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

One bad thing after another happened to Nakajima Kesago, especially the heavy damage suffered by the 22nd Field Artillery Regiment, which drove him crazy.

In response to the question raised by Nakajima Kesago, Chief of Staff Colonel Nakazawa Mitsuo quickly replied:

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, Jurong is a key point in the outer defense line of Nanjing. If one point is breached, the entire line will fall. As long as the Imperial Army breaks through Jurong, the Chinese will have no choice but to retreat to defend the city. It is only a matter of time before the city falls."

It's no exaggeration to say that the Chinese treated Jurong like the city of Nanjing, making it inevitably difficult to conquer. Jurong was the northeastern gateway to Nanjing, and the Su-Lu guerrilla detachment was an elite force of the Central Army; the only way to defeat them was with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

If one brigade isn't enough, then send the entire division! Attack in shifts, use lives to wipe out the guerrilla detachment!

Nakajima Kesago's expression gradually turned icy cold. Since ancient times, the success of a general has been built on the bones of thousands. The supreme glory of conquering the capital of a thousand-year-old empire is there for all to see. Everyone wants to be the first to break through the city, and history will only remember the first.

Having thought this through, he no longer hesitated and shouted coldly:

"Order the 30th Infantry Brigade to take over the main attack mission at Jurong, with the 19th Brigade providing support. Tell Sasaki Toichi that I don't want to hear any more casualty figures. Give him three days; I only want Jurong!"

Nakajima Kesago's orders were filled with murderous intent. In order to reach the city before the Ninth and Eighteenth Divisions, he was willing to turn Jurong into a blood grinder.

A telegram from the 16th Division of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army Headquarters cleared up the confusion in Lieutenant General Asaka Kyuhiko's mind. He was now the de facto commander of the Battle of Nanjing. Matsui Iwane was recuperating in Wu County, and the honor of capturing Nanjing City had to fall on the Imperial Family.

"Oh my god, so there's an airport hidden around Jinling City, with a large number of advanced fighter jets from the US deployed there. They must be the ones who attacked the Imperial Air Warriors before."

Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma followed his words respectfully and said:

"Your Highness has keen insight. This question has also puzzled Commander Matsui for a long time. I even suspect that the US has been secretly involved in the war, but I have no evidence."

Princess Asaka said in a deep voice:

"Investigate, have the Special Higher Police find the location of the airport, obtain the key evidence, and then hand it over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for processing."

In his reply to Nakajima Konsogo, he urged him to capture Jurong as soon as possible, for his patience was finite.

Iinuma Mori replied with a "yes" and left. Not long after, this stern-tongued telegram was placed in front of Nakajima.

The Imperial Family is like heaven, and Nakajima Kesago could not withstand the wrath of Prince Asaka. He immediately gave Sasaki a death order, his tone even more severe than before, leaving no room for negotiation.

Upon receiving the order, Sasaki launched a full-scale attack. Three infantry regiments advanced side by side. Zhao Yunwen could feel the Japanese soldiers' murderous aura from a distance and snorted coldly.

"Is this a fight to the death? I'm ready!"

Xie Polu asked in a deep voice:

"The Second Regiment suffered heavy casualties, with losses exceeding 30%."

Zhao Yunwen waved his hand and said:

"Send a telegram to Luping: immediately transfer six companies from the training battalion to supplement the 2nd and 1st Regiments, and also allocate a batch of ammunition!"

Xie Polu excitedly accepted the order and left. The Second Regiment Commander, Wang Guohua, had already asked him for help. The six companies of veteran soldiers from the Training Corps were enough to restore the fighting strength of the Second and First Regiments.

In the center, the Japanese 33rd Infantry Regiment, their morale soaring, surged towards the defending positions like a tidal wave. Colonel Noda Kengo, the regimental commander, said triumphantly:

"Yosh, this is the real elite force! Let's show those trash from the 19th Brigade who the strongest regiment in the Kyoto Division is!"

The 9th Regiment has always been a powerful force within the division, which Colonel Noda resented. This time, he finally got his revenge.

Although the infighting within the Japanese army wasn't as pronounced as in the Nationalist army, wherever there are people, there's a power struggle, as Senior Staff Officer Matsushita Tomoya quipped.

"The Ninth Regiment exaggerated the strength of the guerrilla detachment, saying that Zhao Yunwen was the number one general in the Chinese army, and warned us not to underestimate the enemy. It seems that they were really scared and were making excuses for their incompetence."

"Matsushita-kun, the 9th Regiment will attack the southern front, and the 20th Regiment will attack the northern front. The Noda Regiment absolutely cannot lag behind. Teach them how to fight!"

