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

The system acted swiftly. After receiving authorization from Zhao Yunwen, it immediately dispatched a mule and horse team to the southwest of Yi County to receive supplies, operating under the banner of the Zhao Group.

The 107th Division was previously funded and supported by the Zhao family. Even after it was incorporated into the Central Army, a large portion of its funding still came from the Zhao family. Therefore, no one complained when the Zhao family's caravan came to transport away the spoils of war.

Zhao Yunwen ordered Lu Ping to take charge of the handover, and the entire process was completed in less than two hours. Afterward, they disappeared into the mountains shrouded in night.

[Ding-dong, the system warehouse has received 15 75mm howitzers, 9785 rifles and pistols, and a certain amount of ammunition and supplies. A 10% handling fee has been deducted. Current inventory of equipment and supplies is 42.84 tons, with 82.36% of warehouse space available, and a contribution value of 963500 points.]

Zhao Yunwen left behind 4 105mm howitzers, 6 infantry guns, and corresponding shells, thus increasing the artillery regiment's heavy artillery to 16, 12 75mm mountain guns, 12 Type 92 infantry guns, and 12 75mm anti-aircraft guns. The rest were all distributed to the various regiments.

Zhao Yunwen had just finished dealing with these miscellaneous tasks when he received orders from his superiors to rush to Pengcheng overnight to attend a high-level meeting. He had a rough idea of ​​what the meeting would be about, so he didn't dare to linger and led his special operations battalion on horseback straight to Pengcheng.

Upon arriving in Pengcheng, before he could even settle in, Commander Li summoned him. The atmosphere in the command room was oppressive, with only Li Delin and Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou present.

Upon seeing Zhao Yunwen arrive, Li Delin skipped the formalities and went straight to the point:

"General Zhao, this is my five-pronged breakout plan, with the main force moving to the mountainous areas of eastern Henan and western Anhui."

The general principles of the retreat are: First, zero-tolerance, avoiding the main lines of the Jinpu Railway and the Longhai Railway, traveling by day and hiding by night, and taking country roads; second, retreating in echelons, with the main force breaking through first, the middle troops moving in sequence, and elite troops covering the rear; third, leaving a feint force to garrison the outskirts of Pengcheng, creating the illusion of a desperate defense, delaying the Japanese encirclement, and buying the main force a window of opportunity of 3 to 5 days; fourth, the entire 60-strong army will be divided into five corps, with the retreat directions divided into two main directions: southwest (Woyang and Bozhou in northern Anhui) and northwest (Lanfeng and Minquan). Your unit will be assigned to the Longhai Breakout Corps.

He then went on to describe the composition of the five armies and their breakout routes in great detail. The description was written by Chief of Staff Xu Yanmou and was very professional, showing that a great deal of thought had been put into it.

"General Zhao, do you have any additions to the five-pronged breakout plan?"

Zhao Yunwen pondered to himself, "This is a breakout plan formulated by the command headquarters. When have I ever had to listen to the advice of a division commander?"

He knew that Commander Li wouldn't speak without reason, and roughly guessed the other party's deeper meaning, so he volunteered for the battle:

"Commander Li, the 107th Division has completed its rest and reorganization. Let us take over the task of covering the rear! With hundreds of thousands of troops retreating, it's not enough to just let the 68th Army play the empty city trick. We need to fight a real battle and give the pursuing Japanese a good beating."

"As long as we inflict heavy damage on the pursuers, they'll behave themselves. We have several dozen troops; we can't afford to be chased and beaten by a few thousand Japanese soldiers. It wouldn't look good if word got out!"

Commander Li followed up with another question:

Are you confident?

Zhao Yunwen said confidently:

"The 10th Division on the northern front has just suffered heavy losses and needs time to replenish and recover. I have placed a regiment in Zaozhuang and a cavalry regiment on the outskirts, which is enough to deter the enemy on the northern front."

The only force eager to seize territory and expand their gains is the 5th Division in the northeast. A portion of them is heading towards Tancheng, and judging from their attack route, they will most likely penetrate westward from the south of Yixian to pursue our main force. If their entire division moves, I can't do anything about them. But if it's just a few thousand vanguard troops advancing recklessly, I wouldn't mind giving them a good beating in the mountains west of Yixian. They'll be badly injured, if not killed.

Li Delin's eyes lit up after hearing this, and Xu Yanmou echoed his sentiments:

"The 107th Division has recovered most of its strength, with about 20,000 elite troops remaining. By setting up an ambush in the mountains beforehand, it is possible to achieve the tactical requirement of annihilating a portion of the enemy."

