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

The 65th Infantry Regiment fled in disarray, and its offensive against the 181st Regiment was also suspended. The main force moved towards the regimental headquarters, and the Nakano Battalion became a pawn to be abandoned.

The cavalry on both flanks charged quickly. After suffering some casualties, the second battalion on the left flank arrived, their warhorses charging towards the Japanese with the force of thunder. With their sabers flashing, the Japanese soldiers were either knocked away or cut down to the ground.

Once cavalry charges close to infantry positions, without dedicated anti-cavalry fortifications, they are lambs to the slaughter.

The remaining soldiers of the Nakano Battalion had lost all will to fight and turned to flee for their lives. The officers were also swept up in the chaos. Faced with the surging warhorses, no one was willing to stay behind and take their lives with them.

Just as the left wing was routed, the cavalry on the right wing arrived and similarly crushed the enemy's position. Those Japanese soldiers who blocked the route of attack were smashed to pieces by the warhorses, some even trampled into mincemeat by the horses' hooves.

The Nakano Battalion was completely defeated, and the fleeing Japanese soldiers became prey for the cavalry. Two legs could not outrun four legs, and many Japanese soldiers' heads and bodies separated as they ran, which terrified the other Japanese soldiers who screamed.

Private First Class Oka Jiro was so terrified that he lost control of his bladder and bowels. He held his rifle above his head, knelt on the ground, and begged for mercy, repeatedly muttering:

"Don't kill me, I surrender!"

"Don't chop off my head... Mom, save me!"

The sergeant's warhorse raised its iron hoof high and then stomped down heavily, piercing Okamoto Jiro's belly and spilling his internal organs onto the ground.

He didn't hear the word "surrender" at all. The Japanese soldiers were still holding guns and were die-hards who had to be eliminated.

Major Nakano ran at the front, with only a dozen or so men left around him, as the shouts of battle grew closer and closer.

He immediately gave the order:

"Hold on, everyone. I'm going to ask the regimental commander for reinforcements!"

After Nakano finished speaking, he took off running, leaving a dozen or so Japanese soldiers staring at each other in bewilderment. The sergeant, a die-hard militarist, saw the cavalry appear in his field of vision and, instead of being afraid, roared:

"Warriors, follow me to slaughter all the Chinese!"

"His Majesty the Emperor Itaya!"

Desperate, the Japanese soldiers went berserk, following the sergeant as he charged at the cavalry, determined to fight them to the death.

Seeing that the dozen or so Japanese soldiers not only didn't flee but were charging towards him like madmen, the cavalry platoon leader was initially stunned, then coldly gave the order:

"Kill all these sons of bitches!"

The Japanese soldiers charged forward with bayonets drawn, their eyes filled with madness.

The two torrents collided violently, and the Japanese soldiers were sent flying by the galloping warhorses before they could even get close, without even a chance to draw their bayonets.

With a swing of their sabers, the five remaining Japanese soldiers were all beheaded without exception; this was done intentionally by the cavalry.

I don't know where they heard the rumors from, but they said that the Japanese soldiers were afraid of being beheaded, and that once they were beheaded, they could never be reincarnated and could only become wandering ghosts.

From then on, the cavalrymen developed a fondness for beheading Japanese soldiers.

Thanks to the decisive actions of the Japanese regimental commander, the regimental headquarters escaped and joined up with the main Japanese force, forming a military formation with their backs to the hillside.

The cavalry officer in charge, Fenlu, ordered a halt to the pursuit, leaving the Japanese no chance. They weren't foolish enough to use cavalry to charge the machine gun emplacements.

Although the 65th Regiment headquarters escaped, they left behind a large amount of supplies, which benefited the cavalry regiment.

Yao Wangshan dispatched a battalion to guard the area, while the main force focused on cleaning up the battlefield and also took away the massive amount of supplies from the regimental headquarters by mule and horse.

Colonel Ishibashi watched helplessly as the cavalry cleaned up the battlefield. Having grown up in hardship, he could no longer bear it and clamored to reclaim the supplies.

