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

The Japanese soldiers inside the encirclement were sweating profusely, working like groundhogs – this was their specialty. As long as a circular fortification was built, even without natural defenses, the Chinese, lacking artillery, would find it difficult to breach.

Of course, this is conditional, namely, that there are not many artillery pieces available, and human lives must be used to fill the gaps.

"Boom boom boom..."

More than a dozen mountain artillery shells rained down from the sky, landing in the open valley. The Japanese soldiers huddled together were instantly engulfed by the smoke and dust from the explosions, resulting in heavy casualties.

The remaining Japanese soldiers could only lie prone in the still-unfinished trenches and silently endure the onslaught. Every round of artillery fire brought forth a bloodbath, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.

Faced with artillery fire, all are equal. Apart from having greater endurance than other Japanese soldiers, the Kwantung Army was nothing special. They still suffered heavy casualties when shells fell.

Several rounds of shells rained down, shattering the morale that had just been built up, and the shadow of death loomed over everyone's hearts.

Unable to withstand the pressure, a Japanese officer raised his sword and charged toward the mountains, yelling as he followed, followed by dozens of other Japanese soldiers who were just as mentally unstable as him.

They would rather die in battle than live such a humiliating life. The Chinese were playing cat and mouse, while they were the proud Kwantung Army, who believed that a soldier could be killed but not humiliated!

The soldiers of the 323rd Brigade fulfilled their request, unleashing a barrage of bullets that struck the crazed Japanese soldiers one after another, including the Japanese officer in charge, who was riddled with bullets.

The gunfire only ceased when the last Japanese soldier was killed. Their arrogance only earned them hundreds or thousands of bullets, while the Chinese remained unharmed.

Major Akiyama, the battalion commander, shouted coldly:

"No one may act without my orders; otherwise, they will be court-martialed!"

Another battalion commander, Major Katayama, chimed in:

"Warriors, sometimes living is harder than dying. The warriors of the Empire are not afraid of death, but they must die meaningfully."

I order you to continue digging trenches and hold your ground until reinforcements arrive!

All the remaining Japanese soldiers fell silent, holding their ground and waiting for reinforcements. Could they really wait for them?

The Japanese finally quieted down. Although the artillery fire only killed two or three hundred Japanese soldiers, it dealt a fatal blow to their morale.

Unless reinforcements arrive, they are doomed.

Zhao Yunwen informed the 64th Army about the encirclement of the Japanese troops. Li Tiejun was overjoyed and then had the message relayed to all units.

Feng Shengfa then realized the reason for the Japanese soldiers' sudden retreat; it really was that old classmate he had previously looked down upon who had saved them.

The chief of staff also said excitedly:

"Senior Zhao has really helped us a lot this time. I didn't believe it before, but it seems the rumors are true. Senior Zhao is a genius at using troops."

Feng Shengfa said with mixed feelings:

"Of course! Brother Yunwen is a true hero of the Whampoa Military Academy, and the 107th Division is a tiger among men! Tell all the brothers that our reinforcements have arrived—it's Commander Zhao! The Japanese are already in dire straits. As long as we fight to the death, we will definitely hold Qixian!"

"Commander, I'll go tell the brothers right away that their morale is high!"

On Zhao Yunwen's minimap, Japanese reinforcements were approaching menacingly. His tactical objective had been achieved, and there was no need to keep the Japanese soldiers within the encirclement any longer. He then said to Qiu Fengzi:

"The Japanese reinforcements are about to arrive. We can close the net now. Leave one or two battalions to keep watch and do everything we can to surround and kill the Japanese."

Remember, don't kill them all; leave three to five hundred survivors.

When the Japanese reinforcements arrive, you should pretend to be frightened by them, retreat northward, occupy advantageous terrain, and confront the Japanese.

The two rearguard battalions held out for a short while before abandoning their positions and retreating deeper into the mountains on either side. "If the Japanese dare to pursue, lure them even deeper into the mountains."

"Commander, if the Japanese don't pursue us to the flanks, but instead attack along the valleys, their forces heading straight for Yanggu, how should we respond?"

Zhao Yunwen smiled slightly and said:

"That suits me perfectly. Your unit will block the enemy layer by layer, set up defenses in stages, wear them down, and finally let them attack Yanggu. I have my own way of dealing with them."

Qiu Fengzi roughly guessed Zhao Yunwen's intentions. The Yangguji line had strong fortifications, and the two thousand Japanese soldiers couldn't cause any trouble.

