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

At the Shanghai Expeditionary Army headquarters, Matsui Iwane looked grim; the fierce fighting in the Luodian direction was also weighing heavily on the minds of the Japanese high command.

"Iinuma-kun, haven't you figured out the identity of the mysterious aircraft group yet?"

The naval air force lost more than 60 aircraft over Luodian, including 23 of the latest Type 96 land-based attack aircraft, shocking the Japanese government and public.

This is no small matter; it is a problem with a national treasure. Yu Ren was furious and ordered Matsui Iwane to find out the cause and find out who was behind it.

With the sword of Damocles, the mysterious air force, hanging overhead, the Japanese dared not send out their own air force to bomb Luodian, which delayed the breakthrough in the Luodian campaign.

Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma has been thoroughly investigating this matter for the past two days. It was Matsui Iwane who asked about it, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

"Commander, is it possible that the Navy is lying and that the planes that shot them down were Chinese?"

Iinuma Mamoru glanced furtively at Matsui Iwane, and seeing that he didn't react excessively, he grew bolder and continued:

"Aircraft have limited combat radius. There are no third-country air forces deployed around Shanghai. The empire's aircraft carriers control the sea along the coast. Even if a third country wants to intervene, they cannot escape the empire's eyes and ears."

There is only one possibility left: the Chinese have hidden their strength at the surrounding airports and tricked the navy fools.

The navy, a bunch of useless idiots, couldn't save face, so they shifted the blame to a third country.

"Well, Iinuma-kun's deduction is not without merit, but it's just speculation. Without concrete evidence, we can't report back to His Majesty."

After a moment of contemplation, Iinuma said:

"Commander, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If you want to get the evidence, you have to use a good bait."

"Iinuma-kun, what do you mean?"

"Commander, the situation in Luodian is currently at a stalemate. Why not send bombers to assist in the battle, with fighter squadrons providing covert escort, to lure the enemy out?"

Matsui Iwane understood Iinuma Mamoru's intention and said admiringly:

"Yosh, this plan is brilliant. Have the Special Higher Police follow them the whole way, make sure they find the Chinese airport, and then send air warriors to wipe them out on the ground."

Iinuma Mamoru excitedly accepted the order and left, while Matsui Iwane's face returned to normal;

At his level, casualties are just a number; what he wants is Shanghai.

The fierce battle continues at Luodian, the core position in the central area.

The Japanese used naval guns and large-caliber artillery to bombard the area, almost completely destroying the Luodian city. The surface positions were bombarded to pieces, and countless houses were destroyed.

After days of fierce fighting, the 66th Regiment had suffered more than half casualties. Division Commander Peng Shan replenished the regiment with 500 new recruits, which helped it recover some strength.

Battalion Commander Wang Zhongbin looked grave. The intensity of the Japanese firepower had exceeded his expectations, and he didn't know how many of his brothers had perished in the artillery fire.

He was prepared to die for his country, judging from his experience that as long as the artillery fire continued, the Japanese infantry would rush up.

Just as Wang Zhongbin was about to blow the battle whistle, he heard the roar of machinery again and screamed in terror.

"It's a Japanese plane—take cover, take cover!"

Sharp whistles echoed across the position, and the soldiers who had just struggled out of the loose soil scrambled back into the artillery shelters, for the Japanese bombing was no joke.

The aircraft arrived very quickly. Before everyone could take cover, a barrage of bombs rained down from the sky. The flames and dust from the explosions blotted out the sun, and the entire position was ablaze.

Wang Zhongbin's gaze toward the sky was filled with hatred. He was hoping that the Nationalist government's aircraft would appear and, just like a few days ago, shoot down the Japanese planes in mid-air.

That's what you call satisfying!

The Japanese aircraft bombed indiscriminately, and after dropping their bombs, they would straf the enemy with machine guns, displaying extreme arrogance.

Deep within the clouds, Colonel Yokoyama Kaede, commander of the fighter squadron, awaited the appearance of the mysterious aircraft, determined to avenge his previous defeat.

The Japanese had laid out plenty of bait, but unfortunately, that mysterious and powerful aircraft group seemed to have vanished into thin air, never appearing from beginning to end.

The bombers that had completed their bombing mission had to return to base, leaving Yokoyama Kaede empty-handed.

Before the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion could climb out of the tunnels, the Japanese launched a land offensive, spearheaded by a dozen or so tanks.

