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

At the 651st Regiment's position, as the red sun rose from the east, the gunfire that had echoed through the night finally ceased. The Japanese soldiers of the Furong Brigade had tried their best, but still could not break through the defensive line.

The Japanese soldiers were exhausted and the front of the position was littered with corpses. Three infantry battalions took turns attacking, but all of them were defeated and suffered nearly half casualties.

The 651st Regiment also suffered heavy casualties, with 30% of its bunkers and machine gun emplacements destroyed, but they held their ground firmly.

Zuo Long was covered in wounds. The Japanese soldiers charged the position three times, but he and his brothers drove them back each time. Almost everyone in the two battalions at the front was injured.

Watching the Japanese soldiers retreat like a receding tide, Zuo Long roared:

"Quickly treat the wounded, restore the position, and tally the battle losses!"

After giving the order, Zuo Long plopped down on the pile of rubble and took out a first-aid kit to bandage his thigh.

During the previous melee, his thigh was ripped open by a Japanese bayonet; had he not dodged in time, his thigh would have been ruined.

The wound was deep, the muscle rolled outwards, exposing the bone underneath, and blood had long since soaked through his military trousers and stuck firmly to his thigh.

I didn't feel it during the life-or-death struggle, but when I stopped, I felt the excruciating pain; my entire thigh was numb.

Zuo Long took out disinfectant alcohol from his backpack, poured it onto sterile gauze, and wiped the wound to avoid secondary infection. The burning sensation from the alcohol made him wince in pain.

The communications officer tried to come and help, but he chased him away. There were too many wounded, and help was needed everywhere. He could take care of his own wounds.

After wiping away the bloodstains with alcohol and disinfecting the wound, he took out a small bottle of Yunnan Baiyao and sprinkled it on the wound before bandaging it with a first-aid kit.

Afterwards, he used a disposable syringe to inject himself with an anti-inflammatory drug before lying heavily on the pile of rubble.

In a short while, he had exhausted all his strength, and his back was already soaked with sweat.

He has completed all the battlefield first aid treatments. Whether his leg can be saved depends on whether it becomes infected in the next 24 hours.

Although he had already taken fast-acting anti-inflammatory medication, it's not a guarantee; it all depends on how tough his body is.

The battalion commander walked over, took out a cigarette, lit it, took two puffs, handed it to Zuo Long, and said:

"The casualty statistics are out. The two battalions suffered more than 400 casualties, including 247 killed in action and 186 seriously wounded. They lost 8 heavy machine guns, 21 light machine guns, and 3 artillery pieces. They killed or wounded about 1,000 Japanese soldiers."

There were no lightly wounded here, on both sides. Anyone who could still fight was not considered injured, including Zuo Long.

Zuo Long lay there, enjoying a cigarette, before finally waking up and saying with his eyes closed:

"Keep an eye on things on the position. I'm going to take a nap. Don't bother me until the Japanese come up."

After saying that, he fell fast asleep. The battalion commander shook his head at his old comrade, thinking that being able to sleep meant he was alright.

The 651st Regiment was licking the mouth, and the Japanese were in an even worse situation. Colonel Fu Rong was about to go crazy. More than 800 people had been killed in one night, and there were also 200 seriously wounded.

The entire brigade was reimbursed!

"You idiots, you're all useless!"

"You have utterly disgraced the Isogai Division!"

The captains stood tall as they were being scolded, not daring to utter a sound. They were already being very polite by not being given a severe beating.

The Yamamoto Battalion was almost wiped out, and Major Yamamoto's survival was purely by luck; he was clearly somewhat resentful.

"Commander, the warriors of the Yamamoto Battalion all fell on the way of the charge. They were worthy of His Majesty."

Please allow me to lead the remaining warriors in a fierce charge against the Chinese, to wash away our shame with blood!

Colonel Fu Rong didn't tolerate his bad habits and slapped him twice, roaring:

"You idiot! This isn't bravery, it's stupidity, you barbarian!"

After being slapped twice, Major Yamamoto finally understood the difference between the big and small. In the 63rd Regiment, Colonel Fukuei's words were military orders, and they had to be obeyed regardless of right or wrong.

Listen to my insults, and if I hit you, offer me the other cheek.

After venting his anger, Colonel Fu Rong let out a cold snort:

"We cannot approach the bunker during the day, so we reduce the intensity of our attacks. We will use a rotation system, with each battalion attacking for four hours."

"Start with the third battalion. No matter how you fight, the casualties can't be too high, understand?"

"Hey!"

The captains understood immediately; they knew they needed to minimize casualties.

The Third Battalion launched the attack first. He only sent one company and instructed the company commander to fire from a distance.

Zuo Long quickly discovered the Japanese's trickery and sneered:

"Since you want to put on an act, then we grandfathers will play along!"

Zuo Long then ordered half of the men to return to the tunnel to rest, while the other half would play with the ghosts, working in two shifts.

Four hours later, the Japanese replaced their second battalion. This time they went even further, reducing the size of the company to just a few dozen men firing from a distance, resulting in almost zero casualties.

