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

At the 107th Division headquarters, Chief of Staff Xie Polu came over with a livid face to report:

"The theater command reported that the Kunisaki Detachment of the Itagaki Division is launching a full-scale attack on Linyi City. The 59th and 40th Armies have suffered heavy casualties and are estimated to be unable to hold out for more than two days."

In addition, the 322nd Brigade reported that the main force of the 10th Division's flank was attacking Juliang Mountain, and the main force of the 1st Battalion had reinforced the 3rd Company. Both sides had suffered casualties.

Zhao Yunwen knew that the third Battle of Linyi had only lasted four days, and Linyi would soon fall. However, the 107th Division of Yixian would hold out and would not allow the 10th Division to easily advance south.

Unable to achieve a breakthrough from the front, flanking maneuvers were their only option. He was waiting for the Japanese to take this risk, and with that thought in mind, he made his decision:

"Reply to Zhang Yi immediately: Juliang Mountain is just a warning position. Withdraw before dark and let the Japanese pass through Hanwang Valley."

Lure the enemy deep into our territory, launch a series of ambushes, deplete the Japanese troops' strength and firepower, and annihilate the Japanese forces along the Hanwang Mountain and Qingtan Mountain line.

Xie Polu gladly accepted the order and left. Zhao Yunwen's gaze had already shifted from Pengcheng to Lanfeng City on the western front. He was already planning the Lanfeng Battle, a counterpart to the Pengcheng Battle, and he absolutely could not allow the tragedy of digging a river and using water as a substitute for the army to occur.

At Juliang Mountain, the Japanese troops launched a relentless offensive. The soldiers of the First Battalion relied on makeshift positions to hold off the Japanese troops, and the hillside was covered with yellowish-brown corpses.

Major Mochizuki, the battalion commander of the 63rd Regiment, had lost his patience. The regimental commander was on his way, and he would lose face if he could not defeat the garrison before the commander arrived.

"You bunch of trash, you bastards!"

"Send the Fourth Company up as reinforcements! The time has come to serve in this holy war!"

Seeing that Major Mochizuki had bet all his chips, the adjutant habitually advised him:

"Mochizuki-kun, the main force of the regiment hasn't arrived yet. Isn't it too risky to commit all our troops at this time?"

"Ogino-kun, with only a few hundred Chinese men and no strong fortifications, it is clearly a temporary ambush."

This shows that the Chinese were unprepared; the Imperial Army's flanking maneuver caught them completely off guard. Therefore, speed is of the essence; they must use overwhelming force to defeat the enemy on the surface and strike at their heart!

Captain Ogino suddenly realized:

"Mr. Mochizuki's insight is truly profound. If the Chinese had been prepared, they wouldn't have left without even constructing fortifications. In field combat, a single battalion of the Imperial Army could repel an entire division of a detachment!"

"That's right, Ogino-kun, the 63rd Regiment must stage a major comeback, starting from Juliang Mountain!"

As the Japanese reinforced their troops and intensified their offensive, the pressure on the First Battalion's defense increased significantly. The deputy battalion commander asked whether to commit the reserve company to the battle, but the battalion commander shook his head and said:

"No rush, it's not time yet. A few hundred Japanese soldiers thinking they can take down Julang Mountain? Dream on!"

The First Battalion had indeed not gone all out. Not only had the reserve company not moved, but the artillery company had also concealed some of its strength. According to the plan, they would have to hold out for another day.

No sooner had the battalion commander finished speaking than the communications staff officer rushed in and loudly reported:

"Battalion Commander, the regimental headquarters has sent someone to inform us that our battalion is to let the Japanese troops cross Hanwang Valley and retreat to Yuntougu!"

After a moment's thought, the battalion commander said:

"Reporting back to the regimental commander, the First Battalion will resolutely carry out the order!"

The communications staff officer turned and left, and the battalion commander loudly gave the order:

"Notify the artillery company to fire 12 rapid-fire rounds at the Japanese! The first company is also going to reinforce them! Counterattack! We're going to counterattack!"

The deputy battalion commander immediately understood the battalion's tactical intention: a strategic retreat.

On the mountainside of Juliang Mountain, the Japanese soldiers charged uphill like madmen, suffering no casualties. Shells rained down in rows, and the heavy machine gun company opened fire at full capacity, with bullets swirling like a storm over the defending troops' positions.

The defending troops were equally determined, unleashing machine guns, 60mm mortars, repeating weapons, and bolt-action rifles at the Japanese soldiers.

Both sides fought with almost all their might, and neither could gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, six shells rained down from the sky, landing precisely in the enemy ranks and taking down more than a dozen Japanese soldiers.

This was just the beginning. Then, the second and third volleys of shells came one after another, and the Japanese army's formation was thrown into chaos.

