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

The Japanese soldiers retreated in a panic, and before the soldiers of the Second Battalion could even rejoice, the artillery shells arrived as scheduled. It really was the same old tricks over and over again, without ever changing them.

The shells exploded with a muffled sound and started smoking after landing. The observation posts of the 2nd Battalion were all trained, and the platoon leader in charge blew a piercing whistle.

Li Ze's expression changed drastically, and he roared in terror:

"It's a poison gas bomb, wear the elephant trunk—quick!"

The soldiers hurriedly pulled out their gas masks, closed their eyes and put them on with their backs to the wind, then took a deep breath and left the rest to luck.

The poison gas spread very quickly. In a short time, the Second Battalion's position was shrouded in poison gas. Although they had gas masks, many people were still poisoned due to slow movements and improper use of them.

Terrifying screams echoed from the battlefield until they died from poisoning.

The officer sounded the battle horn, and Li Ze was the first to rush out of the artillery bunker, determined to take revenge on the Japanese devils.

In this round of gas attack, one of the newly recruited Sichuan soldiers in the fourth squad was hit. Although he survived, he lost his sight.

After Li Ze and his men returned to their positions, the poison gas had not completely dissipated, and the Japanese soldiers, carrying guns, slowly approached. They were all wearing large-nosed gas masks and swaggering forward.

The second battalion commander's face was ashen, his eyes filled with rage. He was determined to teach these beasts a painful lesson.

"fire!"

"Fire! Blow up that son of a bitch!!"

This time, he called for support from the regimental artillery company. Twelve artillery pieces bombarded the Japanese, and light and heavy machine guns opened fire, leaving the Japanese dead strewn across the field.

This was a one-sided massacre, and more importantly, it was the Second Battalion's revenge against the Japanese. They no longer held back and unleashed all their light and heavy firepower at full capacity.

The Japanese soldiers finally experienced what it meant to be wrathed by thunder. Wearing gas masks made them difficult to move around and their vision was impaired, making them easy targets.

What was supposed to be a mere formality of collecting corpses turned into a suicide mission, a blow that Colonel Follong found hard to accept. He angrily cursed:

"Baka yarou! Are the Chinese invulnerable to swords and spears, and immune to all poisons?"

Major Yasui took the initiative to take responsibility:

"Commander, this was something I didn't consider. I didn't expect that the 107th Division was also equipped with a large number of gas masks, which may have been captured from the Imperial Army."

"You bastards! A bunch of useless trash! They throw everything at the Chinese; this is a crime! I'm going to report them to the Commander!"

Colonel Furong finally found a way to shirk responsibility. He didn't scold Major Yasui either; the two were in the same boat.

Even if Major Yasui did not consider things thoroughly, he, as the commander who made the final decision, still bears responsibility that he cannot shirk. The best option is to push it onto someone else.

Major Yasui knew that Colonel Fukuro was talking nonsense. Reporting this to the army headquarters would be useless; they would only be called incompetent.

Let's face reality:

"Commander, since we can't break through Hanwang Mountain, let's open a gap from Qingtan Mountain on the right flank. We can't have heavy troops on Qingtan Mountain either. If all else fails, we can attack on two fronts at the same time. On the battlefield, strength is what matters."

"As expected of Yasui-kun, a top student who graduated from the Imperial Army University, we'll do as you say. We'll turn the feint attack on Qingtan Mountain into a main attack, using one company to hold off the defenders at Hanwang Mountain, while our main force of five companies, supported by two field artillery battalions, will take Qingtan Mountain in one fell swoop!"

Colonel Furong's confidence was restored, and he changed the direction of the attack, hoping that if things didn't work out in the west, they would find a way out in the east.

As the Japanese army shifted its main attack direction, the pressure on Qingtan Mountain increased significantly. Zhang Yi responded calmly and held off the Japanese army.

The Japanese have really bitten off more than they can chew this time. Qingtan Mountain not only has two infantry battalions, but also a heavy artillery battalion with a total of 12 105mm mountain guns. This is meant to accommodate the main force of the 10th Division, and the 63rd Infantry Regiment is not qualified.

Qingtan Mountain and Hanwang Mountain are mutually supportive, and they can also call on the artillery company of the Hanwang Mountain regiment for support. Therefore, Zhang Yi did not use the heavy artillery battalion, and used the best resources where they were most needed.

As soon as the artillery preparations ended, five companies of Japanese soldiers rushed toward Qingtan Mountain. Zhang Yi set up two lines of defense on the mountain, one on the upper part of the mountainside and the other at the summit, with a depression several tens of meters in between.

