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

The outer perimeter, north of Yixian County

The reinforcements from the 8th Infantry Brigade arrived, personally commanded by Brigade Commander Major General Takehira Sei. The brigade consisted of three infantry battalions from the 39th Infantry Regiment, one battalion from the 40th Infantry Regiment, an independent field artillery battalion, a supply battalion, and an engineer company, totaling more than 5,000 men. This was the last mobile force of the Isokone Division.

The brigade headquarters was located in Zaozhuang, with a battalion left behind for protection, while the main force swept along both sides of the highway. The surrounding villages suffered greatly, and countless people were massacred.

In Xiaowangzhuang, dozens of Japanese soldiers, under the guise of a mopping-up operation, stormed into the village and committed arson, murder, and looting. Their lewd laughter and screams could be heard from afar.

The 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 646th Regiment was operating nearby and rushed to Xiaowangzhuang after receiving the news.

After the 6th Company arrived outside the village, Company Commander Jiang Yuan ordered the artillery platoon and the third platoon to outflank the village and set up an ambush, while he led the first and second platoons to launch a frontal assault and drive the Japanese troops out of the village.

As soon as the 6th Company rushed to the village entrance, the Japanese detachment on guard opened fire, and the first rank suffered three casualties.

The soldiers then unleashed their full firepower, killing most of the Japanese soldiers, with the few survivors escaping into the village to report the news.

Jiang Yuan gave the Japanese no time to react, ordering the first and second platoons to split into two echelons and quickly storm into the village, where they immediately engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese.

Because the attack was sudden, most of the Japanese soldiers were engaged in burning, killing, and looting. They were caught off guard by the 6th Company and fought individually. Unable to withstand the fierce offensive of the soldiers, they were forced to retreat in disarray, suffering heavy casualties.

After witnessing the horrific scene in the village, the soldiers' eyes practically blazed with fury, their killing intent soaring, and their fighting prowess skyrocketing.

Squad leader Shinjuro Yohei had no idea what was happening. He had just gotten up from a woman and hadn't even put his pants back on when the soldiers of the Sixth Company arrived.

He could only flee to the rear of the village with the fleeing soldiers; those who were slow to run became victims of gunfire, paying the price for their evil deeds.

The remnants of Aragaki's squad, numbering over twenty, were driven out of the village by the first and second platoons. Lieutenant Aragaki's trousers were too cumbersome, so he lost them and was running for his life wearing only his loincloth, cursing as he ran:

"You bastard! You have no sportsmanship! I'll be back!"

The Japanese soldiers fled the village in a panic, only to run headlong into a barrage of fire. Three M1919 medium machine guns became their nightmare.

The artillery platoon didn't even need to use mortars; more than twenty Japanese soldiers were reduced to only five. Lieutenant Aragaki, who ran the fastest, was hit the most bullets and was riddled with machine gun fire.

The remaining five Japanese soldiers were wiped out by the main force of the Sixth Company that caught up with them; they were not even enough to fill a tooth gap.

The dozens of Japanese soldiers in the Aragaki squad were all wiped out. Before they could clean up the battlefield, gunfire came from the flank. Japanese reinforcements had arrived and were engaged in firefight with the brothers of the Sixth Company who were on guard duty.

Jiang Yuan immediately led the main force to reinforce and block the Japanese. One platoon of brothers stayed behind to block the villagers from evacuating. The Japanese had suffered a great loss and would definitely retaliate.

When Jiang Yuan arrived following the sound of gunfire, only 6 men remained in the second squad responsible for guard duty, while the Japanese had more than 100 men, which was the company to which the Aragaki squad belonged.

The Ogasawara Company was searching the surrounding area for Chinese troops when they heard the gunfire and rushed over.

When the Sixth Company arrived, the two sides engaged in fierce fighting. They met on a narrow path, with neither side having a position, making it a true skirmish.

The 10th Division was a first-class division with well-trained soldiers and experienced officers. The soldiers of the Sixth Company were also veterans of many battles. Jiang Yuan graduated from the Second Team of the Ninth Class of the Whampoa Military Academy and was a backbone member of the former Training Corps.

Knowing the Japanese were arrogant, he did not choose to engage them in direct combat, but instead ordered them to lie down and fire, making full use of the M1919's firepower advantage to suppress the Japanese.

Lieutenant Ogasawara initially didn't take it seriously, treating the 6th Company as a disorganized mob, thinking they could defeat it with a single charge.

They had been fighting against the poorly equipped Northwest Army, and their fixed mindset was a recipe for disaster. As a result, they ran headlong into the Sixth Company's barrage of fire, which consisted of more than a dozen machine guns.

