greatly annoyed the Japanese, making a surprise attack almost impossible.

At three o'clock in the morning, Major General Guozhi, with a gloomy face, gave the order for a night raid.

The Japanese soldiers of the 5th Engineer Regiment, carrying a large amount of bridge-building equipment, stealthily made their way to the east embankment under the cover of hundreds of infantrymen.

They chose a time when the flares had just burned out and there was still half an hour before the next round of firing, enough time for the Japanese to move to the area below the east dike.

Then they all lay prone on the reverse slope of the riverbank, motionless, so that even if there were bullets coming from the side, they would hardly be detected.

Once the flares had burned out again, the Japanese soldiers quietly climbed over the riverbank and entered the mudflats, where they could no longer hide.

They need to build as many pontoon bridges as possible before the new flares light up the night sky, and then launch a full-scale attack.

At 3:15, Chief of Staff Liang Zhou felt uneasy and decided to check the night again.

Once on the riverbank, he used his privileged authority to order the artillery on duty to fire three flares into the air above the river.

The sharp-eyed staff officer cried out in alarm:

"There are Japanese devils!"

Ranzhou looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a large number of Japanese soldiers busy on the river. He immediately ordered them to open fire.

The troops on night duty opened fire on the Japanese soldiers, killing a large number of Japanese engineers. The shells also landed precisely on the hastily erected pontoon bridge, killing and wounding many Japanese soldiers and destroying a lot of equipment.

Major General Guozhi, seeing that his operation had been exposed, angrily cursed:

"Damn it! Those Chinese are cunning! Fire!"

The Japanese artillery was ready long ago, and upon receiving the order, they eagerly opened fire on the west bank of the river to cover the infantry crossing the river.

To minimize casualties, the Japanese did not use flares; instead, they divided their forces and attacked the defending positions in several routes as planned.

The Japanese assault force has been exposed and is now in a dilemma, with no choice but to launch a direct attack.

Nighttime attacks are much better than daytime attacks. The defenders can only rely on machine gun fire to intercept, and the long tongues of fire from the gun muzzles easily expose them, making them easy targets for Type 92 infantry guns.

Japanese engineers braved a hail of bullets to build a pontoon bridge, with infantry cooperating as well, completely disregarding casualties.

The 644th Regiment continuously fired flares into the sky, and used light and heavy machine guns and mortars to fiercely fire at the grouped Japanese soldiers, inflicting heavy casualties.

The Japanese heavy machine guns were also firing wildly at the defending positions, and shells were falling in volleys, causing considerable casualties to the 644th Regiment. In particular, the M1919 firing point became a key target for the Japanese and suffered heavy losses.

Li Dashuan held a submachine gun and continued to fire at the Japanese soldiers. Bullets whizzed overhead, and shells occasionally landed around him.

People kept falling, shot and wounded, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Many machine gunners were enraged and, disregarding their own safety, continued to fire at the Japanese until they were hit by the Japanese Type 92 infantry guns.

Seeing the machine gun crew lying in pools of blood, Jiang Dahai rushed over without thinking. After lifting the machine gun and finding it still usable, he roared and opened fire on the Japanese.

"Give me a secondary marksman!"

Jiang Dahai was the squad leader and had practiced using machine guns before; he was originally a backup machine gunner.

Seeing that no one responded, Li Dashuan, being the closest, put away his submachine gun and ran to Jiang Dahai to act as a temporary assistant gunner and spotter.

Li Dashuan was responsible for reporting the location, while Jiang Dahai kept adjusting his gun and firing. The two cooperated quite well, and in a short time they took down seven or eight Japanese soldiers.

The 250-round ammunition belt was used up, so Li Dashuan quickly found a new one and clumsily loaded it, wasting a lot of time.

"Don't rush, take your time!"

Jiang Dahai suppressed his impatience and patiently reminded and guided Li Dashuan until the installation was completed.

Jiang Dahai shoved Li Dashuan aside, aimed at the river, and fired a long burst of fire, spraying out more than a dozen machine gun bullets and eliminating two Japanese soldiers.

After suffering heavy casualties, the Japanese finally erected a pontoon bridge, and a large number of infantrymen surged onto the bridge, charging towards the opposite bank.

Jiang Dahai, his eyes bloodshot, fired wildly, oblivious to the fact that his gun barrel had turned red from the fire, before it jammed.

The M1919 is air-cooled, and firing too many rounds can cause the barrel to overheat, requiring the gun to be stopped and cooled down.

Jiang Dahai knew that machine guns had this temper, so he could only stop and wait patiently.

Li Dashuan simply picked up his submachine gun and opened fire. The defending troops were fighting back against the Japanese with all their might, and the battle became fierce.