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

In Zaozhuang, under the pressure of multiple armies from the 107th Division, the 10th Division abandoned the city, leaving behind a large amount of equipment and supplies.

The 644th Regiment of the 322nd Brigade then entered Zaozhuang, took over the equipment and supplies in the city, and Zaozhuang was liberated once again.

The cavalry regiment then received orders from Zhao Yunwen to rush to the north and west of Zaozhuang to guard against a Japanese counterattack.

The two regiments of the 323rd Brigade focused on clearing out stragglers of the Japanese troops along the Zaozhuang-Yicheng line, cleaning up the battlefield, and tallying the results of the battle.

The 324th Brigade withdrew its troops to Yicheng, where it cleared out the few remaining enemy soldiers and cleaned up the battlefield.

After clearing the battlefield along the Qingtanshan and Hanwangshan lines, the 643rd Regiment of the 322nd Brigade switched to a defensive posture, with the heavy artillery battalion providing support.

The Battle of Yicheng ended in victory, and battle reports poured into the division headquarters like snowflakes. After Chief of Staff Xie Polu sorted and verified them, he reported to Zhao Yunwen.

After reading it, Zhao Yunwen praised it highly:

"Very good. In the Battle of Yicheng, the soldiers of my 107th Division won several victories and severely damaged the invading 10th Division, annihilating more than 1.5 enemy soldiers, capturing more than 30 artillery pieces of various sizes, more than 1 guns, and countless ammunition and supplies."

Report to headquarters immediately. Details of the spoils don't need to be too specific. Over ten thousand enemy troops were annihilated, but our casualties were heavy, and ammunition and supplies were depleted. We urgently need rest and reorganization.

Xie Polu understood immediately. He had long since grasped the essence of battle reports: blurring the details of spoils and exaggerating the losses. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

There was one thing he didn't quite understand: everyone else reported their battle results in exaggerated terms, but Commander Zhao was different, using "more than 10,000" instead.

"Commander, won't people misunderstand and think it's just over ten thousand, several thousand short?"

Zhao Yun said meaningfully:

"You don't understand. Ten thousand or more, any amount is acceptable, it's not considered underreporting. The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. All the units are suffering defeats, we shouldn't stand out too much."

Severely damaging the 10th Division and annihilating over 10,000 enemy troops is already quite an achievement; the rest is up to individual interpretation.

Xie Polu suddenly realized:

"I understand now. The division commander's consideration was very thorough. By using a mix of facts and deception, even the Japanese couldn't figure out our strength. If the results were fixed with specific numbers, the Japanese could deduce our true combat power."

Zhao Yunwen nodded, indicating that Xie Polu could send the telegram, but he didn't say everything he wanted to say.

He knew the Nationalist army's nature all too well; he couldn't be too arrogant or outstanding, or he would attract jealousy.

He didn't want to become part of the 74th Reorganized Division.

Pengcheng, Fifth War Zone Headquarters

The fall of Linyi City caused Li Delin to frown deeply. The situation around Pengcheng had deteriorated drastically. Although he was mentally prepared, he still felt uneasy when he actually faced it.

What commander doesn't want to win a battle?

Recalling the triumphant victory at Taierzhuang, how spirited he was, how renowned he was both at home and abroad, how his personal fame soared, how he was poised to become the number one general in the War of Resistance against Japan, with almost no controversy.

In such a short time, Linyi, the most important city on the northern front, was lost, the Japanese had crossed the Huai River on the southern front, and the Japanese were advancing along the Longhai Railway on the western front. Pengcheng was about to be surrounded. Only Yixian on the northern front was still holding out.

Pengcheng is a battleground on all sides. Even if Yixian is not lost, the Japanese can still launch attacks from other directions. It is time to make a decision!

Just as Li Delin raised his head, Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou walked in with a beaming smile, which was extremely inappropriate.

Chief of Staff Xu seemed to lack a bit of tact this time, and said in a cheerful tone:

"Lord De, a great victory! A great victory at Yixian!"

Li Delin didn't react much, only smiling mechanically. The victory of several hundred or even a thousand people had no impact on the overall situation.

It's better than nothing.

Xu Yanmou did not notice Li Delin's low spirits, and continued:

"General Zhao Yunwen of the 107th Division sent a telegram: His troops have won several battles, severely damaging the invading Isogai Division, annihilating over 10,000 enemy soldiers, and capturing a considerable amount of spoils!"

"Oh! I see. Send a telegram of commendation—what? Severely damaged the Isogai Division, annihilating over ten thousand enemy soldiers!"

Li Delin sprang from his seat, snatched the telegram, and hurriedly began to scan it. First, he skimmed through it, then read it carefully, word by word, three times in total. Only then did a delighted smile appear on his face, and he exclaimed in praise:

"What a fine Zhao Zilong of Whampoa Military Academy! What a fierce and valiant 107th Division of the army!"

