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

The vanguard had just set off when Deputy Commander Lu Ping rushed over to report:

"Commander, according to the military commission's battle report, the main force of the Japanese army crossed the Yellow River yesterday, Han Fuqu's troops are in disarray, and the defense line of Shandong Province is on the verge of collapse."

This was precisely the time Zhao Yunwen chose to head north. He had also considered reinforcing Quancheng before Han Fuqu's defeat, but time was too tight. Rest was out of the question, and they had to travel day and night, which would drag down the guerrilla column, which was mainly composed of defeated soldiers.

Therefore, he chose the second option, and the timing of his intervention was precisely before Han Fuqu abandoned Qilu and before the main force of the Japanese occupied southern Shandong. He would rush to the Tancheng-Linyi line, seize the opportunity to kill the vanguard of the Japanese, stabilize the defense line in southern Shandong, and then wait for Commander Li's summons.

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"This secret northward march requires traversing central and northern Jiangsu. The marching route will avoid major cities as much as possible, taking rural roads and bypassing railways, traveling by day and resting by night, and staying far away from the main Japanese strongholds throughout the entire journey. If small groups of Japanese and puppet troops are encountered, they will be dealt with by the reconnaissance battalion. We will not linger in battle or expose the size of our main force."

The main force is fine, but the main concerns are the supply train, the headquarters, and the wounded. We can't let them lag behind, and no one can be left behind. This task is assigned to you. Any difficulties?"

Lu Ping stepped forward and answered:

"No difficulties, mission accomplished!"

"Very good, then I will lead two regiments of the Second Brigade to clear the way, and you and the supply, headquarters and other departments will follow behind. The First and Third Regiments will protect the flanks."

After giving his instructions, Zhao Yunwen set off first. The marching route had been planned in advance. Starting from Jurong City, the route would pass through Dantu and Danyang and stop at Jingjiang Ferry on the south bank of Jiangyin. The entire journey was about 125 kilometers and was planned to take four days.

This was the chosen crossing point, and also the key to heading north. At this time, the main force of the Japanese army's river patrol was concentrated in the Nanjing-Zhenjiang section, and the defense of the downstream river surface was sparse.

After the Sixth Vanguard Regiment arrived, they had to collect civilian wooden boats and laborers in advance to cross the river over two days and enter the North Jiangsu Plain. Zhang Yi's troops, who were covering the rear, crossed the river with the second batch of troops.

Zhao Yunwen led the Fourth and Fifth Regiments to set off first, while Xiao Jianyun's reconnaissance battalion cleared the way beforehand, and small groups of Japanese and puppet troops were directly annihilated.

Because the Sixth Regiment needed to prepare for crossing the river in advance, they marched very quickly, planning to arrive in three days. They marched 40 kilometers each day, traveling light, and carrying 20,000 silver dollars and gold bars to requisition boats and labor costs.

On the first day, they marched 30 kilometers from Jurong to Dantu, taking the Ningzhen dirt road. They did not spot any Japanese soldiers along the way and camped in the wilderness of Dantu that night.

The next day, the reconnaissance battalion encountered a small squad of Japanese soldiers, which they easily dealt with without letting the news leak out.

On the evening of the third day, Wang Guohua led more than 2,000 soldiers of the Sixth Regiment to Jingjiang. The people along the way thought that the Japanese had come and avoided them, and the people were in a state of panic.

Wang Guohua was lucky; he caught the town mayor and then asked:

"How many ferries can we collect in a day within a 20-mile radius along the river? We need them all, big and small. We'll pay you, and we'll settle the payment in silver dollars."

Faced with the heavily armed and menacing government troops, the town mayor trembled with fear and said in a fawning tone:

"Sir, when we're escorting the bosses across the river, which fool would dare to take money?"

Wang Guohua said impatiently:

"We don't need the people's money. We'll answer whatever you ask. You want to be taught a lesson, don't you!"

Seeing that his flattery had backfired, the town mayor dared not utter another word of nonsense and quickly replied:

"100 is no problem!"

Wang Guohua shook his head:

"100 is not enough, at least 150, and we can expand to surrounding towns."

