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

When Zhao Yunwen entered the Seya Detachment command post, the gunfire in the city had ceased, and the 648th Regiment had completely taken control of the city. Wang Guohua, beaming with joy, came to report:

"Commander, we've struck it rich! Several warehouses are overflowing with combat supplies, equipment, ammunition, and food, plus a lot of medicine and clothing. We're currently taking stock of them."

After a brief pause, Wang Guohua lowered his voice and said:

「我们在仓库中找到12门105毫米山炮，6门九二步兵炮、6门75毫米榴弹炮和8门75毫米高射炮，光炮弹就堆了半仓库。」

Zhao Yun grinned from ear to ear and whispered a reminder:

"Keep this confidential to avoid any jealousy. These 105mm mountain guns are enough to equip a heavy artillery battalion."

The artillery regiment will be appropriately adjusted, comprising a heavy artillery battalion equipped with 12 105mm mountain guns, a mountain artillery battalion with 24 mountain guns, a field artillery battalion with 12 Type 92 infantry guns and 16 anti-aircraft guns.

Your regiment should replenish any usable shells first. Are the casualties among the brothers high?

"It wasn't a large city, and we didn't kill many enemies either. In total, there were only a little over 500 Japanese soldiers. They left when the city was breached."

Zhao Yunwen waved his hand and said:

"It's alright. What we need is to cut off the Jinpu Railway, block the main route for the Japanese to escape north, and seize supplies. There's also the unexpected surprise of the heavy artillery battalion. We should be content!"

The Japanese soldiers who escaped from Taierzhuang might launch a counterattack on Yixian. You should prepare for battle. Set up the anti-aircraft guns as well. If a small number of enemy planes come, bomb them to death.

Zhao Yunwen didn't finish his sentence, but if the Japanese dared to send a large number of planes, he wouldn't mind leasing a group of fighter jets to ensure the Japanese never returned.

After sending Wang Guohua away, he then said to Xie Polu:

"Immediately send a telegram to Brigade Commander Qiu, instructing him to lead the 646th Regiment to stand by north of Yixian County, ready to intercept and kill any fleeing Japanese soldiers, eliminating as many as possible."

In addition, send men to stabilize the city's order, distribute half of the captured grain to the people, provide medical treatment to the injured, and compensate those whose houses or shops were damaged with grain or clothing. Tell them that their clothing needs to be re-dyed.

The Battle of Taierzhuang has concluded, and the outcome was far better than expected. Next, Zhao Yunwen will plan the next phase of the operation.

As expected, the Battle of Pengcheng ended in a disappointing fashion, which was in line with Li Delin's strategic plan. However, the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Lanfeng led to the devastating breach of the Huayuankou Dam, which drowned millions of people and affected tens of millions more in the middle and lower reaches of the river, with incalculable economic losses.

This is unacceptable to Zhao Yunwen. All the talk of strategic needs is just an excuse from those in power. It's nothing more than losing the Battle of Lanfeng and paying the price for the two men's cowardly behavior of "running away".

The cost was too heavy; not only did it drown 800,000 to 900,000 people, but it also indirectly triggered the Great Famine of 1942.

Zhao Yunwen came to the Yellow River and Huai River to participate in the war precisely for this purpose. If it were just to add icing on the cake for the victory at Taierzhuang, he wouldn't have bothered to lead 20,000 men across the river; he could have stayed in Jiangnan and continued fighting the Japanese.

"Damn Doihara Division, I'll teach you a lesson!"

A murderous glint flashed in Zhao Yunwen's eyes. If we were to talk about the division that caused the most damage to China, the Doihara Division would be the undisputed leader. They left behind a "Yellow River flood zone" on the Chinese mainland.

In Tangtou, the 643rd and 644th Regiments were launching a fierce attack on the core defensive line of the Kunisaki Detachment, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese.

The 645th and 647th Regiments were flanking and encircling the enemy from both sides, with the cavalry regiment providing support.

In the northeast of Linyi City, the main force of the 59th Army, which was assisting in the defense of Linyi City, launched a flanking attack on the retreating Sakamoto Detachment. Wang Zhonglian of the 85th Army, which was left behind by the 20th Army Corps, was also ordered to launch a counterattack. The 60,000 troops chased the Japanese from three directions.

Seishiro Itagaki was no longer arrogant as before. He ordered the Kunisaki Brigade to hold the hot springs and cover the escape of the Sakamoto Detachment.

At first, the Sakamoto Brigade withdrew at a very leisurely pace, coming and going as they pleased, but who knew that the 85th Army dared to pursue them.

