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

In Lanfeng City, the 2nd Infantry Regiment was rushing to take over the city's fortifications. The 88th Division had voluntarily withdrawn, leaving the existing fortifications in the city to the Japanese, which greatly pleased Colonel Shizuo Yokoyama, the regimental commander.

The senior staff officer quipped:

"The Chinese are such cowards! They say the 88th Division is some kind of supposedly miraculously skilled German-equipped unit, but they were utterly helpless against the regimental commander!"

Colonel Yokoyama smiled dismissively:

"The Imperial Army is invincible. The elite Chinese troops are a joke. They are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of the Doihara Division."

He seemed to have forgotten his previous experience of being suppressed and beaten, and Long Muhan gave him the right to be arrogant.

Colonel Yokoyama's smile suddenly froze as he heard the sound of artillery shells whistling through the air, his triangular eyes instantly filled with terror.

"Boom boom boom..."

Twenty or thirty shells rained down from the sky, landing on the 2nd Regiment's position and instantly illuminating the dawn sky.

"Baka yarou—Enemy attack!"

Colonel Yokoyama had lost his previous arrogance, replaced by panic. He was a senior officer in the army, an expert on China, and knew exactly what twenty or thirty artillery pieces meant.

He even suspected that the Chinese abandoning Lanfeng was a conspiracy, because they were now being bombed unilaterally, suffering heavy casualties.

Shells rained down, and the earthen fortifications built by the Chinese were no match for them. The Japanese soldiers hiding inside were almost powerless to fight back.

After being bombed several times, Colonel Yokoyama realized that they were in a very difficult situation. The Chinese had launched a fierce attack while they were still establishing themselves, and they had to make a decision as soon as possible on whether to defend or retreat.

Lanfeng is just a small county town on the railway line, with no natural defenses, but it has an important strategic location.

Unwilling to retreat, Colonel Yokoyama decided to take a gamble:

"Quickly, gather the troops and stop the Chinese attack!"

"Send a telegram to the division commander requesting tactical guidance!"

Colonel Yokoyama only then remembered to call for reinforcements, but it was too late!

Zhang Yi issued the order for a general attack. More than 5,000 soldiers from two infantry regiments attacked from the east, west, and south, leaving the Japanese with only one escape route on the northern front, thus encircling them from three sides and leaving one open.

The 322nd Brigade's primary objective is to capture Lanfeng City; annihilating the enemy is secondary. Only by recapturing Lanfeng City as quickly as possible can they stabilize the morale of the Yudong Corps.

In Dongcheng, the 644th Regiment split into three groups and surged towards the Japanese positions almost stepping on the artillery positions.

After the 2nd Regiment took over the outer positions in the southeast and northeast, it deployed one company in each area. Under the artillery fire, most of them were killed or wounded, and the remaining Japanese soldiers were also bombarded and disoriented.

Before they could react, hundreds of soldiers from the 644th Regiment appeared in front of them, forming an inverted triangle attack formation with the first company on the left, the second company on the right, and the third company and artillery company at the rear.

They didn't keep any reserves and went all out from the start.

The Japanese soldiers' two Type 92 heavy machine guns were firing wildly, trying to stop the Third Battalion's offensive.

After the assault troops suffered more than ten casualties, they all fell to the ground, leaving only a few Japanese light and heavy machine guns to roam freely.

The battalion's artillery company quickly set up its cannons 6 meters away, and six shells were fired at two firing points, with the main target being the Japanese heavy machine gun positions.

The shells from the Third Battalion seemed to have eyes, landing right on the Japanese soldiers' heads. The left flank firing positions were hit first, machine guns were overturned, and several machine gun crew members were either killed or wounded.

Then the right-wing machine gun was also destroyed, and the artillery fire of the Third Battalion was like divine assistance, making the Japanese suffer greatly.

At the same time, the company-level 60mm mortars, while attacking the Japanese light machine guns, quickly suppressed them.

The infantry group continued their charge, advancing rapidly. The company commander, his eyes blazing with fury, ordered the remaining Japanese soldiers to fight back to the death.

Without light and heavy machine guns, dozens of Japanese soldiers were no match for the Third Battalion's offensive, and the soldiers charged into the enemy ranks with overwhelming momentum.

The Japanese company commander, brandishing his saber, led dozens of his remaining soldiers in a counter-charge against the Third Battalion, attempting to turn the tide with bayonet techniques.

The 3rd Battalion's assault gunners unleashed a fierce barrage of fire on the Japanese soldiers, so intense that the company commander questioned his existence. His brave soldiers were riddled with bullets before they could even get close.

"You idiot! You have no sportsmanship!"

"Go to hell!"

The company commander brandished his saber at the second company commander, who merely pulled the trigger of his machine gun, and the company commander fell down, riddled with bullets.

