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

Three red signal flares streaked across the sky, and Major Nonaka's expression changed drastically; his worst fears had come true.

Just as the Japanese rear guard became the front guard, the Second Regiment had already blocked their retreat route, not by leaving one side open, but by completely surrounding them.

Dozens of light and heavy machine guns opened fire almost simultaneously, forming an impenetrable fire net with thousands of rifles and submachine guns, enveloping the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese soldiers were swept away like fallen leaves in autumn, and gun barrels spitting fire were everywhere.

The Japanese soldiers within the encirclement disappeared visibly, and the ground was littered with corpses, almost powerless to fight back.

Major Nonaka brandished his sword and slashed several men, but he still couldn't control his troops. Under the immense threat of death, the Japanese soldiers scattered in all directions and were unable to form a cohesive force.

The terrain chosen by the guerrilla detachment was extremely unfriendly to the Japanese, with high sides and low middle, only three to five hundred meters wide and about one kilometer deep.

The Japanese soldiers had tried to break through to both sides several times, but were driven back each time. With no way forward and their rear blocked, the shadow of death loomed over them, and their morale plummeted to its lowest point.

After the Second Regiment blocked the retreat route of the Nono Battalion, it did not rush to close the net, but instead assisted the First Regiment in tightening the fence so that not a single Japanese soldier could escape.

If anyone huddles together within the encirclement, they will immediately be bombarded by artillery fire until they are scattered.

Noda Takeshi experienced both joy and sorrow. The arrival of reinforcements gave him boundless hope, but it was soon shattered by the guerrilla detachment. There would be no more miracles.

Inside Jiangyin City, the commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment suffered another heavy blow. Colonel Katagiri suddenly realized that he had committed the cardinal sin of reinforcing troops one after another. Fortunately, there was still a chance.

He immediately gathered all the Japanese soldiers and went out of the city to reinforce them, only to find himself kicking a steel plate.

The Third Regiment, taking advantage of the terrain outside the city, established three solid defensive lines, extending two hundred meters in depth, with fierce firepower.

The Japanese launched a frenzied attack, wave after wave, but the Third Regiment calmly fought back, relying on its superior manpower and firepower to inflict heavy casualties on the Japanese and make it impossible for them to advance an inch.

On the main battlefield, the Japanese soldiers inside the encirclement were still struggling desperately, like wild boars that had entered a trap, charging forward and backward until they were bloodied and exhausted.

The Japanese casualties had already exceeded half, but the guerrilla detachment still fought very patiently, not rushing to launch an attack, but using concentrated firepower to wear down the Japanese, with shells being thrown in as if they were free.

Mukai Toshiaki's good luck also came to an end. He was hit in the lower abdomen by a piece of shrapnel, which tore a large gash in his belly, exposing his colorful intestines.

The pain contorted his features, his eyes filled with terror, and his life force was slowly fading away.

He turned his gaze to Noda Takeshi. The two had previously agreed to a killing contest, and now they were killed together by the Chinese they had slaughtered. Who can escape the wrath of Heaven?

Noda Takeshi's vision became increasingly blurry. In a daze, he heard the loud bugle call and the shouts of battle approaching from afar. His time was running out.

The guerrilla detachment launched a general offensive. More than 4,000 soldiers from the First and Second Regiments charged out from all directions, surging towards the Japanese like an overwhelming wave. Hand grenades rained down on the enemy lines, leaving the remaining Japanese soldiers dizzy and disoriented.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the soldiers charged into the enemy ranks, using submachine guns for those at a distance and bayonets for those at close range, efficiently and quickly taking the lives of the Japanese devils, leaving no one alive!

The battle was no longer in doubt. After Mukai Toshiaki fainted, he was stabbed twice more, each time through the body.

Major Nonaka died from a hail of bullets, and Takeshi Noda was trampled to death by the soldiers. Their deaths were so gruesome that even his parents couldn't recognize him.

Two infantry battalions were almost completely annihilated, leaving only some supply trains and infantry artillery squads in the city; the rest perished in the valley.

The Japanese troops retreated from the three blocking positions like a tide, and then took turns covering each other as they withdrew back into the county town.

