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

North of Yixian County, more than 3,000 people charged forward, making a great commotion. Even Sei Takehira couldn't help but pick up his binoculars to watch the battle.

This battle was of utmost importance, and he used almost all his strength; it was a desperate gamble.

The chief of staff stood at attention, not daring to utter a single unnecessary word, for fear of disturbing the brigade commander's enjoyment.

In the south of the city, Zhao Yunwen, commander of the 107th Division, was also watching the battle closely and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Takehira Sei has really gone all out!"

323rd Brigade Commander Qiu Fengzi once again volunteered for battle:

"Commander, the brothers are practically starving. The 322nd and 324th Brigades are feasting on meat, so let the brothers go up and have a taste of the broth too?"

Zhao Yunwen shook his head:

"Crazy Qiu, you better stay put. Your time to take the lead will come, so just don't let me down."

"Listen to what he's saying," Qiu Fengzi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he patted his chest, saying:

"Commander, rest assured, the 323rd Brigade will not let you down."

After Qiu the Madman finished speaking, he asked again, still unwilling to give up:

"Commander, which brigade are you planning to have us replace?"

Zhao Yunwen grinned, knowing Qiu Fengzi would lose his patience and probe for information. Considering the morale of the thousands of officers and soldiers in the 323rd Brigade, he decided not to keep him in suspense any longer and said directly:

"Linyi City is about to collapse, and the same is true on the southern front. Once the 20th Army Corps on the eastern front retreats, there will be no need to defend Yixian."

At that time, a unit will need to be left behind to cover the main force's retreat.

I will volunteer to the command to cover the rear of the main force in the war zone during their breakout, and your 323rd Brigade will cover the rear of the entire division. The 322nd and 324th Brigades have suffered heavy casualties; this heavy responsibility falls to you alone. Not only must you hold off the Japanese pursuit, but you must also minimize casualties as much as possible. Can you do it?

This was indeed a heavy responsibility for the 107th Division, concerning the safety of the entire division. Qiu Fengzi straightened his back and said:

"The division and its personnel can rest assured that the mission will be completed."

Zhao Yunwen raised his voice and said:

"The rearguard action is the ultimate test of a unit's organization and execution capabilities. Now that the campaign has reached this point, the objective has been achieved, and the final victory is of utmost importance. We absolutely cannot allow a repeat of the disorganized routs seen in the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing."

Qiu Fengzi nodded heavily, suddenly feeling the burden on his shoulders become much heavier.

Just then, Xie Polu strode in and reported to Zhao Yunwen:

"Commander, urgent telegram from the 324th Brigade!"

After reading it, Zhao Yunwen said:

"Send a telegram to Zhang Yi immediately, ordering the heavy artillery battalion to provide support to Yicheng."

North of Yixian County, the Japanese skirmishers had advanced to the front of the city's defensive positions. The light and heavy machine guns inside the bunkers opened fire first, and bullets rained down on the Japanese soldiers, leaving corpses strewn everywhere they went.

These casualties did nothing to stop the Japanese advance; they didn't even slow down, charging into the hail of bullets with overwhelming momentum.

Major Akino personally led the charge, with a sanitary napkin tied around his head, looking no different from an idiot.

Behind them, Major General Su Wuping was watching. If they didn't show off now, when would they?

Suddenly his face changed drastically, his triangular eyes instantly filled with terror, and he screamed in agony:

"Enemy attack! It's a heavy artillery barrage!"

"Boom boom boom..."

Perhaps to confirm his judgment, twelve heavy artillery shells, carrying the scent of death, came hurtling towards them, followed by a series of explosions. Dozens of Japanese soldiers were taken down, and an entire squad was wiped out.

This was only the first round, and the hit rate was not high. After a slight adjustment, the second round arrived as scheduled, and the number of Japanese soldiers taken down was more than 20% higher than in the first round.

As shells rained down, Major Akino could no longer maintain his pretense. He casually threw off the sanitary napkin on his head and scrambled into a shell crater.

Sei Takehira stared in disbelief, his mouth agape so wide it could fit his buttocks. The chief of staff cried out in alarm:

"General, it's heavy artillery! Coming from the direction of Qingtan Mountain!"

Sei Takehira was activated by the chief of staff, but his expression was even more pained. He was also a veteran of the army and a man of great experience. He could naturally recognize the sound of the Japanese 105mm mountain gun, which was a disaster for the infantry group exposed in the field.

