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

Zhao Yunwen spread out the map and said:

"Brothers, the Japanese army's current strategy is to advance from both the north and south, and they will attack Pengcheng. On the southern front, the 13th Division will cross the Yangtze River in late December and occupy Yangzhou, Liuhe, and Pukou."

They are advancing north along the Jinpu Railway, their forces aimed directly at the Chihe and Mingguang line. This is the defensive line of the 11th and 21st Army Groups of the Guangxi Clique, the 51st Army of the Northeast Army under Yu Xuezhong, and the 59th Army of the Northwest Army, with a total strength of 12 to 15 men. The Japanese army has one and a half divisions with 3.5 men, so stopping them should not be a problem.

After the 10th Division on the northern front captured Quancheng, it also captured Yanzhou and was already at the gates of Zouxian, a key point on the Jinpu Railway, while the 5th Division had just reached the gates of Weixian on the Jiaoji Railway.

Currently, the main force of the Japanese army is in the Yanzhou-Zouxian-Jining area. The 10th Division is the most aggressive. I plan to send two regiments to advance to the Feixian, Pingyi, and Sishui area northwest of Linyi (east of the Jinpu Railway and northwest of Linyi) to wait for an opportunity to destroy the vanguard of the Japanese army.

The main force secretly moved to the mountainous area east of Linyi to rest and reorganize, waiting for the Fifth Division to advance westward before seizing the opportunity to annihilate a portion of it.

With Zhao Yunwen's explanation, everyone gained a clear understanding of the upcoming Battle of Pengcheng. Qiu Fengzi volunteered for the battle:

"Commander, please assign the mission of advancing to the northwest of Linyi to the Second Brigade. I'd like to meet the arrogant 10th Division."

Zhao Yunwen could understand Qiu Fengzi's eagerness to make a name for himself. After all, he had just joined the guerrilla column and needed a victory to secure his position as brigade commander.

Previously, he was only the chief of staff of the training corps and had no experience in independently commanding a campaign in a certain direction. Moreover, he was not very familiar with Zhao Yunwen's tactics. Relatively speaking, Zhang Yi was more suitable.

Zhang Yi, who has extremely high emotional intelligence, did not step forward to take it. He was Zhao Yunwen's confidant, and it would not be a loss of face for him to stay and guard the area east of Linyi.

Zhao Yunwen glanced at Qiu Fengzi and exclaimed in admiration:

"Brigade Commander Qiu is very courageous, but this battle is more political than military, and we need to achieve the effect of tactical deception, so I have to personally take charge. Then we will make a high-profile appearance to make the Japanese mistakenly believe that the guerrilla column that broke out of the encirclement only has a few thousand men left, thus paralyzing the enemy and creating conditions for the ambush of the Fifth Division in the next stage."

I decided to take the 4th and 6th Regiments of the 2nd Brigade, with Qiu Qingquan as the forward commander and Deputy Commander Lu Ping staying behind to oversee the overall situation. The main force would disperse in the mountains in regiment units to rest and reorganize, and publicly declare themselves as the Lunan Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, hiding their whereabouts and awaiting my call.

Zhao Yunwen gave Qiu Fengzi a lot of face, and everyone stood up to accept the order. He then divided the activity areas for each regiment and passed on the guerrilla warfare tactics to everyone.

The regimental commander of the training brigade was good at positional warfare, but had almost no concept of mobile warfare or guerrilla warfare. He needed Zhao Yunwen to subtly guide him through practical experience and theory.

After the meeting, Zhao Yunwen led the main force of the Second Brigade northward and secretly moved to the mountainous area northwest of Linyi City to wait for further orders.

Inside the temporary command post of the Second Brigade, Zhao Yunwen said to Qiu Fengzi:

"The main force of the 10th Division, led by Isogai Rensuke, is entrenched in Yanzhou and Zou County. It is constantly sending reconnaissance teams and vanguard battalions to probe Sishui, Pingyi, and Fei County. Being isolated and without heavy cover, it is an excellent target for an ambush."

The route from Yanzhou to Qufu to Sishui to Pingyi to Feixian is characterized by numerous river valleys, hills, and mountain passes, creating a closed terrain that facilitates ambushes, quick withdrawals after the attack, and makes it difficult for the main force of the 10th Division to encircle the enemy.

This time, we'll specifically target the 10th Division's outposts, send a warning to the enemy advancing south along the Jinpu Railway, and simultaneously release the false information that our unit is merely a remnant force of a few thousand soldiers.

Zhao Yunwen was clearly training Qiu Fengzi, teaching him step by step. Qiu Fengzi listened attentively, which was exactly what Qiu Fengzi lacked. The requirements for a chief of staff and a military commander are completely different. The Second Brigade, including its headquarters, had more than 8,000 men, and the pressure of being able to lead an army independently was unimaginable.

Just as the two were studying the battle situation, Chief of Staff Xie Polu came to report:

"Commander, the reconnaissance battalion has sent word that a force of over a thousand Japanese soldiers has set off from Pingyi and is brazenly heading towards Feixian, carrying a large amount of combat supplies. There are more than twenty trucks and three armored vehicles leading the way."

