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

Suixian County, the temporary garrison of the 107th Division, is bustling with people.

The 322nd Brigade was the first to complete its assembly. After being well-behaved for two days, Zhao Yunwen started causing trouble, patting Zhang Yi on the shoulder and saying:

"The reconnaissance battalion has sent word that a change has occurred in the direction of Lanfeng. You must immediately lead your troops to its aid overnight."

If Lanfeng has fallen, you should take advantage of the Japanese troops' unstable foothold and forcefully drive them out. If Lanfeng is still holding out, you should then reinforce the Yangguji and Shuangtaji line to bolster morale and prevent friendly forces from blaming our troops for stealing credit.

The main force will follow later, so you can focus on the game!

Although Zhang Yi had doubts, he carried out the order without question and loudly proclaimed:

"Mission accomplished!"

This was exactly the attitude Zhao Yunwen wanted: unconditional obedience to his orders. There were some things he couldn't explain, so he could only bring up the reconnaissance battalion.

The reconnaissance battalion had been dispatched long ago, but their response wasn't quick enough, so Zhao Yunwen had no choice but to intervene forcefully.

Only after the 322nd Brigade left did he begin to assemble the main force of the 107th Division, and then follow up.

In the dim light of the Yudong Corps headquarters, Xue Boling stared intently at the map, his brow furrowed in worry.

A meticulously woven encirclement has taken shape, with hundreds of thousands of troops containing the 14th Division of Doihara within the rectangular plain of Kaocheng-Neihuang-Lanfeng-Minquan. Each unit is methodically completing its assigned tasks and tightening the encirclement.

The 51st Division of the 74th Army recaptured Neihuang and Renheji; the 87th Division of the 71st Army captured Yifeng, and the Japanese army was forced to retreat to the Yangguji and Shuangtaji village clusters, and the encirclement was initially formed.

The 27th Army then launched a fierce attack on the villages of Yangguji and Shuangtaji, but encountered fierce resistance from the enemy. The attack made no progress after a day of fierce fighting, which was exactly what Xue Boling was worried about.

Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi said, referring to the map:

The Japanese 27th Infantry Brigade of the Right Column, consisting of two infantry regiments and attached mountain artillery groups and tanks, retreated to the village clusters of Yangguji, Shuangtaji, and Maoguzhai, relying on the village fortifications to hold their ground.

The left column held Luowang Station and Quxingji. Its main force consisted of the 28th Infantry Brigade, the 14th Division Field Artillery Regiment, and the division headquarters. The division's reinforcements, including the 2nd Field Heavy Artillery Brigade, independent engineers, motor transport units, and anti-aircraft artillery units, followed the left column. They passed through Puyang and Kaocheng and arrived at Luowangzhai and Luowang Station.

Its attached heavy artillery group is continuously suppressing our attack launch position from a distance, and each unit is suffering heavy casualties under artillery fire.

Xue Boling had not expected that the Doihara Division had reinforced its heavy firepower so much. The enemy situation was only gradually gathered after the battle began, but the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.

"Chief of Staff Wu, the key to the current battle lies with the 27th Army. As long as they capture the Yangguji and Shuangtaji village clusters, the situation will be turned around!"

Xue Boling astutely grasped the breakthrough point. The key was whether the 27th Army could quickly break through the Japanese defenses. This was the decisive moment, as a single move could affect the whole situation.

Wu Yizhi comforted him, saying:

"Commander-in-Chief, the 27th Army has four infantry divisions, including the 36th and 61st Divisions, which are reorganized divisions with the foundation of the Training Corps. Commander Gui is also a veteran general in the army. Taking a few villages should not be a problem."

This wasn't because Wu Yizhi was overly optimistic. The 27th Army was very strong on the surface, consisting of elite troops from the Central Army. Even the usually cautious Xue Boling acknowledged their strength.

Although Xue Boling's doubts remained, he still nodded and said:

"Then let's wait and see!"

Wu Yizhi looked up at the night sky and said with concern:

"Commander-in-chief, it's late. You haven't slept for two days. Go get some sleep. I'll keep watch here."

Xue Boling had been working two nights in a row and was feeling quite exhausted. He was about to take a nap on his cot when the communications director stumbled in.

Xue Boling immediately sensed something was wrong and, forcing himself to remain calm, coldly retorted:

"What kind of behavior is this, all this panic? Speak properly, the sky isn't going to fall!"

The communications director reluctantly reported:

"The 27th Army suddenly abandoned its position, and the enemy's 27th Brigade then launched a counterattack. After repelling the 27th Army, the main force of two infantry regiments headed straight for Lanfeng."

Xue Boling was struck dumb; his worst fears had come true, though he hadn't expected them to be so severe.

"What's going on with Gui Yongqing? Who gave him permission to abandon the position!"

