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

"You idiot, you piece of trash!"

"Let the warriors retreat!"

Colonel Ohno did not act recklessly but issued a retreat order, ending the first attack hastily and leaving behind more than two hundred corpses.

The Japanese troops then quieted down, and Colonel Ohno requested tactical guidance from the division headquarters. Nakajima Kesago sent a mountain artillery regiment to assist them.

Dozens of artillery pieces bombarded the isolated battalion's position relentlessly, while the soldiers huddled in the trenches, silently enduring the bombardment.

Zhao Yunwen ordered the artillery battalion to seize the opportunity to counterattack and inflict heavy damage on the Japanese. Although the guerrilla detachment's firepower was not as strong as that of the artillery regiment, it was not without threat to the Japanese.

After the Japanese bombarded the area for more than ten minutes, the artillery battalion took action. The first round of sixteen shells hit the target area, overturning three 75mm mountain guns and frightening the Japanese.

The artillery regiment no longer had the mind to ravage the infantry, but instead turned its guns around to engage in artillery battles with the guerrilla detachment's artillery battalion.

The artillery regiment was a step behind, and by the time they calculated the location of the artillery battalion and fired the first round of shells, the artillery battalion had already fired six rounds and moved away first.

The Japanese counterattack missed its target, losing 11 artillery pieces and suffering a heavy loss. They no longer dared to act recklessly.

The guerrilla detachment's tactical objective was achieved. Hill No. 3, located in the northwest, was covered with trees and was very suitable for concealing artillery groups.

Zhao Yunwen was very satisfied with the effect of the artillery bombardment. As long as the Japanese artillery was contained, the guerrilla detachment would not be afraid of the 16th Division.

After the artillery preparations were completed, the 20th Infantry Regiment began to deploy its vehicles and horses for the attack. Instead of fighting to the death at the easily defensible southern positions, it concentrated its forces to advance along the river valley plain.

Leading the attack were 12 Type 95 light tanks, divided into two echelons, accompanied by hundreds of infantry. Their coordination between the infantry and tanks was skillful and impressive.

The Jurong River Valley Plain has a flat terrain, which is very suitable for the rapid advance of tank groups. If it were the 66th Army from the same plane, they really wouldn't be able to deal with them.

The Japanese soldiers came in aggressively, and Zhao Yunwen's lips curled up into a hunter's smile as he watched the show with great interest.

The tank formation advanced leisurely, as if entering an empty field, while the Japanese infantry moved with ease, somewhat like on a picnic.

The mobile detachment's position was marked by four anti-aircraft guns laid flat and six infantry guns with their dark muzzles aimed at the enemy, waiting for the order to fire.

Squad leader Captain Ge Qingyun, a company commander in the artillery battalion, was highly skilled. He boldly placed the Japanese soldiers in front of the minefield until the mines were detonated.

The Japanese tanks were forced to stop, becoming sitting ducks on the flat ground.

Ge Qingyun coldly shouted:

"fire!"

Ten artillery pieces sprayed shells at the Japanese soldiers, especially the anti-aircraft guns, firing in rapid succession, with terrifying destructive power.

Tanks are as fragile as children's toys in the face of 75mm anti-aircraft shells, and the accompanying infantry are easily torn apart, their internal organs scattered everywhere, a horrifying sight.

The six infantry guns were equally brutal; each round of shelling would bring down a large number of Japanese soldiers and could also destroy Type 6 tanks.

Colonel Ohno could hardly believe his eyes. His proud armored group was being slaughtered. In a short time, seven tanks had broken down, some even emitting thick smoke. The scene was too unreal.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"What kind of cannon is that?!"

Major Furukawa quickly replied:

"Commander, this is a 75mm anti-aircraft gun made in the Empire. It was probably captured during the Battle of Shanghai."

Colonel Ohno was furious after hearing this and shouted:

"Baka yarou, this must have been dumped on the Chinese by the 9th Division. They're the only ones whose division headquarters has ever been breached. A bunch of useless trash."

"A disgrace to the empire!"

Major Yoshikawa dared not speak; this concerned a conflict between two divisions, and it was not something he could interfere with.

Colonel Ohno, barely suppressing his anger, said:

"Wow, Zhao Yunwen is really a tactical genius. He actually came up with the idea of ​​leveling the anti-aircraft guns to attack the tanks. They're very difficult to deal with."

