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

Major Eguchi's desperate gamble only resulted in a mountain of corpses. The Second Battalion opened fire at full force, and even the full-strength Eguchi Battalion had to temporarily retreat.

Hundreds of Japanese soldiers were pinned to the ground and their support equipment, including Type 92 heavy machine guns, infantry guns, and mortars, was almost completely destroyed.

The more frantic they became, the greater their losses. The defending troops held firm, and even Major Jiangkou had to admit that without flanking maneuvers to contain them, these few hundred men couldn't break through Chunhepu.

"Have the warriors withdraw! Send a message to the regimental headquarters requesting tactical guidance!"

After giving the order, Jiang Kou collapsed, as if his veins had been pulled out.

The Japanese soldiers breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the order and retreated like a tide, leaving not even the seriously wounded behind.

The defenders' firepower was too intense; many people were traumatized and said, "I'd rather meet the King of Hell than see the Tiger Army!"

The blows came one after another. The men sent from the northern front to find the Mochizuki Company brought back devastating news. Major Eguchi completely broke down and cursed:

"Baka yarou, what kind of monsters are these?"

"It hasn't been that long, and their sneak attack failed, resulting in their annihilation. They've completely disgraced the Imperial Army!"

Major Eguchi lost all fighting spirit and led his troops to retreat several hundred meters. After counting the number of men, he gasped in shock; the entire battalion was now less than half its original strength.

Sui Youlan put down the Moon Gazing Mirror, a victorious smile spreading across his face. Chief of Staff Le Bo also became brimming with confidence.

"Deputy Division Commander, the entire regiment has annihilated more than 400 enemy soldiers. The vanguard of the Japanese army has retreated several hundred meters. This wave is secure. It shouldn't be difficult to hold out until nightfall tomorrow."

"Chief of Staff Yue, there's no need to be too optimistic. The real test is yet to come."

Both of them knew perfectly well that this was just an appetizer; behind the battalion were regiments, and then divisions—they couldn't possibly defeat them.

The tactical objective of the 646th Regiment remains unchanged: Chunhepu will be defended if possible, and withdrawn if it cannot be defended.

"You idiot! Eguchi, you piece of trash, you're a disgrace!"

Colonel Nambu was utterly disappointed with Major Eguchi, so he took over command of the battlefield and personally led a fierce attack on Tangjialing.

He dispatched two infantry battalions to launch a strong attack from the east and southeast. The regimental artillery opened fire at full capacity, bombarding the Second Battalion's position. The hastily dug trenches were destroyed section by section, and casualties increased significantly.

The real test for the 646th Regiment has arrived!

Rifleman Tian Xiaoqi huddled inside the cat hole, letting the shells whiz overhead. He didn't know if he could survive, but there was no fear in his eyes.

Tian Xiaoqi had experienced too many fierce battles; this was just a small scene. His thoughts returned to Jinling City, where blood and gore filled the air, and the surrounding area was littered with the remains of his fallen comrades.

We've already made a profit by surviving this long; killing one more is a bonus.

Tian Xiaoqi was temporarily deafened by the shock, but he guessed that the Japanese were coming just by feeling. He rolled from the cat hole into the trench, struggled to get up, and slowly stuck his head out of the cover.

As far as the eye could see, hordes of Japanese soldiers surged forward, and intermittent gunfire and artillery fire echoed across the position.

Tian Xiaoqi moved his gun towards the Japanese soldier, aimed, and fired. The Japanese soldier fell to the ground. Although the Springfield rifle was not as powerful as the "Big Eight" rifle, it was more accurate.

Tian Xiaoqi skillfully pulled the bolt, chambered a bullet, and turned the muzzle towards another Japanese soldier. Once the battle began, he transformed into a killing machine, never missing a shot.

The Japanese casualties continued to rise; the further they went, the more they died, and the higher their hit rate became.

After several replenishments, the Southern Regiment was almost entirely replaced by the same wave of Japanese soldiers that stormed Nanjing, all thanks to the Tiger Army and its predecessors.

Sergeant Nishio is one of them. He is only alive because he is incredibly lucky. His backpack is full of his friends' ashes.

Of the few childhood friends from the village who went to war with him, he was the only one left, and no one knew how much longer he could hold on.

Sergeant Nishio spotted Tian Xiaoqi, gently pulled the trigger, and a 6.5mm bullet left the barrel, grazing the target's helmet before flying away.

Sergeant Nishio shook his head regretfully. Luck wasn't on his side this time, but it still gave Tian Xiaoqi a fright.

It was just a hair's breadth away, a matter of life and death.

Tian Xiaoqi turned his gaze to where Sergeant Nishio was hiding, and instinctively lowered his body to the ground, only revealing half of his M35 steel helmet.

This helmet is from the Training Corps, back when they were called the strongest German-equipped division.

Sergeant Nishio was also well concealed, a veteran's survival skill on the battlefield, and bullets whizzed past his head as well.

"Boom boom boom!"

A volley of mortar shells rained down, and the machine gun that had been firing so loudly was blown away. Sergeant Nishio watched as several of his comrades fell into pools of blood, but his expression remained unchanged.

He wouldn't act rashly. On the other hand, the new recruits who came in later were impetuous and many had already become corpses.

The squad leader was not as patient as Sergeant Nishio. He had just graduated from the Army Academy and was eager to make a name for himself. He couldn't stand Sergeant Nishio's cowardly behavior.

