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

At Hanwang Mountain, the blocking position of the 643rd Regiment, the Wangyue Brigade, which had been advancing rapidly, was met with a head-on attack and suffered over a hundred casualties before retreating.

Subsequently, the main force of the Furong Detachment arrived. This time, Colonel Furong was not angry, but his face was not good. Hanwang Mountain was different from Juliang Mountain, and it had strong field fortifications.

Senior staff officer Major Yasui said confidently:

"Commander, according to intelligence, the garrison in Yixian is the Imperial Army's old adversary, the 107th Division. This division is a Class A division of the Central Army, consisting of 3 brigades and 6 regiments, totaling nearly 2 men."

After previous losses, even with reinforcements, the troop strength is only around 1.5. The various units of the Fifth War Zone in China are severely understaffed. For example, the 59th Army, a miscellaneous unit, has less than half of its authorized strength.

Hanwang Mountain and Qingtan Mountain are the flank pillars of Yicheng and also the retreat route of the 107th Division. Their forces should be a brigade, supplemented by artillery, with a total strength of three to four thousand men.

The Imperial Army has over five thousand men. If they could simply repel the Chinese in open battle, the rear of the Yixian garrison would be exposed to the Imperial Army's advance.

Major Yasui was also a new recruit to the 63rd Regiment. He had previously studied at the Army War College. When the 10th Division suffered heavy losses and urgently needed a large number of officers, Major Yasui was assigned to the 63rd Regiment. It was more about enriching his grassroots experience and getting a prestigious resume. He wouldn't stay there for long.

In fact, Colonel Fu Rong didn't have many options. They had already fought all the way to Hanwang Mountain and were just one last push away.

Thinking of this, Colonel Fu Rong's spirits rose, and he straightened his back and said:

"Gentlemen, the Itagaki Division is attacking Linyi City with all its might, and it will only be a matter of one or two days before the city falls. The 10th Division must not be outdone by them."

The Second Battalion immediately launched an attack on Hanwang Mountain, the Third Battalion feigned an attack on Qingtan Mountain, the Wangyue Battalion and the Cavalry Regiment served as reserves, and the Field Artillery Battalion cooperated in the operation, aiming to break through the Chinese defenses in one fell swoop.

The Japanese soldiers stood up to receive the order, shouting slogans that shook the heavens.

Subsequently, the Japanese troops split into two groups and launched a fierce attack on the positions of Hanwang Mountain and Tanwang Mountain. The 643rd Regiment calmly responded and the battle line was quickly stabilized.

At the Hanwangshan position, hundreds of Japanese soldiers filled the hillside. The 2nd Battalion and Artillery Battalion of the 643rd Regiment opened fire, causing heavy casualties among the Japanese.

Major Changjiangkou of the Second Battalion, enraged, roared:

"Damn it! How do the Chinese have so many cannons and heavy machine guns? Call in artillery support immediately!"

Major Eguchi was a reserve officer before. What he heard most in China was the defeat of the Chinese, how many cities the empire had captured, and how many enemies it had annihilated. It was as easy as strolling down the street.

Unexpectedly, in the small mountainous area of ​​Yixian County, they were thoroughly humiliated by the Chinese.

The field artillery battalion then launched a fierce bombardment of the Hanwangshan position. Shells rained down, and smoke engulfed the entire hilltop. Major Eguchi, watching with fervent excitement, said triumphantly:

"Good heavens, such intense firepower is beyond human endurance. If the bombardment continues, our warriors will only be collecting the corpses of the Chinese."

The adjutant chimed in, "I'll join in the fun."

"Napoleon once said that artillery is the god of war, and Hanwang Mountain is just a small hill. The field artillery battalion can wipe it off the map."

Major Eguchi had lost his patience and waved his hand casually:

"Let the warriors go up and collect the bodies of the Chinese. Remember, eliminate all the wounded. The Imperial Army has no need for any prisoners."

The adjutant gave a "hey" and left to carry out the order. Not long after, several hundred Japanese soldiers swaggered to the foot of the mountain.

The defending positions remained eerily quiet, shrouded in smoke and deathly still, with a thick stench of blood permeating the air. There was no sign of any human life remaining.

The adjutant leading the charge was very excited, waving his saber and loudly giving the order:

"Warriors, the time has come to serve His Majesty! Charge!"

The Japanese soldiers quickened their pace of attack, no longer bending over, and became arrogant and dismissive of everyone.

