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

The 88th Division's offensive was exceptionally difficult, but at dawn, the deafening roar of gunfire tore through the sky, shocking the entire city of Shanghai. Every corner of both the Chinese-controlled area and the foreign concessions could hear it clearly. The vast majority of citizens were still fast asleep, completely unaware that this inevitable great battle had broken out unexpectedly.

In recent days, the situation in Shanghai had already reached an extreme tension. The Japanese were pressing forward relentlessly, making constant inflammatory statements, and the heavy shadow of war weighed on everyone's mind. The Western powers, fearing that the Japanese army would disrupt the existing order in Shanghai and damage their vested interests in China, had been trying to mediate and negotiate for days. However, while negotiations were still underway, the fighting had already begun.

The British Consulate in the International Settlement was already packed with consuls from various countries. American Consul William Thompson slammed his fist on the table and roared in anger:

"Damn Japanese! They want to take over Shanghai for themselves! China has made concessions time and again in the negotiations; they simply don't respect the civilized world!"

The United States has always adhered to the Open Door Policy in China and advocated that all countries share the benefits. Naturally, they are extremely dissatisfied with Japan's attempt to forcibly change the status quo by force.

French Consul Germain immediately chimed in: "Mr. Thompson is right! These barbaric Japanese are becoming increasingly arrogant! Shanghai belongs to the entire civilized world; we must stop them!"

"Prevent?"

Hans Schmidt, the consul of the Third Reich, disliked the French's arrogance the most and immediately made sarcastic remarks:

"What does France intend to use to stop it? Japan has already withdrawn from the League of Nations, and the Versailles system is long gone and can no longer restrain anyone."

The League of Nations was dominated by Britain and France, and Germany had long harbored resentment, eager to break this old order. Seeing the Germans deliberately provoking trouble, British Consul Charles Hill's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Mr. Schmidt, we are gathered here today to negotiate a solution to the conflict and prevent the war from escalating and endangering the interests of all countries in China, not to quarrel."

The British Empire remained the undisputed world superpower, wielding the most influence, and everyone nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Schmidt said nothing more. Thompson then looked at Hill:

"Mr. Hill, war has broken out, and we must come up with a mediation plan as soon as possible to force Japan to stop its attack on the Chinese-speaking areas."

All eyes turned to Hill, which was the core purpose of their early morning visit. But just as Hill was about to speak his proposal, the Japanese consul, Imai Gotsuki, burst through the door, his face still bearing that arrogant and domineering expression.

Although everyone was angry, no one dared to lash out on the spot—after all, they were all supposedly civilized gentlemen, unwilling to stoop to the level of the Japanese. Imai Gouji, however, entered and immediately began shouting, his tone deliberately angry:

"Gentlemen, on behalf of the Great Japanese Empire, I hereby lodge the strongest protest!"

"The Chinese army launched a surprise attack in the early hours of this morning, brazenly invading the Japanese concession and causing heavy casualties to the Imperial Shanghai Special Marine Corps! This is a despicable and shameless sneak attack, and the Empire will lodge the strongest protest with the League of Nations!"

The consuls present could hardly believe their ears. This wasn't a protest; it was a blatant act of blatant false accusation, utterly shameless! Schmidt was immediately amused, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm:

"Mr. Imai, if I remember correctly, you have already occupied Beijing and Tianjin in North China, and are currently launching a fierce attack on Nankou. As early as July 7th, you launched a full-scale invasion of China. The actions of the Chinese army can at most be considered a legitimate counterattack."

The other consuls also wore mocking expressions; such a blatant act of the thief crying "stop thief!" was truly rare. Imai Gouji, his lies exposed in public, turned pale and then flushed, and in a fit of desperation, resorted to a brazen and shameless act:

"North China is North China, and Shanghai is Shanghai! The Chinese army's attack on the Imperial concessions is tantamount to a declaration of war! If the League of Nations does not stop it, the Empire will retaliate with all its might! When that happens, it will affect the interests of all countries in China, so don't blame me for not warning you beforehand!"

This is blatant extortion! Everyone knows perfectly well that Imai Gotsuki's true purpose in coming here is to use Britain and France to put pressure on the Nanjing government and buy precious time for Japanese reinforcements to arrive. He is an expert on China and knows all too well the enormous influence that Britain and the United States have on the Nanjing government.

