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

Two infantry regiments of the 16th Division originally intended to take Kongshan by force, but they were hit by more than 20 artillery pieces of various sizes and retreated in disarray, leaving behind more than 200 corpses. The guerrilla detachment gave the Japanese a taste of their own medicine.

Nakajima was so angry that he cursed loudly:

"You idiot! Zhao Yunwen is too arrogant! We swear we won't rest until the guerrilla brigade is wiped out!"

Major General Sasaki and the other veteran Japanese soldiers remained silent. They also wanted to wipe out the guerrilla detachment and Zhao Yunwen, but their strength did not allow it. Chief of Staff Nakazawa Mitsuo changed the subject, saying:

"Your Excellency, the 9th Division's attack on the right flank is also not going well. The 83rd Army, as a local force, is fighting very tenaciously. In addition, they also have the 66th Army as a reserve force, and they will not be able to break through the position in a short time."

"You bastard! No matter how badly the Ninth Division fought, it's no excuse for my Kyoto Division to be blocked at Kongo Mountain!"

Nakajima Kesago suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, His Highness the Prince is watching from behind. Our Kyoto Division must not fall behind."

Kongshan was the last stronghold of the guerrilla detachment. After the battles of Jurong and Yangshan, the guerrilla detachment had suffered heavy losses and had little strength left. They were just holding on desperately.

Who is willing to fight?

The Japanese soldiers looked at each other, feeling somewhat apprehensive, and no one volunteered to step forward and take on the heavy responsibility.

Nakajima Kesago's gaze turned cold, and finally Major General Sasaki stepped forward and said:

"Division Commander, let the 33rd and 9th Regiments continue to lead the main attack! I will take command."

Nakajima Kesago's expression finally improved:

"Alright, with Sasaki-kun in charge, we'll definitely be able to break through Kongshan smoothly. All we need to do is defeat the guerrilla detachment. Our target is Nanjing City."

Nakajima Kesago has calmed down and is speaking more pragmatically. He no longer insists on annihilating the guerrilla detachment, which has relieved a lot of pressure on Major General Sasaki.

After formulating the attack plan, Major General Sasaki began to deploy troops, ordering the 33rd Regiment to send out a battalion as the vanguard, with the heavy artillery battalion providing support.

At the front line of the Second Regiment, all the gun barrels of the isolated battalion were aimed at the Japanese soldiers, and it was only when Shangguan Zhibiao gave the order that everything was ready.

The defense of Kongshan was divided into forward positions and main positions. The forward positions were located at Yingzuipo, on the mountainside, and were defended by the Second Regiment's isolated battalion and artillery company, with the headquarters' directly subordinate artillery battalion cooperating with them.

After retreating from Jurong to Kongshan, Zhao Yunwen transferred more than 100 men from the training team to supplement them, bringing the strength of the isolated battalion back to 720 men, basically at full strength.

By this point, all 2,000 personnel from the Training Corps had been deployed to various regiments, leaving only 100 graduates as seed candidates.

The Japanese soldiers numbered about four or five hundred; that was a whole battalion, and that was all that was left.

Shangguan Zhibiao was familiar with the Japanese army's tactics and saw that it was a probing attack, so he did not intend to expose his artillery too early and let the Japanese skirmishers advance.

Inside the Japanese forward command post, Colonel Noda anxiously watched the attacking infantry group. This was the most well-organized battalion of the 33rd Infantry Regiment, with more than 640 men including the machine gun company and infantry artillery platoon.

The Japanese skirmishers were getting closer and closer, and had entered the heavy machine gun blockade zone. Shangguan Zhibiao remained calm and composed, and his soldiers waited patiently.

Two hundred meters!

One hundred meters!

The Japanese soldiers had already straightened up and were ready to charge when Shangguan Zhibiao fired his signal gun, instantly igniting the position.

Except for the artillery company, all other light and heavy weapons of the isolated battalion opened fire, firing thousands upon thousands of bullets at the Japanese soldiers.

Arai Battalion's formation collapsed instantly, as if struck by a heavy hammer. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers fell, and the crowd thinned out considerably, as if combed through.

Colonel Noda's facial muscles twitched incessantly; the guerrilla detachment's firepower was as fierce as ever, never disappointing him.

He could only order the regimental artillery to join the battle and suppress the defenders' firepower.

After a fierce battle in Jurong, the artillery of the 33rd Regiment suffered heavy losses, reduced to less than half of its original strength, and its firepower was greatly diminished.

The soldiers of the isolated battalion fired under artillery fire, holding off the Arai Battalion at the front of their position, while casualties continued to rise.

