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

"Useless, a bunch of useless trash!"

"In just one day, not only did they fail to capture the southern city, but they were also attacked by the Chinese."

You've squandered all of the Imperial Army's victories!

"A disgrace, a disgrace to the empire!"

Kenzo Sato completely lost his temper and berated Kunigoro Iizuka mercilessly, leaving the latter speechless.

He didn't know how he had lost so inexplicably.

The chief of staff quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"General, the Chinese artillery is the biggest threat; we must find a way to destroy them."

The chief of staff hit the nail on the head. Sato had thought about it too, but had no good solution, so he snorted coldly.

"Do any of you gentlemen have a good plan?"

Everyone turned to look at the chief of staff; since he was the one who raised the issue, he should be the one to solve it.

The chief of staff, already prepared, immediately said:

"General, the Chinese artillery positions are on Saddle Hill in the north of the city, and if I'm not mistaken, their command post should also be there."

"Why not concentrate our forces to attack the north city and capture the leader first?"

Major General Sato was somewhat intrigued after hearing this, while Colonel Tsuda expressed his concerns:

"To attack the north city, we must advance straight in from the south. The surrounding area is full of Chinese people, and if the attack goes poorly, we could easily be surrounded by them. The risk is too great."

Tsuda's concerns were also very real. Although they had the strength to open up a passage to attack the North City, as long as the Chinese in the South and West City were still there, they would always be a threat.

It all depends on whether Major General Sato has the guts!

Major General Sato fell into deep thought. This was somewhat risky, but the potential rewards were enormous.

The Japanese are a nation with a gambling addiction, especially when faced with difficulties, they readily gamble on the fate of the nation.

Major General Sato couldn't escape this vicious cycle either, so he decided to take a gamble.

"Gentlemen, there are at most two thousand Chinese left in the city. The reason they are difficult to wipe out is because they are hiding in the vast urban area. When the Imperial Army searches the city, it will inevitably have to disperse its forces, making it difficult to eliminate them in a short time."

Reaching the north city along the main road shouldn't be difficult, as long as we don't venture too deep into the urban area. Leave two battalions on guard, and launch a full-scale attack on the north city, capture Ma'anshan, and destroy its command post and artillery.

Iizuka Kunigoro continued, saying:

"I agree with General's plan. The 101st and 149th Regiments should concentrate their forces to launch an attack along the main road, avoiding excessive entanglement with the Chinese in the city. They can then meet up in the north of the city and achieve their tactical objectives without any problem."

Colonel Tsuda seconded the motion, and the matter was settled. Major General Sato said confidently:

"Gentlemen, the Imperial Army has a force of six thousand to two thousand, giving us the advantage! Unleash your full power and attack, take the North City!"

The Japanese soldiers stood up and shouted slogans, displaying great momentum.

As night deepened, the guerrilla detachment was also conducting its debriefing. Xie Polu excitedly said:

"Commander, the counterattack at dusk was a resounding success! We not only regained control of the original area, but also annihilated hundreds of Japanese soldiers."

The brothers of the Second Battalion and the Isolated Battalion are in high spirits; they can hold out for another two days without any problem!

"Old Xie, are the casualties high in the troops?"

Zhao Yunwen was in a good mood, but he still asked the question he was most concerned about first, and Xie Polu quickly replied:

"Not much, they were just chasing the Japanese around, and the fighting strength of the isolated battalion and the second battalion was still intact."

Sato seriously misjudged the strength of the guerrilla detachment in the city. Although the three infantry battalions only had more than 2,000 men, the 3,000 men in the supply corps and training corps were all veterans who had been through many battles.

"The Second Regiment has enough replacements," Zhao Yunwen said after a moment's thought.

"Another 400 men will be transferred to supplement the two battalions. All the wounded will be evacuated. Ammunition and supplies will also be replenished overnight. The troops and supplies must be in place before dawn."

Tell the two battalion commanders not to be afraid of casualties; I'll replenish them for whatever number they lose. I have only one request: continue to wear down the Japanese manpower. We'll settle the score with those sons of bitches in two days!

