As a young marshal, it's reasonable for me to have 300,000 private troops, right?

As night deepened, the gunfire on the Xiaogushan position continued intermittently but never ceased. The muzzle flashes were particularly conspicuous in the darkness, illuminating the trenches at the front of the position.

Yang Qinglin leaned on his rifle, standing behind the bunker on the main position, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

A soldier covered in sweat approached him and asked for instructions in a hoarse voice.

"Brother Yang, it's been three hours already. The enemy has been harassing us with intermittent fire. The brothers haven't rested since we started repairing the fortifications during the day, and they're all exhausted and about to collapse. What do you think...?"

The soldier's words struck a nerve with everyone.

From the moment the exercise draw ended, the First Squadron didn't dare to relax for a moment. The entire team worked under the scorching sun to repair the fortifications, and they were busy until evening before they could barely finish.

Just as Yang Qinglin was about to let his men take turns resting and replenishing their strength, the harassing gunfire from the Second Squad had already reached the foot of the mountain.

The gunfire wasn't frequent, but it precisely timed the moment when everyone was about to relax, rising and falling endlessly.

Like a buzzing mosquito, it's not deadly, but it makes you feel uncomfortable all over and makes it impossible to rest peacefully.

After three hours, everyone in the First Squad was exhausted, with bloodshot eyes and low spirits. Exhaustion enveloped everyone like a tidal wave.

Yang Qinglin knew that if this dragged on, even if they could hold the position, the fighting spirit of his brothers would be gradually worn away.

If the enemy launches a full-scale attack, I'm afraid no one will have the strength to pick up a gun and resist.

Just as he was feeling extremely anxious, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and an idea burst forth.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he instantly saw through the other party's trick. He gritted his teeth and cursed.

"No! They don't intend to launch a night attack at all! They just want to wear us down with constant harassment! This strategy is truly vicious!"

Having figured this out, Yang Qinglin no longer hesitated and immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs towards all parts of the position.

"Everyone, listen to my command! Cease fire! Remain in place and on guard!"

The command stunned everyone, who stared at him blankly.

Yang Qinglin emphasized his words again and repeated.

"Stop firing! Focus on the enemies charging up the mountain from the east and west flanks! As long as they don't launch a frontal assault, don't return fire! Leave three men to guard each machine gun in shifts, the rest of you take this opportunity to rest and recover your strength!"

After the order was given, the gunfire on Xiaogushan Mountain stopped instantly, leaving only the sound of the mountain wind howling.

Only on the east and west sides, the sporadic gunfire from Zhang Xuecheng's continued orders for soldiers to take turns firing to create harassment continued, but it sounded particularly weak and could no longer evoke the tense atmosphere of the past.

The trainees of the First Squad felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They all leaned against the cover, some even collapsing to the ground, panting heavily, trying to recover their energy as quickly as possible.

At this moment, Qi Fan was leading the main force of the Second District Team, lying in ambush in a safe area at the foot of the mountain, closely monitoring the movements on the mountain.

Xu Chengye leaned closer to him, his tone urgent: "Hanqing, something's wrong! They suddenly stopped firing. Did they discover our intentions?"

Qi Fan squinted at the silent position on the mountain and slowly nodded.

He had to admire Yang Qinglin's reaction speed. He was able to recover from the exhaustion of dealing with the situation in a short time, see through his harassment tactics, and quickly formulate a countermeasure. His calmness and judgment were truly remarkable.

To be honest, his original plan was to harass the troops for another hour or two until the First Squad was completely exhausted and their fighting strength was reduced to less than one-tenth, and then launch a general offensive under the cover of night.

At that time, no matter how strong the enemy's position is, it will not be able to stop our three hundred well-rested men.

But this is exactly what he's planning! Once Yang Qinglin sees through the harassment tactics, he will surely arrange for his soldiers to take turns resting, leaving only a small number of men to guard the east and west flanks.

This would leave the frontline defenses extremely vulnerable, giving Chu Shixin valuable time to carry out his earthworks.

