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

In Gangtou Village, Tangshan Town, dozens of Japanese soldiers stormed into the village, killing people and looting everything in sight. The elderly who clung to their homeland and still harbored illusions about the Japanese all became victims of the Japanese soldiers' blades.

Unable to find any young men or pretty girls, Lieutenant Yamazaki was furious. Just then, a soldier caught a street urchin, and Yamazaki asked him menacingly:

"Where did the pretty girl go? She'll die if she doesn't tell!"

The street thug was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and begged for mercy:

"Sir...Sir, Japan-China friendship...I am a law-abiding citizen!"

The sergeant next to him swung his rifle butt and hit him, yelling:

"Speak up now, or you'll die!"

The street urchin quickly said:

"They've all fled to the mountains."

"Baka yarou, lead the way!"

The sergeant kicked the street urchin twice more, and the latter scrambled to his feet and eagerly led the way. Now, all he wanted was to betray others to save his own life.

Dingjiashan, the hiding place of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment, received a message from the reconnaissance detachment:

"Battalion Commander, several dozen Japanese soldiers have left Gangtou Village and are heading towards the foot of the mountain. They're going to search the mountain."

Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang Guoquan reported in a deep voice, while Battalion Commander Qin Feng snorted coldly:

"A few dozen Japanese soldiers dare to search the mountains? They're incredibly arrogant! Let them in, then kill them all."

Zhang Guoquan immediately went down to make arrangements, preparing to assemble two companies to annihilate them.

Lieutenant Yamazaki followed the street thugs as they searched the mountains, and unknowingly stumbled into the encirclement of the First Battalion. Zhang Guoquan personally led a team of more than 300 men who were ambushed on both flanks, making their troop strength ratio as high as 8 to 1. This was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Lieutenant Yamazaki had no sense of danger whatsoever; his mind was filled with thoughts of beautiful girls, and he acted as if he were in an empty place.

Zhang Guoquan wouldn't tolerate such arrogant Japanese devils existing, and coldly shouted:

"Beat him to death!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than his gun went off, startling Lieutenant Yamazaki.

The sound of gunfire was the order. The soldiers who were lying in ambush on both flanks opened fire on the Japanese soldiers. The Browning medium machine gun, automatic rifle and three hundred rifles roared, and the Japanese soldiers fell one after another after being hit by bullets.

"Enemy attack—"

Lieutenant Yamazaki's voice abruptly stopped. As a key target of the ambush, his body was riddled with bullets.

The street thugs were so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground, trembling, and immediately wet their pants. The once arrogant Japanese soldiers were slaughtered like cattle and sheep, and within minutes they were almost all dead or wounded.

Seeing that the Japanese soldiers were almost all dead, Zhang Guoquan waved his hand:

"Brothers, charge! Kill all the Japanese devils!"

The ambush troops surged out, overwhelming the valley and annihilating all the remaining dozen or so Japanese soldiers, leaving them with nothing.

This was a battle with no suspense whatsoever; it came quickly and ended just as quickly. Dozens of Japanese soldiers were easily wiped out, and the first battalion suffered only three wounded, with no casualties.

As usual, after the battle, they quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Just as Liu Xiaoming was about to finish off a corpse, the street thug who had been playing dead for a moment got up and begged for mercy:

"Sir, spare my life! I am Chinese, and Chinese people don't kill other Chinese people."

Liu Xiaoming said with disdain:

"You little brat, you're leading the Japanese here, aren't you? We can't let you live!"

Liu Xiaoming thrust his rifle forward, the sharp bayonet piercing the street thug's body and sending him to his death prematurely.

The battlefield was quickly cleared up, and the reconnaissance platoon leader on guard outside came to report:

"Deputy Battalion Commander, the gunfire has alerted the surrounding Japanese troops. At least three groups of Japanese soldiers are heading towards Dingjiashan."

Zhang Guoquan was already mentally prepared and immediately instructed the reconnaissance platoon leader:

"Keep an eye on the Japanese. If they dare to search the mountains, lure them up the mountain. The main force will deal with them."

The reconnaissance platoon leader readily accepted the order and left. Zhang Guoquan turned to the two company commanders and said:

"Take the spoils and retreat to the mountaintop. Let's see if the Japanese dare to chase us."

Several hundred meters away, Captain Watanabe led over a hundred Japanese soldiers towards the sound of gunfire; Yamazaki's squad was his unit.

The other two reinforcements from the Japanese were smaller, but still numbered in the dozens; they did not join forces.

The Watanabe squadron chased the attackers to the foot of the mountain, but then the gunfire stopped. They couldn't find them, dead or alive, which greatly angered Captain Watanabe, who vowed to find the attackers.

