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

At the 63rd Regiment headquarters, Colonel Furong witnessed the disgraceful performance of the Jiangkou Battalion and was furious, shouting:

"Useless, a bunch of useless trash. How come they can't fight when they encounter the 107th Division?"

Major Yasui retorted, unconvinced:

"Commander, this time it was just the Chinese trying to take advantage of the situation. Mr. Eguchi was careless. I believe they will learn from this experience."

Intrigue and trickery may bring temporary advantages, but on the battlefield, strength ultimately prevails.

Colonel Fu Rong's expression improved somewhat. This wasn't the first time he had clashed with the 107th Division. After being beaten so many times, he could tolerate this small setback.

"Yasui-kun, the 107th Division cannot be regarded as an ordinary Chinese force. Their combat strength is no less than that of the Imperial Army's top-tier divisions. No one should underestimate them!"

"What?! Their combat strength is comparable to a first-class division? Isn't the regimental commander giving them too much credit? As far as I know, and it's a consensus within the military, the combat strength ratio between the Chinese and the Imperial Army is about 1 to 5, and that's for elite troops; for non-elite units, it's 1 to 7."

我承认这个107师很强，但也到不了1比1的地步吧？我感觉1比2都够支那人吹上天了。」

Colonel Fu Rong looked at Major Yasui as if he were an idiot. The graduates of the Army University were nothing but a bunch of madmen.

Of course, he wouldn't say this out loud; graduates of the Army University held a special position in the military, and there was no need to offend them.

"Yasui-kun, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Tell Eguchi-kun to attack with all his might, and get up from where you fall."

The battle must continue, and morale must not be affected, so Colonel Furlong's words were relatively polite.

Major Eguchi was somewhat embarrassed. In just one round of attack, they had suffered over two hundred casualties, not counting the lightly wounded. Such losses were crippling for a battalion of only 1100 men; they had lost almost a quarter of them.

After receiving Colonel Furong's telegram, he was extremely embarrassed and immediately gave several company commanders a good scolding, with his adjutant becoming the scapegoat.

After he finished cursing, he asked:

"Gentlemen, the regimental commander is very angry and has questioned the capabilities of the Jiangkou Battalion. This is unacceptable and a disgrace to the Jiangkou Battalion."

"His Excellency Fu Rong is watching from behind. We must be fully focused and give it our all to wash away this shame with the blood of the Chinese."

All the Japanese soldiers stood up in unison to express their stance, and Captain Kumagai, the company commander, stepped forward and said:

"Commander, the Chinese on Hanwang Mountain have very strong firepower, equipped with a large number of heavy machine guns and mortars. We must find a way to take them out first, otherwise the infantry will suffer heavy casualties during the breakthrough."

Eguchi listened to advice this time and looked at Captain Kumagai, saying:

"Kumagai-kun, I've decided to launch a probing attack first. Your company will be in charge, and the staff will mark the targets. Then, we'll call in the artillery battalion to take them out."

Captain Kumagai had the same idea, and immediately straightened his back and said:

"The Kumagai Squadron will never disappoint the Captain."

Major Eguchi praised:

"Yoshi, Kumagai-kun truly lives up to his reputation as one of the top warriors in the Isogai Division. I have great confidence in you. The artillery battalion will provide you with a round of artillery support. The rest is up to you."

Captain Kumagai responded with a "Yes, sir!" and left. Major Eguchi immediately requested artillery support from the regimental headquarters, and soon shells were raining down on the defenders' positions. The reaction speed was indeed very fast.

At this time, most of the brothers in the Second Battalion were hiding in the anti-artillery bunkers, leaving only a small number of observation posts and duty machine guns, as they were also worried that the Japanese would take the opportunity to attack.

The Japanese artillery bombardment did not last long, only thirty or forty rounds, which plowed up the Second Battalion's position and destroyed many trenches.

As soon as the shelling stopped, the Japanese soldiers of the Xiong Gui Company advanced in skirmish lines. These Japanese soldiers were spread out, with each soldier three to five meters apart. A shell might only take down one Japanese soldier, and machine guns had even less chance of hitting their targets.

