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

As the 646th Regiment was closing in, the artillery company directly under its command switched to attacking reinforcements, bombarding the Second Battalion with shells to slow down their reinforcements.

Sui Youlan, determined to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, issued the order for a general attack. The resounding bugle call echoed through the sky, chilling all who heard it.

More than a thousand soldiers rushed out of the ravine and charged into the depression like tigers descending the mountain. Hand grenades cleared the way, and they fired as they charged. 60mm mortars provided long-range support, and in an instant, they overwhelmed the Japanese.

The 646th Regiment fought with great determination, pursuing speed and a swift victory, even at a certain cost.

After the Battle of Xiakou, the 16th Division's battalion was severely understaffed, and despite multiple replenishments, it still only had eight or nine hundred men.

The Shinohara Battalion had lost more than 200 men in the previous ambush, and was ambushed a second time. Under the powerful firepower of the 646th Regiment, more than half of them were killed or wounded.

When the 646th Regiment launched its general offensive, the Shinohara Battalion had only 400 or so remaining soldiers, many of whom were wounded. Their morale was low and they had no will to fight.

After the soldiers rushed into the depression, they killed any Japanese soldiers they saw with overwhelming speed and swiftness, leaving the Japanese with no hope.

At this time, the Second Battalion was hit by artillery fire, its formation was disrupted, and the speed of reinforcements dropped sharply. They were also worried about getting themselves into trouble.

The 646th Regiment, with two battalions totaling over 1500 soldiers, surrounded and killed more than 400 Japanese remnants with incredible speed, overwhelming them with a single charge and forcibly swallowing up the Shinohara Battalion right under the noses of the Japanese.

Pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth—this is a risky move, but worthwhile.

Sui Youlan kept Zhao Yunwen's instructions firmly in mind: it's better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten, even if it comes at a great cost.

The First and Third Battalions executed this tactic very well, and their encirclement and annihilation of the remnants of the Shinohara Battalion was swift, accurate, and ruthless. When the vanguard of the Second Battalion arrived, the First and Third Battalions switched positions and each rushed up the opposite ridge.

The heavy machine guns left behind had already turned their muzzles eastward, firing at the reinforcements from hundreds of meters away, effectively keeping the Second Battalion out of the battlefield and causing them to pay a heavy price.

The Japanese soldiers were also fierce. In order to rescue Shinohara's battalion, they rushed forward at all costs, but they were still a step too slow and only managed to rescue a few dozen survivors, including Major Shinohara. The old Japanese soldier was incredibly tough.

The Japanese troops of the Second Battalion did not enter the depression, but instead spread out to both flanks to compete with the 646th Regiment for the hill.

The 646th Regiment did not engage in battle, but left a part to block the enemy while the main force retreated westward.

The rearguard fought and retreated, and soon received support from the previously "defeated" Second Battalion. They were already on high alert, and the dense barrage of bullets calmed down the pursuing Second Battalion.

The Second Battalion had only feigned defeat. After completing its mission of luring the enemy, it seized advantageous terrain, switched to defense, and set up machine guns and artillery to wait for the Japanese to arrive.

The Second Battalion, intending to strike while the iron was hot, kicked a hornet's nest, suffering over a hundred casualties before halting the pursuit and setting up a standoff with the Second Battalion.

The Japanese reinforcements, the Third Battalion, arrived one after another, splitting their forces to flank and outflank the Second Battalion, attempting to cut off their retreat.

Battalion Commander Gu Lei did not linger in battle. Before the Japanese troops could maneuver to their positions, he decisively ordered a retreat, leaving the difficult choice to the enemy.

To pursue or not to pursue?

Although the Japanese were arrogant, they were also aware of the situation and knew that continuing the pursuit would be quite risky.

The Shinohara Battalion had been annihilated, a lesson learned the hard way. After careful consideration, the Second Battalion Commander ultimately decided to halt the pursuit.

The gunfire ceased, and half an hour later, Kondo Gen arrived with his regimental headquarters. Witnessing the horrific scene of the Japanese soldiers in the depression, he completely lost his temper, slapping Major Shinohara's head until it was swollen, and shouting:

"You idiot, how dare you come back alive!"

"You have utterly disgraced the Imperial Army; apologize to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Major Shinohara was deathly pale. He had barely escaped with his life, but the regimental commander had extinguished his last hope.

He looked to his senior staff officer for help, but the officer pretended not to see it. Someone had to take the blame for the destruction of the First Battalion.

Major Shinohara looked at Colonel Kondo again, who gripped the hilt of his sword with disgust. If he didn't commit seppuku, Colonel Kondo wouldn't mind making him take responsibility in an even more undignified way.

Major Shinohara's fate was sealed; even the strongest will couldn't save him. He could only slowly crawl out of his short sword and bow deeply to his friend, Major Okubo.

"Okubo-kun, please!"

After Major Shinohara finished speaking, he knelt down and faced east, the direction of his home, but sadly, he could never go back.

"His Majesty the Emperor Itaya!"

Major Shinohara raised his short sword high and plunged it into his lower abdomen. Okubo swiftly brought the sword down, ending Major Shinohara's suffering and sending him on his final journey.

