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

The 17th Cavalry Regiment pursued very quickly. They were all light cavalry, and once they shed the burden of the infantry battalion, their speed would increase significantly. They quickly caught up with the tail of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion.

The 3rd Cavalry Battalion had less than half the strength of the Japanese troops, and was also burdened with a mule and horse team, so naturally it couldn't outrun the Japanese.

Battalion Commander Hu Ning indeed ordered the abandonment of supplies and a light retreat. These supplies were captured during the previous ambush, including a large number of mortar shells and poison gas shells, as well as a small amount of bullets, grenades and food, leaving only very light medicines.

After discarding their burdens, the cavalry battalion, with one man and two horses each, greatly increased their speed and quickly shook off their pursuers, thus leaving the problem to Lieutenant Colonel Ono.

The decision of whether to continue the pursuit with light equipment or return with supplies was difficult.

Senior staff advised taking profits while they were ahead, for the following reasons:

"Commander, the Chinese have greatly increased their marching speed after they were freed of their burdens, making it very difficult to catch up with them."

"It would be better to stay and wait for the infantry. Recapture of these supplies would already be a great achievement, and we'd have a good report to the division commander."

Lieutenant Colonel Ono shook his head and said:

"If that's the case, the threat of the Chinese cavalry has not been eliminated; they have only been driven away."

The supply line along the Six Leaves Highway remained intact, and the Chinese cavalry could launch a counterattack at any time, making it impossible for the Imperial Army to defend against them.

The Chinese cavalry had been on the run for a long time, and their manpower and strength had reached their limits. This was a golden opportunity for us.

I've decided to leave one squadron behind to guard the supplies, while the main force continues the pursuit!

Several company commanders volunteered for battle. Their minds were not on the supplies; having finally captured the Chinese cavalry, they were determined to pursue them to the bitter end.

The senior staff officer, after considering the matter, had no other choice and did not object further. Time was of the essence, and Lieutenant Colonel Ono immediately gave the order:

"Akino Squadron, stay behind. The rest of you, follow me and continue the pursuit. Hurry!"

The main force of the cavalry regiment continued its swift pursuit towards the distant Tiger Legion cavalry, raising clouds of dust that could be seen from a great distance.

Battalion Commander Hu Ning revealed a hunter's smile. The prey had taken the bait, and now he only needed to find a suitable place for the decisive battle and then quietly wait for the enemy to arrive.

To avoid being lost by the Japanese, they deliberately slowed down, leaving behind a large number of hoofprints, so that the Japanese scouts would not have to worry about not finding them.

Before long, they found a flat, open area suitable for a cavalry battle. The 3rd Cavalry Battalion occupied a slightly higher slope and lined up to wait for the Japanese to arrive.

North of the cavalry formation, twelve M1919 Browning machine guns were lined up in a row, while nine 60mm mortars and four 81mm mortars were positioned on the opposite slope of the mountain guns, about two hundred meters away from the machine gun formation, forming a second line of fire.

The reverse slope was obstructed by the field of vision, making it difficult for Japanese soldiers hundreds of meters away to spot.

The unusual actions of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion were quickly reported to Lieutenant Colonel Ono by scouts, who immediately understood the 3rd Cavalry Battalion's intentions and habitually put on airs:

"Oh my god, the Chinese are going to have a decisive battle with the Imperial Army. They're really overestimating themselves. That's why their warhorses can't run."

The senior staff officer still offered a concerned reminder:

"Commander, could this be a trap? Perhaps we should wait for the infantry to arrive before engaging in battle?"

Before Lieutenant Colonel Ono could speak, Company Commander Major Miura said with great dissatisfaction:

"Why are you always so timid? The Chinese are only forced into a decisive battle because they can't run anymore. Once they recover their strength, they will run away again."

The Imperial Army's strength is more than twice that of the Chinese, and its horses are also more powerful. Faced with absolute strength, all the Chinese schemes and tricks are futile!

Another company commander chimed in, echoing:

"This is cowardly behavior. Since when have the mighty Imperial cavalry refused to even accept a challenge from the Chinese cavalry?"

After he said this, no one objected, including the senior staff officer. He couldn't very well admit that he was afraid of the Chinese, or he would want to stay in the military.

Seeing that no one objected anymore, Lieutenant Colonel Ono immediately made up his mind and said with great momentum:

"Yoshi, you are all the most loyal and brave warriors of the Imperial Cavalry, and you are not afraid of any challenge;

Draw your sabers, and let the Chinese tremble before their sharp blades!

After Lieutenant Colonel Ono finished speaking, he drew his ancestral saber, the hilt of which was inlaid with three kinds of colorful gemstones. It was clearly a fine piece that only nobles could possess, not a mass-produced item from a military factory; it was a symbol of status.

The other swords were the same; although they weren't as luxurious as Lieutenant Colonel Ono's, they were all family heirlooms, and they couldn't afford to lose face.

