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

Under the heavy artillery barrage, the 2nd Battalion suffered heavy casualties. Most of the surface positions were destroyed, and many tunnel fortifications were also bombarded and collapsed. All the soldiers hiding inside were buried alive. Some died from bleeding from all seven orifices due to the shockwave, while others were still waving their entrenching tools to save themselves. They were all fighting desperately against the Japanese, and no one had time to help them.

The trenches were leveled, and the soldiers lay prone on the loose soil and fired, preferring death to retreat.

The Japanese troops, relying on their numerical superiority, attacked the front lines. The soldiers of the Second Battalion then used a barrage of grenades to blast them away, and the two sides engaged in close combat.

The people of Hunan are known for their "ability to endure hardship and their fierce spirit." When the Japanese soldiers surged onto the battlefield, they brandished their entrenching tools and charged at them. As bayonets pierced their bodies, the entrenching tools also shaved off the heads of the Japanese soldiers.

They fired machine guns and Browning automatic rifles at the Japanese soldiers, and before they could reload, they detonated grenades and rushed at the Japanese, risking their lives to fight them.

The Second Battalion, relying on this reckless fighting style, managed to drive the Japanese troops, who outnumbered them twice as many, down the mountain, but at the cost of more than half of their own troops being killed or wounded.

Colonel Sukegawa's hands were trembling inexplicably, and he almost dropped his binoculars. What puzzled him was that even though they had already attacked, they were still driven out of the position. The Kyoto Division, which was known for its strength, was defeated in the close combat and melee that it was best at.

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

"coward!"

"A disgrace to the Imperial Army!!"

Colonel Sukegawa wanted to order them all to be shot, but he held back in the end. If he killed them all, who would fight for him?

At the Second Battalion's position, squad leader Xie Ronggui was counting personnel. When the number stopped at "7", everyone fell silent.

Before the battle, the platoon was at full strength with 13 men, but now only 7 remain, 3 dead and 3 seriously wounded, not counting the minor wounded.

Platoon leader Ding Demao tiptoed over. Xie Ronggui simply gave out the numbers in a cold voice. The others were busy with their own things: some were wiping their guns, some were tending to their wounds, and others were silently munching on their dry rations.

Ding Demao felt even worse. He would have to endure an ordeal every time he went to a class, as the situation in each class was not good.

He had intended to say something grand and inspiring, but he swallowed the words back. He simply patted Xie Ronggui on the shoulder and went to the next class to face new hardships.

As darkness fell, the Japanese troops ceased their attack, and both sides began to lick their wounds. The Second Battalion had received orders from the regimental headquarters to abandon the forward positions after nightfall.

The 33rd Infantry Regiment was littered with wounded soldiers. Colonel Sukekawa was inspecting the area with several officers when Major Sekiguchi reported in a low voice, all of which were cold, hard numbers.

Colonel Sukegawa frowned. The casualty figures far exceeded his expectations. He had anticipated a tough battle, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.

"Sekiguchi-kun, you're the frontline commander, what are your thoughts?"

Colonel Sukegawa, unusually, did not get angry, and Major Sekiguchi quickly said:

"Commander, if I may be so bold, the Imperial Army knows far too little about the guerrilla detachments. They treat them based on the Empire's stereotypes about Chinese armies. How can they not be defeated?"

Major Sekiguchi used the word "defeat," a word rarely used in the Japanese army; everyone tried to downplay the situation. Colonel Sukegawa also couldn't accept the word, but he didn't show it. Instead, he said impatiently:

"I'm not here to listen to your hindsight advice. Just tell me your solution: how do you plan to deal with this?"

The best way to fight in tunnel warfare is to go around it. Major Sekiguchi dared to say that, but Colonel Sukekawa could have taken him out. If we could go around it, would he need to say it?

"Commander, we can only launch a direct assault with overwhelming firepower and manpower. It would be best to call in reinforcements from the air force. Additionally, we can use anti-aircraft guns to engage enemy strongpoints."

Colonel Sukegawa's expression softened slightly, and he spoke with a more relaxed tone:

"I will fulfill your request for anti-aircraft guns. As for aerial warriors, forget about them; they are needed everywhere."

"Let's rest tonight. Increase our food rations by 30%. We must ensure our defenses are in place and not let the Chinese take advantage of any openings."

