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

Japanese junior officers were always strangely confident in their Bushido, believing that they could destroy the fighting will of the defending troops by relying on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It has to be said that Nogi Maresuke set a bad example.

Major Yoshino was a loyal fan of the "God of War." He used his saber to drive the soldiers and forcefully charged into the enemy lines. Hundreds of men surged toward the First Battalion's position, one after another.

Battalion Commander Zhang Guoquan was not worried when he saw the Japanese soldiers going berserk; on the contrary, he was very excited.

This was his first time commanding a battle as a commander, and he was overjoyed to see the Japanese soldiers deliver their own deaths.

"Brothers, the Japanese devils are charging! Fight them to the death!"

Zhang Guoquan shouted at the top of his lungs. He used to be the deputy battalion commander. After the old battalion commander Qin Feng was promoted to deputy regimental commander, he took over smoothly and was happy to celebrate by taking the heads of Japanese soldiers.

The entire battalion opened fire, using guns and cannons for those at a distance and grenades for those nearby, killing as many as came.

Semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns proved incredibly effective in close combat, preventing the Japanese soldiers from even getting close to the defenders' trenches. A single semi-automatic rifle could easily suppress several Japanese soldiers, while an MP38 submachine gun could wipe out a large group in one fell swoop.

Times have changed. Nogi Maresuke's methods were barely effective decades ago, but against the heavily armed Tiger Army, the Japanese could only offer their heads.

Major Yoshino was dumbfounded. The scene was completely different from what he had imagined. The defending troops were not only not overwhelmed by their courage, but became more and more courageous in the battle, killing the Japanese without any psychological pressure.

Corpses littered the hillside, blood flowed into streams, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, as if constantly reminding him that this was the price of recklessness.

The adjutant stopped him again, saying:

"Yoshino-kun, stop! If this continues, all our warriors will die. How will you explain that to the regimental commander?"

At the 116th Regiment Field Command, Soeda Fu, who had previously praised Yoshino as a role model for samurai, is now launching into a tirade of insults:

"You idiot! Is Yoshino's brain filled with shit?"

"Foolish, barbarian, he's committing a crime!"

Senior staff officer Kenji Watanabe quickly tried to dissuade him:

"Commander, Yoshino-kun is getting a bit carried away. Quickly get them to withdraw!"

This was just a probing attack; there was no need to annihilate our entire force.

Soeda Fukui stopped pretending and roared at the top of his lungs:

"Immediately issue the order to halt the attack!"

"Get Yoshino over here!"

Major Watanabe dared not delay and immediately went to give the order. The Yoshino Battalion retreated to their starting position like a tide, leaving behind corpses and seriously wounded soldiers, and only bringing back some lightly wounded soldiers.

Major Yoshino returned to the regimental headquarters with a heavy heart, where he was slapped by Soeda Furuya, which brought him back to his senses.

"Baka yarou, how many brave warriors did the Yoshino Battalion lose?"

Soeda Furu asked the question that concerned him most, and Major Yoshino dared not hide anything and reported the truth:

"More than two hundred people."

This was already Yoshino's trick; in reality, there were over three hundred people, but it still broke Soeda Fu's defenses, and he slapped him twice more.

"You bastard, how can you face the families of these warriors? There are over two hundred families!"

"What else can you do besides brute force? Use your brain!"

Major Yoshino was so ashamed he wanted to disappear, and said through gritted teeth:

"Commander, I have failed His Majesty the Emperor's trust. Please allow me to apologize with the dignity of a samurai."

Major Yoshino was about to commit seppuku, and Soeda Furuya cursed again:

"Baka yarou, that's the act of a coward. A true warrior only proves himself on the battlefield!"

I'm giving you one more chance. The 19th Mountain Artillery Regiment is in position. I'll call in heavy artillery support. The rest is up to you!

Yoshino was overjoyed after hearing this. His earlier threat of seppuku was a strategic maneuver to gain the upper hand and had indeed earned him a chance to turn the tide.

"Thank you for your kindness, Commander. The Yoshino Battalion will not let you down again!"

After Yoshino finished speaking, he bowed deeply, then slung his military sword over his shoulder and strode away.

