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

"Commander, good news! The 3rd Cavalry Battalion has won another great victory. They not only wiped out the Japanese cavalry regiment, which is the most mobile of the Japanese troops, but also routed a Japanese infantry battalion, completely breaking the Japanese encirclement."

The good news brought by Ma Weilan, the chief of staff of the 323rd Division, immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the command post. They all craned their necks and pricked up their ears, waiting for the follow-up.

Zhao Yunwen took the telegram, whetting everyone's appetite before praising it highly:

"Good, the Third Cavalry Battalion did a great job this time. They killed more than 700 cavalrymen and more than 500 infantrymen, captured 548 warhorses, 177 mules and horses, one radio, a thousand rifles and pistols, more than 700 sets of cavalry combat gear, as well as some ammunition and supplies, with only a few dozen casualties on their own."

It was confirmed! Everyone cheered. This was a great victory, with over a thousand enemy soldiers killed, most of whom were cavalry.

Anyone with military knowledge knows that maintaining one cavalryman costs more money than maintaining five infantrymen, and the combat power of cavalrymen is also far superior to that of infantrymen.

The impact of annihilating seven hundred cavalrymen is equivalent to that of two thousand infantrymen.

Qiu the Madman continued:

"Most importantly, it completely broke the Japanese encirclement and suppression of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion. Without the help of the cavalry regiment, it would be difficult for the 58th Infantry Regiment to trap them again."

The Japanese supply lines remain under threat from the 3rd Cavalry Battalion, which will correspondingly reduce the pressure on the front lines.

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"The 3rd Cavalry Battalion has rendered a great service this time. Major Hu Ning is hereby promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Regiment Commander of the Cavalry Regiment, and Company Commander Gao Mingyuan is promoted to Major and Battalion Commander. Each of them will be awarded fifty silver dollars!"

Everyone was filled with envy after hearing this, but no one was jealous, because these were all earned with their lives.

Qiu the Madman shifted the topic to the front-line battle:

"Commander, we've received the latest report from headquarters: Japanese reinforcements have arrived. It's our old nemesis, the 16th Infantry Division. It seems like we're destined to meet again!"

Zhao Yunwen smiled happily and said with an air of dominance:

"We've already prepared a banquet at Fujinshan. Whether it's one table of guests or two, it's all the same. We might as well settle all the old and new scores at once!"

Even Qiu the Madman was infected, and he shouted:

"Commander, you are mighty! Beastly divisions like the 13th and 16th will be wiped out every time they come, avenging our people who died tragically under their swords!"

The crowd joined in chanting slogans, their morale soaring. Only the Tiger Army didn't take the Japanese commoner division seriously. Inside the 71st Army headquarters, from the army commander to the staff officers, everyone was on high alert.

Chief of Staff Chen Sunong said in a deep voice:

"Since this morning, the Japanese offensive has intensified significantly, and it seems they have changed opponents; presumably the 16th Division has joined the battle."

Song Yingguo's expression was stern, but he was already mentally prepared, and he said firmly:

"Who cares if they've changed personnel? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. I'm going to teach that beastly 16th Division a lesson!"

In the Battle of Lanfeng, although the 16th Division also participated in the battle, it was mainly the Tiger Army that held the line, while the 71st Army was fighting the 14th Division.

The 16th Division was notorious. Like the 6th Division, it would fight to the death whenever the Nationalist army encountered them, even if it meant mutual destruction.

Chen Sunong continued:

"According to the headquarters' report, the 16th Division has been deployed to the Fujinshan battlefield as a whole. Commander Bai ordered us to hold our positions and not to withdraw without orders from the headquarters, otherwise we would be court-martialed."

Song Yingguo frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the orders from his superiors, which showed a lack of trust in the 71st Army, but he did not lash out.

Song Yingguo's concerns about Bai Jiansheng were understandable. In the Battle of Lanfeng, these protégés of the emperor in the Central Army set a bad precedent. First there were Gui Yongqing and Long Muhang, and later Huang Jie abandoned Guide City. They were terrified.

Even Xue Boling, who was also a member of the Central Army, dared to act against him. Bai Jiansheng, the acting commander of the Guangxi clique, really couldn't control Song Yingguo, a protégé of the emperor.

"Reporting back to Commander Bai, the 71st Army swears an oath to defend the Fujinshan defense line; we will hold the position as long as we are here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another fierce artillery barrage erupted from ahead. Song Yingguo grabbed his helmet and put it on his head, then rushed out of the cover in a few quick steps and raised his binoculars to observe the battle.

