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

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

"Two regiments couldn't even take down the small Yangang; you've utterly disgraced the Imperial Army!"

Fujie Hepburn's roar was terrifying, and the entire command post fell silent. Staff officers and service personnel didn't dare to breathe, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

This defeat was utterly crushing, and Chief of Staff Saburo Nakazawa's words were more like adding fuel to the fire:

"Your Excellency, the division commander has lost a total of 775 warriors below the rank of battalion commander, 328 of whom were seriously wounded. The division has also lost 3 artillery pieces, more than 700 guns, and many others with minor injuries."

Many Chinese people were also eliminated—”

"Baka yarou, that's enough! Just one attack and you've lost over a thousand men. How many more times can the entire division withstand losses like this?!"

Nakazawa Saburo was speechless in the face of Fujie Eipu's probing questions. Iengang was just an outer position, and with the previous attacks, the 16th Division had already lost nearly two thousand men.

Two thousand men is the normal death toll for a medium-sized battle. The entire division has only twenty thousand men, and many of them are wounded.

Losing one-tenth of the battle's casualties would make any commander uneasy.

"Your Excellency, according to feedback from the front lines, the 324th Division's firepower is nothing short of monstrous, with an astonishing number of artillery pieces and machine guns."

They possessed well-constructed fortifications, with heavy machine gun emplacements hidden within tunnels, making them difficult to destroy with artillery fire. Coupled with their tenacious fighting spirit, they were extremely formidable!

Truth can be hurtful, and Fujie Eipu was furious when he heard it, roaring:

"Baka yarou! This is no excuse for their failure to capture Yangang and their heavy losses!"

Nakazawa Saburo dared not say any more. He had done everything he could and given Fujie Ebisu a way out. Now all that was left was to wait for Fujie Ebisu to calm down before resolving the issue.

After venting his anger, Fujie Hepburn gave a cold snort:

"Nakazawa-kun, what should we do next?"

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, Yangang is only so big, with a maximum force of one regiment. We will take it even if it costs us steel and lives."

"As long as the Imperial Army shows enough determination, there is no fortress in the world that cannot be breached!"

Nakazawa Saburo had another foolproof plan in mind, namely a siege, but time was not on the side of the 16th Division.

The supplies in Yangang can easily last for half a month, and this is only the outer perimeter of Xinyang's defensive system. They can't afford to wait that long, so they have no choice but to launch a strong attack.

Fujie Eifu understood this as well, so his gaze hardened. The 16th Division had no way out; Prince Naruhiko was watching from behind.

"What Nakazawa-kun said is absolutely right. The Imperial Army is so powerful that there is no position that cannot be breached!"

"Have the artillery bombard... bombard Yangang to the ground! After that, the entire division will launch an attack. The time has come to serve His Majesty."

"Let me tell you, I don't need casualty figures, I just need Yangang!"

Fujie Hepburn roared hoarsely, slamming his fists heavily on the control table, just like a gambler who had lost everything.

At the summit of Yangang, in the field command post of the 648th Regiment, Regiment Commander Yao Zhiqing also felt the madness of the Japanese. His best option was to abandon the position, blow up the bridge, and leave, which was also the chief of staff's opinion.

Yao Zhiqing clenched his fists, every hair on his body stood on end, and his voice was as cold as iron:

"If he wants to fight, then let him fight! If we are overwhelmed by the Japanese army's momentum at this moment, the 648th Regiment will never have the courage to fight to the death again."

Even if we lose every last man, we must hold off this attack! The Tiger Legion will never be cowards!

Seeing that the regimental commander had made up his mind, Chief of Staff Guo Zhenxing swallowed back the words he was about to say, and only offered a suggestion:

"The isolated battalion and the second battalion have suffered heavy casualties. Should we break up the replenishment battalion?"

"No need. The replenishment battalion will be used as a reserve force. We'll discuss it after this battle."

"Boom boom boom..."

The booming sound of cannons rang out, and Guo Zhenxing's expression changed drastically. He said in a deep voice:

"Commander, the Japanese have started attacking again!"

"What's the panic? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Notify the artillery company and the first battalion to be ready for fire support at any time."

Yao Zhiqing's gaze was firm and fearless.

On the main position, shells rained down in rows. The 16th Division used all its artillery, wishing it could wipe Yangang off the map.

The soldiers of the isolated battalion and the second battalion had long been prepared to die. They quietly huddled in the tunnels, silently enduring the ravages of artillery fire. Many of them never came out of the tunnels again.

