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

With thunderous artillery support from within the city, the Japanese suffered another crushing defeat, leaving hundreds of corpses on the battlefield and the camp overflowing with wounded soldiers. Enraged but powerless, Sato Kenzo had no choice but to swallow his pride and urgently request tactical guidance.

On the morning of the third day, more than twenty Japanese warplanes menacingly headed towards Kunshan, only to be suddenly intercepted and killed by a mysterious air force halfway there. The entire formation was wiped out, with no survivors.

This was the third time! Matsui Iwane was furious and ordered the intelligence department to dig deep to find the culprit. From then on, the Japanese army dared not make any rash moves.

[Host, the rental mission is complete. No aircraft damage. 12500 contribution points have been deducted. Current balance: 1043000 points]

To defend Kunshan to the death and minimize casualties, Zhao Yunwen once again rented a fighter battalion, shooting down more than twenty enemy planes in one fell swoop, shocking the Japanese invaders with his thunderous force. He was not afraid of being exposed at all—the fighter planes produced by the system came and went without a trace, and he could use them continuously as long as he earned more contribution points.

Enemy planes dared not attack, greatly reducing the defensive pressure on the 2nd Regiment, leaving an entire infantry battalion uncommitted to combat. Of course, the Japanese were not going all out either; the two sides were still probing and stalemate.

Zhao Yunwen, on the contrary, was pleased with the outcome: daily skirmishes allowed him to hone his troops through real combat experience while precisely controlling casualties. The real pressure rested entirely on Sato Kenzo. This was his first time independently commanding an operation in one direction. With supply lines cut off, he couldn't afford to waste time. He could only order his two infantry regiments to intensify their offensive, taking turns assaulting the 2nd Regiment's defenses. The two sides fought fiercely, and battlefield casualties skyrocketed.

Chief of Staff Xie Polu strode into the tent and said in a deep voice, "Commander, after three days of fierce fighting, the Second Battalion and the Isolated Battalion have both suffered more than half their casualties—more than 200 killed and more than 100 seriously wounded, with a total of nearly 400 casualties."

Zhao Yunwen's heart tightened, a sharp pain shooting through him. The two battalions, totaling only 1500 men, had suffered nearly 30% casualties. He had originally intended to use positional warfare to allow his troops to gain experience in urban combat, but now it seemed it was time to change tactics. After a moment's thought, he decisively ordered: "Draw two hundred men each from the supply train and training unit to immediately reinforce the Second Battalion and the isolated battalion! Order all units to hold their ground until nightfall, then immediately retreat into the city—to fight the Japanese in street battles!"

This was a well-considered decision: only by dragging the main force of the 101st Brigade into Kunshan City could an excellent opportunity be created for the counter-offensive of the 1st and 3rd Regiments. This tactic was modeled after the defense of Chalijin—using street fighting to whittle down the enemy's strength and resources, and then launching a counter-offensive to inflict heavy damage on them when they were exhausted!

Just past noon, the Japanese launched another fierce attack, with battalion-level assaults coming one after another, disregarding casualties. More than thirty artillery pieces from two regiments bombarded the positions, leveling the fortifications one after another, leaving the battlefield in ruins. The Second Regiment fought back fiercely, returning fire and fighting for every inch of ground, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese.

On the front lines of the isolated battalion, the brothers repelled countless charges, and many old comrades fell in pools of blood, but their morale remained high and no one retreated.

"Battalion Commander! The brothers can still hold on! Why abandon the position?" Second Company Commander Deng Yinghong asked, his eyes red with resentment. In his view, retreating was tantamount to admitting defeat. He was unwilling to repeat the mistake of the Sihang Warehouse incident and would rather die on the battlefield.

Shangguan Zhibiao, understanding Zhao Yunwen's tactical intentions, patiently said in a deep voice, "Deng Ying, the forward positions are already scorched earth. Continuing to hold them will only increase casualties! We are abandoning the positions, not Kunshan City! The commander's order is—let the Japanese into the city, and turn every street and every house into a graveyard for them! Just like the Sihang Warehouse, let these sons of bitches fill it with human lives!"

Deng Ying instantly realized—street fighting was the specialty of the isolated battalion, with casualties far lower than in positional warfare. He immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Since it's the commander's order, the brothers will have no objections! Please give your orders, Battalion Commander!"

