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

The Second Company had just completed its troop repositioning when a large number of Japanese soldiers came running. The firepower platoon took the lead, first illuminating the battlefield with flares, leaving the Japanese soldiers nowhere to hide.

The soldiers hiding behind the barricades opened fire on the Japanese soldiers, catching them off guard. They had not expected the defenders to have flares.

Although the environment was fair to both sides, the Second Company was clearly the prepared side, and with the barricades to hide in, they gained a lot of advantages.

The Japanese troops were caught off guard and suffered a heavy blow in the first round of fighting. Most of the front echelons were killed or wounded, and the rest spread out to the flanks to avoid the hail of bullets.

The second company commander was directing operations from the front; he was with the fire support platoon. The platoon leader volunteered for the mission:

"Company commander, should we fire a few shots at the Japanese?"

Second Company Commander Du Lin shook his head and said:

"No rush. We can't expose ourselves just to gain a small advantage. With the barricades in place, if the Japanese want to break through from the front, they'll have to bring in infantry artillery. Your task is to keep a close eye on the Japanese heavy machine guns and infantry artillery, and take them out as soon as they show themselves!"

The platoon leader gladly accepted the order and left. Mortars are more effective than infantry guns in urban warfare because they are more flexible, weigh only 20 kilograms, and can be carried by two people. They are even more mobile than heavy machine guns.

The appearance of the Second Company did not frighten the Japanese soldiers; on the contrary, it greatly excited Captain Nagai, who was leading the team. He said to the executive officer, Toshio Akiyama:

"Akiyama-kun, judging from the commotion, it should be a company. I'll lead the first and second squads to hold them off from the front, while you lead the third squad to flank them from the alley on the east side. We'll attack from both sides and wipe them out!"

Akiyama Toshio said worriedly:

"Nagai-kun, the enemy situation is unclear right now. Isn't it too risky to make a hasty detour?"

"Akiyama-kun, after the city fell, the Chinese had long lost their organized resistance. This should be the rearguard, so there's no need to worry."

Seeing that the company commander had made up his mind, Akiyama Toshio dared not say anything more, and with a sigh, turned and left.

After watching Lieutenant Akiyama leave, Captain Nagai ordered the first squad to attack along the main street, while the second squad remained on guard.

The main street was only seven or eight meters wide, not enough to deploy many troops, so Captain Nagai increased the firepower, equipping each echelon with a Type 91 light machine gun and two combat squads.

The two sides quickly clashed. The Japanese fought patiently, not charging blindly, but maintaining distance and exchanging fire with the defenders.

Captain Nagai waited for the third squad to make their flanking maneuver. He wasn't in a hurry because they were now in the lead. Reinforcements would flank them from both sides after hearing the gunfire, a common tactic used by the Japanese.

On the east side, Toshio Akiyama led dozens of Japanese soldiers to quickly move in. They were walking through alleyways and could only form a double dragon emerging from the water formation.

The brothers in the second platoon had already been lying in ambush in the houses on both sides of the alley. When the Japanese appeared, they did not rush to fire, but boldly let them pass.

After the Japanese soldiers passed their hiding place, they emerged from the houses like ghosts and fired shots at the backs of the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese soldiers fell one after another, riddled with bullets, utterly powerless to retaliate.

In just a few short exchanges, most of the dozens of Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded. The remaining twenty or so soldiers fired wildly as if they had gone mad, perhaps only in this way could they dispel the fear in their hearts.

The darkness made the Japanese soldiers very uncomfortable, especially when they were suddenly ambushed; their reactions were not much different from those of the Nationalist army.

The second platoon employed standard street fighting tactics, not seeking to gain or lose a single city or territory, but only to eliminate the Japanese army's manpower.

After the attack succeeded, they quickly withdrew and waited for a new machine gun.

Lieutenant Akiyama noticed something was wrong and stopped the Japanese soldiers from firing indiscriminately:

"You bastards! A bunch of useless trash! The Chinese have already run away, chase them!"

The Japanese soldiers continued their pursuit like headless flies, and were soon attacked again, suffering five casualties. The battle was small in scale but extremely humiliating.

Enraged, Akiyama's squadron continued their pursuit, completely disregarding the fact that only 23 men remained, their minds clouded by greed.

The Japanese soldiers quickly infiltrated their positions, and the second platoon had nowhere left to retreat, so they used the terrain to their advantage to snipe at the Japanese.