"Tap tap tap..."

Just as Captain Watanabe was completely baffled, a burst of gunfire suddenly erupted from his flank. Watanabe, who was worried about not being able to find the attackers, immediately drew his sword:

"They have submachine guns, they're Chinese, chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

Captain Watanabe had no concept of mountain guerrilla warfare and was easily provoked by the reconnaissance platoon, who then chased after the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon to kill him.

The reconnaissance platoon fought and retreated, occasionally firing a few shots at the Japanese soldiers, which infuriated Captain Watanabe, who relentlessly pursued them.

The adjutant reminded him with concern:

"Watanabe-kun, never enter a mountain; beware of traps!"

Captain Watanabe said dismissively:

"The main force of the Chinese has retreated into Nanjing. At most, there are some scattered small groups of troops, which are not to be feared."

Seeing that Watanabe was determined, the adjutant said no more and continued the pursuit.

Seeing that the Japanese soldiers were relentless, the reconnaissance platoon continued to lure them up the mountain. More than 100 men were not enough to intimidate the entire battalion.

Zhang Guoquan had already reported the enemy situation to Battalion Commander Qin Feng. Qin Feng then led his men to detour and cut off the Japanese rear, while Zhang Guoquan led the First and Second Companies to guard the hilltop and draw the Japanese to attack.

Watanabe's squadron chased the reconnaissance platoon up the mountain and soon engaged Zhang Guoquan's troops in firefight. Far from being afraid, Watanabe excitedly exclaimed:

"We've finally caught the main force of the Chinese army. If we keep them occupied, the Imperial Army will come to reinforce us!"

"Brave warriors, the Chinese have nowhere to run! Charge!"

Zhang Guoquan and others had retreated to the mountaintop, and Watanabe drove the Japanese soldiers away, attempting to annihilate them.

Zhang Guoquan's forces outnumbered the Japanese three to one, but they still feigned weakness, barely holding their ground without counterattacking, using defense to eliminate the Japanese's manpower.

The Japanese soldiers climbed up the hillside, but the experience of attacking from below was not pleasant, and people were frequently hit by bullets and tumbled down the cliff.

At the foot of the mountain, two other groups of Japanese soldiers arrived one after another. The gunfire spurred them on, and they charged up the mountain under the leadership of their officers.

On the mountaintop, Zhang Guoquan commanded his troops to calmly fight back. They lay prone in natural trenches or behind rocks and tree stumps, constantly firing at the Japanese. When there were too many of them, they used grenades to repel them.

The battle at Dingjiashan also caught Zhao Yunwen's attention. He habitually started micromanaging, using the radio to guide the First Battalion in fighting mountain guerrilla warfare. He had the Japanese soldiers' movements under his control, which was practically cheating.

Following the route drawn by Zhao Yunwen, Qin Feng successfully maneuvered to the foot of the mountain, cutting off the retreat route of the Japanese soldiers on the mountain.

Zhao Yunwen instructed Qin Feng not to rush the attack, but to lie in ambush at the foot of the mountain and wait for any Japanese reinforcements to arrive. He advised Qin Feng to repel any larger reinforcements and eliminate any smaller ones on the spot.

The Japanese offensive on the mountaintop suffered repeated setbacks. Not only did they fail to drive the defenders off the cliff, but they also suffered heavy losses, with casualties exceeding forty men.

Lieutenant Chiba, the commander of the reinforcements, said worriedly:

"Watanabe-kun, the Chinese have strong firepower, and our warriors simply cannot break through; the casualties are too great. It would be better to surround them without attacking, and trap them on the mountaintop."

Captain Watanabe waved his hand and said:

"It would take at least five days to trap them, and we don't have time to waste; we'd miss the grand feast in Nanjing."

"Either we eliminate them, or we give up. What do you think?"

Watanabe passed the buck to the two reinforcement commanders. Neither of them could afford to lose face, so they exchanged a glance and said:

"Watanabe-kun, you have the highest rank, so this decision should naturally be made by you."

The Japanese army had a clear rule that when several units, each under a unified command, fought together, they would be under the unified command of the officer with the highest rank.

Captain Watanabe stopped making excuses and said seriously:

"Gentlemen, the Chinese have only three hundred men, while the Imperial Army has two hundred. The advantage is on our side!"

The other two commanders had no objections. In their understanding, one Japanese soldier could fight five Nationalist soldiers, so two hundred against three hundred naturally had a clear advantage.

Lieutenant Chiba shouted:

"Watanabe-kun, just give the order!"

Watanabe coldly shouted:

"Warriors, attack!"