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

The operations room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt as if the air itself had frozen.

Gu Zhoutong glanced at Chiang Kai-shek guiltily, already cursing Sun Yuanlang in his heart.

This kid has always been unreliable, boasting loudly. A local security regiment dared to claim that it had captured Hongkou Park, which was heavily fortified by the Japanese army, killing 700 enemy soldiers and destroying more than ten cannons.

When did the Japanese become so vulnerable?

He was already rapidly calculating in his mind how to smooth things over and exonerate Sun Yuanlang later.

Chiang Kai-shek's face darkened, and he asked sternly:

"Weiwen, has the result of the battle been verified?"

Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Lin Wei dared not hesitate and replied solemnly:

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the battle results have been verified through multiple channels and are indeed accurate."

The crowd erupted in uproar, their faces filled with disbelief.

It's incredible that a single security team managed to take down the tough nut of Hongkou Park!

"How did Zhao Yunwen manage that? How many people are in his security team, and what kind of equipment do they have?"

Bai Jiansheng voiced the question that had been on everyone's mind. There are never shortcuts in siege warfare, especially for this kind of fortified trench defense, which even the armies of the great powers struggled with. It is by no means something that can be taken by shortcuts.

Lin Wei was also completely baffled. Zhao Yunwen's battle report was extremely brief, consisting of only a few dozen words, and the spoils were described as "quite plentiful," which was vague and unclear.

Fortunately, he had done his homework beforehand, and seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he quickly perked up and replied:

"The entire regiment has more than 3,000 men and is composed of an artillery battalion equipped with six mountain guns."

"Three thousand men?! A security regiment with three thousand men and six mountain guns? That's almost the size of a main brigade of the Central Army!"

Chen Cixiu's expression changed slightly, feeling as if he had been severely offended.

In the Nationalist army, only the "Civil Engineering Clique" he created had the confidence to be equipped like this. Which other unit was not drawing salaries without working and lacking soldiers and guns?

Chiang Kai-shek was also learning the details for the first time. His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to He Jingzhi:

"Jingzhi, is this an official position granted by your Ministry of Military Affairs?"

Seeing that the fire had reached him, He Jingzhi quickly stepped forward to explain:

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the Security Regiment is not formally established under the Ministry of Military Affairs. Its equipment and supplies are entirely raised by local civilians. Its main task is to maintain local security and suppress bandits."

Jiangsu Province was already wealthy, and the Zhao family was one of the most prominent and influential families in the Jiangnan region. It was only natural that they would provide financial support to Zhao Yunwen in training his troops.

Chiang Kai-shek nodded slightly, then summoned Dai Yunong:

"Yu Nong, is Zhao Yunwen involved with the Communist Party?"

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, apart from his somewhat absurd and decadent behavior in his early years, no close contact with Communist Party members has been found between Senior Zhao and others."

Most of the officers in the security regiment were graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy, recruited by the Zhao family with hefty sums of money. It was said that their monthly stipends were 50% higher than the regular salaries of the Central Army.

Chiang Kai-shek finally smiled. Although Zhao Yunwen was suspected of training a private army, as long as he was not involved with the Communists, it was not a big problem.

He knew the Zhao family well; they were a core financial group in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. When he started his business, he received a lot of financial and material support from them. Even Zhao Yunwen's spot in the Whampoa Military Academy was obtained through donations of money and supplies from the Zhao family.

They are one of our own, without a doubt.

He simply hadn't expected the Zhao family's scale to be so large. Fortunately, the number of people involved was still within a manageable range and hadn't touched any taboos.

If they were to expand it further, they could simply grant it a formal position as a Central Military Division, which would be equivalent to the Zhao family spending money to support a powerful force for the country.

Thinking of this, Chiang Kai-shek was in high spirits and said loudly:

"Yunwen truly lives up to his reputation as my good student. I recognized his potential even back in military academy. Issue a commendation throughout the army and award Colonel Zhao Yunwen the Third Class Order of the Cloud Banner!"

The room erupted in uproar once again.

The Third Class Order of the Cloud Banner is usually awarded only to general-ranking officers, with the highest rank, colonel, typically receiving only the Fourth Class. Zhao Yunwen's award is an exceptional honor, clearly signaling his meteoric rise!

The security regiment, with a strength of three thousand men, is formidable in combat and backed by powerful financial groups. They are also graduates of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy and natives of Zhejiang Province, making them true and upright members of the elite.

