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

Colonel Yokoyama's exclamation did not alert the other Japanese soldiers. Their communication method was similar to telegrams, which could not ensure timely transmission of information, with a delay of at least tens of seconds.

Sending a telegram takes time, and translating it also takes time. This time difference is enough for the "Lightning" combat group to launch a deadly attack.

Seventy-two fighter planes pounced like a pack of wolves, volleys of machine gun fire sweeping across the Japanese troops, instantly obliterating them, and creating clusters of beautiful flowers in the sky.

In just one encounter, the Japanese had more than a dozen Kyuriku attack aircraft destroyed. These were the most advanced fighter planes in the Japanese army and represented the pride of Japanese industry.

Colonel Yokoyama's eyes practically spit fire; these "foreigners" were going too far!

"You idiots! I'll fight you to the death!"

Colonel Yokoyama, his eyes wide with rage, pulled the control stick to its limit and charged towards the mysterious aircraft formation.

He was determined to make those despicable Japanese devils pay the price!

The opposing group of aircraft was also approaching at breakneck speed. As the distance between the two sides drew closer, Colonel Yokoyama was able to clearly see the faces of the other side.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, even his military uniform is American.

"Baka yarou!"

"Send power to command center—the US is deploying aircraft groups to join the battle!"

"Boom boom boom..."

They were about to enter the machine gun's optimal firing range when, just as Colonel Yokoyama was preparing to fire, the enemy opened fire first.

Several tongues of fire flew straight toward Colonel Yokoyama, who made no attempt to dodge, as there was no way to avoid them at that distance.

He chose to push his speed to the limit, intending to perish together with his opponent.

The pilots of the aircraft are AI-generated, with options including Allied pilots such as Americans, Black Bears, and British, or even Chinese, all in a 1:1 scale.

Zhao Yunwen chose the United States, a decision made with good intentions.

The American officer, who was facing Colonel Yokoyama, was too confident. He was chewing gum and didn't take Colonel Yokoyama seriously at all.

As a result, Colonel Yokoyama skillfully evaded the several rounds of machine gun fire he fired, and the two fighter jets collided at lightning speed, exploding into two fireballs.

Since the system's leased aircraft fleet entered the war, it has finally suffered losses, and Zhao Yunwen will have to pay for them.

If a plane is shot down, 5000 contribution points will be deducted. When Zhao Yunwen has to pay the bill, he'll definitely feel the pinch.

Fortunately, this was a low-probability event. The overall battle situation was still a one-sided massacre, with the technological gap causing the Japanese to be utterly humiliated.

They also had an absolute numerical advantage. After several tens of minutes of fierce fighting, all 36 attacking fighters were shot down, while the system lost only one.

Zhao Yunwen revealed a smug smile. It was so satisfying to have outsmarted the Japanese!

[The lease period has ended, with a total duration of 53 minutes, counted as one hour. 1000 points per aircraft (hour), 72 aircraft = 72000 points. Combat losses are 5000 points per aircraft. A total of 77000 contribution points have been deducted, leaving a balance of 818000 points.]

Zhao Yunwen felt a pang of heartache. He had only saved up more than 800,000 yuan in thirteen years, and he had spent 77,000 yuan in one battle. He couldn't afford it, he really couldn't afford it!

[Host, think about it, taking down thirty-six Japanese planes is an incredibly worthwhile deal.]

Zhao Yunwen said irritably:

"Don't try to fool me. Renting is nothing compared to buying a house. When conditions allow, I'm definitely going to build my own air force."

[Host, this is a great idea! A Lightning Fighter only costs 2000 points!]

"Building an air force is not as simple as just buying planes. All the expenses combined are at least three times the price of a single plane, not to mention the cost of training pilots."

Zhao Yunwen has no intention of forming an air force in the short term; he can simply rent one when needed.

Akiyama Yoshiyuki waited in vain for air support, so he had no choice but to launch his own attack, and he even made a bold statement that he would still hold a banquet without carrots.

The 35th Infantry Regiment launched a fierce artillery bombardment of the main position at Dachang, but Zhao Yunwen ignored them.

The Japanese artillery bombardment had no clear target and was completely indiscriminate, causing limited damage to the defending troops.

Just as the artillery barrage ended, dozens of Japanese soldiers came charging in menacingly, clearly a probing attack.

The 3rd Battalion's forces were deployed along the line of Heidahuangzhai and Hulizhai, with one company on each side.

The machine gun positions were set up in the bamboo forest. The trenches and bamboo forest provided natural cover, and the firing positions could be freely changed along the trenches.

Snipers hid in bamboo forests and villages, moving about erratically, providing long-range suppression for the main position, and specifically targeting Japanese machine gunners and grenade launcher operators.

Dozens of Japanese soldiers advanced in groups of three or five, coordinating with each other, with heavy machine guns providing fire support from a distance; their tactics were conventional.

They quickly reached the front of Hulizhai Village. Seeing the Japanese soldiers were already within firing range, the second company commander gave a cold shout:

"beat!"

