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

As soon as the artillery barrage ended, Japanese infantry swarmed toward the Second Battalion's position like locusts, numbering at least six or seven hundred.

The Japanese soldiers were also divided into two echelons, left, center and right, and three waves, with individual soldiers spaced more than two meters apart, almost filling the entire hillside.

The Japanese launched a large-scale attack right from the start, and the Second Battalion Commander, Li Musheng, ordered each company to act freely, except for the artillery company, which remained hidden.

The first to fire were the Browning medium machine guns, four in each company, plus the captured Type 4 heavy machine guns, bringing the total to nearly twenty heavy machine guns, arranged in a fan shape. The hail of bullets was extremely dense, almost completely blocking the entire hillside.

Although the Japanese skirmishers stretched out their lines, they couldn't withstand the defenders' numerous machine guns and heavy firepower, and their casualties skyrocketed.

Colonel Sukegawa couldn't help but swear:

"Damn it! That guerrilla unit is really cunning!"

The senior staff officer said in a deep voice:

"They are equipped with a large number of M1919 medium machine guns, whose firepower is even more intense than the Imperial Army's heavy machine guns. Judging from this firepower density, it's at least the size of a regiment!"

Colonel Sukegawa said sternly:

"All infantry artillery, advance and destroy all the Chinese strongpoints!"

The Type 92 infantry gun was known as the machine gun killer, and Colonel Sukekawa had high hopes for it. He believed that as long as the defenders' machine gun fire was destroyed, the infantry group could charge forward.

At this moment, the Japanese infantry group was pinned down on the hillside, and their light and heavy machine guns joined the battle, continuously spraying bullets at the Second Battalion's position.

The Japanese machine guns were all within range of the 60mm mortars of the 2nd Battalion. Each company had three mortars, comparable to the Eagle-equipped Division. Using them on the Eastern battlefield would be like crushing a weakling.

The Japanese machine guns could only fire a few bursts before being destroyed. Without the suppression of the machine guns, the defending riflemen could fire freely, using the exposed infantry as live targets.

What drove the Japanese to their wits' end was the deadly sniper rifles. The heavy casualties among officers, veterans, and technicians caused the unit's combat effectiveness to plummet, which was tantamount to undermining its very foundation.

Although the Japanese infantry artillery was powerful, the defending troops also had 20mm mortars and infantry guns, so they dared not act recklessly.

The Third Regiment's core force was the 109th Regiment of the Hunan Army, but after several replenishments and reorganizations, less than 30% of the original force remained. Their equipment and tactics were completely modeled after the First and Second Regiments, and they had long since undergone a complete transformation.

The offensive of the Sekiguchi Battalion was halted, and they were at a disadvantage in the exchange of fire, suffering a surge in casualties. Colonel Sukekawa, feeling somewhat humiliated, gave the order with a grim face:

"Fire! Bombard them with howitzers! I refuse to believe we can't kill them!"

The senior staff officer said, forcing himself to speak:

"Commander, the two sides are engaged in combat at a distance of less than 100 meters. Firing at this time could easily result in friendly fire."

"Baka yarou, the warriors of the empire are all prepared to sacrifice themselves for the holy war, so a few accidental injuries are nothing to worry about."

"Execute the order, fire!"

The senior staff officer dared not utter any more nonsense; he had done his best.

Minutes later, the Japanese launched an indiscriminate artillery barrage. Shells whistled down from several kilometers away, some landing on the Second Battalion's position and others among the Japanese troops. Both sides suffered heavy losses.

Because the Japanese infantry was still attacking, the soldiers of the Second Battalion had to fight under artillery fire, resulting in a significant increase in casualties.

Li Musheng had no choice but to request reinforcements from the regimental headquarters. The regimental artillery company's six 75mm mountain guns began to counterattack, hitting the target in the second round and destroying a howitzer.

The Japanese soldiers hurriedly moved their positions and no longer dared to be arrogant.

The two sides fought fiercely for another half hour. Colonel Sukekawa, seeing that he had gained the upper hand, ordered the Sekiguchi Battalion to withdraw from the battle.

Seeing the Japanese troops retreat, the officers of the Second Battalion blew their anti-artillery whistles, and the soldiers quickly crawled into the tunnels. Only a few observation posts and two machine gun teams were left on the position to prevent the Japanese from launching a surprise attack.