After all, with the manpower drastically reduced, the attention of the First Squad was completely drawn to the sporadic gunfire from the east and west sides, leaving them with no energy to pay attention to the commotion on the front lines.

Chu Shixin and his team dug under the cover of night, making their chances of being discovered almost zero.

Qi Fan mentally estimated the progress and thought to himself: If Chu Shixin were given another hour, the earthwork trenches could probably be dug directly to the front line of the enemy's position.

If a surprise attack is launched, even if Yang Qinglin reacts in time, he will not have enough time to mobilize troops to organize a resistance.

Thinking of this, Qi Fan knew that the opportunity was too good to miss, so he immediately turned around and whispered instructions to his brothers behind him.

"Everyone, follow me! Let's support Chu Shih-hsin in accelerating the earthwork! We must get close to the enemy's position as quickly as possible!"

The main members of the second squad immediately fell silent and followed Qi Fan quietly around to the front line, quickly joining the earthwork operation.

For a moment, a series of faint digging sounds came from the foot of the mountain. Dust quietly rose in the night, but because of the mountain wind, it did not alert those on the mountain.

With the addition of new personnel, the excavation progress accelerated dramatically.

What would have taken an hour was compressed by more than half. Qi Fan only raised his hand to signal everyone to stop when the trench was only thirty meters away from Yang Qinglin's position; going any further would make it easier for the enemy to detect them.

By this time, the sky was beginning to lighten.

In Northeast China, the mornings come early. The morning light pierces through the thin mist, making the dust kicked up on the front lines particularly clear.

A member of the first squad responsible for guard duty was the first to notice the anomaly, pointing down the mountain and exclaiming in surprise.

"Brother Yang! Something's wrong on the front lines! There's smoke and dust!"

Yang Qinglin's heart skipped a beat, and he rushed over to look in the direction the student was pointing.

When he saw the increasingly obvious cloud of smoke and the faint outline of the trenches below it, his face turned pale instantly, and he finally realized that he had been tricked.

"This is bad! Their target is the front! We must break through from the front!"

He was also a top student at the military academy, and he instantly understood Qi Fan's entire tactic: using harassment from the east and west flanks to draw attention away from the enemy while secretly advancing by earthworks to get closer to the enemy's position. But he realized it too late!

Almost at the same time as Yang Qinglin exclaimed in surprise, Qi Fan suddenly raised the signal gun, and with a "bang," the red signal flare pierced the morning sky.

"Brothers! Charge!"

Once the signal for the general offensive was given, the cadets of the Second Squadron on the front line leaped out of the trenches like tigers descending a mountain, covering the thirty-meter distance in an instant.

Zhang Xuecheng, on the east and west sides, also led his men to abandon their feigned attacks and charge towards the mountaintop with all their might.

Yang Qinglin had just woken up his brothers who were resting and hadn't had time to organize an effective defense when Qi Fan's men rushed to the front line, and the two sides instantly engaged in close combat.

On the other side of the observation platform, Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Zuoxiang, and a group of Fengtian Army officers had a clear view of the battlefield situation.

Everyone understood that, given the current situation, Yang Qinglin's team was doomed to defeat.

Zhang Zuolin stroked his chin and couldn't help but mutter, "It's over, that kid Yang Qinglin is doomed!"

Zhang Zuoxiang smiled and shook his head, his eyes full of approval.

"I must say, Xiao Liu's move was incredibly cunning. The feint attack combined with the earthworks—his tactical execution was masterful. Who taught him this tactic?"

Upon hearing this, the instructors from the military academy standing nearby were all speechless, their faces showing embarrassment.

Just kidding. In the military academy, Qi Fan's strategic and tactical skills are top-notch. If you say he's second, no one would dare to say he's first.

Many instructors have to consult him on tactical problems on a regular basis, so how could they be qualified to teach him?

Moreover, these veteran instructors had never seen, let alone used, such a tactic that perfectly combined harassment, containment, and earthmoving.