After Xie Polu finished speaking, he marked the location of the Japanese troops on the map. Zhao Yunwen laughed loudly:

"It's just like when you're about to fall asleep, someone brings you a pillow. Two regiments, totaling 5 men, were ambushed in advance in the mountain passes and river valleys between Pingyi and Feixian. The roads are narrow, so the Japanese vehicles and cavalry cannot deploy. After the ambush, they can quickly withdraw and avoid lingering in battle to prevent a counterattack from the main force of the Japanese army in the Yanzhou direction."

Qiu Fengzi looked at Zhao Yunwen expectantly, and the latter waved his hand and said:

"You will be in charge of this ambush operation. Listen to the opinions of Wang Guohua, the commander of the Sixth Regiment. He is an expert in ambush warfare."

"Be swift, act immediately, and choose a suitable ambush point. Remember, to win a decisive battle, it's better to cripple one finger than to injure all ten!"

Qiu Fengzi finally seized the opportunity to lead troops independently. Although Zhao Yunwen, a powerful figure, was still behind him, he felt it was essential. With Senior Zhao overseeing the overall situation, he could fight without restraint.

"Commander, the Second Brigade will not let you down and will annihilate the enemy!"

After Qiu Fengzi finished speaking, he turned and left. Speed ​​was of the essence in war. He needed to select an ambush point and set up a trap. Time was tight and the task was heavy. He dared not delay for even a moment.

After sending Qiu the Madman away, Zhao Yunwen plunged into the map. Although he had the system's mini-map, it couldn't replace the military map; it could only serve as a supplement.

His focus was on the entire Battle of Pengcheng, and even the subsequent Battle of Jiangcheng, which couldn't be covered by a small map of 100 kilometers.

Pengcheng, Fifth War Zone Command

Han Fuqu's unauthorized abandonment of the Qilu defense line greatly angered Commander Li Delin.

As early as when Nanjing fell and the Japanese army's intention to attack Pengcheng from both the north and south became clear, the Military Commission and Li Delin were determined to organize a major battle in Pengcheng to hold the Jinpu Railway and protect the city. By January 1938, the policy of "defending Pengcheng and protracted attrition" was formally established, and the Fifth War Zone was fully deployed.

For this purpose, 29 divisions were mobilized and stationed at the northern and southern sections of the Jinpu Railway, the Huai River, and southern Shandong.

北线22集团军邓锡侯、孙震部、第3集团军曹福林部，南线桂系11集团军、59军、40军，机动兵力20军团一部。

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Xu Yanmou said indignantly:

"Lord De, the loss of the Yellow River defense line and Quancheng has left Pengcheng's northern gate wide open. The 10th Division is advancing unimpeded. We must find a way to stop them, otherwise the strategic goals of the Pengcheng Campaign cannot be achieved. Commander Han has set a bad precedent!"

Chief of Staff Xu graduated from the third class of the Artillery Department of Baoding Military Academy. After graduation, he went to study at the Japanese Army Academy and the Army University. After graduation, he served in the Northeast Army. In 36, he was transferred to the Second Department of the General Staff Headquarters as the director. After the establishment of the Fifth War Zone, he was recommended by his old classmate Bai Jiansheng to serve as the chief of staff.

He hadn't had much time to adjust to Li Delin and desperately needed the latter's approval.

Chief of Staff Xu grasped the crux of the problem: apart from the Guangxi Clique's 11th Army Group, which was already in place, the rest of the Fifth War Zone were de facto warlords, making them difficult to command. Han Fuju was the first troublemaker to emerge, and if he wasn't handled properly, others would follow suit, making the war impossible to fight.

Li Delin, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura. After a moment of contemplation, he said:

"Defending the territory and resisting the enemy is the duty of soldiers, and this trend must not be allowed to continue! Commander Chang is already aware of Han Fuju's matter and will make a fair judgment."

The most urgent task is to halt the advance of the 10th Division. Brother Yan, do you have any advice for me?

Chief of Staff Xu learned from Li Delin what true generalship is: calm in the face of chaos, never showing his emotions, leaving the task of dealing with troublemakers to Commander Chang, and focusing on solving the core issues. This was also a test for Xu Yanmou.

Although he was recommended by Bai Jiansheng, another bigwig in the Guangxi clique, he still had to prove himself, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hold onto his position as chief of staff of the theater command.

The section of the Jinpu Railway north of Pengcheng is flat and indefensible, making the selection of this point crucial. Xu Yanmou had a clear understanding of Li Delin's intentions and firmly positioned himself to direct the operation.

Li Delin finally smiled; Jiansheng was actually quite reliable.

North of Feixian County, in Wohuyu Valley, the Second Brigade has already set up an ambush, waiting for its prey to take the bait.

Inside the Second Brigade's field command post, Qiu Fengzi was anxiously waiting when the chief of staff rushed in to report:

"Commander, a report from the front indicates that a large contingent of Japanese troops is approaching in force and will be in our trap within fifteen minutes."

Qiu the Madman excitedly pumped his fist and loudly gave the order:

"Notify all regiments to maintain order and ensure their troops are not exposed. Regiment Commander Wang will decide the timing of the attack!"

After giving the order, Qiu the Madman rushed out of the command post. He wanted to watch it with his own eyes and learn from it.