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

Seeing the Japanese soldiers relentlessly pursuing them, Battalion Commander Lü Zeng did not let them run wild like other Nationalist troops. Instead, he found a nearby hilltop to ambush the Japanese, causing dozens of casualties among the pursuers. This completely ignited Colonel Numata's anger.

The Hashimoto Battalion, leading the charge, launched an assault on the unnamed hill, surging forward in massive numbers. The soldiers of the three battalions unleashed a barrage of light and heavy fire, routing the Japanese soldiers and turning them into a sorry sight, showing no signs of being routed.

The Japanese troops from Hashimoto's battalion were not to be outdone, and continued to attack the Third Battalion's defenses. The two sides fought fiercely, with casualties on both sides.

Major Hashimoto's objective was to keep the Third Battalion occupied while waiting for the main force to arrive so that they could be surrounded and annihilated.

The nameless hill was just a small hill, not very big, and with no natural defenses.

If it were just the Hashimoto Battalion, which had suffered heavy casualties, the Third Battalion, with its advantageous terrain, should have had little problem holding off the Japanese.

As the Japanese troops continued to arrive, some even beginning to outflank and encircle the enemy from both sides, Lü Zeng decisively ordered his troops to abandon their positions and continue fleeing deeper into the mountains, causing the outflanking Japanese troops to miss their target once again.

Major Hashimoto ordered his troops to pursue with all their might. The Numata Regiment headquarters had barely caught their breath after arriving when they had to set off again. Colonel Numata showed no intention of letting the Third Battalion go.

The two sides chased each other, running over several hills until it finally got dark. The Third Battalion found a mountain ridge that was very suitable for defense and stopped running.

Shortly after, the Hashimoto Battalion arrived. The company commander leading the charge rushed up the mountain, only to be driven down by the Third Battalion's concentrated fire, leaving behind more than thirty corpses.

Major Hashimoto angrily slapped the company commander twice, cursing viciously:

"You'll scare the Chinese away! When they get tired, they'll definitely spend the night on the mountain. Once the main force arrives, we can use the cover of night to outflank them and surround and annihilate them."

The squad leader, who had been beaten, quickly flattered her, saying:

"The captain's thinking is truly insightful. The Chinese are already too exhausted to run anymore; they won't easily give up this hill. It's the perfect opportunity to surround and annihilate them. Brilliant!"

Hashimoto then ordered his troops to launch a diversionary attack, which was not very intense and just barely managed to hold off the 3rd Battalion.

Lin Feng, deputy battalion commander of the third battalion, said with concern:

"Battalion Commander, the Japanese are plotting something. I'm worried they'll surround us under cover of darkness. The men can still run, should we get away while it's still hot?"

Lu Zeng said confidently:

"Why leave? This mountain range is strategically important, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Both flanks are continuous mountain ranges, and it would take a whole day to get around to the rear."

We have enough food and water to last three days, which will keep the Japanese tied up here. Once the fighting starts, the regimental commander will definitely know where we're surrounded; then it'll be hard to say who's surrounding whom!

Lin Feng suddenly realized:

"I understand. They're using the Third Battalion as bait to lure the Japanese into a pincer attack. Once the main force of the regiment and the 648th Regiment arrive, they can counter-encircle the Japanese."

Lü Zeng nodded and said:

"That's right, this was agreed upon in advance. Three days is enough time for the 648th Regiment to arrive. They are only thirty kilometers away from here. If they speed up their march, they can reach the battlefield in a day and a night. Then it will be the end of the Japanese devils."

Lin Feng now felt confident. Since it was a plan the commander had already devised, all they needed to do was keep the Japanese soldiers occupied.

In mountain warfare, food is secondary; the main thing is drinking water. You can go three days without food, but you'll feel uncomfortable if you don't drink water for a day.

The Third Battalion's water supply could only last for three days, and the Japanese soldiers' water supply would not last long either. Once surrounded by the 646th and 648th Regiments, water would become their biggest problem.

The Japanese offensive continued, and the sound of gunfire could be heard from a great distance. Lü Zeng had already sent the location of the Third Battalion to the regimental headquarters.

Commander Sui's reply to them consisted of only four words: "Hold on and await reinforcements."

Major Hashimoto was equally confident, as they had the main force of the regiment behind them. Although the Kamei Battalion had been decimated, the Japanese still had three thousand men, including artillerymen.

The main force of the Japanese troops arrived one after another. By 10 p.m., the Numata Regiment headquarters had set up camp, and Colonel Numata had taken over command and listened to Major Hashimoto's report.

"Commander, this mountain range is called Baoniugu. It is more than ten miles in circumference. There are valleys on both sides that can be used to get around to the back of the Chinese. I have calculated the distance and it will take about a day."

The Chinese force numbered approximately 800 men, likely a rearguard unit; their main force had vanished. If the Imperial Army surrounded the Chinese, it might draw their main force in, but they might also abandon the position.