Colonel Kondo waved his hand dismissively, and several orderly came over to carry Shinohara's body away. Several key officers looked solemn.

It's no wonder Major Shinohara was caught off guard; who could have imagined being ambushed? Anyone else would have fared much better.

The rabbit is dead and the fox is sad!

Japanese soldiers were handling the aftermath; the corpses were piled up in layers, with thick weeds and dry branches underneath, just waiting to be burned to ashes.

"Gentlemen, the Shinohara Battalion has been almost completely annihilated, and the Chinese are still resisting the Imperial Army. Do you have any good strategies?"

The senior staff officer stepped forward and said:

"Send out search teams to search along the way, especially in densely wooded areas, where ambushes can easily be hidden. We can't let the Chinese be so arrogant anymore."

Second Battalion Commander Major Okubo said worriedly:

"If that's the case, the marching speed will be greatly reduced, and we'll miss our chance to win."

"Okubo-kun, do you have a better idea?"

Okubo was speechless for a moment. He was good at military campaigns, but this matter that required thinking was really difficult for him.

Other Japanese soldiers didn't have any good solutions either; harassing them along the way was an open strategy, which was very annoying.

Seeing that there was no better way, Colonel Kondo could only adopt the advice of his senior staff and send out a search team to scout along the route in order to avoid being attacked again.

After the aftermath of Shinohara Battalion's death was handled, the 38th Regiment continued its westward advance. Colonel Kondo was no longer as composed as before; the lesson of nearly a thousand casualties was too profound.

Since the search party was dispatched, the 38th Infantry Regiment's marching speed has slowed significantly, but fortunately, the effect has been obvious, and they have not been attacked again.

Colonel Kondo smiled, a rare sight on his face, and was about to order a halt for lunch when a series of explosions came from ahead.

Colonel Kondo's heart tightened, and he coldly shouted:

"Baka yarou, what's going on?"

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, and then many people came forward to report:

"Commander, the Okubo Battalion has strayed into a minefield, suffering several casualties. The engineers are currently clearing the mines."

"What?! Landmines!"

Colonel Kondo felt a chill run down his spine. This thing wasn't particularly lethal, but it was very annoying.

They could go around it, but the main force of the division couldn't, so they had to order a stop to rest, send out guards to both flanks, and have the others eat quickly.

In the minefield, several sappers were carefully clearing mines. The search team had significantly increased their vigilance and thoroughly searched all suspicious areas, but found no attackers.

Sergeant Riverside was cautious by nature. He always felt that there were eyes watching them, so he suggested to the squad leader:

"Squad leader, that grove of trees to the side looks strange. May I take some men there to take a look?"

The squad leader's patience had long since worn thin. After searching the area, he hadn't seen a single Chinese person, or even a ghost. He impatiently refused.

"No need. The Chinese are cowards. They only dare to plant a few landmines to disgust the Imperial Army."

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light dazzled his eyes, and the sergeant instinctively turned his gaze toward the thicket of trees.

A crisp gunshot rang out, the squad leader's helmet was blown off, and his neck was snapped by the immense kinetic energy.

The sergeant discovered the gunman's hiding place in the thicket he had previously been watching, confirming his suspicions once again.

"Enemy attack! The woods at two o'clock! Charge!"

The Japanese soldiers in the search team opened fire towards the grove, rushing forward as they ran, forming a fan shape to surround the target.

Inside the grove, sniper Ye Fan was not intimidated by the Japanese soldiers' imposing presence. He could handle just a dozen or so Japanese soldiers, not to mention the four combat teams surrounding him.

Ye Fan fired more to lure the Japanese soldiers over. Having achieved his objective, he fired another shot, less than 400 meters away.

This distance was as easy as target practice for a sniper equipped with a scope; a Japanese soldier on the left flank fell to the ground.

Provocation, blatant provocation!

Ye Fan's actions were like setting off a powder keg. A dozen Japanese soldiers opened fire on the grove, bullets whizzing around, all aimed at him.

Ye Fan quickly changed firing positions, his movements as agile as a lynx, the bullets seemed to be chasing after him, making the Japanese soldiers scream in excitement.

They saw clearly that it was just one person, twelve against one, and the Japanese soldiers were full of confidence.

The distance between the two sides was rapidly closing, and just as the Japanese were about to encircle Ye Fan, the squads on both flanks suddenly opened fire.

Two Garand semi-automatic rifles and four Springfield bolt-action rifles fired their bullets at the Japanese soldiers almost simultaneously, creating a 120-degree crossfire.

Caught off guard, the Japanese soldiers were knocked to the ground one after another. Only then did the sergeant realize that he had been tricked, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"There's an ambush! Quickly retreat!"

The sergeant tried to escape with the remaining six Japanese soldiers, but Ye Fan's gunshot rang out again, and the one who fell was an old soldier who served as the squad leader.

The Japanese soldiers had only run a few dozen meters when three more soldiers appeared from their left rear, this time firing from behind. The leader was a submachine gunner.

The sergeant was utterly desperate. He understood the threat of reverse fire better than anyone, and cried out in despair:

"don't want!"

"Tap tap tap..."

A hail of bullets swept over, and the sergeant fell, riddled with bullets, his good luck finally gone.

"Kill the chickens, don't let them get away!"