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

Shortly after Zhao Yunwen finished eating his noodles, the results of the battle were reported from the front, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

"More than 3,000 Japanese soldiers were killed, the 30th Infantry Brigade escaped more than ten kilometers away, the siege of Lanfeng was completely lifted, and 11 large and small artillery pieces, more than 2,200 guns, more than 400 mules and horses, and countless ammunition and supplies were captured."

Cheers erupted in the command post. The 107th Division had won a series of victories, and morale was high from top to bottom.

Zhao Yunwen praised:

"Well done, brothers! Report the results to the corps headquarters immediately and send a copy to the Military Commission. I want to recommend these soldiers for commendation!"

Although it was somewhat irregular for Zhao Yunwen to deliver the good news directly to Chiang Kai-shek, this was standard practice among Whampoa Military Academy students and instructors, and it was what the principal liked best.

For once, Old Zhao had a sudden epiphany, and Xie Polu was also taken aback for a moment before realizing what was happening and carrying out the order without hesitation.

He couldn't guess what the commander was thinking.

Shortly after the defeat of the 30th Brigade, the southward detachment of the 14th Division arrived too late;

They then launched an attack on the north and northeast corners of Lanfeng City, but were strongly blocked by the 647th Regiment.

Perhaps having already learned that reinforcements had been defeated, their offensive was not sustained and ended hastily, leaving behind more than a hundred corpses before retreating.

The 14th Division abandoned its attempt to seize Lanfeng and focused on breaking out from other directions, with the 27th Army's defense zone bearing the brunt of the attack.

This time, Gui Yongqing didn't dare to challenge Xue Boling's power again. Although he had He Jingzhi, a big shot, behind him, a county magistrate is not as powerful as a county official, and he couldn't afford to offend Xue Boling.

The soldiers of the 27th Army, emboldened by their shame, fought with fierce courage and held off the Japanese with heavy casualties until the 58th Division arrived as reinforcements, at which point the 14th Division had no chance.

At the 14th Division headquarters, Kenji Doihara, like a defeated rooster, glared with bloodshot eyes and cursed angrily:

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! You've completely disgraced the empire!"

Before he could vent his anger, the chief of staff delivered more bad news:

"Your Excellency, the 30th Infantry Brigade of the 16th Division was defeated by the 107th Division, suffering heavy losses and is no longer capable of fighting."

Kenji Doihara grabbed a teacup and slammed it to the ground, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"The 16th Division is a bunch of useless trash. They've disgraced the Emperor. They can't even fight when they see the 107th Division. An entire brigade was routed by Chinese soldiers of equal strength. What a disgrace!"

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, Zhao Yunwen's troops are extremely difficult to deal with. Not only the 16th Division, but also the 9th and 11th Divisions suffered heavy losses before."

The Kwantung Army's 3rd Mixed Brigade, the strongest unit in the Imperial Army, was almost decimated, so it was normal that the 16th Division couldn't defeat it.

With the 107th Division in place, it's impossible for my unit to break through the Longhai Railway and join forces with the 16th Division. Xue Boling's Yudong Corps is numerous and powerful; even if several of them were exchanged for one Japanese soldier, we couldn't afford it. We need to think of another way.

The chief of staff did not elaborate, but Kenji Doihara understood the meaning: after Xue Boling's army also demonstrated its strength, they only had one option left.

This was a difficult decision, as it concerned the old Japanese soldier's lifelong reputation. Kenji Doihara fell into a brief silence, and the chief of staff didn't even dare to breathe loudly, patiently waiting for him to make a choice.

The air inside the command post was almost frozen; you could hear a pin drop. After what seemed like an eternity, Kenji Doihara's voice finally rang out:

"Order the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade to fire all its shells at the western front positions in China, make a breakout attempt to the west, then destroy all heavy artillery, and the entire army to break out to the northeast and withdraw across the Yellow River."

The short military order seemed to have drained Kenji Doihara of all his energy and spirit. Breaking out to the northeast meant retreating to the starting position and admitting defeat.

This was a fatal blow to the proud Kenji Doihara. It was the only option to prevent the 14th Division from being completely annihilated, because the focus of the Yudong Corps was to stop the 14th Division from advancing westward, and there were not many troops in the northeast.

Although they were surrounded on all sides, there was still a focus, and the chief of staff immediately began to flatter them:

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, that's brilliant! A feint to the east while attacking in the west will surely lead Xue Boling to fall into the trap. As long as the Imperial Army breaks through the encirclement, it will be able to seize the strategic initiative."

The 16th Division and the 13th Mixed Brigade are advancing towards Kaifeng, and the 10th Division and the Itagaki Division are on their way. Before long, the Chinese will be routed, and victory will surely belong to the Imperial Army.

Kenji Doihara felt a pang of bitterness. Originally, the 14th Division could have taken all the spoils; now that the 16th Division had been added, and soon the 5th and 10th Divisions would be added as well, there would be more and more people vying for the spoils, while they would have to swallow the bitter pill of defeat alone.

Thinking of this, Kenji Doihara said listlessly:

"Execute the order! Tell everyone to act decisively. The 14th Division is facing a life-or-death situation; only by living can we find meaning!"

