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

At Baoniugu, the smoke from the artillery bombardment had not yet dissipated when the Japanese infantry rushed up impatiently. It didn't seem like they were fighting a war; it was more like they were going through a procedure. They advanced very quickly.

Machine gunner Ouyang Li shook off the dust from his body and stared coldly at the rapidly approaching Japanese soldiers, as if he were looking at a group of dead men.

His bullets were already loaded, and he was just waiting for the battalion commander's order to fire.

Gunshots rang out, and the Japanese soldiers fell to the ground in response, a resounding success.

Ouyang Li had been waiting for this shot. Before the Japanese soldiers could react, his medium machine gun spewed out a long tongue of fire, and more than a dozen bullets shot out of the barrel, instantly taking down several Japanese soldiers. Ouyang Li roared with satisfaction:

"That was fucking awesome!"

The assistant shooter's eyes were filled with envy; he wished he were the main shooter.

Ouyang Li didn't notice the assistant gunner's feelings. All his thoughts were on the Japanese soldiers. The hillside was covered with them, and he could scan it with his eyes closed without missing a single one.

The Japanese soldiers did not expect the defending troops to have such fierce firepower, and suffered a considerable loss. Before they could even take the fall, nearly a hundred of them were killed.

The company commander leading the team was so angry that his eyes almost spit fire. Although he didn't care too much about the lives of his soldiers, the casualties were too high. If the fighting continued like this, it wouldn't be long before he had to charge into battle himself.

The Japanese soldiers weren't stupid either. Seeing the defenders' firepower was too fierce, they had no choice but to lie prone on the ground, their faces pressed against the earthen slope. The pungent smell of blood made them taste the cruelty of war.

"Thrust, thud!"

Major Hashimoto gave the order to fire, and Type 92 heavy machine guns and infantry guns joined the battle, attempting to suppress the heavy firepower of the Third Battalion.

He underestimated the firepower of the Third Battalion. The Japanese heavy firepower didn't last long before the Third Battalion's mortars and Type 92 infantry guns opened fire.

The shells seemed to have eyes, falling into the Japanese machine gun positions and destroying one heavy Type 92 machine gun after another. Major Hashimoto was so angry that he yelled.

The battle scene seemed to have deviated from his understanding; it wasn't about collecting the bodies of the defenders at all, but more like sending people to their deaths.

After their heavy firepower was suppressed, the Japanese infantry suffered heavy losses in the firefights, and the light and heavy machine guns of the Third Battalion kept them pinned to the ground.

The 10th Division consisted of well-trained veterans. In order to maximize the effectiveness of military spending, the Japanese abandoned submachine guns and focused on training veterans, taking the route of elite troops.

Their marksmanship was extremely accurate, and coupled with the low recoil of the Type 38 rifle, they were almost unerring at a range of 200 meters.

But this was conditional; it required an absolute advantage in heavy firepower, where riflemen could simply lie prone and fire. Now, things were different. The Third Battalion had the advantage in heavy firepower, and machine gun fire rained down, meaning that even the elite veterans the Japanese had trained at great expense could be hit by bullets if they looked up.

The grenade launcher's power was not utilized. The previous firing distance of 400 meters was no longer safe, as the 60mm mortar could easily hit it, and the grenade launcher's range was too short, leaving them only able to passively take hits.

At the battalion and company levels, the Japanese firepower was completely suppressed by the 3rd Battalion, and it was a targeted crushing defeat. Many of their tactics were greatly reduced in effectiveness, and they could only rely on the regimental firepower for support.

Major Hashimoto called for artillery support from the regiment again. The soldiers of the 3rd Battalion had to fight under artillery fire, resulting in a significant increase in casualties, but still far fewer than the Japanese.

Major Hashimoto's face turned ashen, and with the regimental commander watching from behind, he was utterly humiliated.

"You bunch of trash, you bastards!"

"Let them withdraw! They're a disgrace! They've completely disgraced the Imperial Army!"

Reason prevailed over impulse. Major Hashimoto suppressed his anger and ordered the attacking troops to withdraw, leaving behind more than a hundred corpses and rescuing many seriously wounded soldiers—enough to fill a company.

Not long after the Japanese infantry withdrew, the field artillery group launched an artillery barrage. This time, the artillery preparation was more targeted. Since the Third Battalion did not have time to repair the field fortifications, they could only lie prone in the trenches. Therefore, they had nowhere to hide and could only endure the fire, resulting in heavy casualties.

These are things that the soldiers of the Third Battalion must endure. Many of them had experienced the bloody battles of Shanghai and Nanjing and were mentally prepared.

