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

The Nanjing City Defense Command was filled with brilliant generals.

Deputy Commanders Luo Youqing and Liu Xing, and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Zhou Lan were all on the list. Many of them were Zhao Yunwen's old classmates from the first class, such as Sun Yuanlang, the commander of the 72nd Army and the commander of the 88th Division, and Wang Jingjiu, the commander of the 71st Army. These two had interacted with Zhao Yunwen in the Songhu period.

Other notable figures include Yu Liangzhen, commander of the 74th Army; Gui Yongqing, commander of the training corps; and Song Yingguo, commander of the 36th Division.

As the first batch of useless students, Zhao Yunwen habitually found a corner to sit down, but was still spotted by everyone.

If Zhao Yunwen was just a nobody before the Battle of Shanghai, his fame and strength are now comparable to those of his old classmates.

After all, not just anyone can get the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, let alone capture a regimental flag. The military is a place where strength matters, and even a useless person with strength will not be underestimated.

Wang Jingjiu was the first to stand up and greet him:

"Brother Yunwen, come over here quickly, we've been waiting for you!"

Wang Jingjiu addressed him as Brother Yunwen quite naturally, and Yu Liangzhen, Song Yingguo, and others also exchanged pleasantries with him. Sun Wulang's expression was a little awkward, and his feelings were mixed.

In just three months, the former good-for-nothing from Huangpu Military Academy has become his equal, and his limelight has overshadowed everyone else present.

Zhao Yunwen remained as low-key as ever, greeting everyone with a smile, and finally giving Luo Youqing a proper salute.

"Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Zhao Yunwen is reporting for duty."

Luo Youqing is the former commander of the 18th Army, and now the deputy commander. He is also the second-in-command of the Civil Engineering Department. Zhao Yunwen, the newly promoted and formidable general of the Civil Engineering Department, naturally has to pay his respects to him.

Luo Youqing patted him on the shoulder affectionately, then arranged a relatively forward position for him, alongside Sun Yuanlang and others. This was also a way of telling the others that Zhao Yunwen was under his protection, and that his superior was none other than the most prominent Chen Cixiu.

Commander-in-Chief Tang hadn't arrived yet, and several old classmates were chatting about the war, mainly about Zhao Yunwen. Song Yingguo asked curiously:

"Brother Yunwen, the Battle of Kunshan was brilliant! I admire you immensely. With just one brigade, you single-handedly took on the 101st Brigade, not only crippling them but also capturing the 101st Regiment's flag, showcasing the might of our nation and army! How did you fight that battle?"

Wang Jingjiu also chimed in, saying:

"Hurry up and tell the brothers, so we can learn from their experience."

Others also gathered around, including junior students from the second and third cohorts, among them Wang Yaowu, commander of the 51st Division of the 74th Army. It was quite a scene of being fawned over, which didn't suit Zhao Yunwen's low-key style, so he quickly and modestly said:

"Brother Yin Guo, you've put me on the spot! It was pure luck; the Japanese devils were courting death, they just got lucky!"

Luo Youqing, who also wanted Zhao Yunwen to show his face, made the final decision:

"Yunwen, don't underestimate yourself. Luck is also a part of ability. Let me tell you all about it!"

Commander Luo spoke, and Zhao Yunwen could only stand up and answer "Yes," before saying:

"The key to our lucky victory in the Battle of Kunshan was that I had hidden two regiments in the outer perimeter beforehand, leaving only one regiment, an artillery battalion, and a direct subordinate unit to defend the city."

Considering the Japanese firepower was too strong, I did not defend the city walls to the death, but boldly let the Japanese into the city to fight street battles, using street battles to wear down the Japanese troops, weapons and morale.

The Japanese were not used to this tactic. In the early stages, they made the big mistake of underestimating the enemy and advancing recklessly, and gradually reinforcing their troops. They were dragged into a fierce battle in the city by the guerrilla detachment for several days. It was very dangerous. Even I went up to fight with bayonets. We suffered heavy casualties, but we also broke the morale of the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers forgot their regimental flag while fleeing, and it was captured by our unit.