At this moment, the front line of Fujinshan was already covered by artillery fire. The soldiers of the 36th Division huddled in their bunkers and silently endured the bombardment. Shells continued to fall in rows, and trenches were destroyed section by section. A gentle breeze carried a faint smell of blood.

Not long after, Hill 203 on the flank roared back, shells flying toward the Japanese artillery positions. Through his binoculars, Song Yingguo saw with his own eyes that the Japanese cannons were blown to pieces, and he excitedly pumped his fist.

"Brother Yunwen, thank you! I will never forget this kindness."

As soon as the artillery fire spread, thousands of Japanese infantrymen surged toward the 36th Division's position. Soon, the two sides engaged in combat, with gunfire and artillery exploding and casualties skyrocketing. The battle became fierce from the very beginning.

On the northern front, the Japanese also launched a fierce offensive. After receiving reinforcements, the Japanese were able to deploy heavy troops to attack simultaneously on both the northern and southern fronts.

At the 646th Regiment's position, swarms of Japanese soldiers were charging the defensive line. The entire regiment opened fire with all its might: 75mm mountain guns, mortars, Type 92 infantry guns, light and heavy machine guns—all weapons were firing at the Japanese. In a short time, the hillside was covered with corpses.

The attack on the northern front was still carried out by the 103rd Brigade, but with the addition of the 116th Regiment, which was under the unified command of the 26th Infantry Brigade Commander, Tokushige Numata.

Excluding the 58th Regiment, which was besieging the 3rd Cavalry Battalion, the main force of the 13th Infantry Division was deployed to the southern front, while the main attack mission on the northern front was taken over by the 16th Infantry Division.

At another time, it was also these two divisions that fought at Fujin Mountain, the difference being that now it was the entire 16th Division, with greatly increased troop strength.

Of course, the defending forces also had an additional 323rd Division, which greatly increased the time needed for defense.

Major General Numata's operational deployment remained largely unchanged, with one regiment in the direction of Hill 203 and another in the direction of Shimenkou, only now replaced by the fresh 116th Regiment.

Regimental Commander Colonel Soeda Fu was full of confidence, watching through binoculars, while Senior Staff Officer Toyoda Yusuke stood by, waiting for orders.

Despite the setbacks at the front, Colonel Soeda was in good spirits and said enthusiastically:

"Toyota-kun, our opponent in the middle lane was the 88th Division, the most elite division in China. It was very famous, equivalent to the Imperial Guard Division. But after fighting it, it turned out to be nothing special."

The 323rd Division is a newly formed unit, but its reputation as a "Tiger Army" is already comparable to that of the 71st Army. In your opinion, how long will it take to capture Shimenkou?

Major Toyota, a top student who graduated from the Army War College and fought in the Battle of Pengcheng with the 13th Division, had some experience. He frowned and said:

"Commander, Shimenkou is not easy to attack. The 104th Regiment launched a full-scale attack but failed to break through and suffered heavy losses."

It is true that the 88th Division was one of the top elite units in China, but its main force was annihilated by the Imperial Army in Nanjing. The remaining troops numbered less than a thousand, and the replacements were all new recruits. It was no longer the German-trained division it once was.

The Tiger Legion is different. From Shanghai to Fujinshan, they have fought countless battles, their traditions have never been broken, and they have grown stronger with each battle. Their strength has swelled from a few thousand to forty thousand, making them much more difficult to defeat than the 88th Division. We must not be careless.

"Toyota-kun, you overestimate the 323rd Division of China. I admit they are strong, but after continuous fighting, their manpower and supplies have been greatly depleted, and most of their fortifications have been destroyed. Do you think a small hill can stop my 116th Regiment?"

Colonel Soeda's face showed displeasure, and Major Toyoda could only go along with him, saying:

"The regimental commander is absolutely right. I overlooked the fact that the 323rd Division was already exhausted. Under the combined attack of two Imperial Army regiments, it probably wouldn't even last until nightfall."

"Yosh, let's wait and see!"

Without saying another word, the two turned their attention back to the 646th Regiment's position. By this time, the Japanese skirmishers had advanced to the front of the first trench. Under the strong firepower of the defenders, the Japanese could no longer advance and could only lie on the ground and exchange fire with the defenders.

The machine guns behind them fired fiercely, raining bullets down on the defenders, which made Colonel Soeda nod repeatedly.

"Boom boom boom!"

A volley of mortar shells rained down, and Colonel Tenda's smile froze. The heavy machine guns that had been arrogantly spitting fire were blown to pieces. It was estimated that two machine guns were lost, and the machine gun crew members were seriously injured.

"You bastards, a bunch of useless trash! Where are the Imperial Army's cannons?"