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

At the 107th Division headquarters, the Japanese reaction did not escape Zhao Yunwen's notice. He guessed their intentions as soon as the 11th Infantry Regiment stopped its attack.

From halting the attack and assembling to arriving at the ambush point, even if the 107th Division didn't send troops to intercept, it would still take three hours, enough time for the 322nd Brigade to finish its work.

Xie Polu's intelligence was more than an hour late, and Zhao Yunwen simply said jokingly:

"By the time they arrive, they'll be captured by the Japanese soldiers inside the encirclement, saving the brothers the trouble of digging holes to bury them."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and Xie Polu continued, saying:

"Should we inform Zhang Yi of the enemy situation so that they can be mentally prepared?"

Zhao Yunwen put away his smile and said:

"Let me remind Zhang Yi that there is enough time. After cleaning up the battlefield, the 322nd Brigade quickly withdrew to the southwest hill of the official road, and the cavalry regiment assisted the independent regiment in repelling the 38th Infantry Regiment."

They then retreated south, utilizing the advantageous terrain to adopt a defensive posture, forming a pincer movement with the 322nd Brigade to confront the southward-advancing 11th Infantry Regiment.

"Commander, you underestimate the 11th Infantry Regiment. After the attacks on Lanfeng and Kaifeng, they only have a little over two thousand men left."

Upon learning of the annihilation of the 41st Regiment, they would most likely choose to retreat and await the arrival of the main force of the 5th Division.

Xie Polu rarely displayed such domineering power, and Zhao Yunwen was confident he should acknowledge it:

"That's right. The lesson learned from the 41st Infantry Regiment will make the Japanese much more cautious, and the fighting in Kaifeng will subside for a few days."

Next, the Japanese will significantly reinforce their troops from all directions until the main forces of the 5th and 10th Divisions arrive and the 16th Division moves north to attack from both sides. Only then will they dare to launch a new offensive.

The situation is in my favor. Go and give the order quickly; we'll wait and see!

On the main battlefield, the battle had entered a dead end. The First Battalion's return to reinforce not only failed to rescue the main force, but also almost cost them their lives.

To avoid being completely annihilated, the battalion commander ordered a full-scale breakout to the north, saving several hundred survivors and leaving some seeds for the 41st Regiment.

The remaining Japanese soldiers were not so lucky. Under the repeated pursuit of the cavalry, most of them perished in the encirclement, with only a few escaping. Among them was Colonel Hashimoto. Now the Japanese had an even better excuse to rebuild the 41st Regiment.

Zhang Yi's goal was to annihilate the main force of the 41st Regiment. After achieving this objective, he ordered the cavalry regiment to turn around and support the Independent Regiment. The 322nd Brigade quickly cleaned up the battlefield and wiped out any remaining enemies.

The telegram from the division headquarters also arrived, and Zhang Yi quickly made adjustments after reading it:

"The 643rd Regiment continued to clean up the battlefield, while the 644th Regiment moved north to guard the perimeter and prepare to engage the Japanese invaders."

The telegram instructed the cavalry regiment and the independent regiment to rout the enemy in front of them, then retreat south to establish new blocking positions and coordinate with the 322nd Brigade.

Although the Japanese reinforcements numbered only a little over two thousand, Zhang Yi still took them very seriously. Even a lion has to use all its strength to hunt a rabbit; caution is never a bad thing.

The Independent Regiment was holding the defensive position, and the reinforcements from the 38th Infantry Regiment were more like bystanders. Colonel Sukekawa had already been traumatized by the 107th Division and didn't want to get himself involved.

The senior staff officer said in a deep voice:

"The gunfire is becoming increasingly sparse. Hashimoto's regiment is likely in grave danger. They fear that the Chinese cavalry might turn around once they have a chance to attack, and then two legs won't be able to outrun four!"

Colonel Sukekawa took a deep breath:

"You mean it's time to move up?"

The senior staff officer bowed deeply.

"The situation is already decided. If we don't leave now, are we going to wait for the Chinese to retaliate?"

Colonel Sukekawa was still weighing the pros and cons when he suddenly felt the ground tremble. This feeling was all too familiar, and he cried out in terror:

"Cavalry, it's a Chinese cavalry force! Quickly, advance!"

Colonel Sukegawa no longer hesitated and ordered a retreat.

The 38th Infantry Regiment then abandoned its attack and fled in disarray. The Independent Regiment seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, severely beating the fleeing enemy and eliminating more than a hundred more men.

