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

The fierce battle is raging at the front lines of the battle between Dachang, the north bank of Zoumatang, Hujiazhai, and Taheqiaozhai.

After the 21st Group Army of the Guangxi Army took over the defense, it restored the forward positions and reinforced the fortifications by relying on the earthen houses, dikes, cemeteries and bamboo forests in the villages.

At Zhao Yunwen's suggestion, the 173rd Division also built several trenches in the cotton fields, forming a whole with the front-line positions. The left side was backed by the Zoumatang River, which flowed in a southwest-northeast direction and was 10-15 meters wide, serving as an anti-tank/retreat barrier.

After expansion, the depth of the forward positions increased to 800-1000 meters, enough to accommodate an entire division.

On the right was the defensive line of the 90th Army of the Hunan Army, and they relied on each other.

In order to capture Dachang, the main force of the 9th Division launched a renewed attack, and the two sides fought fiercely on the front lines, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

Inside the 21st Army Group Command, a constellation of generals gathered, with Zhao Yunwen still playing the leading role. With the minimap as his cheat code, the Japanese troop deployment was one-way transparent to him.

"Commendations, after completing a new round of reinforcements, the total strength of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army has exceeded 200,000."

They were determined to take Dachang. The main force of the 9th Division was facing them, personally commanded by Division Commander Yoshika Ryosuke. Except for the 36th Infantry Regiment, which was fighting in the Jiangwan direction, the main force was here.

In addition, a field heavy artillery regiment of the 3rd Division was deployed to support them, bringing the total strength to over 22,000 men. This included 64 75mm guns, 16 105/155mm heavy guns, and if 70mm infantry guns were included, the total number of artillery pieces exceeded 100.

After hearing this, everyone took a deep breath. There were more than 100 artillery pieces. The entire 21st Army Group only had 12 75mm mountain guns. Even if you include the spoils of war purchased from the Security Corps and the 20mm mortars of each regiment, there were only 124 pieces.

It sounds like a lot, but there were only 17 75mm mountain guns. The rest were all civilian 20mm mortars and a few infantry guns, 6 per regiment, and the quality was far inferior.

Commander Wei Yunsong of the 48th Army said in a deep voice:

"This battle will be tough. The Japanese firepower is terrifying; the two sides are not evenly matched in terms of firepower."

After personally experiencing the counterattack at Yunzaobang, Wei Yunsong became noticeably more pragmatic and stopped being so arrogant. He realized that the Japanese were not as formidable as the warlord conflicts within China.

The expressions of the others also became extremely serious, and they all turned their gazes toward Zhao Yunwen.

After the previous counterattack, Zhao Yunwen had won the approval of the masses and gained a certain degree of influence within the 21st Group Army.

Zhao Yunwen wasn't saying this to boost the morale of others and diminish his own; he was simply trying to make the generals of the Guangxi Army recognize the gap in strength and not to act recklessly, lest they suffer losses.

After seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, he continued:

"According to authoritative international statistics, most casualties on the battlefield come from artillery, and fragmentation damage accounts for more than 80% of them."

The main function of civil engineering works is to protect against shrapnel. During artillery bombardment, as long as people take shelter in trenches or bunkers, they can reduce most of their casualties.

Trench warfare is a global challenge that even the powerful firepower of Western powers couldn't solve, and the Japanese artillery was no match for it.

Since we can't match their firepower, let's find another way: dig more trenches and turn the entire town of Dachang into a fortification complex.

"Don't be afraid of hardship or fatigue, and don't be stingy with food. Make sure the soldiers are well-fed so they have the strength to dig the pit."

"Gentlemen, you are all commanders; training an elite soldier costs a fortune, and we absolutely cannot allow them to sacrifice themselves in vain under the enemy's firepower!"

Liao Lei led the applause, praising Zhao Yunwen's highly professional analysis, supported by a wealth of data, and for finding a solution.

The crowd's confidence was boosted, and Liao Lei made the final statement:

"Did you all hear that? From this day forward, daily rations will be increased by 30%, and no one is allowed to put their hands into the mouths of our brothers, or I'll chop off their hands!"

The 21st Group Army consists entirely of soldiers from our Guangxi province. If you are all wiped out, how can you face your hometown?

