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

Zhuganpu, west of the bridge. The 133rd Regiment rushed there as fast as they could, but they were still a step too late. The bridge was destroyed, leaving only a few lonely piers.

The Zhugan River stretches from north to south for over ten kilometers, blocking the Japanese advance westward. Major Sugiyama, the battalion commander, roared in fury:

"You bastards! You despicable Chinese, you actually blew up the bridge! How awful!"

The adjutant leaned over and said:

"Sugiyama-kun, the Zhugan River is about 80 to 100 meters wide. There are many shallows that can be crossed on foot, but heavy equipment and supplies need to be transported across by pontoon bridges."

The Chinese have already been defeated. Should we immediately seize the beach, cross the river, and control the continuous high ground on the west bank to cover the engineers building a pontoon bridge?

Major Sugiyama was worried that Rengang was defended by troops, and that machine guns and artillery could block several major crossings along the way, but he still had to try.

The Sugiyama Battalion was like a guinea pig; if they could seize Rengang Heights, it would be a great achievement. With this in mind, Major Sugiyama made his decision and ordered the crossing of the river.

The crossing point selected by the Shanshan Brigade is located 300 meters south of the bridge on a shallow beach where the water is only a few tens of centimeters deep and a large amount of beach is exposed.

The Sugiyama Battalion crossed the river in three groups, organized by company. Just as they had crossed half of the river, a hail of bullets rained down from the direction of Rengang on the west bank, and dozens of Japanese soldiers fell instantly.

Each company commander brandished their saber and charged to the front. The Japanese soldiers braved a hail of bullets to seize the beach. People were constantly hit by bullets and fell into the river, their blood staining the river red.

The Japanese soldiers did not give up crossing the river, charging under a hail of bullets, suffering heavy casualties. The adjutant saw this clearly; an outsider's perspective is clearer, and he advised Major Sugiyama to stop them:

"Sugiyama-kun, the enemy high ground has a large number of heavy weapons, and they are well-matched. It is clear that you have been prepared for this."

The defending forces are well-equipped with firepower and have complete fortifications. They cannot be breached by even a single battalion of the Imperial Army. Let the warriors retreat!

We'll discuss this further once the main force of the regiment arrives.

Major Sugiyama had calmed down by this time, but he was in a difficult position. His adjutant's advice gave him a way out, and he immediately called a halt to the attack.

The Japanese soldiers were well-trained. After receiving the order to retreat, they took turns providing cover as they withdrew. When they left, they even took the seriously wounded with them, leaving behind only more than eighty corpses.

By this time, the main force of the 133rd Regiment had arrived one after another. A portion of them broke into Zhuganpu and quickly took control of the town.

Most of the houses in the town were made of wood and ran north-south along the main road. The street was about 500 meters long from east to west, and most of the doors were closed. The villagers who stayed behind, hoping for a lucky break, watched the uninvited Japanese soldiers with vigilance.

The Luo family mansion stood out the most, like a crane among chickens among a group of low, green-tiled wooden houses. It was quickly discovered by the Japanese soldiers. The tall mansion was the most suitable to be used as the regimental command post.

As the war deepened, the Japanese high command realized that simply massacring people would not solve the problem, but would instead trigger a more intense wave of resistance. They began to appropriately restrain military discipline and stopped massacring cities indiscriminately.

The regimental commander, Kondo En, made a perfunctory visit, which flattered the Luo family. The head of the family, Luo Bingde, personally went out to greet him, his face full of smiles, trying his best to please them.

Colonel Kondo hid his fangs and smiled approvingly:

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Luosang! I can't refuse your kind invitation, I'm so sorry to bother you!"

Luo Bingde bowed and scraped, smiling obsequiously as he said:

"It is my great honor that the lady has come to visit the Luo family. It is an honor to have her here!"

Under Luo Bingde's obsequious flattery, Kondo Toru strode into the Luo family home, sat upright in the main hall, and took his seat as host and guest, looking like a monkey dressed in a crown.

After a few cups of tea, the sensible Luo Bingde ordered someone to bring over a whole box of "small yellow croakers," dozens of them in total. Even Colonel Kondo, who had seen the world, couldn't help but show a greedy smile.

"Losang, what does this mean? The Imperial Army came to China only to establish the Zodiac Paradise, there is no need to be so fearful."

Luo Bingde, a shrewd and experienced man, saw through Colonel Kondo's pretense and followed the old Japanese soldier's words:

"Sir, this is just a small token of the Luo family's respect; we hope you will accept it."

"Oh, Luo Sang, you're too kind. I can't refuse your hospitality. I'll gladly accept your offer."

Colonel Kondo accepted the gold, and Luo Bingde finally breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.

He then ordered several large boxes of Yuan Shikai silver dollars and a gift list to be sent over, saying it was for the troops' benefit. This time, Colonel Kondo didn't even bother to put them away and accepted them all.

"One shouldn't hit someone who brings a gift," Colonel Kondo's gaze towards Luo Bingde softened considerably. He casually inquired about the situation in town, to which Luo Bingde replied ingratiatingly:

"Sir, the peasants in town don't know what's good for them. They've been misled and fled to the other side of the river with the defeated soldiers."

Luo Bingde was kind enough not to mention that the villagers had fled into the mountains. Most of the people in the town were tenants or employees of the Luo family, and he didn't want to see them slaughtered. Otherwise, who would farm and work for the Luo family?

Colonel Kondo's murderous intent suddenly surfaced, and he coldly shouted:

"Baka yarou, these people have absolutely no conscience!"