Xie Polu excitedly accepted the order and left. Zhao Yunwen's expression returned to normal. In just three months, he had completely grown into a decisive and ruthless general.

Nothing happened overnight, and the street fighting quickly entered its third day, which was also the sixth day of the bloody battle in Kunshan. The Japanese had completely lost patience.

After breakfast, the Japanese concentrated their forces and launched a concentric attack from the west and south along the main street, avoiding deep penetration into the city and greatly increasing the speed of their assault.

This unusual change was quickly reported to the command center. Zhao Yunwen's gaze was sharp and profound, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He couldn't hide the Japanese soldier's little scheme from him; he snorted coldly.

"They're coming for us! I'll give them what they want!"

"Return the telegram to the Second Battalion and the Isolated Battalion: clear the main road, hold the flanks, and let the Japanese in. As long as they don't expand to the flanks, ignore them and let them attack the North City with peace of mind."

Xie Polu quickly understood Zhao Yunwen's tactical intentions and excitedly said:

"Commander, this is to use the fortified positions of Ma'anshan to continue wearing down the Japanese! When the counterattack is launched, the brothers in the south and west of the city will become the lowest obstacle for the Japanese to break through."

"That's right, it was easy for the Japanese to get in, but they'll have to suffer a lot to get out!"

With the guerrilla detachments deliberately letting the enemy pass, the Japanese advance force successfully broke through the defense line, met up in the city center, and deployed its troops in front of Banshanqiao Street in the north of the city.

The northern part is backed by mountains, with many open spaces, temples, and Taoist monasteries, which makes it easy to deploy troops and provides a wide field of fire, which has both advantages and disadvantages for the Japanese attack.

The Japanese did not rush to achieve their goal, but instead sent a battalion to each flank to guard the retreat route and prevent the defenders from launching a surprise attack.

At this time, the 101st Brigade was divided into two main parts. The two main infantry regiments were in the city, while the brigade headquarters, supply train, and remnants of the heavy artillery battalion were outside the city, protected by an understrength infantry battalion of the 149th Regiment.

At 3 p.m., the well-prepared Japanese launched a probing attack, which was carried out by a battalion of the 101st Regiment.

The Japanese troops gathered in the city consisted of a total of 5 infantry battalions, two of which were used for guard duty and three were used to besiege the north city.

It sounds like a lot, but these battalions suffered heavy losses, especially the three infantry battalions of the 101st Regiment, whose casualties had long exceeded half, and even with the lightly wounded, there were only a little over two thousand.

Hundreds of Japanese soldiers, divided into several echelons, marched in a mighty force toward Banshanqiao Street, the only way to Ma'anshan.

Zhao Yunwen ordered the infantry artillery and mortar groups to open fire on the Japanese, causing heavy casualties among the Japanese soldiers.

Iizuka Kunigoro and Colonel Tsuda both looked grim; the northern city was not an easy place to fight.

Kato's battalion advanced with difficulty under artillery fire, while the Japanese regimental artillery counterattacked, and the two sides then engaged in a fierce artillery battle.

With the defenders' artillery fire pinned down, the pressure on the infantry was greatly reduced, allowing Kato's battalion to advance at a faster pace.

The second regimental commander put down his binoculars and said to Qin Haitao:

"The commander is on the back mountain. Your battalion must hold off the Japanese."

Previously, the Second Battalion and the Isolated Battalion were the main characters, but now it's finally the First Battalion's turn to shine. Qin Haitao said excitedly:

"Don't worry, as long as we're here, the position is ours!"

Wang Guohua corrected him seriously:

"The position may be lost, but the people must remain! We must not only hold it, but also fight it well."

Qin Haitao excitedly accepted the order and left. He wanted to take command from the front, while the regimental commander could stay at the headquarters.

Before long, the First Battalion unleashed its full firepower, refusing to yield an inch, and the battle reached a fever pitch.