Colonel Numata did not rush to express his opinion, but instead turned to his senior staff and asked:

"Takizawa-kun, do you think the main Chinese force will come back to rescue us?"

Senior Staff Major Takizawa pondered for a moment before saying:

"It's hard to say. The Chinese are not like the Imperial Army. They don't care about the lives of their rear troops, and there are very few instances of mutual reinforcement. But we still need to prepare contingency plans."

We can first surround the Chinese at Baoniugu and see if we can lure more Chinese over to annihilate them; if not, then we can eliminate the Chinese already within the encirclement.

Colonel Numata nodded in satisfaction and said:

"I like this plan very much. The Kamei Battalion also has two infantry companies, plus other personnel, totaling more than 500 people, which is enough to complete the mission of outflanking and cutting off the Chinese retreat. I ordered them to set off after dawn and go around from the left flank to the rear of Baoniugu."

The Hashimoto Battalion was to lead the attack, supported by the field artillery battalion, with the Nagata Battalion serving as the reserve.

Colonel Numata quickly made arrangements with two intentions: first, to surround the Third Battalion, hoping to attract more reinforcements; if not, to annihilate the Third Battalion and vent his anger.

At three o'clock in the morning, Qiu Fengzi was woken up by Chief of Staff Colonel Ma Weilan:

"Brigade Commander, an urgent telegram from Regiment Commander Sui: The Third Battalion is surrounded by the Japanese at Baoniugu, and he is leading the main force of the regiment to reinforce them."

Commander Sui suggested sending the 648th Regiment as reinforcements, using the 3rd Battalion as bait, with the two regiments cooperating to cripple the Numata Brigade in the mountains surrounding Baoniugu.

Qiu Fengzi instantly lost all sleepiness. He leaned closer to the map, found Baoniugu, and then calculated the distance from the 648th Regiment to Baoniugu. His eyes hardened, and he slammed a red pencil heavily onto the map:

"Let's do it! There are 3,000 Japanese devils, and we still have more than 4,000 men. Although our strength is a bit tight, our goal is not to annihilate them all. We can accept severely damaging or annihilating a part of them."

Chief of Staff Ma, immediately send a telegram to the division commander, reporting the enemy situation and our plans, and await the division commander's approval.

Ma Weilan hurriedly accepted the order and left. Qiu Fengzi was no longer sleepy and was hunched over the map, checking for omissions and errors. This battle was of great importance and could not be taken lightly.

Not long after, Ma Weilan returned to the command center with Zhao Yunwen's instructions:

"After conducting a war game simulation, the division headquarters approved your operational plan and ordered the 648th Regiment of the 324th Brigade to provide immediate reinforcements, under your unified command."

The Numata Regiment is formidable; don't be too greedy, just annihilate a portion of them. The primary objective is to remain undefeated. Strike when the opportunity arises; if the opportunity isn't good, continue waiting. Holding them off is also a victory.

After hearing this, Qiu Fengzi felt even more confident. The division's bottom line was to keep the Numata Regiment bogged down in the mountains, preventing them from moving south. This would be a strategic success.

It's not too late to deal with the Numata Regiment after the battle at Taierzhuang is decided and the morale of the Japanese troops has plummeted.

Qiu Fengzi still wanted to severely damage the Japanese, and said to Ma Weilan:

"The isolated battalion of the 648th Regiment is keeping watch on the Japanese detachment headquarters in the western suburbs of Yixian County, so they definitely can't move. That means they still have two infantry battalions and direct subordinate units, with a total strength of about 1800 men. The 646th Regiment has 2300 men. After the Japanese have been weakened, they have at most 3 men left. They have enough troops."

I decided to attack the Japanese troops who were trying to outflank us first. I telegraphed Commander Sui, ordering him to concentrate the main force of the regiment and ambush them on the mountain behind Baoniugu. After the Japanese troops engaged the Third Battalion, we would then encircle and annihilate them from behind.

The 648th Regiment will launch a flanking attack on the main Japanese force at the opportune moment, thereby achieving the tactical objective of severely damaging the Numata Regiment!

At five o'clock in the morning, at Baoniugu, the Japanese soldiers had already launched their attack.

Rows of shells whistled down onto the hilltop, and the soldiers of the Third Battalion lay prone in the natural trenches, silently enduring the Japanese artillery fire.

The Japanese field artillery battalion still had 7 field guns left, including 3 howitzers and 4 infantry guns. Together with the regimental guns of the Numata Regiment, they had a total of 15 guns, which was a very powerful firepower. This was the source of Colonel Numata's confidence.

The artillery barrage lasted for more than ten minutes, covering almost the entire mountain ridge. Major Hashimoto exclaimed excitedly:

"The Imperial Army's artillery fire is truly fierce! The infantry can go up and collect the corpses of the Chinese!"