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

At the Sakai Detachment headquarters, Major General Takashi Sakai, commander of the 28th Infantry Brigade, frowned deeply. The battle at Yangguji was far more difficult than he had imagined.

Although they had already captured Shuangtaji, the difficulty of the subsequent operations did not diminish at all. The 50th Infantry Regiment tried its best, but still failed to capture the small Yangguji.

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

Sakai Takashi gritted his teeth and forced out a curse. Chief of Staff Hattori Juro walked in with a dark face and slammed his head down.

"General, we have just received a battle report from the division headquarters. The 2nd Infantry Regiment in the direction of Lanfeng City has been severely damaged, with fewer than a thousand survivors."

Takashi Sakai exclaimed in surprise:

"What?! That's an entire infantry regiment! What happened? Have new reinforcements joined the Lanfeng battlefield?!"

In the Japanese mind, an infantry regiment was an invincible force, and that China would have to deploy at least an entire corps to severely damage one regiment.

What Takashi Sakai didn't know was that Kenji Doihara had played a word game with "less than a thousand," meaning it only amounted to two or three hundred, though it sounded more impressive.

"General, we haven't figured out which unit it is yet, but its numbers should be no less than ten thousand, with a significant number of cavalry. They succeeded through a surprise attack."

Hattori Juro's information comes from the accounts of defeated soldiers, which are inherently exaggerated, always trying to find an excuse for his crushing defeat.

Major General Sakai took a deep breath and said:

"Sodesnae, it would be understandable if it were a surprise attack on the regimental headquarters. Cavalry has a strong impact, and if the command system is paralyzed, the overall combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

That good-for-nothing Yokoyama Shizuo was far too careless and has failed His Majesty the Emperor's trust. We must learn from this lesson and avoid repeating the same mistake.

"Place the sentry posts further away, and dig another trench around the brigade headquarters to block the cavalry—"

"Boom boom boom..."

The earth shook violently, and Hattori Jusuro screamed in terror:

"Heavy artillery! Imperial-made 105mm mountain guns!"

"Baka! Where did the Chinese get those Imperial-made heavy artillery from?"

"General, that's no longer important. The Chinese are resorting to their old tricks; they must retaliate!"

Hattori Juro was shocked by his own thoughts, which meant that Sakai's detachment was facing a major crisis.

The second round of shelling arrived as expected, causing considerable chaos in the main force of the 50th Infantry Regiment. Sakai Takashi's expression changed drastically, and he said in horror:

"Those despicable Chinese are using sneak attacks again, what should we do?"

Takashi Sakai was somewhat flustered. The lesson of the 2nd Infantry Regiment was still fresh in his mind, and he was afraid of repeating the same mistake.

Hattori Juro forced himself to remain calm and said:

"General, you must quickly regroup your troops, withdraw from the range of the Chinese heavy artillery, and stabilize your position."

"Stop the attack on Yangguji first, and wait for the main force of the 16th Division to arrive before breaking out."

"Boom boom boom..."

"Boom boom boom!"

Shells rained down, blasting the 50th Infantry Regiment to pieces. Colonel Toyama tried to restrain the troops, but to little avail.

The heavy artillery was too destructive, and the 50th Infantry Regiment was unprepared. Most of the soldiers were exposed in the field, some still on the offensive, making their defenses extremely vulnerable; a single bomb could wipe out entire swathes.

Colonel Toyama has lost control of the troops; the command system has failed, battalion commanders cannot find their company commanders, and company commanders cannot command their troops, who are all taking cover from artillery fire.

Taking advantage of his weakness, Zhang Yi, the commander of the 322nd Brigade, issued the order for a full-scale counterattack. Led by the bugle call, the 648th Regiment of the 324th Brigade and the 643rd and 644th Regiments of the 322nd Brigade charged out of their positions from multiple directions, rushing towards the Japanese with murderous intent.

Gunfire erupted, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and the bugle call to charge terrified the Japanese soldiers, causing their legs to tremble and they fled north for their lives.

Those who were slow to run became victims of gunfire. The soldiers of the 107th Division had gone mad, using guns to shoot those at a distance and bayonets to attack those close by, occasionally throwing a grenade.

The Japanese troops were routed, and Colonel Toyama, seeing the situation was dire, led his regimental headquarters to flee first, not wanting to follow in Yokoyama Shizuka's footsteps.

Major General Sakai's brigade headquarters was running, the 50th Regiment headquarters was running, and several battalions on the front line were also fleeing for their lives, scrambling to escape, thinking it better to die than lose their fellow travelers.

The Sakai Detachment was routed and retreated more than ten miles before finally stopping. The dead and wounded were oblivious to their own plight, and equipment and supplies were left scattered all over the ground. They had no shame whatsoever.

