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

"You idiot! Are you trying to ruin the honor of the 41st Infantry Regiment? The regimental flag must never be destroyed!"

"Send a telegram to His Excellency the General immediately, requesting tactical guidance! It won't be long before the Imperial Army on both flanks arrives."

Colonel Yamada roared hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot, like a caged beast enraged. He was only 44 years old, and as the regimental commander of a first-class division, his promotion to major general was a certainty, and his chances of rising to the high position of division commander were also very high.

His future was bright, but if he destroyed the military flag, not only would his future be ruined, but he himself would have to commit seppuku to atone for his sins.

He cannot bear this responsibility.

"Commander, our brave soldiers have been scattered and it's unlikely we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. Shells are flying everywhere; they could land right on our heads. You should understand the consequences of the Chinese capturing our regimental flag!"

Colonel Yamada fell silent. He knew, of course, that this was no longer a matter of personal honor, but rather a matter concerning the rise and fall of the "Steel Army" and the Yamada family in the empire over the past century.

If that's the case, he will be nailed to the pillar of shame, and all the high-ranking officers from the Fifth Division will not let the Yamada family off the hook, because he is the one who brought shame to the Fifth Division.

"Boom boom boom..."

A volley of shells landed around them, very close to the regimental headquarters, completely shattering Colonel Yamada's last shred of hope. He said in a somber voice:

"Immediately destroy the military flag and send a farewell telegram to His Excellency the General!"

A dozen minutes later, Kunisaki Noboru's roar echoed from the 9th Brigade headquarters:

"Baka yarou, Zessaiden? What is that bastard Yamada doing?!"

"What on earth happened?!"

Lieutenant Colonel Kuroda, forcing himself to speak, said:

"Yamada's troops were ambushed by the main force of the 107th Division at Pangjuangou. The division had dozens of cannons and hundreds of heavy machine guns, and its firepower was extremely fierce. Yamada's attempts to break out failed, and his troops had suffered more than half casualties. The Chinese were ready to launch a general offensive at any time."

Yamada-kun was worried that the military flag would be captured, so he had no choice but to destroy it in advance.

"Baka yarou! Where are the warriors on both flanks? Why haven't they returned to reinforce us yet! Can't you hear the cannon fire?"

Kunisaki Noboru still couldn't accept this reality, which would inevitably affect his future in the military. There weren't many 45-year-old major generals, and it would only take a year or two for him to be promoted to lieutenant general and division commander.

"General, the Chinese are very cunning. They have sent out small units to lure the warriors on both flanks far away. It will take time for them to return to reinforce. It will be difficult for Yamada to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"I'm not telling them to switch to a defensive stance and hold out until reinforcements arrive, while we wait for them to break through—"

As Kunisaki Noboru was speaking, his voice suddenly stopped. Dozens of cannons and hundreds of heavy machine guns—with such fierce firepower, how could the remaining soldiers trapped in the encirclement hold on?

Kunisaki Noboru aged considerably in an instant, his once upright upper body hunched over, and his hair turned white in three seconds!

Faint bugle calls came from ahead, and Lieutenant Colonel Yamada's expression changed drastically; this moment had come far too quickly.

Kunisaki Toru's face was as black as soot, his eyes gleamed with a beastly light, his fists were clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged as he tried his best to suppress his emotions.

He needs to stay calm at this moment.

The central army is finished, and the left and right flanks are scattered. If the 107th Division is freed up, they will be in trouble.

The morale of the Ninth Brigade has been lost, and if they continue fighting, the losses will only be greater, and his brigade headquarters is also not safe.

Thinking of this, Kunisaki Todoroki loosened his grip, took a deep breath, and said:

"Kuroda-kun, retreat two kilometers and immediately send a telegram to the warriors on both flanks, ordering them to converge on the brigade headquarters at full speed and concentrate their forces for a decisive battle with the 107th Division!"

"Reply to Yamada-kun: The time has come to serve His Majesty! The Fifth Division must only have brave warriors who die in battle, and absolutely no cowards who are captured!"

Kunisaki Noboru has completely abandoned the central army, leaving Colonel Yamada to fight to the death, also in order to hold off the 107th Division.

In the general's eyes, they were already expendable pawns!

Lieutenant Colonel Kuroda felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't dare utter a single word of nonsense. He slung his sword over his shoulder, bowed, and left to receive his orders.

