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

At the headquarters of the Guozhi Brigade, Major General Guozhi Deng's face was so gloomy it could drip water. Two consecutive attacks had failed, especially the second one, in which two infantry battalions were committed, and more than 600 were lost.

Since the landing at Hangzhou Bay, the Guozhi Brigade has never been so passive in positional warfare. The Itagaki Division is known as invincible in field battles, but this time they lost to the Tiger Army in their most proficient combat style.

"You bastards! A bunch of useless trash! Just what kind of monsters are the Tiger Legion?"

The chief of staff then continued:

"General, I have studied them carefully. The soul of the Tiger Flower Army is Zhao Yunwen; they not only possess advanced weaponry, but their tactics and fighting spirit also far surpass those of other Chinese armies."

It was Zhao Yunwen who brought them to a level that even the Imperial Army had to take seriously. Coupled with their expertise in defense, the small Jinshui River became a river of sorrow for the Imperial Army.

Guo Zhideng did not refute, he was always proud, but he had to admit that Zhao Yunwen and the Tiger Army were very difficult to deal with, and their combat strength was even comparable to that of the Itagaki Division.

"We should be thankful that China only has one Tiger Army. No matter how capable they are, they will be exhausted on the Zheng County battlefield."

Just a few months ago, Zhao Yunwen was only a small security regiment commander with no more than two thousand soldiers.

"In such a short time, the Tiger Legion has already grown into a formidable force of over 30,000 men. It's terrifying. We absolutely cannot allow them to grow any stronger."

"General, the Tiger Army is no longer something that the Itagaki Division can wipe out. Even if we add the 16th Division, it won't be enough."

The chief of staff's words were tinged with a sense of powerlessness. The Kuo-Chih Brigade had once been so full of vigor, fighting its way from Hangzhou Bay all the way to the Central Plains.

Now, they can't even cross the Jinshui River. According to intelligence, their opponent is only a division of the Hu Hui Army.

Guo Zhideng's face grew even uglier, and he said loudly:

"If two divisions aren't enough, then four! We can't keep killing the Tiger Legion indefinitely!"

"Fire! Don't be stingy with the shells, bombard them mercilessly! I want to see if the Tiger Legion can't be killed!"

The chief of staff chuckled and turned to leave, his shadow stretched long by the afternoon sun. There were still more than two hours until dark, enough time for another attack.

On the southern front, the 16th Division's offensive also made no progress. As a detachment, they initially thought they could compete with the 5th Division.

After several setbacks, Nakajima Kesago had come to terms with reality; the area in front of the Tiger Flower Army's position was not a place for them to run wild.

That's just how the Japanese are. They are ruthless and admire strength. When they realize they can't win, they become very docile and even become inactive.

Regimental Chief of Staff Liang Zhou had never seen the Japanese behave like this before, and said suspiciously:

"Commander, could the Japanese be playing a trick?"

Regiment Commander Luo Wen of the 644th Regiment also didn't quite understand the Japanese, but he still confidently said:

Since we can't guess, let's just ignore it and deal with whatever comes our way.

The 16th Division has clashed with them before; when have the Japanese ever come out on top? Don't forget, we even captured their regimental flag!

This is the domineering spirit of an ever-victorious army. Facing their defeated opponents, the 322nd Division was in high spirits. Even though they were at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and firepower, they were still fearless.

Hearing what Commander Luo said, Liang Zhou was no longer anxious and said with a relaxed mood:

"The regimental commander is right. When has our 322nd Division ever been afraid of the 16th Division? If they don't invest heavily, fine. But if they're blind enough to bet everything they have, we'll make sure they never return."

As the two were talking, the Japanese launched a new offensive, again using artillery to clear the way.

The 16th Division's artillery had lost 60% of its strength in the previous raid and had not been replenished, so its intensity was not high. It only fired a dozen or so rounds before stopping.

Then several hundred Japanese soldiers pulled out of their loose formation and slowly advanced toward the 644th Regiment's defensive line.

The defending troops unleashed a barrage of bullets, and a number of Japanese soldiers fell. The rest obediently lay on the ground and returned fire, not even daring to venture into the mudflats.

The two sides were exchanging fire from a distance, with artillery and light and heavy machine guns being the main weapons, while rifles were of little use, demonstrating the firepower advantage of the 322nd Division.

The 20th Mountain Artillery Regiment had fewer than 20 artillery pieces left, and even if you add the artillery of the four infantry regiments, the total number was no more than 40.

Each regiment of the 322nd Division had 12 artillery batteries and 6 artillery batteries at the battalion level. Three battalions had 18 artillery batteries, which means each regiment had 30 artillery batteries.