"Cavalry Regiment - Charge!"

Lieutenant Colonel Ono didn't waste any words. Wherever his sword pointed, hooves flew. More than eight hundred Japanese soldiers raised their swords and charged forward, making the earth tremble.

Battalion Commander Hu Ning watched coldly as the Japanese soldiers increased their horse speed. Using the same tactics as before, he waved his hand and launched the "Double Dragons Emerging from the Water" attack.

The cavalry battalion's battle formation split into left and right wings, like the two giant pincers of a crab, flanking from both sides.

The Japanese army's formation was very simple: they attacked the center, and when the 3rd Cavalry Battalion spread out to the flanks, Lieutenant Colonel Ono brandished his sword and quickly changed formation.

Two cavalry units were split off from the main force to intercept them. Before they could successfully change formation, the artillery of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion opened fire, giving Lieutenant Colonel Ono a big fright.

He seemed to have guessed the intentions of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion, but now that the die was cast, there was no way to back down. He could only grit his teeth and charge forward. He didn't believe that a dozen mortars could change the course of the battle.

The first volley of shells landed among the Japanese troops, instantly creating more than a dozen sparks and killing twenty or thirty warhorses. The sound of the horses neighing made the senior staff officer's heart pound with fear.

"Commander, the Chinese really did have a backup plan!"

"Boom boom boom..."

The second volley of shells landed, interrupting the senior staff officer's words. By this time, the Japanese troops were in great disarray. Although not many died, the corpses of fallen men and horses became obstacles to their advance, forcing the horses to slow down.

Shells rained down in volleys, each round of bombardment causing considerable casualties to the Japanese and hastening their disarray.

The cavalry regiment had no other choice but to accelerate their horses through the artillery barrage and then finish the battle with their sabers.

Seeing that the Japanese cavalry had entered machine gun range, the artillery platoon leader decisively gave the order:

"Open fire! Shoot them dead!"

Twelve machine guns spat out long tongues of fire almost simultaneously, firing hundreds and thousands of bullets at the Japanese soldiers. The effect was immediate; Japanese cavalrymen fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot. This was even more threatening than artillery fire.

Lieutenant Colonel Ono's eyes were bloodshot. He finally remembered the warning from the remnants of the army: the Chinese cavalry possessed a large number of heavy weapons.

At first, he didn't take it seriously. In a cavalry duel, a few machine guns and cannons wouldn't make much of a difference.

Cavalry are the masters of the battlefield; sabers and speed are the keys to victory!

"You bastards! These Chinese aren't true knights! Charge and kill them all!"

"Hurry, the time has come to serve His Majesty the Emperor!"

Spurred on by Lieutenant Colonel Ono, the Japanese cavalry charged toward the machine gun position with shouts. Their only advantage was the speed of their cavalry; once they charged, they could use their sabers to kill all the machine gunners and artillerymen.

As the distance closed, the machine gun's accuracy increased significantly, and the Japanese soldiers had to pay a heavy price for every step they took forward.

Just as the Japanese soldiers were about to rush close to the machine gun position, the "vials" on both flanks clamped down and they opened fire from 100 meters away.

Submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles opened fire fiercely on the Japanese soldiers, crushing their sabers.

The Japanese attempted to counterattack with cavalry rifles, but they had already lost the initiative. Moreover, the rate of fire of bolt-action rifles was simply no match for the firepower of continuous fire.

Bolt-action rifles have a very low hit rate on a warhorse at high speed, which is why cavalrymen are more accustomed to using sabers.

Submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles were different; they relied on probability and rate of fire to achieve results. The Japanese were almost completely overwhelmed. In addition, their formation was disrupted, and they were instead overwhelmed by the smaller number of Chinese cavalry, resulting in a one-sided situation.

"Damn it, Your Majesty the Emperor!"

Lieutenant Colonel Ono led the last remaining soldiers towards the 3rd Cavalry Battalion. They raised their sabers high with one hand, their eyes flashing with ferocity, determined to have a true cavalry duel with their opponents.

Company Commander Yue Bin decided to grant the Japanese wish. He held his submachine gun level and fired as he charged. Dozens of soldiers gathered around him, all firing their guns until they ran out of bullets.

Before the two sides even engaged in close combat, the Japanese had already suffered heavy casualties.

On his galloping warhorse, with no time to reload, Yue Bin discarded his submachine gun, drew his saber, and slashed at the Japanese soldiers.

Yue Bin's left arm was severed at the root by the Japanese soldiers. The excruciating pain almost made him fall off his warhorse, but he persevered thanks to his tenacious willpower.

His opponent, Lieutenant Colonel Ono, couldn't believe he would die in his most skilled sword fight, even after his head was cut off. He was a ninth-dan swordsman.

Captain Yue Bin was a cavalry officer in the Northwest Army, a martial arts expert, and skilled with a knife.

"Damn it, he's got some skills!"