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

Yanjia Mountain, defensive position of the 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division

Hundreds of Japanese soldiers were advancing along the gentle slope, while a small number of them attempted to outflank the area from the valley to the north. The skirmish lines were spread out so wide that they almost filled the entire eastern slope.

Yanjia Mountain is about 240 meters above sea level and has a gentle slope, but its ridgeline is long and full of gullies, making it suitable for setting up infantry defense lines and digging a series of foxholes.

The 31st Division used natural ravines to build two lines of defense, each consisting of several trenches. The first line of defense was set up on the hillside, while the artillery battalion was deployed on the flat ground on the southeast side of the mountaintop.

Most of the 31st Division's heavy equipment was consumed at Taierzhuang. The Northwest Army was far from its base in the Northwest and received almost no replenishment. It had few heavy machine guns and artillery left and relied entirely on light weapons to keep up appearances.

After receiving support from Zhao Yunwen, they became much more confident, especially with the 20 Type 92 heavy machine guns, which proved to be a great help.

The Type 8 heavy machine gun was not considered a weapon in Europe and America, but it was a killing machine on the Eastern battlefield. Even a Japanese battalion was only equipped with eight of them, and its role was particularly evident in defensive battles.

When the Japanese skirmishers advanced to the foot of the mountain, a barrage of fire from more than a dozen heavy machine guns held them back.

Where the machine gun swept, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and the further they advanced, the denser the bullets became, which did not seem like a case of insufficient supplies.

The infantry company of Murai Battalion charged under a hail of bullets, suffering heavy casualties. Major Murai, his face ashen, roared:

"Baka yarou! Wasn't it said that the 31st Division was poorly equipped? Where did all these heavy machine guns come from?!"

The adjutant continued, saying:

"Judging from the sound, many of them are Type 92 heavy machine guns produced by the Empire, mixed with a small number of Maxim guns. It seems that the 20th Regiment abandoned a lot of equipment, which was captured by the Chinese."

"You bunch of useless trash! Get the infantry artillery squad to suppress them quickly!!"

Major Murai was furious. He had hoped to get a bargain, but it turned out to be different from what he had imagined.

Captain Kumagai, the company commander, was already swearing loudly down the hillside. His soldiers were falling one after another, and casualties had exceeded 30%. They hadn't even reached the edge of the defenders' position.

As one of the two leading squadrons, the Kumagai Squadron suffered heavy casualties and could not advance at all, so they could only lie still.

"Baka yarou! Call for fire support immediately!"

"Where are our cannons?"

"A bunch of useless trash, go for it!"

Captain Kumagai kept urging his soldiers to charge, ignoring the hail of bullets.

On the defending position, machine gunner Zhang Chaoming had already emptied two magazines and exclaimed how satisfying it was.

The assistant gunner had already installed the third ammunition retainer. Thirty rounds of ammunition would be enough for him to "rat-a-tat-tat" for a while. The Type 92 heavy machine gun had a slow rate of fire, strong stability, and high accuracy. Zhang Chaoming was getting into the swing of things.

He was a true veteran, having crawled out of the piles of corpses at Taierzhuang, and had a special sensitivity to the dangers of the battlefield.

After firing three bursts in succession, he ordered his men to help him move to a new position. Just as the machine gun was withdrawn into the trench, a 70mm shell landed nearby.

Shrapnel flew everywhere, but Zhang Chaoming was lucky enough to escape unharmed once again.

The 31st Division had experienced brutal urban warfare, and its veterans and officers had a wealth of combat experience. They were always able to dodge fatal blows by anticipating the attacks.

After Zhang Chaoming's machine gun team moved to their new positions, the Japanese soldiers charged up again. He was so excited that his face turned red. He fired several bursts of fire, taking down three Japanese soldiers and pinning the remaining ones down on the hillside.

Bullets whizzed around Zhang Chaoming's head; they were all machine gun rounds. The Japanese machine gun company was providing continuous suppressive fire, offering fire support to the infantry.

The Type 92 heavy machine gun weighs 55.3 kg, has a sight range of 2400 meters, and can reach up to 4000 meters. Its theoretical rate of fire is 450 rounds per minute, but in practice it only fires 200 rounds per minute.

After taking over the heavy machine guns, the 31st Division hastily constructed a dedicated firing position, just large enough to fit a tripod. The overhead was covered with a wooden shield, and the vegetation provided camouflage, which could block most of the shrapnel damage.

These bunkers are similar to simple pillboxes, but they are semi-open. There is one every few dozen meters, embedded in the trenches. They can be used for both fighting and hiding, and are located deep within the defensive line.

Relying on his battlefield experience, Zhang Chaoming switched between three firing positions, dodging two artillery attacks.

The Japanese continued their breakthrough, advancing several dozen meters further into the range of light weapons. The defenders opened fire with their light machine guns and rifles almost simultaneously, and occasionally threw down a few grenades.

The casualties of the Murai Battalion were increasing significantly, and their offensive was temporarily halted; any further advance would be suicide.

Major Murai could only call for reinforcements from the field artillery battalion. The 16th Division's regimental artillery included a howitzer company, an infantry gun company, and six mortars, for a total of 6 artillery pieces.

