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

After rushing out of the command post, Zhao Yunwen discovered that the Japanese had launched an attack from three directions: left, center, and right. The 16th Division was attacking Yingzui Mountain from the left, the central division was attacking the main canyon of Xiakou from the center, and the 13th Division was attacking Yanjia Mountain from the right.

Qiu the Madman leaned over and said:

"Commander, the Japanese aren't giving up. Prepare for another night battle!"

Zhao Yunwen activated the night vision function on the minimap, taking in the Japanese troops' deployment. Finding no enemy attempting a flanking maneuver, he immediately waved his hand and said:

"It's alright. If the Japanese want to fight, we'll fight them. We'll meet them head-on. Tell all units to remain calm and defend their positions. All we need to do is repel the enemy."

Both sides had already laid out their cards; their troop strength and positions were all there, and the Japanese couldn't come up with any new tricks.

With poor visibility at night, it was easy for the fighting to turn into a chaotic melee. In order to reduce casualties, Zhao Yunwen chose a restrained fighting style and simply held his position.

The 323rd Division would launch a round of illumination flares every so often, keeping the Japanese movements under control and preventing them from sneaking up on the defenders' positions under the cover of darkness.

The main gorge in the middle was only about 90 meters wide. The 646th Regiment of the 323rd Division sent out a battalion to deploy in echelon defenses. With only a dozen machine guns and a large number of hand grenades, they blocked the Japanese and killed so many Japanese corpses that they almost blocked the passage, layer upon layer.

Eagle Beak Mountain on the left flank remained the focus of the Japanese attack. By 2 a.m., Zhao Yunwen made adjustments, ordering the 645th Regiment to abandon the first line of defense. The 650th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 646th Regiment also retreated to defend the core position on the mountaintop.

After the breakthrough on the left flank, the morale of the 16th Division soared. Division Commander Fujie Eipu also deployed the 20th Infantry Regiment to the battlefield, attempting to take the summit of Eagle's Beak in one fell swoop.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers covered the hillside, attacking the main position on the summit from multiple directions. After the 645th and 650th Regiments retreated to the main position, the troops and firepower became even more concentrated. Bullets rained down on the Japanese soldiers like a storm. The 60mm and 20mm mortars were incredibly powerful, and grenades rained down everywhere. The Japanese soldiers finally witnessed the terrifying firepower of the 323rd Division, and their casualties increased exponentially.

It was only then that Fujie Eipu realized that capturing the first position was not a good thing. After the infantry went up the mountain, the two sides' battle lines were only a few dozen meters apart, which greatly hampered the Japanese artillery group. When they concentrated their fire, they were likely to blow up their own men.

At first, Fujie Eipu didn't pay much attention, and the division's artillery bombarded indiscriminately. As a result, most of the shells landed on the heads of the attacking troops or flew over the mountaintop, causing far less damage to the defenders than to themselves.

With the artillery support significantly reduced in effectiveness, the Japanese offensive became weak and ineffective, lacking impact. Although it appeared to be a fierce battle, in reality, it was only the Japanese casualties that were increasing unilaterally. The 323rd Division fought with great composure, and its positions remained unshaken.

The right flank was less successful. After suffering heavy casualties, the main force of the 13th Division attacked the main position of Yanjiashan, and the two sides then engaged in a melee and hand-to-hand combat.

At the most critical moment, all reserves were committed to the battle, and Chi Fengcheng personally led the special operations battalion to reinforce them, which finally stabilized the battle line.

The remnants of the 65th Regiment, the cavalry regiment, and the 181st Regiment all joined the battle, resulting in a chaotic melee. The 182nd Regiment and the cavalry company south of Shangcheng remained unused, guarding against the Japanese flanking maneuvers to attack Shangcheng.

"Commander, things are in chaos, completely in chaos. The battle lines have been disrupted, and both sides are engaged in a fierce melee. The 645th and 650th Regiments are also in disarray, and it's all a mess."

Qiu the Madman rushed over to report, but Zhao Yunwen remained calm and said:

"Then let's fight a chaotic battle. Whether it's the 323rd Division or the 31st Division, they are both seasoned veterans and won't suffer losses in a melee."

We still have two reserve battalions; there shouldn't be any major problems.

Zhao Yunwen's composure in the face of crisis gave the officers and soldiers of the command post great confidence. If necessary, the supply battalion could also be put into battle. The 323rd Division also had a supplementary regiment, two battalions of the 646th Regiment, and the supply battalion as reserves, so they still had enough cards to play.

The supplementary regiment still has more than 1800 men, which Zhao Yunwen kept to reinforce the 31st Division. This fully armed unit is also quite powerful.

The chaotic battle continued until dawn. Chi Fengcheng never asked Zhao Yunwen for help, managing to withstand the full force of the 13th Division's attack. Even Qiu Fengzi admired him, saying:

"As expected of the heroic troops from Taierzhuang, they are incredibly tough. I, Qiu, am truly impressed!"

The Northwest Army was good at fighting fierce battles, chaotic battles, and battles that would wipe out entire families. It was understandable that a Central Army general like Qiu Fengzi had prejudices. Zhao Yunwen knew this. Could the 13th Division be compared with the Isogai and Itagaki Divisions?

"Yu Yan, the 31st Division is far more resilient than you imagine. There are other strong armies besides the Tiger Army. If we can give them the same equipment, the Japanese won't be so arrogant."

