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

At the 16th Division headquarters, Lieutenant General Fujie, the division commander, finally lost his temper and gave Kondo Gen, who had abandoned his troops and fled back in disarray, a severe dressing-down.

"You bastard, coward! You've really opened my eyes!"

"A regimental commander of your rank, abandoning your troops and fleeing for your life! You've utterly disgraced the Imperial Army! Why don't you just die!"

"A disgrace to the empire!"

Colonel Kondo lowered his head and remained silent. Even though Lieutenant General Fujie's words were quite clear, he pretended not to understand and refused to commit seppuku.

At his level, a soldier's honor is nothing; survival comes first. The so-called Bushido is just for fooling lower-ranking idiots, not including regimental commanders and above.

In the end, it was Chief of Staff Saburo Nakazawa who stepped in to smooth things over:

"Commander, even Kondo-kun didn't expect an ambush. Zhao Yunwen is too cunning; he hid a large number of cavalry on the flanks and rear. It was truly remarkable that we were able to withdraw some of our warriors."

It was another typical argument that it wasn't "the Imperial Army was incompetent, but Zhao Yunwen was too cunning." Fujie Eipu was tired of hearing it, but he didn't have a good solution. He couldn't very well cut Colonel Kondo in half.

"If there's a way out, then take it," Lieutenant General Fujie said, slapping Colonel Kondo twice before adding:

"If it weren't for Nakazawa-kun pleading on your behalf, I wouldn't have let you off! Tell me honestly, how many brave soldiers are left in the 38th Infantry Regiment? How much equipment have you lost?"

By this time, Kondo's regiment had joined up with the remnants of the Second Battalion. Only he knew the true extent of their losses, so he could only give a vague report:

"With less than two thousand, heavy weapons losses exceeded 50% in just over 1000."

He didn't know Lieutenant General Fujie's true intentions, so he set up an ambush. 1,900 men was less than 2,000, or even a few hundred. He figured it out himself.

Lieutenant General Fujie asked in vain, but didn't take it seriously; everyone from top to bottom was the same.

He was just looking for a way to save face, and casually added another curse:

"You bastards! Nearly half your troops have been killed or wounded! This is a crime!"

Colonel Kondo stopped arguing, and Lieutenant General Fujie's tone softened noticeably, so the matter came to an end.

Nakazawa Saburo then spoke up:

"The Tiger Army is indeed troublesome. Fortunately, the terrain behind us is more favorable to the Imperial Army. In order to prevent the Chinese from ambushing us, I suggest that the two regiments close the distance between them, not pursue speed, and send more search troops along the way, proceeding step by step."

Once Chinese resistance is detected, engage them head-on, then send a large force to flank them, cutting off their rear and forcing them to abandon their positions.

Lieutenant General Fujie's expression softened, and he nodded, saying:

"Yoshi, Nakazawa-kun's plan is brilliant. Although it will slow down the advance, it is safe and breaks Zhao Yunwen's harassment scheme."

That's settled then. Given the heavy losses suffered by Kondo's regiment, the 20th Infantry Regiment will be the lead force, followed by the 133rd Infantry Regiment, maintaining a distance of no more than three kilometers and ready to provide support at any time.

All the Japanese soldiers bowed and accepted the order. Colonel Nambu, carrying his sword, strode away. This time, it was his turn to lead the way. The lesson of Kondo's regiment must be learned.

The Southern Regiment had previously suffered heavy losses, and Colonel Nanbu almost lost his life. After replenishment, the regiment's strength was only a little over 3100 men.

The main force could not march without roads, and Colonel Nambu had no better solution. He ordered a battalion to lead the way, and sent a search company to each of the left and right flanks, increasing the lateral search distance to 300 meters, leaving no suspicious place unchecked.

This clumsy method was indeed effective, but it sacrificed speed. With frequent stops and starts, the daily march was less than 10 kilometers, which was no different from a snail's pace.

"Boom boom boom!"

Several explosions made Major Jiang Kou, the battalion commander, tense up, fearing another ambush. He coldly shouted:

"Baka yarou, what's going on?"

Not long after, someone came to report:

"Commander, there are landmines on the road. Several brave soldiers have been injured or killed. The engineers are clearing the mines."

Major Eguchi's mentality had been worn down; a few landmines were nothing to him, so he didn't pursue the matter further and coldly recounted:

"When clearing mines, it is essential to prevent Chinese ambushes. The search squadron only needs to control the high points on both flanks, clear all mines, and then advance."

Major Eguchi was very cautious and handled the situation in a proper and conventional manner, no longer pursuing the matter of time.

The minefield was laid by the reconnaissance company of the 646th Regiment. Although the Japanese had backed down, they did not intend to let them pass easily.

Snipers and artillery were constantly provoking the Japanese, especially the search squadron, whose snipers openly opened fire and killed engineers.

Captain Yagi, the search squadron leader, suppressed his impulse and simply ordered the machine guns to fire at a distance, forming a crescent-shaped defensive formation to prevent the reconnaissance company's brothers from getting close.

This turtle-like fighting style is quite ugly, but it is still effective; at least the reconnaissance company dares not send anyone to attack the position.

Seeing that the Japanese soldiers were very calm, Qian Xiaofei, the reconnaissance company commander, came up with another plan and said to the deputy company commander:

"These bastards have become too clever; they don't even dare to pursue them anymore. They're focused on clearing the mines."

