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

At Luodian, the position of the 66th Regiment of the 11th Division, the sound of artillery fire boomed and bullets rained down.

The ground offensive of the 11th Infantry Division arrived as scheduled, following the same old routine: infantry charging forward while artillery bombarded.

Dozens of artillery pieces of various sizes bombarded the 66th Regiment's position, engulfing the entire Luodian area in flames, demonstrating the terrifying power of an industrial superpower.

A large number of trenches were destroyed. Hu Lian underestimated the firepower of the Japanese, thinking that if the security regiment could do it, they could too, and ended up suffering losses.

He deployed too many troops on the perimeter, which led to a significant increase in casualties. If it weren't for the security regiment's dense network of tunnels, the First Battalion would probably have been decimated.

Inside the regimental field command post, Deputy Regimental Commander Cao Jinlun shook off the loose dirt from his clothes and cursed:

"Those damned Japanese devils, they're going to flatten Luodian with artillery shells, this is never going to end!"

Hu Lian said with a gloomy face:

"Judging from the sound, that's a 150mm heavy howitzer. Senior Zhao was right, the Japanese firepower has indeed been strengthened."

Cao Jinlun's expression changed drastically after hearing this:

"This is a 150mm heavy artillery piece? Wasn't the 11th Division only equipped with 105mm mountain guns?!"

Hu Lian said with a livid face:

"I don't know where the senior got the information, but he said that the 11th Division has been reinforced with a large number of artillery pieces, more than half again as many as usual, including several 150mm heavy guns and more than a dozen 105mm heavy guns."

"Commander, the Japanese firepower is insane! The men in the First Battalion are likely to suffer heavy losses. Should we order them to withdraw?"

Hu Lian shook his head and said:

"We cannot easily abandon our front lines; if everyone crowds into the town, casualties will be even greater!"

"Notify the Second Battalion to prepare for reinforcement at any time. They must withstand the Japanese's initial attack."

"Commander, the artillery fire is spreading out! The Japanese infantry are coming up, a lot of them!"

Cao Jinlun screamed in terror. The Japanese infantry-artillery coordination was beyond his imagination; they were practically charging right on the artillery positions.

Sporadic gunfire erupted from the forward positions; clearly, the battalion, which had suffered heavy losses, had not yet reacted.

Hu Lian didn't care about anything else and shouted coldly:

"Brother Jinlun, hurry up and take the Second Battalion to reinforce them! Even if we wipe out their entire unit, we must drive the Japanese off the position!"

Cao Jinlun drew his pistol and rushed out of the command post. They didn't want to use the reserves at the beginning, but the Japanese offensive was too strong, and they went all out from the start.

At the front line, swarms of Japanese soldiers had already reached the front, and many of the brothers of the First Battalion were still buried in the loose soil, while several Maxim heavy machine guns were firing wildly.

The Japanese soldiers were swept down in rows, but more yellowish-brown soldiers surged forward, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

"Boom boom boom..."

A volley of shells landed on the machine gun company's position, blowing two Maxim guns away and leaving all the machine gunners lying in pools of blood, instantly reducing their firepower significantly.

The Japanese infantry guns and 37mm rapid-fire cannons wreaked havoc, destroying the defenders' machine gun fire one by one, and the infantry surged into the position like a tide.

Major Zhang Fengyi, the battalion commander, roared:

"Brothers, charge with me—kill the Japanese devils!"

Soldiers rushed out of the trenches and engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand battle with the Japanese. Two torrents of excrement yellow and ochre yellow collided, turning the battlefield blood red.

Zhang Fengyi was in a bloodthirsty frenzy, his submachine gun barrel glowing red as he fired, and at least ten Japanese soldiers fell to the ground beneath his gun.

Three magazines were emptied in succession. The MP28 did not have a fire selector, so one magazine was emptied in two bursts.

Zhang Fengyi saw three Japanese soldiers approaching with rifles, their bayonets gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.

He was not intimidated and fired his submachine gun, smashing it into the head of the Japanese soldier in front of him.

He casually drew his pistol from his waist and fired several shots, knocking down the other two Japanese soldiers.

Just as the defensive line was about to collapse, Cao Jinlun led the Second Battalion as reinforcements and stabilized the position.

