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

Kunisaki Tomo, mounted on his horse, raised his whip, his tone full of mockery.

"It seems our previous assessment was somewhat flawed."

He pointed to the seemingly chaotic position ahead and said to his chief of staff:

"That Lin Feng, although he has some tricks up his sleeve, is ultimately no different from other Chinese warlords and generals."

He most likely led his main force, wiped out Tanaka's useless supply battalion, seized a large amount of supplies, and then made a hasty escape.

These ragged, disheveled men before him were nothing more than ragtag cannon fodder he had left behind to cover the retreat.

The chief of staff immediately nodded in agreement:

"Your Excellency is wise."

The Chinese army has always been like this.

Whether it was the so-called central army or various local warlords, they were essentially only concerned with preserving their strength.

When faced with tough battles, they send their ragtag troops to the front lines to die, while their elite forces retreat first—this is their usual tactic.

Although Kunisaki Noboru's conjecture was far from reality, it seemed reasonable in the context of the Republic of China at that time.

Throughout the Republican era, whether it was the so-called orthodox Whampoa clique or local forces such as the Guangxi clique, Shanxi clique, and Sichuan army, etc.

Apart from the current force in northern Shaanxi with its unwavering beliefs, the other factions are essentially interest groups comprised of large warlords and smaller warlords.

Since the start of the war, it has been common for the Great Xia army to leave behind ragtag troops as cannon fodder while their own elite troops flee with their valuables.

It could even be said that this has become an unspoken "rule of conduct".

Guo Qi Deng felt that although Lin Feng was rumored to be a mysterious figure, such as "the ghost of Zhabei" and "the fox of Jiangyin", in the end, he must be a scoundrel.

Could he possibly do the opposite?

Keep the elite troops to fight to the death, and let the ragtag troops retreat first?

This doesn't fit the survival logic of warlords.

"Hmph, you think you can use these beggars to hold me back so he can run off with the supplies?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Kunisaki Noboru's eyes:

"dream.

Pass down the order.

He yanked the reins sharply, pointing towards the position ahead:

"The entire army is deployed."

No need to wait for the heavy artillery units behind us. Let the 2nd Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment launch a direct assault.

Drive these beggars into the Yangtze River to feed the fish.

"I will chase after Lin Feng, stepping over their corpses, before nightfall."

"Hai."

As soon as the order was given, more than 800 Japanese soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment charged toward the front lines with roars of excitement.

-----

On the battlefield, smoke filled the air.

"The Japanese are coming up!"

The piercing shouts of the observation post echoed through the trenches.

Zhang Bingwen lay prone by the trench, holding up binoculars, looking at the dense, yellowish-brown figures in the distance, his brows furrowed.

"At least one brigade, more than 800 people."

He lowered his binoculars and said to Wei Zhen beside him:

"There are also two Type 92 infantry guns and several Type 41 mountain guns in the rear to provide support."

That firepower is enough to give us a run for our money.

Before he could finish speaking...

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Japanese artillery shells have already landed on the position.

Although they were only a few light artillery pieces, they still posed a significant threat to the Independent 1st Division, which lacked strong fortifications.

Several newly erected Type 24 heavy machine guns were overthrown by the Japanese's precise artillery fire before they could even unleash their power.

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine guns and Type 96 light machine guns began to fire wildly.

"Da da da da da—"

The dense hail of bullets kept the soldiers in the trenches from even lifting their heads.

This is what makes the Japanese standing divisions so terrifying.

Even if it was just a large battalion, even without heavy artillery support, they could still easily defeat the larger but poorly equipped ragtag army of the Great Xia with their accurate marksmanship and skillful infantry-artillery coordination.

"Commander, we can't hold on any longer."

A battalion commander, looking disheveled, ran over:

"Our brothers have suffered heavy casualties; the Japanese attacked too fiercely!"

Zhang Bingwen glanced at Wei Zhen, and the two exchanged a look.