Once their troops and firepower are nearly exhausted, the 323rd Brigade, which had previously been hiding in the mountains, will regroup and be able to surround the Japanese from behind.

These are all common tactics used by the 107th Division, which Qiu Fengzi was already familiar with. He excitedly told Zhao Yunwen:

"Commander, I know what to do. Just wait and see!"

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said no more. Under his guidance, Qiu Fengzi became more and more adept at using it.

Not long after Qiu Fengzi went down, the Japanese, who had been quiet for a moment, were attacked again, this time by cannons breaking through their lines.

Unlike before, before the artillery fire had even stopped, the loud bugle call to charge rang out, and infantrymen from all over the mountains and fields emerged from the ravines, each one camouflaged with green plants, blending into the mountains.

Major Katayama's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"The Chinese are launching a final assault! Hold on! Hold on! The time has come to serve His Majesty!"

"Boom boom boom..."

A volley of shells inexplicably landed around Major Katayama, instantly engulfing him and dozens of Japanese soldiers, killing or wounding them.

Major Katayama died from multiple shrapnel wounds. He was the second battalion commander to die in the 30th Infantry Regiment. Major Akiyama was the only survivor. Most of the company commanders and platoon leaders had also been killed or wounded.

Just when Major Akiyama thought all the remaining soldiers were going to die in the valley, the sound of cannons boomed from the direction of the valley entrance, and the shouts of battle could be faintly heard.

Major Akiyama shouted excitedly:

"Warriors, reinforcements! We're saved!"

"withstand!"

Outside the valley, the Japanese vanguard was blocked by two battalions of the 646th Regiment, which were on guard. They left behind dozens of corpses and broke off contact. The main force of the 16th Infantry Regiment arrived shortly afterward, and Colonel Iseki, the regimental commander, took over command.

Colonel Yamamoto Ko, commander of the 30th Infantry Regiment, also came down from the mountain to join the reinforcements. Colonel Iseki asked about the attack, and Colonel Yamamoto said through gritted teeth:

"The Chinese cavalry feigned defeat to lure my main force into the valley. The cunning Chinese had already set up an ambush beforehand, and by the time I realized the danger, it was already night."

All three infantry battalions were trapped in the valley, leaving only the regimental headquarters, supply train, and artillery.

If I hadn't discovered it in time, we would have been trapped. The Chinese were equipped with a large number of Imperial-made 75mm mountain guns, and there were at least tens of thousands of them.

Colonel Iseki did not take the tens of thousands of Chinese troops seriously. There were 20,000 to 30,000 troops around Qixian County, and two divisions in the county town alone, but he still dared to launch an attack and beat the defending troops to a pulp.

"Yamamoto-kun only has a little over ten thousand Chinese men. After the previous battles, his total strength has long since dropped to a few thousand."

With our two regiments combined, we have four or five thousand men, and defeating the Chinese is a piece of cake.

"Reinforcements are needed urgently! Launch an attack immediately! I suggest concentrating the artillery of both regiments to repel the Chinese forces in front of us and rescue the Imperial Army."

Colonel Yamamoto shared the same idea, since it was his troops trapped in the encirclement, and the longer the delay, the greater the losses.

"Iseki-kun, as you say, you shall take command, concentrate our forces and firepower, and drive back the Chinese."

"Yamamoto-kun, let's begin. Pass down the order: Fire!"

Colonel Iseki didn't stand on ceremony. Although they were guests, strength determined everything, and he was undoubtedly the one in charge.

The Japanese artillerymen were highly skilled, and they quickly set up their cannons, their dark muzzles pointing directly at the 646th Regiment's blocking position.

The 646th Regiment did not build any fortifications, but relied on the mountains and ravines on both sides of the valley entrance to block the attack. It would be difficult to stop the attack of an infantry regiment.

Even if they could actually stop it, the casualties would be huge.

Fortunately, they had already received instructions from the brigade headquarters that they did not need to hold their ground. The 646th Regiment was to control the pace of the battle, fighting if they could win and retreating if they could not.

The Japanese artillery bombardment began, but because the soldiers were camouflaged with vegetation and hidden in the ditches, there was no specific target, and the effect of the bombardment was like a tickle.

Colonel Iseki knew this, so after only a dozen or so rounds, he sent two infantry companies to attack the east and west flanks simultaneously.

The defending troops responded fiercely, firing at the Japanese soldiers, and the two sides engaged in a positional battle.

Colonel Iseki sneered contemptuously:

"Yamamoto-kun, those Chinese are really overestimating themselves. The Kwantung Army is invincible in field battles!"