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

At the 3rd Company's position, rifleman Zhang Xiaowei coldly watched the Japanese soldiers approach. His bullets were already loaded. As a veteran who had crawled out of piles of corpses in Nanjing, he had long since lost all feeling for the Japanese.

The Japanese attack formation was as disciplined as ever, with soldiers carrying long, thin rifles taller than themselves, hunched over, legs bent, looking furtive and ready to drop to the ground at the slightest disturbance.

Zhang Xiaowei lay prone on his carefully constructed battle position, his entire body hidden inside the trench, with only half of his head showing.

He was using a Springfield rifle, wearing an M35 helmet, and carrying 120 rounds of ammunition, plus four stick grenades. The helmet was camouflaged, covered with green plants, and from a distance it looked like a small clump of weeds.

Behind him was a hidden foxhole, a lifesaver in a critical moment. He carried a gas mask, a water bottle, a ration bag, and a bullet pouch, enough to sustain him for two days of combat without resupply—standard equipment for a rifleman in the 107th Division.

Zhang Xiaowei is like a seasoned hunter; he doesn't fire easily, as that would reveal his position. When he does fire, it's always a deadly move.

As the Japanese skirmishers advanced, a barrage of machine gun fire erupted on the position. A number of Japanese soldiers fell, but the rest continued their charge; they were not intimidated by a few machine guns.

After the defenders' machine guns were exposed, the Japanese heavy machine guns also joined the battle, firing wildly, bullets flying everywhere, and dust flying all around Zhang Xiaowei.

Zhang Xiaowei remained motionless, as if it had nothing to do with him, unless he was so unlucky that a stray bullet hit his helmet directly.

Japanese artillery shells fell intermittently, mainly targeting machine gun positions. Sometimes, if they missed, they would hit riflemen, who could only accept their bad luck.

On the battlefield, luck is also a part of combat power, and Zhang Xiaowei's luck was pretty good.

Zhang Xiaowei served as the group leader, and the other two group members were an automatic rifleman and an assistant gunner/ammunition handler. Being next to the "machine gun" was not a good thing, as it would easily attract the heavy firepower of the Japanese.

The squad automatic weapon of the 107th Division was replaced by the M1918 Browning automatic rifle, which used a 20-round magazine and could fire in bursts or single shots. It was stable and highly accurate.

The battle lasted for more than ten minutes, during which Zhang Xiaowei did not fire a single shot and remained completely invisible.

The automatic riflemen were suppressing the Japanese soldiers, which attracted the attention of the grenade launcher team. They would usually be the focus of snipers, but the riflemen would also prioritize taking them out.

Zhang Xiaowei estimated the distance, adjusted the sight to "3", and slowly turned the gun towards the target.

The Springfield rifle is highly accurate and has a long range. Although Zhang Xiaowei was not equipped with a scope, he was still confident at a distance of 200 meters.

The Japanese grenade launcher operator was also a veteran, very vigilant yet full of confidence, rarely missing his target within a 200-meter range.

This was his first time fighting against the 107th Division, and he thought that, like other Central Army units, there was almost no protection for machine gunners.

He had just peeked out to launch a sneak attack when a 60mm mortar shell flew over and exploded to the side and rear of the grenade launcher group.

Two Japanese soldiers were hit by shrapnel, one dead and one wounded.

This shot startled the grenade launcher, but he did not give up. Instead, he used the smoke from the explosion as cover, straightened up halfway, and released the grenade.

Almost simultaneously, Zhang Xiaowei pulled the trigger, and the Japanese soldier fell in disbelief into a pool of blood; he had lost his gamble.

The grenade was deflected and missed its mark, causing no casualties to the defending troops. Zhang Xiaowei remained unmoved; he had killed countless Japanese soldiers, it was no different from slaughtering chickens and sheep.

As the Japanese skirmishers advanced, the two sides engaged in close combat, and Zhang Xiaowei also became "busy," but he remained steady with his gun and did not fire blindly.

The Japanese army mobilized five or six hundred men, attacking from the southwest, south, and southeast, filling the entire open space.

The 322nd Brigade's defensive line stretched from west to east, with the middle protruding southward, resembling a bent bow.

The circular fortifications provided defense against enemies to the south, north, and east, and cleared the firing range within 300 meters, making it difficult for the Japanese to find a hiding place.

