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

West of Tangjialing, Sui Youlan looked back at the positions already covered by artillery fire and secretly rejoiced that the retreat was timely; otherwise, he didn't know how many brothers would have sacrificed their lives in vain.

Chief of Staff Le Bo said in a relaxed tone:

"The Japanese devils really spared no expense; they must have dozens of cannons. It's just a bit of a shame that the flowers and plants on the mountain are ruined."

Sui Youlan said with lingering fear:

"Fortunately, we retreated in time, otherwise our brothers would have been the ones bombed. If the Japanese want Tangjialing, just give it to them."

"Let's retreat to Qingshigang and bury all the remaining landmines, giving the Japanese a big surprise!"

Qingshigang was the ambush site carefully chosen by Sui Youlan. The hills on both sides were suitable for hiding troops, and a minefield was laid on the road, hundreds of meters deep. It would not be difficult to hold off the Japanese for a day, which was better than being passively bombed at Tangjialing.

After saying that, Sui Youlan strode away without looking back.

The artillery fire on Tangjialing lasted for half an hour, plowing back and forth several times, almost flattening the positions abandoned by the 646th Regiment. Smoke shrouded the entire mountain range and lingered for a long time.

Colonel Nambu, commander of the 20th Infantry Regiment, said smugly:

"Wow, the Imperial Army's artillery fire is really fierce! There probably aren't many Chinese left on the mountain!"

The senior staff officer followed up on his words:

"Commander, Tangjialing is like a ripe peach now; it's time to send someone up to pick it."

Colonel Nanbu finished his boastful act, then waved his large, white-gloved hand with an imposing air:

"Alright, let's begin! Full squadron, attack! No prisoners—thrust, thud!"

Upon receiving the order, more than two thousand Japanese soldiers, shouting slogans, charged toward the Tangjialing position with murderous intent.

The offensive went unexpectedly smoothly and was swift and decisive, encountering no resistance whatsoever. The defending positions were eerily silent, which made the battalion commander leading the attack uneasy.

With the arrow already on the bowstring, the Japanese soldiers had no choice but to press forward. As they drew closer, Colonel Nambu's heart pounded in his throat.

Despite his confident words, his fear of the Tiger Army is ingrained in his DNA; he has long been traumatized by their attacks.

The senior staff officer shouted excitedly:

"They've charged forward! They've really charged forward! Shake it off!"

Colonel Nambu's worst fears did not come true; the infantry group successfully stormed the Tiger Army's position without suffering any losses.

The Japanese soldiers searched the entire position but found no trace of the defending troops. The place was deathly still, leaving everyone completely baffled.

Unlike the officers, they didn't think as much and cheered wildly, relieved that their hard times were finally over.

Shortly after the 646th Regiment withdrew from its main position, the Japanese successfully occupied Tangjialing, reopening the road to the west.

"You bunch of cowards! All you do is run away! You're not true warriors!"

"They may escape, but they can't hide. Once they reach Xinyang City, Zhao Yunwen and the Tiger Army will have nowhere to run."

Major Eiko, the battalion commander in charge, felt extremely frustrated, as if he had punched cotton. The defending troops had clearly withdrawn from their positions and were no longer willing to play along.

An insult, a blatant insult!

"Trying to run! Did you ask the Imperial Army for permission? The Chinese can't go far!"

The Japanese soldiers were not satisfied with just an empty hilltop. With bloodshot eyes, they pursued the enemy. The officers did not restrain them too much, but let them run their course.

Senior staff reported to Colonel Nambu:

"The Chinese have suffered a complete rout! The Jiangkou Battalion has captured Tangjialing! The Imperial Army has won a great victory!"

Colonel Nambu didn't care whether the defending troops were annihilated or not; what he wanted was Tangjialing, so he could finally report back to the division commander.

"Let's go, continue westward, next target—Xinyang City."

After the Japanese captured Chunhepu, their subsequent march went much more smoothly, and they advanced rapidly.

At Qingtiangang, the blocking position of the 646th Regiment, more than 2,000 soldiers had already hidden themselves in the ravines and bushes. Everyone was well disguised, unless the Japanese searched the mountain.

Sui Youlan was searching for Japanese soldiers with binoculars when Le Bo came to report:

"Deputy Division Commander, the Japanese are coming in force, and leading the charge is our old enemy, the 20th Infantry Regiment."

Sui Youlan snorted coldly:

"If the tiger doesn't show its power, it will really think we're a sick cat!"

Tell the brothers to get ready to attack the vanguard of the enemy.

Sui Youlan remained pragmatic; the 20th Infantry Regiment was not something he could swallow whole. What he wanted was the Jiangkou Battalion, which was the most boastful.

Major Eager to prove himself, he led several hundred Japanese soldiers to the forefront, charging through the enemy lines as if they were nothing.

"Boom boom boom!"

The series of explosions caused Major Eguchi a sharp pain in his chest, though they were not particularly harmful; they were extremely humiliating.

"Baka yarou, landmine!"

The Japanese pursuit was forcibly put on hold, and they were all stuck on the highway in Qingtiangang, unable to advance or retreat.