The mortars were assigned to three infantry battalions, but even that wasn't enough to meet the needs, so they had to call in artillery support.

The shells were all being fired into the deep positions, targeting the defending troops' machine guns, which posed a huge threat.

Seeing the Japanese artillerymen's unusual arrogance, Chi Fengcheng coldly shouted:

"You really think I can't retaliate? Immediately order the artillery battalion to blow up those damn artillerymen!"

After Chi Fengcheng had his artillery battalion, he became much more assertive and stopped being passively attacked. Occasionally, he would fire a few rounds of artillery shells, which deterred the Japanese artillery from acting recklessly.

Shells fell from the flank of Hill 240, destroying two Japanese artillery pieces, prompting Colonel Kojiro, the regimental commander, to shout in alarm:

"Watch out for Chinese artillery! Move out of here immediately!"

Outside the command post at Yingzui Mountain on the northern front, Zhao Yunwen was observing the battle through binoculars, showing no intention of providing fire support.

The Japanese attack was only at the battalion level, and he believed that the 31st Division could handle it on its own. This was just the appetizer; the real test was yet to come.

323rd Division Commander Qiu Fengzi leaned over and said:

"The 31st Division is quite formidable. The Japanese offensive has been halted. They're delusional to think they can capture Yanjia Mountain with just one battalion!"

Zhao Yunwen put down his binoculars and said calmly:

"The Japanese were only launching a probing attack. It's like two masters sparring; they won't go all out until they've figured out each other's strengths and weaknesses."

The terrain at the gorge is very suitable for defense. As long as the Japanese do not launch a surprise attack from the flank, they will have to pay with their lives if they want to take over the position.

The 31st Division could even hold Taierzhuang, let alone Yanjia Mountain; their potential has not yet been fully realized.

"Our firepower is still too weak. Should we send in a few rounds of support from the mountain artillery battalion?"

Since following Zhao Yunwen, Qiu Fengzi's level of understanding has improved considerably. If it were before, he wouldn't care about the lives of the miscellaneous soldiers, which is a common problem among most officers of the Central Army.

Zhao Yunwen shook his head and said:

"No rush. We should use our best resources where they are most needed. Providing support when it is truly necessary will yield unexpected results."

Qiu Fengzi didn't say anything more. The 31st Division was just a whetstone for the Japanese. The real threat was at Eagle Beak Mountain.

At the forward positions of Yanjia Mountain, the sun was already high in the sky. After half a day of fierce fighting, the Murai Brigade had failed to make any real breakthrough, and the position was still firmly in the hands of the 93rd Brigade.

After half a day of fierce fighting, the Murai Battalion had suffered more than half its casualties, and the position could not be captured after a long siege. Colonel Koji had no choice but to order them to withdraw from the battle.

Although Major Murai was unwilling, he was ordered to retreat, and the first attack ended in failure.

The online store, the Fifth War Zone Command Headquarters, and a gathering of generals.

Acting Commander Bai Jiansheng is closely monitoring the battle at the front, especially in the direction of the gorge, which is crucial to the safety of Shangcheng.

Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou leaned over and said:

"The gorge has been attacked, and the city is no longer safe. Should we retreat to Wangxinyang City first?"

Bai Jiansheng shook his head and said:

"No, retreating now will inevitably affect the morale of the troops. The gorge is 30 miles away from the county town, so even if it is breached, there will be time to react."

Send men to keep a close watch on the gorge; do not retreat until it is breached!

Xu Yanmou stopped insisting and started talking about something else:

"General Zhao is indeed wealthy and generous. He not only gave the 31st Division dozens of captured light and heavy machine guns, but also added eight artillery pieces."

This time, Chi Fengcheng is even more powerful than before!

"Brother Yan, in your opinion, if supplies are in place, can Zhao Yunwen hold the pass?"

Xu Yanmou shook his head and said:

"There is no pass that cannot be breached in the world, and the gorge is no exception. It all depends on how many days we can hold it."

The enemy's Second Army consisted of four and a half divisions, with the main force being the 13th and 16th Divisions. They suffered no less than 20,000 casualties at Fujin Mountain, and even with reinforcements, their combat strength was greatly weakened.

Coupled with the losses in other directions, their morale has been greatly reduced. If they can hold out at the gorge for another seven days or more and kill a few thousand Japanese soldiers, the Second Army's offensive power will be halved.

What else could they possibly use to capture Xinyang City?

The Fifth Theater Command had already conducted a simulation of this strategy. The victory at Fujinshan was even more brilliant because of the addition of the 323rd Division, while the core of the 72nd Army remained intact.

With this in mind, Bai Jiansheng stopped worrying and strengthened his resolve to continue fighting. He said in a deep voice:

"We must ensure the supply of the front-line troops and not let the soldiers fight on an empty stomach. The mall should also gradually withdraw some personnel and supplies to avoid any disruptions at critical moments."

Telegraph Zhao Yunwen, explaining the consequences and instructing him to hold out for at least seven days. After seven days, he will be granted the authority to act as he sees fit!