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

At the 646th Regiment headquarters, Qiu Fengzi finally got to live a life where he could call the shots. At least he no longer had to play chess with Zhao Yunwen, who was bad at it, loved to play games, and loved to cheat.

Regiment Commander Sui Youlan rushed over to report:

"Passenger, something's up!"

Sui Youlan then recounted in detail the encounter between the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion and the Japanese. Qiu Fengzi quickly rushed to the map, and Sui Youlan marked the approximate location with a red pen, then said:

"The Japanese soldiers who were being held back numbered about 600. It should be an understrength battalion, carrying only four Type 92 heavy machine guns and two infantry guns, supported by a dozen mules and horses. They were moving very fast."

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Fengzi said:

"More than 600 people are enough. Any more than that would be too much to eat. Let the 6th Company lead them around in the gullies and then guide them to Nigang Ridge."

Inform the main force of the Second Battalion to set up an ambush at Nigang Ridge, give the Japanese a warning, and hopefully keep them pinned down.

"The first and third battalions will surround it again. As long as we catch this big fish, we won't have to worry about catching an even bigger one!"

Sui Youlan excitedly accepted the order and left; this time, the 646th Regiment would be the main character!

After sending Sui Youlan away, Qiu Fengzi instructed his chief of staff to report the battle plan to Zhao Yunwen. Qiu Fengzi dared not make decisions on his own for such a large-scale battle.

Zhao Yunwen's reply arrived quickly, and he offered a suggestion: fight if you can win, give up if you can't. Don't aim to annihilate the Japanese, just trap a large number of Japanese troops in the mountains.

Qiu Fengzi had a deep understanding of Zhao Yunwen's intentions. In fact, they were similar to what he had thought. After a period of learning from him, Qiu Fengzi had a pretty good grasp of Zhao Yunwen's tactics. Now, he needed to test them in actual combat.

After circling the mountains several times, the Guijing Brigade became completely engrossed, seemingly determined not to give up until they achieved their goal.

The Sixth Company just wouldn't stop, turning around every now and then to stab them, killing a few Japanese soldiers. Anyone would find that infuriating.

Major Kamei was used to conventional warfare and had little experience with mountain guerrilla warfare. The Eighth Route Army in North China had not yet shown its strength, so the Japanese army as a whole had not yet changed its mindset.

Lieutenant Captain Hoshino remained cautious; the deeper they went, the more uneasy he felt, and he once again urged the vagina to...

"Kame, we can't chase them anymore. The terrain in the mountains is complicated, and it's easy to get lost. The Chinese are like eels, and it's very difficult to catch them."

I always felt that the Chinese were plotting something, as if they were intentionally leading us in a certain direction.

Although Major Kamei was arrogant, he wasn't one to act unilaterally. He had calmed down somewhat and realized that something was indeed amiss, but he couldn't bring himself to back down, so he stubbornly insisted:

"Hoshino-kun, you're overthinking it. The Imperial Army is invincible in field battles; a single battalion can roam freely."

"But you're right, the Chinese are familiar with the terrain, making them difficult to capture. So let's let them go this time."

Seeing that Major Kamei had finally relented, Hoshino continued, following his lead:

"The Chinese are no good at fighting, but they're experts at escaping. The Imperial Army won't play hide-and-seek with them anymore. Shall we return to the main road immediately?"

Major Kamei nodded, and Captain Hoshino immediately ordered the pursuit to be abandoned and the group to return the way they came.

Before the Japanese soldiers could even turn around, a volley of shells came crashing down from the mountains on their flank, instantly killing more than a dozen of them. The damage was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.

The second battalion commander originally planned to wait until the pursuers entered the valley before making his move, but the prey seemed to have sensed danger, so he had to launch the attack ahead of schedule.

The artillery company fired several rounds at the Japanese soldiers, but did not use its full strength. It only used three mortars and four heavy machine guns, killing and wounding dozens of Japanese soldiers, which completely enraged Major Kamei.

"You bastard! This is outrageous!"

"Warriors, charge!"

