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

West of Jiading, at Yansi Bridge in Anting Town, the Japanese were besieging a retreating Nationalist army detachment, and the battle was extremely fierce.

They could have broken through, but the townspeople hadn't had time to evacuate, so they had to hold onto Yansi Bridge, which leads to the old street, to cover the townspeople's escape.

Yansi Bridge is located in the center of the old street of Anting Town. It spans Antingjing River and has a single-arch stone step bridge surface. It connects Yanjing River and Sijing River to the north, hence its name.

The bridge spans approximately 7.4 meters and is about 6.5 meters wide. On the east side of the bridge arch, among the stones, grows a pomegranate tree that is over a hundred years old. Its roots are flat, and it blooms with flowers and bears abundant fruit every June.

Regiment Commander Qin Qingwu had no time to appreciate the picturesque scenery of Jiangnan. The Japanese troops attacking them were a part of their old rival, the Ninth Division. Zhao Yunwen had told him that this was a beastly unit, and they absolutely could not be allowed to enter the main street.

Battalion Commander Qin Feng leaned closer with a gloomy face and said:

"The town's residents are evacuating too slowly; they might not all be gone by nightfall. If this continues, all our brothers will be wiped out!"

Qin Feng is Qin Qingwu's cousin. He is brave in battle and is the only remaining veteran of the 109th Regiment. He was promoted to battalion commander in the later stages of the Battle of Dachang.

Qin Qingwu coldly shouted:

"Even if we're blindsided, we have to hold our ground! Are you chickening out?"

Qin Feng couldn't take this provocation and said, his neck turning bright red:

"There isn't a single coward among those who come from Qin Family Village!"

Qin Qingwu felt a pang of sadness. Of the 34 young men he had brought from Qin Family Village, only 7 remained after he and Qin Feng joined them.

Every household in the village was in mourning, and he didn't know how to face the Qin clan.

For this reason, we must not let the Japanese enter Anting Town, otherwise there will not be any people left in the town, not even those in mourning.

"Commander, the Japanese are coming again!"

Qin Qingwu had no time for sadness; the Japanese soldiers were swarming in, so he had to fight them off first.

Qin Feng grabbed the Czech-made light machine gun and started firing. The regimental commander was right; even if they ran out of ammunition, they had to hold on.

At the town entrance, Major Watanabe's face was as black as charcoal. Anting Town was a well-known wealthy place. As long as he killed and robbed all the Chinese people in the town, he would have enough to eat and live on for the rest of his life.

The hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops had already been routed, but unexpectedly, they encountered two tough opponents in this small town. They charged three times in a row but failed to break through the Chinese resistance and suffered dozens of casualties.

He completely lost his patience and issued the order for a general attack, roaring at the company commander:

"If you can't break through Yan Si Bridge, don't come back!"

The company commander brandished his saber and shouted:

"Warriors, there are plenty of beautiful girls in town! Just charge in and you can have a blast!"

The Japanese soldiers, roused by the pretty girls, yelled and charged forward like they were on steroids. Machine guns and grenade launchers provided long-range fire suppression, destroying the only Maxim heavy machine gun at the bridgehead.

Just as the Japanese soldiers were about to rush across the stone bridge, Qin Feng raised his arm and shouted:

"Brothers, fix bayonets and fight the Japanese devils!"

Just as the remnants of the 109th Regiment were preparing to engage the Japanese in hand-to-hand combat, a volley of mortar shells rained down from the sky, instantly felling a large number of Japanese soldiers.

Qin Qingwu and Qin Feng both saw surprise in each other's eyes, and Qin Feng shouted joyfully:

"It's an 82mm mortar!"

"Reinforcements! Absolutely reinforcements—we're saved!"

Shells rained down, and the once arrogant Japanese soldiers were reduced to howling screams and cries of terror, their former arrogance completely gone.

Watanabe Jugo exclaimed in surprise:

"Baka yarou, enemy attack!"

The attack on the Japanese was launched by the 2nd Security Regiment. Although they only had more than 700 men, their firepower was fierce, and their machine gun company was quite impressive.

Six 82mm mortars, two infantry guns, and four bazookas in each battalion—enough to crush a Japanese battalion.

Watanabe's battalion had long been dispersed, and only two infantry companies, more than 300 men, were besieging the 109th Regiment.

Wang Guohua deployed the three infantry battalions in a fan shape, with more than 220 men in each battalion, with assault rifles in front and machine guns behind for cover.

