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

Zhao Yunwen once again became the focus of everyone's attention. The counterattack on southern Shandong was a policy set by the Military Commission, and the chances of success were hard to estimate.

Flattery would be a bad thing, and going against the Military Commission would offend Chiang Kai-shek. Even Li Delin had to go along with it. They were very interested to see how Zhao Yunwen would handle the situation.

Zhao Yunwen was not afraid of offending Chiang Kai-shek; he was already the de facto military leader, so he spoke frankly:

"The victory at Taierzhuang did not fundamentally damage our lives. It would only take a few days for the 5th and 10th Divisions to replenish their supplies. The North China Area Army could still mobilize at least three more divisions to participate in the battle."

Meanwhile, the Central China Front Army had been resting and reorganizing since the Battle of Nanjing, and the 6th, 9th, and 13th Divisions had recovered their combat strength and were ready to be deployed to the southern front at any time.

That's seven or eight divisions, plus technical troops for support operations, totaling over 300,000 men. What can the Fifth War Zone possibly use to launch a counter-offensive?

After Zhao Yunwen finished speaking, he paused for a moment. The crowd stopped gloating and laughing at his misfortune, and instead looked serious.

The thought of an army of 300,000 is terrifying, and Zhao Yunwen was not exaggerating; both sides had their cards laid bare. Even though the Fifth War Zone had 600,000 troops, no one believed the advantage was on their side.

Li Delin gestured for Zhao Yunwen to continue speaking:

"Commander Zhao, feel free to speak your mind!"

Zhao Yunwen gave Li Delin, who looked like a cunning old fox, a meaningful look, then looked away and continued:

"Pengcheng is a strategic location, easy to attack but difficult to defend. The Japanese can launch a pincer attack along the Jinpu Railway and the Longhai Railway. A counterattack on southern Shandong would only disrupt the established strategy and deployment, and would be a losing proposition."

My suggestion is to abandon the initiative to attack and instead adopt a strategy of holding the line and implementing tiered defenses, with each unit relying on its existing positions to resist step by step, thus buying time for the relocation of the population and factories of Jiangcheng and for the deployment of troops.

At the same time, the defensive line was contracted, and the outer troops were gradually moved closer to the main position in Pengcheng City, concentrating forces to defend the core area.

Reserve sufficient mobile forces and secretly plan multiple breakout routes. If the situation becomes irreversible, initiate a breakout proactively to avoid repeating the defeat in the later stages of the Battle of Shanghai and to preserve the main force of the Fifth War Zone to the greatest extent possible.

Zhao Yunwen had already fired his "cannon," but the meeting room was still so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zhao Yunwen not only dared to speak, but he also spoke to the hearts of everyone.

Including Tang Enbo, no one wanted to lose their entire army like in the battles of Shanghai and Nanjing, even though none of them were afraid of the Japanese. Fighting did not mean reckless action.

Li Delin led the applause, and everyone followed suit. When the applause subsided, he had already made up his mind. For the safety of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, he had no choice but to go against his superior's wishes.

"Considering that the Japanese army intends to mobilize a large force to encircle our main force, the plan to counterattack southern Shandong is temporarily shelved, pending my approval from the Military Commission."

Until new orders are given, I hope you will all remain in your positions, with a focus on Linyi on the northern front and the Huai River defense line in the south, and respond to potential crises with proactive defense.

The 107th Division is defending Yixian, which is the first line of defense. Commander Zhao, after you return, strengthen the defenses and make sure to hold this key point. Are there any difficulties?

Zhao Yunwen stood up abruptly and answered loudly:

"Could we allow the early evacuation of the city's residents? We can't let the guns go unchecked with civilians around."

"Yes, Yixian is a key point that must be defended. Destroying the urban area is inevitable. You can decide for yourselves."

"Then I have no more difficulties; I swear to defend Yixian to the death!"

Zhao Yunwen's attitude pleased Li Delin, who smiled and said:

"Don't say I'm making the horses run without feeding them. I also have two Sichuan Army regiments here, three thousand men, unarmed. Do you want them?"

"Yes, of course! The more the merrier!"

After Zhao Yunwen finished speaking, he looked at Li Delin with expectant eyes, his thoughts written all over his face.

Seeing that Zhao Yunwen was insatiable, Li Delin quickly shook his head and said:

"That's all I have, just these three thousand. I'm not giving it to you for nothing. Trade me some medicine, two hundred boxes of fever medicine."

"Master De, this isn't business, it's robbery!"

"Commander Zhao, just tell me if you agree or not. If you don't agree, I'll give these three thousand Sichuan soldiers to the 22nd Army Group."

Zhao Yunwen immediately abandoned any thought of bargaining and quickly said:

"Deal. I'll also provide 500 boxes of first aid kits."

