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

The First Battalion's firepower remained fierce; although their strength was only one-third that of the Japanese, the difference in firepower was not significant.

As the defender, having strong fortifications, with comparable firepower, was enough to offset the difference in troop strength, and at least for a short time, the Japanese could not break through the first battalion's position.

On the left flank, hundreds of Japanese soldiers swarmed forward in dense formation, greatly increasing the pressure on the Third Company. Company Commander Han Xiaopeng was wounded in several places, but he still refused to leave the front line.

Several medium machine guns were fired until their barrels turned red-hot and the bullets jammed, forcing them to stop and cool down.

Changing the barrel of the M1919 machine gun is more complicated than that of the Type 92 heavy machine gun, and even a skilled operator needs more than a minute to do so. This is a significant shortcoming of the Browning machine gun.

The Japanese soldiers were numerous, and the machine gunners could only risk firing continuously from one position. Although they eliminated a large number of Japanese soldiers, they also exposed themselves and were repeatedly ambushed by Japanese infantry artillery, losing two machine guns and more than a dozen machine gunners.

Seeing the Japanese soldiers surging forward, Han Xiaopeng shouted the order:

"Quickly bring up the spare machine gun! Don't worry about getting blown up; killing one breaks even, killing two makes a profit!"

The spare machine gun that Company Commander Han mentioned was the captured Type 92 heavy machine gun. Since it would be troublesome to carry it around anyway, the wealthy young master Zhao simply left it to the rearguard. The Third Company was allocated two Type 92 heavy machine guns and four Type 11 light machine guns.

Finally, it came in handy. After losing two medium machine guns, the firepower of the Third Company was greatly reduced, and the Type 92 heavy machine gun could make up for it.

Assistant gunner Chen Yu finally got to touch the machine gun he had been longing for. Before this, he had always done odd jobs for the main gunner, and he didn't like watching others kill Japanese soldiers.

Chen Yu had previously learned how to use the Type 92 heavy machine gun. Together, they lifted the machine gun out of the bunker and set it up in the pre-prepared firing position. Soon after, it also spewed out a long tongue of fire.

To minimize casualties, each newly formed machine gun team was equipped with only three combatants: one main gunner and two assistant gunners/ammunition handlers.

These guns are for temporary use only; there's no need to consider logistical support or mobility. They're disposable, meaning they're used once and then discarded.

Chen Yu's first burst of fire was enough to boost his confidence, and he then went all out, spraying bullets at the densely packed horde of Japanese soldiers, causing havoc among them.

The thirty-round magazine was quickly used up, and the assistant gunner immediately attached another magazine and applied anti-jamming gun oil.

Because he was not skilled enough, it took him more than forty seconds just to change the bullet, which allowed the Japanese to advance more than thirty meters.

The sound of a woodpecker pecking at a tree trunk rang out again, and volleys of bullets rained down on the Japanese soldiers, halting their newly launched offensive once more.

The two newly added heavy machine guns made up for the previous lack of firepower, leaving the Japanese soldiers with many corpses. Chen Yu alone eliminated no less than twenty Japanese soldiers.

They've made a fortune; the Chen family's genealogy is about to start a new chapter.

Thinking of this, Chen Yu's neck turned red with excitement, and he shouted as he fired:

"You damn Japanese devils, I'll send you all back to your hometown!"

"Go to hell!"

Several more Japanese soldiers were mowed down. Just as Chen Yu was completely letting loose, a 70mm Type 92 infantry shell flew over, and the thick smoke from the explosion engulfed the machine gun crew.

Chen Yu lay in a pool of blood, riddled with shrapnel, clutching his beloved machine gun until his death.

The assistant gunner was also hit by two shrapnel bullets, but fortunately it wasn't fatal, and he was still hanging on by a thread. Only the ammunition handler, huddled in the trench, escaped death.

He shook off the dirt off his body, called out Chen Yu's name loudly, and after confirming that there was no sign of life, he rushed towards the overturned machine gun without hesitation.

"It still works! Get me a handyman!"

Two brothers, one dead and one wounded, now it's his turn!

After Gao Fei laboriously flipped the heavy machine gun over, he found that there were still quite a few bullets on the magazine, so he tried firing a burst.

The machine gun, stained with the blood of martyrs, did not disappoint him. Several bullets shot out, taking down a Japanese sergeant in the distance, thus avenging his comrade.

