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

After two bloody battles, the Pinewood Company was decimated, with only twenty-odd men retreating. Even with the company headquarters and the seriously wounded, they couldn't muster enough men to form an infantry squad.

Shuntaro Yamaguchi replaced the company with another to continue the attack. The Second Company also suffered heavy casualties, totaling fifty or sixty men. Fortunately, many of the lightly wounded were still able to fight.

The forward positions had been bombed beyond recognition, and Qin Hongtao, the second company commander, planned to withdraw his troops, so he called for artillery support from the battalion headquarters.

The security regiment's radio equipment was only provided up to the battalion level, so the communication between the Second Company and the battalion headquarters relied mainly on signal flags, supplemented by manual transmission.

Signal flags were the most convenient and quickest way to call for artillery support, and the Japanese also used signal flags.

After receiving the signal from the 2nd Company, the battalion observer immediately reported to the battalion commander. Zhang Yi agreed that the 2nd Company should abandon the first line of defense and ordered the machine gun company to assist them in their withdrawal.

"Staff Officer Ma, notify the machine gun company: Target: Japanese attacking formation, 12 rounds rapid fire!"

Communications staff officer Ma Xiaobo excitedly accepted the order and ran off. He ran to a conspicuous spot, took out a signal flag, and quickly and accurately relayed the battalion commander's order to the machine gun company.

At this moment, the Japanese soldiers were unaware of the impending doom and charged aggressively towards the second platoon's position.

Kondo's squadron was a fresh force, and they didn't take the security regiment seriously at all. Despite the heavy casualties suffered by Matsuki's squadron before, they just thought Matsuki's squadron was too useless.

Company Commander Kondo Renji roared arrogantly:

"Warriors, there are only a few dozen remnants left on the Chinese position. Charge in and kill them all."

Let those scumbags in the Matsuki Squadron see who the real warriors are!

Officers are the courage of soldiers. The Japanese soldiers in Kondo's company were so provoked that they screamed. A few dozen Chinese were easy targets.

Under Captain Kondo's command sword, the Japanese soldiers' attack speed increased significantly, all hoping to take the second platoon's position in one fell swoop.

At the same time, the machine gun company commander issued an order to fire twelve rounds in rapid succession.

Six 82mm Type 20 mortars roared, raining down shells on the enemy, engulfing entire swathes of Japanese soldiers in the smoke and fire of the explosions.

Shuntaro Yamaguchi screamed in terror:

"Ya Miao Die!"

"Quickly, get the warriors back!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. The Min-20's terrifying rate of fire of 18-30 rounds per minute meant that 12 rapid shots were completed in just a few dozen seconds.

A total of 72 shells were fired, wiping out the enemy lines and giving Kondo's company a good lesson: arrogance will eventually be punished.

Captain Kondo could hardly believe his eyes; in just a short time, nearly half of his fully equipped squadron had been killed or wounded.

Those who had survived by sheer luck were disoriented and demoralized, collapsing before he could even give the order.

The Japanese offensive, which seemed destined for victory, ended in a dismal fashion, leaving behind more than thirty corpses and dozens of wounded, some slightly injured and others seriously wounded.

The Japanese soldiers of Kondo's company were indeed elite troops of a first-class division. They even knew to take the wounded with them when they retreated, but they didn't have enough manpower to take the corpses.

Qin Hongtao ordered the retreat to be sounded, and the first and second platoons decisively abandoned their positions and retreated calmly.

They not only took away the wounded, but also carried away the fallen comrades, leaving the Japanese with only an empty position.

Enraged, Yamaguchi Shuntaro berated Captain Kondo. Captain Inoue, noticing something amiss, excitedly shouted:

"Yamaguchi-kun, look! The Chinese are retreating!"

Major Yamaguchi looked in the direction Captain Inoue was pointing and saw the retreating troops. Overjoyed, he roared at Captain Kondo:

"Quickly, charge up and take the position!"

"Hey!"

After watching Captain Kondo leave, Major Yamaguchi's expression returned to normal, and he said in a deep voice:

"Mr. Murakami, the Chinese have clearly abandoned their positions voluntarily. In your opinion, what is their intention?"

Seeing that Shuntaro Yamaguchi was still relatively rational, Captain Murakami said seriously:

"The Chinese positions were leveled by artillery fire, so their retreat was understandable. They should still have positions in the rear."

Luodian is a strategic point; the Chinese won't give it up easily. Be prepared for a tough battle!

"Yoshi, there is no position that the Imperial Army cannot breach. Even if Luodian is an impregnable fortress, the Imperial Army will smash it to pieces."

Observe the Chinese firing positions carefully; if the attack is thwarted, use artillery to level them.

The Second Company's main position, the First and Second Platoons have already withdrawn. Qin Hongtao comforted them, saying:

"Brothers, although we abandoned the front lines, we made the Japanese pay a heavy price."

The Japanese can take the position, but they'll pay with lives. Killing one breaks even, killing two makes a profit.

The Japanese commander was boasting that he would take Shanghai in a month and conquer China in three months. Could we possibly agree to that?

Upon hearing that the Japanese devils were plotting to destroy China, the crowd's eyes practically blazed with fury, and they roared in unison:

"cannot!"

"No! I swear I will never be a slave to a conquered nation!"

"Let's fight the Japanese devils!"

"Baka yarou, what are you shouting about, you Chinese?"

Captain Inoue repeated it, which completely enraged Major Yamaguchi, who ordered the cannons to fire.

A barrage of shells immediately fell on the Second Company's main position, and a new round of Japanese offensive began.

It's the same old routine: artillery bombards, then infantry charges; infantry charges, then artillery bombards again. It's always the same two tricks.

The shelling lasted for more than ten minutes, clearing out any possible hiding places for the troops before the infantry began their charge.

The Japanese soldiers of Kondo's company attacked almost right on the artillery positions. Their infantry-artillery coordination was superb. As soon as the artillery fire spread, the infantry rushed to the front of the position.

This time, however, they encountered a security regiment with strong firepower. The 7nd Company's seven Browning medium machine guns were firing at full power, and the dense rain of bullets thwarted the Japanese attempt to rush onto the position.

Captain Kondo could hardly believe his eyes and screamed in terror:

"Where did the Chinese get so many heavy machine guns?"

No one could answer his question; they all lay on the ground to avoid the hail of bullets, knowing that continuing the charge would be no different from suicide.

Seeing that the infantry was being suppressed, Major Yamaguchi ordered heavy machine gun and infantry artillery fire support.

The 60mm mortars of the Second Company also joined the battle, and the fighting intensified once again, with casualties on both sides.

At the field command post of the security regiment, Zhao Yunwen was observing the battle through binoculars. His small map could cover the entire Songhu battlefield, but the only area he could speak of was Luodian.

The current scale of the battle is what he wants to see. The security regiment cannot withstand continuous attrition. If the 11th Division launches a full-scale attack, they will be severely injured, if not killed.

Chief of Staff Lu Ping leaned over and said:

"Commander, this can't go on like this. Will reinforcements arrive in two days?"

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"The vanguard regiment of the 11th Division is on its way and will arrive on time without any problem."

"Take your men to meet them. Tell them that my unit will hold off the Japanese while the reinforcements discreetly circle around to the Japanese left flank, launch a counterattack, and drive the Japanese out of Luodian."

Lupin said worriedly:

"Commander, the 11th Division is a direct descendant of the Central Army. Will they listen to our advice?"

Zhao Yunwen's lips curled slightly upwards, and he said meaningfully:

"Other teams might not pay us any attention, but this time it's Hu Lian leading the team. He's very ambitious, and with the temptation of inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese, he won't refuse."