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

After receiving orders, the isolated battalion buried the fallen brothers on the spot and then withdrew from the front line with the wounded.

The Japanese did not fire to intercept them; they continued to prepare for the general offensive in an orderly manner, and the retreat of the isolated battalion suited their wishes perfectly.

The heavy artillery battalion hid outside the range of the Type 41 mountain guns, their massive muzzles pointing straight to the sky. With a command from Nakajima Kesago, shells roared down on the main position, and the general offensive began.

The guerrilla detachment soldiers hid in tunnels and caves. The Japanese artillery fire was not targeted and, although it seemed to make a lot of noise, it caused very little damage.

The Japanese bombarded all possible surface positions, expending hundreds of shells, and then stopped, regardless of the effectiveness. Then came the main event: several thousand Japanese soldiers split into three groups and charged towards the summit, filling the entire mountainside.

The guerrilla detachment's artillery was all hidden on the reverse slope of the mountain, easily evading the Japanese artillery fire thanks to camouflage. Now, all the artillery pieces were moved to pre-prepared positions, their dark muzzles aimed at the Japanese, and firing parameters were adjusted.

Xie Polu came to ask for instructions:

"Commander, everything is ready. May we fire?"

Zhao Yunwen glanced at the dense swarms of "locusts" below the hillside, his voice as cold as if it came from hell.

"fire!"

Xie Polu strode away, and soon after, artillery shells slammed into the enemy ranks. The artillery battalion and the artillery companies of the two regiments, with dozens of cannons, went into battle and fired fiercely at the Japanese, with an effect no less than artillery barrage.

Several thousand Japanese soldiers charged into the open, exposed to artillery fire. Each round of shelling would kill many of them, resulting in heavy casualties.

The 16th Division's heavy artillery battalion began to counterattack, with shells raining down on the summit of Kongshan. The guerrilla detachment's artillery also suffered casualties, and both sides silently endured the damage.

Soon the Japanese troops rushed past the front line and closed the distance to the main position to two or three hundred meters, which was within the optimal range of the machine guns.

The Second and Third Regiments were fully engaged in the battle, unleashing their light and heavy firepower. Under the intense barrage of bullets, casualties surged.

The defending troops' firepower exceeded the Japanese's expectations, and Nakajima Kesago angrily cursed:

"Didn't they say the guerrilla detachment suffered heavy losses? How come they still have such powerful firepower!"

No one could answer him; all the old Japanese soldiers were shocked, their judgment completely flawed.

Colonel Nakazawa stammered:

"Could it be that Chinese reinforcements have arrived?! There are dozens of heavy machine guns alone, which is completely illogical."

"You idiot! This is a battlefield; anything is possible. You're trying to talk to me about common sense?"

I really want to slap Nakajima to death; this chief of staff is an idiot.

The Japanese offensive continued in front of the main position; they were like a group of gamblers who had lost everything and couldn't stop.

Xiao Hubei was numb. Too many Japanese soldiers had fallen to his gun. These little devils were like madmen, rushing towards his gun. But what he had in abundance was bullets.

Each machine gun was equipped with six ammunition belts, totaling 1500 rounds. With Japanese soldiers everywhere, he used short bursts of 6 to 8 rounds, aiming at areas with many soldiers, and always managed to get some kills.

The Japanese were attacking uphill, so the machine guns were prone to misfires when firing upwards, limiting their suppressive effect. Grenade launchers were effective, but they couldn't get within 300 meters because snipers and mortar crews were watching them, and peeking out would mean certain death.

Yang Guai lay prone in the trench, firing his Springfield rifle with practiced ease, hitting the target every time within a hundred meters, thoroughly enjoying the battle.

The Japanese soldiers were forcibly stopped a hundred meters in front of the lines. This distance was the true death line. The defenders' firepower density reached its peak. Rifles and submachine guns were all within their optimal range, and mortars could accurately hit machine guns. The advantage of numerical superiority was minimized, while the advantage of terrain was magnified infinitely.

Yang Guai fired five shots in a row, emptying the magazine and hitting three people before shrinking back into the trench to reload.

The shells were still whizzing overhead, but luckily none of them landed nearby. Luck is also a part of strength on the battlefield.

After loading his bullets, he changed positions and fired, keeping his eyes constantly on Xiao Hubei, the platoon's main firepower provider, capable of suppressing half a squad of Japanese soldiers.

Masato Utsunomiya was covered in blood and his eyes were unfocused. His squad had already suffered more than half casualties, and anyone who could handle a gun had been sent up to take his place.

The battalion commander kept urging him on from behind. The defending troops' firepower remained strong. He was a fanatical militarist. Mukai Toshiaki and Nobuaki Nobu were his friends. They had once agreed to attack Nanjing together.

The other two have already entered the Yasukuni Shrine, now it's his turn.