Sakamoto Jun was furious and ordered a counterattack to try to defeat the 85th Army, but he kicked a hornet's nest.

The 85th Army was Tang Enbo's elite force, well-equipped and well-trained. They had been watching from the sidelines, but were now eager to prove themselves!

Old classmate Zhao Yunwen has been making headlines recently, and Wang Zhonglian is not to be outdone. Facing the Japanese counterattack, he not only did not retreat, but also confronted them head-on. With a force five times larger than the enemy, he easily held off the Sakamoto Detachment, killing hundreds of enemies and greatly boosting the morale of his troops.

At the critical moment, the 59th Army, which had received orders from its superiors to attack, appeared on the flank, frightening the Sakamoto Detachment into fleeing in panic, and they no longer had the courage to fight against the Chinese army.

At the Ninth Brigade headquarters, Kunisaki Noboru's eyes were sunken, his face was exhausted, and his eyes were fixed on the map.

The 107th Division's offensive was too fierce, and the 9th Brigade suffered heavy casualties. If it weren't for Itagaki Seishiro's reinforcement of 2,000 men, the 9th Brigade would have collapsed long ago.

The chief of staff strode over to report:

"The Chinese captured Yixian this morning, and Lord Seya almost became Zhao Yunwen's prisoner. 63. After breaking out of Taierzhuang, the 10th Regiment headed north but was blocked in Yixian. With obstacles in front and pursuers behind, the situation was extremely precarious."

The Sakamoto Detachment marched west to provide relief, but was met with resistance from tens of thousands of Chinese and driven back, still twenty li from Tangtou.

"Baka yarou, how did it get like this! Where did the problem lie?"

Kunisaki Noboru had previously fought in East China and was invincible. It was common for a brigade to defeat two or three armies. Now he was being beaten down by the Chinese, and he couldn't accept it.

After a moment of contemplation, the chief of staff said:

"General Li's command ability is far superior to that groom of the 13th Division. Taierzhuang was a huge trap. He had hidden 100,000 elite troops in the mountains northeast of Taierzhuang beforehand, plus the unexpected rise of Zhao Yunwen's troops and the Northwest Army, which was good at fighting tough battles. The Imperial Army fell into his trap."

After graduating from the Zhenwu School, Chiang Kai-shek briefly interned in the cavalry battalion of the 13th Division. Due to his lack of experience, he could only take care of warhorses, which became a laughing stock among the high-ranking Japanese officers.

It's too late to do a post-mortem analysis now. Their immediate priority is to stop the 107th Division's fierce attack and secure a retreat route for the Sakamoto Detachment.

The communications officer rushed in, his eyes darting around nervously, and stammered his report:

"This is bad! We've spotted Chinese flanking forces on both flanks. There are two to three thousand men in each direction, and one of them is heading straight for the Yi River."

Yishui was the location of the division headquarters, far more important than the Sakamoto Detachment, the staff officer exclaimed in surprise:

"The Chinese are cutting off our retreat. We can't hesitate any longer; we should abandon Tangtou immediately and reinforce the division headquarters!"

Kunisaki Noboru originally wanted to hold out until the Sakamoto Detachment arrived, and then retreat to Weixian together, but now that's not possible; he can't risk his own life.

Having understood this, Kunisaki Noboru's gaze hardened, and he raised his voice, saying:

"Leave one battalion to cover the rear, and the main force will immediately advance to reinforce Yishui!"

The chief of staff excitedly accepted the order and left, finally spared from dying there. As for the safety of Sakamoto's detachment, that was not his concern.

Two regiments of the 322nd Brigade finally broke through the defenses and stormed into the core position. The remaining Japanese soldiers were still struggling in their death throes, but were overwhelmed by thousands of soldiers.

By the time the remaining enemy forces were wiped out, Kunisaki Noboru had already led his remaining troops far away, abandoning even heavy weapons and supplies, leaving them in a very sorry state.

Regiment Commander Luo Wen of the 644th Regiment came to ask whether to pursue, and Zhang Yi waved his hand and said:

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy. The most urgent task is to block the Sakamoto Detachment's retreat. We absolutely cannot let them escape again."

As soon as Zhang Yi finished speaking, Chief of Staff Lin Zheng came over to report:

"The vanguard of the Sakamoto Detachment has arrived and is less than ten miles from Tangtou."

Zhang Yi shouted excitedly:

"What are you waiting for? Prepare for battle!"

"Telegram to the cavalry regiment: prepare for pursuit! I'm going to capture that old devil Sakamoto alive!"