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

In Zaozhuang, at the headquarters of the 10th Division, Lieutenant General Isogai's roar made the entire division headquarters tremble, and the staff didn't dare to breathe.

Chief of Staff Tibujia Gui stood quietly to one side, waiting for the storm to pass.

Isogai, the old Japanese devil, is usually quite good at keeping his temper in check. After all, he is a lieutenant general and division commander. The death of three or five hundred men will not make him furious. The Japanese have millions of reserves, and they have no shortage of cannon fodder.

"You idiots! These useless bastards have completely disgraced the Isogai Division!"

"Three infantry regiments couldn't even take down a small county like Yi. It's unbelievable. Is this still the invincible Imperial Army?"

Lieutenant General Isogai's talk of "face" was actually about his future in the army. The Battle of Taierzhuang had already caused him to lose face, and now Yixian had appeared.

Seeing that the time was right, Di Bujiagui stepped forward and said:

"Your Excellency, based on the intelligence I've gathered over the past two days, I've discovered that Zhao Yunwen and the 107th Division are highly skilled in urban warfare. Their predecessor, the 2nd Security Regiment of Jiangsu Province, inflicted heavy losses on the 101st Brigade in the Kunshan urban warfare, and even captured the 101st Regiment's flag."

The 107th Division has now expanded to six infantry regiments, along with artillery and cavalry regiments and other directly subordinate units. Equipped with Imperial-made 105mm heavy artillery, its strength is comparable to that of a top-tier Imperial Army division. Therefore, it is understandable that Yixian would be difficult to capture.

Lieutenant General Isogai fell silent. He had heard of the "Wolf of China" reputation before, and had thought it was just an exaggeration for propaganda purposes, but now it seemed that it was not unfounded.

After a long silence, Isogai Rensuke, barely suppressing his anger, said:

"Di Bujun, in your opinion, would sending more troops solve the problem?"

Di Bujiagui, unusually, didn't make any grand promises, but instead cautiously stated:

"Reinforcing troops is at least a sign of determination, and Zhao Yunwen will also weigh the cost of fighting the Imperial Army to the death. Compared to other central army generals, Zhao Yunwen's troops are more like local warlords, and he is unwilling to lose all his troops."

The Imperial Army has more than twenty divisions, with millions of brave warriors eager to serve in the holy war. The Isogai Division could be wiped out; would Zhao Yunwen and the 107th Division dare to do the same?

This is no longer a tactical analysis, but touches on human nature. Isogai is also an expert on China. He understands the thoughts of local warlords all too well. If their own troops are wiped out, they are nothing!

Having thought this through, he made up his mind, straightened his back, and said:

"Since Zhao Yunwen wants to fight the Imperial Army in Yixian, then I will grant his wish! Two thousand men will be transferred from the supply regiment to supplement the Sebu Brigade, all artillery and tank units will be sent to support the front line, and two infantry battalions will be transferred from the 10th Regiment to support it."

I want Yixian!

Tsutsumi no Kagami bowed deeply and left. Isoya no Chusho was radiant with health, looking just like a gambler who had bet everything, with a morbid obsession with winning.

The Japanese reinforced their troops again, and Zhao Yunwen clearly saw through their intentions. He had control over every move of the Japanese within a radius of 100 kilometers, which was his greatest advantage.

The reconnaissance battalion also reported the Japanese actions to the division headquarters. Xie Polu was waiting for Zhao Yunwen to respond. Everyone was used to the division commander taking on everything; he was the spiritual pillar of the 107th Division.

"Old Xie, send a telegram to Brigade Commander Wang: hold the Japanese in the county town at all costs. From now on, I don't want to hear about casualty figures; I only want Yicheng!"

"Send a telegram to Zhang Yi, prepare for a counterattack, and weld the 63rd Regiment to the Hanwangshan-Qingtanshan line, awaiting the order to counterattack."

"Crazy Qiu, don't just sit idly by! Lead two regiments of the 323rd Brigade to flank the Furong Detachment from the left and right flanks, coordinating with the 322nd Brigade and the cavalry regiment to encircle and annihilate the Furong Detachment!"

With the 10th Division betting everything, Zhao Yunwen also went all in, and Yixian won the decisive battle in the middle game.