From now on, the entire land of China will be the imperial paradise; where else can they run to?

Luo Bingde was so frightened he almost fell over. He thought to himself that these Japanese were indeed uncivilized people, their tempers changing faster than flipping through a book. He had to be careful and serve them well. He smiled obsequiously and said:

"What the Lord says is absolutely right. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. The Heavenly Army's entry into the Central Plains is a foregone conclusion. We commoners should honestly farm the land and be obedient subjects."

"Yoshi, Mr. Luosang Liangmin, the Imperial Army will need your support to govern the local area in the future. There is hope for you to become the town mayor and county magistrate."

Colonel Kondo casually made a promise to Luo Bingde, which amused him so much that he thanked him repeatedly. He then took out two of his most treasured calligraphy and paintings and gave them to the old Japanese soldier as a gesture of goodwill.

"Losang, I hereby formally appoint you as the mayor of Bamboo Pole Town and concurrently as the head of the town's maintenance committee, to govern all the townspeople on behalf of the Imperial Army!"

Luo Bingde was overjoyed, and his eldest son Luo Zhengyang was even more eager to try, thinking that as long as he clung to the coattails of the old Japanese devil Kondo, he would have no worries about his future success.

After Colonel Kondo received enough benefits, he had no time to pay attention to them anymore. He requisitioned the Luo family compound under the pretext of being busy with official business. Luo Bingde didn't dare to say a word and was even responsible for entertaining them with good wine and food, and the money was spent like water.

After establishing a temporary command post, Colonel Kondo began to study the plan for crossing the river, with senior staff officers reporting back using maps:

"The Chinese were prepared long ago. Yangang was just an outpost, and Zhuganhe was the main position. Their main force was deployed at Rengang, and their firepower was enough to block the river channel for more than ten miles on both sides of the main road."

"Yoshi, what's your opinion on how to deal with this?"

The senior staff officer quickly replied:

"First, the troops will cross the river in several groups, then control the ferry crossing on the west bank of the bridge, establish an advance position, and provide cover for the engineers to build the pontoon bridge."

Once the pontoon bridge is built, heavy equipment and supplies can cross the river, and then forces can be concentrated to capture Luoshan County, with the army's advance heading straight for Xinyang City.

"Yoshi, Yamamoto-kun is indeed a top student who graduated from the Army University. He came up with a feasible battle plan in a short time."

There are many shallow beaches on both sides of the Zhugan Bridge, so the squadrons crossed the river in units, splitting up and attacking together to capture Rengang.

The first battalion led the way, followed by the second and third battalions, with the artillery battalion providing fire support.

The attack is scheduled for 2 PM!

Rengang, the defensive position of the 647th Regiment on the right flank, with more than 2,000 soldiers standing ready, waiting for the Japanese to cross the river.

The 324th Division deployed two infantry regiments at Rengang, with the bridge as the boundary. The 647th Regiment was on the left flank (southern line), and the 651st Regiment was on the right flank. The 648th Regiment, which retreated from the bridge, served as a reserve force. The army's Schneider Mountain Artillery Battalion and Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion cooperated in the operation.

Rengang is a series of rolling hills located on both sides of the Shangxin Highway, stretching for dozens of miles from east to west and more than seven miles from north to south, with the main road passing through the valley.

The 647th Regiment's position was deployed along the eastern hillside, only 300 meters from the Zhugan River. Light and heavy machine guns and mortars could suppress the river surface.

From the west bank of the Zhugan River to Rengang, the terrain is all open riverbank. If the Japanese troops do not capture the Rengang Heights, their main force will be unable to advance along the Shangxin Highway.

At 2:00 PM sharp, the Japanese began to cross the river. They advanced in four directions, two of which were south of the bridge, which was the defense zone of the 647th Regiment.

Due to the long distance, rifles and submachine guns are not very effective; the main means of interception is to use the M1919 heavy machine gun and the M2 mortar, with 300 meters being the optimal firing range.

Two companies of Japanese soldiers crossed the river under heavy fire, suffering heavy casualties. The Sugiyama Battalion deployed heavy machine guns, infantry guns, and mortars on the high ground on the east bank to provide long-range fire support. The two sides fought fiercely.

After the battle began, Qin Qingwu, the deputy division commander and regimental commander, couldn't sit still in the command post. He grabbed his binoculars and ran to a high point to observe the battle situation. Lieutenant Colonel Mao Qi, the chief of staff, followed closely behind and said worriedly:

"Deputy Division Commander, the Japanese are shelling us! This place is too conspicuous, it's dangerous!"

Major General Qin Qingwu shook his head and said:

"It's alright, I'm not that delicate."

After the Battle of Zheng County, Qin Qingwu was promoted to Major General and Deputy Division Commander, concurrently serving as Commander of the 647th Regiment. After breaking out of Shanghai, he led the 109th Regiment to join Zhao Yunwen. He was already a trusted confidant of Zhao Yunwen and could handle things on his own.

Mao Qi continued:

"This should just be a probing attack by the Japanese, posing no threat to the main position. The real battle is yet to come."

Qin Qingwu nodded and said:

"I am not worried about the frontal defense at all. The main concern is the flanks. Zhugan River is more than ten miles long, while Rengang spans less than eight miles from north to south, which cannot cover the entire river section. The Japanese can cross the river on the southern edge."

The 1st Battalion was instructed to maintain close surveillance of the flanks, and to reinforce the battalion if necessary.