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

After realizing that the price was too low, Zhao Yunwen tried to make up for it from other directions, and the list mainly consisted of technical soldiers and recent graduates from the Whampoa Military Academy.

Doctors, signal corps soldiers, engineers, junior officers, non-commissioned officers, and college and high school students are all included; just make up three thousand.

Xue Boling's corps-level headquarters did indeed lack these, and they also had 20,000 to 30,000 additional troops. After reviewing the list, they agreed without hesitation. The temptation of 11 heavy artillery pieces was too great for anyone to resist.

In less than half a day, the two sides completed the handover. Xue Boling sent men to pull away the artillery, leaving behind 3,000 men.

Wu Yizhi personally came to receive them and left happily, both sides feeling they had gotten a great deal.

Zhao Yunwen also couldn't wait to investigate and found that many of them were college students who joined the army with great enthusiasm. These were drawn from various armies by Xue Boling in exchange for supply quotas.

There are more than 300 university students alone, plus middle school students, children of returned overseas Chinese, and young officers who have graduated from Whampoa Military Academy in the last two years, totaling over a thousand people.

There are also more than 800 technical soldiers, and the remaining more than 1100 are veterans with more than three years of service. They were also drawn from various armies by Lao Xue, who set quotas and made it clear that they were to replace heavy artillery.

With heavy artillery, fewer people would die in battle. The army commanders gave Xue Boling a lot of face, and two or three hundred veterans were not a big problem for them.

After assessing the situation, Zhao Yunwen exclaimed that he had struck it rich. The Zhao family had no shortage of money, but what they lacked was talent.

Old Xue's connections were far greater than anyone else's, even though he was a military officer at the regimental level. He had over 30 military doctors, over 100 nurses, 20 radio operators, and over 80 science and engineering undergraduates among the 300-plus college students.

These people are too important to the 107th Division. They will be of great use when he establishes base areas in the future. Each person will receive 400 silver dollars. Zhao Yunwen said he would take as many as he could get.

Zhao Yunwen immediately said to Xie Polu:

"Thank you all. All the medical staff have been assigned to the field hospital, along with more than a thousand wounded soldiers. Let them practice."

"Let them each do their job. Middle school student soldiers will be assigned to artillery regiments to learn artillery operation; university students will stay in the training corps—I'll use them later; sergeants and junior officers will be assigned to various regiments—you decide how to arrange them. Those scholars unsuitable for combat will be placed in the supply train and trained to become supply officers."

Zhao Yunwen quickly distributed these 3 men, expanding the total force to over 28000. While other units dwindled in number with each battle, the 107th Division actually gained a significant number of troops.

Of these nearly 3 men, no more than 5 were new recruits. The rest were veterans, technical soldiers, and officers who had been tempered in actual combat. They were the 107th Division's greatest asset and were unique in the entire Nationalist Army.

Xue Boling was overjoyed to have acquired the heavy artillery group. He praised Zhao Yunwen for his righteousness and used it as the basis to establish the corps' directly subordinate heavy artillery regiment.

That very night, they were deployed to the front lines to assist in the battle. With the addition of 11 cannons, the enemy's ability to attack fortified positions was greatly enhanced, resulting in a surge in Japanese casualties and a significant reduction in overall losses.

With the 14th Division in dire straits, Kenji Doihara could no longer sit idly by and felt immense pressure. This was one of the reasons why Zhao Yunwen handed over the heavy artillery to Xue Boling – to cause trouble for Kenji Doihara.

Driven to desperation, Kenji Doihara repeatedly appealed to Hisaichi Terauchi for help, sending increasingly harsh telegrams, even using inflammatory phrases like "to be loyal to the Emperor."

Terauchi Hisaichi could not afford the cost of the complete annihilation of his standing divisions, and he ordered the 16th and 5th Divisions to do everything in their power to relieve the siege.

The 5th Division was formed after Zhao Yunwen appeared in the timeline of the Battle of Lanfeng, triggering a butterfly effect. After capturing Pengcheng, they rested on the spot. After receiving strict orders from Terauchi Hisaichi, they marched west to join the 16th Division in rescuing the Doihara Division.

After receiving strict orders, the 16th Division marched straight towards Shangqiu. The defending commander, Huang Jie, was terrified of the enemy and abandoned the city without authorization. Zhao Yunwen's fears came true.