Sergeant Wang Guan was a veteran soldier whom Zhao Yunwen had trained in Xiaguan. He was able to break through the hellish activities in Jinling City, which meant he not only had exceptional combat skills, but also had a very strong destiny.

He hid in a shell crater, which was originally a natural trench. After being hit by a 75mm grenade, a shell crater more than one meter deep appeared in the trench.

Shells whizzed overhead as Wang Guan intently dug out foxholes with his entrenching tool. These were crucial for protection, and he was digging very carefully.

Before the artillery barrage was over, he had already dug out a makeshift cat-ear hole, then curled up inside, feeling much more at ease.

The artillery fire finally stopped. Wang Guan's ears twitched a few times. He casually pulled out his iron whistle, puffed out his cheeks, and blew the warning whistle.

He rolled out of the cat-ear hole himself, carefully poking his head out. Just as he was halfway out, a burst of bullets swept over, scaring him into shrinking back.

Based on his experience, he judged that it was just a stray bullet and that there was no way a machine gunner could have spotted him. So he poked his head out again, and sure enough, the Japanese soldiers charged up, almost running right on their running time.

Wang Guan roared:

"Brothers, hurry up, the Japanese are coming! Fire them!"

As the group leader, he also had two partners to command, one of whom was an automatic rifleman and the main firepower of the whole class.

He was using the Type 24 rifle, which was highly accurate and had excellent performance. The wooden stock was engraved with fine lines of varying lengths, each line representing the life of a Japanese soldier.

He quickly spotted a Japanese soldier, a seasoned veteran, who was lying on the ground and ambushing him, hitting one of his men.

Wang Guan gently pulled the trigger. Just as the Japanese corporal was about to pull back, the bullet struck his left chest. After entering his body, the bullet tumbled and smashed his chest cavity to pieces, beyond saving.

The Type 24 rifle used 7.92mm pointed full-charge ammunition, which was incredibly powerful. Being hit by a single bullet would result in death or serious injury; there was no such thing as a minor injury.

Wang Guan shrank back into the shell crater to change bullets, and casually helped the Japanese corporal onto the butt of his rifle, adding another fine line to his record.

Wang Guan's automatic rifleman swept down two Japanese soldiers in succession, but his luck ran out. A Type 92 infantry shell exploded behind him, and his back was quickly soaked with blood. He fell into a pool of blood.

A trace of sadness flashed in Wang Guan's eyes. He signaled to another team member to rescue the wounded comrade, and he quickly picked up the only M1918 automatic rifle in the whole squad. He fired two short bursts at the Japanese soldiers, taking down two of them, which was considered as getting some interest back.

The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but they showed no intention of retreating. They were determined to fight the Third Battalion to the death. The two sides were only a few dozen meters apart at most, and the close combat was a battle of wills.

This was one of the Japanese soldiers' specialties. They were influenced by Bushido from a young age, and coupled with strict military discipline, they would not retreat unless ordered to do so.

The Third Battalion also had nowhere to retreat. Under the command of Battalion Commander Lü, they held the hilltop to the death, refusing to yield an inch of ground. The corpses piled up on the hillside, and the smoke of battle mingled with the stench of blood, testing everyone's fighting will.

In the field command post of the 39th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Numata stared intently in the direction of Baoniugu, his face as cold as frost. Baoniugu was far more difficult to attack than he had imagined.

This was the first time he had encountered a Chinese army that could hold its own in open field battles. He straightened his back and said:

"Takizawa-kun, the rumors are true. China's German-equipped divisions deserve the respect of the Imperial Army. I admit they are very strong, so they must be eliminated."

Senior staff officer Major Takizawa followed up on his words:

"Commander, you are right. There is a Chinese poem that says, 'Wildfire cannot burn it all; the spring breeze will bring it back to life.'"

The German-equipped divisions represented China's strongest fighting force, most of whom had already been wiped out in Shanghai and Nanjing. These were their last remaining bloodlines, and even at a certain cost, they had to be exterminated.

"Order the warriors of Hashimoto's battalion to withdraw. We'll use artillery to deal with them. Baoniugu has no strong fortifications. I want to see whether the Imperial Army's shells are harder or their bones are harder!"

At the 323rd Brigade headquarters, Zhao Yunwen was also paying close attention to the fierce battle at Baoniugu. He was also eager to see if the Third Battalion could withstand this brutal test.

No matter how good the equipment you give an army that can't fight tough battles, it will never become a top-tier military force.

Chief of Staff Xie rushed in and reported loudly:

"Urgent telegram from headquarters!" (Briefly)