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

The Japanese soldiers of the Nishihara Battalion surged toward the Sixth Company's position in droves. The first to be hit was the area of ​​fire blockade. Several heavy machine guns of the Sixth Company opened fire on the Japanese soldiers. The bullet rain swept over them, and the Japanese soldiers fell one after another. The firepower exceeded the Japanese soldiers' expectations.

Major Nishihara cursed in terror:

"Damn it! The artillery battalion is a bunch of useless trash. Are they just bombing around for fun? Why do the Chinese have so many machine guns?!"

No one could answer the question. Lieutenant Captain Miyahara said with a dark expression:

"Nishihara-kun, it seems that the Chinese fortifications are much stronger than we expected. It looks like our warriors will have to pay a heavy price."

"Miyahara-kun, the warriors of the Empire have never feared death. What does it matter if we shed blood for the Holy War? His Majesty the Emperor is expecting us to establish immortal achievements."

Major Nishihara's words were cold-blooded, which is common in the military. They are all used to trick soldiers into becoming cannon fodder, since it's not them who will die.

Captain Miyahara shut his mouth and looked worriedly at Lijia Village. Their soldiers were advancing rapidly, but they were also suffering heavy casualties.

After enduring a period of hellish torment, the Japanese attack group finally rushed to the anti-tank ditch. The barbed wire had been blown to pieces, but it was still scattered on the ground. If a Japanese soldier was not careful, he would be scratched, leaving a few wounds at best, and a piece of flesh would be torn off at worst.

The real purpose of barbed wire was to slow down the infantry. The same was true for anti-tank ditches. Although most of them were destroyed, they were still obstacles that the Japanese could not ignore and were very annoying.

Once the impact speed slows down, casualties increase significantly, and the hit rate also improves greatly. Hitting stationary targets is much easier than hitting high-speed moving targets.

The Japanese casualties began to rise, and the Fifth Company's light and heavy machine guns continued to fire, as if bullets were free.

The attack group from the Nishihara Battalion could only lie down obediently and crawl towards the anti-tank ditch, thinking that this would allow them to avoid machine gun fire.

The barbed wire blocked their path, forcing them to avoid it, which slowed down the Japanese advance.

The first rank of Japanese soldiers entered the dilapidated anti-tank trench, which was filled with sharpened wooden stakes, making it difficult to move forward. Their advance was as slow as a tortoise crawling.

The other Japanese soldiers were completely unaware of the danger inside. To avoid bullets, the soldiers behind pushed the ones in front into the anti-tank ditch. The wooden stakes came in handy, piercing through the bodies of many Japanese soldiers. These wounds were highly infectious, and there was almost no need to save them; the cost-benefit ratio was too low.

The trench was piled high with corpses and wounded soldiers, creating a safe passage. The Japanese soldiers stepped over the bodies of their comrades to cross the terrifying anti-tank trench. Before they could even celebrate, someone detonated an anti-personnel mine, causing an explosion that covered the area.

Major Nishihara underestimated the defenders' defensive measures. Although they were some rather unorthodox tactics, they were still very damaging.

The Japanese casualties were soaring, and they were about to face the defenders' bunkers. Each bunker was spitting fire, and wherever the bullets swept through, Japanese soldiers fell to the ground.

Several hundred people may sound like a lot, but under the continuous barrage of attacks from the defending forces, casualties have already exceeded half a company, and this is just the beginning.

Those bunkers were incredibly lethal; the Japanese infantry couldn't get close at all. Machine gun bullets would only leave a few white marks when they hit them, and only infantry artillery could carve a small dent. Against the more than 1-meter-thick protective front, it was like a tickle.

Like the left wing, the Japanese also chose to send suicide squads to blow up the pillboxes, using human lives to fill the gaps, which was exactly what the defending troops wanted.

There was only one squad of combatants in the main fortress, but they inflicted ten or even dozens of times more damage on the Japanese. Even if they were blown up by the Japanese, it would be worth it. These were all veterans from a first-class division, and every one of them killed was one less to lose.

Northwest of Yicheng, in the Julang Mountain and Hanwang Valley, a large group of Japanese soldiers were marching in. They were the search squadron of the 63rd Regiment, responsible for clearing the way.

On Juliang Mountain, Tian Yong, the company commander of the 644th Regiment, was looking at the Japanese soldiers through binoculars. They were the vanguard of the entire regiment, and their mission was to block the Japanese soldiers from passing through Hanwang Valley.