The chief of staff chuckled and left, while Kenji Doihara slumped heavily in his chair, his body limp like a lump of mud.

Inside the headquarters of the Yudong Corps, the atmosphere was very relaxed. Xue Boling stood up straight, with frequent reports of victories from the front lines. He was about to win this high-stakes gamble. As long as he annihilated Doihara Kenjiro's division, as a corps directly under the Central Army, the Political Department would definitely give it a lot of publicity, and he would surpass Li Delin to become the number one anti-Japanese general.

As for Zhao Yunwen, they are not in the same league and are not comparable.

Chief of Staff Wu leaned over and said:

"Commander Zhao called to warn us to be careful of the 14th Division breaking through to the northeast, which is the route they came by and the weakest link in the encirclement."

Xue Boling nodded and said:

"I had already thought of that. Kenji Doihara is a very proud person. Making him slink back would be more painful than killing him."

Even if he dared to make that decision, what would happen to all the heavy artillery and supplies carried by the 14th Division?

If that's the case, we'll pursue them across the entire front. The Japanese are carrying dozens of heavy artillery pieces and a large amount of supplies; those who can't run fast enough will be easy prey for us!

Xue Boling also wanted to annihilate the 14th Division, but he lacked sufficient troops. His bottom line was to hold the existing positions, prevent the 14th Division from advancing westward, protect the Longhai Railway and the Pinghan Railway, and let a few thousand Japanese soldiers escape without serious consequences.

These words could not be spoken aloud, but Chief of Staff Wu understood perfectly well that although the result was not ideal, it was acceptable.

Chief of Staff Wu changed the subject and said:

"The 107th Division is now free to maneuver; should we have them join the siege from the south?"

Xue Boling waved his hand and said:

"The 107th Division has been through several bloody battles and has suffered heavy losses in manpower and supplies. It urgently needs to rest and recuperate. Let them hold the line and rest on the spot."

My only mission for them was to absolutely prevent the 14th Division from breaking out of the Longhai Railway, and to prevent any Japanese reinforcements from advancing north.

Just kidding. If we send the 107th Division north at this time, wouldn't Zhao Yunwen take the fruits of our labor?

They've already made enough contributions; they should just stay obediently on the Longhai Railway. There aren't enough for all the armies in the Yudong Corps.

Just as Chief of Staff Wu was about to leave, the thunderous sound of artillery roared from the western front, shaking the earth. It was clearly the sound of the heavy artillery brigade's 150mm heavy howitzers, and everyone's expression changed drastically.

Chief of Staff Wu exclaimed in surprise:

"The Japanese are trying to break through!"

"Damn it! Kenji Doihara, that old devil, is really crazy. At this point, he still wants to break through to the west!"

Immediately telegraph Gui Yongqing: He must hold the line! Anyone who retreats will be court-martialed!

Xue Boling was truly traumatized by Gui Yongqing. Now is the most critical moment of the war, and he can't afford to be injured again.

Inside the 107th Division headquarters, Zhao Yunwen sighed deeply. Although he had already warned Xue Boling, the Yudong Corps still fell for Kenji Doihara's feint attack.

"What a pity! If Commander Xue had filled the weak point in the northeast direction beforehand, it might have been possible to annihilate the 14th Division!"

Lu Ping leaned over and said that he and Zhao Yunwen had done many war game simulations, and their biggest worry was that Kenji Doihara would back down and allow the enemy to break out to the northeast.

Zhao Yunwen, on the contrary, explained for Xue Boling:

"Commander Xue had no choice. He dug too many pits in the early stages. It's already good that we've achieved this result. The primary task of the Yudong Corps is to hold the western front. This is the best outcome we can hope for."

As Zhao Yunwen had predicted, after the Doihara Division finished its artillery bombardment, it used a small number of troops to launch a feigned attack to the west, while the main force abandoned all its heavy artillery and supplies and broke out to the northeast with light equipment. After paying a certain price, it successfully broke out.

Xue Boling was not angry. Instead, he ordered a full-scale pursuit. The Japanese troops covering the rear destroyed heavy artillery and supplies and retreated while fighting. In the end, they were overtaken and annihilated by the various armies of the Yudong Army.

The 14th Division eventually broke through with more than 10,000 men, and the Yudong Corps subsequently announced a great victory, annihilating 30,000 men of the 14th Division.

The Japanese did not acknowledge the victory and declared it a success, but the 14th Division, which was the main force, suffered more than 10,000 casualties, including more than 2,000 killed in action. As for the number of survivors, you can figure out how many there were.

In an attempt to save face, Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the North China Area Army, ordered the 10th and 5th Divisions to accelerate their westward advance, along with the 16th Division, the 13th Mixed Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade. The Henan-Eastern battlefield was once again plunged into a major crisis.

Chiang Kai-shek was frightened. The troops on the Henan-Eastern battlefield were all elite Central Army soldiers, the most elite of the elite. More than 50,000 of them had already been killed or wounded. Heartbroken, he decided to find another way and turned his attention to the rolling Yellow River.