Browning automatic rifles fired first, and volleys of bullets sprayed out from the bamboo forest and the ground, knocking down the Japanese soldiers exposed in the open field one by one.

Just as the Japanese machine gunner lay down and fired a burst, a sniper's bullet flew over and hit him in the forehead, blood seeping from the hole in his helmet.

After Tang Renhe shot and killed his target, he quickly chambered a new round, aimed at the assistant gunner, and fired. The Japanese soldier fell.

After killing two Japanese soldiers, Tang Renhe moved along the trench to behind a burial mound, took out a knife, and quickly carved two grooves on the butt of his rifle.

There are already more than a dozen levels above. His goal is to accumulate thirty, which is the threshold for upgrading a five-star sniper in the security regiment.

He's only at Samsung now, but he's full of motivation.

The Japanese soldiers were very unaccustomed to the tactics of the security regiment. Gunfire was everywhere, there were no clear lines of defense, and many people died, but it was all for naught. The commander was still completely clueless.

Major Eiji Kouchi, the captain of the battalion, looked extremely grim. The probing attack had failed, and the only certainty was that the village was surrounded by Chinese defenses.

After the search team entered the village, gunfire continued, so sporadic that it didn't seem like a real battle. Time passed like flowing water, and the Japanese reinforcements seemed to have nowhere to hit.

"Useless! Make them withdraw!"

"Call in artillery fire! Focus on the bamboo forest! Use incendiary bombs! Burn it all down!"

Eguchi Toru reacted quickly, concentrating his firepower on the bamboo forest in front of the village.

Shells rained down, and although the bamboo grove was not easy to ignite, they caused fires to erupt around the village.

Before the artillery preparations were even finished, Eguchi Toru waved his hand, and his adjutant led three companies of Japanese soldiers straight to the main position at Hulizhai.

The Japanese had no time to waste with the defending troops and launched a heavy attack right away.

Two companies of Japanese soldiers advanced from the left and right, while another company, following the path along the field ridges, broke through from the junction of the two villages and launched a flanking attack on Hulizhai.

Huli Village is a small village with only about 20 households, mainly consisting of earthen houses. The village is not wide on both sides, allowing the Japanese soldiers to look out for each other.

The battle began on the front lines. This time, the defending troops did not underestimate their strength and began firing machine guns from a distance. The 60mm mortars also fired a round of shots, killing and wounding many Japanese soldiers.

Eguchi Toru also ordered heavy machine guns and infantry guns to provide long-range support, and the two sides fought back and forth in a very lively battle.

Gejia Archway, the site of the regimental headquarters

Zhao Yunwen kept a close eye on the battlefield. Hu Family Residence was the gateway to Ge Family Archway, and Ge Family Archway was the gateway to Dachang Town. If it was lost, they would have to retreat to the streets and fight the Japanese in street battles.

Zhao Yunwen's troop deployment consisted of three battalions at Hulizhai. The first battalion was deployed to provide support on the left flank, the second battalion was hidden in the streets, the supplementary battalion and the 109th Regiment were reserves, and the artillery battalion was deployed on the left flank to cooperate in the battle.

The Japanese launched a fierce attack on Hulizhai, and the three battalions fought back fiercely, with gunfire ringing out like popping beans, and both sides suffering casualties.

Zhao Yunwen seemed somewhat distracted. The battle had reached this point, and the Nationalist army could have ended it; any further fighting would have been devastating.

Both sides' battle lines were on his minimap. The battle for Luodian on the northern front came to an end, and the 18th Army retreated to the Zhouzhai-Panjing-Xinzhen line.

Although the 11th Division captured Luodian, the situation did not fundamentally change. The battle lines of both sides were simply pushed forward a bit. With the main force of the 15th Army Group in place, the Japanese could not gain any advantage on the northern front.

The Ninth Army Group and the Third Division, among other units, engaged in a fierce battle in the Zhabei urban area, which also turned into a war of attrition.

On the southern front, Zhang Xianghua's Eighth Army Group was protecting the left flank of the city, and there were no major battles for the time being.

Dachang has become the key point for the Japanese to break the deadlock at this stage. The 6th Brigade of the 9th Division is blocked by the 109th Regiment of the Hunan Army and the Security Regiment and cannot make any progress.

In order to protect Dachang, the Military Commission ordered the 21st Group Army of the Guangxi Clique to rush to its aid, and the situation did not seem bad.

Only Zhao Yunwen knew that beneath the calm surface of the lake, towering waves had surged, and the breach lay in the calmest southern section—Hangzhou Bay.

The Japanese headquarters is secretly forming the 10th Army, and a change could happen at any moment. Zhao Yunwen has already reported this through Chen Cixiu, but it is unknown whether it will attract the attention of the Military Commission.

His gaze fell upon the distant city of Jinling.

In the Military Commission's operations command center in Nanjing, a group of high-ranking officials were discussing the contents of a secret telegram sent by Chen Cixiu. The matter was of utmost importance, and Chiang Kai-shek got out of bed that very night. His first question was:

"Yu Nong, has the intelligence been verified?"