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

Hongkou Park, the Japanese army's tunnel command post.

The adjutant of the Fourth Battalion rushed in in a panic, and Major Aota immediately glared at him and shouted angrily:

"You idiot! What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disorganized? You don't look like an imperial officer at all!"

"Qingtian-kun, something terrible has happened! The Chinese have breached the perimeter wall and stormed into the park!"

A flicker of panic crossed Major Aota's eyes; he hadn't expected the outer fortifications to collapse so quickly, but he still managed to maintain his composure.

"What's the panic! The wall is just an outer shell, it's insignificant."

Hongkou Park is like an iron fortress; I'd like to see how many Chinese lives are worth throwing into it!

Artillery commander Lieutenant Colonel Noguchi, however, was not so optimistic, and spoke with a grave expression:

"Qingtian-kun, once the Chinese break into the park, our heavy artillery will become completely useless."

When both sides are locked in a fierce battle, the effectiveness of naval gun support will be greatly reduced.

The battle ahead can only be entrusted to the Fourth Battalion; they must hold out until dawn.

I've already called for tactical support. The Imperial Air Force will be there by daybreak. Thank you all!

After Lieutenant Colonel Noguchi finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Aota.

Major Aota returned the greeting solemnly and said in a deep voice:

"Noguchi-kun, rest assured, the Fourth Battalion will fight to the death to protect the artillery positions! The Chinese don't even have the appetite to take Hongkou Park before dawn!"

Noguchi was somewhat relieved, and now he could only place all his hopes on the infantry.

On the front lines, the assault company had just rushed into the park when they ran into a tough opponent.

On either side leading to the central square, there was a small hill covered with bunkers and field fortifications. Crossfire formed a deadly net, pinning the attacking troops to the ground and making it impossible for them to advance an inch.

The assault company's repeated charges were repelled, resulting in heavy casualties.

Company Commander Qin Hongtao also tried to use rocket launchers to break the deadlock, but the Japanese strongpoints were too well hidden, and not only did it fail, but it also resulted in the loss of several gunners.

The deputy company commander suggested in a deep voice:

"The Japanese strongpoints are too far away and huddled deep in the trenches; the brothers can't get close at all. Let's bombard them with mortars first and clear out the Japanese infantry in the trenches."

Qin Hongtao immediately roared:

"What are you waiting for! Immediately request artillery support from the battalion commander and have the second platoon prepare to follow up with the assault! In the end, we'll have to rely on the infantry to finish this battle!"

The first platoon, which had previously served as the spearhead, had suffered more than half casualties. The main attack mission was handed over to the second platoon, who were to break into the Japanese trenches and annihilate the enemy at close range, keeping pace with the advancing artillery fire.

The Second and Third Companies' attacks on both flanks were also thwarted, but they successfully tied down a large amount of Japanese firepower.

The park has undulating terrain, with several high points forming a ring of defense, firmly protecting the core heavy artillery positions in the center.

After the Second and Third Battalions stormed into the park, the battle instantly turned into a chaotic melee, with gunfire and artillery sounds echoing in all directions. The Japanese defenses were like a hard tortoise shell, layer upon layer, making it impossible to find a foothold.

Upon receiving the distress call, Battalion Commander Wang Guohua immediately ordered the mortar group to conduct a barrage of fire on the core Japanese positions.

Shells rained down, unable to destroy permanent bunkers, but they shattered trenches and barbed wire, causing heavy casualties among the Japanese infantry hiding there.

The Japanese naval guns were not to be outdone, and volleys of shells landed outside the park, causing considerable casualties to the security force.

The second platoon seized the window of opportunity presented by the extended artillery fire and launched a sudden charge.

Some unlucky soldiers were accidentally wounded by friendly fire, their flesh and blood flying everywhere, but such sacrifices were inevitable.

The Japanese army never expected that the Chinese army would dare to adopt such close-range artillery coordination tactics. They all huddled in the trenches to avoid the shelling and were completely unaware that the second platoon had already rushed up to them.

As soon as the artillery fire extended, and the disoriented Japanese soldiers peeked out, countless long-handled grenades flew into the position, some landing directly in the trenches, instantly causing screams and howls.

The second platoon of soldiers rushed into the trenches amidst the smoke of battle and engaged in close-quarters combat with the Japanese troops, and the battle quickly became intense.

