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

In Lanfeng City, the main force of the 107th Division has gradually withdrawn, leaving only the 322nd Brigade to cover the rear.

After receiving the brilliant plan from Zhao Yunwen, Zhang Yi adjusted the defenses around Lanfeng City, abandoning Shuangtaji and Yangguji, and solely defending Maji as a barrier for Luowang Station and Lanfeng.

Luowang Station was the focus of contention between the two sides in the Battle of Lanfeng. It was later recaptured by the Yudong Corps and has now been handed over to the 107th Division.

The distance from Lanfeng Station to Luowang Station is about eight kilometers, to Kaifeng it is twenty-six kilometers, and to Zheng County it is ninety-two kilometers. In another timeline, after the Japanese occupied Kaifeng and Zhongmu, the Nationalist government ordered the bombing of Huayuankou.

Zhang Yi placed the 644th Regiment in Lanfeng City, the 1st Battalion of the 643rd Regiment in Maji, and the main force of the regiment in Luowang Station.

The fortifications were already in place, and the 322nd Brigade restored and expanded them, but the Japanese didn't give them much time.

The withdrawal of over 100,000 troops from the Yudong Corps was a large-scale operation that could not be kept secret from the Japanese, who then accelerated their advance.

At this time, the main force of the Yudong Corps retreated to the west of Pinghan City, and the railway line was also a key point of their defense. The 107th Division was not fighting alone, and Zheng County had not been abandoned.

The Japanese attacking forces were mainly divided into three groups: the 16th Division, the 13th Mixed Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade were located south of the Longhai Railway and east of the Pinghan Railway.

It sounds like a lot, but the casualties in the previous fierce battles were heavy, especially the 3rd Mixed Brigade which suffered more than 70% casualties, and the 16th Division and the 13th Mixed Brigade which suffered more than 40% casualties. Supplies were severely depleted, and combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

Another part was the 5th Division, which started from Pengcheng and advanced from west to east along the railway. The 10th Division had been replenished and attacked Lanfeng from the north of Longhai.

The third part is the 14th Division on the northern front, which has been decimated and is temporarily out of attack power.

The first to arrive at the battlefield was the Kunisaki Brigade of the 5th Division, which had been decimated in the Battle of Linyi and was eager to get revenge.

When the Japanese vanguard advanced to Gangtou, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides. The Takeda Battalion left behind more than 30 corpses and then disengaged, stopping short of a decisive engagement.

Gangtou is located about four kilometers east of Lanfeng. It is a bridgehead position in Lanfeng and is defended by the 1st Battalion of the 644th Regiment.

The main force of the Takeda Battalion arrived shortly afterward. The Japanese were in high spirits, and Major Takeda did not take the small Gangtou Station seriously at all. The two companies advanced side by side along the railway line.

The battalion was also deployed along the railway line, with one infantry company on each flank, consisting of three arc-shaped trenches.

Several permanent bunkers were built along the central route. They were reinforced concrete and existed before, but they were not used because the 88th Division abandoned the city.

When the Japanese skirmishers advanced to the front of the lines, bursts of gunfire erupted from the flanks. Machine guns and rifles opened fire fiercely, killing and wounding many Japanese soldiers, with the rest lying prone on the ground.

Major Takeda immediately ordered the heavy machine guns to provide suppressive fire, and the infantry guns were also pushed to a position 800 meters in front of the lines to fire at the defenders' firing positions.

The shell landed a few meters behind and to the side of the third company commander, kicking up a lot of sand and dust, which stung his back.

Han Xiaopeng paid no attention to this, spat out his mouthful of mud and sand, estimated the distance to the infantry artillery position, and shouted loudly:

"Notify the mortar unit to take out those damn short-legged tigers!"

The Type 92 infantry gun was nicknamed "Short-legged Tiger" because it was short, compact, and incredibly powerful, making it very difficult to deal with.

The battalion did not rush to reveal the strength of the artillery company; all the battalion artillery used to deal with the Japanese could only be handed over to the 60mm mortars at the company level.

After receiving the order, the mortar platoon leader quickly calculated the coordinates of the enemy infantry gun's location. In order to improve the hit rate, he decided to use a three-round salvo.

When the Japanese infantry guns fired again, revealing their position, the platoon leader decisively ordered them to open fire.

Three shells left the barrel, instantly covering the infantry gun's position. Major Takeda cursed in pain:

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

"I warned you to be careful of the Chinese mortars, but you didn't take it to heart."

