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

At Black Wind Pass, the Japanese infantry artillery didn't have much time to flex its muscles before being caught by the Second Battalion's artillery company, which destroyed it with a single salvo.

Major Okamoto was dumbfounded, as if struck by a bolt from the blue, and stammered:

"Baka yarou, how come the Chinese have so many cannons?"

It's true that preconceived notions can be deadly. In his memory, the North China army rarely had artillery pieces below the regimental level, let alone six!

Then he seemed to remember something and screamed like a madman:

"Quickly, get the machine gun squadron to move!"

"Boom boom boom..."

"Boom boom boom!"

"Baka! We're doomed!"

Major Okamoto was hit hard again as his heavy machine gun position was bombarded by several rounds of artillery fire. The terrifying rate of fire of the Type 20 mortars left the Japanese with almost no time to move.

The artillery company used only 4 mortars and 3 rapid-fire rounds to destroy 6 Type 92 heavy machine guns. Keep in mind that the Japanese only had 8 in total, so they lost more than half of them and only two escaped.

The Okamoto Battalion suffered repeated blows, its heavy firepower was almost wiped out, and its infantry company was also frightened into retreating, which made the old Japanese commander Okamoto lose face.

Once the Japanese soldiers get angry, they like to go all out. Major Okamoto ordered three companies to attack simultaneously, but Captain Nakagawa quickly stopped him:

"Okamoto-kun, please don't act rashly! The Chinese have overwhelming firepower, and the Imperial Army has run out of heavy firepower. You must not act impulsively!"

Major Okamoto, as if his tail had been stepped on, assumed Captain Nakagawa was subtly mocking his impulsive actions and roared:

"You idiot! The Imperial Army is invincible, but does that mean you can't fight a war without heavy firepower?"

"You are not a true samurai!"

Captain Nakagawa dared not say anything more, and the next sentence was an insult calling him a coward, which was no less serious than being slapped in the face.

Major Okamoto, being a rank higher, had absolute authority, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. The adjutant's voice was even less powerful than that of the company commander.

Major Okamoto, enraged, mobilized his troops. Three companies of Japanese soldiers swarmed the hillside, almost filling it. This time, Wang Minghui was not overconfident and unleashed all his light and heavy firepower. The artillery roared from a distance, giving the Japanese soldiers a taste of being bombed.

Most of the soldiers in the 10th Division were veterans, extremely ruthless. The blood of their comrades spurred them on like a pack of beasts, charging forward fearlessly, completely ignoring the comrades falling around them.

This is Bushido, the spiritual pillar upon which the Japanese devils made their name. To them, death was merely going to the Yasukuni Shrine to report for duty.

The brothers of the Second Battalion fulfilled their wishes, sending the Japanese back to their hometown with concentrated firepower. The intensity of the firepower and the bloodshed of the battlefield made Major Okamoto, who was used to seeing death, tremble with fear.

Captain Nakagawa, steeling himself, tried to stop him:

"Okamoto-kun, if you keep fighting, all the warriors will die!"

"Baka yarou!"

Major Okamoto's eyes were bloodshot, like a wild dog that had been provoked, with the last vestiges of his reason taking over.

"Nakagawa-kun...let them withdraw!"

After the order was given, Okamoto seemed to have lost his soul, his whole body went limp, and his hand trembled as he reached for his military knife.

"This is an act of atonement with death," Captain Nakagawa quickly stopped him.

"Okamoto-kun, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war!"

"It's not too late to regain our dignity once the regimental commander arrives."

Major Okamoto's sword clattered to the ground; his spirits had been shattered.

The gunfire suddenly ceased, smoke filled the valley, and corpses lay scattered across the hillside. The pungent stench of blood was nauseating. This was the darkest day for the Okamoto Battalion.

The losses were quickly tallied, and Captain Nakagawa's steps were unsteady, but the harsh reality had to be faced:

"Three infantry companies suffered heavy casualties, and the machine gun company and infantry artillery platoon were almost completely wiped out. The entire battalion, including the wounded, had only about 600 men left."