He took a deep breath, then brandished his standard-issue saber and shouted:

"Warriors, the time has come to serve His Majesty the Emperor to the very end—thrust, charge!"

Lieutenant Utsu was exceptionally fierce, charging ahead with his sword raised high. The other Japanese soldiers followed suit, attempting to intimidate the defenders with their fanatical Bushido.

More and more Japanese soldiers began to go berserk, launching a desperate charge under a hail of bullets, full of momentum.

This was the Japanese soldiers' last act of madness, and they were met with even denser bullets. Xiao Hubei pulled the trigger all the way down, emptying half of the ammunition belt in the blink of an eye, and the barrel turned red-hot.

Lieutenant Utsunomiya also fell to his gun, riddled with bullets and mangled beyond recognition. Bushido was nothing in the face of a heavy machine gun.

The remaining Japanese soldiers of the Utsunomiya squad suffered heavy casualties, leaving only nine survivors. Their fanaticism was replaced by fear, and they involuntarily turned to flee for their lives, wanting nothing more than to stay away from death.

The Japanese troops in other units fared no better; their entire units were wiped out, and those who remained lost their will to fight and fled with the others.

The news spread like wildfire, eventually triggering a rout. The backbone of the 16th Division was broken, and it no longer had the courage to face the guerrilla detachment.

"You idiots, a bunch of cowards!"

Despite suppressing his emotions, Noda Kengo, the commander of the 33rd Regiment, ultimately accepted the reality of defeat and did not order his commanding squad to open fire.

If the fighting continues, he will truly become a battalion commander without any soldiers. Without soldiers, all that awaits him is seppuku (ritual suicide) as atonement.

Nakajima Kesago was equally ashen-faced; he had lost this gamble and his future.

"Nakazawa-kun, gather the defeated troops and retreat to the foot of Yangshan Mountain—we'll discuss this further!"

Nakazawa Mitsuo breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. He cherished his life and stayed away from Zhao Yunwen!

Outside the Kongshan command post, Xie Polu shouted excitedly:

"Commander, the Japanese have been defeated!"

"They escaped. Should we give chase?"

Zhao Yunwen gave a wry smile. He knew his own situation best. With the strong fortifications of Kongshan, the guerrilla detachment was able to defeat the 16th Division. They shouldn't even think about fighting in the field.

Zhao Yunwen was very pragmatic and said in a deep voice:

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy; just hold your ground!"

This round of blocking seemed easy, but it was actually extremely dangerous. Zhao Yunwen had almost played all his cards and only had a 1000-man supply corps and a 300-man training corps left by his side.

This reserve force is not much in a battle involving tens of thousands of people, and there is an even more brutal battle to defend the city later on. He can't afford to lose all his resources on the outskirts.

The 16th Division left behind two thousand corpses, and many companies and platoons were wiped out. Only about four thousand men were left capable of fighting, which meant they were crippled and no longer able to launch an attack.

The guerrilla detachment also suffered 500 casualties and was unable to fight back. The two sides entered a stalemate, and Nakajima Kesago placed his hopes on other fronts.

"Commander, the Third Regiment has more than 1500 men left, the Second Regiment has more than 1300 men, the artillery battalion has lost 11 cannons, and there are 337 seriously wounded. The remaining soldiers in Kongshan total 5521, including 337 seriously wounded and more than 1,000 lightly wounded."

Lu Ping did not count the number of people killed, but only reported the strength of Kongshan's troops to Zhao Yunwen.

5500 people sounds okay, but that's on top of the 2200 reinforcements. Even with the more than 4,000 people that Regiment Commander Zhang Yi took with him, they still can't gather 10,000 wounded.

At its peak, the force numbered 13000. With the addition of 2200 from the Military Commission, the total strength was over 15000. Now, it has less than 10000, including nearly 1000 seriously wounded, bringing the absolute combat losses to close to 7000.

Zhao Yunwen was shocked when he calculated the costs. Although the 16th Division had been crippled, the real battle was yet to come.

Thinking of this, he said to Lupin:

"Hand over all the seriously wounded to Zhang Yi. They can move on now and disperse into the mountains!"

After arranging things for the group, Zhao Yunwen began planning the withdrawal from Kongshan.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate at Kongshan for another two days. Finally, the time was on the side of the 16th Division, and Chief of Staff Xie Polu rushed over to report:

"The Japanese have breached several sections of our friendly lines, and the flanks of the Tangshan defense line are wide open, rendering it unnecessary to defend. Commander Chen has ordered our troops to retreat to Zijin Mountain, and we may break out on our own if necessary!"

It must be said that Chen Cixiu treated the guerrilla detachment well, even giving Zhao Yunwen the order to retreat on his own, but he still had things to do!

"All units shall abandon Kongshan as planned; the Second Regiment shall advance first, and the Third Regiment shall bring up the rear!"