Yangang was too far from the heavy artillery positions to provide support, so the 648th Regiment had to rely on its own strength. They did not yet have the strength to fight the Japanese artillery regiment head-on.

Most of the surface positions at Yangang were destroyed, the trenches were leveled, and there was no sign of life left.

Colonel Nambu, commander of the 20th Infantry Regiment, regained his confidence and said triumphantly:

"Yoshi, such fierce artillery fire is enough to destroy the world; no human can survive it."

It's time to end this—thrust, thud!

"Itaiya!"

"His Majesty the Emperor Itaya!"

The remaining Japanese soldiers of the Southern Regiment, shouting slogans, launched a massive charge.

At the same time, the 133rd Regiment and the 9th Infantry Regiment attacked from the left and right flanks, and thousands of Japanese soldiers swarmed towards the defending positions like locusts. The 16th Division almost came out in full force.

The 648th Regiment responded fiercely, unleashing full firepower, with machine guns and artillery firing simultaneously, leaving the Japanese soldiers dead in droves.

The Japanese adopted their famous "pig charge" tactic, launching wave after wave of attacks, completely disregarding casualties.

The defenders went completely berserk, firing mechanically down the mountain, especially the automatic weapons, whose ammunition was being continuously supplied and whose consumption was skyrocketing.

Even so, they still couldn't stop the Japanese from climbing up. Just as they were about to be submerged, the soldiers of the Lone Army Battalion and the Second Battalion rushed out of the trenches. The two torrents collided violently, and hundreds and thousands of corpses were quickly added to the hillside.

The close-quarters combat was exceptionally brutal, and Colonel Nambu finally showed a long-lost smile, full of confidence in his warriors' bayonet fighting skills.

"This is it! The Imperial Army has an overwhelming numerical advantage. Any Chinese who dare to fight the Imperial Army with bayonets is courting death."

Colonel Nambu's confidence infected his senior staff officer, who echoed his words:

"Commander, the Chinese garrison only has one regiment, and nearly half of them have already been killed or wounded. I estimate that there are only about a thousand men left."

These few men are asking for death by engaging the Imperial Army in hand-to-hand combat!

Colonel Nambu said confidently:

"That's right, I admit they're very capable fighters, but the Imperial Army has never lost a bayonet charge!"

Captain Akino thought so too, and he swung his katana repeatedly at Yang Guai, but Yang Guai dodged them all with his agile movements.

"You idiot, die!"

As the successor of the "One-Sword Style," Akino has absolute confidence in his swordsmanship, forcing his opponents to only be able to parry.

Although Yang Guai was on the defensive, he did not panic. His eyes were fixed on the Japanese soldier's shoulder. He anticipated the enemy's moves and always managed to accurately avoid their killing blows.

The continuous attacks exhausted Akino's stamina, causing his movements to become distorted and his footwork to become chaotic, finally revealing an opening.

Previously harmless, Yang Guai suddenly exerted his strength. Just as Qiu Ye was about to strike Yang Guai's face with all his might, Yang Guai did not retreat but advanced, thrusting his bayonet straight at his opponent.

If Akino doesn't sheathe his sword now, he will be stabbed through the body by the bayonet; the longer the bayonet, the stronger it becomes.

Captain Akino didn't want to die with Yang Guai, so he had to sidestep. Yang Guai seemed to have anticipated his reaction and swung his rifle butt, which was about to hit Akino's cheek.

The wooden gunstock struck with tremendous force. The moment Akino was hit, he saw stars, his face went blank, and he felt as if he had been hit to death.

Yang Guai, seizing the opportunity, swung the butt of his rifle and smashed it hard into Qiu Ye's neck. With a crack, Qiu Ye's neck was broken, and he collapsed to the ground.

Yang Guai lunged forward and delivered another blow, before turning his blood-red tiger eyes to glare at the Japanese private who was about to ambush him.

The latter was so frightened that he loosened his grip, dropped the rifle, and ran away, shouting as he ran.

"Devil! All Chinese are devils!"

Yang Guai did not chase after him. A terrified devil was more valuable alive than dead. Lieutenant Nakano understood this as well and cleaved him in two with his sword.

"You idiot, coward!"

Yang Guai raised his hand and fired a shot, killing the lieutenant. He then roared at the top of his lungs:

"Brothers, the Japanese devils have been defeated! Kill them!"

The brothers of the isolated battalion responded one after another, shouting and charging towards the Japanese soldiers with overwhelming momentum, forcing the Japanese to retreat step by step.