The guerrilla detachment soldiers had long since figured out the Japanese soldiers' nature. They had only just taken refuge in the tunnels when the Japanese artillery shells came crashing down with terrifying power. Colonel Sukekawa called for the heavy artillery battalion.

Twelve 105mm howitzers unleashed their full firepower, conducting a sweeping bombardment of the Yangshan position. Not only the front-line positions but also the deeper positions were bombarded, almost completely razed to the ground.

Faced with 105mm heavy artillery, the regimental artillery company could only stay put, and the entire regiment could only huddle in the tunnels, letting the Japanese run rampant. Under the saturation bombardment of the Japanese artillery, a large number of trenches were razed to the ground, and many tunnels were also blown up, resulting in dozens of casualties.

The Japanese bombardment lasted for more than half an hour, firing over a thousand shells. If it weren't for the tunnel fortifications, the casualties would have been at least five times greater.

Colonel Sukegawa, his blood boiling with rage, said smugly:

"Napoleon once said that cannons are the god of war, and all the efforts of the Chinese are in vain in the face of absolute power."

The senior staff officer chimed in, "Let's get this over with!"

"This is the power of steel. China is an agricultural country; they have no idea how terrifying an industrial powerhouse can be. Faced with the Imperial Army's heavy artillery, the Chinese have no choice but to be bombed."

Colonel Sukekawa finally felt a sense of triumph and, in high spirits, gave the order:

"Send our warriors up to end the battle!"

On the reverse slope of Yangshan Mountain, at the Third Regiment's field command post, Qin Qingwu shook off the loose dirt from his clothes and said with concern:

"Chief of Staff Mao, I don't know if the brothers can hold on."

Mao Qi was not a veteran of the 109th Regiment; he was transferred from the headquarters. He was previously a staff officer in the 2nd Security Regiment, trained by Zhao Yunwen.

Having been exposed to tunnel warfare theory several years ago, he spoke with great confidence:

"Commander, you still lack confidence in tunnel warfare. The commander once told me about the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, which took place in Europe and America. The Japanese firepower was less than 100%, and most of the defenders survived."

I dare say, they can't harm the Second Battalion at its core!

Qin Qingwu's face showed envy. People like Mao Qi were Zhao Yunwen's trusted confidants, while he was a layer away from them.

Thinking of this, he said to Mao Qi:

"Chief of Staff Mao, when you have time, you should tell me more about these battle examples so that I can learn from them."

Mao Qi was a "sand" that Zhao Yunwen had mixed into the three groups, so he was naturally willing to get along with Qin Qingwu and readily agreed:

"Commander, you're being too polite. As long as you're interested, I'll tell you everything I know."

"Look! The Japanese have launched another ground attack! There are over a thousand of them, probably two battalions. What a massive operation!"

Qin Qingwu's attention was once again drawn back to the battlefield, and he coldly shouted:

"The Japanese are trying to take the Second Battalion's position in one fell swoop. Give the artillery company the signal to fire twelve rounds first—fire!"

This was the greatest support Qin Qingwu could give to the Second Battalion, and it also let the Japanese taste the bitterness of being bombed.

Kong Shan, Zhao Yunwen, Xie Polu and others watched the Japanese being bombed, and the fierce battle at Yangshan touched everyone's hearts.

Xie Polu said with deep concern:

"The Third Regiment is under a lot of pressure. Should we send an artillery battalion to provide support?"

Zhao Yunwen said firmly:

"Old Xie, we must trust the Third Regiment. Look, aren't the Japanese devils being blown to bits?"

Yangshan was just an appetizer; the real battle would take place at Kongshan. We were defending Nanjing, and casualties were inevitable. But it would be worth it as long as we could eliminate the Japanese.

In front of the Second Battalion's position, the Japanese soldiers were bombed and fell to the ground, leaving behind a trail of corpses. But they did not retreat. They charged forward under the artillery fire, ignoring the falling of their comrades.

Having barely withstood the artillery barrage, the defending troops unleashed a dozen long tongues of fire, and the Japanese soldiers fell one after another, their tenacity exceeding their expectations.

Major Sekiguchi took off his coat, leaving only a white stand-up collar shirt, and charged ahead, brandishing his military sword, exuding an air of superiority.

Li Musheng, equally enraged, grabbed his submachine gun and went down to the front line, shouting with all his might:

"Brothers, fight the Japanese devils—kill them!"

Under Li Musheng's leadership, every single member of the battalion joined the battle, about to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the Japanese.