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

Pengcheng, Fifth War Zone Headquarters

Sun Lianzhong came demanding the release of the person, but Li Delin remained silent for a long while before finally speaking:

"Brother Fanglu, I also have no soldiers to give you. Hold on for a few more days."

"Lord De, let alone a few days, even two days would be difficult! The 31st and 27th Divisions have already suffered heavy casualties. Please let the brothers retreat across the river for some fresh air, and leave some seeds for our Northwest Army!"

"Brother Fanglu, if we retreat now, wouldn't all the blood our brothers shed have been shed in vain? We're out of manpower, so I can only ask you to replenish some ammunition and supplies."

General Sun's expression softened somewhat, but he still showed no sign of leaving and continued:

"Tang Enbo, on the other hand, has 70,000 elite Central Army troops under his command, hiding in the mountains watching the show!"

The 20th Army Corps is Li Delin's last trump card, and now is not the time to use it, he said solemnly.

"Brother Fanglu, only the 63rd Regiment is attacking now. Two battalions of the 10th Infantry Regiment are still on guard around the perimeter. It's not time to reveal our hand."

In the past few days, I have ordered the 107th Division to continuously harass the supply lines of the Seya Detachment, cutting off the section of the Jinpu Railway from Yixian to Zaozhuang. Their ammunition is about to run out. You must hold on a little longer!

Sun Lianzhong was a straightforward person. When Li Delin mentioned Zhao Yunwen's 107th Division, he asked directly:

"Is it true that the 107th Division is going to launch an attack on Yixian?"

Li Delin simply chuckled:

"Does this matter? As long as it can fool the Japanese, whether it's true or false, it's fine."

I won't lie to you, General Zhao only had two regiments west of Yicheng. They fought fiercely with the Seya Detachment for more than ten days in places like Heifengkou and Hutoushan, suffering heavy casualties, annihilating thousands of enemy soldiers, and destroying half of the heavy artillery of the 10th Field Artillery Regiment. Otherwise, the pressure on Taierzhuang would have been even greater.

"The entire game along the Jinpu Railway is a battle of wits, everyone's fighting tooth and nail."

Sun Lianzhong was speechless for a moment. Zhao Yunwen was only a junior in front of him. The 107th Division was an elite force of the Central Army, which had tied down the Japanese in the Yixian and Linyi directions and achieved brilliant results.

The Guangxi Clique's main force, the 21st Army Group, was facing two divisions on the southern front. To be fair, Li Delin did not deliberately deplete the Second Army Group.

As for Commander Tang, since Commander Li said he would keep him for great use, he couldn't keep pursuing him. Fortunately, the trip wasn't in vain; he obtained a considerable amount of ammunition and supplies.

Thinking of this, he got up to say goodbye, and took a pack of cigarettes from the table with him as he left.

After General Sun left, Xu Yanmou leaned over and said:

"I just received a call from Division Commander Zhao. He has some intelligence that the Seiwu Brigade has dispatched four infantry battalions and one independent artillery battalion from southwestern Shandong. They will arrive in Yixian soon and may reinforce Taierzhuang."

Another table of guests arrived, and Li Delin, the host, subconsciously frowned. This was no small matter; it was four infantry battalions plus one corvée battalion. If Sun Lianzhong found out, he might curse him out!

"Commander Zhao, do you have a plan?"

Li Delin, being an experienced and shrewd man, subtly inquired about Zhao Yunwen's thoughts.

Xu Yanmou had originally intended to keep everyone in suspense, but Commander Li didn't give him the chance, so he had no choice but to speak directly:

"Commander Zhao's idea is that as long as we keep an eye on the Japanese command post in Yixian, the Japanese reinforcements will not dare to go south with full force. He will also send out a force to raid the area, which should be able to lure the Japanese into the mountains. If there is an opportunity, we can even annihilate a part of them."

A smile finally appeared on Li Delin's face. He felt reassured and said with a smile:

"I knew Zhao Yunwen would make arrangements. I sent a telegram back to the 107th Division, saying that I would entrust the newly arrived reinforcements to them."

No matter what method he uses, he must keep these uninvited guests around Yixian County. The Japanese absolutely cannot be allowed to advance south, otherwise they will launch a full-scale attack on Yixian!

Xu Yan's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly:

"If that's the case, there will be no change in the direction of Taierzhuang. We just need to exhaust the morale of the 63rd Regiment and force the 10th Infantry Regiment to outflank the eastern front, and then Tang's army group can move south to close the net."