The battalion commander immediately saw through the Japanese soldiers' scheme and ordered that only the light firepower of the first and second trenches be used to engage them, while concealing most of their strength. He reasoned that a hundred or so Japanese soldiers were not worth the battalion's serious effort.

The Hanwangshan position had only one defensive line, consisting of several trenches. The first and second lines were mainly platoon-level firepower, the third line was the company-level firepower platoon, and the fourth line was the battalion-level artillery company. The fifth line was the regimental-level artillery company, which was the main firepower of Hanwangshan, equipped with 6 Japanese-made mountain guns and 6 Type 92 infantry guns or 20mm mortars, as well as a rocket launcher platoon.

The fifth line of defense was located on the reverse slope of the mountaintop, while the fourth line of defense was located on the mountaintop and consisted of the battalion headquarters and the battalion's artillery company.

The 643rd Regiment headquarters was also located on Hanwang Mountain, but on a small hill behind it, only a hundred meters from the summit. In addition to the regimental headquarters, there was also the 2nd Infantry Battalion, which was the reserve force.

The Japanese only deployed one company, and the Second Battalion Commander, Cheng Po-xiao, didn't really take them seriously and didn't intend to expose the heavy firepower in the fourth and fifth trenches.

When the Japanese skirmishers advanced to the front of the first line of defense, the defenders of the second and third lines opened fire on the Japanese. Where the bullets swept, the Japanese soldiers fell to the ground, and those who were slow became corpses or wounded.

Captain Kumagai quickly counted the weapons: at least six heavy machine guns, about ten light machine guns, and some submachine guns. This firepower was enough to overwhelm Kumagai's company.

The Japanese soldiers, lying on the ground, spontaneously returned fire, but were on the defensive. The defending troops, positioned on higher ground, opened fire from above and gained a significant advantage.

The Japanese bullets were hampered by the hillside, making it difficult to hit the target while prone. They would either fly into the air or be blocked by the slope, wasting most of their bullets.

The defending troops were different. They lay prone in their carefully constructed firing positions, only half of their helmets showing, their bodies hidden in the trenches. Both their helmets and bodies were camouflaged with vegetation, so it was impossible to tell it wasn't them unless they fired.

Captain Kumagai huddled in a shell crater, marking the positions of heavy machine guns in his notebook. He was horrified to discover that the positions of the defenders' heavy machine guns were not fixed and were constantly changing, leaving little room for maneuver. This meant that their probing attacks were completely ineffective.

"Damn it, you cunning fox!"

Gunfights have always been a strength of the Japanese, except when facing the 107th Division.

Captain Kumagai had fought against the 107th Division, and he discovered those omnipresent sharpshooters who appeared and disappeared unpredictably, each shot deadly.

After observing for half an hour, he came to the conclusion that the 107th Division's combat strength had increased rather than decreased after the bloody battle at Taiertuan.

He was horrified by his own judgment; if that were the case, Hanwang Mountain might be part of a Chinese conspiracy.

After discovering this secret, Captain Kumagai lost all interest in probing further and took the initiative to order a retreat.

The defending troops relentlessly pursued the Japanese troops with both light and heavy firepower, turning an orderly retreat into a rout. Major Eguchi wasn't particularly angry, as this was, after all, a probing attack.

The Kumagai Company had just withdrawn when the Japanese artillery barrage came crashing down. This time, the shells were much more accurate, almost all landing on the position. It has to be said that the Japanese staff officers were very skilled.

The Second Battalion had been on guard against them for a long time. As soon as the Japanese retreated, the soldiers shrank into the trenches and crawled into the nearest anti-artillery bunkers, leaving the Japanese to run rampant.

Shells rained down, and the soldiers huddled in their bunkers, silently enduring the bombardment until the piercing whistle sounded from the front lines.

Squad leader Li Ze shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Hurry up, you damn well better! The Japanese are coming!"