After the meeting, everyone was to dig trenches, fighting as they went, with the front lines fighting and the rear lines digging, to turn the entire Dachang into a huge fortification complex.

"If the Japanese want it, pay with lives!"

Everyone readily accepted the order and left, while Zhao Yunwen, Liao Lei, and others continued to study the battle situation in the command post.

On the front lines, the Japanese offensive remained fierce, wave after wave, with shells raining down, causing heavy casualties to the defenders, but there was no rout.

The Japanese soldiers' corpses littered the open ground. The defenders' tenacity exceeded their expectations. Their defensive advantage offset their lack of firepower. As the attacking side, the Japanese gained no advantage whatsoever. The exchange ratio was basically 1 to 1.

Enraged, the Japanese launched another large-scale attack, charging menacingly towards the position of the 1034th Regiment of the 517th Brigade.

Regimental Commander Chen Zhaohan stared coldly at the Japanese soldiers. His regiment had a full strength of 1500 men, consisting of three infantry battalions, one heavy machine gun company, one mortar company, as well as the regimental headquarters, communications platoon, etc. This was the standard configuration of the Guangxi Clique.

After two hours of fierce fighting, the 1034th Regiment suffered nearly half its casualties, but they showed no sign of retreating.

The division headquarters gave them a strict order: even if they were wiped out, they had to hold their ground.

Several hundred Japanese soldiers surged forward in a massive wave. When the skirmish line advanced to within two or three hundred meters, Chen Zhaohan coldly shouted:

"Fire!"

The 1034th Regiment was equipped with more than ten Maxim heavy machine guns/Hotchkiss 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns, which opened fire at full power, causing great havoc among the Japanese soldiers. Many were torn to pieces by the direct fire of the anti-aircraft machine guns, and the scene was extremely bloody.

Due to a shortage of heavy machine guns, the Guangxi Army simply used imported Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns for direct fire, which proved surprisingly effective, even penetrating the tanks.

In terms of equipment, the Guangxi Army was far superior to the Hunan Army, second only to the Central Army and the Northeast Army.

The Japanese soldiers did not allow the defenders' heavy firepower to run rampant. Infantry guns, mountain guns, and rapid-fire guns opened fire in response, quickly suppressing the heavy machine guns of the 1034th Regiment.

The regiment's mortar company also deployed six 20mm mortars to join the battle, preventing the Japanese from becoming too arrogant.

Due to the disparity in firepower, the defending artillery would fire a few shots and then move to a different location, relying on surprise attacks to destroy the Japanese heavy firepower.

Under the cover of heavy firepower, the Japanese infantry continued to advance and soon reached the front of the 1034th Regiment.

The light machine gunners and riflemen who had been lying in the trenches opened fire, keeping the Japanese soldiers dozens of meters away.

Both sides lay prone on the ground and fired at each other, shells raining down, destroying the defenders' heavy machine guns one after another, greatly reducing their suppressive effect.

The Japanese infantry launched a fierce attack, but Chen Zhaohan simply feigned weakness and let them into the position, rendering the Japanese artillery useless.

The two sides engaged in close combat and hand-to-hand fighting. Chen Zhaohan raised his arm and shouted:

"Brothers, follow me and kill the Japanese devils!"

Just when the battle lines were teetering on the brink of collapse, Chen Zhaohan led the reserve team to reinforce the front and quickly stabilized the situation.

Close combat is devoid of any fancy moves; it's all about drawing your own blade, risking your life for another, and putting your fighting spirit to the test.

The Japanese soldiers received Bushido education from a young age and were trained to be killing machines. The Ninth Division was even worse; they were a bunch of beasts.

The Guangxi Army was equally fearless in the face of death. Although they were afraid, no one retreated when facing the invaders.

If you can't win with bayonets, detonate a grenade and die together with someone else; even if you die, take someone down with you.

Colonel Fujii, commander of the 35th Regiment, turned ashen-faced. He hadn't expected his opponent to be so stubborn, not fighting with bayonets, but risking his life for another.

"Baka yarou, fire the cannon—fire the cannon!"

"Commander, there are still many brave warriors up there—"

"You idiot! Didn't you hear the order? Fire! Bomb them to death!"