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

Pengcheng, the headquarters of the Second Army of the North China Area Army, was a gathering place for veteran Japanese soldiers.

After the defeat at Zheng County, the Second Army underwent internal reorganization, with many new faces, such as Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinotsuka, commander of the 10th Division, and Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the 16th Division.

The 5th Division was also transferred out of the 2nd Army's order of battle. It currently commands the 3rd, 10th, 13th and 16th Divisions. The commanders of each division were present, with Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, the commander-in-chief, sitting in the central seat.

This man was a member of the royal family, and was cautious by nature. At this moment, his face was frosty, and he exuded an air of majesty.

The meeting was chaired by Chief of Staff Major General Ryoki Machijiri. He first conveyed the General Headquarters' instructions that, in order to capture Jiangcheng, the Second Army would be assigned to the Central China Expeditionary Army's combat order starting in July.

「辖第3、10、13、16师团，另有野战重炮兵第5旅团、骑兵第4旅团、工兵、通信、野战医院等后勤直属部队，配合冈村宁次第11军夹击江城。」

After Major General Ryoki Machijiri finished speaking, he returned to his position to listen to Commander-in-Chief Norihiko's instructions.

Prince Naruhiko surveyed the room. As a prince of the Imperial Family, he exuded an aura of authority without even raising his voice. Even Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu, commander of the Third Division, and Lieutenant General Ogisu Tatehei of the Thirteenth Division, dared not act rashly. The Imperial Family's influence in the military was unparalleled.

"Gentlemen, the battle to advance westward along the Pinghan Railway can only be described as a crushing defeat."

Not only did they fail to achieve their strategic goal of capturing Zheng County and rapidly advancing south along the Pinghan Railway, but they also suffered heavy losses, with several divisions incurring massive casualties and depleting enormous resources, utterly disgracing the Empire!

Everyone lowered their proud heads in shame. Although these things were not directly related to them, they concerned the honor of the Second Army, and no one could stand aside.

The newly appointed commander of the 10th Division, Yoshio Shinotsuka, even volunteered for the mission, saying:

"Commander, the entire 10th Division is ashamed of this. Please allow me to lead my brave warriors across the Jialu River and advance into Zheng County. We will rise again from where we fell!"

The commander of the 16th Division, Fujie Keisuke, also stepped forward and said:

"Commander, the 16th Division will surely learn from our shame and strive to improve. Please give our brave soldiers another chance! We beg you!"

Fujita Susumu and Ogisu Rippei, on the other hand, remained indifferent. They had not participated in the westward advance and were not involved in the matter, so they saw no need to get involved and decided to wait and see.

King Renyan's expression softened somewhat; at least morale remained. He didn't respond directly, but instead said:

"I know of your martial prowess, but the opportunity has been lost."

Troop replenishment takes time. The First War Zone in China, having recovered thanks to the Tiger Army's staunch defense of Zheng County, has no point in advancing westward again.

After Prince Naruhiko finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Chief of Staff Machijiri Ryoki, who immediately understood.

Machijiri Ryoki stepped forward, holding the latest operational order from headquarters, and solemnly read it aloud:

"By the latest imperial edict from the Central China Expeditionary Army and General Headquarters:"

The original westward advance along the Longhai Railway and the breakthrough along the Pinghan Railway strategy of the North China Area Army and the Second Army were completely abolished. The 10th and 16th Divisions were to rest and reorganize on the spot, replenish their manpower, repair their equipment, and reorganize their structure. Once their combat strength was restored, they were to immediately return to their original units in the south.

The Second Army abandoned the western Henan battlefield and immediately moved to northern Anhui. From this day forward, the combat mission was changed to use Hefei as the forward base, advance westward and southward along both banks of the Huai River, cross the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains, pass through northern Anhui, southern Henan, and northern Hubei, and outflank Wuhan from the northern front.

In coordination with the 11th Army's offensive on the north bank of the Yangtze River under Okamura Yasuji, a two-pronged attack was launched to annihilate the main Chinese force in Jiangcheng, forcing the Chongqing government to surrender and ending the China Incident.

This order formally declared:

The Japanese army completely abandoned its westward advance route.

The fastest strategic passage, originally intended to penetrate deep into the heart of China from the Central Plains and annihilate the entire nation within six months, was completely blocked by Zhao Yunwen's Tiger Army with blood and fire.

Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko closed his eyes slightly, suppressing his resentment.

"In the battle of advancing westward to Zheng County, the Imperial Army underestimated the enemy, and I bear a great responsibility for this."

The Chinese army was not easily defeated; Zhao Yunwen's troops had become a major threat to the empire.

Remember this opponent; if we meet again, we must go all out.

I have a premonition that we will face the Tiger Army again on the Central China battlefield.

Gentlemen, do not disappoint His Majesty again!

All the Japanese soldiers stood up in unison to express their stance:

"We will go all out to annihilate the Tiger Legion!"

In Xinyang, Zhao Yunwen sneezed for no apparent reason and couldn't help but curse:

"Damn it, who's after me again!"

