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

On the second line of defense in the middle, Luo Zeping was watching the show with a cold eye. He had now become a fan of his senior.

When he first abandoned the first line of defense, he didn't understand and thought that Zhao Yunwen was also preserving his strength. Now he realized that it was just a tactical necessity and he learned another trick.

The Japanese skirmishers quickly advanced to the first line of defense. Some unlucky ones still managed to detonate landmines, but no one retreated anymore; they fought fearlessly.

The three defensive positions are arranged in a stepped pattern, resembling a hillside fence. Once past the peak, the path descends, which is why the Nationalist army established a defensive line in Jurong.

The Jurong defense line, running from north to south, resembled an arc-shaped fence blocking the Japanese advance, with a gap facing Nanjing.

Once the Japanese troops break through this high-lying fence, they can attack Nanjing from above. The river valley plain in the middle is like a vital passage, while Tangshan in the rear is the last barrier blocking that passage.

The Second Regiment's three lines of defense were constructed along the eastern slope, with the last one at the top. The regimental command and artillery company were located on the reverse slope, where more than a dozen bunkers of varying sizes were built against the mountainside. Dozens of captured light and heavy machine guns were deployed inside, reinforced with high-strength cement and stone, and have not yet been exposed.

The first line of defense was under the fire suppression of the second and third lines of defense. When the Japanese soldiers were clustered on the first line of defense, the light and heavy machine guns of the second line of defense suddenly opened fire. Caught off guard, a large number of the Japanese soldiers were mowed down, and the rest lay on the ground to return fire.

The two sides returned to their previous exchange of fire. The soldiers of the Second Battalion lay prone in the trenches and fired. They had designated firing positions, which were high up and only revealed a small steel helmet, making it much more difficult to hit them.

The second line of defense also consisted of three trenches. The first two were for light weapons, and the last one was for 60mm mortars and Browning medium machine guns, which were also built into dedicated firing positions.

The mortar firing position is a platform half a meter deep. The mortar can be set up on it, and the gunner can crouch down with only half of his head showing, making him difficult to spot.

After firing their shells, they could simply retreat into the trenches. There was one every thirty or forty meters, and the artillery crews could move to different positions along the trenches. Unless a shell happened to land inside the trench, they were safe and had extremely high survivability.

Zhang Guangrong's group had already destroyed seven firing points in three days, and they had set their sights on a grenade launcher. This was more difficult to hit than a heavy machine gun because it was too mobile, and the gunners were all veterans with more than five years of service. They posed a great threat to the defending army's machine guns.

Zhang Guangrong quickly estimated the distance of the grenade launcher group to be about 700 meters, which was the perfect range, but the Japanese soldiers kept changing positions.

Gunner Liu Zheng could only wait patiently, while Taniguchi Eiji jumped around, selecting a firing position. After changing positions several times, he finally found a satisfactory shell crater. He didn't enter the first line of defense, feeling it was too close and unsafe.

Eiji Taniguchi spotted a Browning automatic rifle, a squad automatic weapon used by the guerrilla detachment. It used a 20-round magazine and 7.92mm ammunition, and its performance was superior to the Czech-made machine gun.

He was the best grenade launcher in the entire battalion. In a battle during the later stages of the Battle of Shanghai, he achieved the miracle of hitting the target seven times in a row, almost without any bullets left.

After Sergeant Taniguchi set up the grenade launcher, he only glanced at it briefly before he knew what to expect. His assistant gunner promptly handed him a grenade.

Just as Taniguchi was loading the special grenade into the tube and preparing to fire, he suddenly felt a strange palpitation in his heart. This was a dangerous sign; he had survived until now thanks to his sixth sense.

He instinctively ducked into the crater, and a 60mm mortar shell flew over, landing and exploding a few meters to his side and behind. Hundreds of shrapnel flew in all directions, killing or wounding any exposed Japanese soldiers within a 15-meter radius. The grenade launcher team was almost wiped out. Gukou's luck ran out too; he was hit by several shrapnel fragments, one of which was a vital organ.

