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

With the seals issued by the Logistics Department of the Ninth Army Group signed by Wang Tianlu in their hands, the two men traveled unimpeded all the way, and even used their authority to requisition a lot of grain, grass and houses in the local area.

"Uncle Lin, Dashan, you've worked hard."

Lin Feng jumped out of the car and patted the two men on the shoulders.

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work!" Lin Peiji looked at Lin Feng, who was covered in gunpowder but full of energy, with tears in his old eyes. "Young Master, you've lost weight and gotten darker, but you're also more robust."

"You guys don't know yet, do you? My cousin got promoted again!" Zhao Yushu interjected, beaming with pride. "He's a lieutenant general now!"

"Lieutenant General?!"

Lin Peiji was stunned for a moment, then his whole body trembled, and his wrinkled face instantly lit up, and he even straightened his back a bit.

"Lieutenant General...that's a high-ranking official, a high-ranking official who brings honor to his ancestors."

The old steward was so excited he was incoherent, and he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards his hometown of Fenghua:

"If the master knew this news, he would be so relieved. Back then, the master went against all advice and spent a lot of money to send the young master to the Whampoa Military Academy. That was the right move, absolutely the right one!"

In the eyes of an old-fashioned person like him, any ideology or party is meaningless; the fact that his young master has become successful and a general is the greatest joy.

Lin Feng smiled and didn't explain the discrepancy in the provisional designation.

"Alright, Uncle Lin, let's arrange for the brothers to eat and rest first."

Send all the wounded to the field hospital you've set up, and let Director Zhang and his team take over as soon as possible.

"Yes, everything was prepared long ago, all hot meals!"

After settling the troops in, Lin Feng pulled Zhao Dashan into the temporary military tent.

"Tell me, what's the situation with our friendly forces here?"

Zhao Dashan pulled a crumpled little notebook from his pocket and reported to his supervisor:

"Brigadier General... oh no, Commander General. Currently, the outer defenses of Jiangyin are mainly guarded by two units."

"One of them was the 112th Division of the Northeast Army, whose commander was Huo Shouyi."

"The other one was the 103rd Division of the Guizhou Army, whose commander was He Zhizhong."

Zhao Dashan pursed his lips, his expression somewhat strange:

"That Northeast Army... its equipment is passable. After all, it was originally Zhang Shaoshuai's elite troops, and at least everyone had a Liao Thirteen."

But morale... how should I put it? I went to see them, and those officers and soldiers were all like they'd lost their souls, lifeless and devoid of any vitality.

Lin Feng nodded and sighed:

"I understand."

"Those are soldiers fighting desperately."

"Think about it, their hometown is in Northeast China, a place occupied by the Japanese six years ago. They left their homes and wandered in the interior for six years, being criticized for 'non-resistance' for six years. How could they feel good about that?"

"Not to mention their arrival, what about the Guizhou army?" Lin Feng asked again.

"Hey, these guys are really lively!"

Zhao Dashan chuckled and made a smoking gesture:

"It's a bit too much, it's a damn 'dual-wielder', one rifle and one smoking pipe."

"When they weren't smoking opium, they would yawn constantly, feel weak all over, and be like limp shrimp. But once they had their fill of that opium, wow, they would all get excited like they were on steroids, yelling and shouting."

They've caused quite a bit of trouble in the county town these past few days.

"Moreover, their equipment was terrible. Many of them were carrying broadswords and spears, looking almost like beggars."

Lin Feng rubbed his temples helplessly.

This is the current state of the Great Xia army.

The area is dotted with hills, and the quality of its inhabitants varies greatly.

The entire 9th and 10th Army Groups retreated along the southern front, only to be decimated by a single blow from the Japanese 10th Army and are still in a rout.

The 21st and 15th Group Armies, which took the northern route, held out for a while in Changshu, but suffered heavy casualties. They were either scattered or forced to cross the Yangtze River to the north.

As for those so-called elite Central Army units, such as the 36th and 88th Divisions, they had already received orders to protect the capital region and were running faster than anyone else. They were probably almost at the gates of Nanjing by now.

"There's no other way; we have to choose the best among the worst."

Lin Feng looked at the map:

"Next, besides the Provisional 8th Army under our control, the only other forces we can count on are these two friendly forces."

"Whether they are desperate soldiers or double-gun soldiers, as long as they are willing to fight the Japanese, they are good soldiers."

"By the way, what about the fortress command? Who's in charge?"

"I heard that Commander Xu, who is in charge of the fortress, is seriously ill and bedridden," Zhao Dashan said. "Now, the one in full command is Admiral Liu Xing of the Navy, the commander-in-chief of the river defense forces."

"An admiral?"

Lin Feng understood.

The Jiangyin Fortress was essentially built to block the Yangtze River, so it's understandable that it was commanded by a naval commander.

"Let's go, get the car ready. We're going to pay our respects."

Inside Jiangyin City, at the headquarters of the Jiangfang Army.

General Liu Xing, a former naval officer, looked haggard, clearly having not slept for several days and nights.

Upon seeing Lin Feng enter, the general did not put on any airs; on the contrary, he was quite polite.

After all, whoever has the troops is the boss now.

Moreover, Lin Feng's title of "Honorary 1st Brigade" was earned through real battles, including capturing the Japanese regimental flag. In the military circles of Great Xia at that time, this was a golden reputation.

"Commander Lin, your arrival is a great help to the Jiangyin defense line."

Liu Xing held Lin Feng's hand, his tone sincere.

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Xing pointed to the sand table and got straight to the point:

"Commander Lin should be aware of the current situation. The Japanese 11th and 16th Divisions are advancing up the river, their forces aimed directly at Jiang Yin. The 13th Division has already captured Wu Xi and may also turn north to attack Jiang Yin."

"I command!"

Liu Xing's expression turned serious:

"Your unit is temporarily organized into the 8th Army. Immediately move into the Huashan area, south of Jiangyin County."

He emphasized it on the map:

"Huashan has a strategic location, overlooking the area and controlling the two major transportation arteries, the Chengxi Highway and the Chengyang Highway. As long as we hold this position, the Japanese mechanized forces will be unable to deploy!"

"in addition……"

Liu Xing looked at Lin Feng, his eyes revealing a resolute determination:

"There are several rivers along the front line of your defense zone, including the Yingtian River, the Dongheng River, and the Xiejing River."

"I authorize you to place explosives on all the bridges over these rivers."

Once these bridges are blown up, it will naturally cut off the lifeline of the friendly forces who are still evacuating, but Liu Xing can't care about that anymore.

"If the battle goes against us, or if the Japanese attempt to force their way across, we can blow it up without asking for permission."

"We must use space to buy time, and use scorched earth to stop the Japanese invaders' iron hooves."

Lin Feng stood at attention and saluted. It was another job of defending a high vantage point, and he liked it.

"Yes, mission accomplished."

As he walked out of the headquarters, looking at the desolate mast of the sunken ship on the distant river, Lin Feng took a deep breath.

The great battle is about to begin.

But his goal is not just to protect Huashan.

His gaze was already fixed on the several mouthwatering Hans-made 150mm fortress cannons on the Huangshan Fortress.

"Since we're already here, we should at least take some local specialties with us, right?"