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

Colonel Soeda was no longer in a relaxed mood. The battle was completely different from what he had imagined. In the positional warfare, the 116th Regiment did not gain any advantage. It suffered heavy losses, and the equipment damage rate was also very high.

Major Toyota tried to persuade him again:

"Commander, we must not be too hasty in dealing with the Tiger Legion. A direct assault will only increase casualties."

"Let the warriors retreat first, and then we'll deal with them using artillery."

This time, Colonel Soeda did not get angry again. After thinking for a moment, he agreed to Major Toyoda's suggestion and agreed to withdraw first.

He then said to Major Toyoda:

"Immediately request artillery support from the General! We must flatten the Chinese positions and blast them to death! Use special ammunition!"

"Hai!"

Major Toyota strode away, while Colonel Soeda's gaze toward the 646th Regiment's position was practically spitting fire.

He didn't have such a hard time fighting the 88th Division before. Although he encountered fierce resistance, the 116th Regiment still had the advantage in the exchange ratio.

In the battle against the 646th Regiment, although he wouldn't admit it, he knew perfectly well that the exchange ratio was at least 3 to 1.

It took three "warriors" to exchange for one Chinese person, which almost shattered his Dao heart.

After receiving the order to cease the attack, Major Iwasaki breathed a sigh of relief. He had been extremely frustrated during the battle, being on the defensive the entire time and unable to exert his strength.

After the troops withdrew, he anxiously asked:

"What are the Warriors' casualties?"

The adjutant reported in a deep voice:

"The entire battalion suffered 245 dead, 69 seriously wounded, and many others with minor injuries. One mortar was destroyed, and another artillery crew also suffered heavy casualties. Three heavy machine guns and seven light machine guns were lost. More than 20% of the officers were killed or wounded."

"Damn it! This was just a small attack, why are the casualties so high? When did the Imperial Army become so easily defeated?"

"Iwasaki-kun, our opponent is the Tiger Army, the strongest fighting force among the Chinese. They are equipped with a large number of artillery pieces and have complete field fortifications. It is inevitable that we will suffer heavy casualties if we launch a strong attack."

Even the heavy machine guns positioned at the rear weren't safe; the Chinese artillery was extremely accurate, and the machine guns would only be able to fire a few bursts before attracting artillery fire.

Major Iwasaki, whom the adjutant mentioned, had also seen it, but he couldn't accept being completely defeated by the Chinese in field battle; it was too humiliating.

Major Iwasaki said with a gloomy face:

"Let all company commanders learn from this lesson: the Chinese have artillery, and so does the Imperial Army. We must find tactics to counter the Chinese. New offensives will begin, and I do not want to see the Imperial Army being suppressed again."

"Boom boom boom..."

Sparks flew from the defending positions; the Japanese artillery barrage had begun. The adjutant exclaimed excitedly:

"Iwasaki-kun is from the division's artillery regiment. Judging from the results, there are more than 30 guns, as well as 105mm heavy artillery."

"Your Excellency, the division commander, overestimates the Chinese. For such a small hill, you're willing to deploy a division's worth of artillery; that's enough to give the Chinese a hard time."

Major Iwasaki's expression softened, and he said smugly:

"I admit that the Tiger Army is very capable, but under such intense artillery fire, it would be good if 30% of the Chinese survived."

"Have the warriors prepare themselves; we must take Stone Gate in one fell swoop!"

At the 646th Regiment's position, the soldiers huddled in their artillery shelters, silently enduring the ravages of artillery fire.

Wang Fan's artillery crew had a special anti-artillery bunker that could hide a Type 92 infantry gun. The top was made of wet wood and covered with three layers of sturdy material. Inside the bunker, there were more than a dozen wooden stakes, no more than one meter high, which were very sturdy and could withstand direct hits from a 75mm mountain gun. If it were a 105mm gun, it wouldn't be able to withstand it. He could only blame his bad luck.

Civil engineering works rarely withstand a direct hit from a 105mm mortar, unless they are permanent reinforced concrete works.

The Japanese artillery shells rained down one after another, and the entire position was engulfed in artillery fire. During this time, some anti-artillery bunkers were directly hit by shells, and all the soldiers hiding inside were buried alive.

The mountain artillery battalion also returned fire, but the Japanese had a large number of artillery pieces. They sent out the 105th Heavy Artillery Battalion to fight back, while the others continued to attack the 646th Regiment's positions.

After an unknown amount of time, the artillery fire finally stopped. Before the 646th Regiment could get ready, the Japanese skirmishers advanced to the front lines, demonstrating textbook-perfect infantry-artillery coordination.