Right flank, 62nd Regiment, 11th Division

Both sides were locked in fierce fighting. Regimental Commander Han Yingbin personally led his entire regiment to block the Japanese troops who were flanking from the flanks, resulting in casualties on both sides.

The emergence of the security regiment brought about many changes in the Battle of Luodian, with the 62nd Regiment being the biggest beneficiary.

In another timeline, the garrison at Luodian consisted of only one company, which was ambushed and captured by the vanguard battalion of the Japanese.

The 62nd Regiment was ordered to retake the position overnight, suffering nearly half casualties, and its commander, Han Yingbin, was killed in action.

Subsequently, the Japanese launched a combined air and ground counterattack, Hu Lian was wounded, the commander of the 201st Brigade of the 67th Division was killed, and the 18th Army suffered heavy casualties.

After taking over the defense of Luodian from the security regiment, the 11th Division positioned the 66th Regiment in front and placed one regiment on each of the left and right flanks, effectively blocking the Japanese troops.

The Japanese troops mobilized three independent battalions to rebuild the 12th Infantry Regiment, and then launched a fierce attack on Luodian, deploying two infantry regiments and dozens of artillery pieces in an attempt to break through the Luodian defense line in one fell swoop.

Less than an hour into the battle, the 66th and 62nd Regiments of the 11th Division had fought with all their might, suffering nearly a thousand casualties.

The Japanese didn't fare well either, suffering hundreds of casualties, and the 11th Division's front gradually stabilized.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the Japanese launched another attack from the left flank. The 11th Division, showing no weakness, fought for every inch of ground, resulting in a bloodbath with the Japanese.

The defense system that the security regiment had built in advance played a huge role and greatly reduced the casualties of the defending troops.

The Japanese offensive lasted for half a day, but ultimately failed.

After dark, the Japanese resumed their offensive, concentrating their forces to attack the central route. The 1st Battalion of the 66th Regiment once again engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese.

Battalion Commander Zhang Fengyi was covered in blood, some of his own and some of the Japanese's, from fighting until he was exhausted.

A volley of 75mm mountain gun shells rained down from the sky, covering the battalion's position. The ruthless Japanese soldiers carried out indiscriminate shelling. Zhang Fengyi was hit by several shrapnel shells and fell into a pool of blood, sacrificing his life for his country.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Japanese troops surged into the position, and almost all the soldiers of the battalion were killed or wounded. The remaining soldiers retreated to the main position, and the forward position was breached.

Subsequently, the Japanese broke through two lines of defense and entered the town. The two sides engaged in street fighting, and Hu Lian led his guard platoon into the battle. The Luodian battlefield became a veritable bloodbath.

The battle continued until dawn, and the Japanese initial attack was halted by the 11th Division, resulting in a defeat for the Japanese.

At daybreak, the Japanese launched another regimental-level attack. Hu Lian was wounded in the fierce battle, and Cao Jinlun took over as acting commander of the 66th Regiment.

Due to the outstanding performance of the 66th Regiment, the Nationalist government issued a promotion order, and Hu Lian was promoted to Major General and Deputy Brigade Commander of the 33rd Brigade for his merits, while Colonel Cao Jinlun took over as regimental commander.

The Second Security Regiment also finished its rest period, and Zhao Yunwen closely monitored the situation at the front.

The 18th Army assigned them the task of assisting in the defense of the right flank, preventing small groups of Japanese troops from infiltrating the rear to cause sabotage, and being ready to reinforce the 62nd Regiment at any time.

Flanking maneuvers are the most common tactic used by the Japanese. And just as we feared, the Japanese did indeed pull off some sneaky maneuvers, but they were nowhere to be found on Zhao Yunwen's minimap.

Chief of Staff Lu Ping arrived in a hurry; his voice preceded his arrival:

"Commander, the reconnaissance company has sent urgent intelligence. They have discovered a group of Japanese soldiers heading towards Gucun Town, about 500 men."

Zhao Yunwen had already spotted the Japanese, and the reconnaissance company's performance did not disappoint him. He couldn't be a babysitter, so he didn't remind the troops, treating it as a test for the reconnaissance company.

After Lu Ping finished speaking, he picked up a small white flag and marked the location of the Japanese soldiers on the sand table.

Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"Good! Send a signal to the First Battalion and let them in. I'll trap them like turtles in a jar!"