At the headquarters of the Yudong Corps, Xue Boling stood in front of the map, full of vigor. With the help of the heavy artillery regiment, the battle was progressing smoothly.

The various armies successively captured several key points, compressing the 14th Division into a very narrow area, where hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded it, making it impossible for it to escape.

Xue Boling is about to make history by annihilating an entire first-class division. Just thinking about it is exciting!

Wu Yizhi rushed in, his face pale, no longer caring about etiquette, and loudly reported:

"Oh no! Shangqiu is missing!"

Xue Boling was struck dumb, his eyes almost spitting fire, and he roared hoarsely:

"Where is Huang Jie? Where is his 8th Army? How did they lose Shangqiu?"

"Huang Jie has over 20,000 men under his command. Even if they had 20,000 pigs, they couldn't possibly be driven back by the Japanese so quickly!"

Xue Boling understood the importance of Shangqiu all too well. Zhao Yunwen had also reminded him of it. He thought that with the 8th Army there, everything was foolproof, but he hadn't expected...

"Commander-in-Chief, the 16th Division is at the city gates. Huang Jie, fearing defeat, has voluntarily abandoned Shangqiu—"

"Damn it! Who told him to abandon the city and flee? I'll kill him!"

Xue Boling was furious. These imperial protégés were too arrogant, completely disregarding his military orders. He hadn't dealt with Gui Yongqing and Long Muhan yet, and now Huang Jie had appeared.

Even the best-tempered person can lose their temper, let alone "Tiger Cub," who is known for his fiery temper and even dared to hang up on Chiang Kai-shek.

"Commander-in-Chief, now is not the time to assign blame. The most urgent task is to stop the 16th Division from advancing north."

Fortunately, Zhao Yunwen's 107th Division was still stationed along the Lanfeng and Yangguji line. They had previously crippled the 16th Division in Jurong, and the 107th Division should be able to hold off the Japanese for more than three days.

Wu Yizhi, as expected of Xue Boling's most trusted advisor, enlightened him with his words. Xue Boling was so flustered that he almost forgot about Zhao Yunwen.

If Xue Boling were to choose the most reliable mentor from the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, he would definitely vote for Zhao Yunwen right now.

"That's right, we still have Zhao Yunwen, and the Tiger Warriors!"

Immediately send a telegram to Zhao Yunwen, ordering him to stop the 16th Division at all costs, without fail, or face military law!

Xue Boling's tone was very firm. Wu Yizhi was just about to leave when he seemed to realize something was amiss, so he softened his tone and said:

"Just tell Commander Zhao that for the sake of the overall situation, I, Xue Boling, owe him a favor and must hold him off for three days."

"I only need three days to cripple or even annihilate the Doihara Division!"

Wu Yizhi had never seen Xue Boling speak so modestly before; he was practically begging Zhao Yunwen to hold off the 16th Division for him.

He immediately comforted Xue Boling, saying:

"Commander-in-Chief, Zhao Yunwen is different from the likes of Gui Yongqing and Huang Jie. He is a pillar of the nation. Whether it was Shanghai, Nanjing, or Pengcheng, Zhao Yunwen's 107th Division was always the rearguard. He is the most trustworthy person. With the 107th Division here, the 16th Division will not be able to cross the Lanfeng-Yangguji line!"

Xue Boling also recalled many rumors and feats of Zhao Yunwen, and coupled with his outstanding performance on the Yudong battlefield, he immediately felt more confident.

The 107th Division was the most formidable unit in the Central Army; the 16th Division was a defeated foe of theirs. Thinking of this, he shouted:

"Chief of Staff Wu, allocate another three thousand reinforcements to Zhao Yunwen, and tell Division Commander Zhao that for every soldier lost, I will replenish him with the same number after the battle!"

The matter of Lanfeng City is of great importance, and empty promises are not enough. Xue Boling generously gave Zhao Yunwen 3 additional soldiers and promised to replenish them as many as they were lost, so as not to let an honest man suffer losses.

Chief of Staff Wu excitedly accepted the order and left. He was bound by his loyalty to Zhao Yunwen, and if Zhao Yunwen accepted the three thousand reinforcements, he would have to fight to the death.

At the headquarters of the 107th Division, Xie Polu rushed over with the newly received military order to report:

"Commander, Commander-in-Chief Xue's urgent telegram: Shangqiu has fallen!"

Zhao Yunwen was well prepared; he was waiting for his old rival, the 16th Division!