Among them were 12 Type 20 mortars, 12 Type 92 infantry guns, and 6 75mm mountain guns or howitzers, totaling 90 guns for the entire division. This does not include the 60mm mortars that were widely equipped at the company level, which completely overwhelmed the Japanese.

The Japanese heavy firepower was completely suppressed. They didn't even dare to fire their Type 92 heavy machine guns, as those things were too cumbersome and easily detected by the mortars that the defenders had equipped in large numbers.

This was the first time the 16th Division had fought a battle with inferior firepower. Their so-called ferocity turned into suicide missions under the dense barrage of bullets. After kicking a hornet's nest a few times, they became docile.

Luo Wen lost interest after watching for a while. The Japanese were just dragging their feet, and the 322nd Division had no plan to counterattack, so he just played along with the Japanese.

Nakajima Kesago was also very satisfied. He had sent the attack to the Fifth Division, and the benefits were obvious. Even if they fought like this for a whole day, they wouldn't suffer more than two or three hundred casualties.

"The warriors performed well, rotating large teams every few hours to wear down the Chinese."

The division commander was very satisfied, the chief of staff did not cause trouble, and the subordinates were even happier. Although the fighting on the southern front was intense, the casualties were not significant.

Seishiro Itagaki wasn't stupid either; he quickly noticed something amiss, and his chief of staff, Takeshi Sakurada, angrily berated him:

"How could they do this? The Nakajima Division has utterly disgraced the Imperial Army!"

Itagaki Seishiro waved his hand magnanimously and said:

"Sakurada-kun, don't be upset. The 16th Division is not comparable to the Itagaki Division. The eastern front is the main direction of attack, and the Imperial Army's firepower is also biased towards us."

As long as they can tie down the 322nd Division on the southern front, it will be considered a contribution.

As a renowned Japanese general, Itagaki Seishiro still possessed some magnanimity and did not hold a grudge against the 16th Division. What troubled him now was how to break through the Jinshui River defense line.

"Sakurada-kun, I don't quite understand Zhao Yunwen. Jinshui River and even Zheng County are clearly not suitable for defense. Why are they fighting to the death with the Imperial Army? This is not normal."

After pondering for a moment, Takeshi Sakurada said:

"Was it because Chiang Kai-shek gave them a death order?"

Seishiro Itagaki shook his head and said:

"From North China to East China, have you ever seen any Chinese troops that didn't preserve their strength? If Chiang Kai-shek's orders had been effective, they wouldn't have lost half of the country."

I know them too well; even with a death order, they'll outwardly comply but inwardly defy it. Only Zhao Yunwen, that madman, insists on fighting the Imperial Army to the death in Zheng County.

The old devil Itagaki's tone was filled with endless resentment, like a woman lamenting in her boudoir, his lifelong reputation almost ruined by the small Jinshui River.

Colonel Sakurada felt the same way. It wasn't just Seishiro Itagaki; the entire Fifth Division had lost face and was caught in a dilemma.

"Commander, Zhao Yunwen won't hold out indefinitely. If I'm not mistaken, they are definitely buying time for the defense of Jiangcheng."

"If only we could get the orders from Jiangcheng to the Tiger Army, we could accurately predict how many more days Zhao Yunwen would have to hold out."

Itagaki Seishiro seemed lost in thought:

"Alright, I'll figure something out. You go and inform Lord Guozhi to control the intensity of the attack. The focus for the next two days should be on wearing down the defenders' morale. The final assault is scheduled for two days from now!"

Sakurada Takeshi accepted the order and left. Itagaki Seishiro had also worked in intelligence in his early years and had extensive connections in the military and even at headquarters. It wouldn't be difficult for him to obtain information about the Tiger Army.

After Itagaki made adjustments, the intensity of combat on the front lines decreased significantly.

Tian Zhideng was also as shrewd as a monkey, always sending only one large force to attack, stopping short of achieving his goal.

The unusual phenomena on the eastern and southern fronts were quickly reported to Zhao Yunwen at the military headquarters. Xie Polu and others were somewhat confused, but only Zhao Yunwen saw it clearly:

"The Japanese devils are scared after being beaten; they're starting to feel insecure!"

Xie Polu, ever honest, asked in bewilderment:

"It can't be that bad. Itagaki, that old devil, is known as the most fearless person in the Japanese army. There's nothing he wouldn't do. Would he back down?"

Lu Ping shook his head, somewhat puzzled, while Zhao Yunwen confidently stated:

"This shows you don't understand the Japanese pirates. They are a typical example of someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong. Once we inflict serious damage on them, anything is possible. Let's wait and see!"