The other company commanders echoed his orders, and morale quickly rose. Shangguan Zhibiao immediately ordered the abandonment of the position, with each unit taking turns providing cover as they orderly withdrew into Kunshan City.

As night fell, the guerrilla detachment's command post was located inside a tunnel in Ma'anshan. Under the dim light, Zhao Yunwen was leading his men in map-based work. Xie Polu was the first to point to the map and explain:

"Commander, Kunshan is a typical Jiangnan water town, surrounded by four rivers and with six gates. The south is dense and the north is sparse, the middle is complex and the edges are simple. It extends from Zhengyang Bridge in the south to the northern foot of Ma'anshan Mountain in the north, from the East City River in the east to the Cangji River in the west. At the beginning of the war, it was bombed by the Japanese invaders. More than a hundred shops on Zhengyang Road at the South Gate were destroyed, and the Daximen Street was partially damaged. The land roads in the city are in a chessboard pattern, and the waterways are in a T-shape, connected by bridges and sluices. The inner city is 1.8 kilometers long and 1.4 kilometers wide, extending outward to the Daximen water and land wharf, the bustling market at Zhengyang Bridge at the South Gate, and the market at Banshan Bridge at the North Gate. The southern part is a commercial and residential area, while the northern part is backed by mountains with many open spaces for temples and monasteries. People live along the river. Before the war, the total population was about 3.5 to 4."

With the introduction, the generals had a clear understanding of the city's defenses. After the zoning and deployment were determined, Zhao Yunwen said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, the area from Zhengyang Bridge to Chaoyang Gate in the south of the city, though bombed into ruins, is an excellent location for street fighting. Even if it's destroyed, it's worth it. The Second Battalion will hold it to the death. The area from Daxi Gate to Xitang Street in the west of the city is lined with shops and includes the county government office, extending all the way to the river and land docks. The Lone Army Battalion will be stationed there. The foot of Ma'anshan Mountain is the highest point in the city, and the Banshanqiao market area offers a good position for maneuvering and fighting the enemy—the artillery battalion will continue to hide in the mountains, the First Battalion will defend Banshanqiao, and the supply and training units will be the general reserve! Remember, avoid setting up battlefields in residential areas as much as possible. If they're destroyed, the people will return home without homes! Any objections?"

"No objections!" The generals answered in unison, then dispersed to quickly set up defenses. The tunnel command post was guarded by a battalion and a reserve force, making it impregnable.

As dawn broke, the Japanese invaders launched a full-scale attack, only to find the city's outer defenses deserted. Overjoyed, they charged into the city with roars and began a wild celebration.

On the southern front, as soon as the Japanese troops entered the city, a sudden barrage of fire swept in, and dozens of Japanese soldiers fell instantly. A large contingent of Japanese troops came to their aid, but dozens of brothers from the 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion fought and retreated, deliberately leading the Japanese towards the abandoned commercial area near Zhengyang Bridge.

The Japanese soldiers, unable to resist such provocation, chased after them with bloodshot eyes, unknowingly disappearing into the abandoned streets. Meanwhile, the third company commander, Fang Zhizhou, had already set up an ambush formation in the shape of an inverted figure eight on both sides of the street. The soldiers, hidden behind the ruins, held their breath and waited—the first platoon on the left, the second platoon on the right, the firepower platoon blocking the enemy from the front, and the third platoon responsible for luring the enemy. A deadly net had been cast.

As expected, the Japanese invaders fell into the trap, relentlessly pursuing along the north-south street and directly into the ambush. In an instant, the ambushers on the left and right flanks opened fire from the rear, machine guns and rifles weaving together into an impenetrable crossfire, and dozens of Japanese soldiers instantly lay dead in the street.

The Japanese troops, caught off guard by the sudden attack, were thrown into disarray and hastily returned fire. The remaining troops attempted to break out from the front, but instead ran headlong into the gun barrels of the artillery platoon, suffering heavy casualties.

The intense gunfire in the southern part of the city terrified the Japanese battalion commander, who immediately led his main force to reinforce the city.

The Japanese invaders have arrived, surrounding the company from three sides. The Third Company is trapped. Can they escape this perilous situation and break free? What kind of bloody storm will the street fighting in Kunshan City unleash? Add bookshelves to avoid getting lost; the subsequent battles will be even more intense!