Although the bean chariot was terrible, it was a rampaging force on the Eastern battlefield, arrogant and disdainful of everything.

Maxim machine gun bullets only scratched the surface of the frontal armor, instead revealing its position.

The Japanese artillery shells came relentlessly, destroying one firing point after another.

Wang Zhongbin's eyes practically spit fire as he roared:

"Where's the anti-tank gun? Blow it up, you son of a bitch!"

Previously, Hu Lian and Zhao Yunwen divided the spoils of war, and Hu Lian received 3 infantry guns and 4 37mm rapid-fire guns, which came in handy.

The Japanese tanks were completely unaware of their impending doom, and continued to charge forward with an air of nonchalance, stopping every now and then to fire a couple of shots.

"boom!"

Just as the Japanese tank stopped to show off, a 37mm armor-piercing round hit the tank's frontal armor, knocking it to the ground.

The infantry accompanying the attack screamed in terror and opened fire frantically on the Third Battalion's position.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion were not to be outdone, and they retaliated with their weapons, knocking the Japanese soldiers to the ground one by one.

The 66th Regiment's anti-tank guns kept firing at the tanks, destroying four tanks in succession, and the remaining tanks fled in panic.

The Japanese infantry guns and rapid-fire guns were also busy, and they were also attacking the defending troops' artillery, destroying two anti-tank guns one after another.

Both sides suffered casualties, and with the collapse of the tank group, the Japanese offensive was once again repelled, leaving behind a field of corpses.

Right flank, Pengjiaqiao line, security regiment ambush positions

With the First Battalion intentionally letting the enemy water, the Japanese flanking force had already arrived. Once they crossed Pengjia Bridge, they could circle around to the flank and rear of the 11th Division and cut off the supply line of the Luodian garrison.

Captain Fujii Shunsuke was very excited. The Chinese defense on the flanks was practically non-existent, which was a great achievement.

After watching the search team safely cross the bridge, Major Fujii no longer hesitated. With a wave of his large hand, clad in white gloves, he signaled for the main force to cross the river.

Several hundred meters away, Zhao Yunwen's lips curled into a faint smile, his gaze toward the Japanese soldiers like that of a hunter eyeing its prey.

"Chief of Staff Lu, the prey is in the bag, it's time to close the net!"

The Pengjiaqiao area is covered with bamboo forests and ditches, making it an ideal hiding place.

Zhao Yunwen deployed two infantry battalions south of Pengjiaqiao, arranged in an inverted V-shape, with their mouths facing the Japanese.

North of Pengjia Bridge was a battalion that had been defeated by the Japanese. They fled to both flanks, but secretly regrouped after all the Japanese had crossed the bridge, tightening their encirclement.

Major Fujii sensed danger shortly after crossing the river. He looked up and saw three red signal flares, which startled him.

"Baka yarou, there's an ambush!"

To match his scream, the ambushers on both sides came out, and dozens of tongues of fire spurted at the Japanese troops' long, serpentine formation, cutting them in half.

Fujii led three infantry companies, more than 500 men, lightly armed and simple, and the assault was very fast.

They were organized into three echelons, two columns, and formed the "Double Dragons Emerging from Water" formation, which was most commonly used during marches.

The advantage of this formation is that it can quickly spread to both flanks. Its weakness is that when faced with ambushes from both flanks, it can easily be cut into several pieces, leaving the front and rear vulnerable.

The Fujii Battalion encountered such a predicament. They were now being decimated by two battalions of the Security Regiment. The "inverted figure-eight formation" was the perfect counter to the "long snake formation".

After the Japanese troops spread out to both flanks, they ran right into the muzzle of the ambushing soldiers' guns.

The preliminary battlefield was completely exposed, leaving the Japanese soldiers entirely vulnerable to the light and heavy firepower of the security regiment.

The ambush troops lined up their light and heavy machine guns and opened fire on the panicked Japanese soldiers, row after row.

As soon as they showed any tendency to regroup, the battalion's mortar group would open fire and scatter the Japanese soldiers.

Just as the machine gun was set up to fire back, artillery shells would rain down from the sky, knocking it away.

In a short time, more than half of the hundreds of Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded, and the remaining soldiers were fighting on their own, with the possibility of being wiped out at any time.

Major Fujii had lost his former sharpness; he was disheveled and looked just like a defeated rooster.

"Hurry up and get to work!"