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

"Buzz!"

Zhang Wenzhong felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind. He froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Division commander?

I've become a division commander?!

"Oh my god!"

Li Dadao, standing next to him, jumped three feet high, almost breaking the low ceiling of the command post. When he landed, the teacups on the table jumped.

"Division commander?! I, Old Li, have become a division commander?!"

Lin Feng stood up, walked over to the two men, patted them heavily on the shoulders, and laughed:

"Congratulations to both of you. From today onwards, our First Honorary Brigade will be officially expanded into the Provisional 8th Army. I will serve as the army commander, and you two will be the commanders of the Provisional 50th and Provisional 51st Divisions, respectively."

"Although it's labeled 'provisional,' it's still a proper major general division commander with an official seal and unit number. Don't underestimate its importance."

"Commander!"

Zhang Wenzhong, a man in his fifties from Baoding, was so moved that tears streamed down his face.

He's spent half his life in the underworld, fighting his way up from the Beiyang period to the present, and has always been an unpopular local security commander, suffering endless scorn and neglect.

Unexpectedly, after following Lin Feng for only a few months, he suddenly became a major general and division commander in the National Revolutionary Army.

This is practically an incredible stroke of luck!

No, this is an ancestral grave spewing fire!

"I will never forget your great kindness, Commander." Zhang Wenzhong put his legs together and gave the most standard and forceful military salute he had ever given in his life. "From now on, wherever you point, Commander, I, Old Zhang, will fight without hesitation."

Li Dadao was so excited that he blurted out whatever came to mind, rubbing his hands together and grinning foolishly:

"Commander, you said, you said this is called... something like... 'One person ascends to heaven, and all the chickens and dogs follow'..."

"When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!"

Zhao Yushu, who was standing next to him, smiled and reminded him.

"Yes, yes, that's it. You scholars really know a lot..." Li Dadao said without getting annoyed.

Lin Feng turned to Zhao Yushu and handed him a handwritten letter of appointment:

"Yushu, don't just sit idle. The military headquarters has a newly established Political Training Department, and you'll be the Major General Director. From now on, we'll have to rely on your mouth to do ideological work and boost morale."

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Xie, hehe." Zhao Yushu accepted the letter of appointment and made a silly gesture.

Although the term "temporary editor" sounds unpleasant, like something a stepmother would do, it has one major advantage.

free!

All they gave were empty promises and blank appointment letters; they didn't send anyone to infiltrate the system, nor did they specify any particular staffing levels.

In this chaotic world, this is the greatest power.

Lin Feng could bestow official titles and make promises however he pleased; he could expand the organization's staff however he wanted.

As long as they have guns and food, the Provisional 8th Army can be built however they want!

"Alright, now that the excitement's over, let's get down to business."

Lin Feng tapped the table to quiet everyone down, his expression turning serious:

"With the promotion comes heavier responsibilities."

"The troops we have now, apart from our old guard, are mostly newly recruited defeated soldiers. There are Sichuan Army soldiers, Hunan Army soldiers, and Northeast Army soldiers. The composition is complex, and morale is unstable."

"I plan to organize these two provisional divisions according to the system of one division and three regiments."

Lin Feng pointed to the defense zone on the map:

"Old Zhang, Old Li, I'll give each of you 3000 of the defeated soldiers I've gathered."

Regarding heavy weaponry, I will allocate a batch of 120mm mortars from the military headquarters' directly subordinate warehouses to ensure that your divisional firepower is no less than that of the Central Army.

"Your task now is to quickly weed out the bad soldiers and build up the framework of the reorganized division."

In particular, each of your divisions must have one regiment as its core force, preserving its most vital combat strength.

"Yes, we guarantee we'll complete the mission!" the two replied in unison, and left to carry out their orders.

After seeing off the two newly promoted division commanders, Lin Feng sent Zhao Yushu to various camps to investigate and appease the defeated soldiers.

The command post finally fell silent, leaving only Lin Feng facing the enormous military map.

His gaze passed over the long defensive line and landed on the broad blue strip to the north.

Yangtze.

Countless scholars of the Great Xia Dynasty wrote exquisite poems about her.

And the Yangtze River is the biggest path to survival going forward.

Although he now holds the title of army commander and his troops have expanded, the situation remains dire.

The main force of the Japanese army is approaching. If Changshu cannot be defended, or if it is surrounded, the only way out is to cross the Yangtze River to the north.

In previous radio communications, Zhao Dashan had already reported the establishment of logistics stations near Suzhou and Jiangyin.

However, since he led his troops north first and then retreated westward along the Yangtze River, the logistics station in Suzhou was probably no longer needed.

"The key issue is Jiang Yin's side..."

"Dashan said they didn't buy many boats, just some small sampans and a few dilapidated steamships. This amount of transport capacity was barely enough to transport the wounded and supplies, let alone evacuate tens of thousands of troops and heavy equipment."

With the Yangtze River at their backs, the boat is their lifeline.

Without a boat, it's a dead end; with a boat, it's a way out.

"It seems we need to send people to the riverbank to requisition enough boats."

-----

The battle did not stop because of Lin Feng's promotion.

The sky remained overcast, but even more oppressive than the dark clouds were the countless projectiles flying through the air.

The main force of the Japanese 11th Division had been fully deployed, and the division's artillery regiment and additional field heavy artillery regiment were pouring ammunition at the positions of the 1st Honor Brigade like madmen.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The explosions were continuous, and the soil was turned upside down again and again.

However, faced with Lin Feng's meticulously arranged crossfire network and sturdy concrete bunkers, the Japanese artillery preparations were like scratching an itch on a tortoise shell.

"Banzai—!"

As the artillery fire spread, the Japanese infantry launched their classic "pig charge."

A dense swarm of earthen-yellow figures, bayonets in hand, surged up across the hillside like a reckless swarm of ants.

"Get close and fight, stay calm."

Inside the bunker, the machine gunner stared intently ahead.

Until the Japanese soldiers rushed within 300 meters.

"laugh------!!!"

Dozens of MG42 general-purpose machine guns roared simultaneously.

The terrifying sound, like tearing cloth, instantly drowned out all the noise on the battlefield.

Crossfire, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, mercilessly reaped lives on the front lines.

The Japanese soldiers at the forefront fell in droves, like wheat being cut down.

"Thump thump thump!"

The 120mm heavy mortar group behind them also began to unleash its power, with large-caliber high-explosive shells accurately hitting the Japanese attack starting positions, blasting their follow-up echelons into chaos.

In contrast to the Japanese army's reckless charge, the 1st Honor Brigade, relying on its strong fortifications and fierce firepower, fought with ease.

The two 150mm howitzers of the army's artillery regiment and the five captured Japanese 105mm howitzers took on the task of counter-battery work, engaging in artillery battles with the Japanese heavy artillery.

The two sides traded blows, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.

Behind the defensive line, Zhang Wenzhong and Li Dadao were also busy.

"Listen up, all of you! You ate Commander Lin's food and took his gun, so your lives are now two-tenths of the Provisional 8th Army's!"

Li Dadao, carrying his ghost-head broadsword, addressed a group of newly recruited defeated soldiers.

With the ample food and brand-new guns and ammunition provided by Lin Feng, the previously panicked and disorganized soldiers finally calmed down.