After a series of fierce battles, Qiu Fengzi had become a capable and trusted right-hand man of Zhao Yunwen. He did not want the latter to become arrogant and disdainful of everyone, which was a common problem among generals of the Central Army.

He's truly a formidable fighter, and he's also genuinely arrogant.

Maweilan rushed in to report:

"Commander, the Japanese are retreating!"

Zhao Yunwen remained calm and composed, simply nodding and saying:

"Hurry up and rescue the wounded, restore the position, tally the battle results, and prepare for the next battle."

"I've been up all night, I'm going to take a nap first, Yuyan will handle the cleanup."

After Zhao Yunwen finished speaking, he fell asleep immediately. The others were already used to it, and he was happy to see it. He wasn't afraid of his superiors shirking their responsibilities; he was afraid of having to do everything himself, which was thankless and exhausting.

At the 16th Division headquarters, Fujie Eipu, who had stayed up all night, was in poor spirits. He was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, his voice was hoarse, and he didn't even have the energy to curse.

Chief of Staff Saburo Nakazawa reported the losses in a deep voice; the figures were chilling. Fujie Eipu's face twitched with pain.

"Baka yarou, that's enough, I don't want to hear that!"

"The 323rd Division has lost most of its positions and is now retreating to a tiny patch of land on the hilltop. Why can't they take it? Are they all incompetent?"

Several regiments lowered their heads in shame. They couldn't understand what was going on. They were just one step away, but they just couldn't get through.

They turned to Nakazawa Saburo for help, who had no choice but to step forward and say:

"The Chinese firepower was too intense; the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, and the Imperial Army's artillery was hesitant to fire its own cannons—"

"You idiot! That's just an excuse!"

Fujie Hewlett finally snapped, unable to tolerate it any longer, and everyone else fell silent.

Colonel Koji Kenji, commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment, stepped forward and volunteered for battle:

"Your Excellency, we did not perform well tonight. Please allow me to lead my warriors on one more attack. We will not retreat until we have captured Eagle Beak Mountain."

The other regimental commanders also volunteered, their spirits high. Fujie Eipu's expression softened, and he said with satisfaction:

"Yosh, this is the true warrior of the empire. He is not afraid of setbacks, but he is afraid of losing his fighting spirit."

His Highness the Prince is concerned about the battle at the gorge and has dispatched the 10th Division to reinforce the area. Its vanguard, the Raigaku Brigade, is expected to arrive this afternoon.

The reason I launched the general offensive before this was to prevent the 10th Division from reaping the rewards, but now it seems unavoidable.

Fujie Eipu's last sentence sounded somewhat disheartened. Several regimental commanders were unwilling, but they could only accept reality and share the spoils with the 10th Division.

Fujie Hepburn has accepted reality and raised his voice to say:

"The battle at the gorge cannot be delayed any longer! The three major divisions are launching a combined attack on the gorge. His Highness the Prince has designated me to take overall command. You all must give it your all and absolutely not let His Highness down!"

All the Japanese soldiers stood up in unison to express their stance, shouting slogans that shook the heavens.

Fujie Heipu then announced a suspension of attacks for the morning, with each regiment resting in place. The division headquarters redeployed supply and engineering troops to replenish losses, and all auxiliary troops were redeployed, but this still could not make up for the losses, with each regiment being short by about 20%.

The situation was even worse for the 13th Division, which suffered more than half its casualties. Each regiment had less than 70% of its personnel remaining, and the cavalry and artillery regiments were severely damaged, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness.

After dismissing the regimental commanders, Fujie Eifu, along with Nakazawa Saburo and his staff, began to formulate a new operational plan. The key to breaking the deadlock lay with the Raiya Brigade.

Zhao Yunwen slept until the sun was high in the sky, when his stomach started growling loudly. He then woke up, quickly washed up, and Ma Weilan brought him food.

Zhao Yunwen listened to the report while eating:

"In the fierce battle last night, my 323rd Division suffered nearly a thousand casualties, including 272 killed in action, 456 seriously wounded, and more than 200 others with serious injuries."

The Japanese left behind more than 1200 corpses and many wounded soldiers. They also captured over 800 rifles and pistols, 37 grenade launchers, and a quantity of ammunition and supplies.

Zhao Yunwen's face remained largely unchanged, and he continued to ask:

"How's it going with the 31st Division?"

"The casualties were heavy. Less than 1500 men from the 93rd Brigade were still able to fight. The 181st Regiment suffered more than 30% casualties, and even the Special Service Battalion suffered hundreds of casualties."

More than 800 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded, and the cavalry regiment annihilated more than 200 enemy soldiers. The 13th Division was already exhausted.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yunwen said:

"Send a supplementary regiment to reinforce the troops. Tell Commander Chi that the Japanese are reinforcing their troops. The troops south of Shangcheng must not be moved. They must hold Yanjia Mountain. If necessary, the defensive line can be contracted."

Ma Weilan had just received news of the Japanese reinforcements, while Zhao Yunwen was still asleep when he found out. This amazed Ma Weilan, who was filled with admiration.

"Commander, the cavalry regiment reports that they have spotted a large number of Japanese soldiers heading towards the gorge. Judging from their flags, they are the 10th Division."

Zhao Yunwen will fill the gaps in his knowledge:

"As expected, the Japanese won't let the battle at the gorge drag on for long; it's only a matter of time before they send reinforcements!"