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

Zhao Yunwen did not expect to attract Li Delin's attention so quickly. This was precisely the purpose of his high-profile appearance. His northward journey was to participate in the Battle of Pengcheng and to meet the arrogant Itagaki Division.

With that thought in mind, he left military affairs to Qiu Fengzi and led his special operations battalion, riding warhorses straight to Pengcheng.

The system appeared again as soon as the warhorse entered Pengcheng city.

[Host, a new checkpoint has been discovered in Pengcheng. Generous rewards await you. Would you like to check in?]

Zhao Yunwen was overjoyed. The contribution points he had gained in Jinling City were all used up after he left Jurong, leaving him with only 852000 points. He was in dire need of contribution points!

Zhao Yunwen clicked "Yes" without hesitation, and the system voice sounded in his ear again:

[Congratulations, host, on successfully checking in at Pengcheng! Contribution points increased by 30, current balance 1152000. Talent points increased by 100, current 300 points, 700 points needed to level up.]

Zhao Yunwen did not expect the rewards to be so generous. He not only received 30 contribution points, but also gained 100 talent points. Moreover, the standards for the rewards were being raised, which was a good thing.

The guerrilla column still had a batch of outdated equipment. There were many military leaders on the Pengcheng battlefield, so they could sell it for a good price. This would not only support the poorly equipped Northwest Army and Sichuan Army, but also earn some extra money. They were delighted with the thought.

Upon entering the city, he naturally had to report and then wait for an audience. Although he was now a division commander in the Central Army, he was still no match for Li Delin. He couldn't be like that man Tang.

Commander Li did not keep Zhao Yunwen waiting for long; he soon met with him at headquarters.

As always, Zhao Yunwen remained low-key, respectfully performing the subordinate's salute, and said loudly:

"Greetings, Commander Li. This is Zhao Yunwen, Commander of the Sulu Guerrilla Column, reporting to you."

After Li Delin formally bowed, he smiled and said:

"General Zhao, don't be too formal. Just call him De Gong in private. Commander Liao has mentioned you to me quite a bit, praising you highly."

Seeing him today, I can indeed see his extraordinary bravery; a modern-day Zhao Zilong!

Zhao Yunwen has lived two lives, so these words can't fool him. Which of these bigwigs in the National Government is easy to deal with?

He still respected Li Delin very much. He was impeccable in terms of righteousness, and he governed Guangxi Province as a model province in terms of civil administration. He was also a staunch advocate of resistance against Japan in military affairs. Based on these two points alone, he deserved the title of "Lord De".

Zhao Yunwen quickly and modestly replied:

"You flatter me, Lord De. I was just doing my duty as a soldier. I can't be called Zhao Zilong. I'm more like Liao Hua at best."

"With no great generals in the army, Liao Hua will be the vanguard." This is Zhao Yunwen expressing his willingness to be the vanguard.

Li Delin could naturally tell that he was very happy. He knew Zhao Yunwen's abilities, but this was a proud and fierce general of the Central Army who was not easy to command.

Now that Zhao Yunwen has subtly indicated his willingness to be the vanguard, things are much easier. However, there's still one thing he's unsure about, so he directly asks:

"General Zhao, how many troops did you bring from Jinling City?"

Zhao Yunwen looked around warily, and Li Delin signaled the others to retreat, leaving only Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou.

Zhao Yunwen trusted Chief of Staff Xu; he was a staunch advocate of resistance against Japan and would at least not leak military secrets.

Zhao Yunwen held up two fingers, and Chief of Staff Xu asked with slight disappointment:

"Only two thousand left?"

Chief of Staff Xu had considered that Zhao Yunwen's encirclement and annihilation of a Japanese battalion would result in heavy casualties, but he did not expect that only two thousand men would remain. What use could such a small number of men and guns be in an army of hundreds of thousands?

Li Delin, on the contrary, comforted Zhao Yunwen, saying:

"General Zhao, don't be discouraged. As the saying goes, it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a general. It's good that you've come!"

I can muster 5 new recruits for you. Let's get the basics up and running. I'll give you two months to restore your fighting strength as quickly as possible so you can step in when needed.

As expected of a big shot who could go toe-to-toe with Chiang Kai-shek, his demeanor is beyond that of ordinary people. Zhao Yunwen seized the opportunity and said:

"Lord De, there are no jokes in the army. I'm taking these five thousand men now, and there's no going back on my word."