The Okamoto Battalion had a full strength of 1100 men, meaning that nearly half of them were killed in action. If the wounded are included, the casualties of the entire battalion exceeded 70%, rendering it incapable of fighting.

"Nakagawa-kun, please request tactical guidance from the regimental commander!"

Major Okamoto was so dejected, it was as if he were a completely different person; there was no difference between him being alive and being dead.

Two hours later, the main force of the 63rd Regiment arrived. Upon learning of the crushing defeat, Colonel Furong swung his arm and beat Major Okamoto so badly his head swelled up, shouting angrily:

"You idiot! You're even more stupid than a pig! How dare you still be alive!"

Major Okamoto instinctively reached for his sword, but his hand was visibly trembling; he no longer even had the courage to commit suicide.

Colonel Fu Rong was furious and kicked him a few more times to vent his anger.

"Useless! Nakagawa-kun, tell me what happened!"

Lieutenant Captain Nakagawa gave a detailed account of the battle at Black Wind Pass, speaking forcefully about the garrison's troop deployment and firepower. He selectively downplayed Major Okamoto's arrogance, emphasizing that it wasn't the Imperial Army that was incompetent, but rather that the Chinese were too cunning.

Colonel Furong took a deep breath and said:

"Wow, this is the strength of the famous German-equipped Coordinating Division! They're much stronger than the Central Army in North China!"

The Japanese soldiers agreed wholeheartedly and abandoned their previous contempt for the Chinese army. Not all Chinese people were as fearful of the enemy as Han Fuju.

The 63rd Infantry Regiment was the main force of the Laigu Detachment heading south. The strategy of advancing from both the north and south to attack Pengcheng was set by the Japanese General Headquarters. The joint operation of the North China and Central China Front Armies would not be stopped just because of the loss of half a battalion.

Colonel Furong took over command on the ground, treating the defending troops as the real adversaries, and made full preparations for the attack, without launching a rash attack.

The news of the arrival of the main Japanese force had been reported to the headquarters of the Sixth Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Guo Zhenxing, the chief of staff, said in a deep voice:

"Commander, the Japanese regimental artillery is already set up; they're coming on strong!"

Wang Guohua put down his binoculars and said:

"As long as the Japanese division's artillery units haven't arrived, we must continue to hold them off. We must hold them off for two days. We must endure the hardship when necessary!"

Guo Zhenxing was only worried about the heavy casualties; this was an entire infantry regiment, and Heifengkou didn't even have proper fortifications. He continued to suggest:

"Commander, the key to this battle is to contain the Japanese artillery and prevent them from shelling Heifengkou, otherwise the first and second battalions will suffer heavy casualties."

Wang Guohua nodded and said:

"Of course. Tell the artillery company they only have one chance to strike; they must inflict heavy damage on the Japanese so they'll hesitate to act!"

Guo Zhenxing gladly accepted the order and left. Wang Guohua's expression also became extremely serious. The pressure of holding off thousands of Japanese soldiers with only two infantry battalions was considerable.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese soldiers were finally ready and the attack began.

Rows of shells rained down on the mountain ridges on both sides, especially on the No. 1 peak where the regimental headquarters was located, which became the focus of the Japanese attack.

Hill No. 1 is located deep in the southeast direction, three kilometers away from Black Wind Pass. It is the highest point within a radius of ten kilometers. The directly subordinate artillery company is deployed on it, hidden in the mountains and forests. As long as they do not actively expose themselves, it is difficult for the Japanese to hit them, unless they are extremely lucky.

The Japanese artillery fire was not well-defined; they were firing based on intuition, bombarding the high ground and the mountains on both sides. The defending troops did not retaliate.

After the artillery barrage was completed, Colonel Furong dispatched a company to each of the east and west flanks to launch an attack.

Colonel Fulong first needed to ascertain the strength and firepower of the defending forces before launching targeted artillery bombardments; otherwise, the effect would be minimal.

The battle first broke out on the east side. The artillery company directly under the Second Battalion fired several rounds of shells at the Japanese troops, disrupting their formation and attracting a counter-attack from the artillery.

Then, intense gunfire erupted from the west side as Colonel Furong continued to reinforce his troops, and the battle intensified.