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

In Zheng County, the battle situation gradually deteriorated, and Chiang Kai-shek prepared to retreat to Jiangcheng. His attempt to supervise the battle ended in failure once again.

Throughout history, whoever controls the Central Plains controls the world. Despite the fact that he lost the battle for the Central Plains, the disappointment in his heart was still written on his face.

His current concern is no longer about losing the Central Plains, but rather that after capturing Zheng County, the Japanese will advance south along the Pinghan Railway and directly attack Jiangcheng, a major city in Central China.

How to disrupt the Japanese advance? The plan to use water as a substitute for the army, which had been conceived in my mind for a long time, grew wildly in my mind like poisonous weeds.

At that moment, he did not consider the consequences; strictly speaking, tens of millions of people were not in his heart.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. What he wants to preserve is the country, not the people living on this land.

The head of the attendant's office sent a telegram that was sent out of turn, which was quite abrupt. In principle, he should not have presented it to his superiors, but since it concerned the lives of tens of millions of people in the middle and lower reaches of the river, Lin Wei felt that he should present it to them, even if it meant taking some risks.

"Commander-in-Chief, a telegram from Commander Zhao of the 107th Division."

Chiang Kai-shek seemed to have guessed the contents of the telegram, and revealed an extremely impatient expression, letting out a cold snort:

"Yunwen has won another battle?"

Lin Wei shook his head. Zhao Yunwen had just reported a victory two days ago; how could there be another one?

"I won't look at anything else. Tell Yunwen to be a pure soldier and never get involved in politics. A general's job is simply to fight well."

Chiang Kai-shek's words were loaded with meaning, referring both to Zhao Yunwen and Lin Wei, but the latter seemed to be under a spell and still forced himself to speak:

"This telegram is indeed related to military affairs; General Zhao was simply trying to fulfill his duty as a soldier."

"Then submit the report. I want to see where Yunwen's military discipline is right now."

Chiang Kai-shek reluctantly finished reading the telegram, then coldly shouted:

"Nonsense! Does Zhao Yunwen think he's possessed by a war god? He requested the 107th Division to cover the rear, and even Xue Boling's hundreds of thousands of men couldn't hold them off. How can his small force possibly defend Zheng County for half a month!"

This matter caught Bai Jiansheng's attention. He also disapproved of using water as a substitute for the army, as it would be too damaging to the people.

"Commander-in-Chief, since General Zhao is willing to sign a military pledge, why not let him give it a try? If it doesn't work out, we can always find another way!"

The plan to replace the army with water had been secretly discussed several times in the Military Commission, but it was opposed by the vast majority of people. Even He Jingzhi and Chen Cixiu chose to remain silent. No one could bear this historical responsibility.

With Zhao Yunwen's suggestion, Bai Jiansheng seemed to see hope again and tried to change Chang Kaishen's decision once more, with the others echoing his sentiments.

With the nation in crisis and in turmoil, Chiang Kai-shek could no longer act unilaterally, nor could he isolate himself. Therefore, he resorted to delaying tactics.

"In that case, let General Zhao lead the 107th Division to cover the rear, retreat to Kaifeng first, and block the enemy advancing westward. They shall not enter Zheng County without my order."

Bai Jiansheng was as shrewd as a fox. He saw through Chang Kaishen's little scheme at a glance, but still did not trust Zhao Yunwen and used Kaifeng as a litmus test.

If the 107th Division can hold Kaifeng for a period of time, they will take over Zheng County. If they cannot hold it, there will still be time to implement the second plan.

Bai Jiansheng believed he understood Chiang Kai-shek's intentions and didn't say anything more. This was the best result he could get; the rest was up to the 107th Division.

He believed in Zhao Yunwen.

With Bai Jiansheng leading the way, everyone else chimed in, and Chang Kaishen's decision finally gained everyone's support. A subtle smile appeared on his lips.

In his view, Bai Jiansheng was only good at scheming, but a complete novice in politics, too naive!

After the meeting, he kept Cheng Songyun, the commander of the First War Zone, behind for a private briefing. Everyone else was dismissed, and no one knew what they said.

Two hours later, Zhao Yunwen received a reply from the Military Commission, which included the "Plan for the Transfer of Troops in the Theater":

"In order to avoid a decisive battle with the invading enemy from the west and to maintain future mobility, the main force was to move to the area west of the Pinghan Railway."

