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

On Hill One, Wang Guohua coldly watched the Japanese soldiers in the valley, who were screaming in agony amidst the raging flames. Thick smoke billowed, releasing large amounts of toxic gas, which would soon poison the Japanese soldiers to death if inhaled.

The Sixth Regiment had piled up a large amount of flammable materials in the valley beforehand, as a big gift for the Japanese. After the Nishio Battalion entered, Wang Guohua ordered dozens of incendiary bombs to be fired.

The firewood scattered everywhere was quickly ignited, and with the help of the mountain wind, it swept across hundreds of meters in a short time. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers were engulfed by the flames, and the air was filled with a strong smell of burning.

Inspired by Zhao Yunwen's burning of the cotton field, Wang Guohua set fire to the Japanese troops in the middle of the field, causing them to flee in disarray, with the shorter ones burned to ashes.

Colonel Furong was completely petrified. He didn't know what had happened. The reversal came too fast, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Baka yarou, what on earth happened?!"

The senior advisor, well-versed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, stammered:

"The Chinese used fire, but the Imperial Army fell for it; they deliberately retreated!"

"You idiot, why didn't you warn me?"

Colonel Furong once again shifted the blame to his senior staff officer, since he was innocent anyway.

The remaining Japanese soldiers in the valley fled for their lives, abandoning their armor and weapons. Many of them had even had their eyebrows and hair burned off, looking extremely disheveled and filled with fear, as if they had just returned from hell.

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

"You have completely disgraced the 10th Division."

Colonel Fu Rong mumbled incoherently, his eyes unfocused, his spirit completely extinguished, turning him into a useless piece of trash.

After this turn of events, the Japanese troops on the eastern front lost all fighting spirit and retreated like a receding tide.

Qin Haitao ordered the soldiers of the First Battalion to pursue and kill the Japanese, which exacerbated the Japanese defeat. Those who were caught up and killed were unknown.

The 63rd Infantry Regiment was defeated again, and the front line retreated by more than a thousand meters, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

The victorious soldiers of the Sixth Regiment quickly cleaned up the battlefield and then retreated back to Black Wind Pass, bringing the battle to an end.

After the Japanese soldiers finally managed to gather their scattered troops, Colonel Furong drew his sword and attempted seppuku after seeing the casualty figures, but was stopped by his senior staff officer.

"Commander, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Things change, and we can win back the title another day."

Colonel Furong's eyes had lost all fighting spirit; he said listlessly:

Is there still a chance?

"Of course! The Chinese have lost Nanjing and half of China, yet they are still fighting. What is this setback?"

Colonel Furong, as if suddenly injected with a stimulant, waved his hands and roared:

"That's right, the Imperial Army is on the offensive now, and the Holy War is about to be won. A few setbacks are nothing to worry about."

Colonel Furong finally rallied his spirits, began to rally the defeated troops and boost morale, and apologized to Major General Raigani, taking full responsibility for the defeat.

Major General Lai Gu did not scold him this time, but said in a cold voice:

"Lord Fu Rong, you must know shame before you can be brave. The shame on the battlefield can only be washed away with the blood of the enemy."

I'm giving you one more chance. Either take Blackwind Pass, or die for the holy war!

Colonel Furong chuckled and turned to leave. Even if Major General Lai Gu didn't give him a death order, he was going to fight to the death.

Night fell quickly. Major General Lai Gu was quite particular and set the time for the general offensive the following day. The 10th Field Artillery Regiment would provide the most intense fire support, and the rest would be left to the Fu Rong Regiment.

Considering that the 63rd Regiment had fewer than 1500 soldiers capable of fighting, Major General Lai Gu allocated a replenishment team to them, a total of 1000 replenishment soldiers, which restored most of their combat strength.

These replacement soldiers were given to them by the division headquarters as a casualty quota, and were originally intended to be used only at critical moments. However, they were all used up as soon as they arrived at Blackwind Pass, and every one that died was one less soldier.

Nothing happened that night. As the sun rose again in the east, the Japanese launched their general offensive.

To enhance firepower, the Japanese pushed their artillery positions forward several kilometers, enabling 75mm howitzers to reach Hill No. 1.

The Japanese soldiers were determined and opened fire with dozens of cannons, raining down shells on the hilltop, almost leveling it.