Zhang Yi's deployment consisted of an infantry battalion on the front line, an infantry company and a battalion-level artillery company on the main position, and two other infantry companies as reserves.

The heavy artillery battalion of the division's artillery regiment was deployed on the reverse slope of the mountaintop. They widened and deepened the natural caves to hide their artillery pieces, so as to avoid losses during Japanese artillery bombardment.

Seeing the Japanese soldiers surging forward in droves, Zhang Yi smiled happily and loudly gave the order:

"Send a telegram to Regiment Commander Qin, ordering the regimental artillery company to give the Japanese a good beating, fire six rounds first, and give them a taste of their power!"

Chief of Staff Lin Zheng excitedly accepted the order and left. Not long after, artillery shells came crashing down from the flank, instantly disrupting the Japanese offensive rhythm.

If they had trenches to protect them, they would be better off, as they could block most of the shrapnel from the explosion. But the Japanese soldiers were in big trouble, as their bodies were exposed in the open.

The greatest killing power of artillery shells comes from the shrapnel produced by the explosion. A single shell can release hundreds of shrapnel fragments, causing death or injury wherever they come near. This is the power of artillery.

Zhang Yi had cleared the firing line long before the Japanese arrived. The Japanese infantry group was exposed on the hillside, and a barrage of artillery shells could wipe out a large area. Sometimes a single salvo could wipe out half a Japanese squad.

Colonel Furong's heart was bleeding. This was the last intact battalion of the 63rd Infantry Regiment. If it were decimated, Furong's regiment would have no men left to use.

"Quickly, intensify the attack on Hanwang Mountain and hold back the Chinese artillery!"

"Fire! Fire! Slaughter all the Chinese on Hanwang Mountain!"

The attack on Hanwang Mountain was originally intended to be a feint, but it turned into a two-pronged assault, with both sides advancing simultaneously. The battle was extremely fierce, and casualties on both sides increased significantly.

Zhang Yi's smile also faded. Although he was willing to see such a war of attrition, it was hard for a commander to turn a blind eye to the continuous fall of his brothers.

In Xiaoli Village, in the northeast corner of Yixian County, the offensive is like a tidal wave.

In order to capture the county town as soon as possible, Lieutenant General Isogai made a ruthless decision, not only the 40th Infantry Regiment, but also the 39th Infantry Regiment, a total of six infantry battalions;

Despite having lost a significant number of soldiers, the two regiments were still able to muster more than 4 combat troops to launch a full-scale attack on the strongholds on the left and right sides of the north of the city.

"Damn it! I don't care about casualty figures, I just want Yicheng!"

Major General Sei Takehira, who was in command at the front, was under tremendous pressure. They were the fresh blood and the main force of the entire division. If they couldn't even capture the small city of Yi, he would lose face. How would he be any different from Seya Kei?

On the left flank, three of the five bunkers of the Sixth Company's position have been destroyed, leaving only the main bunker and Bunker No. 4. The Sixth Company has suffered heavy casualties and has been replenished several times. The Fourth Company has almost entirely come to its aid.

The two infantry platoons and one artillery platoon of the Fourth Company were all given to the Sixth Company, and another infantry platoon was given to the Fifth Company. The Second Battalion fought with almost all its might, and the battalion's artillery company was also fully committed to the battle, losing two artillery pieces in the process.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion fought very hard, and the Japanese suffered even more. The Seibu Brigade successively committed five infantry battalions and made several reinforcements. After deducting casualties, they could barely muster four battalions.

Sei Takehira only had one infantry battalion at full strength left. The 10th Regiment was fully equipped and manned, but it was the division headquarters' reserve force, and he couldn't mobilize it.

Densely packed Japanese infantry charged towards the Japanese from the left, center, and right, numbering over three thousand. The soldiers at the city's defensive position looked grave; they had only six hundred men left.

With 600 against 3,000, the pressure was immense, but no one was afraid, and no one retreated. Everyone was prepared to die in battle; as long as they were alive, they would hold the position.

The chief of staff of the 648th Regiment said anxiously to Yao Zhiqing:

"Commander, those damn Japanese devils are going all out. Let the artillery company support the brothers!"

Colonel Yao Zhiqing shook his head:

"The firepower of this artillery company is not enough. These are thousands of Japanese soldiers. We can't be too stingy."

Immediately send a telegram to the division commander requesting support from the heavy artillery battalion at Qingtan Mountain!