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

The Kunisaki Brigade successfully captured Gangtou, but they were not happy. The senior officers of the Itagaki Division still had some pride, and this was no different from being given charity.

"You idiot, you're not a true guardian!"

Kunisaki Noboru habitually made a show of bravado, and Colonel Nagano chimed in:

"They were intimidated by Your Excellency's reputation. The Chinese fled from East China to the Central Plains, and next they should flee to South China."

The Japanese soldiers laughed triumphantly, defusing the awkward situation. Everyone knew that the 107th Division had voluntarily withdrawn from the position, which made the Kunisaki Brigade's well-intentioned punches feel like they had punched cotton, which was extremely ironic.

Commander Hideaki Hashimoto of the 41st Infantry Regiment calculated that the 107th Division might abandon Lanfeng, a victory that seemed within easy reach. The 41st Regiment, having been nearly annihilated in Pangjuan Valley, desperately needed a comeback and volunteered for the mission:

"General, you may escape, but you can't hide. Please allow me to lead my troops in pursuit, and seize Lanfeng and Kaifeng in the process. My Itagaki Division will be the first to enter Zheng County!"

Colonel Nagano, seeing Hashimoto Hideaki vying for credit, joined in the commotion. Major General Kunisaki, calculating that the 107th Division wouldn't hold Lanfeng to the death, decided to seize the opportunity and immediately made the decision:

"Yoshi, Hashimoto-kun truly lives up to his reputation as a renowned samurai of the empire, and Nagano-kun is no less impressive; in the past, King Huai of Chu made a pact with Liu Bei and Xiang Yu that whoever entered Guanzhong first would become king, so why not follow the example of the ancients?"

The Nagano Regiment attacked along the railway from the east, while the Hashimoto Regiment outflanked to the south. Whoever entered Lanfeng first would be credited with the greatest victory, wouldn't that be great?

The Hashimoto team was at a disadvantage in terms of distance, but they were targeting Lanfeng City's weak point in the middle, and it was not impossible for them to arrive first after starting later, so they immediately agreed.

Colonel Nagano said magnanimously:

"General, I won't take advantage of Hashimoto-kun. I'll delay the attack by two hours and enter the city before nightfall!"

It's only 8 a.m. now, and the attack will begin in two hours, around 10 a.m. We'll be ready and have put on a show.

Colonel Hashimoto didn't argue with him, and walked away with his ancestral sword slung over his shoulder, thus accepting the bet.

After the First and Second Battalions retreated into the city, the Third Battalion, with its complete personnel and equipment, guarded the east of the city, the Second Battalion guarded the south of the city, and the First Battalion served as a reserve force, with the directly subordinate artillery company cooperating in the operation.

Faced with the attack of two regiments of the Kunisaki Brigade, the 644th Regiment was prepared for urban warfare, even if it meant wiping out its entire unit.

Before leaving, Zhao Yunwen gave all the extra reinforcements to the 322nd Brigade, bringing the brigade's strength to over 6,000. Zhang Yi still had nearly 1,000 reinforcements in his hands.

On the opposing side, the Kunisaki Brigade has about 8,000 men, with nearly 1,000 casualties, leaving more than 7,000. The 16th Division can only provide one infantry regiment as support, and the 10th and 14th Divisions have not yet arrived. The pressure of defending Lanfeng for another day is not great.

The key is to withstand the first wave of attack, also known as the "three-pronged attack"!

At 10 a.m., the Nagano Regiment, having completed its pre-battle preparations, unleashed its "first attack."

More than a dozen cannons bombarded the city walls and fortifications. The artillery company, not to be outdone, retaliated by firing back at the Japanese, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of the artillery barrage.

The heavy firepower of the two regiments of the 322nd Brigade was no weaker than that of the Kunisaki Detachment, and Zhang Yi also had two reserve battalions at his disposal, so on the surface, they were no less formidable than the Japanese.

To defend a city, one must defend its outer perimeter. As the saying goes, "A city three li in circumference has an outer perimeter of seven li." Here, "outer perimeter" refers to the outer defenses, including the moat. Lanfeng is a small city, and although it does not have a moat, the 88th Division had previously built fortifications around the city, which came in handy.

The Japanese artillery bombardment ended hastily, and the Nagano Regiment launched a ground offensive, spearheaded by a tank company, which was the apple of Itagaki's eye and had been assigned to the Kunisaki Brigade.

Twelve brand-new Type 12 tanks were lined up in two rows along the railway line, three on each side, exuding a menacing aura, accompanied by hundreds of infantrymen.