Major General Lai Gu finally got his revenge. In his view, the defending troops could not possibly survive such a fierce artillery barrage.

Wang Guohua gazed at Hill 1, now bald from the bombing, and said in a relaxed tone:

"The Japanese division-level firepower is really fierce. Luckily, I ran fast, otherwise we wouldn't have many men left."

The chief of staff also jokingly said:

"The Japanese are usually so stingy, but they've been unusually generous today. If they discover the commander's 'empty city ploy,' will they be so angry they'll vomit blood and die?"

Wang Guohua grinned:

"That's none of my business. I've had enough of the show—let's go!"

The Sixth Regiment had completed its mission. Wang Guohua had ordered the withdrawal from Hill 1 before dawn, abandoning Blackwind Pass with the spoils of war.

Shortly after the Sixth Regiment turned and left, the Japanese soldiers charged up Hill No. 1 with murderous intent, with Colonel Fu Rong, wearing a sanitary napkin, leading the charge.

"You idiot! Zhao Yunwen is not a true warrior!"

After reaching the top of the hill, Colonel Furong felt like a clown. The all-out attack of the Laigu Detachment hit nothing but air, wasting countless shells and expressions.

The only consolation was that they had finally captured Blackwind Pass, and Colonel Furong no longer had to serve the holy war. But he couldn't be happy.

Major General Lai Gu was so angry he almost ground his back teeth to powder, but he still swallowed his anger and said through gritted teeth:

"Zhao Yunwen, I'm not done with you yet!"

Tiger Head Mountain, the Sixth Regiment returned safely. Laughter filled the command post. Zhao Yunwen praised:

"Commander Wang, your empty city stratagem is brilliant! It fooled even me, let alone the Japanese."

The Sixth Regiment has been fighting fiercely for two days and two nights, and the brothers are all exhausted. You go down and rest first, and use yourselves as reserves. Now it's the Fourth Regiment's turn!

Wang Guohua was indeed tired, and Zhao Yunwen's praise was the greatest reward. After saying goodbye to Zhao Yunwen, Qiu Fengzi and others, he turned and left.

With four regiments stationed atop Tiger Head Mountain, Wang Guohua and the Sixth Regiment could finally get a good night's sleep.

At noon, the Japanese troops finally arrived, led by Ando's battalion. The two sides made only brief contact before separating.

Having learned from the experience at Black Wind Pass, the Japanese were very cautious and did not launch a rash attack, but waited for the main force of the regiment to arrive.

The 63rd Infantry Regiment led the way again, followed by the main force of the Laigu Detachment. They carried a large amount of supplies and heavy firepower, so they could not keep up with the speed and dared not follow too closely.

To strengthen the assault capabilities of the 63rd Infantry Regiment, Major General Lai Gu transferred a battalion from the 10th Field Artillery Regiment to reinforce them, which greatly emboldened Colonel Fu Rong.

It was the same old routine: to strike first. Sixteen 75mm howitzers formed several artillery positions and unleashed a barrage of fire on the northern slope of Tiger Head Mountain. Their entrance was imposing, and the earth seemed to tremble.

The soldiers of the Fourth Regiment huddled in their bunkers, silently enduring the bombardment. The Japanese were firing indiscriminately, with shockingly low efficiency; it was just a show of force.

Colonel Furong understood this principle, so he stopped after only a dozen or so rounds and then sent out a company to launch a probing attack, which was also the old trick of the Japanese.

Tiger Head Mountain is located on the east side of the entrance to Wohu Valley, less than 800 meters from the main road. Its front is arc-shaped, protruding outwards, about 500 meters wide and more than 2 kilometers deep, blocking the main road.

On the other side were also rolling hills with dense forests. Small numbers of infantry could slip through, but heavy weapons and supplies could not.

More than 100 Japanese soldiers lined up in two echelons and launched an attack from the salient. Their skirmish lines were spread out, about two or three hundred meters wide, and sparsely filled the hillside.

The Fourth Regiment's forward position was located halfway up the mountain, consisting of three trenches, and housed an infantry battalion.

More than 100 Japanese soldiers were not enough to make the First Battalion exert its full strength. Battalion Commander Mo Songqi coldly watched the Japanese soldiers perform, and only when they were placed in front of him did he loudly give the order:

"Beat him to death!"