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

West of Tengxian County, the headquarters of the 323rd Brigade

Zhao Yunwen, along with Qiu Fengzi, Wang Guohua, and others, were studying the battle situation. The huge sand table was covered with small blue and white flags, clearly showing the enemy's and our own defenses and the Japanese army's attack routes.

"Brothers, after the Setani Detachment occupies Tengxian County, it will take a short rest and then head south along the Jinpu Railway, passing through Lincheng and Zaozhuang, and arriving at Yixian County. This will be the Japanese advance base for attacking Taierzhuang, as well as their retreat route."

The troop deployment of the command is as follows:

General Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army Group held the Taierzhuang and Grand Canal defense lines, drawing the main force of the Seya Detachment to their deaths.

Tang Enbo's 20th Army Corps voluntarily withdrew from the Jinpu front and retreated into the northeastern mountainous area of ​​Yixian County; waiting for the Japanese army to penetrate deep into Taierzhuang, they moved south to encircle the flanks and cut off the retreat route.

General Zhang Jinzhen's 59th Army and Pang Bingxun's 40th Army held Linyi to the death, preventing the Itagaki and Isogai Divisions from joining forces, while our main force was used to contain them on the flank.

In addition, General Sun Tongxuan's 3rd Army Group harassed the Jinpu Railway behind enemy lines in western Shandong, disrupting transportation, blocking enemy resupply, and tying down the main force of the 10th Division to move south.

I plan to lead the 646th and 648th Regiments southward secretly along the Jinpu Railway and hide in the Fushan Mountain Range, Yuntougu, and Juliangshan area in the northwest of Yixian County. This area is a continuous range of low mountains and hills, with the mountains running east to west and full of ravines, caves, and villages. It should not be a problem to hide several thousand people here.

Several miles outside the west gate of the city, Hanwang Mountain (Guoqi Mountain) and Qingtan Mountain are characterized by steep cliffs, numerous rocks, and dense forests, with valleys suitable for hiding troops. The drawback is their proximity to the county seat; a single vanguard battalion would suffice.

Before the main force of the Japanese army moved south to Taierzhuang, they only stationed one battalion at Hanwang Mountain and Qingtan Mountain. Once the main force of the Seya Detachment left, the 646th Regiment would advance to Hanwang Mountain to seize the opportunity to flank the Japanese main camp in Yixian County and cut off the enemy's retreat!

Wang Guohua was the first to understand Zhao Yunwen's tactical intentions and excitedly said:

"The Second Army Group of Taierzhuang is backed by the Grand Canal, allowing the Japanese to attack from the east, west, and north. If I'm not mistaken, Commander Li should have prepared sufficient reserves south of the Grand Canal. This would allow them to block any outflanking enemy crossing the canal from the east and west, and also provide reinforcements to the town at any time. Strictly speaking, they are in an invincible position."

Yixian was the forward base of the Seya Detachment. To the northeast was Commander Tang's 20th Army Corps, which could attack Yixian to the west or move south to encircle the enemy on the eastern front of Taierzhuang.

There is a variable here: the Fifth Division in the direction of Linyi City. Once the Seya Detachment is surrounded, they may bypass Linyi City, move south lightly equipped, and meet up with the Seya Detachment.

The best opportunity for Tang's army to launch an attack would be after the 5th Division moved south, when they would suddenly emerge from the mountains and attack the 5th Division's rear.

Meanwhile, the two major groups of my 107th Division, the 684th and 686th Regiments on the western front, retained the options of flanking the stronghold of the Yixian Seya Detachment and cutting off the Japanese retreat route to block the reinforcements of the Laiwu Brigade.

"Our main force in the northeast poses a huge threat to the Itagaki Division. Right now, we have a strong and well-equipped force but can't do anything about them. Once the Japanese suffer heavy losses at Taierzhuang, our 107th Division's main force will become their nightmare."

Everyone nodded in agreement. As expected of someone personally trained by Zhao Yunwen, their tactical thinking was completely on the same wavelength.

There was one more thing he didn't say: the Northwest Army and other units were the ones tackling the tough challenges, while the 107th Division would stay in the rear and pick up the easy targets.

He suspected that Zhao Yunwen was thinking the same thing, but he had no evidence, and even if he did, he wouldn't say it out loud; everyone just kept quiet about it.

After understanding Zhao Yunwen's tactical intentions, Qiu Fengzi volunteered to fight:

"Commander, assign the task of advancing to the Hanwang Mountain line to the 646th Regiment!"

Zhao Yunwen shook his head and said:

"The 646th Regiment is good at conventional warfare. I have another task for you. This task should be assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 648th Regiment. Qin Haitao is more suitable for it."

Qin Haitao's battalion will immediately advance south as the vanguard, with the main force following behind. They must travel by night and hide by day, absolutely avoiding detection by the Japanese!

