You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

"good!"

The spoils were quite substantial, and Lin Feng naturally wouldn't be stingy. He waved his hand generously, displaying his boundless generosity:

"Old Li, your 4th Regiment led the main attack this time and deserves the most credit. All those infantry guns, grenade launchers, and half of the horses are yours. Take the 4th Regiment's firepower to the next level."

"Thank you, Commander." Li Dadao was so excited that he almost knelt down before Lin Feng.

As for the firearms, Lin Feng planned to store them away first.

Let's see if we can sell it to Wang Tianlu, or use it to arm the newly recruited defeated soldiers.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Lin Feng went to the group of defeated soldiers who had been forcibly incorporated into the army.

At this moment, the way these defeated soldiers looked at Lin Feng had completely changed.

Before, there was fear and confusion; now there is awe, worship, and even a touch of fanaticism.

At this moment of utter defeat, to be able to follow such a victorious army that could drive the Japanese invaders down the river to feed the fish was the greatest fortune and a life-saving charm.

"Where is your superior? Which unit?" Lin Feng asked, grabbing a major at random.

The major saluted, his face contorted with bitterness.

"Reporting to the commander, I am from the 15th Army..."

The entire 15th Army Group is now in complete disarray; the army commander can't find the division commander, the division commander can't find the regimental commander, and the soldiers can't find their officers either…”

Lin Feng nodded.

The 15th Group Army is essentially a "civil engineering" force.

During the Battle of Shanghai, many troops from all over the country who came to support Shanghai were incorporated into the 15th Army Group.

They also fought valiantly on the Shanghai battlefield, and were present in the battle for Luodian.

Unfortunately, once the retreat order was given, this elite force collapsed.

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the crowd.

Among this group of defeated soldiers were Sichuan soldiers speaking with a Sichuan accent, Hunan soldiers wearing straw sandals, and many security troops like him who had been transferred from nearby Zhejiang Province.

They're all promising talents.

"If we can't find our superior, then let's stop looking!"

Lin Feng stood on the turret of a tank and shouted loudly:

"From now on, you are soldiers of the First Honor Brigade, and I, Lin Feng, am your superior."

"I don't care which unit you came from before. When you come here, you'll all be treated equally. You'll have food to eat, guns to carry, and Japanese devils to kill."

"Those who want to stay, go over there and get canned food and silver dollars. Those who don't want to stay, you're deserters, and I'll shoot you right now!"

"Yes! We're willing!"

"Follow General Lin!"

Thousands of defeated soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Looking at the sea of ​​black heads, Lin Feng felt much more at ease.

----

In the following days, Lin Feng led his troops to continue holding their positions on the Wufu Line.

After losing an entire reinforced battalion, the Japanese 11th Division was clearly badly hurt and became more cautious.

They no longer launched large-scale blitzkriegs, but instead sent out small groups of troops to conduct probing attacks or to harass the enemy with long-range artillery.

But this posed no threat whatsoever to the 1st Honor Brigade, which possessed fortified bunkers and powerful counter-attack firepower.

Except for the occasional Japanese plane dropping a couple of bombs, the position was surprisingly calm most of the time.

Lin Feng used this time to frantically gather the fleeing soldiers who were passing by.

Zhao Yushu led his men to set up a roadblock at the intersection, a move akin to "Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for those who are willing to take the bait."

As soon as the aroma of canned meat wafted through the air, the starving, routed soldiers, like cats drawn to the smell of fish, were obediently recruited.

In just three days, Lin Feng gradually gathered nearly 2000 more defeated soldiers.

His army grew so large that he had to add two more temporary supplementary regiments.

Just as Lin Feng was pondering whether he should take the initiative and earn another wave of merit points...

"Beep beep beep—"

Inside the command post, the high-powered radio that had been silent for a long time suddenly started flashing its indicator light wildly, the red light appearing particularly glaring in the dim bunker.

"Buzz... Calling... Honor First... This is... Buzz..."

The sound coming from the headphones was accompanied by a loud electrical noise, like countless flies buzzing in my ears.

Lin Feng, who was inspecting the position outside, was urgently summoned back by a messenger.

He grabbed the microphone with the earpiece attached, slammed it over his head, and shouted:

"This is Lin Feng, commander of the First Honorary Brigade. Please respond. Who is this?"

The static subsided slightly, followed by a somewhat tired voice:

"Feed? Is that Major General Lin?"

Lin Feng was taken aback; the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Before he could answer, the person opposite him seemed to remember something, and his tone suddenly became lighter, even carrying a hint of teasing and cheerfulness:

"No, that was a slip of the tongue. Congratulations, you should be Lieutenant General Lin now!"

"I am Zhu Yimin."

Commander Zhu?!

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Since the Japanese 10th Army landed on November 5, the entire command system of the Shanghai-Nanjing defense line has been paralyzed, and the headquarters of the 9th Army Group has even gone into radio silence.

Unexpectedly, we've gotten in touch again.

Moreover, why did he call himself a lieutenant general right from the start?

"Lieutenant General Lin, where are you now? What's the situation with your troops? How much combat strength do you have left?" The voice on the radio was intermittent but sounded very urgent.

Clearly, Commander Zhu has run out of cards to play and is now struggling to make ends meet.

Lin Feng glanced at the map and reported to his superior in a deep voice:

"Reporting to the Commander, our unit has retreated to the northern section of the Wufu Line defense fortifications and is currently stationed in positions on the outskirts of Changshu!"

"During the retreat, our unit took in some of the routed soldiers. After initial reorganization, the total number of personnel in the brigade has now exceeded eight thousand."

Lin Feng didn't make any absolute statements, and he also folded the number of people in the figures almost in half.

"Although our unit is currently equipped with varying levels of equipment, it is well-organized and has decent morale. We are building a defensive line by relying on the bunker complex."

"Sizzle..."

Suddenly, the other end of the radio fell into a deathly silence.

For a good ten seconds or so, only the hissing sound of electricity could be heard.

Clearly, Commander Zhu was stunned by this news.

He originally thought that Lin Feng's unit would be lucky to train a few thousand men.

Unexpectedly, this kid not only wasn't crippled, but instead, like a snowball rolling out, he amassed so many troops and happened to be stuck at the crucial juncture of Changshu.

This is like a lifeline falling from the sky!

After a long while, the other person's excited voice finally came through the earphone again, even with a slight tremor:

"Good! Good! Good! Lin Feng, you have indeed not disappointed me. In times of national crisis, we think of loyal and virtuous people; in times of turmoil, we recognize true ministers."

"Since you have troops under your command and are in Changshu, this responsibility is undoubtedly yours!"

"Lin Feng, obey my command."

"In view of your unit's outstanding combat achievements, the Military Commission has specially approved the expansion of your unit into a corps-level unit. Its designation is the Provisional 8th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and you are appointed Lieutenant General and Commander!"