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

At noon on August 13, the sun was scorching, but the atmosphere inside the 88th Division headquarters was so oppressive that it was almost frozen.

Sun Yuanlang paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

The offensive from the perimeter has stalled. Japanese naval guns roared across the river, and warplanes took turns diving and bombing. Although the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division fought desperately, they suffered heavy casualties under the overwhelming naval and air firepower of the enemy and could not break through the stalemate for a long time, let alone achieve any decisive results.

Chief of Staff Zhang Boting, contrary to his usual behavior, barged in excitedly with light steps.

Sun Yuanlang's brows furrowed, his heart filled with impatience.

With the war in such a state, anyone who can still laugh is simply blind.

Before he could even open his mouth to reprimand, Zhang Boting had already raised his voice first:

"Commander! Great news! A tremendous victory!"

"Brother Boting, stop beating around the bush and just say what you have to say."

Sun Yuanlang's tone was clearly unfriendly, and Zhang Boting said excitedly:

"It's Zhao Yunwen's security team!"

"They ambushed fleeing Japanese troops in the Hongkou area, annihilating over four hundred enemy soldiers in one fell swoop!"

As he spoke, he handed the handwritten victory report, which had been sent by Chief of Staff Lu Ping from Zhao Yunwen's side, to Sun Yuanlang with both hands.

Sun Yuanlang took the paper with suspicion, glanced at it, and thought he had misheard and misread it.

Security regiment? Four hundred enemy soldiers annihilated?

That's simply a fantasy.

He quickly finished reading it, still looking unconvinced, and snorted coldly:

"Zhao Yunwen has really grown audacious. This isn't just a simple case of falsifying military intelligence; it's downright reckless! Does he really think I wouldn't dare to prosecute him according to military law?"

When Zhang Boting first received the news, he also couldn't believe it. He knew exactly what the security force's resources were.

"Commander, I have already sent people to verify the information. The results are indeed correct. The main force of the Japanese 6th Battalion was annihilated."

Sun Yuanlang took a deep breath, still incredulous:

"The 6th Battalion broke through the encirclement of the 262nd Brigade; their combat strength is considerable. How could Zhao Yunwen's lousy security regiment possibly swallow them whole?"

"Commander, Zhao Yunwen ambushed the Japanese army on their way back to the headquarters building, taking them by surprise and annihilating the 6th Battalion in one fell swoop."

With the truth laid bare before him, Sun Yuanlang had no more reason to doubt.

A surge of intense jealousy and resentment instantly welled up inside him, making his teeth itch with bitterness.

"Our 88th Division fought tooth and nail at the front, routing the Japanese army, while Zhao Yunwen cowered in the back, reaping the benefits. He's utterly shameless!"

Zhang Boting saw right through Sun Yuanlang's intentions. With such a huge contribution, the 88th Division couldn't just stand by and watch; they had to take the lion's share.

He had already planned this out, and leaned closer, whispering:

"Commander, the success of this battle is entirely due to your strategic planning. The main force of the 88th Division drove the Japanese troops ahead, while the Security Regiment was merely ordered to intercept and kill them. The greatest credit naturally belongs to you."

A slight smile finally appeared on Sun Yuanlang's face, but he was still not satisfied:

"How many men and how many guns does the security regiment have? The main battlefield is still being fought by the 262nd Brigade. You draft the telegram yourself and submit it to the Chief of Education."

"Just give Zhao Yunwen a sip of soup, Da Tou, it has to be from the 88th Division!"

Zhang Boting understood immediately and hurried off to the secret telegram room.

The Chinese language is profound and sophisticated; they know exactly how to report credit and claim credit.

Soon, news of the ambush at Hongkou spread throughout Shanghai and was hailed by the media as the "Great Victory of Hongkou".

The 88th Division became famous overnight, and Sun Yuanlang transformed into a renowned anti-Japanese general praised by everyone in the streets and alleys.

At first, the Japanese army stubbornly refused to admit it, mocking the National Revolutionary Army for exaggerating its achievements and boasting to the heavens.

As a result, the 88th Division directly released a set of battlefield photos: hundreds of Japanese soldiers' corpses were neatly stacked, and captured guns and artillery were piled up like small mountains. The irrefutable evidence left the Japanese speechless.

Jinling, the official residence.

Chiang Kai-shek, holding the report of victory, beamed with joy and repeatedly praised it:

"Sun Yuanlang truly deserves to be called my good student. He displayed the fighting spirit of a Whampoa Military Academy graduate and is worthy of the title of a famous anti-Japanese general."

Who says Whampoa only has three outstanding talents? I think Yuan Lang's command skills are no less than theirs!

The people around them echoed their agreement.

Since making the decision to wage war in Shanghai, the top leadership of the Nationalist government has been under tremendous pressure from both inside and outside the country. This battle is undoubtedly a timely relief.

Chiang Kai-shek glanced at the victory report and suddenly caught sight of a somewhat familiar name.

He has always had a good memory, and he pays special attention to the students from the early classes of Whampoa Military Academy.

"Mo San, what's the background of this Second Security Regiment of Jiangsu Province? And who is the regimental commander, Zhao Yunwen?"