"No problem, I will definitely cooperate with you to find 150 ferries."

The town mayor patted his chest and said that he was a local bigwig and knew exactly which places and which people owned boats.

Wang Guohua casually pulled out a small yellow croaker and tossed it to the town mayor, patting him on the shoulder and saying:

"Do your job well, this is your reward."

A small yellow croaker is worth more than thirty silver dollars, hard currency, enough for their monthly salary. The town mayor's eyes narrowed into slits instantly. He first pretended to refuse, then happily accepted it.

With benefits in hand, their enthusiasm for doing things increased even more. He and a few people from the town government eagerly led the Sixth Regiment brothers to collect boats, and the results were indeed much better.

Wang Guohua used the ocean as a springboard, and with the cooperation of the town mayors and local strongmen, he collected 167 ferries in just one day, exceeding his target.

On the fourth day at noon, Zhao Yunwen led the Fourth and Fifth Regiments to the scene. After clarifying the situation, he took over command and consulted with some veteran boatmen. Only then did he feel relieved and begin to formulate a plan to cross the river.

That afternoon, Lu Ping led the main force to arrive one after another, and Zhao Yunwen immediately gathered his old comrades together to assign tasks:

"Brothers, I have a general understanding of the situation. It is about 1.5 to 2 kilometers from the Bawei Ferry to the other side. The current is rapid, and a kerosene lamp is needed to cross the river at night. The large ferry can carry 40 people or 4 mules and some supplies, while the small ones can carry 20 to 30 people. A round trip takes about 2 hours, from 9 pm to 7 am, with 5 round trips."

Tonight's plan is to ferry 1 people, along with all their mules, supplies, wounded, and government personnel. The horses and personnel will cross the river separately at two selected ferry crossings.

The first leg of the journey will carry all infantry and related equipment. After crossing the river, key points on the riverbank must be quickly secured to ensure the safety of the main force during the crossing.

With 167 boats, enough to transport two infantry regiments with men and equipment, things would be much easier once the other side was captured. As for whether it would attract Japanese gunboats, Zhao Yunwen wasn't worried at all.

It has a small map and night vision that can see an area within a radius of ten kilometers. It can detect large targets like small gunboats without night vision, and its detection range can reach 100 kilometers.

Once he detects the small gunboat approaching, he has ample time to exchange for mines in the system, then deploy them on the river channel to send the small gunboat to visit the Dragon Palace.

After the meeting, everyone went to prepare according to their assigned tasks. At 9:00 p.m., the first batch of troops, the Sixth and Fifth Regiments, began to cross the river. Zhao Yunwen insisted on crossing the river with the first echelon. Lu Ping and Xie Polu each organized personnel, equipment, supplies and horses to cross the river at a ferry crossing. The entire column had more than a thousand mules and horses, and it would take 300 boat trips to cross the river. This was the biggest part.

Zhao Yunwen was the first to jump onto a medium-sized ferry. Once aboard, he discovered that the boatman was a young girl with black braids and almond-shaped eyes that shone like stars in the night. This reminded him of the girl who helped the People's Liberation Army cross the river during the crossing battle; the resemblance was striking, and a sense of familiarity welled up within him. Curious, he asked:

"Young lady, how old are you? Why are you rowing? It's dangerous in the dark!"

The little girl answered generously:

"Fifteen, I'm not afraid, the officer gave me money, ten silver dollars!"

Zhao Yunwen couldn't help but chuckle. The little girl lowered her voice and asked:

"Boss, are you crossing the river to fight the Japanese?"

Zhao Yunwen nodded emphatically and said:

"That's right, we're going north to fight the Japanese! Little sister, just call me big brother."

"Big brother, will you come back?"

"Of course, we will definitely fight our way back to the south bank and drive all the Japanese devils out!"

The little girl said happily:

"I knew you would come back!"

"Big brother, hold on tight, I'll take you across the river!"

Zhao Yunwen waved his hand:

"Alright, let's cross the river and fight the Japanese!"

With Zhao Yunwen's order, more than a hundred ferries left the dock and headed straight for the opposite bank of the river.