"Quickly, withdraw the tanks!"

In fact, he didn't even need to give orders; the Japanese were already in disarray, but their speed was far outpaced by the rate of fire of the anti-aircraft guns. Three more tanks were destroyed on the way back, and only two managed to escape. The infantry accompanying the attack also suffered nearly half casualties.

Colonel Ohno's face was terribly gloomy. He didn't know how to explain to the division commander. The entire division only had about twenty tanks.

Major Yoshikawa leaned closer and said:

"Commander, the guerrilla detachment is far more powerful than we imagined. They not only possess Imperial-made mountain guns, infantry guns, and rapid-fire guns, but also anti-aircraft guns, plus a large number of mortars. The plain terrain of the Jurong River Valley is no longer an advantage."

"Yoshikawa-kun, do you have a solution?"

"Commander, we must destroy the Chinese artillery. The most reliable method is aerial bombardment, but the guerrilla detachment has anti-aircraft guns, so we need to have a large number of them."

Colonel Ohno wholeheartedly agreed, stroking his mustache as he said:

"Alright, immediately send a telegram to the division headquarters requesting tactical guidance!"

"Commander, the ground offensive must also be maintained; only in this way can we lure out the Chinese artillery."

Major Yoshikawa's suggestion was adopted by Colonel Ohno, who then ordered Yoshida's battalion to launch a feint attack to draw the defenders' fire.

The Japanese soldiers started to use fancy tactics, but their little tricks couldn't fool Zhao Yunwen, who simply ordered the Second Battalion on the front to deal with the situation on their own.

After being replenished before the battle, the Second Battalion was restored to full strength, with more than 750 men and ample ammunition and supplies. They were able to easily deal with the Yoshida Battalion's accompanying attack, and the battalion did not even need to use its artillery battery.

The 2nd Battalion's blocking positions were set up on a gentle slope, the terrain of which was not particularly dangerous, but their field fortifications were very strong. They were divided into three lines of defense: front, middle, and rear. Each line of defense consisted of three trenches, and the trenches and lines of defense were connected by longitudinal communication trenches. There were also numerous anti-artillery bunkers and foxholes.

The anti-artillery bunkers were reinforced with a large number of wooden stakes, so they posed little threat to the infantry hiding inside unless they were directly hit by mountain artillery shells.

The Japanese only used regimental artillery in their attack, and they stopped firing after a few rounds, fearing that they would be caught by the artillery battalion. Both sides fought very cautiously.

Yoshida's battalion only deployed one company, and the two sides fired at a distance of about 100 meters, so the intensity was not high.

The Second Battalion used machine guns to suppress the Japanese medium and long-range fire, while riflemen lay prone in the trenches to compete with the Japanese in marksmanship, giving snipers ample room to maneuver.

They hid inside the third line of defense, more than 300 meters away from the Japanese infantry, a distance from which it would be difficult for the Japanese to hit them.

The Japanese soldiers were at a disadvantage during the stalemate, but they were not in a hurry and patiently waited for the arrival of the aerial warriors.

Matsui Iwane took the 16th Division's request for assistance very seriously and dispatched more than 80 fighter planes to the Jurong River Valley, almost mobilizing all of them.

Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"They really do forget the pain once the wound heals!"

Immediate call system:

"System, immediately rent a fighter squadron. I want to annihilate them all!"

[Host, you should have acted sooner. I will arrange your request immediately.]

"System, the location has changed, why hasn't the check-in task been triggered yet?"

[Host, the next checkpoint is at Zijin Mountain, which means your troops need to enter the inner perimeter of the position. There's a surprise waiting for you!]

Zhao Yunwen was full of expectations, but not in a hurry. As long as it was available, that was fine. The most urgent task was to win the peripheral battles.

The system interface quickly popped up the rental contract. Zhao Yunwen used his consciousness to click "agree" and then waited to see what would happen.

In the northeastern sky, countless black dots were drifting toward the guerrilla detachment's position, while to the flank and front of the Japanese aircraft group, seventy-two lightning fighters from the fighter regiment appeared in the sea of ​​clouds like a pack of wolves, getting closer and closer. The aerial encirclement and hunting operation led by Zhao Yunwen was about to begin.