Major Sekiguchi gave a curt "Yes, sir!" and Colonel Sukekawa walked away heavily, his shadow stretching long in the setting sun.

As night fell, the soldiers of the Second Battalion carried the wounded and their fallen comrades away from the position and retreated to the summit to rest.

The Third Regiment also had a position halfway up the mountain, defended by the Third Battalion, while the First Battalion defended the summit. The Japanese had to pay with their lives.

Yangshan and Kongshan are one entity. Behind the peak of Yangshan is a valley, and then there is Kongshan, forming a continuous area.

If the Japanese wanted to take the main road straight down to Nanjing, they had to capture Yangshan and Kongshan. In Zhao Yunwen's words, they had to pay with lives.

As the red sun rose from the summit, the 16th Division launched a new offensive, starting with artillery fire to demolish enemy bases.

The Japanese soldiers seemed oblivious to the changes in the forward positions, continuing to mechanically hurl shells at them. They deployed a heavy artillery battalion, concentrating their fire and plowing the surface of the positions several times, almost leveling them.

Colonel Sukegawa said excitedly:

"Wow, the Imperial Army's artillery fire is really fierce! I really can't imagine how the Chinese can survive."

"Commander, normal humans cannot withstand the bombardment of the Imperial Army's heavy artillery. We will definitely take down the Chinese positions in this round."

The senior staff officer, as was his habit, readily flattered Colonel Sukegawa, agreeing with him as well.

Always wanting to bring good fortune, Colonel Sukegawa then issued the order for a general offensive, and thousands of Japanese soldiers swarmed towards the front lines like locusts.

Colonel Sukegawa's heart was in his throat; he had been traumatized by the terrifying firepower of the defending troops.

meters!

Fifty meters!

The tension was at its peak even before the shot was fired.

Finally, they made it to the top. Colonel Sukekawa excitedly pumped his fist, and Senior Staff Officer Okamoto Jujutsu seized the opportunity to say:

"Guerrilla detachments are ineffective against the overwhelming firepower of the Imperial Army!"

"Okamoto-kun, signal to the front lines to continue the assault. Strike while the iron is hot and take Yangshan today."

Joy turned to sorrow. No sooner had Colonel Sukekawa finished speaking than a volley of shells flew down from the mountaintop and crashed into the jubilant Japanese troops, instantly killing a large number of them.

"don't want!"

"You bastard! How cunning!"

This slap in the face came too quickly. The guerrilla detachment's artillery had already set the firing parameters in advance, and all they had to do was throw the shells at the position.

The area was packed with people; a single shell could take down several Japanese soldiers, or blast a large number of them.

Okamoto Juju wisely kept his mouth shut, while Colonel Sukegawa was on the verge of going berserk, his eyes capable of killing.

The shelling finally ended, and the Japanese soldiers' good mood vanished completely; it was so disgusting.

The 33rd Regiment's all-out punch landed on empty air, resulting in nothing but an empty position, and they were even slapped twice in the face.

Disgraceful, utterly disgraceful!

"Okamoto-kun, call in artillery support! Bomb that Chinese hill flat!"

Colonel Sukegawa roared through gritted teeth, his eyes gleaming with a beastly light, thoroughly enraging the garrison.

A new offensive was launched, with wave after wave of Japanese infantry assaulting the hillside positions. Despite the combined efforts of the Chuan Regiment, the battle ultimately devolved into a war of attrition.

Two days later, the 16th Division finally captured the 3rd Regiment's position, and the Chuan Brigade was decimated. After two reinforcements, only about 1800 men remained.

By this point, all four infantry regiments of the 16th Division had suffered more than half their casualties, their reinforcements were almost exhausted, the supply regiment had only 1,000 men left, the engineer regiment had 40% of its strength remaining, and only the cavalry battalion remained intact.

The Third Regiment also suffered heavy casualties, losing half of its regiment, and retreated to Kongshan with its heads held high.

The Japanese invaders, emboldened by their success, launched a two-pronged attack from the 7th and 33rd Regiments, heading straight for the main peak of Kongshan.

Zhao Yunwen's face remained calm. He decided to give the Japanese a "greeting gift" first, and coldly shouted:

"Notify the artillery battalion, bomb them!"