The 322nd Brigade's defensive deployment consisted of two infantry battalions on the main position, one infantry battalion at strongholds such as Maji, an artillery company cooperating on the main position, and the 343rd Regiment as a reserve force, deployed southeast of Yangguji to block the Japanese from encircling them from the east.

The Japanese right column was in a dangerous situation, having penetrated deep into the area south of the Longhai Railway, surrounded by Nationalist troops, especially the 107th Division, which was Zhao Yunwen's rear area.

The 27th Infantry Brigade was completely unaware that it was surrounded. In fact, it only had two infantry battalions south of the railway line, and the other one was completely annihilated by the 322nd Brigade at Yangguji.

At the headquarters of the 59th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Nasu's face was extremely grim. The offensive against Yangguji had been thwarted, and the defenders' tenacity had exceeded his expectations. Even a heavy artillery battalion plus three infantry companies had failed to break through the defenders' lines.

Major Imai said with deep concern:

"The warriors who tried to detour eastward were blocked. The Chinese had a large number of troops deep in the southeast. The Imperial Army left two infantry companies and one machine gun company to guard the area, and also had to leave two companies to protect the artillery and the regimental headquarters."

The brigade headquarters can only defend itself; if the siege drags on, the Imperial Army's situation will be dire!

Colonel Nasu nodded and said:

"That's precisely why we need to break through Yangguji and join forces with the 2nd Infantry Regiment. How long until they arrive?"

Colonel Nasu originally wanted to take it all for himself, but he was rebuffed at Yanggu Village, which is why he decided to join the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

Major Imai quickly replied:

"They'll arrive in at most half an hour. Should we withdraw the soldiers first and wait for the 2nd Infantry Regiment to arrive before launching a pincer attack?"

"No need. We must stick to the Chinese and wait for reinforcements; that will be their doom!"

Nasu has chosen the optimal strategy. They are now isolated, and the defenders of Yangguji are also facing the dilemma of being attacked from both the north and south. Nasu is confident that they can break through Yangguji before the main force of Huaxia can encircle them.

More than ten miles to the flank and rear of the Japanese troops, at the headquarters of the 107th Division, Zhao Yunwen was closely monitoring the battle at Yangguji when Xie Polu rushed over to report:

"Commander, a large force of Japanese soldiers, numbering three to four thousand, is heading straight for Yangguji from the northwest. It should be an infantry regiment."

The 344th Regiment is facing the danger of being attacked from both sides. Should they immediately launch an attack on the Japanese forces south of Yangguji?

Zhao Yunwen shook his head and said:

"No rush, wait a bit longer! Telegraph Deputy Commander Lu, and tell him to secretly approach the Japanese after dark. The 343rd Regiment will cooperate with them to hold off the Japanese in Yangguji."

The cavalry regiment attacked enemy artillery positions, while the reconnaissance battalion assisted in clearing the outer perimeter. The artillery regiment and independent regiment attacked the enemy brigade headquarters, and the supply regiment protected the division headquarters.

Although the Independent Regiment is a newly incorporated security brigade, its combat effectiveness has been greatly improved after joining the special operations battalion for training. This time, the 27th Brigade headquarters can be used as a training ground for them.

Once the isolated 27th Brigade is defeated, the crisis south of Yangguji will be completely resolved, and then all that will be needed is to focus on blocking the 16th Division.

North of Yangguji, the 2nd Infantry Regiment arrived as scheduled. Colonel Yokoyama was in high spirits, almost shouting the bold words, "I, Hu Hanshan, am back!"

The senior staff officer offered perfectly timed flattery:

"They say a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years, but Commander-in-Chief, you returned in less than three days. Now it's the Chinese's turn to pay the price!"

The loss of Lanfeng City was considered a disgrace by the 2nd Regiment, and Colonel Yokoyama was so ashamed that he almost committed seppuku. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate the Japanese!

After being replenished, the 2nd Regiment has recovered to its peak strength, while the garrison at Yangguji is under siege by the 59th Regiment and is in dire straits.

Colonel Yokoyama, eager to reap the rewards, waved his hand dismissively:

"Immediately launch an attack on the Chinese forces, attacking from both sides to annihilate the defenders of Yangguji. The Imperial Army has no need for prisoners!"