Li Delin put away his smile and added:

"The situation is not clear yet. We are all just guessing. We still need to see if the Japanese will obey us. The more this is the case, the more we need to remain calm."

The biggest variable is still in the direction of Linyi. The Itagaki Division is temporarily tied down on the Linyi front. Once the 10th Division faces annihilation, they will definitely risk moving south.

Only the main force of the 107th Division can stop them. It is imperative to make an agreement with Division Commander Zhao that if the main force of the Itagaki Division moves south, they must hold off a portion of it at all costs to reduce the pressure on Tang's army.

Xu Yanmou said confidently:

"This shouldn't be difficult for the 107th Division. They have four infantry regiments in the Linyi direction, plus a cavalry regiment and an artillery regiment, so their total strength is no less than 15,000 men. Holding off an entire Japanese brigade shouldn't be a problem."

Li Delin waved to dismiss Chief of Staff Xu, then buried his head in the map.

At Taierzhuang, the position that the suicide squad had recaptured with their lives was lost again. They had no choice but to retreat into the city and fight the Japanese again.

The Japanese then used artillery to blast a gap of several tens of meters in the northwest corner, and the infantry, led by several tanks, stormed into the city.

Major General Huang Qiaosong, commander of the 27th Division, immediately organized his forces and launched a brutal street battle with the enemy in the west of the city.

The 27th Division belonged to the 42nd Army and was one of the first divisions to be reorganized. It consisted of two brigades and four regiments, with a total strength of about 1.1 men, which was stronger than the 31st Division, which had only 8 men.

Because the 7th Company of the 158th Regiment had performed well in the previous battles, although only 13 men remained, Huang Chuisong transferred dozens of men from other units to them, restoring their strength to 97 men.

When the densely packed Japanese soldiers appeared before them, Wang Fantang decisively gave the order:

"Brothers, give them a good beating!"

Caught off guard, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers were mowed down, while the rest sought cover nearby and engaged in a firefight with the Seventh Company.

Soon the Type 92 heavy machine gun was set up, and the 7th Company fired grenades with a thud, destroying two machine guns in succession, which greatly reduced the firepower of the 7th Company.

As more and more Japanese soldiers arrived, the Seventh Company was overwhelmed and was pushed forward by the Japanese.

Wang Fantang drew his ghost-headed dagger, his eyes wide with fury:

"Let's fight those bastards!"

The soldiers, rifles in hand and broadswords raised high, charged towards the Japanese invaders and engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

A bayonet pierced the body of the Northwestern man, but the man held on tightly with both hands. Unable to pull out the knife, the Japanese soldier was beheaded by a Nationalist army corporal who arrived shortly afterward.

A young soldier, only seventeen or eighteen years old, was pinned to the ground by the Japanese soldiers because he was too thin. His neck was being choked, but he showed no fear; only a strange smile appeared on his face.

"boom!"

The grenade at his waist, emitting a wisp of smoke, exploded, taking the ghost with it.

Even as his body stiffened, a sergeant's teeth remained firmly gripping the Japanese soldier's neck, killing him instantly.

A suicide squad member, hiding in the ruins, sneaked under the chassis of a tank while the Japanese soldiers were off guard and detonated a cluster bomb...

The number of soldiers in the Seventh Company dwindled with each battle, and Wang Fantang was demoted to platoon leader. But they fought on relentlessly until reinforcements arrived and drove the Japanese away. Less than thirty soldiers from the Seventh Company survived.

The 27th Division deployed its reserves and launched a local counterattack, driving all the Japanese soldiers who had broken into the city out. The ruins were filled with the bodies of soldiers from both sides, many of them still in a fighting posture.

The Japanese then launched a retaliatory artillery barrage, which included a large number of poison gas shells. Thick smoke billowed out, and many soldiers, unable to protect themselves, were poisoned and lay on the ground writhing until they died in agony.

Japanese soldiers wearing gas masks poured in and occupied the northwest corner. The 27th Division then organized a counterattack, and the two sides clashed again.

Thousands of people die every day, their bodies piled up in layers, and the sounds of gunfire and shouts of killing never cease.

One by one, the Japanese soldiers of the 63rd Regiment were thrown into the ruins of Taierzhuang, their strength gradually dwindling. Unable to break through from the front, the Japanese resorted to their tactic of flanking maneuvers, and the 10th Infantry Regiment finally couldn't resist joining the fray!