The other Japanese soldiers fared no better; they were killed by the swarming Second Company soldiers, the outer perimeter of the northeastern position was breached, and an entire Japanese company was annihilated.

Not long after, the southeastern position was also captured by the Second Battalion. The Japanese lost two companies on the outer perimeter of the eastern front, and could not even stop the first wave of attack.

The soldiers of the Second and Third Battalions surged toward the city wall like an overwhelming tide, when suddenly several hidden Japanese bunkers spewed out more than ten tongues of fire, pinning down the attacking troops.

The Type 92 infantry guns of the artillery company were pushed up, and a large number of rocket launcher teams also surrounded the Japanese, coordinating with the infantry guns to destroy the enemy's firepower.

The brick and stone bunkers hastily repaired by the 88th Division were as fragile as building blocks in the face of the Type 92 infantry gun.

The rocket launchers were incredibly accurate, eliminating Japanese strongpoints one by one and inflicting heavy losses.

Colonel Yokoyama was dumbfounded. He had never seen such a sharp attack before, and cried out in terror:

"Baka yarou, is this still a Chinese person? Hang in there!"

"Boom boom boom..."

A volley of 75mm mountain gun shells landed on the city wall, blasting a gap more than ten meters wide, burying a large number of Japanese soldiers alive in the ruins.

The infantry group continued to advance, but was soon blocked by the anti-tank ditch. The 644th Regiment was well prepared, and the brothers of the assault detachment set up siege ladders on them as bridges. These were all made in advance of the battle.

These siege tactics have been used by our ancestors for thousands of years, and with the support of modern artillery, they have become even more powerful.

The Japanese soldiers lay prone on the city wall and opened fire on the attacking troops, causing many casualties, but this could not change the overall situation.

The 107th Division's 60mm mortars and 20mm artillery, which were equipped in large numbers, opened fire at close range, while the M1919 medium machine guns sprayed bullets like rain onto the wall of positions. Any Japanese soldier who peeked out was likely to be hit.

Casualties are rising on both sides; this is the price that must be paid in an offensive.

The 644th Regiment was originally the First Regiment of the Guerrilla Detachment. It was a veteran unit carefully trained by Zhao Yunwen. Its offensive tactics were ahead of their time, its weapon configuration was reasonable, and it was skilled in the use of the "three-three system". It suppressed the Japanese in terms of morale.

The field artillery group of the 2nd Regiment also joined the battle, but they were not arrogant for long before they were suppressed by the artillery group of the 644th Regiment. With Zhao Yunwen providing coordinates, the accuracy of the artillery fire was greatly improved.

As dawn broke, it was already six o'clock in the morning. After an hour of fierce attack, the Japanese positions in all directions were breached, and most of their artillery and heavy machine guns were lost. They could no longer withstand the strong attack of the two regiments of the 322nd Brigade.

The 3rd Battalion of the 644th Regiment on the eastern front was the first to enter the city. Colonel Yokoyama began to waver and anxiously asked his senior staff:

When will the reinforcements arrive?

The senior staff officer said with a grim face:

"It will take another two hours. There are only two battalions left. His Excellency the Division Commander has ordered that we hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"Baka yarou! The Chinese have already stormed the city! The Imperial Army has suffered over half its casualties! How can we hold out until reinforcements arrive?!"

"Commander, as long as we're alive, we can always fight again. The Chinese have a large and powerful army, and the city walls have already been breached. Let's retreat!"

The 2nd Infantry Regiment had fought the 27th Army for two days, and its manpower and firepower had been greatly depleted. The 322nd Brigade, on the other hand, was a fresh force. Given this disparity, it was normal that the 2nd Infantry Regiment could not hold out.

Colonel Yokoyama didn't know how many men the 107th Division had sent, and dozens of artillery pieces of various sizes were exposed. Feeling uncertain, he eventually abandoned the city and fled under the immense pressure of being annihilated.

Taking advantage of the situation, the 322nd Brigade took control of the entire city and forcefully recaptured Lanfeng City just hours after its loss, annihilating over a thousand enemy soldiers.

According to the previous arrangement, Zhang Yi left the 644th Regiment to defend Lanfeng City, while the 643rd Regiment launched a counterattack on Yangguji and Shuangtaji.

The 27th Army retreated to Qixian and Kaifeng in one go, which opened the key to the six-pronged attack on the southwest by the Yudong Corps. The 27th Brigade left the 2nd Infantry Regiment to guard Lanfeng, while the main force drove straight in, intending to cut off the connection between the 74th and 64th Armies on the eastern route and Song Xilian's 71st Army on the western route.

They left only one large brigade in Yangguji and Shuangtaji, forming a defensive perimeter with Lanfengcheng.

Zhang Yi adopted a strategy of defeating the enemy piecemeal, first capturing Lanfeng City, then besieging Yangguji and Shuangtaji, thus locking down the Japanese forces once again.