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

Lieutenant Colonel Kamei's suicidal attack made no waves. The guerrilla soldiers didn't even engage in bayonet fighting; instead, they opened fire with submachine guns, riddling Lieutenant Colonel Kamei and his men with bullets.

Thousands of soldiers closed in from all sides, dividing and surrounding the remaining Japanese troops, and finally annihilating them all, with none escaping, including two cavalry squads.

Next came the cleanup of the battlefield. The Third Regiment went north to keep watch, while the other two regiments quickly took everything away, except for the Japanese corpses.

After annihilating the vanguard battalion of the Sakamoto Detachment, the main force of the guerrilla column dispersed and continued to hide in the vast mountainous and rural areas.

Pengcheng, Fifth War Zone Headquarters

As usual, Li Delin stared blankly at the map when Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou walked in with cheerful steps. Li Delin looked up as if by telepathy, sensing that something good was about to happen.

Xu Yanmou didn't keep him waiting long and said directly:

"Duke De, General Zhao of the Su-Lu Guerrilla Column has sent a telegram. His First Brigade ambushed the vanguard of the Itagaki Division north of Tangtou, annihilating 1500 men, destroying four tanks, and capturing a considerable amount of spoils."

Li Delin could hardly believe his ears. He thought it was about Tiger Head Mountain, but he didn't expect Zhao Yunwen to have pulled off another big heist in Tangtou, cleanly and efficiently annihilating the Japanese vanguard.

This was tantamount to capturing enemy generals and flags before the start of a major battle, which had a huge impact on the morale of the enemy and boosted the morale of the army and the people. Moreover, they were fighting the Itagaki Division!

Li Delin was so excited that he lost his composure for the first time. When he stood up, he almost knocked over the stool he was sitting on, and he reached out to snatch the good news report that Xu Yanmou handed him.

After confirming that it was correct, he praised it highly:

"As expected of a modern-day Zhao Zilong, slaying generals and capturing flags on the battlefield is as easy as taking candy from a bag. This time, that old devil Itagaki Seishiro will feel the pinch!"

"Yan Mou, immediately draft a telegram to the Military Commission to report the victory. I want to recommend Zhao Yunwen and the guerrilla column for commendation."

Xu Yanmou said with concern:

"Duke De, won't this prematurely expose the guerrilla force's strength?"

"It's alright. In military strategy, the real is made to appear illusory, and the illusory is made to appear real. It's the interplay of the real and the illusory that makes things unpredictable!"

With a strong army hidden in the mountains northeast of Linyi, the Sakamoto Detachment dared not launch a full-scale attack on Linyi City. They had to leave at least a portion of their forces to protect themselves and also send people to guard the supply lines, which reduced the pressure on the 40th Army.

Besides, with that cunning Zhao Yunwen, who can figure out how many men he has? He's even lying in ambush here with me!

After Li Delin finished speaking, the two couldn't help but laugh. Xu Yanmou was even more respectful to Zhao Yunwen, as Degong rarely joked with his juniors.

After fading his smile, Li Delin continued with the important matter:

"How's the fighting going north of Feixian?"

Xu Yanmou quickly replied:

"The Laigu Detachment has been attacking Hutou Mountain for two days, suffering heavy losses. General Zhao seems to have not yet exerted his full strength, as he still holds the Sixth Regiment in his hands."

Li Delin waved his hand and said:

"We cannot be deceived by appearances. The Sixth Regiment held out at Heifengkou for two days. The 63rd Regiment suffered nearly half of its casualties, and the Sixth Regiment will also suffer heavy losses."

The Japanese only used one infantry regiment, so General Zhao had to keep some trump cards up his sleeve. This guerrilla column, this surprise force, was key to winning the Battle of Taierzhuang and even the Battle of Pengcheng.

We also need to keep a trump card we can play at any time!

Xu Yanmou suddenly realized:

"For this reason, the strength of the guerrilla column cannot be weakened too much, and it can be used as the general reserve force of the war zone."

"That's right. With the guerrilla column in place, the war zone can advance or retreat as needed. The First Brigade is holding back the Sakamoto Detachment northeast of Linyi, and the Second Brigade is harassing the Laigu Detachment on the outskirts of Taierzhuang. The defensive pressure on Linyi and Taierzhuang will be greatly reduced."

