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

Two of Mochizuki Jiro's companions had already fallen around him. One of them was not quite dead yet, dragging half of his body and struggling in pain. His wailing made Mochizuki Jiro's heart tremble.

This is the real battlefield, completely different from what he had imagined back home.

It's true that we've achieved victory after victory and conquered most of China, but it's all been built on the sacrifice of countless cannon fodder lives, and he is cannon fodder now.

Bullets whizzed overhead, and Mochizuki Jiro's body was almost buried in a crater. Several of his friends who had boarded the ship with him had already died, and more and more were dying. The air was thick with the stench of blood, enough to make one want to vomit.

"You bastards! Get up, attack!"

The squad leader kept driving them forward, threatening to enforce military discipline on those who were afraid of dying, and the swaying of his Nambu pistol was frightening.

Not wanting to die at the hands of his squad leader, Mochizuki Jiro climbed out of the shell crater and carefully crept forward, firing as he charged.

The Japanese skirmishers were advancing slowly, with men falling with every step forward. The defenders' firepower was so intense that it terrified all the Japanese soldiers.

The heavy machine guns, Type 92 infantry guns, and 90mm mortars in the rear were firing wildly, and shells were landing on the defending troops' positions from time to time, destroying the firing points that were being strafed. Guns were destroyed and people were killed. The brothers of the 645th Regiment also paid the price.

"Boom boom boom!"

A volley of shells landed on the Japanese heavy machine gun position, engulfing them in flames. The Japanese heavy machine gun company suffered heavy damage, losing three Type 92 heavy machine guns. Major Kamei cried out in pain.

"Damn it! The Chinese firepower is too intense! Relocate quickly!"

The offensive on Hill 203 has reached a stalemate, with the Japanese infantry being held back halfway up the hill and unable to advance an inch.

Mochizuki Jiro hid his body behind a protruding rock, firing his gun repeatedly to bolster his courage and to fool the squad leader.

The squad leader was very eager to perform. He had only recently graduated from the Army Academy and lacked a clear understanding of the cruelty of war, still living in the fantasy that the "Imperial Army was invincible."

The standard military knife in his hand brought disaster upon him; a bullet struck him precisely in the head, splitting half of his skull open, with red and white splattered everywhere.

The sniper who shot the squad leader was Mochizuki Jiro, who discovered the enemy's hiding place at a distance of no more than two hundred meters.

He couldn't help but fire a shot; the bullet grazed the sniper's head, missing by a hair's breadth.

Mochizuki Jiro didn't care that the bullet had been wasted; it was just a waste of a bullet. Little did he know that he had provoked a god-like figure.

Sniper Zhang Lei was terrified; that bullet had almost killed him. This was a classic case of being caught off guard. The instructors had repeatedly warned them in the training regiment that they should never underestimate anyone on the battlefield, not even a rookie.

Zhang Lei slowly moved the muzzle of his gun toward Mochizuki Jiro. He was a vengeful man and had no reason to let the other party go.

Completely oblivious, Mochizuki Jiro fired another shot, which missed again. At the same time, a bullet entered through the left side of his helmet and pierced his entire head.

Zhang Lei finally got his revenge. This time he learned his lesson and immediately ducked into the trench the moment the gun went off.

Mochizuki Jiro ended his holy war journey by falling in his first real battle, which was also the fate of most new recruits.

Zhang Lei is already a veteran, and his sniper kill record has increased to 13 people, bringing him one step closer to becoming a bronze-level sniper.

The battle was deadlocked on the front, and the situation on the flanks was no better. Before they knew it, it was getting dark, but neither side showed any sign of stopping.

The fighting at Shimenkou became even more intense, with corpses littering the hillside. The Japanese artillery group, disregarding their own casualties, continued to bombard indiscriminately, including special shells, causing numerous casualties to the soldiers of the 646th Regiment. Their fortifications were also left in ruins.

Both sides were enraged and neither was willing to back down, so they fought a life-or-death battle in the darkness, hungry and exhausted.

At two o'clock in the morning, the gunfire that had been going on for so long finally stopped, but the Japanese soldiers did not retreat. They were just tired and lay on the position, panting.

At the ferry crossing on the west bank of the Shi River, the 103rd Brigade headquarters camp, Major General Yamada chose to set up camp with his back to the river. Inside the camp, a battalion was deployed in a fan shape, and there were also scattered guard posts on the perimeter.

The advantages of this defensive deployment are obvious: there's no need to worry about being outmaneuvered, and if all else fails, you can retreat to the east bank of the river.

