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

Before the Third Battalion, the corpses of the Japanese soldiers were piled up in layers. Those who were lucky enough to survive also obediently lay down. The stubborn ones all became corpses. The M1919 medium machine gun was the best at dealing with all kinds of resistance.

The machine gunners were feasting on meat, while the riflemen could only follow behind, drinking soup. Zhang Gongjian took advantage of the chaos to shoot and kill two Japanese soldiers, finally getting a taste of foreign cuisine.

He was a seasoned veteran whom Zhao Yunwen had traded cannons for. It was truly remarkable that he had survived from Shanghai to Lanfeng to this day.

Zhang Gongjian's Springfield rifle was highly accurate and had low recoil, which he greatly appreciated. Its only drawback was the lack of a scope.

The Japanese soldiers on the other side were as slippery as eels, and their marksmanship was incredibly accurate. I was a bit greedy earlier and almost ate a peanut.

After the Japanese soldiers unleashed their three-pronged attack, the defending troops' position remained as solid as a rock, leaving them no choice but to lie on the ground and test their strength. The soldiers of the Third Battalion also suffered considerable casualties.

Zhang rarely used his bow and arrow; this was a veteran's way of survival. Staying alive was the top priority, unless the Japanese invaded the position, in which case he would have to fight to the death.

He stared at Maeda Tsuyoshi, a fellow rifleman. This kid was a replacement after the Battle of Linyi and was still a greenhorn.

Although he was a reserve member of the 5th Division and had previously served in the active duty, he had already opened an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Hiroshima before his second conscription. With elderly parents and young children to support, he dared not risk his life.

Maeda Tsutomu kept firing aimlessly, as if it would embolden him, unaware that he was inviting death's favor.

Zhang Gongjian's lips curled up, his gaze was cold, and his finger gently pulled the trigger—a crisp gunshot rang out, and the bullet accurately hit Maeda Tsuyoshi's chest.

A 7.62mm full-charge bullet hitting a person's upper body has the same effect: almost no survivors.

The third one!

After Zhang successfully shot his arrow, he ducked back under cover. Luckily, a grenade exploded just five meters away from where he had been hiding, and he escaped death once again.

The grenadier shook his head with some regret, having failed to kill his target. Just as he was preparing to change prey, a 60mm mortar shell fell from the sky, destroying the grenade launcher and killing the man.

The Japanese grenade launcher tactics were no longer effective; they were completely suppressed by the 60mm mortars. The range difference between the two sides was too great; they were not even in the same league.

Captain Kenji Okamoto was horrified to discover that their proud infantry tactics were completely countered by the 107th Division, as if they were being watched by a third eye.

"You idiots, a bunch of useless trash!"

After Captain Okamoto finished cursing, he buried himself in the pit; his body language spoke volumes.

The stalemate persisted, casualties rose sharply, more and more wounded soldiers were being transferred, and field hospitals were overflowing. Kunisaki Noboru seemed to have figured out a trick.

This is the 107th Division deliberately wearing them down. If the fighting continues like this, the two infantry battalions of the 11th Regiment that have been committed to the battlefield will be decimated. This is exactly Zhao Yunwen's style.

Having suffered a setback in direct confrontation, he could only place his hopes on the flanks of the 41st Regiment, and Kunisaki Noboru turned his attention to the southern front.

In the southern part of the city, the Hashimoto Regiment had already maneuvered to their positions. The vanguard, the Sato Battalion, launched the first attack, engaging the Second Battalion in a fierce battle. The Japanese failed to break through the position in one fell swoop and instead left behind dozens of corpses.

This was just an appetizer; the real offensive began once the main force of the Hashimoto Regiment arrived.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers were divided into two echelons, charging menacingly towards the Second Battalion's position, only to be met with an impenetrable defense.

The Second Battalion's concentrated firepower inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, causing them to retreat twice in succession. The ground was littered with wounded soldiers struggling in pain, and since they could not be rescued, they could only be left to die slowly.

In Kaifeng, with the main force of the Yudong Corps withdrawing and the Japanese about to arrive, people were in a state of panic. Those with connections were fleeing, and at the very least, they were hiding in the countryside with relatives to avoid disaster.

Zhao Yunwen led the main force of the 107th Division to the outskirts of the city and took over the ancient capital. Since they had to hold out for several days, it was inevitable that the city would be destroyed.

In order to reduce civilian casualties, Zhao Yunwen ordered people to guide them across the Pinghan Railway and flee westward.

The area west of the Pinghan Railway was still under the control of the Nationalist army. Zhao Yunwen clearly remembered that these areas would not fall until the Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi, which was several years away. It was better than being massacred by the Japanese.

