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

The Japanese artillery opened fire, hitting the target with precision in the first round. Major Takei excitedly pumped his fist, and the other Japanese soldiers couldn't help but cheer.

The smile froze as Major Takei had previously declared the emplacement dead, and the firing point unleashed another hail of bullets, dashing all hopes.

The adjutant reminded him:

"Mr. Takei, due to the height difference between the two sides' positions, it is difficult for infantry artillery to hit the target with direct fire; they can only fire indirect fire."

The Chinese machine gun positions were deep in the mountains, and small-caliber indirect fire cannons were not very effective against them; only close-range fire could be effective.

Major Takei forgot about this: artillery mainly relies on shrapnel for damage, and the probability of an infantry gun hitting a machine gun emplacement directly from 3,000 meters away is extremely low.

"Damn it, the Chinese also have artillery. Close-range firing is too risky. Let the infantry warriors blow it up!"

Also, note the location of the Chinese positions and hand them over to the heavy artillery to take them out.

The adjutant ordered the communications soldier to relay instructions to the front lines. After receiving the instructions, Captain Ono urged the soldiers to continue advancing and sent out suicide squads to try to approach the heavy machine gun positions under the cover of machine guns.

Yang Guai saw through the Japanese's intentions at a glance and didn't care. They had snipers to take care of the Japanese suicide squad members, so the Japanese couldn't get close to the position.

With heavy machine gun fire suppressing the enemy, the battle became very simple; waves of Japanese soldiers charged forward and were killed in droves.

After witnessing the fifth demolition expert being shot down by a sniper, the adjutant quickly stopped him:

"Takei-kun, let the warriors retreat first. This was just a probing attack. If we continue, it will be too damaging."

Major Takei's head was spinning, but fortunately his adjutant poured cold water on him, calming him down and allowing him to call a halt to the attack in time.

The Japanese soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and retreated under cover of each other, leaving behind dozens of corpses. The first probing attack was over.

Major Takei called for artillery support and provided the artillery with coordinate parameters.

Before long, the Southern Regiment's seven howitzers and five infantry guns launched a barrage of artillery fire on the isolated battalion's position. Shells rained down, and thick smoke enveloped the entire position.

The Japanese used Type 96 75mm howitzers, which were incredibly powerful. Each blast created a crater, and if it landed inside a trench, the entire trench would collapse.

The soldiers of the isolated battalion huddled in the artillery shelters deep into the mountainside, silently enduring the hardships. These shelters were very rudimentary and numerous, each housing three people; they simply carved out a space into the mountainside to hide.

Unless they are directly hit by a howitzer, they pose little threat.

The artillery company of the 646th Regiment did not rush to counterattack, but instead locked onto the Japanese artillery positions and waited for an opportunity.

The Japanese artillery barrage lasted for more than ten minutes, with shells raking through the isolated battalion's position and destroying many trenches.

Major Takei was very satisfied with the shelling's effect and ordered the infantry to continue the attack, saying triumphantly:

"Yamamoto-kun, in your opinion, what percentage of the Chinese fighting force do you think remains?"

After thinking for a moment, Yamamoto, the adjutant, said:

"About 40%! The main reason is that the Chinese bunkers are all deep in the mountains, so even the most powerful howitzers are much less effective."

"Yamamoto-kun, only 40%? Aren't you being too pessimistic!"

"Mr. Takei, I also hope the effect will be even better. Let's wait and see!"

Major Takei nodded, his newly improved mood vanishing completely.

At the main peak of Yangang, in the field command post of the 648th Regiment, Colonel Yao Ziqing, the regimental commander, was observing the battle situation through binoculars, with Lieutenant Colonel Guo Zhenxing, the chief of staff, beside him.

"Commander, the Japanese firepower is too fierce, and the howitzers are incredibly powerful. I'm worried that the isolated battalion will suffer heavy casualties."

Guo Zhenxing still wanted to use the artillery company for a counterattack, Yao Ziqing said expressionlessly:

"These are the casualties that the isolated battalion has to bear. In positional warfare, there are always deaths. As long as we can eliminate the Japanese, that's all that matters."

Guo Zhenxing naturally understood this principle, but the thought of many of his old comrades falling in the flames of war made him feel uneasy.

Yao Ziqing fought a battle to wipe out his entire family in Baoshan. If it weren't for the security regiment, Yao's entire battalion would have perished in Baoshan long ago. It's a miracle they're still alive.