At Pangjuan Gully, the general offensive has begun, with all the ambushes deployed and the battle cries deafening.

The main force of the Yamada Regiment was already at its end, with only a few hundred soldiers left struggling to survive, and Colonel Yamada's life was also entering its final countdown.

He slowly drew his short sword and bowed deeply to Major Ono:

Please!

Then, raising his short sword high with both hands, he plunged it into his lower abdomen. Before the pain could spread throughout his body, Major Ono's sword severed his neck with textbook-perfect force.

Tetsuji Yamada, the executioner who committed heinous crimes in Nanjing, finally ended his shameful life.

Major Ono was horrified by Colonel Yamada's death. Unable to bear the pain of seppuku, he pulled out a pistol and committed suicide.

The Japanese soldiers in the regimental headquarters were like madmen, stabbing each other in the back and taking care of themselves. This saved the soldiers of the 322nd Brigade from having to do it themselves.

Thousands of soldiers stormed into the valley, instantly annihilating hundreds of remaining troops. Although these Japanese soldiers fought desperately and suffered some casualties, they could not change their fate of being wiped out.

The victorious soldiers cheered in unison, their voices echoing through the valley for miles.

Kunisaki Noboru was terrified, his last shred of hope shattered, and he loudly gave the order:

"Retreat quickly, back to Tangtou!"

After losing two battalions, the Ninth Brigade had no more intention of going into the mountains to sweep away the enemy. They cherished their lives and stayed away from the wolves of China!

News of the Kunisaki Brigade's retreat quickly reached the 322nd Brigade headquarters. Zhang Yi wore a disdainful smile, and Chief of Staff Lin Zheng quipped:

"I thought the Japanese army was so tough, running faster than rabbits."

Zhang Yi did have a different opinion:

"That's exactly what makes Kunisaki Noboru so troublesome. He's decisive and ruthless, and doesn't talk much! I actually hope he gets angry and brings his men to seek revenge."

The old guy was slippery; he ducked faster than a turtle, rendering our subsequent preparations useless.

Lin Zheng thought about it and agreed. The 107th Division still had a lot of hidden strength, including the cavalry regiment, the supply regiment, Qin Qingwu's regiment, and two mountain artillery battalions. The remaining men of the 9th Brigade were really not enough to deal with them.

Of course, annihilating a portion of the enemy also achieved the pre-battle objectives. As the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, Lin Zheng asked curiously:

"Traveler, what's next?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yi said:

"Of course, we advance when the enemy retreats!"

Two regiments were dispatched to advance towards Tangtou to tie down the Guoqi Brigade and prevent them from causing trouble in the Battle of Linyi.

No sooner had Zhang Yi finished speaking than Luo Wen, the commander of the 644th Regiment, walked up briskly and reported, as if showing off:

"Commander, the battle results are in!"

After speaking, he handed the statistics to Lin Zheng, who then passed them directly to Zhang Yi.

After reading it, Zhang Yi handed it back to Lin Zheng, saying:

"Report it to the division headquarters exactly as it was; the division commander is waiting for good news!"

"Hand over all the spoils to Regiment Commander Qin Qingwu. Your regiment will head to Tangtou first, and I will lead the main force to follow. We'll make it look like we're going to launch a strong attack on Tangtou, just to scare that old devil Kunisaki Noboru!"

Luo Wen understood immediately and happily accepted the order, as this was his favorite thing to do.

At the 323rd Brigade headquarters, Zhao Yunwen was staring at a map, lost in thought, when Xie Polu excitedly came over to report:

"Commander, the 322nd Brigade has achieved a great victory. They have completed their mission and annihilated the invading enemy at Pangjuangou, killing 2392 men, including the regimental commander, and capturing 3 intact howitzers and 4 infantry guns, as well as 5 damaged howitzers and 4 damaged infantry guns."

They captured 16 Type 92 heavy machine guns, 54 Type 91 light machine guns, 52 grenade launchers, over 1800 rifles and pistols, and countless ammunition and supplies.

Zhao Yunwen was overjoyed upon hearing this. These were all Japanese soldiers from the Itagaki Division; wiping out most of a regiment was enough to make that old Japanese soldier, Seishiro Itagaki, feel a pang of pain. He exclaimed in praise:

"Zhang Yi and the 322nd Brigade did a fantastic job this time; they deserve a commendation from the entire division. I'll report this victory to headquarters and request credit immediately!"