"Quickly, let the warriors charge forward at all costs. Only by fighting the Chinese can we be safe."

This was the optimal solution that Sebuhei came up with on the spur of the moment. He was unwilling to accept defeat, and only by charging forward could he hope to win the battle.

Upon receiving orders, the frontline soldiers charged forward amidst artillery fire, one after another, embodying the spirit of Bushido to its fullest extent.

The Japanese underestimated the power of heavy artillery. That thing cannot be resisted by "mental power". The human body is as fragile as paper in front of heavy artillery.

Each round of artillery fire took away a large number of Japanese soldiers, many of whom were torn into pieces, with limbs, broken arms, and internal organs scattered everywhere.

The machine guns inside the bunker were firing fiercely, their barrels glowing red-hot, creating an insurmountable fire net in front of the lines, killing anyone who charged.

This was the first time the heavy artillery battalion had appeared. They fired more than twenty rounds before stopping, and the Japanese collapsed before they could even cease fire.

Although the Japanese soldiers had strong willpower, they were ultimately carbon-based beings. When casualties reached a critical point, defeat became inevitable.

The Japanese troops retreated like a tide, leaving behind corpses and seriously wounded soldiers scattered all over the ground, amidst the smoke of battle and the constant wails of agony.

Regimental Commander Colonel Nagano closed his eyes in anguish; this was the punishment for his impulsiveness.

Colonel Fujita, commander of the 39th Infantry Regiment, said with lingering fear:

"I didn't expect the Chinese to have a heavy artillery arsenal produced by the Empire. This is not the fault of the warriors. We should take things slowly regarding Yixian and not rush things."

"Fujita-kun is absolutely right. We should first take down the castle's bunkers and bring in heavy artillery to bombard it."

Judging from the direction of the shelling, the Chinese heavy artillery is deployed on Qingtan Mountain. We request our aerial warriors to bomb them flat!

"Nagano-kun's plan is brilliant, but the 107th Division has anti-aircraft guns, and the commander may not be willing to let the air warriors take the risk."

After saying that, the two fell silent. With the heavy artillery of Qingtan Mountain around, a human wave tactic would be suicide.

Colonel Nagano broke the silence first:

"It's difficult to approach the bunker during the day, so let's switch to nighttime! Quickly prepare some specialized high explosive charges and send a suicide squad to blow them up."

"Yosh, this is a brilliant plan! Let's go all out! Send in the heavy artillery and tank squadrons! Once we blow up the bunkers, we'll launch a general offensive and take the city in one fell swoop!"

The two old Japanese soldiers quickly finalized their battle plan after exchanging words, and submitted it to the division headquarters for approval.

A senior staff officer from the 39th Infantry Regiment came to report:

"The casualties have been tallied. The 39th Regiment suffered 372 casualties, the 40th Regiment suffered 401 casualties, two artillery pieces were lost, and there were several hundred lightly wounded."

"Baka yarou!"

Zhao Yunwen had not slept for two days and two nights. The fierce battles at Hanwang Mountain, Qingtan Mountain, and the north of the city were constantly on his mind. Linyi City was already in imminent danger, and it would only be a matter of one or two days before it fell.

In another timeline, Linyi City had already fallen, and the 59th and 40th Armies had been almost completely wiped out. The 20th Army Corps was caught in a pincer attack by two divisions along the Yixian-Xiangcheng line, and was fighting a very tough battle.

Enemies from the western and southern fronts arrived one after another, completing the strategic encirclement of the Fifth War Zone. Li Delin then ordered the abandonment of Pengcheng, resulting in the loss of a considerable amount of supplies.

Zhao Yunwen was determined to cover the rear. The supplies in Pengcheng belonged to the 107th Division, and he couldn't let the Japanese get them.

Just as he was pondering how to snatch a chestnut from the fire, the system's minimap showed that the Japanese were making a big move. Their troops were secretly gathering under the cover of night, indicating that they were about to do something big, and they had even brought out tanks.

He faced two choices: one was to confront them head-on, sending the 648th Regiment to reinforce them in advance and forcefully push back, with the heavy artillery battalion providing fire support, which would easily kill a few hundred Japanese soldiers.

Another option was to abandon the city's fortifications, let the Japanese into the city, and use street fighting to cripple the main force of the 10th Division.

Time was of the essence, and Zhao Yunwen quickly made a decision, loudly issuing the order:

"Telegram to Brigade Commander Wang..."