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

"Hurry! The Chinese are burning supplies; we absolutely cannot let them escape!"

Major Eguchi's eyes were bloodshot. He had originally planned to use the supply convoy as bait to ambush the 3rd Cavalry Battalion. He hadn't expected the 3rd Cavalry Battalion to act so swiftly; in just over ten minutes, the escort company was routed, and the supplies were set ablaze.

Judging from the thick smoke billowing over the highway, his bait had most likely been swallowed. Now he had to stick to the attackers and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Jiangkou's detachment ran with all their might to the ambush point, but they could only see a large number of cavalry fleeing to the north.

The Japanese soldiers opened fire, but they were too far away and were simply wasting bullets.

"Baka yarou! That's enough! Put out the fire and salvage the food!"

Jiang Kou changed his plans. Using infantry to chase cavalry would be suicidal; it was better to focus on rescuing supplies.

He had received orders that the 58th Infantry Regiment had taken over the mission, and the Jiangkou Battalion was to be dispatched.

Because the 3rd Cavalry Battalion retreated too quickly, and the Eguchi Battalion arrived in time to save some supplies, Major Eguchi's expression improved somewhat.

He first reported the attack on the supply train to the 58th Regiment headquarters. Canglin Gongren dared not be presumptuous and led the main force of the regiment to rush there, with the cavalry regiment as the vanguard.

They were the first to arrive, and after hearing the report, Lieutenant Colonel Ryozo Ono, the regimental commander, roared:

"A bunch of useless trash!"

"A disgrace to the empire!"

Major Eguchi didn't respond, so the latter asked again:

"How many Chinese cavalrymen did they have in total, and in which direction did they flee?"

Major Eguchi quickly said:

"There are seven or eight hundred cavalrymen, equipped with a lot of heavy weapons. The cavalry warriors were ambushed by them and wiped out. It's better to be cautious."

"You idiot, do you think the cavalry regiment is made up of trash like you?"

I'll go after them and hold them off. You stay here to support the 58th Regiment, then come and reinforce them.

The two sides were actually independent units. Lieutenant Colonel Ono could not command the Eguchi Battalion; he was only considered the commander by the officers because of his higher rank.

After giving instructions to Major Eguchi, Lieutenant Colonel Ono did not linger and led his cavalry regiment northward in pursuit.

Lieutenant Colonel Ono was an expert in cavalry warfare, especially skilled in tracking. He was confident that he could find the 3rd Cavalry Battalion based on his experience.

Shortly after the cavalry regiment left, the two main infantry battalions of the 58th Regiment arrived, led by Colonel Kurahayana Kimito.

The 58th Regiment suffered heavy losses at Shimenkou. Although they have replenished most of their troops, the shame cannot be washed away, and they have been reduced to clearing out the rear.

Major Eguchi revealed all the information he had gathered, and Kurahayashi Kimito's expression became tense. Senior staff officer Major Chiba then spoke up:

"Commander, the Chinese are very clear about their intentions; they are heading straight for the Imperial Army's supply lines."

The force numbered approximately seven or eight hundred men, possibly a thousand, but the actual number of cavalry would not have been that many.

The cavalry regiment had previously lost a large battalion, and the Chinese had captured a considerable number of warhorses, which greatly enhanced the mobility of their infantry.

That's why they come and go so quickly!

The Chinese cavalry were cunning and swift, making them difficult for infantry to catch.

Kurahayashi Kimitoshi strongly agreed with Major Chiba's analysis. In his opinion, it was not difficult to eliminate this cavalry force, but it was difficult to capture them, which could only be done by cavalry.

"Chiba-kun, what's your suggestion for the layout?"

Major Chiba, in high spirits, said:

"Only cavalry can catch cavalry. The main infantry force only needs to divide into several groups and advance northward to squeeze the Chinese cavalry's space for maneuver."

"Wait patiently for the two cavalry forces to clash, then our troops will be able to annihilate them!"

"Alright, let's do it this way! Three battalions will advance from the east, central and west. Once they hear gunfire, they will quickly reinforce the area and drive the Chinese cavalry towards the Huai River."

"Hai, Commander-in-Chief is wise!"

Majors Chiba and Eguchi bowed and accepted the order, while Colonel Kurahayashi also calmed down, realizing that this matter could not be rushed.

At the 323rd Division headquarters, the movement of Japanese troops was all on Zhao Yunwen's minimap. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, the Japanese's every move could not escape his control.

Zhao Yunwen did not get too involved in their battle of wits and tactics; he only grasped the general direction and did not issue orders to the Third Cavalry Battalion.

