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

At Xiaomaofeng, in the guerrilla detachment headquarters, an important meeting was underway. This was the first gathering of the main officers since the start of the Zijinshan Campaign. Because of the Japanese withdrawal, everyone's expressions were relaxed.

First, Chief of Staff Xie Polu spoke:

"Brothers, in the fierce battles of the past few days, all units performed well and did not tarnish the reputation of our guerrilla detachment. According to incomplete statistics, we killed or wounded more than 5,000 Japanese soldiers, while suffering nearly 2,000 casualties ourselves. Among them, 782 were killed in action, 355 were seriously wounded, and more than 800 were slightly wounded. We lost 7 artillery pieces and more than 800 rifles, and captured more than 500 guns of various types."

The crowd's expressions instantly turned grim. With over 1800 casualties and only 500 guns captured, this was a pure war of attrition, a battle the guerrilla detachment couldn't afford to fight.

Seeing that everyone was in low spirits, Zhao Yunwen took over and said:

"Brothers, some wars of attrition are necessary. This is a national war, a matter of life and death for the nation and its people."

In a war between nations, everything boils down to national strength, much like playing chess, where pieces are exchanged, constantly being exchanged. From a national perspective, you, me, and all the people are pawns, disposable whenever needed!

Before the war, the Japanese had 17 standing divisions, and after the war, they expanded by 10 more. Based on their national strength, they could potentially expand to 7 million men. However, their true elite force numbered only about 2 million. They wouldn't behave until all of these Japanese soldiers were exhausted.

If we can eliminate 500,000 Japanese soldiers, the offensive will be unsustainable; if we can eliminate a million of them, China will not perish! If we can eliminate their 3 million-strong army, our nation's fate will be sealed; if we can eliminate 5 million, the Japanese pirates will never recover.

In the Battle of Zijin Mountain, we annihilated 5 Japanese soldiers. This is our greatest victory. China has no shortage of men willing to die for their country. Victory or defeat, we will fight on. We must treat ourselves as the dead, that everyone is worthy of sacrifice. I want to see how many Japanese soldiers die!

Zhao Yunwen's words were filled with the word "death," but no one was afraid. Even when told they were finished, everyone went without hesitation.

Xie Polu continued, saying:

"Our generation has endured the greatest suffering of our nation. In order to preserve the bloodline of the Chinese people, we have no choice but to fight to the death. We would rather die fighting than be slaves of a conquered nation."

"Commander, lead us into battle!"

Wang Guohua pounded his fist heavily on his chest and shouted:

"I offer my blood to Xuanyuan!"

Qin Qingwu said with a firm expression:

"Before leaving Hunan, we swore an oath: we would not return home alive until the Japanese invaders were driven out of China!"

Seeing that morale was rising, Zhao Yunwen continued:

"Brothers, under the siege of 200,000 Japanese troops, the Fukuo position probably won't last more than a few days. Those medieval city walls won't be able to stop the Japanese iron hooves."

From this moment forward, we must prepare for street fighting. Once the city falls, our guerrilla detachment will advance instead of retreating, taking advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold to storm into the city. First, we must gather as many defeated soldiers as possible to strengthen our forces, and then engage the Japanese in a decisive battle within the city. We must let the world know that the city may fall, but the will to fight will never be extinguished!

Everyone finally understood the significance of Zhao Yunwen's meeting: it was to unify thinking and plan for street fighting.

Lupin continued, saying:

"There are still quite a few Japanese soldiers to the northeast. Having them hanging around like this is unsettling!"

This is the next problem to solve. Zhao Yunwen already had a solution in mind and said directly:

"Deputy Commander Lu has hit the nail on the head. We must not only cut off this tail, but also take care of the Ninth Division headquarters. Only in this way can the brothers of the First Regiment get close to the east of the city and help the main force break through."

Then Zhao Yunwen revealed his plan, and everyone nodded in agreement, as it sounded like a brilliant strategy.

The meeting lasted until dawn, during which everyone conducted wargame simulations of urban warfare on a map, continuously improving and refining the plan until everyone had a clear understanding of it.

Even the best plan needs someone to carry it out. Zhao Yunwen's requirement was that officers at the company level and above must memorize it, and squad and platoon leaders must thoroughly understand the tactics and determine the communication signals, etc.

"Brothers, there's only one signal to break through: fireworks will appear in the sky above Jinling City. The operation is also simple: everyone stop what you're doing and break through to the northeast with all your might. The First Regiment will come to pick you up, and then we'll retreat into Zijin Mountain."

