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

Yangang, the temporary command post of the 646th Regiment

Chief of Staff Lebohe came over with a stern face to report:

"Last night, the Japanese devils massacred Caozhai and several surrounding villages. According to Cao's third son, who escaped from Caozhai, the Japanese devils not only killed dozens of Cao family members, but also went on a rampage, looting and committing a horrific tragedy."

Sui Youlan slammed his fist on the table, his eyes wide with anger, and shouted:

"Those sons of bitches!"

"Immediately send people to forcibly evacuate the people on both sides of the road and let them avoid the storm for a while."

Blood debts can only be repaid with blood!

The Japanese soldiers massacred the Cao family, looting a large amount of property and food. They then expanded the operation, slaughtering three surrounding villages.

When Kondo left Cao's stronghold, he ordered his men to paint a large line of characters on the wall of the stronghold: "Specially fight the Tiger Army!"

"Commander, I suspect this is a Japanese conspiracy to lure my troops into settling scores and seeking revenge."

Sui Youlan forced himself to calm down and said in a deep voice:

"The more frantic the Japanese devils are, the more painful it is. We must settle the score, but not now."

Inform the reconnaissance company to continue harassing the Japanese; fight if you can win, retreat if you can't.

"Brothers of the cavalry regiment, clear out the surrounding Japanese devils! I'll make them blind and deaf! The main force will ambush them west of Mengjiaji. I'll make these beasts pay the price!"

The 38th Infantry Regiment did not linger in Cao Village. After breakfast, they set off and left, even burning the village down to cover up their crimes.

The Japanese continued to lead the way with the Second Battalion, and they sent out a large number of guards to both flanks, but they were all wiped out by the cavalry regiment.

The 38th Infantry Regiment advanced along the main road, repelling two attacks by the Tiger Army. This made the colonel very proud, and he said smugly:

"They are truly pathetic. Order Okubo-kun to speed up the march; we will spend the night in Yangang Town."

Having tasted success, Colonel Kondo prepared to revel again in Yangang. The other Japanese soldiers understood his intentions and laughed recklessly.

The Okubo Battalion was proceeding methodically, with the search teams checking suspicious points on both sides of the main road one by one with great caution.

After receiving orders from the regimental headquarters, Major Okubo gave the search team a good scolding, and afterwards their speed noticeably increased, no longer crawling like a tortoise.

West of Mengjiaji, at the ambush position of the 646th Regiment, the Japanese troops of the 2nd Battalion came in a large force, and the search team acted as if it were just a formality.

Sui Youlan did not make a move, but let them pass, allowing them to advance unimpeded.

At this moment, there was a gap of about two kilometers between the Second Battalion and the main force of the 38th Regiment. Sui Youlan had been waiting for this opportunity, but he was still worried that there was not enough time.

"Chief of Staff Yue, send men to intercept the Japanese vanguard in front of their lines. They must only be allowed to lose, not win, so as to make them arrogant and lure them into pursuit, thus creating distance between us."

Sui Youlan's target was always the main force of the 38th Infantry Regiment, which was lagging behind. In order to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, he did not hesitate to use the entire regiment and the cavalry regiment.

When the second echelon of Japanese soldiers arrived at the ambush area in a grand procession, intense gunfire erupted ahead, startling Colonel Kondo into halting his troops and immediately switching to a defensive posture.

Senior staff officer Major Nishimoto pricked up his ears and said:

"It's German-made. Looks like Okubo-kun is in trouble again. They're about two kilometers away. Should we speed up and head to their aid?"

Colonel Kondo waved his hand and said:

"Don't panic. There aren't many Chinese. They're just trying to block and delay the Imperial Army. Trust Okubo-kun."

Major Nishimoto realized that the number of attackers was small and that the Second Battalion could easily handle them, so he kept quiet.

Before long, the gunfire subsided, growing fainter and fainter in the distance, and reports from the front lines began to come back:

"The Second Battalion was harassed by a small group of Chinese troops, which has been defeated and is now in pursuit."

"Wow, Mr. Okubo is truly valiant! The Chinese think they can stop the Imperial Army from besieging Xinyang with these underhanded tactics? That's wishful thinking!"

Colonel Kondo quickly made a decision and then ordered them to continue advancing, plunging into the hunting grounds that the 646th Regiment had carefully prepared for them.

Since the Second Battalion had passed through smoothly, the Japanese soldiers, from top to bottom, assumed it was safe, so Colonel Kondo was in a very relaxed mood.

Pointing to the high ground to the side with his riding crop, he said:

"I think the commander of the Tiger Legion is nothing special. The terrain here is very suitable for harassment, especially the high ground at one o'clock. Although it is not steep, it can overlook the surrounding area."

"If we set up artillery here, we'll definitely make the Imperial Army suffer a crushing defeat!"

Major Nishimoto's expression changed drastically. He recalled how Cao Cao's smile in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" could ruin everything, and a sudden, inexplicable chill ran through him. He exclaimed in alarm:

"Commander, there's an ambush!"

"Boom boom boom..."

A volley of shells rained down from the sky, landing in the area where the regimental headquarters was located, instantly killing dozens of people and cutting the long, serpentine formation in half.