"Boom boom boom..."

The loud explosion interrupted Colonel Noda's boasting; the defenders' firepower was far more intense than he had imagined.

Through his binoculars, he watched shells rain down, shattering the previously orderly military formation and tearing countless Japanese soldiers to shreds. Enraged, he flew into a rage.

"Fire! Let the field artillery company blow them up!"

On Hill No. 3, the artillery battalion's more than twenty cannons opened fire fiercely on the Japanese troops, raining down shells and giving the newly arrived 33rd Regiment a great gift.

After two days of fierce fighting, the artillery battalion still had 13 75mm mountain guns, 14 Type 92 infantry guns, and 8 75mm anti-aircraft guns. Mortars and rapid-fire guns were all distributed to the various regiments.

The anti-aircraft guns and five Schneider mountain guns were not deployed in the battle; the 22 artillery pieces alone were enough to suppress the heavy firepower of the 5rd Regiment.

A total of sixteen rounds were fired, taking less than two minutes, delivering more than 350 shells as a "greeting gift" to the 33rd Regiment.

The 33rd Regiment was not so fortunate; they didn't even get close to the defenders' positions before suffering hundreds of casualties. Colonel Noda's face was stinging from the slap.

"Baka yarou! Where did the Chinese get so many cannons? Why didn't those useless 19th Brigade tell us beforehand? This is a crime!"

Major Matsushita concluded that the 19th Brigade had reminded them, but they hadn't taken it to heart; a regiment of the Nationalist Army had at most six mortars.

The artillery of the 33rd Regiment finally opened fire, which made Colonel Noda's expression improve. Now it was their turn to perform.

Seeing that the defending army's artillery fire was suppressed, the morale of the Japanese infantry surged again, and they charged forward with renewed vigor.

Zhao Yunwen looked at the Japanese soldiers with a hint of mockery. Although the artillery battalion had moved, the Japanese soldiers' nightmare had only just begun. The guerrilla detachment's firepower had become a system, specifically designed to counter the Japanese soldiers.

When the Japanese skirmishers advanced to the vicinity of the anti-tank ditch, the heavy firepower of the 2nd Regiment opened fire again.

The combination of the 20mm mortar and the Browning medium machine gun was even more lethal, while the presence of anti-tank ditches slowed down the infantry's advance, making them easy targets.

The Japanese casualties rose sharply, and the guerrilla detachment's favorite firepower was to launch massed attacks, like meat grinders reaping the infantry.

The infantry charged forward mechanically, the vanguard being pushed along by the rear guard. When they fearlessly jumped into the anti-tank ditch, they found it to be a death trap.

There were not only landmines, but also sharpened wooden stakes and a large number of unclaimed corpses.

The anti-tank ditch was cleverly designed; it was very difficult for infantrymen to climb back up after jumping down, especially for the dwarf-like Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese troops of the 19th Brigade had suffered heavy losses before, and now it was the 33rd Regiment's turn. They could only climb up with difficulty by stepping on the corpses of their comrades. People kept falling after being shot. The corpses inside were piled up layer upon layer, a shocking sight.

This anti-tank ditch was insisted upon by Zhao Yunwen. It is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, forming a trapezoidal shape. The widest part is 1.5 meters, the depth is 1.6 meters, and the length is more than 60 meters. It is 80 meters away from the first line of defense.

The mines were dug right on the main road, so the Japanese could go around them, but the flanks were also heavily mined, and they were easy to cluster together, making it easy for machine guns to block them.

After discovering that the front was impassable, the Japanese soldiers attempted to break through to the flanks, but were completely blocked by the defending troops' machine guns. One man could hold the pass against ten thousand.

Colonel Noda finally realized that he had made the mistake of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly. The defenders' defenses seemed flat, but they were full of killing intent. A rash attack would be suicide. This was a lesson learned at the cost of thousands of casualties, and it hurt.

Colonel Noda felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest, and he gave a deep, resonant order:

"Matsushita-kun, we misunderstood the warriors of the 19th Brigade. The guerrilla detachment is indeed troublesome; let's withdraw!"

"Commander, the Japanese have learned their lesson; they seem to be retreating!"

Xie Polu's tone was tinged with regret, and Zhao Yunwen put away his smile and said:

"The Japanese aren't stupid; they're just arrogant and underestimating us. The real battle is about to begin."

Xie Polu said solemnly:

"What good is it if the Japanese take it seriously? They still have to pay with their lives!"

Zhao Yunwen said confidently:

"Of course! The Japanese devils of the 16th Division don't deserve to live in this world."