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

By the time Zhao Yunwen returned from the 71st Army, Qiu Fengzi had already set up the command post on Hill 2 in the northwest direction, at an altitude of 167.3 meters. Hill 167 on the map is actually just a small hill, but it is densely wooded, suitable for hiding, and has a wide field of vision.

"Commander, the most important terrain in the defense zone is the Shihe River floodplain and the river plain. The terrain is open, mainly consisting of undulating hills and hills, without the high ground like Fujin Mountain."

The highest peak was Hill 205, the position of the mountain artillery battalion. The shells could reach the east bank of the Shi River, posing a threat to the Japanese troops crossing the river.

Shimenkou is located at the junction of the Fujinshan mountain range extending northward to the hillside north of the highway. This is the boundary between the mountains and the plains. If the Japanese soldiers did not carry supplies, they could indeed bypass the 71st Army's defense line and launch a flanking attack from here.

Further north of our position lies Gushi County, where only a battalion of the 61st Division of the 71st Army is stationed. The remnants of Yu Xuezhong's 51st Army, which retreated from Lu'an, are deployed along the Kaishun Street and Baitafan line in the northwest. After the bloody battle of Lu'an, the troops are few in number and are currently resting...

Qiu Fengzi had done a lot of work, getting a general idea of ​​the situation on the northern front. Zhao Yunwen stared at the map and said:

"There are too many key points on the north side of the highway. If we divide our forces to defend them, we won't be able to cover them all. So we'll just guard a few key points. Shimenkou is the most important one, so we'll deploy a whole regiment there."

This open area is suitable for cavalry mobile defense. Several key points can hold off large groups of troops, while the cavalry regiment can deal with smaller numbers of Japanese soldiers. The mountain artillery battalion should focus on attacking Japanese supply trains; men can cross the river, but supplies cannot.

Zhao Yunwen's strategy was very clear: no matter how the Japanese tried to outflank and infiltrate, he would only defend the key points, leave the remaining open areas to the cavalry, and leave enough reserves to cut off the Japanese supply lines. As a result, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

Qiu Fengzi quickly grasped the essence of Zhao Yunwen's tactics and made adjustments overnight to further concentrate his forces.

"Commander, I plan to divide the cavalry regiment into two parts. One battalion will secretly cross the river from the northeast and penetrate deep into the area east of the Shi River towards Yejiaji to harass the Japanese supply lines and see if there is an opportunity to attack Yejiaji."

The other two battalions were used as mobile forces to clear out small groups of Japanese soldiers operating infiltrative operations, and could also be used to flank the Japanese when they attacked key points.

One infantry regiment was stationed at key points, while another infantry regiment served as a reserve.

Zhao Yunwen was very satisfied with Qiu Qingquan's idea after listening to it; it considered all aspects. He immediately agreed to his adjustment plan and emphasized again:

"The Shimenkou area is the key point, and the other is the artillery position. An infantry battalion should be arranged to assist in the defense, and cavalry should also cooperate in the operation."

As long as the supply line is blocked, the Japanese can only manage a single regiment at most when they attempt to outflank the enemy. With the 646th Regiment holding Shimenkou, they can't cause much trouble and will have to focus on attacking Fujinshan.

"Commander, if that's the case, the 13th Division won't be able to achieve much. The 71st Army has 30,000 men, relying on the strategic terrain, with ample food and ammunition, and we've also provided 20,000 gas masks. It wouldn't be difficult for them to hold out for half a month."

Qiu Fengzi was full of confidence, and Zhao Yunwen said in a deep voice:

"The terrain on the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains is treacherous and stretches for thousands of miles. If they wanted to fight their way from Lu'an to Jiangcheng, it would take them several months."

Our goal is to continuously wear down the Japanese. The Fifth War Zone has hundreds of thousands of troops, while the Second Army only has four and a half divisions. It is not difficult to stop them.

This time, our Tiger Army will take the lead. Fujinshan will send the 71st Army first, so that we can wear down the Japanese without wiping out our troops.

The most important thing is not the gains or losses of a single city or place, but to wear down the Japanese. This is also the strategy of the Military Commission. They are even willing to lose 60% of their troops and supplies.

My Tiger Army is the same; everyone is prepared to sacrifice themselves!

Zhao Yunwen was not just making empty promises; he was mentally prepared to wipe out half of his troops. After the Battle of Jiangcheng, he wanted to ensure that the Japanese would no longer have the ability to launch large-scale offensives and would avoid the Tiger Army.

After reaching a consensus, Zhao Yunwen stopped interfering with Qiu Fengzi's command and simply became an observer.

Under the cover of darkness, the Japanese troops and supplies crossed a large number of troops and supplies across the pontoon bridge, and launched a new offensive against the Fujinshan position before dawn.

The main attack was launched by the 65th Infantry Regiment, while the mountain artillery regiment bombarded the 36th Division's positions, blasting them back and forth several times.

After locking onto the Japanese artillery positions, the mountain artillery battalion suddenly opened fire in a counterattack, destroying more than a dozen cannons, which finally made the Japanese artillerymen behave themselves.

Chen Sunong, Chief of Staff of the 71st Army, said with a face full of envy:

"Zhao Xuechang's artillery battalion is really sharp. It has a full 16 French Schneider mountain guns, all of which are imported. They have a range of over nine kilometers and are incredibly powerful."