"The commander-in-chief sent a telegram to headquarters during the retreat, stating that a large number of Japanese reinforcements had captured Maji, leaving the 27th Army's flank wide open—"

"Damn it, what a load of bullshit reinforcements! At most, it's just a battalion. Gui Yongqing has four divisions and 3 troops, and they were scared into abandoning their positions by a few hundred outflanking Japanese soldiers."

"They lost 2 soldiers of the Training Corps in Nanjing and fled for their lives, and now they've pulled this stunt on me in eastern Henan. Are they so sure I can't punish them?"

At this moment, Xue Boling felt like killing Gui Yongqing. These arrogant and fierce soldiers who graduated from Whampoa Military Academy completely disregarded him and were playing the trick of acting first and informing later.

Wu Yizhi was equally furious. He was the one who devised the plan to encircle the 14th Division from six directions. Gui Yongqing was his student in the first term, and he had completely disgraced the Whampoa Military Academy.

"Commander-in-chief, the most urgent task is to defend Lanfeng City. As long as Lanfeng City is still standing, the situation can still be salvaged."

"There's still the 107th Division in Suixian County. We can order them to rush to Lanfeng City and hold this stronghold for two days. Perhaps we can still patch up the hole left by the 27th Army!"

Wu Yizhi's words gave Xue Boling hope. He had almost forgotten that there was still a reserve force in Suixian County. Although it had been tricked by Zhao Yunwen before, the 107th Division was still worth looking forward to. It was a force of 20,000 men. He might as well try anything.

Thinking of this, he immediately gave the order:

"Telegram to Long Muhan of the 88th Division: You must hold Lanfeng County for two days. The 107th Division is rushing to our aid and will arrive in a day at most."

"Send a telegram to Zhao Yunwen of the 107th Division: He has now finished his rest and reorganization and is rushing to aid Lanfeng City. There must be no delay!"

After this turn of events, Xue Boling was no longer sleepy and was in a state of extreme inner turmoil.

Time passed slowly, and before they knew it, dawn had arrived. More bad news came from the front: Long Muhan, the commander of the 88th Division, saw that his old classmate Gui Yongqing had run away. Not only did he not take him with him, he also strictly ordered him to hold Lanfeng City and cover the rear for the 27th Army.

Long Muhan was furious. If the man surnamed Gui could run away, so could he. Without firing a single shot, he abandoned Lanfeng City overnight.

Upon receiving the telegram, Xue Boling was furious. All his plans had been disrupted, and he was determined to kill these incompetent and disastrous protégés of the emperor. He immediately filed a complaint with Chiang Kai-shek, demanding severe punishment for Gui Yongqing, Long Muhan, and others. He felt that only execution could appease his anger, especially the instigator, Gui Yongqing.

Wu Yizhi quickly tried to dissuade him:

"Commander-in-Chief, Long Muhan is doing relatively well, but Commander Gui is Chief of Staff He's nephew. Should we give him another chance to redeem himself?"

"We can't count on him. Since he dared to abandon the position, he won't risk taking back Lanfeng City. Now we can only place our hopes on Zhao Yunwen and his 107th Division."

A death order was given to Zhao Yunwen: he must return to Lanfeng City at all costs, or he will be subjected to military law!

After receiving the telegram from the Corps Headquarters outlining the severe measures, Zhao Yunwen couldn't help but mutter a complaint:

"Is he easy to bully?"

Xie Polu then asked for instructions:

"Commander, do you need a reply?"

"Just tell them that my unit is rushing to Lanfeng City."

With the orders from the Corps Headquarters, Zhao Yunwen was acting on orders, but how to fight was up to him.

Lanfeng City was captured without bloodshed by the 27th Infantry Brigade after the 88th Division fled in disarray, thus cutting off the Longhai Railway.

Kenji Doihara keenly sensed the crisis and halted his westward advance, consolidating his main forces to three defensive strongholds:

Lanfeng City was defended by the 2nd Infantry Regiment;

Luowangzhai and Luowang Railway Station were defended by the 50th Infantry Regiment and a heavy artillery unit.

The core positions of Sanyizhai and Quxingji were constructed by the division headquarters, the main force of the 28th Brigade, and the heavy artillery brigade, relying on the contiguous villages in eastern Henan to build multi-layered trenches, anti-tank trenches, and firing points. Heavy artillery was forward-positioned to suppress the attacking starting positions of the eastern Henan army group.

As the main force of the 27th Infantry Brigade advanced into the southwest, only the 2nd Infantry Regiment remained in the city. After taking over the county town, they immediately switched to defense, albeit somewhat hastily.

At five o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the 322nd Brigade, which had rushed there overnight, was ready to launch its attack, with its dark cannons pointing straight at the sky.

Zhang Yi glanced at his pocket watch and coldly shouted:

"fire!"