Senior staff officer Kenji Watanabe also went to the division headquarters for help, as they were unable to break through the defenses on their own.

Although the main force of the 13th Division had reached the east bank of the Zhugan River, it did not cross the river, mainly because it was worried that supplies would not keep up.

After leaving the Shangxin Highway, tens of thousands of people relied on food and supplies for themselves and their horses on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains, and resupply remained an unavoidable challenge.

Although the main Japanese divisions had been converted to mule and horse breeding, the mules and horses consumed more feed than people. Each division had more than 3,000 mules and horses, and the amount of concentrated feed consumed was astronomical.

Therefore, before capturing Rengang, the size of the Japanese flanking force was greatly restricted, with a maximum of two infantry regiments allowed to cross the river and penetrate deeper into the enemy territory, with one regiment being the limit.

Yoshizumi Ryosuke deployed his mountain artillery regiment on the three-mile-high ground east of the river, with a firing range that was just enough to reach the position of the 1st Battalion of Rengang.

The mission was unsuccessful, and Yoshizumi Ryosuke was furious. He berated Soeda Furuya at the division headquarters, and only agreed to provide fire support to the 116th Regiment after being persuaded by the chief of staff.

On the flank of the Hexi Regiment, the soldiers of the First Battalion had retreated into the anti-artillery bunkers, leaving only a few observation posts. The heavy machine guns in the tunnels were vigilantly pointed down the mountain. They had to safeguard the flank of the entire regiment and dared not be careless in the slightest.

The Japanese soldiers had already retreated, but a few seriously wounded soldiers were still struggling in pain on the hillside, and no one cared about them.

Sergeant Xia Xiaoyu, the observer, was idly playing with ants. A black-headed ant was scurrying around, controlled by the small wooden stick in his hand. No matter which direction it ran, it would be blocked.

After several attempts, the ant lost its temper and simply stayed put, refusing to be amused by the two-legged creature.

"Go ahead and run! Try and run! Run for me!"

Xia Xiaoyu muttered to herself, occasionally flicking the ant's antennae with the small wooden stick in her hand.

The ants, unable to withstand the provocation, began to flee again. Xia Xiaoyu, like a skilled hunter, always ruthlessly extinguished the ants' hopes of escape.

"Chirp!"

"Boom!"

A large-caliber shell whistled through the air and crashed into the position, creating a deep crater.

Xia Xiaoyu's expression changed drastically. The Japanese were about to bombard him, and he no longer had the mind to tease the ants. He turned his gaze down the mountain, constantly on guard against the Japanese infantry charge.

After the correction, the Japanese began a large-scale artillery bombardment. Shells rained down from the sky, creating such a commotion that Xia Xiaoyu thought of the ant.

His current situation is worse than that of an ant, with shells exploding all around him and the risk of being swallowed up at any moment.

As an observer, he had no right to hide; he could only lie prostrate at his post, silently enduring the pain and praying for the blessings of his ancestors.

He was like a small boat in a raging storm, in danger of capsizing at any moment.

Shells rained down, but Xia Xiaoyu remained unmoved, his gun aimed ahead, an iron whistle dangling from his mouth, his eyes fixed on the foot of the mountain. His purpose in living was to spot the Japanese in advance.

"Phew, I finally survived!"

The piercing sound of the iron whistle rang out urgently. After Xia Xiaoyu blew the whistle to signal that the Japanese soldiers were coming up, she also pulled the trigger of the Garand semi-automatic rifle in her hand.

The bullet left the barrel and hit a Japanese soldier at the front. He then fired several more shots until the eighth bullet ricocheted off the magazine with a "ding".

Xia Xiaoyu successfully completed her mission. The battlefield had been ignited, with light and heavy firepower in full swing, weaving an impenetrable barrage in front of the lines.

The Japanese soldiers fell one after another after being hit by bullets, and their attempt to break through the defense line with the help of artillery fire was thwarted. The intensity of the defenders' firepower was so terrifying that the Japanese soldiers questioned their existence.

The Japanese casualties rose sharply, and Major Yoshino, who was leading the charge, completely broke down, brandishing his sword and yelling:

"Warriors, the Chinese are about to give up—thrust! Thrust!"