Division Commander Wang Guohua had already given instructions that Luoshan was the burial ground for the soldiers of the 324th Division, and everyone was prepared to sacrifice themselves.

Xinyang City was the last stronghold on the northern front, and all the defenders had no way to retreat.

Millions of people are engaged in a war of attrition, and the Tiger Legion is no exception.

The Japanese skirmishers were slowly advancing, and the hillside was densely packed with them. Yao Ziqing simply watched patiently.

The artillery company of the isolated battalion was the first to open fire, with six cannons firing fiercely at the Japanese troops, firing twelve rounds of shells in succession, before quickly moving away.

The shells exploded among the Japanese soldiers, each volley taking away many of them. Major Takei's face twitched as he gritted his teeth and gave the order:

"Call in the artillery battalion! Bring them down!"

The Japanese infantry charged forward under artillery fire, and comrades fell one after another, but no one retreated.

After passing through the artillery barrage zone, before the Japanese could even catch their breath, the heavy machine guns spewed fire again, and every step forward came at a cost.

As the distance closed, riflemen joined the battle, and the Japanese light and heavy weapons opened fire on the defending positions, resulting in casualties in the isolated battalion.

The battle has entered a war of attrition mode, no longer a one-sided affair. The number of corpses and wounded on the battlefield is visibly increasing, and the air is thick with the stench of blood. It's a battle of attrition, a test of who can hold out the longest.

The Lone Army Battalion consists of battle-hardened elites who crawled out of piles of corpses. They possess an iron will, and there are only ghosts who died in battle, no one who steals a life.

Although the Takei Battalion had a large number of reservists, they were deeply influenced by Bushido and could also withstand huge casualties.

Xiao Hubei has been promoted to second lieutenant platoon leader. The brothers who survived the isolated battalion are now at least squad leaders.

With dozens of people under his command, Xiao Hubei became more composed. Although he was only seventeen years old, no one treated him like a child.

Whose child has taken the lives of dozens of Japanese soldiers? In this respect, he is the best machine gunner.

The three platoons of soldiers calmly fought back. After a light machine gunner fell in a pool of blood, Xiao Hubei shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Where's the medic? Drag Wang Qiang away right now!"

"Get a machine gunner!"

"Sniper, keep an eye on the Japanese grenade launcher!"

The Tiger Army soldiers habitually referred to the M1918 automatic rifle as a light machine gun. Its twenty-round magazine capacity was comparable to that of the Czech-made machine gun. Each squad had one, which served as the squad's main firepower.

At Xiao Hubei's shout, someone quickly filled in, and the gunshots rang out again.

Platoon and squad leaders need to have loud voices; they can't be silent. They basically have to shout to give orders.

Little Hubei was observant and attentive to his surroundings; his shouts united the entire platoon into a cohesive unit.

Under the continuous heavy fire of the isolated battalion, the Japanese soldiers became docile and stopped charging through the hail of bullets, instead lying prone on the hillside to fire.

Xiao Hubei aimed his gun at the Japanese soldiers and fired a shot every now and then. Despite his constant shouting, he was very well concealed.

He has survived from the Sihang Warehouse to the present day, so he has the ability to protect himself.

Captain Hirakawa was a reserve officer who had recently been transferred to active duty, and the battle for the northern front broadened his horizons.

Back in China, what he heard most often was that one Japanese soldier could defeat ten Chinese, and that there were daily reports of victories from the front lines, with the holy war victory in sight.

He spent almost all his savings to be able to transfer to active duty, but things were not like that at all on the battlefield.

People are dying every day, from Fujinsan to Luoshan.

They couldn't even take down a small hill; instead, his squadron suffered dozens of casualties.

"You bunch of cowards! Do you think you can defeat a Chinese person by lying down?"

"Warriors, His Majesty the Emperor is watching us! Charge! Slaughter all the Chinese!"

Captain Hirakawa lost his temper and shouted himself hoarse as he urged his soldiers to charge.

The Japanese soldiers scrambled to their feet, shouting "Banzai!" and charged forward, ignoring the lives of their comrades.

Seeing the Japanese soldiers charging ahead, Xiao Hubei shouted excitedly:

"These Japanese devils are delivering their heads to us! Beat them to death!"

"You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you dare call yourself 'I'? You're no match for me."

Squad leader Li Si made a sarcastic remark about Xiao Hubei, but his big eight-round magazine didn't stop. He fired six bullets in a row until the magazine was empty.