With 23 men against 51, Lieutenant Akiyama believed the advantage lay with them, so he continued to attack the second platoon's position, only to be taught a lesson by the second platoon's only M1919 medium machine gun.

The hit rate was not high in the dark, but 23 Japanese soldiers couldn't really make a fuss. Faced with overwhelming firepower, the Japanese soldiers could only take a beating.

After the Japanese soldiers were reduced to only a dozen or so, the second platoon launched a counterattack. The Japanese soldiers fled in disarray, suffering several more casualties. In the end, only eight men escaped, including Lieutenant Akiyama.

"Baka yarou!"

Lieutenant Akiyama was furious and cursed loudly. His squad leader had been killed in battle, and he could only slink back in disgrace.

Captain Nagai's frontal assault also failed to make progress; the Second Company easily held them off and killed many Japanese soldiers.

Upon seeing Lieutenant Akiyama, Captain Nagatoshi was furious and slapped him twice, yelling:

"You bastard, you're committing a crime!"

A small squad of 47 men, operating under a flanking maneuver, was reduced to only 8 men in just 30 or 40 minutes. Anyone would be furious in that situation.

But his decision to employ a roundabout strategy was firm. Having vented his anger, he didn't pursue the matter further, but instead said in a deep voice:

"The Chinese covering our retreat are stronger than we imagined. We can't rush things. As long as we hold out until reinforcements arrive, the Chinese will surely die!"

After suffering defeats on both the front and flanks, Captain Nagai returned to a pragmatic approach, using sustained attacks to hold off the Second Company until the main force arrived to encircle and annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Captain Nagai was not worried about the lack of reinforcements, and the battalion commander and everyone else wanted to capture the main force of the Chinese army for a decisive battle, preferably to annihilate them all.

After entering the city, the Japanese soldiers regained their confidence and attempted to annihilate the defending troops.

Wherever there was gunfire, they ran in that direction, like flies drawn to excrement, swarming in from multiple directions.

As more and more Japanese reinforcements arrived, the Nagai Company also acquired Type 92 heavy machine guns and infantry guns, significantly increasing its firepower.

With all eighteen allied commanders present, Captain Nagai became the de facto commander of the front lines, constantly arranging for his troops to flank from both sides.

Infantry guns were also set up and bombarded the barricades. The first platoon suffered heavy casualties, but the Japanese numbered several times over.

The 107th Division's purpose in letting the Japanese soldiers into the city was to eliminate more Japanese soldiers and prevent them from advancing south.

The Second Company was gradually overtaken by the Japanese, but Du Lin was not discouraged at all and calmly fought back. Although the battle was very difficult, they persisted.

The Japanese have reinforcements, and so will the Second Company.

Du Lin trusted his superiors; they would definitely come to his aid after hearing the gunfire. The 107th Division was not like other Nationalist troops that would stand by and watch someone die.

Due to the limitations of terrain and special environment, the Japanese infantry artillery could not be too far from the main battlefield, otherwise it would be bad if the Chinese could take over their base.

The Japanese infantry guns fired two shots, but the effect was mediocre, destroying only a few sandbags, mainly due to poor visibility at night.

Before he could fire the third shot, shells from the 2nd mortar platoon came crashing down, three shells falling in a triangular pattern, covering the area where the artillery was located.

The infantry gun was torn to pieces by the shockwave, and most of the dozen or so artillerymen were killed or wounded, giving the Japanese a harsh lesson.

Captain Nagai was so angry that he cursed:

"Damn it! The Chinese have a mortar corps. Quickly hide the mortars. The heavy machine guns need to be properly protected. Fire a few bursts and then move to another location."

Captain Yoshino said in a deep voice:

"This won't work. We need to find a way to take down the Chinese artillery."

"Yoshino-kun, what's your brilliant idea?"

Captain Nagai became interested. Yoshino was right; hiding wasn't their style, and it would be embarrassing to admit it.

A sinister glint flashed in Yoshino's eyes as he said in a deep voice:

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!"

Captain Nagai feigned ignorance and asked:

"How do I apply it?"

Yoshino cursed the old fox in his heart, and then said:

"The Type 92 heavy machine guns are used to suppress the Chinese as usual, while the infantry artillery is on alert. As soon as the Chinese artillery appears, they will be eliminated."

"Alright, great plan, let's do it!"