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

Over Zaozhuang, 32 fighter jets painted with the Japanese flag flew through the clouds as if they were cruising, as if the skies over northern China had long been their backyard.

All the fighter planes took off from Beiping Airport, with their destination being Yixian, an obscure little town. In the eyes of Commander Shintaro Hirano, this move was a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Only Pengcheng is worth their attention. Since Commander Terauchi Hisaichi has given a strict order, Yixian can be removed from the map.

Thirty-two fighter jets were lined up in a neat formation, their roaring engines audible from a great distance, while the Chinese civilians under the wings scattered in fear.

Hirano Shintaro triumphantly flapped his wings, signaling to the other Japanese soldiers that they were about to enter the target's airspace, and that the insignificant Chinese people were not worth their attention.

Colonel Hirano felt a sudden pang of fear for no reason and subconsciously looked to his side. His back was instantly soaked with sweat.

The sudden appearance of numerous black dots deep within the clouds sent chills down his spine; years of practical experience told him that the newcomers were up to no good!

"Baka yarou, enemy attack!"

Colonel Hirano didn't know where these fighter jets came from, but they were dangerous, so he instinctively fired at them.

Before the other Japanese soldiers could react, the uninvited guests had already arrived and opened fire beyond the range of the Japanese machine guns, instantly destroying three bombers.

Colonel Hirano's last shred of hope vanished, and he straightened his back to fight. This time, the escort fighters numbered only 12, while the mysterious group of aircraft numbered more than 20, exuding a menacing aura.

What made Colonel Hirano most desperate was that the enemy was incredibly fast, and the flames they spewed were much thicker. This was not the effect of a machine gun; it must have been an artillery piece!

Hirano was terrified by his own thoughts, and shook his wings again, ordering the bomber group to scatter and escape.

That's right, it's not fighting, it's running away before the battle even begins.

The mysterious aircraft group showed no intention of letting them go, splitting into several groups and accelerating forward. Strings of machine gun shells swept across like the scythe of death, and any Japanese plane that came near was blown up.

It is difficult for machine guns to hit high-speed fighter planes, but the same applies to cannons. They use fragmentation to kill, and even if they do not hit directly, the fragments produced by the explosion can shoot down Japanese planes.

Colonel Hirano was able to become a flight wing commander, and his experience was beyond that of ordinary people. He recognized it as the "Lightning" of the United States at a glance, mainly because the shape of its strange wings was too distinctive. What kind of good person would design an aircraft with a twin fuselage!

"You bastard, you despicable eagle! This is a declaration of war against the Empire!"

"It's definitely the US! I'd recognize them even if they were ashes! Quickly send a telegram to His Excellency Terauchi, telling him that the US has secretly joined the war, and I've already seen those blond-haired big noses!"

After Colonel Hirano sent a warning telegram, he focused on dealing with the "Americans" and tried to shoot one down as evidence.

He underestimated the power of the "generation gap." The Type 12 land-based bomber had a significant generational gap with the Lightning fighter, and the number of aircraft was also half that of the 24 aircraft.

The mysterious aircraft were completely dominating; they easily shot down planes painted with the Japanese flag, as if it were a game.

"You idiot! This is outrageous! Let's fight!"

Colonel Hirano pushed the speed to the limit, attempting to ram the opposing fighter jet.

However, the mysterious swarm of aircraft was operated by AI, which responded with the optimal solution. Colonel Hirano not only failed to achieve his goal but was also directly hit by several shells and blown to pieces.

Based on the principle of prioritizing problem-solving, the system's leased aircraft group was divided into several parts. Twelve of them destroyed the escorting fighters, while the other twelve formed three combat teams to attack the bombers and begin the slaughter mode.

After all the Japanese fighter planes were shot down, the 12 Lightning fighters that were freed up joined the aerial hunt until the last bomber was shot down.

[Host, mission complete. 36 aircraft shot down in 51 minutes. If calculated as one hour, after deducting 24000 contribution points, the remaining balance is 973500 points. Do you require any other services?]

Zhao Yunwen shook his head and said:

"That's all. I'll call you again when I need it."

With the air threat resolved, the 107th Division could focus on dealing with the Japanese infantry and slowly play with the 10th Division.

Zhao Yunwen has been restraining himself from using the loan function, using it wisely and focusing on key targets. He can't solve all the heavy firepower problems for the infantry; otherwise, the troops wouldn't be able to fight without the system.