"On behalf of the wounded soldiers, I thank Commander Zhao for the medicine. These anti-inflammatory drugs and first-aid kits will be allocated to the Second Army Group. The Battle of Taierzhuang was fierce; do you all have any objections?"

Everyone expressed no objection. Sun Lianzhong stood up abruptly, a thin mist clouding over his iron-willed eyes, and loudly proclaimed:

"Thank you for your guidance, General De. The Second Army Group is determined to defend Taierzhuang to the death!"

After Sun Lianzhong finished speaking, he glanced gratefully at Zhao Yunwen. The Northwest Army was poor, and the additional 500 boxes of first aid kits were priceless to them; they were lives at stake.

He accepted this favor!

After the meeting, everyone returned to their respective headquarters. Tang Enbo, Wang Zhonglian, Guan Yudong, and others went to Yixian County on their way. Zhao Yunwen, as the host, arranged a table at a restaurant in the county town.

When entertaining Commander Tang, the proper pomp and circumstance must be observed. Moreover, the joint defense between Yixian and Xiangcheng still needs to be discussed together; drinking is just an excuse.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the group began to discuss serious matters, namely the joint defense of the three regions and two armies.

Before the Battle of Taierzhuang, Yixian was the defense zone of the 20th Army Corps. Zhao Yunwen intervened, which actually relieved the defensive pressure on Tang Enbo's army corps. Tang Enbo naturally had no objection.

We're all colleagues from Whampoa Military Academy, so it's easy to talk things out. Finalizing the joint defense plan was just a matter of a few drinks. The important thing is what comes next.

After putting down his wine glass, Tang Enbo said:

"Brother Yunwen, let's call it a day. Thank you for your hospitality. There are many wounded soldiers in the army, and I'm having trouble sleeping and eating!"

Zhao Yunwen understood; this was an attempt to take advantage of him. Since Commander Tang had spoken, he naturally had to offer something in return.

"Instructor, I have a few dozen boxes of anti-inflammatory medicine left, and about ten boxes of first aid kits. You can take them if needed."

These are all favors; if you do too many, you'll have to pay money, and no amount of money can change that.

Tang Enbo was also sensible; Zhao Yunwen had given him plenty of face in front of others, and these medicines were worth a lot of money.

But he wasn't here to freeload; that was just a side trip. He immediately expressed his gratitude:

"Brother Yunwen, you're too kind. I'll accept this without being impolite. But this is far from enough. I heard the Zhao family has connections to get it, and I can't let you pay out of your own pocket. Whatever the price, that's what it should be."

Zhao Yunwen didn't need to consider Tang Enbo's feelings. He simply sold him 500 boxes of anti-inflammatory medicine, adhering to the principle of "better to offend a gentleman than a petty person." He quoted the same price as Wang Zhonglian and the others, without making any special exceptions.

Considering that Zhao Yunwen had given him a batch for free, Tang Enbo felt proud and very satisfied. He spoke to Zhao Yunwen in a much more friendly manner, addressing him as a brother.

Tang Enbo only served as an instructor to graduates from the sixth class of the Whampoa Military Academy onwards, but Zhao Yunwen still respectfully addressed him as "Instructor," while Tang Enbo called Zhao Yunwen "Brother." They treated each other differently.

This amount of medicinal herbs was enough for Old Tang to scrape the land for two years, so he was in a great mood. The other two were also interested in befriending Zhao Yunwen, and the four of them got along very well. The others were simply not qualified to sit at the table.

After seeing Tang Enbo and the others off, Zhao Yunwen began to attend to business. The first thing he did was call Lu Ping over and say to him:

"Deputy Division Commander Lu, the defense of Yixian needs to be strengthened. The Japanese want to open up the Jinpu Railway and advance south from Zaozhuang. We will be the first to bear the brunt."

All the people must be evacuated. Each person will be subsidized with 20 kilograms of wheat flour and 3 silver dollars. You will be in charge of this personally, and the funds will be used for this purpose only.

Then, construct fortifications according to the standards used in street fighting in Kunshan, digging numerous tunnels throughout the city, with tunnels connecting every street.

Lu Ping was the chief steward of the 107th Division, and Zhao Yunwen felt at ease entrusting matters to him.

Then he called Zhang Yi over to give him instructions in person:

"The defense west of Yixian is entrusted to your 322nd Brigade. This is not only the defense zone to block the Japanese advance south, but also the rear route for the 107th Division's westward retreat. You must hold it. Any difficulties?"

Zhang Yi said confidently:

"Mission accomplished!"

"Very good, I'll give you the heavy artillery battalion too. As long as you hold the high ground, flanking fire will be the Japanese devils' nightmare. To ensure the safety of the artillery, you need to build tunnels on the reverse slope of the mountain to hide the heavy artillery."