Go and inform the mortar unit to give the Japanese a piece of their mind, fire three rounds of ammunition, wipe out their engineers, and see if they can still hold out!

The deputy company commander excitedly accepted the order and left. On the main road, the Japanese had sent several groups of engineers to clear mines, along with more than twenty infantrymen for protection. The outer perimeter was a defensive formation formed by two search companies, making it impossible for the reconnaissance company to get close.

Qian Xiaofei's target was the reconnaissance squadron on the right flank. In field conditions, he was confident that he could inflict heavy losses on the Japanese with just one reconnaissance company.

The troops were ambushed on a small hill more than 400 meters from the road. Such hills are very common on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains, and are covered with miscellaneous trees, making it easy to hide a company.

The mortar and machine gun platoons of the fire support platoon are deployed on the mountaintop. The elevation difference is not significant, but it has a certain suppressive effect on the surrounding area.

The three 60mm mortars were already in place. After receiving instructions from the deputy company commander, the platoon leader immediately adjusted the firing data, locked onto the target, and opened fire.

The action was completed in one smooth motion; three shells left the barrel and crashed into the Japanese troops.

Several engineers were shot down on the spot, and many guards were also killed or wounded. Before they could react, a second round of shells came flying over.

The M2 mortar has a combat rate of fire of up to 20 rounds per minute, averaging one round every 3 seconds. This speed is simply not enough time to evacuate. After three rounds of shells, the engineers who were clearing mines were almost all killed or wounded.

More than half of the guards were killed or wounded, the mine-clearing operation was also interrupted, and corpses littered the ground.

Too embarrassing!

"Damn it! These Chinese are going too far! This is an insult to the Imperial Army!"

Captain Yagi, the search squad leader, could no longer tolerate it and led his troops toward the small hill where the mortar unit was located. The three squads were arranged in an inverted triangular formation, with Captain Yagi leading the charge with his saber in hand.

Major Eguchi watched from afar, worried that the Yagi Company might be lost, so he ordered the Third Company to reinforce them. The two companies, one after the other, rushed towards the reconnaissance company.

Seeing that the Japanese had finally taken the bait, Qian Xiaofei excitedly gave the order:

"Tiezi, quickly go and inform each platoon: when you hear my gunfire, let the Japanese get close, fire when they're close, and then retreat!"

After receiving the order, Tiezi, the company's communications officer, dashed off to the troops' hiding place. The three infantry platoons were not far apart, and he could notify them all by himself.

The deputy company commander was directing the fire support platoon from the mountaintop. They had suffered almost no casualties in previous battles and were the most well-organized company in the 646th Regiment.

The Yagi Squadron advanced very quickly, covering a distance of several hundred meters in no time;

Seeing that the time was right, Qian Xiaofei decisively opened fire. His gunshot was the order, and the entire company of officers and soldiers, who had been waiting impatiently, opened fire almost simultaneously. The Japanese soldiers fell one after another after being hit by bullets. The intensity of the firepower made Captain Yagi tremble with fear.

He underestimated the firepower of the ambush troops, assuming they were only a hundred or so men. They were an infantry company, equivalent to a Chinese regiment in field combat.

The most lethal firepower platoon against the Japanese, with its three Browning heavy machine guns, had a terrifying firepower output that was enough to suppress the Yagi Company.

The subordinate infantry platoon also had three heavy machine guns and nine light machine guns, as well as several grenade launchers. This firepower was not something an infantry company could withstand.

Within five minutes of the exchange of fire, the Yagi squadron had suffered dozens of casualties, and the rest were pinned to the ground and rubbed against the ground.

Captain Yagi was horrified to discover that they were almost powerless to fight back;

Right under his nose, a Type 96 light machine gun fired only a few bursts, before it had even emptied a full magazine, when a 60mm mortar shell flew over and exploded seven meters to the side and rear of the machine gun crew.

Hundreds of shrapnel flew everywhere, and all four Japanese soldiers in the machine gun team fell into pools of blood. With a kill radius of up to 15 meters, there was no need for a direct hit.

Yagi Squadron had no artillery; its grenade launchers weren't even worthy of being called light mortars, and their range was suppressed by the M2 mortar. Their magic was gone.

Captain Yagi could only send a communications soldier to request reinforcements from the battalion commander. At this time, Major Eguchi had already ordered the infantry artillery squad to engage, but it would take time. He had not expected to be in such a passive position.

Seeing that all the Japanese soldiers had fallen to the ground, Qian Xiaofei knew that continuing the fight would not bring him any advantage. He was not so arrogant as to challenge the Jiangkou Brigade.

"Communications officer, sound the retreat bugle! Third platoon, stay behind and cover!"

Having gained a great advantage, Qian Xiaofei decisively ordered the abandonment of the small hill. The fire support platoon withdrew first, followed by the first and second platoons, and finally the third platoon and the company headquarters that stayed behind to provide cover. The commanding officer had to be the last to withdraw, which was a tradition of the Tiger Legion.

Major Eguchi was making urgent preparations for the counterattack, but by the time their shells landed, the artillery platoon on the hilltop was already two hundred meters away.

The reconnaissance company retreated very quickly, fighting and leaving immediately. This tactic was frequently practiced, so the operation was very smooth and no one panicked.

Captain Yagi seized the opportunity to lead his men up to the reconnaissance company's position, only to see the three platoons receding into the distance. Enraged, he roared in fury:

"You bunch of cowards, not true samurai!"