"You idiot, coward!"

"Charge now, or you'll all be dead!"

Sergeant Nishio really wanted to shoot him in the back, but it was just a thought. The Japanese army had a strict hierarchy, and even the most senior squad leader had no say in front of the platoon leader.

Under the unreasonable urging of the squad leader, Sergeant Nishio could only shout for the remaining soldiers to charge, while he himself hid behind others, cowering forward.

Bullets whizzed around, and the defending M1919 Browning machine guns were spraying bullets incessantly. Charging at this moment would be suicide.

Japanese soldiers kept falling to the ground, and Tian Xiaoqi fired two shots, taking down one of them.

He wasn't a sniper and had long forgotten about Sergeant Nishio; he just opened fire whenever he saw a Japanese soldier.

Sergeant Nishio felt the same way; all he wanted now was to survive.

Although the squad leader was arrogant, he was solid in tactical movements. He had completed two years of primary school in the army and three years of military academy, and he was only a few real combat experiences away from becoming a true veteran.

He carried a knife in his left hand and a gun in his right, moving nimbly from one shell crater to another, while also driving soldiers to charge.

Tian Xiaoqi fired a shot but missed, feeling somewhat annoyed, but the squad leader's good luck had run out.

A long burst of machine gun fire swept through, and the squad leader was hit in the thigh by a stray bullet, lying on the ground in excruciating pain.

Two Japanese soldiers tried to take him back, but they were shot dead as soon as they showed their faces. The bullets came from a sniper, and every shot was fatal.

Sergeant Nishio stopped the other Japanese soldiers from their suicide mission, ignored the squad leader, and let him struggle on the ground until he bled to death.

Japanese officers at all levels were unwilling to give up. They kept driving their soldiers toward the Second Battalion's position, and no one cared about the fallen cannon fodder.

Tian Xiaoqi lay prone at his battle station, mechanically aiming, firing, and chambering bullets until he had emptied the five bullets in the magazine.

He casually pulled a five-round clip from his ammunition pouch, inserted it into the magazine, and the gunshot rang out again.

The Japanese soldiers charged closer and closer, and with their numerical superiority, they had already reached the front lines. The defending troops threw two rounds of grenades, killing and wounding many Japanese soldiers.

The company commander raised his arm and shouted:

"Brothers, follow me and kill them!"

Rows of soldiers leaped out of their bunkers and charged down the mountain to meet the Japanese invaders. The two torrents collided, blood splattered everywhere, and the two sides engaged in a melee and hand-to-hand combat.

They fought each other to the death, a chaotic melee where it was either you or me who would perish.

Tian Xiaoqi formed a combat team with two other soldiers, two in front and one behind, with Tian Xiaoqi on the left flank.

After Inui killed two Japanese soldiers, he faced off against Sergeant Nishio, bayonet to bayonet.

Sergeant Nishio is an assassination expert. There are only two of them left, but they are confident that they can defeat Tian Xiaoqi and his two companions.

"Go to hell!"

Sergeant Nishio's bayonet was as fast as lightning, but Tian Xiaoqi easily deflected it.

Before Sergeant Nishio could change his tactics, Tian Xiaoqi's semi-automatic riflemen, who were trailing behind in the triangular formation, fired three shots at Sergeant Nishio at close range, two of which hit his body.

"You idiot! You have no sportsmanship!"

His body paused, and Tian Xiaoqi took the opportunity to thrust his rifle forward, the bayonet plunging into Sergeant Nishio's chest before being pulled out.

Sergeant Nishio's eyes were filled with fear. He had survived all the way from Jinling City to now, but in the end, he fell to the bayonet of a veteran who had broken out of Jinling.

This is retribution; who can escape the wrath of Heaven?

More and more Japanese soldiers fell. The Japanese were once again defeated in the bayonet fighting that they were so proud of. They were driven out of the position by the soldiers of the Second Battalion, and fled in disarray, losing their armor and weapons. They also lost face for Colonel Nambu.

Enraged, he immediately ordered indiscriminate shelling, hurling shells at both sides in an attempt to physically block the pursuers in this brutal manner.

The artillery company directly under the 646th Regiment then returned fire, destroying two Japanese artillery pieces and providing strong support to the infantry.

The Second Battalion did not continue the pursuit, but instead retreated to their positions under alternating cover, suffering more than thirty casualties.

The main force of the 646th Regiment repelled the Japanese attack from two directions, making Colonel Nambu realize the reality that even if the 20th Infantry Regiment went all out, they could not break through the Tangjialing defense line.

Colonel Nanbu, humiliated, berated the several battalion commanders before turning his attention to the senior staff officers:

"The Chinese are determined to defend Chunhepu to the death this time. Do you have any good strategies?"

The senior staff officer was quite astute; after thinking for a moment, he said:

"Commander, if I may be so bold, it is impossible for us to defeat the Chinese in a short time on our own."

I suggest requesting tactical guidance from the division commander. One regiment is sufficient for the frontal assault; simply dispatching a large number of reinforcements to flank the enemy will put pressure on the defenders, forcing them to abandon the Tangjialing defense line.

Colonel Nanbu then turned his gaze to the several battalion commanders and asked in a cold voice:

"And you think so too?"

The captains looked at each other, too embarrassed to speak.

Colonel Nanbu immediately understood their thoughts and angrily cursed:

"Useless, a bunch of useless trash!"

"Let's request tactical guidance from the division commander!"