After evacuating the civilians, the 107th Division began to construct defensive fortifications, focusing its defense on the outer perimeter and avoiding street fighting as much as possible unless absolutely necessary.

The Yudong Corps had existing fortifications in Kaifeng. Zhao Yunwen exchanged a large amount of steel bars and cement from the system and built bunkers on the outskirts of the city, taking advantage of the terrain, and dug large-scale earthworks.

With 20,000 troops rolling up their sleeves and working hard, the sheer number of people made a huge difference, turning the area around Kaifeng into a massive construction site.

Inside the command post, Zhao Yunwen convened a meeting with Lu Ping, Xie Polu, Qiu Fengzi, Wang Guohua, and others:

"Brothers, the main force of the Yudong Corps is gradually withdrawing to the west of the Pinghan Railway, and the number of Japanese soldiers pursuing them is not large."

The 14th Division was being replenished after being decimated, the 5th Division was blocked in Lanfeng, and the 10th Division would take another day to reach Lanfeng. The 114th Division, which was advancing south along the Pinghan Railway, was also blocked by the troops of the First War Zone and could not reach Zheng County in a short time.

It's a foregone conclusion that the Nationalist government will abandon Zheng County. If they won't defend it, we will!

Zheng County is located at the intersection of the Pinghan Railway and the Longhai Railway, and its strategic position is extremely important. I have already pledged to the Military Commission that I must hold Zheng County for half a month to buy time for the defense of Jiangcheng.

Qiu the Madman immediately stated:

"That goes without saying. Even the ancients knew about the struggle for the Central Plains. Zheng County is located in the heart of the Central Plains. How could we let the Japanese devils have it!"

"Commander, let's do it! The brothers have no complaints, none of them will back down. Just tell us how to fight."

Everyone else expressed their support, and with everyone united, Zhao Yunwen's decision represented the highest will.

Zheng County is only 68 kilometers away from Kaifeng, within the monitoring range of Zhao Yunwen's minimap. If anyone dares to make a move, he can react, but it's still too far.

The plan to use water as a substitute for the army could not be made public yet. Seeing that everyone was in complete agreement, Zhao Yunwen gave the order directly:

"Wang Guohua, you will lead the 324th Brigade to Zheng County in secret and hide in the suburbs, waiting for my order to take over. I will also reinforce you with several Schneider mountain guns."

"The 323rd Brigade was responsible for the defense of Kaifeng City, while the artillery regiment, cavalry regiment, independent regiment and other units provided auxiliary defense south of the Longhai Railway."

Everyone obeyed and left, leaving only the reconnaissance battalion commander, Xiao Jianyun, behind for a personal briefing. After listening, Xiao Jianyun's expression changed drastically, and he stammered:

"How dare they... what kind of dogs do they treat hundreds of millions of people like!"

Zhao Yun said with a dark face:

"This plan has been discussed at the highest levels several times. You are to secretly travel to both sides of the river and eliminate anyone found engaging in any underhanded activities as enemy agents or saboteurs!"

"What if there are too many people and it gets too noisy?"

Zhao Yunwen's eyes flashed coldly as he said in a chilling tone:

"Report directly to the division headquarters, I'll handle it!"

Xiao Jianyun straightened his back and said:

"Commander, I know what to do. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"You shall depart immediately and maintain constant contact. You are granted the authority to make decisions on the spot. Even if you cause a major incident, it is all fine. Just insist that you are enemy agents."

Xiao Jianyun understood immediately. This was something he was good at. If all else failed, he could use some Japanese tokens to frame someone, or even just put a loincloth on them.

Zhao Yunwen clearly remembered that at first, they only carried out small, clandestine operations, sending out only company-level units for demolition. Because the results were not good, they eventually changed their target to Huayuankou. They sent out a regiment to bombard it with artillery, with Cheng Songyun, the commander of the First War Zone, in charge of the operation.

Therefore, the reconnaissance battalion alone cannot solve the problem; Zhao Yunwen must personally take charge and not hesitate to use force.

After sending Xiao Jianyun away, Zhao Yunwen focused on dealing with the Japanese pursuers, hoping to change the higher-ups' decision.

Xie Polu rushed in and reported loudly:

"Commander, news from the cavalry regiment indicates that a group of Japanese soldiers, about a battalion, is bypassing the main force and heading straight for Kaifeng."

Zhao Yunwen instantly flew into a rage:

"Damn it, a single battalion dares to launch a sneak attack on Kaifeng? Do they think I'm made of clay?!"

Order the Independent Regiment and Cavalry Regiment to ambush the Japanese troops in their marching direction and wipe out these arrogant fools!

Under the unified command of Deputy Division Commander Lu.