The adjutant interjected:

"Mr. Takeda, you must not treat Zhao Yunwen and his 107th Division as ordinary Chinese troops. You must be cautious."

Major Takeda was parachuted in from another unit to replace the previous battalion commander who had died in battle, while his adjutant was a survivor of the Battle of Tangtou and had vivid memories of the 107th Division.

"Aoki-kun, aren't you giving the Chinese too much credit? Compared to the Itagaki Division, the Chinese are nothing but trash!"

Captain Aoki didn't want to argue with Major Takeda any further. He knew the pain of being beaten, and if he could, he would never want to encounter the 107th Division.

After losing an infantry gun, the Japanese troops became noticeably more cautious, their infantry offensive was halted, and the two sides reached a stalemate, with gunfire gradually thinning out.

Major Takeda was horrified to discover that the Itagaki Division, known as the "Steel Army," had gained no advantage whatsoever in the exchange of fire.

The battle lasted for more than two hours, with casualties on both sides. Major Takeda, seeing that the first round of attacks was ineffective, called a halt to the offensive.

This was originally a probing attack, but Major Takeda didn't expect it to be so difficult, and he learned a lot from it.

Before long, the main force of the 11th Infantry Regiment arrived, and Colonel Nagano took command and launched a fierce attack on Gangtou Station.

More than a dozen 75mm howitzers bombarded the defending troops' positions, almost completely destroying Gangtou Station. Many fortifications were destroyed, and many soldiers fell in pools of blood, some even being buried alive.

Lanfeng City, 644th Regiment Headquarters

Regimental Commander Luo Wen looked grave, his thick brows furrowed. Chief of Staff Liang Zhou said worriedly:

"The Japanese have a whole regiment, and the brothers in the first battalion have suffered heavy casualties. Should we withdraw them back into the city?"

Rowan shook his head and said:

"It's not time yet. I believe the brothers of the First Battalion can withstand the Japanese offensive."

Before the Japanese reinforcements arrive, the First Battalion must hold the line at all costs.

"So, send an artillery company to support them. Remember, you only have one chance to fire. Target the Japanese artillery, then leave!"

Liang Zhou was very happy to see that Luo Wen had finally relented. Although he did not agree to the First Battalion abandoning Gangtou, the forward position, he did provide support to the artillery company.

Artillery fire remained the biggest threat to the defenders, and Colonel Nagano was very satisfied with the effectiveness of the bombardment.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers surged toward the First Battalion's position like a tidal wave, densely filling the open space, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The Japanese skirmishers were spread out in a wide, orderly formation. If you looked closely, you could see that each squad was coordinating with the others, which was not a human wave tactic.

This time, the battalion commander dared not be careless again and ordered heavy firepower to intercept them. Several bunkers that had been hidden before also spewed fire, and the bullets left behind many Japanese corpses.

The six artillery pieces of the directly subordinate artillery company also joined the battle, risking their lives to stop the advance of the Japanese infantry, completely disregarding their own safety.

The battalion fought with all its might and finally stopped the offensive of the Takeda Battalion, but suffered heavy casualties.

The casualties were mainly due to artillery fire. The first six divisions were equipped with field artillery battalions at the regimental level, with 6 howitzers and 6 Type 92 infantry guns, for a total of 12 guns.

The Japanese attempted to destroy the central bunker with infantry guns, but several attempts failed. The attack was thwarted by a counterattack from the battalion's artillery company, and a Type 92 infantry gun was also lost.

The counterattack by the battalion's artillery company enraged the Japanese, provoking retaliation from the field artillery battalion. The defending troops could only avoid their attacks and retreat after firing.

Seeing that the defenders' artillery fire was being suppressed, Major Takeda drove his troops forward, determined to take Gangtou in one fell swoop.

The machine guns in the central bunkers were firing until their barrels were red-hot, forcing them to stop and cool down. They were the pillars of the Gangtou defense line. Each bunker contained three to five machine guns, most of which were captured Japanese weapons, which came in handy.

Several bunkers formed a crossfire, and more than a dozen machine guns not only blocked the central route but also supported the flanks, leaving dead Japanese soldiers scattered all over the ground.

Enraged, the Japanese soldiers continued to suppress the enemy with artillery fire, trying to destroy the bunker, completely unaware of the impending danger.

The regimental artillery company had already secretly moved into position and, after locking onto the target, decisively opened fire, hitting the target in the first round and destroying two howitzers.

Colonel Nagano screamed in terror:

"Enemy attack! Relocate immediately!"