De Gong suddenly felt like he'd been tricked, but he didn't think about taking back his words. Instead, he tentatively asked:

"Are you talking about twenty thousand?"

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"I didn't say there were only two thousand. They're all routed soldiers who forced their way out, and they're running low on food and ammunition!"

De Gong grinned, realizing he had indeed been tricked, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he felt much more at ease, knowing that with these 20,000 elite troops, he had more options at his disposal.

The emperor wasn't short of starving soldiers, so naturally, he would have to pay a price to command these 20,000 men. He immediately made the decision:

"I will still give you the 5,000 new recruits, and I will also allocate 2 million rounds of ammunition and 3 million catties of grain to you. All military food consumption will be supplied by the war zone."

I have only one request: once the order from headquarters arrives, you must go even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire. Can you do that?

Li Delin was the commander of the war zone, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command and a vast amount of supplies. Since Zhao Yunwen had brought 20,000 men to participate in the war, he would naturally be responsible for all the supplies.

Two million rounds of ammunition sounds like a lot, but when spread across an army of 20,000, that's only about 100 rounds per person, plus 150 kilograms of grain, barely enough to last a month, with more to be collected as needed.

Whether or not one receives the reward, and how much one receives, depends on performance; this is the art of commanding troops.

They won't just listen to what you say; they'll also see what you do and whether it's worthwhile. Old Li's supplies aren't so easy to get.

Zhao Yunwen understood immediately and expressed his opinion:

"To Commander Xie Li, the 25,000 soldiers of the Su-Lu Guerrilla Detachment are your sword; you can cut down whichever Japanese devil you command!"

When Li Delin saw that Zhao Yunwen had also added 5 new recruits, he didn't say much. He didn't need the supplies for those 5 men.

"General Zhao, where are your troops located now?"

Li Delin began to get down to business. Having paid such a high price, he naturally had to make use of the supplies; his provisions and ammunition were not given for nothing.

Zhao Yunwen also realized this, and immediately marked the location of the troops on the map, then said:

"This time, when I went to Feixian, I only brought two infantry regiments, 5 men. We ambushed and wiped out the Japanese tentacles in the valley north of Feixian. A reinforced infantry battalion should be enough to make the 10th Division feel the pinch."

Xu Yanmou was impressed by the fighting strength of the guerrilla column. No wonder De Gong was willing to sacrifice so much. If 5 men could swallow up a reinforced battalion of Japanese soldiers, how could 2.5 men possibly withstand it?

As the chief of staff, he also stepped into his role and interjected:

"General Zhao, what are your plans for the next step?"

This was clearly a question he asked on behalf of Li Delin, and Zhao Yunwen quickly replied:

"I made a high-profile appearance north of Feixian County, giving the Japanese the illusion that there were only a few thousand men. My main force was ambushed in the mountainous area east of Linyi, waiting for the 5th Division's Sakamoto Detachment to attack from the eastern front."

Aren't they known as the Steel Army? I'd love to meet them!

"General Zhao, do you really intend to take down the nearly 10,000-strong Sakamoto Detachment with only 20,000 men?"

Xu Yanmou found this unbelievable; the young man was too impulsive, and he still wanted to give him some advice.

Li Delin also felt that it was too reckless. Although he recognized Zhao Yunwen's abilities, the Sakamoto Detachment was not something that the guerrilla column could underestimate.

Zhao Yunwen said solemnly:

"Chief of Staff Xu thinks too highly of me. I'm confident I can take out the vanguard of the Japanese while they're off guard."

Li Delin was instantly moved. If that were the case, his worries would be resolved. He immediately had an idea, but he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he asked:

"General Zhao, you should be able to see the Japanese's strategic intention of advancing from the north and south. The Military Commission is determined to fight a battle with the Japanese around Pengcheng and plans to mobilize 500,000 troops."

"If you were the commander, how would you have fought this battle?"

Zhao Yunwen knew that Li Delin already had a plan in mind, and when he asked if it was a test, he decided to put on a show and calmly replied:

"Defend Pengcheng, but do not fight at Pengcheng!"

Li Delin could no longer sit still. This coincided with what he had been thinking. What a talent!

This is no longer Zhao Zilong, he immediately said:

"I'd like to hear more details!"