With 20,000 exhausted soldiers, he fought against the Isogai Division for several days, not only inflicting heavy losses on the invading enemy but also recapturing Zaozhuang.

The battle line was pushed back a hundred miles to the north by the 107th Division, giving the 500,000 troops in Pengcheng enough room to maneuver. Zhao Yunwen had once again turned the tide of the game!

The northern front is of paramount importance, as it facilitates the rapid mechanized advance of the Japanese. The hundred-mile safe space is invaluable to the Fifth War Zone, giving Li Delin more options to play now.

Thinking of this, he immediately made a decision:

"Telegram to General Zhao: You must hold the Zaozhuang-Yixian line for ten days to cover the main force's breakout."

Send a telegram to Tang Keqin of the 20th Army Corps, saying that Yixian is as solid as a rock, and Xiangcheng must not be abandoned before Zaozhuang falls!

"Report the victory to the Military Commission and inform all departments to boost morale!"

Xu Yanmou understood perfectly. This was also a form of encouragement. The 107th Division was able to hold Yixian and severely damage the 10th Division. Why couldn't you stop the enemy in front of you?

The gloom in Li Delin's heart was swept away. With the result of severely damaging the Isogai Division, the Battle of Pengcheng could end, or at least it wouldn't be a bad one.

This also provided an explanation to the Nationalist government and the people; it was merely a strategic retreat, a defeat that was still honorable!

After the news of the great victory at Yixian was reported to the Military Commission, Chiang Kai-shek and his associates were overjoyed. They had been worrying about how to end the Battle of Pengcheng in a dignified manner, and now Zhao Yunwen had provided the "pillow" (a metaphor for a solution).

After verifying the results, the Nationalist government's propaganda machine went into full swing, making the victory at Yixian known to everyone, and its status was no less than that of Taierzhuang.

Because the Battle of Yixian was a one-man showdown between the 107th Division and the Isogai Division, the impact was even greater. Zhao Yunwen once again became a lone hero and an ever-victorious general in the hearts of the Chinese people, and even became a spiritual pillar for many people to persevere.

After this battle, Zhao Yunwen firmly secured his position as the leader of the Four Heroes of Whampoa Military Academy, even the proud and arrogant Hu Shoushan admitted that he was inferior to him.

Speaking frankly in front of all the officers and soldiers, Commander Zhao is a model of the Whampoa Military Academy, while I, Hu, am merely a few years older and it is only because the principal is showing me favor.

The Military Commission subsequently issued a telegram commending Zhao Yunwen and the 107th Division, awarding Zhao Yunwen the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun and the 107th Division the rank of "Tiger Warrior".

Chiang Kai-shek did not promote Zhao Yunwen this time. The 107th Division had just been upgraded to a Class A Division, and Chiang was already worried that Zhao Yunwen had no further promotions to make, which was not a good thing.

Zhao Yunwen's personal Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, along with the rank of Tiger General in the 107th Division, was already the highest honor, essentially telling everyone that the 107th Division was a core unit no less important than the 87th and 88th Divisions.

These two divisions are the only ones without the "Tiger Warrior" designation; the 107th Division is unique in this regard.

Chiang Kai-shek still felt he had wronged Zhao Yunwen, and on Chen Cixiu's advice, he transferred 5,000 new recruits and 200 graduates of the Central Military Academy to the 107th Division to replenish its losses.

These 5,000 new recruits were all carefully trained by the Central Army, not the kind of conscripts they were forced to do.

Zhao Yunwen was overjoyed after reading it. Sure enough, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. He had just finished saying that the casualties were heavy when reinforcements arrived.

The honor of the "Tiger Division" made him overjoyed. Chief of Staff Xie Polu was promoted to Major General, and Zhang Yi, Qiu Fengzi, and Wang Guohua were all promoted from Colonel to Major General. All the officers and lieutenants in his unit were promoted one rank, matching their positions, and the soldiers were promoted two ranks!

They gave Zhao Yunwen plenty of face; if they couldn't promote him, they promoted his subordinates—a general promotion, everyone got a share.

After Zhao Yunwen finished reading the telegram, everyone in the division cheered in unison, naturally happy that everyone had been promoted.

They all knew who the glory came from, and were even more loyal to Zhao Yunwen. In the National Government Army, following the right person was more important than anything else.

"Gentlemen, the principal and the Military Commission have also made demands: hold the Yixian defense line; as long as we are here, the position will stand!"

The crowd joined in, their voices echoing through the sky.

"As long as we're alive, we'll hold the position!"

"Fight to the bitter end!"