The isolated battalion held its position, and the Japanese launched another ground attack. Having suffered losses before, they were much more restrained and only committed one infantry company.

This was a probing attack, with the skirmishers spread out widely, focusing their attack on the central area defended by the Eighth Company.

Yang Guai commanded his entire company to calmly respond to the attack, easily holding off the Japanese troops without deploying any artillery.

The 7th and 9th companies on both flanks, as well as the artillery company in the rear, were all in hiding. The isolated battalion commander, Shangguan Zhibiao, had enough patience to wear down the Japanese.

Zhao Yunwen tried his best not to interfere in such small-scale battles. He couldn't possibly be a mere school principal micromanaging things; after all, he was now a lieutenant general and division commander.

Inside the command center, Zhao Yunwen led a group of officers in conducting war game simulations, repeatedly pushing through the scenarios to identify and address any shortcomings, ensuring that brigade and regimental commanders were familiar with the corresponding countermeasures.

After several deductions, Qiu Fengzi said with a gloomy face:

"Yixian can hold for at least three months, but the friendly forces' defense zone will be breached. At that time, the 107th Division will be isolated and out of the way. Facing the combined attack of several top-tier divisions on the northern front, abandoning the county town will be inevitable."

As long as the key points on the western front are not lost, our troops can retreat calmly into the mountains, preserve our strength, and plan for another battle.

Zhao Yunwen nodded and said:

"This is a life-or-death battle between two nations. The Chinese are on a long and arduous journey, with hundreds of thousands of troops fighting in China. The resources they consume every day are enormous. Therefore, they hope to win this battle quickly and, ideally, force the Nationalist government to surrender within six months."

Given the enemy's superior strength and our weakness, China could only wear down the Japanese by dragging the war into a protracted war of attrition.

Don't worry too much about the gains and losses of a single city or place. By now, the Nationalist government has achieved most of its strategic goals in the Battle of Pengcheng. If we just hold out for a little longer, the Japanese will suffer more losses than gains.

The Japanese invaders' objective in attacking Pengcheng was to open up the Jinpu Railway, then advance westward along the Longhai Railway to capture Zhengzhou; from Zhengzhou, they would then advance southward along the Pinghan Railway to attack Jiangcheng, where the Military Commission was located, and force the Nationalist government to surrender.

Deploying defenses in Jiangcheng would take time, as would relocating the population, factories, schools, and supplies from Central China to Southwest China. This is the strategic significance of the decisive battle for Pengcheng.

As Zhao Yunwen meticulously analyzed the situation, everyone gained a clear understanding of the strategies of both sides. There was one important strategy he didn't mention: the Eighth Route Army had already advanced into enemy territory.

The Eighth Route Army will wreak havoc on the Japanese rear, drawing away most of the Japanese troops, leaving only the 11th Army as a mobile force on the main battlefield.

The 107th Division was to participate in the Battle of Jiangcheng, and afterwards, it was to seize a piece of territory from the Japanese, and even to become a separate war zone, cooperating with Xue Laohu's Ninth War Zone to block the Japanese advance in most parts of Central and Southern China.

This was Zhao Yunwen's development strategy. He wanted to stabilize the battle lines along the Yangtze River, protect Guangzhou as a gateway to the sea, and draw more of the Japanese main force to the front lines to wear them down, thus reducing the pressure on the rear areas.

The two battlefields cooperated to win this national war.

In other words, at most he could retreat to the Yangtze River basin, defending Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Hubei, and protecting the southwest.

He revealed this grand strategy to the key officers, and Qiu Fengzi, brimming with confidence, excitedly said:

"Commander, I know what to do. You're right, China will not perish. We're waiting for you to lead us back to East China, back to North China, and to reclaim the land beyond the Great Wall!"

The crowd shouted in unison:

"Victory in the War of Resistance is inevitable; we will fight our way back to North China and liberate the entire country!"

Beiping, Headquarters of the North China Area Army

Terauchi Hisaichi was dreaming of opening up the Jinpu Railway, reaching the Yangtze River, and the Nationalist government surrendering when the Chief of Staff rushed in, shouting:

"Oh no! All the aerial warriors have perished! The US has joined the battle!"

Terauchi Hisaichi was so shocked he was practically spitting fire, and he cursed loudly:

"Baka yarou! Impossible! Absolutely not!"