The offensive of the Arai Battalion was halted, and they obediently lay prone on the hillside to fight back, suffering far more casualties than the defending troops.

The second regimental commander did not allow the Japanese artillery to be arrogant for long. The regimental artillery company roared from its high ground and destroyed two Japanese howitzers in a short time, making them behave.

After shooting and killing a Japanese sergeant, Yang Guai ran to the machine gun team to give orders.

"Little Hubei, charge towards the crowd!"

After the bloody battle of Jurong, Xiao Hubei has been promoted to main marksman. The previous main marksman fell under the artillery fire, and he wants to avenge his brother.

Since joining the security regiment, perhaps because of the good food and his growth spurt, Xiao Hubei's height has visibly increased, and he has grown into a young man with a fluffy beard.

Following the direction Yang Guai pointed, Xiao Hubei fired two bursts of fire in quick succession, taking down three Japanese soldiers.

Yang Guai pointed in another direction, targeting a grenade launcher squad. Little Hubei did not disappoint him, wiping out the Japanese soldiers at a distance of over a kilometer.

Yang Guai rarely praised Xiao Hubei:

"Very good, well done! Keep it up from now on!"

"Let's change positions first!"

Little Hubei was still just a young boy, and it was a bit difficult for him to lift the 20-kilogram machine gun with a tripod. His assistant gunner, Xiong Wei, helped him move it.

Xiao Hubei is currently leaving along the trenches, while Yang Guai continues to command the others in combat.

"boom!"

An infantry shell landed on the second platoon's position, blowing up the machine gun team of the fifth squad. Yang Guai quickly called the part-time medic to treat the wounded soldiers, while he picked up his automatic rifle and continued firing.

An M1918 automatic rifle (machine gun) crew consists of two people: a primary gunner and a secondary gunner/ammunition handler.

The primary gunner was killed by several shrapnel bullets, his dying breath protecting his beloved rifle with his body. The assistant gunner was seriously wounded; after a swift and efficient treatment by the medic, he shouted to Yang Guai:

"Your life can be saved!"

Yang Guai let out a long sigh and roared without turning his head:

"Take him away first. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you accountable!"

After two riflemen carried the wounded away on stretchers, Yang Guai picked up his automatic rifle and opened fire on the Japanese soldiers. He fired accurately and fiercely, pinning seven or eight riflemen to the ground.

Relying on its superior manpower and firepower, and taking advantage of favorable terrain, the isolated battalion completely suppressed the Arai Battalion, and the Japanese casualties far exceeded those of the isolated battalion.

Colonel Noda's face was extremely grim. His battalion had suffered a complete defeat in the field battle, and the defending forces numbered no more than a thousand men, which was unacceptable to him.

What happened to the promised 6-1 score?

After a stalemate lasting more than an hour, Colonel Noda, seeing that the probing attack had achieved its objective, called a halt to the offensive.

The remaining Japanese soldiers hurriedly retreated to the foot of the mountain, only to find after counting their numbers that they had lost two hundred men.

The Arai Battalion only had four or five hundred men in total. If they lost more than 40% of their men in one battle, the Noda Regiment could not afford such a war of attrition.

Colonel Noda said with a cold face:

"Matsushita-kun, call in the heavy artillery battalion! Bomb the Chinese positions flat!"

At the front line, the soldiers of the isolated battalion had just taken cover in the tunnels when Japanese artillery shells came crashing down.

The Japanese, displaying the strength of an industrial powerhouse, bombarded the front lines relentlessly. Previously exposed firing positions were all targeted by the artillery, and large areas of trenches were leveled, seemingly poised to destroy the entire defending position.

Yang Guai stayed with the soldiers of the Fifth Platoon, which was equipped with Browning medium machine guns and was the platoon's main firepower.

The tunnel where they hid was a natural limestone cave, which was very large and extended more than three meters into the mountain. All the wounded soldiers of the platoon were housed here.

Explosions echoed outside the cave, sending chills down everyone's spines. Yang Guai, however, seemed unfazed, checking the wounded one by one.

Xiao Hubei was cleaning his beloved machine gun, his face displaying a composure beyond his years, and a faint aura of killing intent emanating from him—a quality nurtured by the lives of more than a dozen Japanese soldiers.

Behind closed doors, we might call him "Little Hubei" and not care, but on the battlefield, he deserves to be called a veteran!

The artillery fire began to spread, and Yang Guai, with his sharp ears, knew it immediately. He shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The Japanese are coming! Prepare for battle!"