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

With no way to retreat, the Yoshino Battalion, braving a hail of bullets, launched a "Banzai Charge".

Behind them came the second wave, the second and third battalions of the 116th Regiment, divided into left and right teams, coming with murderous intent.

With the help of the division's artillery, the Japanese launched a general offensive. This was Cheng Yaojin's "three-pronged attack." The 116th Regiment used all its strength, and it was up to the defenders to see if they could hold out.

Qin Chuan, the company commander at the front of the trench, had seen countless battles. He was Qin Qingwu's cousin and a veteran of many combats.

The Japanese soldiers' frenzy did not frighten him. The true veteran remained calm and composed, simply shouting orders and directing the entire company to fight.

"Where's the mortar? Take out the machine gun on the left front!"

"Heavy machine guns, suppress the Japanese!"

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

"The machine gunner's been shot; someone who's still breathing needs to take over!"

"Medical worker—"

Qin Chuan's shouts were extremely penetrating, carrying a strong local flavor. The veterans understood them immediately. Under his command, the M2 mortars, snipers, submachine gunners, and light machine gun teams operated like a precise machine at high speed.

The Japanese light machine gun fired only a few bursts when a mortar shell fell from the sky. Although the point of impact was off by a few meters, the shrapnel from the explosion still took down the main gunner and the ammunition handler, leaving only the assistant gunner to survive by sheer luck.

A Japanese lieutenant brandished his saber, driving his soldiers into a charge. Three hundred meters away, a flash of light appeared, and a 7.62mm bullet left the barrel, striking the lieutenant in the head under the gaze of a 4x scope, ending his performance.

The grenade launcher group was sneaking around, and they had just destroyed a light machine gun stronghold of the defending troops when retaliatory shells fell. This time it was still an M2 light mortar. The explosion engulfed the grenade launcher group, killing three of the four Japanese soldiers and seriously wounding one.

The two companies' three light mortars were incredibly effective, and machine guns, grenade launchers, and clumps of Japanese soldiers could not escape their attacks.

The crossfire from six Browning heavy machine guns suppressed hundreds of Japanese soldiers, preventing them from raising their heads. Other brothers seized the opportunity to open fire and slaughter the enraged Japanese soldiers.

Faced with heavy casualties, Major Yoshino finally calmed down and was horrified to discover that Bushido was utterly worthless in the face of the defenders' concentrated firepower.

This was the collapse of his faith; he was afraid and instinctively backed away.

Fear spread silently; some began to drop their guns and flee, only to be cleaved in two by officers wielding their katanas. The bloodshed, instead of deterring fear, intensified the terror, leading to widespread rout.

The remnants of the Yoshino Battalion collapsed instantly upon reaching the city walls. They scattered like startled birds, about to charge the second wave of troops.

The team leader, enraged, roared:

"You bastards! Shame on the Empire! Slaughter them all!"

Gunfire erupted like popping beans, and the Japanese soldiers of the second and third battalions opened fire on the fleeing soldiers, causing them to scream in agony. Some of them also raised their guns to fight back.

Both sides were using deadly tactics against each other. The remnants of the Yoshino Battalion had long lost their will to fight; only their instinct for survival drove them to resist.

Either way, we're doomed!

The second wave of Japanese soldiers coldly opened fire, showing no regard for kinship. The last remnants of the Yoshino Battalion, finally terrified, began to clear the main road and flee to the flanks.

Major Yoshino escaped safely. The second echelon of Japanese troops was not broken up, and the next step was to face the defending troops directly.

The First Battalion's firepower was wide-ranging and well-coordinated, with long, medium, and short ranges. Even though the Japanese had been replaced with fresh troops, they still couldn't gain the upper hand.

The 116th Regiment's attack intensity increased significantly, advancing simultaneously on both flanks. More than 1,500 Japanese soldiers almost filled the hillside, working in small groups, taking turns to provide cover, and continuously assaulting the defending positions.

The 647th Regiment was composed of veteran Hunan soldiers, known for their resilience and tenacity. Its officers were seasoned veterans with decisive command abilities, and its soldiers possessed superb combat skills, making them significantly superior in marksmanship to the 13th Division, which was primarily composed of supplementary troops.

Seeing the fierce attack by the Japanese soldiers, the battalion commander yelled at the deputy battalion commander:

"Quickly signal the regimental headquarters to report the Japanese positions and request artillery support!"

The deputy battalion commander hurriedly accepted the order and left, carrying a signal flag, to send out a distress signal from a conspicuous spot on the agreed-upon back hill.

After the regimental observer made a note of it, he quickly reported it to the deputy division commander, Qin Qingwu, who then ordered the artillery company to provide fire support.

Before long, artillery shells from the regimental artillery group crashed into the Japanese troops, exploding large areas with each shell.