Respond to General Zhao immediately: abandon Tiger Head Mountain after dark tomorrow and retreat south of Fei County to await further developments.

Li Delin had already set up a banquet in Taierzhuang, and two tables of guests had arrived. He couldn't wait to be the host.

Weixian, Sakamoto Detachment Command

Sakamoto Jun's roar could be heard from a great distance, and the one being scolded was naturally Colonel Katano Sadayoshi, the commander of the 21st Infantry Regiment.

"Baka! You are a disgrace to the Steel Army! Your reputation as the division commander has been ruined by you."

An entire reinforced battalion has lost contact, and the news came from the Chinese. How careless can you be!

More than a thousand warriors died a heroic death, without even knowing how they died. Is that believable?

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

Katano Satomi was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a hole. The 5th Division had never suffered such a great loss before. He was now firmly nailed to the pillar of shame of the Steel Army.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Kitahara stepped in to defuse the situation, saying:

"General, we have already looked up information on the Sulu Guerrilla Column. It is not a rabble, but an elite force of the Chinese Central Army, belonging to the 18th Army."

The division was a Class B division, comprising two brigades and four regiments, along with artillery, engineers, and supply units, with a total strength of over 12000 personnel. Its commander, Lieutenant General Zhao Yunwen, was a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy. A staunch nationalist, he was known for his cunning and shrewdness, and was rumored to be a notorious failure at Whampoa, having been merely a colonel and regimental commander of security forces before the Battle of Shanghai.

His unit fought fiercely against the 11th, 9th, and 16th Divisions, holding its own and even capturing two regimental flags from the Imperial Army. His lieutenant general rank was earned with the blood of the Imperial Army soldiers!

Jun Sakamoto took a deep breath and said:

"Oh my god, so it's the Chinese Wolf! I've heard of him. Wasn't he wiped out in Nanjing? How did he end up in North China!"

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Sakamoto Jun was criticizing the entire Central China Area Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Kitahara dared not respond; if word got out, he would be out of a job in the military.

Lieutenant Colonel Kitahara suddenly remembered something else:

"General, China also issued a battle report earlier. They ambushed a part of the Laigu Detachment north of Philadelphia. It seems to be a guerrilla column as well!"

They are still blocking the Seya Detachment between Pingyi and Feixian. It seems that the guerrilla column did not suffer heavy losses in its breakout from Nanjing and still has the strength to fight on two fronts. They are not to be underestimated!

Sakamoto Jun's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:

"Then let's go and meet him! The Imperial Steel Army fears no challenge. Gather your troops and march on Tangtou!"

The Sakamoto Detachment had long planned to attack Linyi, and the annihilation of the vanguard battalion gave them ample reason to regroup and march straight towards Tangtou.

The actions of tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers could not be kept secret from the Nationalist army's spies. Zhao Yunwen soon received a report from his superiors, reminding them to prepare for the situation.

Commander Li did not give them any specific instructions, but only informed them of the enemy situation. Zhao Yunwen was left to decide how to fight.

Zhao Yunwen did not intend to take on everything. The Sakamoto Detachment was still very strong. Tangtou had no natural defenses, so he could only order the main force of the column to clear the main road and let the Japanese attack Linyi City.

He then addressed Xie Polu again:

"Tell Lu Ping that we must not fight the Sakamoto Detachment to the death. When they advance, we retreat. As long as they do not enter the mountains to encircle and annihilate us, we will ignore them."

Small detachments could be sent to harass the Weitai Highway, specifically targeting the Japanese supply lines. If pursued by larger Japanese forces, they could retreat into the mountains, while the main force ambushed and annihilated them.

Zhao Yunwen was determined to wage guerrilla warfare against the Japanese in the southern Shandong mountains, which was in line with the identity of the Su-Lu Guerrilla Column.

After arranging the main force, he ordered the First Battalion to abandon the forward positions and retreat to the main position at Hutou Mountain, where they only needed to hold out until nightfall.

Zhao Yunwen's show of weakness provoked the Japanese, and Colonel Fu Rong seemed to see a glimmer of hope, ordering a general offensive to the summit of Hutou Mountain.

The first to jump out were the Japanese artillery groups, brazenly firing at the mountaintop. This time, the Fourth Regiment Commander, Sui Youlan, no longer tolerated it and ordered his chief of staff:

"Notify the artillery company to fire—blast them to smithereens!"