After driving away the Sugawa Regiment, the cavalry did not pursue them, as they had previously exhausted their horsepower and urgently needed to recover.

With this, the crisis on the eastern front was resolved, leaving only reinforcements on the northern front, which were still more than an hour away from the main battlefield.

The battlefield was quickly cleared, and the commander of the 643rd Regiment reported to Zhang Yi:

"We found the bodies of 1735 Japanese soldiers, and seized 9 artillery pieces, 1208 guns, 52 grenade launchers, and a quantity of ammunition and supplies."

"Very good, the Japanese reinforcements are about to arrive. You take the spoils and retreat first. The 644th Regiment will retreat after completing its rearguard mission."

We are a nation of etiquette; we should give the Japanese devils a chance to prove themselves.

Qin Shiquan accepted the order and left. Soon after, the Independent Regiment reported its results, estimating that it had killed or wounded more than 300 Japanese soldiers.

Zhang Yi was very satisfied and immediately instructed his chief of staff to report the victory to Zhao Yunwen. The annihilation of two thousand enemy soldiers was enough to deter the Japanese.

An hour later, the 11th Infantry Regiment arrived late. The 644th Regiment, which was covering the rear, did not linger in battle but instead retreated in large strides towards the southwest loess hill.

The Japanese soldiers pressed on despite their fears. They only had a little over two thousand men, and they were unsure of their chances of winning a real battle.

But the bodies of their comrades must be recovered; it is a matter of honor for the Itagaki Division.

As time went on, the remnants of the 41st Regiment were gradually gathered together, and the Japanese gained several hundred more men. However, these men had lost their courage and their fighting strength was questionable.

When the Japanese reinforcements arrived at the main battlefield, they were enraged by the horrific scene before them and roared that they wanted to take revenge on the 107th Division.

Colonel Nagano's face was as black as charcoal. All the corpses had been stripped naked, leaving only a loincloth to cover their shame.

The Itagaki Division's face was rubbed into the ground, and the Japanese soldiers from top to bottom felt inexplicably humiliated. If they didn't fight, their morale would be shattered.

"You idiot! This is outrageous!"

"Zhao Yunwen, my Itagaki Division will never forgive you!"

Colonel Nagano uttered a few harsh words at just the right moment, igniting the anger of all the Japanese soldiers, and then ordered the collection of the corpses.

Right under the noses of the 322nd Brigade, the corpses of Japanese soldiers were piled up in layers and then burned.

The air was filled with a strong, acrid smell that made people want to vomit.

The Japanese soldiers lined up in neat rows and sang "Kimigayo," creating a funeral atmosphere.

Private First Class Qi Yaodong asked curiously:

"What are those Japanese devils singing? It sounds like they're wailing at a funeral!"

Sergeant Chen Hu, a man of great experience and knowledge, said with certainty:

"It's a funeral song, no doubt about it. They sing it when people are buried in our village. It's disgusting to hear."

"Tiger, should we fire a few shots? You can't bury someone without artillery!"

Chen Hu's eyes widened:

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you. This is a battlefield. If we fire indiscriminately, the company commander will skin us alive."

Qi Yaodong obediently shut his mouth. He was just saying that the 107th Division had strict military discipline and no one dared to act without authorization.

Except for Zhang Yi, who has been influenced by Western culture and has a free-spirited personality, he can understand the lyrics;

The Japanese wanted to boost morale with this, but Zhang Yi refused to comply and grinned, saying:

"Chief of Staff Lin, the Japanese are holding a funeral, let's join in the fun."

Order the heavy artillery battalion to fire a few shots to liven things up!

Lin Zheng felt a chill; how could someone join in on such a spectacle? But the words he spoke were invigorating.

In his view, the Japanese were too arrogant, swaggering around holding a funeral in front of the 322nd Brigade. If they weren't taught a lesson, they wouldn't be the ironclad troops that Zhao Yunwen had trained.

After Lin Zheng left the field command post, he personally sent instructions to the artillery regiment using signal flags. Not long after, the artillery regiment's congratulatory gift arrived.

A barrage of heavy artillery shells came from miles away, crashing into the mourning crowd and instantly killing dozens of people.

The Japanese were in a sorry state; they scattered like birds and beasts, and no one cared about the reputation of the Itagaki Division anymore.

This is a heavy artillery barrage, designed to subdue any challenger.

Shells rained down, blasting Japanese soldiers to shreds and shattering the solemnity of the funeral.

Colonel Nagano cursed in frustration:

"You idiot! How dare you be so rude!"