The Isogai Division was putting on a show, but the Nakajima Division wasn't stupid either. The entire defensive line was all bark and no bite, and they were all accumulating strength to prepare for a big night attack.

At dusk, the Japanese suddenly seemed to have taken the wrong medicine and launched a fierce artillery bombardment on the defending troops' positions. Shells rained down on the defenders' heads as if they were free, and the sky and earth seemed to change color.

The Tiger Legion's brothers huddled in the underground tunnels, silently enduring the damage. With the superstructure and ruins bearing the brunt, aside from being covered in dust, their casualties were negligible.

The shelling continued intermittently for two hours, with bombardments intermittently, and no ground offensive was launched during this time, which was a typical tactic of exhausting the enemy.

By this time, the 651st Regiment had received supplies from the military headquarters and had plenty of flares. Regardless of whether the Japanese sent infantry to attack, they would use mortars to fire flares, making it difficult for the Japanese to sneak up on the defenders' positions undetected.

At 8 p.m., the Japanese soldiers, having eaten and drunk their fill, launched another infantry assault. Thousands of Japanese soldiers, taking advantage of the darkness, surged toward the defending troops' positions, many of them strapped with explosives.

This tactic was previously used by the Chinese army, but now that it's the Japanese, the Tiger Legion brothers only need to hide in the bunkers and fire, resulting in far fewer casualties than the enemy.

The Japanese were using human lives to pay the price. Suicide squad members, with sanitary napkins tied to their heads, fearlessly rushed towards various firing points. Often, it would take dozens or even hundreds of lives to destroy a single target.

By midnight, both sides were enraged and engaged in another large-scale hand-to-hand battle. Commander Wang personally led the reserve reinforcements to repel the Japanese. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of both sides, many of whom were still locked in combat even in death.

On the flanks, the other two infantry regiments of the 10th Division attempted to outflank the enemy, but ended up fighting the 647th and 648th Regiments in the streets and alleys, fighting house by house and alley by alley. Although there were no major battles, their casualties were no less than those in the center.

Three days later, the military headquarters

Zhao Yunwen stared blankly at the ground, his eyes bloodshot; the past three days had been an ordeal for everyone.

The two Japanese divisions launched repeated attacks like madmen, especially after dark, continuously assaulting the defensive line, resulting in heavy casualties for the regiments of the 324th and 322nd Divisions.

Xie Polu reported in a deep voice:

"The reserves of the 324th Division have all been committed to the battlefield, and the 643rd Regiment of the 322nd Division has also been sent to reinforce them. Now only the 649th Regiment remains intact."

The Japanese weren't in much better shape; even their supply regiments were scattered and used to fill in the pits. Except for the last line of defense, everything else was tangled up together, intertwined and inseparable.

This was exactly the result the Tiger Legion wanted, but the fact that the battle had turned out this way left everyone feeling heavy-hearted, as it meant a large number of casualties.

Several main squads will be crippled; that's the cruel reality of exchanging pieces.

Zhao Yunwen strained to pull his gaze from the map, and despite not having closed it for several days, it remained as sharp as a knife.

"The heat is just right, we can begin!"

Xie Polu was completely dumbfounded.

Zhao Yunwen raised his voice again:

"Fight back! I'm going to fight back!"

Xie Polu was overjoyed; he had finally made it through!

"Xie Polu, please write this down!"

"The 649th Regiment, the Guard Regiment, the Supply Regiment, and the Training Regiment are all committed to the counterattack!"

The final assault is scheduled for 5 a.m. Once the Japanese have calmed down, it'll be our turn!

"The artillery brigade opened fire deep into enemy territory, attacking enemy command regiments and divisional headquarters, with a focus on striking artillery positions to create maximum chaos for the Japanese."

"When the bugle sounds the charge, everyone fix bayonets!"

"Attack! Attack! Attack!!"

"Drive the Japanese devils into the Jinjinshui River!!"

With a series of orders issued, the Tiger Legion, which had been holding back for several days, was finally about to unleash its ultimate move.

The Japanese soldiers were completely unaware of anything amiss. Division Commander Isogai, like a gambler who had lost everything, placed his last bet and waited for the results.

"The embankment is not as important as an outsider's perspective," he said in a deep voice, trying to dissuade the person from doing so.

"Commander, something's not right. The Tiger Army seems to still have some strength left."

"We can't continue fighting, let's withdraw!"

The Isogai Division was furious, as if someone had stepped on their tail.

"You idiot! You're not a true samurai!"

"What are these setbacks? The Imperial Army is facing difficulties, but the Chinese are facing even greater difficulties. Let's see who can hold out until the end!"

"Boom boom boom..."

Lieutenant General Isogai's words were interrupted by a series of explosions. The shells seemed to be aimed at the division headquarters. Tsutsumi Kaki screamed in terror:

"The Chinese must fight back!"

At the same time, Zhao Yunwen issued a general attack order, and the artillery brigade took the lead in launching the counterattack.