Three more platoons followed, and the close-quarters combat escalated, with casualties on both sides rising sharply.

With the main lines breached first, the Japanese were forced to divert troops from both flanks to block the breach and barely stabilize the front.

Company Commander Qin Hongtao gathered the remaining soldiers, company staff, and lightly wounded, and raised his arms, shouting:

"Brothers, all you men still breathing, charge with me!"

He charged ahead, armed with an MP38 assault rifle, followed by all the able-bodied soldiers in the company, who joined the fierce battle.

The company had completely wiped out its reserves. From the company commander to the privates, everyone was fighting on the front lines, and both sides were bloodthirsty.

The Japanese army's deep machine guns fired wildly, indiscriminately suppressing enemy and friendly forces, and people from both sides kept being hit and falling to the ground.

Qin Hongtao had just rushed into the trench when he ran into two Japanese soldiers.

The Type 38 rifles in their hands were long and conspicuous, and their dark blue sailor uniforms were easily recognizable in the night.

The submachine gun's advantage in close combat was on full display. Qin Tianhu instinctively fired two short bursts, and two Japanese soldiers fell to the ground. They didn't even have time to use their proud bayonet fighting skills.

The MP38 is equipped with a fire selector, allowing experienced operators to easily control short bursts of three to five rounds, saving ammunition, improving accuracy, and significantly enhancing sustained combat capability.

After killing the Japanese soldier, Qin Hongtao jumped into the trench. Just as he bent down, a burst of bullets grazed his helmet, a close call.

The Japanese machine guns opened fire wildly, and the experienced veterans all huddled in the trenches, relying on the trenches to fight to the death.

Just as the battle was at a stalemate, the 2nd Company on the left flank successfully broke through the Japanese lines and stormed into the Japanese positions.

The weakness of the Japanese army's insufficient manpower was completely exposed, and they were unable to attend to all aspects, causing their defense line to teeter on the brink of collapse.

The right-wing 3rd Company seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack, becoming the last straw that broke the Japanese army's morale.

The defending troops suddenly collapsed and retreated in disarray, with the remnants scrambling and crawling towards their rear positions. The security regiment pursued them relentlessly, cutting them down along the way.

"Tap tap tap—!"

"Tap tap tap!"

The machine guns inside the Japanese army's core bunker suddenly opened fire, mowing down both the fleeing Japanese soldiers and the pursuing security regiment officers and soldiers.

Qin Hongtao narrowly escaped being caught in the trap and hurriedly ordered a halt to the pursuit, leading his troops back to the trenches for cover.

The Japanese troops defending the outer trenches were basically wiped out, with only a dozen or so escaping, marking the end of the battle for the first layer of positions.

The next step was to take down the core Japanese fortifications deep within their lines. Once the outer firing points were eliminated, these main fortifications became easier to deal with.

The Second Battalion first dispatched small units to launch a feint attack, luring all the Japanese firing positions to be exposed.

Then it was time for the bazooka rocket launcher team to perform.

Japanese bunkers were exceptionally sturdy and could not be destroyed by ordinary infantry guns.

The bazookas equipped by the security regiment use M6 armor-piercing rounds, which weigh 1.5 kg and can penetrate 100 to 130 mm of homogeneous steel vertically, making them more destructive to reinforced concrete fortifications.

Early infantry guns had an armor-piercing capability of only about 30 millimeters at a range of 100 meters.

The Japanese main bunker's front was made of 500 millimeters of thick concrete, so rocket launchers could only aim at the firing ports and could only be completely destroyed by hitting the same spot multiple times in succession.

Zhao Yunwen had previously prepared a tactical manual for using rocket launchers to attack bunkers, which came in handy at this moment.

Once the Japanese machine gun fire was exposed, the rocket launcher teams would quietly approach and employ wolf pack tactics, with multiple teams concentrating their fire on the same target.

Qin Hongtao was initially a little apprehensive, but as several rockets hit the firing port almost simultaneously, the bunker's firepower instantly went silent, and the Japanese soldiers inside were either killed or wounded.

A tough nut has finally been cracked!

Seeing this, Zhao Yunwen, who was observing from the rear, excitedly waved his fist.

With a smooth start, he is about to completely smash the steel fortress of Hongkou Park.