The main road in the valley can bypass the west and south of Yicheng, allowing for both flanking attacks and cutting off the defenders' retreat, which was also the tactical intention of the 63rd Regiment on this mission.

Juliang Mountain and Yuntou Mountain were the first line of defense for the 322nd Brigade and the gateway to the core positions of Hanwang Mountain and Qingtan Mountain. The Japanese sent thousands of men to outflank them, thinking they could get away with it, but little did they know that Zhao Yunwen was already waiting for them.

Hanwang Valley is located on the east side of Juliang Mountain. It runs north-south, with a higher elevation in the north and a lower elevation in the south. The narrowest part of the valley is only about 30 meters wide, and the widest part is only about 200 meters wide. The valley is sandwiched between two mountains, making it very suitable for ambushes.

This time, however, the situation was special. The Third Company of the First Battalion only had more than 200 men. They were too few troops to ambush a reinforced Japanese company. Tian Yong decided to ambush the Japanese on the western ridge and give them a surprise attack.

The deputy company commander leaned over and said:

"The Japanese have already entered, should we fight?"

Tian Yong shook his head and said:

"No rush, wait until most of the Japanese have entered before attacking. Strike at the waist of their formation, hit the snake where it hurts most. Everyone wait for my gunshot!"

The deputy platoon leader excitedly accepted the order and went off to notify each platoon individually.

The 107th Division's radio equipment was only provided up to the battalion level. Company communications relied on signal flags, legs, and mouths. Communication was basically done by shouting, and transportation was basically done by walking.

The Japanese soldiers never expected that there would be an ambush on this godforsaken mountain. They had several thousand men behind them, as well as a cavalry regiment, so they weren't worried about being ambushed.

They quickly entered the valley, leaving only their tail sticking out.

Company Commander Tian Yong was very pragmatic. He didn't think about annihilating an entire full-strength Japanese company; he just wanted to inflict pain on them.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Tian Yong raised his Mauser pistol and fired three shots, hitting only one Japanese soldier.

The soldiers of the Third Company were waiting for his gunshot. Upon hearing it, they all pulled the triggers and fired bullets of hatred at the Japanese soldiers.

Ono's squadron was caught off guard. Although they reacted after hearing the commotion, they were no match for bullets and suffered heavy losses in the first wave of fire from the Third Company.

The 107th Division's firepower was far from being a "three-gun Eighth Route Army" force. Each company had six M1919 medium machine guns and six automatic rifles, making their instantaneous firepower output brutal.

The Japanese army's marching formation was a long, straight line, with two columns, each row spaced one and a half meters apart, and platoons 30 meters apart. The entire formation was less than 200 meters long.

The Third Company ambushed on the west side, on the flank of the long, serpentine formation. A row of medium machine guns, like six sharp blades, pierced the waist of the "serpentine formation," cutting it in half.

Automatic rifles, submachine guns, and hundreds of other rifles opened fire fiercely into the valley, causing havoc among the Japanese soldiers, leaving them with almost no chance to fight back.

The Japanese army's formation was completely disrupted. Although Captain Ono had narrowly escaped with his life, there was no smile on his face. He had lost control of his troops, who were all fleeing for their lives.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Captain Ono tried to control his troops, but no one listened to him; they all ran around like headless flies until they were killed.

The squadron commander pulled him to escape, but they were killed by a stray bullet to the head after only a few steps, which made Captain Ono realize the reality.

They were powerless to fight back; escaping meant victory. Ono noticed that the gunshots were coming from the west, while the eastern mountains were completely quiet.

He didn't care whether it was a trap or not, and ran towards the opposite mountain ridge. Anyone who blocked his way was shot with a Southern pistol. Better to die for others than for himself.

Seeing that the Japanese troops had been routed, Tian Yong decisively ordered a pursuit, but they only chased them into the valley. He then loudly ordered a halt to the pursuit and the cleanup of the battlefield.

Led by their squad leaders, they moved quickly, first finishing off all the Japanese soldiers, and then collecting their equipment and supplies.

Before they could finish picking them up, the second platoon leader in charge of guard duty sent someone to report:

"A large contingent of Japanese soldiers is approaching on foot, less than three miles away!"

"We'll be there in a little over a kilometer!" Tian Yong roared.

"Brothers, the Japanese devils are coming! Get up the mountain!"