Fortunately, the 646th Regiment reacted just as quickly, preventing the Japanese from reaching the position before the machine guns opened fire.

More and more people crawled out of the loose soil to join the fight against the Japanese. The machine gunners who fired first didn't care about their own safety and fired fiercely at the Japanese. No one thought about changing positions.

"boom!"

A Browning machine gun was blown away, and both the primary and secondary gunners fell into pools of blood. The ammunition handlers rushed over and found that the machine gun was still usable, and soon it was spitting fire again.

Wang Fan also brought out his infantry guns. They were lucky enough to avoid the shelling, and the dark gun barrels were pointed at the Japanese soldiers.

Before them stood countless Japanese soldiers, but their target was not the infantry, but the infantry artillery, which posed the greatest threat to the defenders' heavy firepower.

The 116th Regiment's battalion artillery kept firing, suppressing the defenders' machine guns and mortars, and the two sides fought fiercely.

The spotter quickly located the target, a Type 92 infantry gun, and reported its coordinates: 1875 meters away.

Wang Fan quickly calculated the firing parameters, adjusted the firing angle, aimed, and fired in one go. The shell landed a few meters behind the Japanese position.

A cloud of smoke instantly engulfed the Japanese soldiers. The hundreds of shrapnel from the explosion knocked almost all the Japanese soldiers in the artillery unit to the ground. The artillery was also overturned by the shockwave. Although it could still be used, there was no artilleryman left.

The Japanese Type 92 infantry artillery detachment consisted of 15 men, most of whom were responsible for support. They were usually pulled by mules or horses, or disassembled into three parts for mule transport, or disassembled into six parts for manual carrying. In addition to the personnel who transported the shells, a total of 15 people were needed.

Without artillery, the Japanese infantry guns had to be silenced for the time being. After confirming that the Japanese artillery had been destroyed, Wang Fan turned the gun barrels toward the heavy machine gun positions.

Two consecutive shots destroyed a heavy machine gun. By this time, the 646th Regiment had stabilized its position, and the regimental artillery company had also joined the battle, pinning the Japanese troops down on the hillside.

Both sides then entered into a positional war of attrition, a tactic favored by the 646th Regiment. Although the positions were extensively damaged, it was still better than leaving the Japanese exposed in the open.

With a position to rely on, a heavy machine gun team only needs two people exposed, while the substitutes can stay in the trenches;

The same applies to artillery crews. Whether it's an infantry gun or a mortar, one gunner and one assistant gunner are enough. The assistant gunner can also serve as an observer.

Even if they were hit by the Japanese, the number of casualties would be greatly reduced, and the ammunition handlers could provide support from inside the trenches.

The Japanese were determined to win this attack and committed two battalions of troops to continuously break through the defenses, launching one offensive after another.

The 646th Regiment also had two battalions at the forefront, with the 1st Battalion and the artillery company positioned in the core position.

Regimental Commander Sui Youlan had a stern expression, letting stray bullets glide over his head without even frowning;

The battalion commander protested to him:

"Commander, it's too dangerous here. You should go back to your command post."

Sui Youlan coldly shouted:

"Stop talking nonsense. What can you see from the command post on the reverse slope? The Japanese offensive is fierce. They're going to fight to the death. I have to keep an eye on them."

Chief of Staff Le Bo continued, saying:

"Commander, I think the battalion commander is right. These shells are flying all over our heads. You are the backbone of the whole regiment, so we still need to be on guard."

I'll keep watch here. You should trust the brothers to hold out. If the line falters, I'll send in a battalion to reinforce them.

Sui Youlan then relented:

"Alright, since you're all trying to get rid of me, I won't cause any more trouble here."

These are the Japanese devils' three main attacks; we must withstand them at all costs!

Seeing that the regimental commander had finally listened to his advice, Le Bo patted his chest and said:

"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the Japanese and report to you if anything happens. I will never let the Japanese succeed in their scheme."

Sui Youlan then returned to the regimental command post. The front line was basically stable, and his role in the First Battalion was not significant.

The Japanese soldiers continued their relentless assault on the front lines. In order to extend the Japanese attack line, the defending troops deliberately abandoned the front lines and retreated to the second line of defense, which had a more advantageous terrain.

After making progress, the Japanese soldiers became even more excited, yelling and charging forward.

Chief of Staff Le Bo coldly shouted:

"That's fucking arrogant! Notify the artillery company, unleash a volley, bombard them to death!"

The military staff officer excitedly went to convey the military order, and not long after, the rumble of artillery fire came from the high ground on the northwest side.