Seeing that the Japanese had used the "Iron Turtle," Luo Wen snorted coldly:

"Those Japanese devils are courting death! Send a rocket launcher platoon immediately to support them and crush their arrogance!"

Chief of Staff Liang Zhou immediately sent someone to notify the artillery company. For the sake of secrecy, the rocket launcher platoon was always attached to the artillery company and was known to the outside world as the fire support platoon. It consisted of 12 grenade launchers and three people formed a combat team.

The artillery company consisted of two mountain gun platoons, a mortar platoon, and a fire support platoon. Ten men were assigned to each mountain gun, and six men to each mortar. There was also a supply company and dozens of mules and horses for support.

The tank squadron advanced very quickly, and the infantry accompanying them were fearless, quickly reaching the anti-tank ditch.

This trench was dug hastily by the 644th Regiment. It was trapezoidal, more than 300 meters long from north to south, 2 meters wide from east to west, and half a meter deep. It contained only more than 200 anti-personnel mines, with the aim of slowing down the Japanese advance.

The tank didn't take the small obstacle seriously and ran over it, destroying the anti-personnel mines inside along with the infantry. The Japanese soldiers were blown to pieces.

The landmines severed the tracks of the bean-shaped tanks, causing two tanks to break down and affecting the movement of other tanks, throwing the attacking echelon into chaos.

The rocket launcher platoon had been waiting for this opportunity, and they all poked their bodies out of the trenches and opened fire on the slowing tank group.

Rockets hurtled towards the tank, detonating it in the blink of an eye, sending flames raging and thick smoke billowing, accompanied by the terrified screams of the attacking infantry.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Protect the tanks!!"

"Boom boom boom..."

"Boom boom boom!"

A barrage of 82mm mortar shells rained down from the sky, exacerbating the chaos among the Japanese infantry and leaving them no time to attend to the rocket launcher platoon.

Each rocket launcher team is equipped with an automatic rifleman for protection, and the ammunition handler is equipped with a Mauser pistol. In a critical moment, both men can protect the rocket launcher main gunner during evacuation.

Nine of the twelve tanks were destroyed in succession. The other three tanks in the second echelon were quick to react and managed to escape in a sorry state, which also caused the infantry accompanying the attack to collapse.

The Japanese first offensive ended so hastily that Colonel Nagano could hardly believe his eyes; it was too far-fetched.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"The Chinese have a ton of anti-tank guns, damn it! What kind of monsters are these?"

Nine tanks were lost; if the division commander found out, he'd skin him alive.

With no way out and no room for slacking off, Colonel Nagano immediately ordered his infantry to charge.

"Warriors, once you breach the city, you'll be exempt from military discipline for three days, and there will be plenty of beautiful women for you!"

The Japanese army's discipline was a joke, but it still spurred the rank and file soldiers to shout and scream. Lifting the military discipline meant burning, killing, and looting, and if you were lucky, you could make enough to last you the rest of your life.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers surged across the wilderness like a tidal wave, then jumped into the anti-tank trenches, detonating most of the landmines.

The Japanese paid a heavy price for their madness, suffering over a hundred casualties, mostly wounded. They were all severely wounded, missing limbs, lying in the trenches struggling in agony, even dogs avoided them.

The blood of their companions did not frighten them; instead, it fueled their rage, making their eyes bloodshot.

The Japanese soldiers who had not fallen continued their charge and soon entered the area blocked by the defending troops' firepower. By this time, the rocket launcher platoon had already retreated back into the city, and the open fields were filled with Japanese soldiers, densely packed like locusts passing through.

Luo Wen gave the order to fire. The artillery company and the third battalion's dozen or so cannons bombarded the Japanese fiercely. Shells rained down, and the Japanese soldiers scattered like headless flies, with severed limbs and broken arms everywhere.

With artillery fire covering every angle and the support of more than 30 machine guns, the Japanese suffered heavy losses. They still lacked a clear understanding of the 107th Division's firepower. The 107th Division was least afraid of massed charges, which allowed them to take full advantage of their firepower and inflict heavy casualties on the Japanese.

"You idiot! The Chinese have no martial ethics!"

Colonel Nagano's chest looked like it had been stabbed several times with a rusty, dull knife; I was really worried he might catch tetanus.

The 644th Regiment continued its firepower. The Japanese soldiers, who had been successfully brainwashed by Bushido, ignored the blood of their comrades and gritted their teeth to keep charging forward.

They firmly believed that Bushido was invincible, except for being impervious to swords and spears!

Faced with the surging tide of Japanese soldiers, the soldiers of the Third Battalion unleashed their full firepower, shattering the aura of Bushido into dust.