The troops stationed in Kaifeng, Zhengxian, Yancheng, Zhumadian, Zhoujiakou, Huaiyang, Shangshui, and other locations will serve as cover for the main force, employing a combination of offense and defense, and a combination of force and flexibility, in order to delay and deplete the enemy's strength.

宋荫国之71军向密县转移，胡寿山军团（附36师、109师）向汜水、巩县转移；李汉魂64军向禹县、郏县转移；俞良贞74军向泌阳转移.....

Zhao Yunwen's 107th Division will abandon positions such as Lanfeng and Yangguji from this day forward and withdraw to Kaifeng to cover the rear.

Commander-in-Chief Xue ordered all battlefield cover troops dispatched by various armies to remain calm, resist vigorously, delay the enemy, and effectively cover the safe withdrawal of our main force.

After the order was read aloud, Qiu the Madman was the first to throw his hat down, and said in a fit of rage:

"Damn it, how could we lose this battle so easily! Two hundred thousand troops surrounded and annihilated the Doien Division, and my 107th Division wiped out at least ten thousand people. We also crippled the 3rd Mixed Brigade and the 30th Infantry Brigade that were heading north to provide support. The other dozen or so divisions besieged half a division and still managed to break through."

"How long has it been? The situation has deteriorated so much that it has reached the point of abandoning the entire Central Plains—"

His words came to an abrupt halt because he realized that all this arguing was pointless. From Shanghai to Nanjing, and then to Pengcheng, how many such humiliating battles had there been?

Faced with the overwhelming tide of events, they could not change the situation of continuous defeats. Even if the 107th Division was made of iron, it could not hammer a few nails.

Others also felt a deep sense of powerlessness, but thankfully they didn't know what would happen next, otherwise their faith would crumble.

After all, the Nationalist army also had its beliefs. Many of them joined the revolution with the initial intention of serving the country and the people. They were willing to shed blood on the battlefield for the continuation of the nation and not to become slaves of a conquered country.

In another timeline, the Nationalist army experienced two collapses of faith: one was the April 12 Incident, and the other was the breach of the Huayuankou Dam.

Zhao Yunwen would never allow the faith of the troops he had painstakingly built to collapse, and immediately shouted coldly:

"It's nothing serious, just a strategic retreat! Although the Toi-en Division broke through, its main force has been annihilated, and Commander Xue's campaign objectives have been basically achieved."

The Japanese are currently in a strategically advantageous position, and their retreat is out of necessity; complaining will not solve the problem.

Our mission is to retreat to Kaifeng, continue to cut off the Longhai Railway, slow down the Japanese advance, and cover the main force's withdrawal.

I have decided to have the 322nd Brigade retreat to Lanfeng City and hold it for two days. The main force will immediately retreat to Kaifeng City and build defensive fortifications based on the favorable terrain on the outskirts.

After completing their rearguard mission, the 322nd Brigade will break out on its own. There's no need to force a rendezvous with the main force; they should go wherever is safe. If necessary, they can remain in the north to wage guerrilla warfare, prioritizing survival.

Of the three brigade commanders, Zhang Yi is the only one who can stand alone. There are various variables in the two days of rearguard duty in Lanfeng City, and Zhao Yunwen must think things through carefully.

He was a time traveler, and he knew that even if the 322nd Brigade ended up staying in the north, it wouldn't be a big deal; they might even be able to establish a base there.

Zhao Yunwen had made up his mind, and no one dared to say anything. Zhang Yi took the initiative to stand up and declare loudly:

"We guarantee the mission will be accomplished. With the 322nd Brigade here, the Japanese won't be able to cross Lanzhou to seal off the city!"

"Very good. Lanfeng City is a strategic point on the Longhai Railway. As long as the 322nd Brigade holds on in Lanfeng City, the main force of the Japanese will not dare to detour to attack Kaifeng and Zheng County. They are also worried about not being able to keep up with the supply."

The Military Commission failed to grasp the situation. Apart from the Longhai Railway, no other railway line could withstand the high-intensity combat capabilities of 100,000 Japanese troops.

Zhao Yunwen understood this perfectly, which was why he volunteered to cover the rear. Even if the Japanese could seize grain from Zheng County, they couldn't get ammunition, and in the end, they would have to rely on Lanfeng and Kaifeng to open up the Longhai Railway.

After seeing everyone off, Zhao Yunwen kept Zhang Yi behind to give him a private talk.