The battalion commander watched the Japanese soldiers' performance with a cold eye, as if they were dead. This was the first time the 643rd Regiment had served as the main force, and he was eager to show his skills. He had heard that the brigade commander was watching from Qingtan Mountain.

The predecessor of the 643rd Regiment was the First Regiment of the Training Corps. Judging from the serial number, it must be of high quality. It has always been the main force of the Training Corps.

The Zijin Mountain Campaign wiped out most of the troops. After Zhao Yunwen took over, he replenished the ranks several times, but most of them were veterans from Nanjing. Only a portion of them were newly recruited from the Pengcheng Campaign, accounting for less than 30%.

Second Battalion Commander Cheng Po-xiao graduated from the seventh class of the Whampoa Military Academy and participated in two battles of Shanghai. He had rich combat experience and saw that the Japanese were underestimating them, so he ordered them to be brought to the mountainside before attacking.

All the light and heavy firepower was ready, awaiting his command.

The adjutant, completely oblivious to the murderous intent, kept urging the soldiers to advance towards the mountaintop, dreaming of collecting the bodies of the defending soldiers.

Before they knew it, the Japanese soldiers had already reached the mountainside. Company Commander Captain Kumagai sensed the approaching death and loudly warned his adjutant:

"Takano-kun, something's wrong, there's an ambush! Stop advancing immediately!"

"Get down!"

Three red signal flares pierced the sky, and before the Japanese could react, dozens of tongues of fire of varying lengths seemed to spew forth from hell, sweeping down a large number of Japanese soldiers.

In an instant, the 2nd Battalion of the 643rd Regiment unleashed its full light and heavy firepower, raining down countless bullets on the Japanese. If Captain Kumagai hadn't tackled Captain Takano, he would have died in the first wave of fire.

Captain Takano, also a reserve officer, had never seen such a terrifying scene before and was trembling all over with fear.

Company Commander Captain Kumagai was different. He was one of the few remaining company commanders from the Battle of Taierzhuang and had a special sense of the crisis on the battlefield, but this did not change the course of the battle.

Cheng Po-xiao gave them no chance to turn the tide. At this point, the distance between the two sides was less than 100 meters. The Japanese howitzers dared not fire to provide support. They only had a few infantry guns and a Type 92 heavy machine gun a kilometer away. Only the Type 11 light machine gun was of use.

On the other hand, the Second Battalion had more than 20 M1919 medium machine guns, as well as 12 60mm mortars. The battalion's artillery company had 6 cannons, while the regimental artillery company did not fire this time.

The Japanese infantry's Type 92 heavy machine guns and grenade launchers were completely suppressed. The Type 92 heavy machine guns had only fired a few bursts when shells from the battalion's artillery company came flying in, destroying two machine guns in just a few minutes, scaring the Japanese soldiers into fleeing in terror.

Without the support of heavy machine guns, the Japanese firepower was completely suppressed by the defenders, and the riflemen lay prone on the hillside, not daring to even lift their heads.

Major Eguchi's mouth gaped open, his eyes glazed over, as if he had been frozen in place. It was the platoon leader left behind who anxiously reminded him:

"Eguchi-kun, quickly get the warriors to retreat! We've been tricked by the Chinese."

Jiang Kou suddenly realized what had happened. Although he didn't know what had occurred, one thing was certain: the warriors he had sent to collect the bodies were visibly turning into corpses.

"Quickly, withdraw the troops! Call in the artillery to open fire!"

"Eguchi-kun, that would result in a large number of friendly fire casualties."

"I can't worry about that now. It's better than being chased by the Chinese!"

The company commander also felt that Major Eguchi was right; it was better for a few people to die than for the Chinese to rout them.

He hurriedly ordered the retreat to be sounded, while simultaneously instructing the signal corps to use flag signals to call for artillery support.

The Japanese artillery reacted quickly; in no time, shells whistled towards the top of Hanwang Mountain, with many landing among the Japanese troops and accelerating their defeat.

The brothers of the Second Battalion were preparing to pursue and kill when they saw the Japanese launch an indiscriminate artillery barrage. They were so frightened that they all hid in the artillery shelters. At this moment, survival was the most important thing.

Second Battalion Commander Cheng Poxiao spat out a mouthful of mud and sand, cursing loudly:

"Those damn Japanese devils, they even bomb their own people! You're ruthless!"