The senior staff officer quickly stopped him, saying:

"Commander, please calm down. It's just a few supplies. What's wrong with giving them some?"

The Chinese cavalry are too fast; even if we went now, we couldn't catch up.

Major Watanabe, the battalion commander, echoed:

"Commander, the Chinese were prepared long ago. The tactical objective of flanking maneuvers is unlikely to be achieved. The most urgent task is to preserve the main force of the regiment. A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years."

"You bunch of trash! A mere few hundred cavalrymen and you're scared? The warriors of the Empire are invincible!"

Colonel Ishibashi was stubborn and refused to admit his mistake. No one exposed him, and after he uttered a few harsh words, the matter was dropped.

The senior staff officer raised a very practical question:

"Commander, if we move towards the main force of the division now, we will definitely be harassed by the Chinese cavalry, and the casualties will be too great."

"It would be better to switch to a defensive posture on the spot, put pressure on the Chinese, and tie down the enemy on our flank."

Colonel Ishibashi instantly understood the senior staff officer's intention. In his view, this was indeed the safest plan. Flanking maneuvering was also a contribution, and it avoided the heavy losses of a direct assault on the defending forces' positions.

He immediately agreed to the plan, stroking his mustache as he said:

"Goodness, you've thought of everything. Immediately send a telegram to the division commander, saying that China has a strong force on the flank and a large number of cavalry to assist in the battle."

Please allow my unit to flank and contain China's most mobile cavalry force!

The fighting on the southern flank had come to an end. The cavalry regiment reported the situation to headquarters, and Zhao Yunwen's face showed a long-lost smile. Qiu Fengzi happily said:

"The cavalry regiment has once again performed a great service. The commander's decision to bring them here was brilliant. With them holding the perimeter at bay, the pressure on the infantry has been greatly reduced."

Flattery will get you everywhere, and Zhao Yunwen knew Qiu Fengzi was complimenting him, but he didn't want to call him out on it. He just smiled and said:

"The cavalry only serves a diversionary role; to hold the position, we still need the infantry."

The Japanese devils' continuous attacks over the past few days have caused many casualties among our brothers;

"With only one day left to complete the mission, we must secure the last opening, especially tonight, to guard against a night attack by the Japanese."

Before they knew it, only one day and one night remained of the seven-day mission. Qiu Fengzi, seemingly still wanting more, said expectantly:

"We can hold out at the gorge for a while longer; the 323rd Division still has the strength to fight. Given such treacherous terrain, are we really going to give up?"

Zhao Yunwen knew what Qiu Fengzi was thinking, but he didn't want to fight a war that would wipe out the entire family. The 323rd Division was in a better position, but the 31st Division had suffered nearly half its casualties, especially the 93rd Brigade, which had more than a thousand dead and several hundred seriously wounded, leaving only the 182nd Regiment intact.

"Yu Yan, the 323rd Division has been fighting fiercely for over a month, and the soldiers are extremely exhausted. If we continue fighting, it would be irresponsible to our brothers."

With the 13th and 16th Divisions suffering heavy casualties and rendered unable to fight further, and with no new reinforcements arriving from the Japanese 2nd Army, this was the perfect opportunity to withdraw.

After listening, Qiu Fengzi nodded heavily and said:

"I understand. The brothers are indeed very tired and should go back to rest for a while."

"Commander, where do you plan to retreat to?"

Zhao Yunwen glanced around the map and then said:

"Retreat to Xinyang and prepare for the defense of Xinyang!"

Qiu the Madman continued:

"In the past month or so, the main force has already turned Xinyang into an impregnable fortress. It is a more suitable place to fight the Japanese. I am carrying out orders."

"Very good. Of course, we won't be withdrawing tomorrow night. We still need to communicate with the command first. We will withdraw from the position no later than the day after tomorrow night. Please make preparations in advance."

"Boom boom boom..."

"That son of a bitch, they're attacking again! They never stop!"

Zhao Yunwen didn't say much, but picked up his binoculars and rushed out of the command post.

"Yu Yan, come with me to take a look!"