Xie Polu said jokingly:

"Who else could it be but the Japanese devils! You're quite famous now; it's said you can stop children from crying on the Japanese islands."

Zhao Yunwen said nonchalantly:

"It doesn't matter. There are quite a few Japanese soldiers who hold a grudge against me anyway. Have the troops all been settled?"

When Xie Polu saw Zhao Yunwen asking about serious matters, he quickly replied:

"The various units have been resting and recuperating in their designated defense zones. The two thousand veterans transferred from the First Army have also been replenished to the regiments as planned. With the return of the seriously wounded, the units will be restored, and there may even be a surplus."

Zhao Yunwen nodded in satisfaction, then opened the system panel and started browsing the online store.

He decided to exchange for another batch of Schneider 75mm mountain guns, priced at 12000 points per gun, with 1000 rounds of ammunition per gun.

Zhao Yunwen exchanged 11 guns in one go, adding to the previous 5, for a total of 16 guns, enough to equip a mountain artillery battalion, requiring 132000 contribution points.

They then exchanged for 12 M1919 Schneider 105mm mountain guns. Although this gun had a range of only over 8000 meters, it was powerful and its shells weighed 12 kilograms, twice that of the Schneider 75mm gun, making it suitable for attacking fortified positions.

The artillery piece weighed 750 kilograms, only 75 kilograms heavier than the 675 kilograms of the 75mm cannon. It could be disassembled into eight parts and transported by mules and horses, making it suitable for mountain warfare.

Each door costs 15000 points, comes with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and requires 180,000 contribution points.

Subsequently, a batch of M2 mortars, Min 20 mortars, Springfield sniper rifles, and a large number of shells and bullets were purchased, consuming 98000 contribution points.

[Host, exchanging for the above items requires 41 contribution points. Do you wish to exchange?]

The system confirmed again, and Zhao Yunwen agreed. A pleasant voice sounded in his ear:

[After deducting 41 contribution points, the remaining balance is 828700 points]

"System, arrange for this batch of supplies to be delivered by train via the Pinghan Railway."

【clear!】

After closing the system panel, Zhao Yunwen said to Xie Polu:

"The Zhao family has acquired a batch of equipment and supplies through a foreign firm. The wagons have been arranged and will be delivered to Xinyang Station tonight."

Twelve M1919 Schneider 105mm mountain guns were taken over by the heavy artillery battalion, and eleven M1923 Schneider mountain guns were taken over by the mountain artillery battalion. Together with the previous five, this brought the total to sixteen.

The decommissioned Japanese mountain guns were distributed to the various regiments, while M2 mortars and Springfield sniper rifles were issued to the 649th to 651st Regiments. A portion of the ammunition was allocated to supplement the divisions.

Xie Polu squinted with delight. It was good to have a wealthy commander. He had just gotten rid of the cumbersome old-fashioned Japanese heavy artillery and immediately set up a battalion of it. No wonder the commander was willing to part with it; he had already found a replacement.

Zhao Yunwen added another sentence:

"Keep this confidential!"

"clear!"

Xie Polu left the military headquarters with a smug look on his face. This was the Tiger Legion's most prized equipment, and it was absolutely forbidden for outsiders, especially enemy agents, to know about it.

Zhao Yunwen also wanted to re-equip the entire Tiger Legion, but his strength didn't allow it. He only had a little over 82 contribution points left, so he had to use them sparingly.

Fortunately, the spoils of war were enough, and there were also 65 tons of supplies in the warehouse. He planned to take out 2 tons for consumption during the rest period and send them over by train.

Anyway, with the Zhao Group taking the blame, there's no need to explain to anyone.

With the equipment and supplies shortage resolved, the Tiger Legion can now focus on resting and recuperating in Xinyang to restore its combat strength.

Several days later, Xie Polu excitedly came to report again:

"Commander, the Military Commission's commendation order has arrived, awarding you the Second Class Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, and rewarding the Tiger Army with 500,000 silver dollars."

During the period of rest and recuperation, they are permitted to act expediently, conscripting able-bodied men locally to replenish the ranks.

The principal was unusually generous with the 500,000 silver dollars, so Zhao Yunwen naturally sent a telegram to express his gratitude. As for the matter of conscripting able-bodied men, he decided to forget about it.

The Tiger Legion will not expand blindly; the current 40,000 men are enough. What he wants are veterans, not cannon fodder.

Xie Polu said again:

"The previous batch of equipment and supplies has been received. The artillery brigade consists of one heavy mountain gun battalion (12 105mm Schneider mountain guns), one light mountain gun battalion (16 M1923 Schneider 75mm mountain guns), one field gun battalion (16 Japanese-made 75mm howitzers), one anti-aircraft gun battalion (15 75mm anti-aircraft guns), and one supply battalion. The entire brigade has a total of 57 artillery pieces of various types and more than 500 mules and horses."

"In addition, 60mm mortars were also equipped to three Japanese-equipped regiments, two mortars to each company, and four sniper rifles to each platoon."

Zhao Yunwen nodded in satisfaction, then asked:

"Any new developments from the Japanese side?"