The Ogasawara Company paid a heavy price for its arrogance. The Nagai Squad, which was at the forefront, suffered heavy casualties and had to lie down obediently, unable to lift their heads due to the machine gun fire.

Soon, several Japanese light machine guns began firing dense bullets, and grenade launchers were ready to ambush the Sixth Company's machine gun positions. Jiang Yuan saw all of this.

In terms of medium- and long-range firepower, the Sixth Company is more than capable of overwhelming the Ogasawara Company. In terms of machine gun firepower, the Sixth Company has a "6 plus 6" configuration, that is, 6 M1919s plus 6 M1918 automatic rifles. Even if one platoon is missing, it still has "5 plus 4".

The 6th Company's real trump card was its three 60mm mortars, enough to tip the scales in their favor.

The Japanese company only had 9 Type 91 light machine guns. They had lost a squad at Xiaowangzhuang, leaving them with only 6 Type 91 light machine guns and 6 grenade launchers.

Jiang Yuan ordered the mortar units to fire freely, targeting the Japanese grenade launchers. The M2 mortars completely outclassed the grenade launchers in terms of firepower, accuracy, and range, instantly killing any that peeked out.

After losing three grenade launchers in succession, Ogasawara finally realized the gap between the two sides. His face was so dark it could drip water, and he cursed:

"Baka yarou, what kind of unit is this? Even the first-tier unit has artillery! How are we supposed to fight like this?!"

The adjutant quickly advised:

"Ogasawara-kun, these are elite troops of the Chinese Central Army. They're wearing German M35 steel helmets, and their rifles sound like M1924 Mauser rifles, along with Type 24 rifles. Their heavy firepower is eagle-equipped. Their numbers are twice that of the Imperial Army, and their firepower is exceptionally fierce. Retreat!"

"You idiot, you're not a true samurai! The Imperial Army is all around us. As long as we hold on, reinforcements will keep arriving."

Jiang Yuan had also thought of this, so he kept anxiously looking back at the village behind him, wondering if the villagers had finished evacuating.

The battle lasted for half an hour when gunfire came from the flank again, indicating that Japanese reinforcements had arrived. Jiang Yuan had no choice but to order a retreat in another direction to lure the Japanese away.

Captain Ogasawara, seeing the Sixth Company about to flee, shouted excitedly. He had won his gamble; reinforcements had indeed arrived. He immediately ordered a pursuit, his mind far from the village.

Jiang Yuan led the Sixth Company to lure the Japanese soldiers into the mountains, a pre-arranged tactic employed by Zhao Yunwen.

Captain Ogasawara believed that the Sixth Company had been defeated and had lost all will to fight, so he pursued them closely, creating a gap between them and the reinforcements.

Seeing that dozens of Japanese soldiers dared to chase him relentlessly, Jiang Yuan roared:

"Brothers, let's go back and fuck them!"

The crowd, already enraged from the chase, responded enthusiastically and followed Jiang Yuan in a counterattack.

Jiang Yuan, carrying an MP38, charged ahead, with other submachine gunners and automatic riflemen advancing alongside him. The dense firepower caught the pursuers off guard; had he not been lucky, Captain Ogasawara would have been splattered with blood.

The Sixth Company's counterattack inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese, killing and wounding thirty or forty men. The remaining troops were routed and fled in disarray, turning the tide of the battle.

Ogasawara secretly regretted that he had chased too closely. Now, all he could do was try to escape and run towards the reinforcements, hoping there was still a chance to turn the tide.

Kamei Jiro arrived with several hundred Japanese soldiers, their killing intent palpable. They used sound to pinpoint the location and quickly came into view of the Sixth Company.

Jiang Yuan immediately halted the pursuit and provocatively opened fire on the direction of the Japanese reinforcements, which thoroughly enraged Major Kamei, who vowed to annihilate the soldiers of the Sixth Company.

After joining forces with the main force of the battalion, the Ogasawara Company also joined the pursuit team, showing more enthusiasm than anyone else.

Jiang Yuan led the Sixth Company to retreat towards the mountains while fighting, where the main force of the 646th Regiment was located. Colonel Kamei had never suffered a loss and was always arrogant, daring to go anywhere with only a few hundred men.

The adjutant warily advised him:

"King Kamei, never enter a mountain, lest you fall into the trap of the Chinese."

Major Kamei said nonchalantly:

"The Chinese aren't strong enough. Give chase! We can't let them escape! Kill them all!"