Shells rained down in volleys, firing more than a dozen rounds in a row, completely demoralizing the Japanese troops and causing over a hundred casualties.

Major Mochizuki's expression changed drastically. He didn't know what had happened. All the reserves had been sent out, and there were no soldiers left to send to deal with the situation. An ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

The adjutant stammered:

"The Chinese have laid an ambush!"

He had barely finished speaking when a loud bugle call sounded, and the adjutant's pupils dilated instantly; his first instinct was to flee for his life.

Major Mochizuki had lost his composure. In his field of vision, hundreds of Chinese soldiers rushed out of the mountains and trenches, charging towards the Japanese like an unstoppable tidal wave.

The full-scale attack by the 1st Battalion of infantry completely shattered the Japanese soldiers' fighting will and triggered a complete rout.

The Japanese soldiers turned and fled for their lives, but the entire battalion of soldiers chased after them relentlessly, killing so many Japanese soldiers that their bodies lay strewn across the field and blood flowed like a river.

Major Mochizuki cursed in shame:

"You bastard, a disgrace to the Empire, utter trash!"

The adjutant hurriedly pulled him aside and said:

"Mochizuki-kun, we've already lost! Run!"

Major Mochizuki was extremely unwilling, but the army was in complete disarray and he couldn't stop it. His priority was to escape with the tide.

The Wangyue Brigade was caught off guard by the full-force attack of the First Battalion and retreated hundreds of meters.

The battalion commander, seeing that the situation was favorable, stopped after only chasing the enemy down the valley and then ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up.

They hastily packed up some equipment and supplies, then abandoned Juliang Mountain. All the wounded Japanese soldiers were killed, many of them beheaded, clearly to provoke the Japanese into pursuing them.

The Japanese soldiers quickly realized they had been tricked, and Major Mochizuki understood that he was too weak to fight anymore. He could only gather his defeated troops and wait for the main force to arrive before trying to get revenge.

Two hours later, the main force of the Fukuei Detachment arrived, and the detachment commander, Fukuei Shinpei, commander of the 63rd Regiment, took over command. After understanding the battle situation, Colonel Fukuei casually slapped Major Mochizuki several times and angrily cursed:

"You idiot! Are you a pig's head? You piece of trash! You've disgraced the Imperial Army!"

The Furong Detachment was temporarily formed to carry out flanking operations. It consisted of the 63rd Infantry Regiment, the 10th Cavalry Regiment, a field artillery battalion, and a supply corps, with a total strength of more than 5 men. Its main combat force was the 63rd Infantry Regiment, and Colonel Furong, the regimental commander, served as the detachment commander.

The 63rd Regiment was the main force in the Battle of Taierzhuang. It also fought against the 107th Division in places such as Hutoushan and Heifengkou and suffered heavy losses.

Almost all of them were wiped out in the Battle of Taierzhuang. Most of the current troops are reserve personnel replenished from the local area, as are the officers.

Colonel Fu Rong was eager to turn the tide, but he did not expect to suffer a setback at the start, losing half a battalion at Juliang Mountain. How could he not be angry?

Major Mochizuki knew he was in the wrong, so he could only hold back and wait until Colonel Fukuei calmed down before speaking:

"Although the Chinese launched a counterattack, they were not prepared; there were not even simple fortifications on Mount Juliang."

The main force of the Imperial Army only needs to launch a single all-out attack to easily capture Juliang Mountain.

Colonel Fu Rong's expression improved, and he immediately ordered the 63rd Infantry Regiment to launch a full-scale attack to capture Juliang Mountain.

Not long after, thousands of Japanese soldiers arrived in a menacing manner, only to find that the defending troops had already abandoned their positions.

Although Colonel Fu Rong was very annoyed, he didn't pay much attention to it and ordered his troops to enter Hanwang Valley and continue south.

The Japanese troops encountered several more ambushes along the way, but were defeated by the Mochizuki Battalion that cleared the way. The Japanese troops regained their confidence, and it was not until Yuntougu that they encountered any decent resistance.

Colonel Fu Rong ordered his men to set up artillery and bombard the Yuntougu position. The 644th Regiment fought fiercely with the Japanese for a day, killing hundreds of enemy soldiers, but was still repelled by the Japanese and its main force withdrew deep into the northwestern mountains.

The Furong Detachment's objective was to cut off Yicheng's rear, so they did not pursue or take the routed soldiers seriously. Instead, they marched south in great strides and reached the Hanwang Mountain and Qingtan Mountain line in just one day. This was the core position of the 322nd Brigade and the last line of defense on the flank of Yicheng, almost level with Yicheng itself.

Seeing that the guests had finally arrived, Zhao Yunwen revealed a hunter's smile and said to Chief of Staff Xie:

"Telegram to Zhang Yi: The Japanese troops have penetrated deep into enemy territory alone; treat your guests well!"