Gu Zhoutong quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied:

"Reporting to the principal, the Jiangsu Provincial Security Corps is a local force, assigned to the Ninth Army Group, and is tasked with supporting the main force in combat. The regimental commander, Zhao Yunwen, is a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy and is from Zhejiang Province."

Chiang Kai-shek smiled so hard his eyes crinkled with wrinkles, and he instantly remembered this person.

Zhao Yunwen was considered a "legend" among the first batch of students at Whampoa Military Academy, and his fame was no less than that of the Three Heroes and the Four Tigers, except that it was all negative.

He once remarked to someone that if Zhao Yunwen had even the slightest ambition, he would be willing to lend a hand and help him rise to a higher position.

"Mo San, Sun Yuanlang truly has the demeanor of a great general. He dared to entrust such a crucial battle of annihilation to the security regiment, and they actually won. Tell me the details of the battle."

Gu Zhoutong immediately embellished the story, portraying the entire battle as a display of Sun Yuanlang's brilliant strategy and far-sighted planning. Chiang Kai-shek nodded repeatedly, praising Sun Yuanlang's "command ability" even more highly.

"Mo San, this battle dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Japanese invaders and greatly boosted national prestige and military morale. Immediately issue a telegram to the entire army to commend the 88th Division and Sun Yuanlang."

He paused, then added:

"Zhao Yunwen was also commended. As long as someone is willing to contribute to the country, I will never treat them unfairly."

Meanwhile, several uninvited guests arrived at the 2nd Security Regiment's position, causing Zhao Yunwen a great deal of trouble—a reporter from the Central News Agency, accompanied by Zhang Boting, the Chief of Staff of the 88th Division.

Zhao Yunwen's expression turned somewhat unpleasant upon seeing them:

"Chief of Staff Zhang, with shells flying everywhere on the battlefield, aren't they just making things worse by coming to the front lines?"

"Commander Zhao, this reporter Shen is one of the top writers at the Central News Agency."

Zhang Boting smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying:

"If she puts a few good words for you in the newspaper, you're not far from a promotion. At the very least, she can find you a better place. It's a real waste of your talent to stay in the security regiment, my brother."

Zhao Yunwen's heart skipped a beat.

What he feared most was being "moved" or "promoted." Once he was transferred, the security team he had personally trained would be snatched away by someone else.

He quickly waved his hand and laughed:

"Chief of Staff is joking. This time it was just luck. It was mainly due to the good command of Division Commander Sun and the bravery of the 88th Division brothers. Our security regiment just benefited a little from their success."

Seeing how cooperative he was, Zhang Boting's face showed satisfaction:

"I am very pleased that Brother Yunwen has this awareness. Without the 88th Division holding the line, the security regiment would have been swallowed up without a trace."

Commander Sun still cherishes our friendship from when we were classmates. He hasn't shortchanged you on any of the credit you deserved; otherwise, the Central News Agency wouldn't have made a special trip to visit you.

Zhao Yunwen knew exactly what kind of person Sun Yuanlang was, but Zhang Boting was right. If he wanted to protect this security regiment, he had to rely on the 88th Division for now.

Sun Yuanlang ate meat, and he could at least drink some soup, which was already considered quite good.

As the two were talking, an angry female voice came from afar.

Central News Agency reporter Shen Yueting stormed in, her voice preceding her arrival:

"Commander Zhao, your security regiment acts even more arrogantly than the Central Army! A mere company commander dares to stop me from taking photos. I demand a reasonable explanation!"

Zhao Yunwen frowned unconsciously.

These reporters showed no sense of propriety, no awareness of confidentiality, and acted arrogantly. He immediately frowned:

"Reporter Shen, this is wartime, and many military deployments must be kept secret. Please understand."

Shen Yueting was even more annoyed that Zhao Yunwen showed her no respect whatsoever.

"Commander Zhao, I know what can be reported and what cannot be reported."

I'm just curious how an obscure security regiment could possibly annihilate hundreds of elite Japanese soldiers.

Could the claims about their record be exaggerated?

Her words were clearly filled with distrust and hostility.

Zhao Yunwen was too lazy to argue and spoke indifferently:

"Let me correct reporter Shen: what we wiped out were not elite troops, but defeated soldiers who were routed by the 262nd Brigade."

Their army collapsed like a house of cards, and they had long lost their will to fight. That's why they panicked and ran headlong into the security regiment's ambush. We simply took advantage of the situation and wiped out these little devils.

Shen Yueting turned her gaze to Zhang Boting, who nodded without making a sound.

She was speechless, her face filled with disappointment.

Before coming, she did her homework and wanted to write an explosive news article titled "The Useless Regiment Commander of Huangpu Military Academy Makes a Comeback and Destroys the Enemy" to attract attention.

In hindsight, she was overthinking things.

A good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing.

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for successfully shirking responsibility, greatly disappointing Central News Agency reporter Shen Yueting. You have gained 3000 contribution points. Current balance: 878300 points.]

Hearing the crisp system notification in his mind, Zhao Yunwen couldn't help but smile slightly.

The Second Security Regiment is not yet able to protect itself. The Shanghai battlefield is extremely dangerous, and a regiment is not enough to last even half a day. By hiding, at least they will not be used as cannon fodder.

But he was unaware that a formidable battle, one that would overturn everyone's understanding, was quietly approaching.