Sui Youlan had been waiting for this moment, and fired three shots into the sky with his signal gun.

The pre-arranged battlefield was instantly detonated. Two thousand soldiers launched an attack almost simultaneously, and a dense hail of bullets swept towards the Japanese soldiers like a tornado, leaving the ground in ruins.

"Baka yarou, enemy attack!"

"Hold on, reinforcements are on their way!"

"Fire!!"

The officers of the Jiangkou Brigade were shouting and trying to rally the disorganized troops and launch a counterattack on both flanks.

Their attempts were futile. The ambush troops occupied the advantageous terrain and relentlessly attacked the Japanese soldiers, causing bloodshed and leaving them with almost no chance to fight back.

Major Eguchi finally realized the reality: survival was paramount. He loudly ordered a retreat to the east, and several hundred men huddled together in chaos.

The ambush troops opened fire on the Japanese soldiers with their heavy machine guns, and those who were slow to run became victims of the gunfire. In the end, only three out of ten managed to escape.

The 646th Regiment got into position, waiting for the Japanese to come and fight to the death.

Colonel Nambu, enraged, raised his hand and slapped Major Eguchi several times.

"Baka yarou, I told you to be careful and not to underestimate the enemy, but you just wouldn't listen!"

"Where is your search team? Why haven't they found anything?!"

Major Eguchi was speechless. He endured the beating and waited for the regimental commander to calm down.

Colonel Nambu felt he was having a really bad year, encountering obstacles at every turn on his westward advance. Several battalion commanders were acting like pigs, making him lose face in front of the division commander.

The senior staff officer came to Major Eguchi's rescue, saying:

"The Chinese are too cunning and impossible to guard against. Getting angry won't solve the problem. Let's defeat them first."

Colonel Nambu suppressed his anger and ordered the Second and Third Battalions to attack Qingtiangang, while the artillery quickly established positions.

The response was conventional, and the senior advisor casually offered a compliment:

"The regimental commander's response was textbook perfect. Qingtiangang doesn't even have any decent fortifications. Just a few rounds of artillery fire and the Chinese will surely collapse."

"Alright, we'll do as you say. Defeat the Chinese before nightfall!"

Colonel Nambu quickly finalized the battle plan and then waited for the artillery to be in place; he was now very cautious.

Without the support of artillery, he would not easily launch a new offensive.

Sui Youlan was playing the timing game. He wasn't afraid of the artillery group of the 20th Infantry Regiment. Those few cannons weren't even enough to deal with the regimental artillery company.

As long as the divisional artillery is not in place, he can hold off the 20th Infantry Regiment and may even gain the upper hand.

The Japanese were quiet for two hours before launching a counterattack, using the same old tactics: artillery bombardment followed by infantry bombardment.

Due to the artillery barrage of the 646th Regiment, the Japanese artillery fire was intermittent and they were forced to fight in a very frustrating manner. The shells landed on the vast wasteland with little effect and did not threaten the safety of the infantry groups.

The Japanese then launched a guerrilla assault. However, there were many landmines on the main road, so they had to change their strategy to a flank breakthrough and charge across the undulating hills.

The soldiers of the 646th Regiment fought back fiercely, taking advantage of the terrain to mow down the Japanese with heavy machine guns, while mortars and Type 92 infantry guns provided long-range suppression. The Japanese paid a heavy price for every step they took forward.

The battle fell into a vicious cycle again. With both sides having roughly equal numbers of troops, the Japanese could only resort to sacrificing lives, trading two or three lives for one.

Colonel Nambu was initially unconvinced, believing that the Japanese were invincible in field battles and could easily defeat the defending troops.

Once the fighting started, we realized that we couldn't break through the 646th Regiment's firepower in a short time; we could only wear them down slowly.

Time was passing slowly, and the sounds of gunfire were incessant. It seemed lively, but in reality, little progress was being made.

After fighting for several hours, Colonel Nambu finally swallowed his pride and asked the division headquarters for reinforcements.

The 16th Division headquarters sent troops and firepower to reinforce the position, which took a considerable amount of time. By the time the Japanese were ready to launch a major attack, the 646th Regiment voluntarily abandoned the position and left the minefield more than 500 meters deep to the Japanese.

The 16th Division's best efforts were wasted again, infuriating Fujie Eipu, who cursed loudly:

"You idiot! Don't Chinese people have any shame?"

"Zhao Yunwen, you were a renowned general, after all!"

In Luoshan City, Zhao Yunwen sneezed several times for no apparent reason and couldn't help but curse:

"Those little devils are definitely after me again!"

Lieutenant General Hu Shoushan, commander of the 17th Army Corps, jokingly said:

"When did Brother Yunwen become so superstitious?"

Zhao Yunwen grinned and said:

"The Japanese are coming with great force; it's better to believe they exist than not to believe they don't."

There are two Class A divisions on the Shangxin Highway; brothers, we must be careful!

Hu Shoushan put away his smile and said:

"With the addition of the 10th Division, that makes a total of three divisions. The defensive pressure on you and me, brothers, is immense, which is why I've come to you to discuss this matter."

Brother Yunwen, in your opinion, how should we defend Xinyang?