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

Southeast of Kaifeng, Tubogang, the ambush position of the Independent Regiment

Thousands of Japanese soldiers swaggered in. The southeast of Kaifeng is a vast alluvial plain of the Yellow River, without mountains, but it has five types of natural terrain suitable for ambushes: loess sand dunes, river depressions, moats fortified villages, river embankments, and forest belts around villages.

Tubogang is a continuous loess hill, 2 to 4 meters higher than the surrounding plains. The hills are gentle and covered with miscellaneous trees and abandoned graves. It is adjacent to the rural official road from Qixian to Kaifeng and was a place that the Japanese army had to pass through.

The Independent Regiment ambushed the enemy in the hills to the south, while the Cavalry Regiment hid in the villages on the plains to the north, more than a kilometer from the main road, making them difficult for the Japanese to spot.

Major General Lu Ping, the deputy division commander, had his command post set up on a small mound a few hundred meters away. At that moment, he was observing the enemy situation with binoculars, with Qian Jin, the commander of the independent regiment, accompanying him.

The Independent Regiment was formerly the Pengcheng Security Brigade. After several rotations, the core officers above the rank of squad leader and the junior officers had long been replaced, leaving only a few important officers such as Qian Jin to stabilize morale.

Qian Jin is a smart man. He understands Zhao Yunwen's thoughts and cooperates very well, so he is temporarily able to hold his position as commander. At least Zhao Yunwen has no intention of replacing him.

"Commander, the Japanese have entered the ambush area. Can we move in?"

Qian Jin asked for instructions cautiously, adopting a very humble attitude.

Lupin put down his binoculars and said:

"No rush, let's give the signal after all the Japanese have entered. With the cavalry regiment here, not a single one of them will escape!"

On the official road of Tubogang, the Japanese soldiers were completely unprepared. Battalion Commander Yamaguchi Hideki rode arrogantly on his tall horse, chatting casually with his adjutant:

"Ando-kun, do you know anything about Kaifeng?"

Kenichi Ando is a China expert, and he habitually shows off:

"I only know that the Central Plains is the birthplace of Chinese civilization, and Kaifeng has a long history, known as the capital of eight dynasties, the most famous of which is Bianliang during the Northern Song Dynasty."

As the poem says, "The warm breeze intoxicates the tourists, making them mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou!"

"Ando-kun, you truly are an expert on China; you even know this. I admire you."

The Imperial Army is about to occupy this ancient capital, and this magnificent feat will be accomplished by you and me—a source of great pride!

"Yamaguchi-kun, the Imperial Army hasn't just occupied Bianzhou this time, they've taken Hangzhou too! I wonder what kind of poems the Chinese literati will write this time. I'm really looking forward to it!"

After Captain Ando finished speaking, the two men laughed arrogantly, saying that Bianzhou was only ten miles away and glory was within their grasp.

Captain Ando's smile quickly vanished as he heard the sound of shells piercing the air, and his expression changed drastically.

"Baka! Enemy attack!"

Shells rained down, throwing the Japanese troops into complete disarray. Major Yamaguchi, who had been arrogant, was now filled with fear.

Major Yamaguchi was highly experienced in combat, and he knew better than anyone what a dozen cannons meant; the newcomers were up to no good!

Subsequent developments confirmed his judgment: volleys of shells rained down, cutting the Yamaguchi Battalion's long, serpentine formation into several segments, leaving them unable to defend themselves.

Then, dozens of tongues of fire of varying lengths spewed out from the hillside on the left flank, grenades rained down, and thousands of rifles fired at the Japanese soldiers, scattering them like birds and beasts.

There was an ambush on the left flank, and the Japanese soldiers, in their habitual disarray, fled to the right, where there was a flat plain, their only way to survive.

Major Yamaguchi fled the official road on horseback, still trying to show off even as death approached:

"I think the Chinese commander is nothing special. If he has a bigger appetite and sets up an army in the north, we will both die without a burial place."

Captain Ando was no longer in the mood to cooperate with him. He was a fan of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and dared not show off in this situation; someone had learned this the hard way.

Sure enough, as soon as Major Yamaguchi finished speaking, Captain Ando felt the earth tremble. At first, he thought he had angered the heavens and incurred the wrath of thunder.

Then he noticed a thick black line in the distance, growing thicker and thicker, and stammered in fright:

"It's over, it's cavalry—Chinese cavalry!"

You really can't act tough when you're running for your life; the ancients were right.

Major Yamaguchi was filled with remorse, wishing he hadn't...

The resounding bugle call rang out behind the Japanese soldiers, and the soldiers of the Independent Regiment rushed out of Huangshigang, charging towards the Japanese with murderous intent.

With an ambush behind him and a cavalry force in front, this was a sure-fire trap. Major Yamaguchi was so desperate that he considered committing seppuku.

