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

In the middle route, along the Jurong River Valley plain, on the main road leading to Tangshan-Nanjing City, the 16th Division's army marched in a mighty procession, its Japanese flag fluttering fiercely in the cold wind.

The Jurong River Valley Plain is mainly composed of hills and low hills, with an elevation of 15–70 meters. The terrain is relatively flat and the transportation is convenient, making it easy for the Japanese to advance and difficult to defend.

To the north lies the Ningzhen Mountains, primarily low mountains, with the Baohua and Dahua Mountains rising and falling continuously, reaching altitudes of 300–437 meters. Densely forested, these mountains form a natural barrier. To the south lies the northern foothills of Maoshan Mountain, with altitudes of 50–200 meters. The slopes are gentle, and the land is mostly dry, which also facilitates defense.

Leading the charge was an infantry battalion belonging to the 20th Infantry Regiment, advancing along the main road in three columns. Following them were more than twenty tanks, as well as a large number of mules, horses, and personnel. The entire 16th Division had more than 7500 mules or warhorses; strictly speaking, they were a semi-motorized force dominated by infantry and primarily composed of mules and horses.

Captain Yoshino Hideaki had a standard mustache, was short and stocky, and had bowlegs, making him look somewhat out of place riding a tall Japanese horse.

He was observing the terrain through his binoculars when he faintly heard the sound of artillery shells whistling through the air from the south, and his expression changed drastically.

Before he could react, a barrage of shells whistled into the marching ranks of the Yoshino Battalion, instantly shattering the orderly formation and knocking many Japanese soldiers to the ground.

Major Yoshida scrambled off his horse in a panic, dodging the artillery shells in a disheveled manner. The shelling came too suddenly, catching the Japanese off guard and officially opening the curtain on the Jurong blocking battle.

The artillery company directly under the 2nd Regiment that fired at them consisted of a total of 12 cannons, which had been lying in ambush on the reverse slope of the south side, at a distance of more than 800 meters, far beyond the warning range of the Japanese search squadron, so they were not detected in advance.

The artillery company fired more than a dozen rounds in one go, with more than 100 shells exploding among the Japanese troops, repeatedly ravaging them and giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Major Yoshida had located the artillery position, and with a fierce slash of his sword, he roared at the top of his lungs:

"Ten o'clock, the Chinese artillery position—charge!"

Hundreds of infantrymen rushed to the flank slope first, followed by more Japanese soldiers. The main force also stopped and switched to defense on the spot.

Although the Japanese were arrogant, their response was very professional. The tank convoy spread out in a fan shape, and the artillery group began to establish positions in the rear, setting up cannons to prepare for fire support.

The infantrymen positioned the supply train and regimental headquarters in the middle, patiently waiting for Yoshida's battalion to clear the obstacles.

Regimental Commander Takeshichi Ohno led his staff to climb to a high ground, where they observed the battle situation through binoculars. Senior staff officer Takashi Furukawa took out a map from his leather bag and deftly marked the positions on it with a red pen, his every move exuding professionalism.

Ono Takeshichi was already an acquaintance of the guerrilla detachment. In Huashan, Jiangyin, they fought a tacit battle with the Second Regiment. More than ten years later, they met again on a narrow road.

Colonel Ohno asked in a deep voice:

"Furukawa-kun, which unit is defending Jurong?"

"Japanese spies are everywhere; they already obtained relevant intelligence from the Military Commission," Major Furukawa quickly replied.

"The regimental commander is the commander of the 18th Army's directly subordinate Su-Lu Guerrilla Detachment. He is Major General Zhao Yunwen, a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy. Rumor has it that he is a good-for-nothing."

Colonel Ohno had a good memory. As an elite commander trained at great expense by the Japanese, his battlefield instincts were top-notch. He had already remembered who the enemy was, and immediately his face darkened as he angrily berated them:

"You idiot! Do you really think the commander who could severely injure the Ninth Regiment is a piece of trash?!"

Yoshikawa's expression changed drastically. He had only spoken casually, but now he remembered Zhao Wenyun's reputation and quickly apologized.

"Hey, that was my carelessness!"

"Tap tap tap..."

"Boom boom boom!"

Intense gunfire erupted from the southern slope. Colonel Ohno, no longer in the mood for lecturing, stared intently at the battle situation.