Battalion Commander Qin Feng anxiously volunteered for the mission:

"Commander, those damn Japanese devils have escaped. Should we give chase and take the entire county town?"

Qin Qingwu shook his head and said:

"Our regiment's mission is to block reinforcements. The Japanese are still strong, and it would be too costly to forcibly attack a heavily fortified county town."

The gunfire from the direction of Huashan has ceased. It seems the main force has finished its mission. No wonder the Japanese retreated to the county town; they're very cunning.

Qin Feng said no more, after all, their main task was to get to Jinling City, and the battle in Jiangyin was just a side benefit.

The Third Regiment has not yet received the order to retreat and continues to be on guard, while the First and Second Regiments are busy cleaning up the battlefield.

At the guerrilla detachment's temporary command post, everyone was in high spirits, but Lu Ping walked over with a gloomy face and handed Zhao Yunwen a stack of photos stained with blood.

After reading it, Zhao Yunwen's face darkened. They were indeed a bunch of beasts. He just hadn't expected that the mastermind behind the "Hundred-Man Killer" was among them. He was all too familiar with those photos.

"Order men to cut off the heads of all the Japanese soldiers' corpses, pile them up into a mound of heads, and inscribe a message on it: 'Against blood!'"

"Order the 3rd Regiment to immediately launch an attack on Jiangyin City; kill every Japanese soldier in the 9th Regiment on sight!"

"Second Regiment, reinforce immediately! First Regiment, stand guard!"

Xie Polu quickly tried to dissuade him:

"If this disrupts the marching plan and attracts more Japanese soldiers—"

Zhao Yunwen said firmly:

"Execute the command!"

Inside Jiangyin City, after Colonel Katagiri returned to command, he requested tactical guidance from the division headquarters and then ordered martial law to be imposed throughout the city, with all Japanese soldiers on the city walls for defense.

Before they could adjust, the Third Regiment charged in with great force, and the Japanese soldiers hurriedly opened fire to block them.

At this time, only a little over a thousand Japanese soldiers remained in the city, including the supply company, mountain artillery company, and rapid-fire artillery company. The infantry battalion had only a little over seven hundred men left.

These troops should have been enough to defend the county town, but Colonel Katagiri had no confidence at all. The nearest reinforcements would take half a day to arrive, and he didn't know if they could hold out until then.

"Boom boom boom..."

The three artillery groups launched a fierce bombardment of the city wall, the intensity of which further fueled Colonel Katagiri's concerns.

The Chinese had enough siege weapons, and the medieval city walls could not withstand more than a few rounds of artillery fire. He had already considered abandoning the city and breaking out.

Zhao Yunwen gave the Third Regiment a death order, and Qin Qingwu gave the Japanese no time to hesitate, coldly shouting:

"Fire all the cannons at the city walls! Blow them down!"

Qin Qingwu was full of confidence. He had never fought such a rich battle before, which was unimaginable in the Hunan Army system.

Each regiment of the guerrilla detachment now has 34 artillery pieces, including 4 75mm mountain guns, 6 Type 92 infantry guns, and 6 Type 20 mortars in the regimental artillery company, as well as 6 artillery pieces in each battalion. This does not include the 60mm mortars and bazookas that are equipped down to the company level. Their firepower far exceeds that of an entire Japanese infantry regiment.

Under the fierce bombardment of 34 cannons, many sections of the northern city wall collapsed, and the attack route was completely opened.

At the same time, the main force of the Second Regiment split up and flanked the Japanese from the east and west, aiming to cut off their retreat.

The regimental senior staff officer was so frightened that he quickly advised:

"Commander, we must abandon the city and retreat immediately! It will be too late if the Chinese surround us!"

Colonel Katagiri, fearing annihilation by the guerrilla detachment, had no choice but to order a breakout.

The Japanese acted quickly, abandoning all supplies and looted property, and retreated lightly with only their personal weapons. The Second Regiment was unable to intercept them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Third Regiment stormed into the city, and Jiangyin City returned to the hands of the Nationalist Army after falling for only one day.

Chief of Staff Xie excitedly reported to Zhao Yunwen:

"Commander, the Third Regiment has captured Jiangyin City!"

Zhao Yunwen waved his hand and said:

"Let's go into town. We'll spend the night there!"