When the cavalry regiment appeared, the Japanese completely collapsed, fleeing in all directions like wasps whose nest had been burned.

But two legs can't outrun four. The cavalrymen started a plains hunt, advancing in cavalry formations to eliminate the enemy in front of them.

They then spread out to both flanks, mopping up the remaining soldiers, wielding their sabers and slaughtering until heads rolled.

The opposing independent regiment could only play a supporting role, picking up what was readily available. It was the favorable battles that best tempered troops like the security brigade.

The Independent Regiment had won several battles in a row, and this time it was able to stand alone, with the Cavalry Regiment only assisting them in the battle.

Led by their squads and platoons, the soldiers chased after the Japanese soldiers, using guns for those at a distance and bayonets and grenades for those close by. It was as easy as slaughtering chickens and sheep, with almost no casualties.

Major Yamaguchi knew his end was near. Unwilling to face such a tragic situation, he charged forward on his horse, brandishing his sword, intending to take a few of his men down with him.

When Sergeant Hu Zhiwei saw a Japanese officer rushing towards him, he put away his rifle, drew his saber, and prepared to fight Major Yamaguchi.

He came from the Northwest Army and was a cavalryman under Zhang Jinzhen. During the Battle of Pengcheng, he was used to exchange for anti-inflammatory drugs.

Major Yamaguchi was overjoyed, thinking to himself that the Chinese cavalrymen opposite him were really young and dared to fight him head-on. They must have a death wish.

Hu Zhiwei was completely oblivious. The two horses were out of position, and the two swords collided violently. He almost dropped the sword from his hand.

Major Yamaguchi's katana was an heirloom, forged from fine steel and capable of cutting through iron like mud.

Hu Zhiwei's saber was captured from the Japanese soldiers. It was a standard military saber, a common one, and it had a large dent in it.

Before Major Yamaguchi could turn around, the platoon leader fired a burst of bullets from his Mauser pistol, knocking the smug Major off his horse. No matter how fast a knife is, it can't beat a Mauser pistol.

The platoon leader, his face cold, roared at Hu Zhiwei:

"You little brat, you've got a death wish! You have a gun, why are you playing with a knife? I'll deal with you when we get back!"

Hu Zhiwei shrank back guiltily. The cavalry regiment had a clear rule: never use a knife when a gun is available. This was military regulation.

He was used to hand-to-hand combat in the Northwest Army and was somewhat unaccustomed to it. The cavalry regiment of the 107th Division was not a regular cavalry unit at all; it not only used guns but was also equipped with a large number of artillery pieces.

The mopping-up operation against the fleeing soldiers was quickly coming to an end. The thousand-plus Japanese soldiers were not enough to fill two regiments. Hu Zhiwei missed out on his greatest opportunity to achieve a major victory and ended up only being awarded the rank of sergeant.

After the battle, the cavalry kept watch around the perimeter, while the infantry regiments cleaned up the battlefield. The results were quickly reported to Lupin:

"We annihilated 1108 men, including a major and battalion commander, with none escaping. We captured two Type 8 infantry guns, eight heavy machine guns, over 800 machine guns and rifles, one radio, over thirty warhorses, over 200 mules and horses, and countless piles of ammunition and supplies!"

It was exactly the setup for a large brigade; they even knew how to make dumplings. Lu Ping was delighted to hear this and exclaimed in praise:

"Brothers, you did a great job. When we get back, I will ask the commander to commend you."

After the battle was over, the Independent Regiment took the spoils and retreated first, while the Cavalry Regiment brought up the rear to escort them. They buried all the Japanese corpses and left behind the name of our 107th Division.

Tell the Japanese devils, if they dare to come to Kaifeng, my 107th Division will kill them and bury them!

South of Lanfeng City, the offensive of the 41st Infantry Regiment was repelled, and the casualty figures that were subsequently reported made Colonel Hashimoto's face turn as black as charcoal.

Suddenly, he realized that the merit of being the first to break through Lanfeng City was no longer worthwhile; the price was too high, and whoever wanted it could have it.

Colonel Takahashi started to slack off, sending only one company to attack each time, and only making minor incursions. He launched two more attacks before nightfall, suffering 7 casualties.

Senior staff officer Jiro Kobayashi was somewhat hesitant to look Hideaki Takahashi in the eye, but the latter comforted him instead:

"Good job, warriors! Casualties have been reduced significantly. It's getting dark, let's stop here for today, retreat two kilometers and switch to defense."

The 11th Regiment on the eastern front fared no better. After suffering over 40% casualties, their offensive was all bark and no bite, essentially just slacking off. Major General Guozhi was so angry that he cursed them:

"A bunch of useless trash, a disgrace to the empire!"

The chief of staff came to ask for instructions:

"General, the defending troops are at their last gasp. Shall we launch a night attack?"

"roll!"