The movements of the Japanese troops west of the Shi River were all out in the open. Scouts reported enemy activity periodically, and the enemy-friendly situation on the sand table was constantly changing. Qiu the Madman excitedly exclaimed:

"The Japanese are really going all out. They just drove off a regiment, and now another brigade is coming. They're really determined to break through Shimenkou."

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"These are all out in the open. If the Japanese want to advance westward and attack Shangcheng, Xinyang, and Jiangcheng, Fujinshan is an obstacle they must overcome. The 71st Army on the southern front occupies advantageous terrain, making it difficult to attack. They can only seek a breakthrough on the flanks."

Qiu the Madman said domineeringly:

"If you want to pass through Shimenkou, you'll have to ask our 323rd Division if they agree!"

Zhao Yunwen had already figured out the identities of the Japanese soldiers: the Yamada Brigade, the Japanese army that had killed the most Chinese in Nanjing. Since they had encountered them, they should be wiped out.

"Find out the location of the Japanese brigade headquarters, find an opportunity to wipe out that old devil Yamada, and use poison gas!"

Qiu Fengzi understood perfectly. Although he didn't know why the commander hated the Yamada Brigade so much, even to the point of resorting to decapitation tactics, he liked fighting like this.

In the previous battles, the 323rd Division captured five 90mm mortars and a large number of poison gas shells, which came in handy.

At the 103rd Brigade headquarters, Major General Yamada sneezed several times for no apparent reason. He was an expert on China and knew this was not a good omen, but he didn't care.

The 103rd Brigade was already prepared for the attack and would not give up because of a few sneezes. They immediately issued orders:

"Fire! Flatten Hill 203!"

Major General Yamada assembled more than thirty artillery pieces and launched a concentrated attack on Hill 203. Shells rained down, and smoke enveloped the entire hilltop.

At this time, the mountain artillery battalion, along with its mules and horses, hid in the thickets on the reverse slope, using tree branches for camouflage. The sixteen artillery groups were hidden separately, and the Japanese could not determine the coordinates of the artillerymen's hiding places. Almost all the shells went to waste, causing only a few casualties to the mountain artillery battalion.

After bombing Hill 203, the Japanese were still not satisfied and bombarded the Shimenkou position, firing dozens of rounds and destroying many trenches.

The artillery company of the 646th Regiment never returned fire, letting the Japanese be arrogant, while the soldiers silently endured the situation in their anti-artillery bunkers.

Major General Yamada was very satisfied with the shelling's effect and said smugly:

"Good heavens, the Imperial Army's artillery fire is truly fierce! The hill north of Shimenkou has been leveled; not many Chinese will survive. Now we can attack!"

After hearing this, the chief of staff gave the order, and soon a dense swarm of Japanese soldiers launched an attack. The entire mountainside was covered in a yellowish-brown excrement, resembling a locust swarm.

Regiment Commander Sui Youlan of the 646th Regiment was observing the enemy situation, with Chief of Staff Le Bo beside him. Both of them looked very serious.

Le Bo asked him for instructions:

"The Japanese have gone mad. They're attacking with battalion-sized forces right off the bat. Should we order the artillery to open fire?"

After a moment of contemplation, Sui Youlan said:

"Fire ten rounds first, then move on. Don't let the Japanese get caught up with you."

Tell the brothers, don't hold back, beat them to a pulp!

Le Bo turned and went out to personally oversee the issuance of orders to the artillery company.

The Japanese infantry group quickly advanced into the artillery blockade zone. The twelve cannons of the regimental artillery company roared, and volleys of shells rained down from the sky, each salvo taking away many Japanese soldiers.

The once menacing military formation was now shattered, with severed limbs scattered everywhere and wounded soldiers lying on the ground in agony.

Ten rounds carried exactly one hundred and twenty shells. The casualties were secondary; the most important thing was to suppress the arrogance of the Japanese and greatly reduce the impact.

Major General Yamada's smile froze. He remembered those sneezes earlier, and realized the defenders seemed to still have a lot of artillery shells. He decided it was best to be cautious.

The artillery barrage had just ended when the defending troops opened fire again with their machine guns, dozens of jets of fire of varying lengths spitting out at the Japanese soldiers, causing havoc and casualties.

"Baka yarou, fire! Blow up the Chinese firing positions!"

Major General Yamada could no longer remain calm and roared at the top of his lungs, as if he could only feel more confident if he raised his voice.

The Japanese artillery opened fire on the defending positions again, and soldiers continued to fall from the shells. The casualty figures on both sides were rising sharply, especially for the Japanese, whose casualties were at least ten times that of the defenders.