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

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared from the Lu family residence, and the soldiers of the Second Security Regiment were silently licking their wounds on the battlefield.

Lu Ping strode into the command post, his face grave, and reported: "Regimental Commander, 37 seriously wounded soldiers were sent to the International Settlement for treatment overnight. The medical team received 102 seriously wounded and the lightly wounded were allowed to rest on the spot. 239 men were killed, bringing the total casualties in this battle to nearly a thousand. During the cleanup of the battlefield, we captured four Type 4 infantry guns, 12 grenade launchers, and over three hundred rifles from the Japanese. All of them have been brought back to the position and are now ready for use. These are all tough weapons that our brothers fought and died for!"

Zhao Yunwen's face instantly darkened. 341 casualties—such a brutal war of attrition was simply too much for his security regiment to handle! These brothers were the seeds of resistance he had painstakingly cultivated over three years; the pain inflicted on him was beyond anyone's comprehension.

He raised his eyes and stared at Lu Ping, his voice as deep as iron: "Take care of all the seriously wounded to the best of our ability. Provide the best medicine, double the food rations, and if they need anything, just say so. We must sell everything we own to ensure that not a single wounded soldier dies!"

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Lu Ping said, straightening his back and speaking with conviction.

"The compensation will be paid to the families of the martyrs in full," Zhao Yunwen's tone shifted, a murderous aura emanating from him. "Anyone who dares to touch this money earned through sacrifice will be executed without a burial place!"

The Nationalist government's rampant exploitation of its soldiers was a grave taboo for the security forces. Lu Ping's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "I'll personally oversee it; there won't be the slightest mistake!"

With the resettlement arrangements settled, Zhao Yunwen turned his attention back to the Lu family's defense line. Although the Japanese had retreated, the situation in Luodian was still extremely precarious. He was most afraid of being dragged to the main battlefield by the 18th Army to fill the gaps, so he immediately made up his mind to exaggerate the losses when reporting the battle results, claiming that the troops urgently needed rest.

The 18th Army's reply was delayed, so the security regiment could only hold its ground and remain unchanged in the face of any eventuality.

On the other side, the atmosphere inside the headquarters of the Japanese 11th Division was deathly silent. The division commander, Munetake Yamamuro, was furious and slapped Toshio Muraji repeatedly. Such treatment of a regimental commander was extremely rare in the Japanese army.

"You bastard!" Yamamuro Munetake cursed angrily. "You've completely disgraced the Imperial Army! Losing to the main force of the 18th Army is one thing, but the Lu family compound is nothing more than a Chinese security regiment! Now the Chinese newspapers are celebrating, the Western devils are mocking it, and even the Americans are questioning the Imperial Army's combat capabilities!"

Murachi Toshio hung his head in shame and indignation, but Chief of Staff Katamura Shihachi quickly came to his rescue: "Commander, this 2nd Security Regiment is no rabble! The regimental commander, Zhao Yunwen, is a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy. The Zhao family is a wealthy family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The troops are fully equipped with German and Soviet weapons. The artillery battalion has Schneider mountain guns and anti-tank guns, and machine guns are assigned to each squad. Most of the officers are Whampoa graduates. Their strength is no less than that of a main regiment of our Empire!"

Yamamuro Munetake gasped, then angrily berated the Special Higher Police for their delayed intelligence, shifting all blame for the defeat onto Matsui Iwane to both appease him and use his old ties to protect the 11th Division. Katamura Shihachi and Muraji Toshio understood immediately and echoed his sentiments, thus casually dismissing the blame for the defeat.

"The key to the Luodian campaign lies in the main battlefield. If we severely damage the 18th Army, the Luodian predicament will be resolved, and the security regiment will be no threat." Piancun Shiba suggested, seemingly a strategic adjustment, but in reality, it was a way to bypass the enemy if they couldn't win. In their view, attacking the 18th Army was more "cost-effective."

Yamamuro Munetake immediately made the decision to concentrate the entire 11th Division to launch a strong attack on the main position at Luodian and fight the 18th Army to the death, while only sending one battalion to contain Zhao Yunwen at Lujiazhai.

On the main battlefield of Luodian, the 11th Division launched a fierce attack like mad dogs. At the forefront of the attack was Zhao Yunwen's old classmate from the Whampoa Military Academy—Huang Weiwo, the commander of the 67th Division. The usually refined man was enraged by the attack and personally took command at the front line. The 67th Division held out against the Japanese onslaught for more than ten days. Yamamuro Munetake had intended to take on a tough challenge, but instead, he kicked a red-hot iron.

Meanwhile, the Lu family's Second Security Regiment got a rare opportunity to rest and recuperate. All the lightly wounded returned to their posts, most of the seriously wounded recovered, the team's strength was restored to 90%, and the National Government's commendation arrived as scheduled—100,000 yuan in legal tender, the Fourth Class Order of the Precious Tripod, and a large amount of food and military supplies were delivered one after another. The treatment of the security regiment was no less than that of the central government's direct subordinates!

Taking advantage of these few days of peace, Zhao Yunwen regained some of his health and recovered from the fatigue of the battlefield, and even vaguely regained the appearance of a scion of a prominent family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

However, at the headquarters of the 18th Army, the life of Commander Luo Youqing was as difficult as ascending to heaven. The situation at Luodian was deteriorating day by day. The 14th, 11th and 67th Divisions were all decimated, and only the 93rd Division had some fighting strength left. The defensive line continued to shrink, and the soldiers were exhausted and at their last gasp.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, the chief of staff rushed into the military headquarters in a panic, clutching the telegram, his voice trembling: "Commander! Urgent telegram from the Military Commission! The third wave of Japanese reinforcements has landed at Wusongkou, and the main force of the 9th Division is heading south directly towards Dachang; the 36th Regiment has landed at Hongkou, greatly increasing the pressure on the 9th Army Group! Reinforcements will not arrive for at least three days. My unit is ordered to immediately dispatch troops to assist in the defense of Dachang and hold it for three days!"

"Bullshit!" Luo Youqing roared in fury, slamming his fist on the table and smashing it. "The Luodian defense line is about to collapse! What reinforcements can I send? Is the Military Commission trying to wipe out the 18th Army?!"

The usually mild-mannered man, driven to the brink, snapped at the hesitant chief of staff, "Speak your mind!"

The chief of staff quickly leaned closer and whispered, "Commander, have you forgotten about the security regiment? Zhao Yunwen's troops just finished attacking the Lu family mansion, and their strength has recovered to 90%. They're a ready-made force!"

Luo Youqing was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up with joy: "That's right! Send an urgent telegram immediately, ordering Zhao Yunwen to lead the Second Security Regiment to Dachang's aid!"

An urgent telegram was sent swiftly from the headquarters of the 18th Army to the Lu family residence.

The smoke from the battle at Lujiazhai had barely cleared, and the Second Security Regiment hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath before being sent to another deadly battle. Zhao Yunwen raised his hand to the Browning pistol at his waist, his fingertips tracing the grip, and looked towards the direction of Dachang, his eyes flashing with a chilling light—facing the well-equipped and ferocious Japanese 9th Division, this tough battle was unavoidable!