The Kamei Battalion immediately retaliated. Captain Hoshino didn't dare to say anything more. They were almost a field battalion, and there was no reason for them to be intimidated by a few hundred Chinese. If word got out, they would forget about staying in the army.

Major Kamei had the right to be arrogant; normally, their benchmark was the Nationalist Army's divisions.

The ambush turned into a positional battle, and the Second Battalion was not in a favorable position. Under normal circumstances, they should have withdrawn, but this time they were locked in a fierce battle with the Japanese!

The rear guard of the Kamei Battalion had been deployed and was charging aggressively toward Nigang Ridge. It was just an ordinary little hill, not worth the Japanese's attention.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion fought back fiercely, raining bullets down on the Japanese soldiers and withstanding their initial onslaught.

The battle gradually reached a stalemate, with casualties on both sides. This kind of positional warfare was exactly the kind of combat the Japanese preferred. Major Kamei was completely in the zone, and no one could stop him now unless the Second Battalion withdrew on its own initiative.

Deputy Battalion Commander Yu Xiaole approached Second Battalion Commander Gu Lei and asked for instructions:

"Battalion Commander, the Japanese have taken the bait. Our men have suffered heavy casualties. Should we use all our heavy firepower?"

Gu Lei shook his head and said:

"Now is not the time. If we act too ruthlessly, we may scare the Japanese away. In war, people always die. Annihilating the Japanese is the top priority."

Gu Lei was clearly more patient. The Second Battalion had suffered heavy casualties, but the Japanese had suffered even more, and that was enough!

"Damn it! Where are the infantry guns? Why haven't they fired at the Chinese yet? Blow up their machine gun positions!"

Major Kamei was getting carried away. The battle scene was beyond his comprehension. The two sides had similar troop strength and firepower, and they had not gained the upper hand in the battle. This was unimaginable. When did the Chinese become so good at open field battles?

The Type 92 infantry gun was the Japanese devil's trump card in the field, the nemesis of machine guns and field fortifications, hitting its target every time it went off.

Urged on by Major Kamei, the Japanese infantry guns were pushed forward, no more than a kilometer away from the defenders, which was the optimal firing range.

The Japanese artillery was highly professional, and they fired their first salvo not long after. Two shells were fired simultaneously, destroying a firing point of the Second Battalion. Three of the four-man machine gun crew were killed and one was wounded. Fortunately, the machine gun was still usable. The equipment of the United States is very durable and reliable.

Major Kamei shouted excitedly. The battle had finally entered a familiar rhythm. As long as the infantry guns destroyed all the defenders' firing points, the defenders would collapse without a fight.

Major Kamei's joy was short-lived. Just after they fired their second salvo, the artillery of the Second Battalion finally caught up with them.

Three shells fell from the sky, and the huge shockwave blew one of the infantry guns into the air. When it fell back down, it was smashed into pieces, and seven or eight artillerymen were killed or wounded.

Now it was Major Kamei's turn to be dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the Chinese artillery to be so skilled, firing so quickly and accurately, resulting in the loss of a cannon for nothing.

The Japanese had only one cannon left, and in their panic, they frantically tried to move, but still couldn't dodge the second volley of shells.

They were lucky this time; because the explosion was far away, the artillery was not damaged, only a few artillerymen died.

For a resource-scarce country like theirs, artillery is far more valuable than artillerymen. Their domestic education rate is high, their reserve system is well-established, and training professional artillerymen is not difficult.

In China, it's different; there are too few literate people, and skilled soldiers are highly valued.

Major Kamei then realized that the defending forces had superior heavy firepower, and Captain Hoshino, once again having second thoughts, tried to persuade him:

"King Kamei, the Chinese occupy advantageous terrain and have superior firepower compared to the Imperial Army. Continuing to fight will not bring us any advantage. Our mission is to sweep away the flanks of the transportation lines. There is no need to fight to the death with the Chinese in the mountains."

"Hoshino-kun, does the Imperial Army not know how to fight without artillery? The fighting spirit of the Chinese is far lower than that of the Imperial Army. As long as we shoot and kill more Chinese, especially officers, they will collapse in no time."

"Kame-kun—"

"Hoshino-kun, no need for further words, continue the attack!"