Everyone stood up to accept the order, and Zhao Yunwen then sent a telegram to Lu Ping, which was similar to a brilliant plan.

He didn't need to worry about the Taierzhuang area; with Li Delin there, there wouldn't be any problems. The movie "The Battle of Taierzhuang" was portrayed as extremely dangerous, but in reality, there was no suspense whatsoever. Commander Li had an army plus a division south of the Grand Canal, so his forces were more than sufficient.

The Setani Detachment in this timeline was greatly weakened by Zhao Yunwen. Although they were later replenished, more than a dozen of their cannons were destroyed in Teng County.

This cannot be replenished in a short time, greatly reducing the ability to attack. Zhao Yunwen even wanted to attract the Seibu Brigade as well. The banquet has been set up, and the more guests the better.

In Yixian, Major General Seya was also deploying his troops. He first sent out the Taierzhuang Detachment, consisting of the 2nd Battalion of the 63rd Infantry Regiment and one field artillery battalion, to launch a probing attack along the Yixian-Nigou-Taierzhuang highway.

The 10th Infantry Regiment was responsible for defense, mopping up, and protecting supply lines in the Yixian and Zaozhuang areas, while the other two battalions of the 63rd Regiment remained in the county town to protect the brigade headquarters and supplies.

The Second Army Group's deployment consisted of Chi Fengcheng's 31st Division defending the city, the 30th Division and the Independent 44th Brigade guarding the south bank of the canal, and Li Delin also had an army reserve force under his command.

The Grand Canal flows from west to east. The city of Taierzhuang is located on the north bank of the canal, with its southern side directly adjacent to the canal and connected by a pontoon bridge. To the west, in the direction of Hanzhuang and Weishan Lake, the 110th Division is deployed to prevent the Japanese from outflanking from the west. To the east, in the area of ​​Chahe, Xiangcheng, and Lanling, is the location of Tang's army corps, tasked with blocking reinforcements from the 5th Division.

Tang's army had been hiding in the mountains, leaving the eastern front open for the Japanese to attack. This allowed them to precisely cut off supply lines and rear routes, and they could strike out at any time if needed. This was the reason for "calling Tang Enbo again." His concern was that Kunisaki's brigade would move south and attack Tang's army from both sides, which made him hesitate to make a decision.

The walls of Taierzhuang are about 10 meters high and 5 meters thick, and are made of brick and stone. The streets and alleys inside the city are narrow, with many corners and earthen houses, which is extremely advantageous for street fighting and can offset the advantages of Japanese artillery and tanks.

On the northern outskirts of the city, in the muddy ditch, the 27th Division's guard post.

Captain Wang Fantang, the company commander of the 7th Company of the 158th Regiment, watched the Japanese vanguard sneaking in. The soldiers lay prone in the overgrown trenches, and nothing seemed amiss from a distance.

The Japanese soldiers were also very vigilant. They formed two combat formations, their bullets already loaded, their legs bent, and their bodies pressed low, ready to spread out to the flanks at any moment.

Wang Fantang studied at Feng Huanzhang's Northwest Military Academy and participated in the Lugouqiao and Niangziguan Anti-Japanese Wars. He was a veteran who survived hundreds of battles and had rich practical experience.

His soldiers were well-trained, and the arrival of the Japanese did not affect them at all. It wasn't until Wang Fantang fired his gun that the soldiers of the Seventh Company opened fire almost simultaneously, and the Japanese soldiers fell one after another after being hit by bullets.

The Japanese soldiers did not expect to be ambushed, but they were skilled in tactics and instinctively spread out to both flanks, lay down on the ground, and spontaneously returned fire.

Bullets whizzed through the air, causing casualties on both sides. The Japanese soldiers, having been hit hard, suffered far more casualties than the Seventh Company.

This was a search squadron, so they didn't linger in battle. When the squadron leader saw that they couldn't gain any advantage in the skirmish, he ordered a retreat and disengagement.

Wang Fantang did not order a pursuit; their mission was also to maintain perimeter security.

Not long after, the Japanese troops returned in much larger numbers. This time, the 7th Company changed their tactics, firing from a distance, fighting and retreating, luring the enemy deeper into their territory and leading them towards the city gate.

At the same time, Japanese troops also appeared in the Kangzhuang and Zhangzhuang directions, and the two sides engaged in skirmishes. The defending troops used the same tactics, luring the Japanese troops to attack their defensive positions every day.

At four o'clock in the morning, at the main gate of the north city, the Ogasawara Company, which arrived first, launched an attack on the city gate. The soldiers of the 185th Regiment, who were defending the front, fought back fiercely under the leadership of Regiment Commander Wang Yubin. The Battle of Taierzhuang officially began.

The news was quickly reported to the command headquarters. Li Delin's face remained calm as he said indifferently:

"The guests are seated—let the meal begin!"