The consuls of Britain and France, fully aware of Japan's utter lack of credibility, still clung to illusions—just as they had pursued a policy of appeasement in Europe. As beneficiaries of the situation in Shanghai, they feared the escalation of the war more than anyone else, and were willing to sacrifice China's interests in exchange for Japan's temporary withdrawal.

Sure enough, British Consul Hill quickly spoke up, his tone shameless and hypocritical:

"The League of Nations will not stand idly by in this matter. The current situation in Shanghai cannot be changed. We will immediately contact the consul in Nanjing to do our utmost to mediate this dispute. We also hope that Japan will exercise restraint, refrain from escalating the conflict, and leave everything to the League of Nations to handle."

Other consuls also expressed their willingness to jointly pressure the Nanjing government to force the Chinese army to cease fire and back down. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Imai Goichi immediately feigned magnanimity: "The Empire has no intention of escalating the conflict. As long as the Chinese army stops its offensive and withdraws from the Japanese concession, everything can be discussed again."

As if seeing a glimmer of hope for peace, the crowd immediately gathered together, eagerly discussing how to persuade China to back down, hoping to dispel the flames of war over Shanghai through negotiations.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Japanese Navy's Special Landing Force, Major General Denshichi Okawa's eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he had barely slept a wink all night. Urgent calls from various outposts rang incessantly, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere throughout the headquarters.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Asada, his face grim after hanging up an urgent phone call, strode quickly to Ōkawa:

"Commander, three strongholds have completely lost contact, and the Imperial Army has suffered heavy casualties! If this continues, the surrounding troops may be completely annihilated!"

"You idiots! A bunch of useless trash!"

Da Chuan slammed his fist on the table and roared in fury:

"It hasn't been long, and you can't hold on anymore? You've completely disgraced the empire!"

Asada steeled himself and stepped forward, whispering his advice:

"Commander, the Chinese army has deployed tens of thousands of elite troops this time, and launched a surprise attack at dawn. The disparity in troop strength between the enemy and ourselves is enormous. We must adjust our deployment as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable."

Da Chuan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice:

"Okay, how do I adjust it?"

"After dawn, the Empire will have complete air superiority, and the accuracy of naval guns will be greatly improved."

Asada quickly said:

"My suggestion is to immediately order all battalions to break out and retreat to the headquarters building to hold out! With air support and the powerful firepower of naval guns, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive and take the opportunity to inflict heavy casualties on the elite Chinese troops!"

"Yosh, that's a brilliant plan!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Da Chuan's eyes:

"The headquarters building is impregnable and backs onto the river. As long as we have enough troops, no matter how many Chinese come, they'll just be throwing their lives away!"

"Immediately order all battalions to prepare for a breakout! Those unable to break out must hold their ground and hold off the main force of the Chinese army!"

He gave a stern order:

"Furthermore, I will immediately call Lord Hasegawa and request increased naval and air support to fully cover the breakout of all units!"

"Hai!" Asada bowed sharply, accepted the order, and strode away.

The Japanese army was the first to make tactical adjustments.

Meanwhile, the offensive of the Ninth Army Group continued. The officers and soldiers of the 87th and 88th Divisions fought extremely bravely, charging forward wave after wave, but ultimately lacked experience in siege warfare and failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough in the Japanese strongholds. To make matters worse, Japanese warships and aircraft were being deployed to the battlefield one after another, with fierce and brutal firepower, and casualties among our attacking forces rose sharply.

Under repeated bombardment from the Japanese navy and air force, the 88th Division's offensive was becoming unsustainable. In order to reduce unnecessary casualties, the troops had to gradually reduce the intensity of their attack. Taking advantage of this, the Japanese launched a counterattack, which progressed extremely quickly. Several units successfully broke through the encirclement of our troops and hastily retreated towards the headquarters building.

But none of these unusual movements escaped Zhao Yunwen's "heavenly eye." On the three-dimensional mini-map in front of him, every breakout route of the Japanese army was clearly visible.

The opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived!

Zhao Yunwen gazed at the distant, smoke-filled battlefield, a cold smile slowly curving his lips. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he let out a soft, cold snort:

"You little devils, I've been waiting for you for a long time."