Through his binoculars, hundreds of Japanese soldiers were charging forward, and flames spewed from the slope, stretching for hundreds of meters in a fan shape, revealing a meticulously constructed defensive line.

The artillery and heavy machine guns above were enough to threaten the main road. He could easily guess that there would be resistance from the front as well. The real test was about to begin.

On the southern flank, the isolated battalion was holding off the Yoshida Battalion on its meticulously constructed position, the slope littered with yellowish-brown corpses and wounded.

The blocking position was a hill shaped like a steamed bun, about 60 meters above sea level, with a perimeter of more than 300 meters and a depth of more than 500 meters, blocking the throat of the main road in the valley.

The Second Regiment deployed its isolated battalion and artillery company here to assist the frontline in blocking the Japanese.

Although the Japanese could bypass the valley on the left, their supplies could only pass through the main road, and no one dared to take that risk.

The guerrilla detachment was not fighting alone. On the left side, from north to south, there was a defensive line stretching for hundreds of kilometers, with nearly 100,000 troops waiting in full battle. Therefore, the 20th Infantry Regiment could only obediently launch a strong attack on the 2nd Regiment's position.

The isolated battalion's firepower was extremely fierce, and the Japanese soldiers were pinned down on the hillside, suffering heavy casualties and unable to advance an inch.

They did not give up easily, but lay prone on the slope and exchanged fire with the defenders, waiting for the regimental headquarters to provide fire support.

The Japanese mountain artillery company quickly set up its cannons, and four Type 4 75mm mountain guns immediately bombarded the isolated battalion's position. Rows of shells rained down from the sky, destroying sections of trenches, and the isolated battalion also suffered casualties.

The Second Regiment's mountain guns immediately returned fire, with even more firepower than the Japanese, consisting of as many as six guns, all of them Type 6 75mm mountain guns, taken from the Japanese and used against them.

The Japanese artillery fire was suppressed, and they lost one gun, so they no longer dared to act recklessly.

Major Yoshida shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Warriors, even without artillery, the Imperial Army can defeat the Chinese. Bushido is invincible!"

"Thrust, thud!"

Driven by officers at all levels, the infantrymen scrambled to their feet, bent over, and charged through a hail of bullets. People were frequently knocked down, either becoming corpses or struggling in agony. Yoshida's battalion suffered heavy casualties.

Yang Guai, the platoon leader of the Eighth Company, was directing his soldiers to calmly fight the enemy. He not only had to kill the enemy himself, but more importantly, he had to unite the entire platoon into a cohesive force to achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts.

Although he didn't understand the instructions during his rotational training at the training team, he had his own understanding; those years of real combat experience hadn't been in vain.

The heavy weapon in the first row was a Browning medium machine gun, which was very precious. Yang Guai specially arranged for two sharpshooters to protect it, and he himself was also keeping an eye on the Japanese grenade launcher squads.

He soon spotted two shifty-looking Japanese soldiers carrying grenade launchers, attempting to ambush a row of machine gun positions.

He slowly moved the muzzle of his gun and located the group of Japanese soldiers in the 4x scope. The Japanese soldiers were very cunning, hiding behind a protruding rock, making them difficult to hit. He could only wait patiently.

Sergeant Kenji Nakano was also waiting for an opportunity. Li Erhu's movements were unpredictable; he would fire two bursts and then retreat back into the trench, only to reappear in another firing position.

These positions were carefully constructed to allow machine gunners to lie prone and fire, with only half of their bodies exposed.

Nakano was like a venomous snake, its menacing eyes fixed on Li Erhu, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.

He had already calculated Li Erhu's trajectory, and he was right. Li Erhu was completely unaware and fired at the Japanese soldiers as usual, taking down two more.

Just as he fired his second burst, Sergeant Nakano straightened up halfway and stuffed a Type 94 special grenade into the gun barrel.

Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, Yang Guai's gun almost simultaneously lassoed Nakano's head. A shot rang out, the bullet leaving the barrel and hitting him before the Japanese could fire their grenades.

But it was still a little too slow. Nakano's grenade was also fired, but fortunately he was affected when he was hit and was knocked back more than ten meters.

Li Erhu luckily escaped death, and Yang Guai breathed a sigh of relief, then aimed his gun at the assistant gunner again...