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

An ambush position on the southern slope of Huashan Mountain.

Zhang Yi was observing the enemy situation through binoculars when gunfire grew louder. Two groups of men were approaching their ambush location, one after the other. The reconnaissance company had caught fish; there were several hundred men, he estimated.

The chief of staff leaned over and asked:

"The Japanese are coming, should we fight them?"

"Attack! Eliminate most of them first, then surround them and see if we can prevent reinforcements from coming."

The chief of staff understood immediately and said:

"I understand. As long as we surround part of it, the Japanese will definitely come to reinforce when they hear the gunfire. We might even be able to catch a big fish."

As the two were talking, the reconnaissance company brothers rushed into the valley first, looking quite disheveled.

The Japanese soldiers were in hot pursuit, firing as they went. Their formation was scattered, and they were left behind by three or four hundred meters. At that distance, it would be difficult to hit a target while running.

The soldiers of the regiment were ready for battle. They were lying in ambush on both sides of the valley, in an inverted "V" formation.

Mukai Toshiaki, mixed among the Japanese soldiers, issued another challenge to Noda Takeshi:

"Noda-kun, the Chinese can't escape. This time, let's see who eliminates the first attacker first!"

"Alright, I accept this bet. We need to speed things up; the Chinese are trying to escape into the mountains."

Noda Takeshi increased his speed considerably, and Mukai Toshiaki was not to be outdone. The two chased each other and soon rushed to the front, plunging headlong into the trap.

A burst of gunfire suddenly erupted, mowing down a large number of Japanese soldiers. Noda Takeshi's face changed drastically, and he screamed in terror:

"There's an ambush!"

Mukai Toshiaki rolled on the spot, barely dodging the hot bullet, and broke out in a cold sweat.

Even a fool could see that they had fallen for the Chinese's trap.

The ambush formation of the First Regiment has been activated. The Second and Third Battalions on the left and right flanks are firing at full force, while the First Battalion takes the opportunity to circle around behind the Japanese and trap them.

Directly ahead was the artillery battalion, and a reconnaissance company that had turned its guns around. The pursuing Japanese soldiers were surrounded on all sides, and their casualties were skyrocketing.

Mukai Toshiaki reacted quickly and dodged the first wave of bullets. He was lying in the hollow, feeling terrified. Although he could kill without blinking an eye, he was scared to death when it came to his own turn.

Noda Takeshi wasn't as lucky; he was shot in the thigh and was lying on the ground struggling in pain.

Neither of them had any intention of thinking about the bet anymore; they might get killed by the Chinese.

Takeshi Noda reached out his hand for help:

"Mukai-kun, save me!"

Mukai Toshiaki pretended not to hear. Bullets were flying everywhere. Survival was the priority. Only a fool would try to save others.

They were surrounded, gunfire was everywhere, more than half of them were dead or wounded, and the remaining soldiers were lying on the ground struggling to survive.

They couldn't break through on their own; they could only hope for reinforcements from within the county.

There was a whole regiment of Japanese soldiers in Jiangyin City. They would definitely come to reinforce us when they heard the gunfire, Mukai Toshiaki was full of confidence.

Zhang Yi was also waiting for the Japanese reinforcements; otherwise, he would have already dealt with the two or three hundred remaining soldiers in his pocket.

The two sides were playing table tennis very enthusiastically, while the sounds of gunfire could be heard for miles around, making quite a commotion.

Inside Jiangyin City, Colonel Katagiri Goro, commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment, frowned deeply. Major Nonaka Roku, the regimental commander, rushed in with a frantic report:

"Commander, the Third Battalion has been attacked by the enemy. They were ambushed by the Chinese near Huashan!"

Colonel Katagiri was so angry that he cursed loudly:

"Useless! Assemble the Nonaka Battalion for reinforcements, leave the Second Battalion to guard the base."

Major Nonaka scoffed and left, while Senior Staff Officer Masaharu Honda said worriedly:

"Commander, isn't sending only one battalion too few troops? Judging from the commotion, there are at least two thousand Chinese."

Colonel Katagiri arrogantly declared:

"Only two thousand Chinese. The Third Battalion's bunch of useless fools just fell for a trick. One field battalion of the Imperial Army is enough to crush several thousand Chinese."