Major General Yamada had not been able to sleep. He was feeling restless and uneasy. The battle at the front was not going well, and more than two hundred seriously wounded soldiers had been sent back.

Although the gunfire had stopped, he had a feeling that something big was going to happen that night, so he was reluctant to lie down for a long time.

The brigade chief of staff came over and urged:

"General, it's very late. It's unlikely that a decisive victory can be achieved today. You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

Major General Yamada expressed his concerns:

"I have a feeling something will happen tonight. There are still too few troops around the brigade headquarters. Go and remind the soldiers to be more vigilant and prevent the Chinese from launching a sneak attack."

The staff officer said dismissively:

"General, the Chinese are barely able to protect themselves, how could they possibly threaten the safety of the brigade headquarters?"

Major General Yamada couldn't help but smile wryly:

"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but not a single Chinese unit has shown up yet."

"Which cavalry unit are you referring to, General?"

Major General Yamada nodded emphatically and said:

"That's right, it's them. They're the ones who defeated the 58th Regiment before. We have to be careful!"

The chief of staff quickly said:

"General, we have already taken this variable into account. When constructing the ring fortifications, we built three trenches specifically to restrict cavalry charges, along with barbed wire and machine guns. Not to mention cavalry, even chariots cannot get close."

Major General Yamada was relieved; he had been somewhat paranoid about the Tiger Army's cavalry.

Outside, under the cover of night, a series of hunts were being carried out silently. The Japanese spies scattered around the perimeter were being removed one by one by the cavalry regiment. They made some noise along the way, but it did not change the outcome.

These developments quickly reached the 103rd Brigade headquarters, and Major General Yamada's worst fears came true, putting the brigade headquarters on high alert.

The chief of staff comforted him, saying:

"General, these are just sporadic battles with unclear intentions. I am worried that they might attack the brigade headquarters, so I have ordered the guard battalion to strengthen its vigilance and prepare to deal with a large-scale cavalry charge."

Should we withdraw the troops?

"Well, the Chinese are not clear about their intentions. They are not in a hurry to withdraw their main force from the front line. It is possible that the Chinese are using the tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao."

If it's just one or two thousand cavalry charging, the escort battalion can handle it, and if necessary, the brigade headquarters can also spare several hundred men for emergencies.

The current strategy is to remain unchanged and respond to any eventuality by launching a few flares every now and then to prevent any surprise attacks from the Chinese.

Major General Yamada made a quick decision, and the chief of staff said "Hai" and left. Watching the chief of staff's departing figure, his gaze became unpredictable, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Six miles northeast of the brigade headquarters, the cavalry regiment had advanced to the outermost line of the Japanese defenses. Although they had reached the range of 90mm mortars, for safety's sake, the cavalry regiment commander, Yao Wangshan, decided to compress the Japanese defenses further inward.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Zhu Heng asked him for instructions:

"Both artillery battalions are ready. May we begin?"

Yao Wangshan turned his gaze to the core position of the 103rd Brigade headquarters, and after pondering for a moment, said:

"We need to advance at least another kilometer so that the 20mm and 60mm mortars can reach the core position. We need to fire both conventional and poison gas shells to lull the Japanese into a false sense of security."

"Commander, I understand. This isn't too difficult."

"As long as the attack is fierce enough, the Japanese will definitely abandon the outer perimeter and retreat to the core positions. At that time, our artillery will be able to fire at the Japanese's waist!"

Colonel Yao Wangshan quickly made up his mind. He was highly experienced, having previously served as the cavalry regiment commander of the Training Corps. He was a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy and was skilled in cavalry warfare.

"Chief of Staff Zhu, fire! Have the First and Second Battalions get ready and make a big commotion to force the Japanese to abandon their outer positions."

"Yes, I'll make the arrangements right away and launch the shelling on time."

After Colonel Yao Wangshan watched Chief of Staff Zhu leave, he said to the military affairs staff officer:

"Send someone to inform the troops that as soon as the cannons fire, they should sound the charge, fire flares, and stop once they reach the core of the Japanese positions."

At 2:30 a.m., three red signal flares pierced the night sky, followed by several flares illuminating the battlefield;

More than twenty mortars and infantry guns from two battalions of the cavalry regiment opened fire on the Japanese positions, completely shattering the tranquility of the night.

As the clarion call to charge sounded, Yao Wangshan, saber in hand, raised it high and gave the order:

"Cavalry Regiment—Attack!"