The play has gone on for about this long.

If this continues, it will truly be a suicide mission.

"Pass down the order."

Zhang Bingwen roared:

"Retreat across the board."

They moved to the rear positions of the Provisional 50th Division.

quick."

"Yes."

However, retreat is the ultimate test of a unit's capabilities.

Especially for troops composed of routed soldiers, once they retreat, it can easily turn into a complete rout.

Seeing the somewhat panicked soldiers, Zhang Bingwen suddenly drew his pistol from his waist and jumped onto the trench:

"Don't panic."

Deputy Division Commander Wei, you lead the main force to retreat first.

Guard battalion, stay behind with me to cover the rear.

Anyone who dares to run around will be killed by me.

"Commander Zhang!?" Wei Zhen exclaimed in surprise.

He wondered to himself what kind of magic Lin Feng possessed that could make Zhang Bingwen, a newly joined veteran of the Northeast Army, so devoted to him.

"Go quickly, that's an order."

A man will die for one who understands him. After receiving precious medicine from Lin Feng to help the officers and soldiers of the former 112th Division, Zhang Bingwen decided in his heart to give his life to him.

He kicked Wei Zhen into the trench, then turned and fired several shots at the charging Japanese soldiers.

"Brothers, hold on with me!"

This will buy time for the main force.

The division commander personally covered the rear.

This move instantly stabilized the morale of the troops, which had been wavering.

When the soldiers of the Independent 1st Division saw that their division commander was still on the position, their initial panic immediately subsided.

Although they were poorly equipped, most of them were veterans who had followed Zhang Bingwen all the way from Northeast China, and they still had a fighting spirit in their bones.

"Let's fight the Japanese devils!"

The rearguard soldiers roared and used their rifles and grenades to hold off the first wave of Japanese attacks.

Under Zhang Bingwen's command, the Independent 1st Division fought and retreated, and although it looked disheveled, it maintained its structure and did not collapse.

They were like a piece of chewed gum, stretched out but never broken, gradually leading the Japanese soldiers into the death trap that was already wide open behind them.

-----

"Yoshi, the Chinese have been defeated!"

Seeing the defending troops ahead begin to retreat, the commander of the Japanese 2nd Battalion excitedly waved his command sword:

"Pursue! Pursue them quickly!"

Don't let them get away!

The Japanese soldiers saw the spoils of war scattered all over the ground.

Guns discarded, whether intentionally or involuntarily, tattered uniforms, and even several unopened cans of food were scattered around, and everyone seemed to be on a high.

As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall.

The battle raged until dusk, when the Japanese pursued the Independent 1st Division to the front of the Provisional 50th Division's defensive line, which was the bottom of the pocket formation in Lin Feng's plan.

After a successful initial probing attack, the Japanese battalion commander completely lowered his guard.

He believed that the other side was a pack of stray dogs, utterly vulnerable.

Therefore, without waiting for follow-up troops or conducting detailed reconnaissance, he directly ordered the entire battalion to deploy and launched a full-scale attack.

More than 800 Japanese soldiers, bayonets at the ready, charged across the hillsides toward the seemingly calm defensive line ahead.

However, when they rushed to within 300 meters of the position...

A sudden change occurred.

"beat!"

Zhang Wenzhong, commander of the Provisional 50th Division, roared angrily.

"Da da da da da—"

The once deathly silent battlefield suddenly erupted with more than a dozen tongues of fire.

Those were more than a dozen Maxim heavy machine guns that had been concealed beforehand, which opened fire at the same time.

Thanks to Lin Feng's continuous efforts, the Provisional 50th Division, though still largely composed of miscellaneous troops, now possessed heavy weaponry comparable to that of the Central Army's German-equipped divisions.

The dense barrage of heavy machine gun bullets swept across the charging Japanese ranks like a lawnmower.

The Japanese soldiers at the forefront fell in droves in an instant.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Immediately afterwards, the artillery positions behind also roared.