Honda Masaharu thought about it and agreed. The ratio of combat strength between the two sides was normally 6 to 1, and the field battalion's opponent was a division-level unit. If the Third Battalion were added, they could practically dominate.

Major Nonaka shared this view, and he led over a thousand Japanese soldiers straight to Huashan. At this time, the rest of the Third Battalion also came to reinforce them, meaning that the main force had been deployed.

Zhao Yunwen's keen eyes did not miss the Japanese soldiers' reaction. It was clear from the minimap that there were only a few enemy troops around Jiangyin, and the guerrilla detachment could handle them even if they all came.

Xie Polu came to report:

"Commander, the Japanese have indeed sent reinforcements, a thousand men."

Zhao Yunwen remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a great general, and said in a deep voice:

"Order the Second Regiment to infiltrate outside Jiangyin City and block the Japanese troops inside the city. The First Regiment's main force should pretend to be unable to hold out and clear the main road to allow reinforcements to join forces with the besieged enemy."

The Third Regiment quickly cut off the retreat route of the Japanese reinforcements, cooperating with the First Regiment to encircle the Japanese!

Zhao Yunwen quickly made adjustments, using one regiment to hold off the enemy inside the city, and two regiments plus an artillery battalion to encircle and annihilate the enemy leaving the city, defeating them one by one.

After leaving the city, the Nonaka Battalion charged forward, scattering the 1st Battalion of the regiment blocking their path and opening up a route for reinforcements.

The First Battalion's response met the Japanese's expectations. Instead of arousing Major Nonaka's vigilance, it emboldened them.

Major Nonaka ignored the defeated First Battalion and instead drove deep into the heart of Huashan to meet up with the surrounded Third Battalion.

Mukai Toshiaki, who had been in despair, was overjoyed upon hearing the burst of gunfire behind him. Okinota Takeshi shouted:

"Noda-kun, hold on a little longer! Reinforcements have arrived! There are over a thousand men! It was the regimental commander who sent them to rescue us!"

Noda Takeshi was exhausted from blood loss, but the arrival of reinforcements stimulated his will to live, and his cloudy, lifeless eyes regained some vitality.

The Japanese reinforcements arrived successfully and joined up with the remaining troops, but the disadvantage remained unchanged. Major Nonaka had no intention of retreating and instead divided his forces to counterattack on both flanks, which resulted in stirring up a hornet's nest.

Previously, the ambushers on both flanks had intentionally concealed some of their firepower, but once the Japanese reinforcements arrived, they no longer held back, unleashing light and heavy machine guns and artillery, causing havoc among the Japanese troops.

Unable to break through to the flanks, and with the artillery battery in front baring its fangs, shells rained down on the enemy lines, finally forcing Major Nonaka to face reality.

The adjutant also advised:

"Nonaka-kun, something's wrong. The Chinese firepower is terrifying. They've taken up advantageous terrain, and the Imperial Army is on the defensive. Let's retreat!"

Major Nonaka, feeling somewhat humiliated, roared:

"Baka yarou! The Imperial Army is invincible! Thrusting!"

Major Nonaka got a little carried away. He used some of his troops to guard the flanks while his main force broke into the interior, attempting to capture the high ground of Huashan.

He underestimated the power of the inverted "V" formation. Although there were few troops at the narrow pass, they could be supported by the flanks. The deeper they went, the denser the firepower became. Attacking from three sides, no matter how brave they were, they would only be sent to their deaths.

The main force of the Nono Battalion made several attempts to charge but all failed. The regimental artillery company on the front had more than a dozen cannons with astonishing firepower. The Japanese soldiers were blown up and their bodies were piled up in layers, a horrifying sight.

The adjutant advised again:

"Nonaka-kun, this is a trap. The Chinese are cunning. If we don't retreat now, it will be too late."

Major Nonaka didn't get angry this time. Reality had taught him a harsh lesson, and after struggling internally for a moment, he finally made up his mind:

"Baka yarou, turn around and get to work!"

The Japanese soldiers began to retreat, and Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"Too late to think about retreating!"

"Chief of Staff Xie, fire the signal flare, close the net!"