I heard the Tiger Army has an artillery brigade. Compared to them, our German-equipped division is like a beggar!

Not only Chen Sunong was envious, but Song Yingguo was too. Who wouldn't want to have such an artillery battalion?

The 36th Division only had 24 82mm mortars, which were considered inadequate even by the elite Tiger Army, but he still warned Chen Sunong:

"The Tiger Army's equipment was all purchased and captured by Brother Yunwen himself. They didn't have many imported goods. Their main force consisted of captured Japanese 75mm cannons and infantry guns, while we didn't capture a single one. That's the difference."

Don't be envious of others; we should also find ways to seize them in the future!

Brother Yunwen's supply of ammunition and gas masks this time was a great help, and now he's risking his life to provide fire support. We must remember this kindness.

Chen Sunong nodded emphatically. He was just envious, but he was still very grateful to Senior Zhao.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers surged up the 36th Division's defensive line, stepping on the artillery positions. Two regiments of the 106th Brigade fought their way up, and the battle raged fiercely, leaving the hillside littered with corpses.

The Tiger Army's mountain artillery battalion would fire several rounds every now and then, which provoked a fierce retaliation from the Japanese artillery group, with shells raining down on Hill 205.

Fearing losses, Qiu the Madman ordered the mountain artillery battalion to temporarily withdraw from the battle and hide the artillery in the valley on the reverse slope.

The Japanese bombed for a full half hour, shearing off more than ten centimeters from the top of Hill 205, and causing significant damage to flowers, grass, and trees.

The battle at Fujinshan lasted for more than three hours, and the enemy finally retreated in disgrace, leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

The 106th Brigade also suffered heavy casualties. At 10 a.m., more than a dozen planes came and dropped a large number of incendiary bombs, turning the Fujinshan position into a sea of ​​fire.

As soon as the aircraft left, shells rained down from all sides. The 19th Mountain Artillery Regiment opened fire at full capacity, with shells falling like rain.

The roar was continuous, and the earth shook.

The makeshift trenches that had been painstakingly dug collapsed in large sections, and soil, rubble, broken branches, and corpses were blown away by the artillery fire, falling everywhere. The hilltop was no longer a complete fortification, but only a dense, layered mass of charred shell craters.

The officers and soldiers of the 36th Division stationed on the main peak were all veterans who had crawled out of piles of dead bodies in the Battle of Shanghai and Lanfeng.

No one panicked. They silently huddled in the craters and trenches, enduring the rubble and smoke, gritting their teeth and withstanding the saturation bombardment.

The moment the cannon fire stopped, the atmosphere changed.

There was no thick smoke of gunpowder, only a faint, eerie sweet smell that lingered on the ground and spread slowly along the low-lying trenches, silently seeping into every inch of the position.

The veteran roared instantly, his voice hoarse and piercing:

"Special smoke! The Japanese are releasing poison gas! Wear gas masks!"

The soldiers hurriedly put on their newly issued gas masks, many of them stiff, slow, and improperly wearing them, falling into the trap set by the Japanese.

Large amounts of poison gas settled at the bottom of the trenches and accumulated in the bomb craters, and could not be dispersed without wind, leaving nowhere to hide.

The infected soldiers suffered from burning, swollen eyes, a searing pain in their throats, and a suffocating, ruptured chest. Some retched violently, convulsed, and dug their nails into the mud before collapsing stiffly into the muddy, bloody mess, lifeless.

On the battlefield, screams, coughs, and muffled suffocating sounds rose and fell. Fortunately, most people survived thanks to their gas masks, but they were still shaken and their eyes blazed with hatred.

East of the Shi River, the headquarters of the 103rd Infantry Brigade

Brigadier General Major General Yamada Shinji was looking at the scene with great interest through his binoculars when Chief of Staff Jiro Noguchi chimed in:

"General, there is no wind today, and the special ammunition is very effective; the poison gas has been lingering for a long time, and the Chinese are completely unprepared and do not have large-scale equipment of gas masks, so I estimate that not many people will survive."

Once the poison gas dissipates, all we need to do is send our warriors up to finish off the Chinese. Two-Horned Lord will probably be quite frustrated; his elite unit has become a corpse-collecting squad!

Major General Yamada revealed a cruel smile. This was a devil. In another timeline, the Yamada Detachment, mainly composed of the 65th Regiment, massacred more than 60,000 prisoners of war and civilians in Nanjing. It was a true beastly brigade.

"Noguchi-kun, there's no need to wait for the poison gas to dissipate. Send a telegram to the 65th Regiment, ordering them to immediately launch an attack on Fujin Mountain and slaughter all the Chinese!"

The old devil Yamada couldn't wait to issue the order for a general attack, and Lieutenant Colonel Noguchi excitedly accepted the order and left.

The order for the general offensive quickly reached the 65th Regiment headquarters. Two men brandished their combat swords and roared at the top of their lungs:

"Warriors, charge!"

More than two thousand Japanese soldiers, wearing large-nosed gas masks and carrying gleaming bayonets, surged towards the defending troops' positions like a horde of zombies.

The commander of the 36th Division glared at the Japanese soldiers with fierce eyes, waiting for them to get closer. This time, he wanted to make the Japanese shoot themselves in the foot.

"Tell the brothers to keep their cool, let them get close before you strike!"