The most difficult part of street fighting is signal communication. Even having a radio doesn't guarantee success. Zhao Yunwen simply simplified things by specifying only the breakout signal and direction. All he had to do was set off fireworks in the sky.

Not only did he need to break through the encirclement, but he also needed to attract more Japanese soldiers to pursue him; that was all he could do.

At five o'clock in the morning, intense gunfire erupted from the direction of the First Peak. The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Training Corps' defense zone. The defending troops were already on high alert, and the battle quickly escalated into a fierce one.

On the front of the second peak, the 19th Infantry Regiment also launched an attack on the 3rd Regiment's position. Hitoshi Hidezo had not held out much hope, but the defenders' firepower was obviously much weaker and their defenses were somewhat loose, which gave the old Japanese soldier a new idea.

He first reinforced the troops with a battalion, which proved effective. Then he sent another battalion to flank the enemy from the south. In just half an hour, the mountainside defense line was breached, and the defenders fled in disarray to the summit.

This is the last line of defense for Xiaomaofeng; retreating further would lead to the First Peak.

Hitoshi Hidezo was very excited and said excitedly:

"Well, it seems that the division commander's attack on the First Peak has been very effective, and the morale of the guerrilla detachment has also been affected."

Once the last line of defense at Xiaomaofeng is breached, the Imperial Army can reinforce the main force of the division from the front, launching a pincer attack to decisively defeat the Training Corps and achieve an unparalleled feat!

Seeing that Hidezo was clearly a bit carried away, the senior advisor quickly advised him:

"Commander, the guerrilla unit is completely different from before. This is not their style at all. Could there be a conspiracy?"

"What conspiracy could there be? In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are futile!"

Since the Battle of Shanghai, how many inexplicable defeats have the Chinese suffered? The battle situation in Nanjing was changing daily, and the Chinese fighting spirit was gradually eroding; collapse was inevitable.

The senior staff officer thought about it and agreed. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops held out in Shanghai for three months, but in the end, they collapsed instantly, fleeing for hundreds of miles.

Thinking of this, he decided not to spoil the mood for seeing Xiu San, but still suggested:

"Commander, the safety of the division headquarters is equally important. We should leave an infantry battalion behind just in case."

Seeing that Hitoshi didn't insist any further, he left one battalion to guard the base while sending out his two main battalions to launch a fierce attack on Xiaomaofeng's last stronghold from two directions.

The defenders fought desperately, but could only barely hold them off. The defensive line was in grave danger, as if it could be breached at any moment.

Hitoshi Hidezo noticed the weakness of the guerrilla detachment and intensified his offensive, launching continuous attacks and becoming increasingly engrossed in the fighting.

Before they knew it, the battle had lasted a day. The Japanese had advanced several dozen meters, and the guerrilla detachment seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, it was getting dark, and they gained a little breathing space.

After dark, each side held their own positions. The Japanese did not rush to attack, and the guerrilla detachment was unable to counterattack. The two sides remained locked in a stalemate all night.

After daybreak, the 19th Regiment resumed its offensive, raining down shells. The guerrilla detachment's defenses were on the verge of collapse, unable to mount even a proper artillery counterattack.

The Japanese offensive came wave after wave, and the defending troops fought desperately. Unbeknownst to them, Hitoshi Hidezo had committed all his troops to the battlefield, including the two companies of the garrison battalion.

At noon, the senior staff officer finally sensed danger and, steeling himself, spoke up to stop him:

"Commander, the Chinese are definitely playing tricks. We can't fight anymore. Our warriors have suffered heavy casualties. Zhao Yunwen is cunning."

Hitoshi Hidezo had actually noticed it too. As the captain of the regiment, he still had a basic sense of crisis, but he was too embarrassed to admit it.

Since the senior staff officer had made the suggestion, he went along with it, saying:

"The guerrilla detachment doesn't have many men left either. Don't pursue a cornered enemy; let them go this time. Order the two battalions to retreat back to Tiger Cave under alternating cover!"

At the summit of Xiaomaofeng, Xie Polu reported warily:

"Commander, the Japanese seem to be trying to escape!"

Zhao Yunwen sneered:

"They only thought of running now? Did they even ask for my permission?"

"Signal the artillery group to fire!"

"Everyone fix bayonets—counterattack!!"