Zhao Yunwen spoke of it casually, but everyone could sense the danger he had faced. Leading a regiment to hold off two infantry corps in the city for several days was something none of them could do.

Song Yingguo was deeply moved and said:

"Brother Yunwen is truly a pillar of the nation; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and even Sun Yuanlang didn't object. He was always proud and arrogant, but this time he was completely convinced.

Wang Yaowu couldn't help but interject:

"Senior, in your opinion, is Nanjing suitable for a street battle against the Japanese?"

Zhao Yunwen glanced approvingly at Wang Yaowu, thinking that he was indeed one of the top anti-Japanese generals in the National Army, and only he would dare to think in this direction.

Zhao Yunwen glanced at Luo Youqing again, and the latter nodded and said:

"Feel free to discuss this privately!"

After receiving the imperial sword, Zhao Yunwen, feeling invigorated, said:

"Of course it is possible, provided that the people in the city are evacuated to the surrounding areas. Jinling City has many hills and woodlands, which are more suitable for street fighting than Kunshan."

"If we fight resolutely, we can easily achieve a 1-1 exchange ratio, and at least make the Japanese pay the price of tens of thousands of lives."

"If that's the case, then Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties, will be utterly destroyed!"

It was Tang Mengxiao who spoke, and Chief of Staff Zhou Lan raised his voice and announced:

"Commander Tang has arrived—Stand up!"

Everyone stood up in unison. Although these proud and fierce generals from the Whampoa Military Academy could ignore him, they still had to maintain appearances.

Tang Mengxiao had a very long tenure in the Nationalist army. He was not only a veteran member of the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) but also the commander of the Eighth Army of the Northern Expeditionary Army. His peers, such as Li Delin, the commander of the Seventh Army, He Jingzhi, the commander of the First Army, and Li Renchao, the commander of the Fourth Army, were all big shots.

At that time, Sun Yuanlang and others were only regimental commanders, so they couldn't compare.

Tang Mengxiao was quite good at dealing with people and didn't put on airs. He still needed to rely on these fierce generals of the Central Army to fight!

He walked to the "C" position, looked around, and said:

"It is true that new talents emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years. You are all capable generals of the country, so there is no need for formalities. Please sit down."

No one moved until the chief of staff gave the order, at which point they all sat down, giving Tang Mengxiao full respect.

Zhou Lan was a member of the Hunan Army and a native of Qidong in southern Hunan. He and Tang Mengxiao were both from Yongzhou, making them true fellow townsmen and direct descendants.

Once everyone had arrived, the meeting proceedings began. Tang Mengxiao had retired after the Northern Expedition and faded from the military, living a retirement with the rank of a first-class general. Even among the Xiang Army generals, few paid him any attention.

Having finally gotten a chance to show off, he naturally wanted to exude an air of superiority and fully indulge in the feeling of being a commander.

The entire meeting was basically his personal show, during which he shouted many slogans, vowing to live and die with Nanjing.

It's hard to say for sure, but Zhao Yunwen knew that the old bastard had run away later. In the early stages, he had to burn his boats to escape, but it was the 100,000 soldiers who had no boats to cross the river and were all taken prisoner, eventually being slaughtered by the Japanese.

Based on this alone, Zhao Yunwen had a bad impression of him; that was a hundred thousand elite troops!

The military deployment meeting turned into his monologue; he didn't intend to solicit anyone else's opinions. After the tasks were assigned, everyone returned to their respective defense zones to prepare for battle.

Since the guerrilla detachment took the initiative to choose the Jurong direction, Tang Mengxiao casually handed over the task of defending the area, which was originally assigned to two regiments of the 66th Army, to Zhao Yunwen.

The 66th Army, which suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Shanghai, was kept in Tang's hands as a reserve force. The Guangdong Army naturally had no objections, which could be considered as giving Yu Hanmou face.

Jurong was a key point in the outer defense battle, and Zhao Yunwen seized it thanks to his foresight, intending to give the 16th Division a good thrashing.

Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"You beasts, I'm waiting for you. Have you all washed your necks clean?"