The counter-attacking troops pursued the enemy all the way to the 28th Brigade headquarters camp before stopping. Faced with the ground littered with equipment and supplies, Qin Haitao, the assault battalion commander of the 648th Regiment, laughed heartily.

"They're all ours!"

"Brothers, quickly clear the battlefield, wipe out the stragglers, and leave no one alive!"

More good news came from the 107th Division headquarters, in the Yangguji direction:

"Commander, the Sakai Detachment has been defeated. A total of more than 1800 Japanese soldiers have been killed, and more than ten artillery pieces, more than 1300 guns, and a certain amount of ammunition and supplies have been captured."

The remaining Japanese troops fled far away, and Yangguji and Shuangtaji were firmly under our control. Brigade Commander Zhang requested instructions on the next course of action.

Zhao Yunwen was in a great mood and said with a smile:

"The brothers did a good job. The crisis at Lanfeng and Yangguji has been temporarily resolved, and the Japanese have been kept at bay north of the Longhai Railway."

Next, we still need to strengthen our defenses to prevent a Japanese counterattack.

"The cavalry regiment and the main force of the 323rd Brigade withdrew to the northwest of Lanfeng City to await orders. If the 16th Division advances westward, it will harass from the flank and seize the opportunity to cut off its supply line and assist in the defense of Kaifeng City."

If they advance north to attack Lanfeng, the 323rd Brigade will assist in the defense of Lanfeng; the point is to hold back the Japanese reinforcements.

"Chief of Staff Xie immediately reported the victory to Commander-in-Chief Xue, saying that the Sakai Detachment had been defeated, and Yangguji and Shuangtaji were still in my hands. The 107th Division was confident that it could stop the Japanese from advancing south and continue to cut off the Longhai Railway."

After defeating the Sakai Detachment, the 107th Division was freed up again. The 647th Regiment continued to defend Lanfeng City, but shifted its focus to the south and west of the city, leaving a small number of troops to guard the north.

The 322nd Brigade deployed the 643rd Regiment to defend Yangguji and the 644th Regiment to defend Shuangtaji. The 648th Regiment, which suffered heavy casualties, withdrew from its position and joined up with the division headquarters, where it was used as a reserve force while resting and reorganizing.

Zhao Yunwen transferred some of the excess personnel to the 647th and 648th Regiments to restore their organizational structure, and the 6 people he had previously acquired came in handy.

At this point, Zhao Yunwen had the 648th, 645th, and 646th Regiments, the Independent Regiment, the Cavalry Regiment, and the Artillery Regiment as mobile forces, along with directly subordinate units such as the Supply Regiment, which was sufficient to deal with the 16th Division's northward advance and completely thwart the 14th and 16th Divisions' attempt to join forces on the Longhai Railway.

At the 14th Division headquarters, Kenji Doihara had suffered a series of blows, and he looked more than ten years older. His temples were covered with white hair, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked just like a gambler who had bet all his chips and had lost control of the game.

"You idiots! A bunch of useless trash! The regimental flag was captured! A disgrace to the Imperial Army!"

"Sakai Takashi is also a good-for-nothing. Not only did he fail to capture Yanggu Village, but he was also killed by his own men. They have completely disgraced His Majesty."

To boost morale, the Military Commission immediately announced the victory after receiving the report, stating that the Second Regiment had been completely annihilated and its flag captured. The enthusiasm of the people was ignited once again, and the fame of Zhao Yunwen and the Tiger Division resounded at home and abroad, enough to stop children from crying in Japan.

It is said that the roars from within the Demon Palace resounded through the night, causing Yu Ren to completely break through the defenses and order the annihilation of the Tiger Warriors and the capture of Zhao Yunwen alive.

Kenji Doihara was thoroughly berated by Hisaichi Terauchi, and coupled with the unfavorable war situation and the Sakai Detachment's crushing defeat, he suffered repeated blows, and his resolve began to crumble.

The chief of staff said with a grim face:

"Xue Boling's troops seem to have been provoked and are attacking the Imperial Army's positions like madmen. We can't afford to waste any more time with the Chinese. We must take the initiative to break out, use the cover of night, abandon our current positions, and advance westward towards Lanfeng City, bypassing Lanfeng City, and join forces with the 16th Division."

Abandoning the existing positions and placing all hope on friendly forces could lead to the risk of total annihilation if the breakout fails. This is a difficult decision to make.

Kenji Doihara remained silent for a long time, but in the end, his gambler's mentality prevailed, and they only had a sliver of hope.

"The word 'surrender' doesn't exist in the dictionary of my 14th Division. As you suggest, abandon the position—attack!"