Both sides have staked everything; the outcome hinges on this one move.

Qiu the Madman roared excitedly:

"The 323rd Brigade is ready at any time, and will never fail the division commander's trust; we guarantee to complete the mission!"

At Qingtan Mountain, the offensive was relentless. Colonel Fu Rong committed all his infantry and artillery, leaving only the cavalry regiment to protect the regimental headquarters.

Colonel Fu Rong had lost patience. He used a battalion of infantry to launch a feint attack on Hanwang Mountain while launching a full-scale attack on Qingtan Mountain, aiming to achieve victory in one battle.

Faced with the Japanese's desperate struggle, Zhang Yi responded calmly. He transferred two infantry battalions from the 644th Regiment to reinforce the Qingtanshan defense line, while keeping the 3rd Battalion, artillery company, and cavalry regiment of the 644th Regiment as reserves for a counterattack.

Chief of Staff Lin Zheng excitedly came over to report:

"Commander, urgent telegram from division headquarters!"

Zhang Yi seemed to have already guessed the contents of the telegram; his face remained expressionless, and he simply said:

"Inform Regiment Commander Luo to hold back. He can abandon the first and second trenches, feign weakness, and just defend the core position."

The cavalry regiment was instructed to prepare to pursue the Japanese and immediately contact Brigade Commander Qiu for coordinated operations.

"Send a telegram to Commander Qin of the 643rd Regiment..."

As orders were issued, a massive net was quietly cast to target the Furong Detachment.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

At the first line of defense on Qingtan Mountain, just as the Japanese were preparing to retreat, the defending troops suddenly collapsed and retreated like a tide to the second line of defense, abandoning a large amount of supplies, including even the cumbersome Type 92 heavy machine guns.

The Japanese soldiers' morale soared, and they pressed their advantage, easily breaching the second trench. However, they were suppressed by heavy firepower in front of the third trench, suffering over a hundred casualties.

The Japanese soldiers reluctantly retreated to the second and first trenches, and then, displaying the spirit of groundhogs, used entrenching tools to reinforce their positions.

Colonel Fu Rong was very excited to have breached two trenches in one go, as this gave him hope of breaking through Qingtan Mountain.

Senior staff officer Major Yasui also chimed in:

"Commander, under the full force of the Imperial Army's attack, the Chinese on Qingtan Mountain have reached their limit. Only the core position on the mountaintop is holding on desperately."

The Imperial Army only needs to accumulate strength, concentrate its troops and firepower, and launch another fierce attack; the Chinese positions will surely fall.

Colonel Furong finally got his revenge. He had been fighting very frustratingly these past few days and had even lost confidence at one point.

Now that the dawn of victory is finally in sight, he loudly gave the order:

"Yasui-kun, we absolutely cannot give the Chinese a chance to breathe. Order the artillery to fire on the mountaintop position and let the Chinese feel the power of steel!"

The general offensive will launch precisely at 3 PM. We must breach Qingtan Mountain and recapture the heavy artillery before nightfall!

Major Yasui excitedly accepted the order and left. Not long after, the Japanese artillery began to prepare, using all their cannons to bombard the Qingtanshan position.

Since the time for a counterattack had not yet come, the soldiers could only huddle in their bunkers and silently endure the destruction of their fortifications, resulting in numerous casualties.

In order to reduce the pressure on the infantry, the artillery company of the 644th Regiment returned fire, and in the second round, they fired shells onto the Japanese artillery positions, destroying two howitzers.

The Japanese artillery hurriedly turned their guns around to return fire, greatly reducing the intensity of their attacks on the infantry positions, and the artillery company achieved its objective.

The Japanese artillery barrage lasted for half an hour, after which the infantry charged forward from the artillery positions. The defending troops fought desperately to hold their ground, and the battlefield fell into a stalemate, with casualties soaring rapidly.

Meanwhile, Hanwang Mountain on the left flank was also attacked, and the battle intensified.

On the outskirts, in the mountains on the east and west flanks, thousands of soldiers of the 323rd Brigade had already surrounded the enemy and set up their artillery. The time for a counterattack had come!

Madman Qiu loudly ordered:

"fire!,"