After the Second Regiment disrupted the Japanese rhythm with its mortar barrage, the infantry group seized the opportunity to launch an attack, giving them no time to react.

The charge covered a distance of several hundred meters and quickly reached the front of Yamamoto's battalion. Light and heavy fire swept fiercely at the Japanese soldiers. This was not a fair battle at all, but a one-sided massacre.

Qin Feng asked excitedly:

"Commander, the Japanese are finished. Should we fight our way out?"

Qin Qingwu shook his head and said:

"No need. We just need to hold Yansi Bridge and prevent the Japanese from breaking through from the front, so as not to disrupt the rhythm of the reinforcements."

Under the three-sided attack of the Second Security Regiment, the fleeing Japanese soldiers chose to break through towards Yansi Bridge, which was their only hope of escaping.

The 109th Regiment was determined not to let the Japanese break through their lines. Led by Qin Qingwu, they fought desperately to stop them, unleashing their full firepower and sweeping the Japanese soldiers down in rows. The bridge and the area beneath it were piled high with corpses, layer upon layer, which looked quite depressing.

Watanabe Juju personally led the breakout attempt, but was riddled with bullets.

The remaining Japanese soldiers were all annihilated; not a single one escaped.

Qin Feng, with his sharp eyes, was the first to recognize the Second Security Regiment and shouted excitedly:

"You're brothers from the Security Corps, we're from the 109th Regiment!"

The soldiers of the Security Corps were no strangers to the 109th Regiment, having fought side by side with them for several days.

They were all very happy to be reunited, and they hugged each other and cheered together.

Qin Qingwu and Wang Guohua knew each other and greeted each other warmly. Qin Qingwu said gratefully:

"Battalion Commander Wang, you've saved us again! Where's Commander Zhao?"

Qin Qingwu was unaware that Wang Guohua was now a regimental commander, but this wasn't his fault. The latter's position was bestowed by Zhao Yunwen, lacking official recognition and therefore invalid.

"Commander Qin, the commander-in-chief sent us to provide reinforcements first, and they will arrive shortly."

Qin Qingwu was reassured and patiently waited for Zhao Yunwen to arrive, while the soldiers hurriedly cleaned up the battlefield.

A few hours later, Zhao Yunwen led the main force to arrive, and Qin Qingwu came out to greet them from afar, and naturally they had another round of catching up.

In these extraordinary times, there's no need for formalities; Zhao Yunwen asked directly:

"What are your plans for the next step, Brother Qin?"

Qin Qingwu looked somber. The 90th Army had been almost wiped out in Dachang, while the Hunan Army's 10th Group Army was hundreds of miles away.

In this chaotic and disorganized situation, his remaining troops are not going to withstand the strain.

Seeing that Qin Qingwu remained silent, Zhao Yunwen continued;

"Brother Qin, I am on the orders of Commander Chen to go to Nanjing. If nothing unexpected happens, I will have to fight the Japanese again in Nanjing."

Are you interested in joining the Security Corps? There are defeated soldiers everywhere along the way. We have men, guns, and food. It's no problem for us to gather several thousand people.

To be honest, I've set up the framework for four groups, each with seven or eight hundred people.

If you join, there will be five regiments, and you'll still be the regimental commander. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can assure you one thing: in less than half a month, Regiment 109 will have at least 1500 people!

Zhao Yunwen's intention to incorporate the 109th Regiment into his forces is obvious. This is the best outcome for Qin Qingwu and his brothers, who will likely become elite members of the Central Army's Civil Engineering faction in the future.

Qin Qingwu had no objection to Zhao Yunwen's recruitment and immediately agreed. He also knew that only by joining the Security Corps could the bloodline of the 109th Regiment be preserved.

Zhao Yunwen patted Qin Qingwu on the shoulder and said:

"From now on, we're all family. I will never discriminate. The 109th Regiment will receive the same equipment and pay as the other regiments!"

Qin Qingwu said excitedly:

"Commander-in-Chief, I won't say thank you. From now on, the 109th Regiment will be your gun, ready to fire wherever you point it!"

With the Security Corps gaining another fierce general and over 400 battle-hardened soldiers, Zhao Yunwen, in high spirits, announced on the spot:

"We're having an extra meal tonight, cooking a hot meal for the brothers, and plenty of luncheon meat!"

The crowd cheered, their morale soaring.