Twelve artillery pieces fired simultaneously, focusing their attack on the hillside and foothills to avoid friendly fire.

The Japanese infantry were all exposed in the open field and were suddenly attacked by the defending troops. They suffered heavy casualties and their morale was also greatly dampened.

Colonel Soeda, witnessing his comrades being ravaged by artillery fire from the rear, was consumed by rage and roared hoarsely:

"Counterattack! Quickly counterattack! Take down the Chinese artillery!"

The senior staff reminded him:

"Commander, the Chinese artillery fire comes from the center, giving them a commanding position and increased range."

Most of the Imperial Army's artillery couldn't reach them, so the artillery positions needed to be moved forward. By the time they were in place, the Chinese artillery groups had already moved.

"You idiot! Are we just supposed to passively take the bombs?"

Colonel Soeda Fu's tone was filled with frustration. Ever since facing the Tiger Army, the 116th Regiment had never had a smooth battle.

Senior staff officer Kenji Watanabe could only say:

"We can coordinate with the 16th Division to use its field artillery regiment to suppress the enemy, while the division's artillery groups will provide full support for our troops to capture the enemy's positions."

Colonel Soeda adopted Major Watanabe's plan and solemnly gave the order:

"Alright, call in artillery support immediately! Bomb the mountaintop! Don't worry about friendly fire, I only want the Chinese positions!"

"Hai!"

Major Watanabe accepted the order and left, while Colonel Soeda's expression hardened further; this battle was far more difficult than he had imagined.

At the First Battalion's position, the Japanese artillery shells arrived as expected, raining down like raindrops. The smoke and dust from the explosions almost engulfed the surface of the position.

Many trenches were destroyed, and the soldiers fought under heavy artillery fire, suffering heavy casualties.

Because the accuracy of the mountain artillery was generally poor, the Japanese infantry, who were only a hundred meters away from the defending troops' positions, were also bombed. Since they had no cover, their losses were no less than those of the defending troops.

At most, it was a case of killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of their own. Even so, it excited the Japanese infantry, and officers at all levels seized the opportunity to drive their soldiers into battle.

When machine gunner Fang Yu saw the Japanese soldiers approaching, his blood boiled. He grabbed his machine gun and opened fire fiercely, bullets gushing out and killing the Japanese soldiers in front of him, who fell to the ground one after another.

In a short time, he emptied most of the ammunition belt, effectively suppressing half a squad of Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese company commander was furious and ordered the grenade launcher squad to take out Fang Yu's machine gun emplacement, with the light machine gun group providing fire support.

The grenade launcher was the only heavy weapon the squadron could muster. Without the support of the battalion artillery, the Japanese struggled against the M1919.

Under the cover of a large number of light weapons, three grenade launcher teams approached and fired, but were blocked by M2 mortars, resulting in the loss of one grenade launcher team.

The other two groups successfully launched grenades, which exploded on top of the machine gun bunkers. The company commander was so excited that he danced around, which attracted a sniper bullet that blew off his helmet, startling him so much that he quickly pulled his head back in.

Sniper Lu Qingshan shook his head in self-reproach. He could have killed the Japanese officer, but for some inexplicable reason, he insisted on aiming for the head, and ended up missing.

He turned the gun towards the grenade launcher's main gunner. By this time, Fang Yu had recovered his senses. The shockwave made his head buzz. If it weren't for the mountain protecting him, he would have been reporting to the King of Hell by now.

Having narrowly escaped death, Fang Yu was not afraid. He adjusted his firing angle and continued to suppress the Japanese.

The heavy machine guns of the battalion were all hidden in one-way tunnels. The interior space was narrow, only enough to hide the gunner and assistant gunner, and they were equipped with 8 ammunition belts and 2000 rounds of ammunition.

Their mission was to suppress the Japanese soldiers until they were killed. There was no room for maneuver; they were disposable. This is the cruelty of war.

Fang Yu had long been aware of his predicament and had long since disregarded his own life, only seeking to kill more Japanese soldiers.

The grenade launcher squad's attack failed to achieve its goal and resulted in the loss of several Japanese soldiers. Company Commander Captain Hattori had run out of options and had no choice but to send out a suicide squad to carry out a manual demolition.

The Japanese soldiers were firing wildly at the bunker where Fang Yu was, the bullets scattering debris and kicking up dust. Fortunately, the bullets did not hit the large, trumpet-shaped firing port.

Fang Yu continued firing, the gunshots ringing out rhythmically, and every now and then a Japanese suicide squad was blown up.

Others were also protecting the firing positions. The firepower network composed of submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles, and sniper rifles became an insurmountable barrier for the Japanese.

After losing more than a dozen suicide squad members, Captain Hattori stopped acting recklessly and ordered his communications officer to call for infantry artillery support.

"Quickly, you must take down the Chinese machine gun!"