If he had been attacked by a sniper rifle, his stress response might have saved his life, but this time it was a mortar.

Miyamoto Shunsei felt a cool sensation in his crotch. He had never seen such a bloody scene before, and he couldn't hold it in and wet his pants.

"You idiot, you piece of trash!"

The private next to him smelled the urine and angrily kicked him. However, because his head was raised too high, he was hit in the head by a bullet fired from the opposite side, and his brains were sprayed all over Miyamoto Shunsei's face.

"Mom, I want to go home... Help!"

Miyamoto Shunsei screamed in terror. He no longer wanted to go to Jinling City to burn, kill, and plunder; he just wanted to go home.

Bullets whizzed by, and Miyamoto Shunsei lay on the ground, too afraid to raise his head.

The offensive at the front was not going well. The ruthless Japanese began indiscriminate artillery bombardment. The remaining dozen or so howitzers of the field artillery regiment poured out a hail of shells, and the entire Dongpo position was covered by artillery fire. The soldiers of the Second Battalion also suffered many casualties.

The artillery battalion immediately returned fire, destroying three howitzers, which finally calmed the Japanese down a bit.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the Japanese launched another fierce attack on the southern front. The isolated battalion's defensive line was under tremendous pressure, and casualties on both sides were soaring.

Zhao Yunwen showed no weakness, ordering the artillery battalion to provide support on one hand, and drawing two companies from the First Regiment to provide support on the other, thus stabilizing the defensive line once again.

Major General Sasaki was also deploying troops and constantly reinforcing them, and the two sides fought fiercely.

Before they knew it, another day had passed. The central garrison abandoned the second line of defense and retreated to the last line.

In order to capture the second line of defense, the Japanese left behind thousands of corpses, and the trenches were almost completely destroyed.

The Second Battalion also suffered more than half its casualties, and the entire First Battalion was committed to the battle, holding the last and most solid line of defense.

After capturing the second line of defense, the Japanese did not rush to victory but paused their offensive and readjusted their forces. Major General Sasaki even personally inspected the front line.

Colonel Noda said with great enthusiasm:

"General, Zhao Yunwen is indeed a formidable general among the Chinese. He held out for several days with just one brigade, inflicting heavy casualties on the Imperial Army. However, they are also at their limit, with only one last line of defense remaining."

The Imperial Army has made little progress on the left and right flanks, and the central terrain is low-lying, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend. I suggest concentrating our forces, sending out chariots as the vanguard to break through in one fell swoop, and then heading straight for Nanjing!

Major General Sasaki was also encouraged and readily agreed to Colonel Noda's plan, adding:

"Noda-kun, the 9th Division's offensive in the central sector is progressing smoothly, and breaking through the 74th Army's defenses will only be a matter of the next day or two. The 16th Division cannot fall behind, do you understand?"

As the right-wing army, the 16th Division had been secretly vying with the 9th Division in the center, neither willing to concede to the other.

Officers of Noda's rank, naturally politically astute, immediately expressed their opinion:

"General, we will surely break through the Chinese positions before nightfall!"

"Alright, I'll also pin the 9th Infantry Regiment down in the center. You two will be on the left and right, and whoever breaks through the enemy lines first will be credited with the greatest merit. The 20th Infantry Regiment will attack the southern front, and the 38th Regiment will attack the northern front, to tie down as many guerrilla forces as possible."

Gentlemen, success or failure hinges on this moment; I implore you!

"Hey, Your Majesty the Emperor!"

"Holy War, Begone!"

The Japanese soldiers shouted in unison, full of momentum.

After listening, Xie Polu asked:

"Commander, what's wrong with the Japanese?!"

Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"This is a life-or-death situation. Our proactive retreat has given the Japanese unrealistic illusions."

It's time to put those big meals we prepared for the Japanese devils to use!

"If he wants war, then let's fight! Send a telegram to Wang Guohua, no more hiding anything, go all out to drive back the Japanese, and I'll retaliate!"