"That's not enough, Brother Chen Yu, this is for you!"

"Tap tap tap..."

"Tap tap tap!"

Gao Fei fired two bursts of fire in quick succession, eliminating another Japanese soldier.

"Out of bullets! Hurry up, give me some bullets!"

Gao Fei only realized after receiving the bullet that it was the platoon leader who handed it to him. He was so frightened that he shrank back. Usually, the platoon leader would call him "I" in front of him.

"Concentrate your mind and aim accurately!"

The platoon leader loudly reminded him that there was no time to worry about such things on the battlefield; it didn't matter who was whose father, the important thing was to kill the Japanese.

The mistake had already been made, and Gao Fei was thinking that if he killed a few more Japanese soldiers, the platoon leader might not bother him anymore!

Bullets sprayed out in rows. The platoon leader not only served as the ammunition handler but also acted as an observer, constantly pointing out the location of the target to Gao Fei, which greatly improved his ability to kill Japanese soldiers.

The Type 92 infantry gun that had previously tricked Chen Yu had set its sights on Gao Fei again. The gunner grinned and prepared to fire, but two 82mm mortar shells flew over and instantly blasted him into pieces.

The regimental artillery company's six cannons were deployed separately, and the Second Company also came to reinforce at the critical moment, greatly strengthening the defenders' troop strength and firepower.

After the Japanese troops unleashed their initial offensive, their powerful assault became unsustainable, and they were held back by the defending forces just a few dozen meters from the front lines, resulting in a surge in casualties.

To boost the morale of the soldiers, Company Commander Han shouted excitedly:

"Brothers, our reinforcements have arrived! Fight them to the death!"

Upon hearing that reinforcements had arrived, the soldiers were very excited and their morale soared. They shouted at the top of their lungs, determined to overwhelm the Japanese with their imposing presence.

"You bunch of trash, you bastards!"

Colonel Nagano, seeing that his gamble had not yielded any breakthroughs and instead resulted in heavy casualties, began to have second thoughts. He had already lost the initiative, and continuing the fight would only increase casualties.

Colonel Nagano was a decisive commander, quick to act and decisive in his actions. He immediately gave the order:

"Tell the warriors to retreat, and spare the Chinese once more!"

The senior staff officer filtered out the last sentence, saying that no one withdraws troops without saying a few polite words.

The bugle call to retreat soon rang out in the Japanese camp. The Japanese soldiers, who had been stubbornly holding on to the attack, were like deflated balloons, tumbling and crawling out of the position.

The soldiers of the 644th Regiment did not pursue. The Japanese still had spare strength, and rashly chasing them might lead to being bombed. Holding the position was the top priority.

At 4:15 p.m., Colonel Nagano's seemingly inevitable offensive was repelled. The 11th Regiment, despite its best efforts, failed to achieve its dream of spending the night in the city, leaving behind more than 400 corpses and suffering heavy losses.

No new attacks were launched until nightfall, not even retaliatory shelling.

The 644th Regiment also suffered more than 200 casualties, lost a lot of heavy equipment, and had most of its fortifications destroyed, making it a very tragic situation.

On the southern front, the vanguard battalion of the 16th Division arrived and launched a probing attack on Luowang Station, but was repelled by the 1st Battalion of the 643rd Regiment.

At 5 p.m., Zhao Yunwen’s old rival, Major General Guo Zhideng, arrived with the main force of the brigade and gave Colonel Nagano a thorough dressing-down.

Instead of launching a new attack that night, the Japanese troops remained in their command post, plotting their next move. Major General Kunihisa took over command.

At midnight, the Japanese camp was silent. Under the cover of darkness, the soldiers of the First and Second Battalions abandoned the position at Gangtou, buried the bodies of their fallen comrades, and carried their wounded brothers, spare machine guns, and supplies back to Lanfeng City.

The Japanese soldiers did not notice anything unusual. They were not worried at all that the 107th Division would counterattack. If they were to abandon their positions, that would be exactly what they wanted.

As the sun rose again, the Japanese soldiers, who were full of evil intentions, launched another attack. Shells rained down on the hilltop position, smoke filled the air, and flames roared. The Japanese did not hesitate to use incendiary bombs, giving the defenders a great gift early in the morning.

"Well done, General! Those Chinese on the hilltop are probably all burned to ashes!"