The sudden turn of events nearly threw Colonel Kondo off his horse, and he lost all his previous high spirits.

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the squad leader!"

Major Nishimoto was very active, and the shells fell in rows, hitting the snake's vital spot.

The Japanese troops were in complete disarray, unable to attend to both ends. Colonel Kondo couldn't find his officers, and the officers couldn't find their soldiers, resulting in a temporary loss of consciousness.

This was exactly the effect Sui Youlan wanted. He hadn't originally intended to target the main force of the Japanese regiment; the risk was too great.

The incident at Caozhai touched a nerve. If the Japanese dared to slaughter innocent people at will, he would make them pay the price, even if it meant sacrificing the 646th Regiment.

He concentrated all the artillery in the regiment, intending to deliver a powerful blow and knock the Japanese out, and the effect was better than expected.

Taking advantage of his illness to finish him off, Sui Youlan decisively gave the order:

"Chief of staff, give the signal immediately: open fire for the entire regiment!"

Three red signal flares soared into the sky, and the entire regiment opened fire on the Japanese almost simultaneously, the intensity of the firepower leaving the Japanese in despair.

In a short time, more than half of the Japanese soldiers inside the encirclement were killed or wounded, and the rest lost their will to fight and scrambled to escape eastward, where the main force of the division was located.

Sui Youlan left an infantry battalion to guard the vanguard on the west side, and the artillery also turned their guns around to prevent the Japanese Second Battalion from counterattacking.

The two main battalions surged toward the main road like an overwhelming tide, launching a general offensive against the Japanese and relentlessly pursuing and killing them.

Colonel Kondo finally came to his senses and, protected by his senior staff, fled eastward for his life, with bugles blaring behind him and everyone on edge.

"Baka yarou, those Chinese are so cunning!"

"If you put me down, I will have failed His Majesty's trust!"

Colonel Kondo was unwilling to accept his fate and thought of committing seppuku to prove himself, but Major Nishimoto ignored him and just helped him escape.

Having finally escaped the encirclement, Colonel Kondo couldn't help but laugh:

"The Chinese ultimately lacked sufficient troops, so they could only encircle three sides and leave one open. If they had deployed an additional force to intercept the rear, the Imperial Army would have been unable to escape."

His words were interrupted by the thunderous sound of horses' hooves. The earth was trembling. Colonel Kondo's first thought was, "Is this an earthquake?"

Major Nishimoto screamed in terror, his eyes filled with despair:

"Baka yarou, they're cavalry, Chinese cavalry!"

"We're doomed!"

This isn't a case of surrounding three sides while leaving one open; it's a complete trap.

The cavalry regiment never disappointed the Japanese. They attacked when the Japanese thought they had escaped, extinguishing their last hope.

Two cavalry battalions charged out from the open ground on the left and right flanks at an extremely fast speed, like two giant pincers clamping down on the Japanese soldiers.

The horses' hooves pounded the earth, like hammering at the hearts of the Japanese soldiers, extinguishing their last shred of fighting spirit.

Extreme despair inevitably leads to extreme madness; many Japanese soldiers stopped running, since they couldn't outrun four legs anyway.

They charged at the cavalry, bayonets fixed and shouting.

An officer, sword raised high, shouted the order:

"Warriors, the time has come to serve His Majesty! Kill the chicken!"

"Itaiya!"

"His Majesty the Emperor Itaya!"

More and more Japanese soldiers gathered around him, and soon they formed a torrent that charged towards the cavalry.

The two torrents collided violently, and the Japanese soldiers were sent flying like sacks. Their sabers flashed, and their heads rolled on the ground. The surviving Japanese soldiers were so frightened that they instinctively tried to protect their necks.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great; it was almost a one-sided massacre of the infantry by the cavalry, a truly satisfying defeat.

More and more Japanese soldiers became victims of his blade. Colonel Kondo ran for his life, no longer needing anyone's help, and no longer pretending. There was no room for sentimentality when fleeing for one's life.

Sui Youlan also put down his binoculars, his heart finally at ease. The situation was already decided, and even if the Japanese reinforcements arrived, it wouldn't change the outcome.

East of the ambush area, the Second Battalion was shocked by the commotion caused by the 646th Regiment. Major Okubo reacted quickly and ordered a return to the rescue without hesitation. However, by this time, the distance between the two sides had increased to nearly three kilometers, and it would take at least ten minutes to reach the battlefield.

The 646th Regiment defeated the Japanese troops within the encirclement in just a few minutes, and the cavalry regiment took over the battlefield, making the outcome of the battle a foregone conclusion.

Sui Youlan left one infantry battalion to block reinforcements, with artillery assisting, while two infantry battalions pursued from west to east, coordinating with the cavalry regiment to attack the Japanese from three sides.

The remaining Japanese soldiers scattered like birds and beasts, abandoning countless pieces of equipment and supplies, including the wealth they had looted from Caozhai and several other villages.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the chief of staff came to report:

"Commander, the Japanese soldiers we let through earlier have already attacked!"

Sui Youlan decisively gave the order:

"Fire! Bomb them!"