The 10th Division on the northern front is cowering. If we can inflict serious damage on the 5th Division, our main force from the Fifth War Zone can withdraw from the battlefield with ease, which will also save face.

Li Delin waved his hand and said:

"Compared to an army of 60, face is not worth a second. I think Zhao Yunwen's proposal is feasible. Since Yan Mou has no objections, let's tentatively decide on it and pass it at the meeting tomorrow."

For the sake of secrecy, the detailed battle plan will not be elaborated upon; only the rearguard action of the 107th Division will be mentioned.

"General Zhao, do you have any requests?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Yunwen said:

"I suggest withdrawing the 68th Army, which is being used as a diversionary force, and leaving only a small number of security troops to maintain order. Pengcheng should be left wide open and undefended. Also, could my troops be allowed to replenish any supplies they cannot take with them in Pengcheng?"

Li Delin waved his hand and said:

"Approved. The headquarters can't take the excess supplies with them anyway, so it's better to keep them for ourselves than let the Japanese benefit from them. You can replenish anything you deem acceptable. I only have one request: hold off the Japanese in the Pengcheng area for three to five days. Can you do that?"

Zhao Yunwen stepped forward and answered:

"Mission accomplished!"

The three then got together and refined the retreat plan. Li Delin invited Zhao Yunwen to join the battle to defend Jiangcheng after completing his rearguard mission.

Zhao Yunwen didn't mince words and replied directly:

"How could such a grand event in Jiangcheng be complete without our 107th Division!"

Li Delin smiled happily. Although Zhao Yunwen had not given a clear answer about joining the Fifth War Zone, he and the 107th Division were fighting in the north. As long as they were within the jurisdiction of the Fifth War Zone, they would have to obey his orders.

Nothing happened in the middle of the night. The next morning, the Fifth War Zone held an important military conference, which Zhao Yunwen was ordered to attend. Li Delin arranged for him to be in a very important position, directly opposite Tang Keqin. Surprisingly, neither Tang Keqin nor the others had any objections. Old Tang even took the initiative to greet Zhao Yunwen. They were from the Central Army, and their relationship was closer than that of the local military leaders.

The meeting was chaired by Xu Yanmou, who, holding a baton, spoke eloquently and read out the headquarters' withdrawal plan in detail:

"The first route: the headquarters and the 21st Army Group retreated from Pengcheng to Suxian, crossed the Wo River, and retreated southwest to Boxian and Fuyang in Anhui Province, entering the mountainous area on the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains;

The second route, Tang Keqin's 20th Army Corps, moved southwest along the line of Yixian and Taierzhuang, bypassed Xiaoxian and Yongcheng, broke through the Japanese blockade of the Longhai Railway, and entered the outskirts of Shangqiu and Lanfeng to the west.

The third route, consisting of Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army Group and 59th Army, withdrew from the southwest of Yixian County, passed through the northern suburbs of Pengcheng, and entered the Yongcheng area of ​​eastern Henan Province to cover the right flank of the entire army.

The fourth route, consisting of the 52nd Army of the 20th Army Corps under Guan Yudong and a part of the Sichuan Army, crossed the Longhai Railway and retreated towards southwestern Shandong and western Henan.

The fifth route, the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army under Sun Zhen, broke through from the southeast of Pengcheng, retreating through Guzhen and Huaiyuan into the heart of northern Anhui.

All departments have been arranged, and everyone feels much more at ease. But no matter how good the plan is, it needs execution, and that's the key.

If the overall situation is not well coordinated, it is easy to become unruly under the pursuit of the Japanese from multiple directions, and it is not impossible to repeat the tragedy of the disastrous defeat at Shanghai.

Those who know the nature of the Nationalist army understand it all, not to mention that the troops in the Fifth War Zone are a complete hodgepodge, making them difficult to deal with.

Suddenly, everyone realized a problem—who would cover the rear?

"Gentlemen, who is willing to stay behind and cover the retreat?"

The Northwest Army's 59th Army, 40th Army, and Second Group Army were already decimated and powerless. Only the 20th Army Corps was strong and well-equipped. Under everyone's expectant gaze, Tang Keqin looked up at the sky without any pressure.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room. Zhao Yunwen then stepped forward and spoke:

"The officer is willing to lead 2 soldiers of the 107th Division to volunteer!"