The 18th Army was undergoing a major expansion, and Chen Cixiu naturally wouldn't let such a powerful, leaderless army slip by. He immediately stepped forward and volunteered:

"Principal, although the security regiment has won a great victory, it has inevitably suffered heavy casualties, with a thousand wounds on the enemy and eight hundred on its own."

The defenses in the Luodian area are currently weak, and the 15th Army Group will need some time to assemble. It would be better to order them to go to Luodian to provide support and, in the meantime, allow them to rest and replenish their troops.

Chen Cixiu's intentions were obvious to anyone with discerning eyes. In recent years, relying on Chiang Kai-shek's trust, his elite 18th Army had expanded to six divisions, creating the "Civil Engineering Clique."

Chiang Kai-shek was eager for Chen to resign and bring the security force under his command. After all, the Civil Engineering Department was a direct descendant of the Whampoa Military Academy, which suited him perfectly, so he immediately agreed.

Others, not wanting to compete with Chen Cixiu, could only offer feigned congratulations, thus gaining another formidable force.

Seeing that Chen Cixiu had stolen the limelight, He Jingzhi, unwilling to be outdone, immediately stepped forward and offered his advice:

"Commander-in-Chief, Hongkou Park is a crucial barrier to the Japanese headquarters building. Our Ninth Army Group has already gained absolute initiative. Why not strike while the iron is hot and capture the last core stronghold of the Japanese army in one fell swoop? Even if we negotiate peace later, we will have more leverage."

No one rushed to express their opinion; instead, they all turned their attention to Chiang Kai-shek, awaiting the highest decision.

Chiang Kai-shek waved his hand:

"No rush. Since we've already agreed to mediate with our allies, let's wait a couple more days. It won't make a difference. The Japanese are currently in a passive position, so they probably won't dare to make any more unreasonable demands. Let's talk first."

Bai Jiansheng was extremely anxious and immediately stepped forward to dissuade him:

"Commander-in-Chief, absolutely not! Opportunities are fleeting. A two-day ceasefire would be enough for the Japanese to regain their footing and complete their defenses!"

"Jiansheng, you're overthinking it. The situation in Shanghai is already decided, and we still need to give face to the League of Nations' allies."

Chiang Kai-shek's tone left no room for doubt:

"It's settled then. We'll give the Japanese two days. If negotiations fail, we'll launch a full-scale assault on the headquarters building. The Ninth Army can also take this opportunity to rest for two days."

Jiangwan, headquarters of the Ninth Army Group.

A battle debriefing meeting is being held.

Zhao Yunwen finally sat down at the conference table and became the undisputed focus of the entire room.

Zhang Wenbai publicly read out the Military Commission's commendation order, rewarding all officers and soldiers who participated in the battle. Zhao Yunwen's Third-Class Yunhui Medal made the senior generals present extremely envious.

Sun Yuanlang, in particular, turned pale instantly, feeling that his third-class Yunhui Medal had suddenly become meaningless.

Why should a security regiment commander receive the same honor as me?

"Gentlemen, it is a great honor to have Commander Sun and Regiment Commander Zhao awarded medals. Let us give them a round of applause."

At Zhang Wenbai's suggestion, the entire audience erupted in applause. Sun Yuanlang felt deeply humiliated, his face ashen throughout, and he remained silent.

As the applause subsided, Zhang Wenbai got down to business:

"Gentlemen, although the offensive has been suspended for two days, preparations for the attack on the Japanese headquarters building must not be stopped. If negotiations break down, my Ninth Army must immediately resume the offensive, with the Japanese headquarters building as the first target."

"The Japanese army has been fortifying this area for a long time, sparing no expense in constructing defenses. The entire building's walls are made of reinforced concrete, up to two feet thick, and it's stockpiled with massive amounts of ammunition and food. Even if they hold out for months, they won't have to worry about supplies, making it extremely difficult to fight. Everyone, what do you all think we should do in this battle?"

Sun Yuanlang was the first to stand up, his tone firm:

"It's simple, bombard it with heavy artillery! I don't believe it can withstand continuous bombardment from a 150mm Krupp heavy howitzer. Once we blast open the outer shell, the rest of the assault will be left to my 88th Division! If the Security Regiment could take Hongkou Park, there's no reason why my 88th Division can't take a headquarters building."

Zhang Wenbai nodded in satisfaction; he had always had great confidence in the 88th Division's combat capabilities. His gaze slowly swept across the room, finally settling on Zhao Yunwen:

"Commander Zhao, the security regiment accumulated extremely valuable combat experience in the battle of Hongkou Park, which is of great reference value for attacking the headquarters building. What are your thoughts on this?"