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

In the isolated battalion, Xie Jinyuan finished his drills as usual and returned to the officers' quarters on the east side—which was also the location of the temporary regimental headquarters. He took out his notebook and wrote down the day's military affairs and his insights on leading troops. This was a habit he had developed during his time at the Whampoa Military Academy, and it was an essential quality for staff officers.

Before coming to the isolated battalion, he was a staff officer in the regimental headquarters. After being promoted to deputy regimental commander on the front lines, he has now become the backbone of this unit under house arrest. Battalion Commander Yang has already been wounded and fallen; he must hold on!

Company Commander Shangguan Zhibiao strode in, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with a composed expression. Before he could speak, Xie Jinyuan looked up and asked, "What is it? Speak."

Shangguan Zhibiao subconsciously glanced around again, suppressing the joy in his heart, and whispered:

"Someone's here!"

Xie Jinyuan looked confused, not understanding what he meant for a moment, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes—even at this point, he was still speaking in riddles!

Shangguan Zhibiao glanced around warily once more before briefly explaining that the Security Corps had sent men to rescue the isolated battalion. He concluded by asking, "The men are right outside the gate. Should we see them or not?"

The news was so shocking that Xie Jinyuan was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and nodded heavily.

A moment later, Shangguan Zhibiao led the man in; it was Liu Wei, the squad leader of the reconnaissance company. Liu Wei introduced himself, and before he could even finish his greeting, Xie Jinyuan excitedly grabbed him, eagerly asking, "How's it outside? Have the main forces broken through the encirclement?"

His primary concern was never himself, but the safety of the main force.

Liu Wei quickly replied, "The main force is organizing defenses between the Wufu and Xicheng lines, and the Security Corps is harassing the Japanese near Kunshan City. We have been ordered to come and rescue the isolated battalion."

Xie Jinyuan was overjoyed, but then frowned again:

"How many of you have come? How did you get here? This is the heavily guarded British Concession."

"Commander Xie, we have a total of thirty-nine men, led by reconnaissance company commander Xiao Jianyun. We swaggered in after passing through the Japanese blockade. Those foreign devils in the concession couldn't stop us!"

The isolated battalion belonged to the 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division. They had previously cooperated with the security regiment in combat. Xie Jinyuan had long heard of Zhao Yunwen's reputation, but he never thought that the other party would risk his life to send someone to rescue him.

Presumably, Liu Wei's use of the phrase "following orders" stemmed from this connection, and he sighed with slight disappointment:

"Only thirty-nine people? The area is heavily guarded, with over a hundred guards, all foreign devils, well-equipped. Coming here will only increase casualties. You should go back! My brothers in the isolated battalion and I are already prepared to die for our cause."

Faced with Xie Jinyuan's questioning, Liu Wei didn't bother with further explanation and simply stated:

"Sir, our orders are to rescue the isolated battalion at all costs. I'm contacting you to ask you to prepare in advance and cooperate with our operation, which will greatly reduce casualties. Even without your cooperation, Company Commander Xiao and his men will launch an attack tonight and forcibly take you out."

Xie Jinyuan shook his head with a wry smile:

"Senior Zhao is as decisive as ever. It seems the brothers in the Lone Army and I have no choice but to cooperate unconditionally!" He then changed the subject, "Alright, tell me your plan, and how you need our cooperation?"

Liu Wei immediately revealed the complete rescue plan. Xie Jinyuan listened with disbelief: "It's that simple?"

Liu Wei's expression was firm:

"That's right. Leave the guards to us. The brothers in the isolated battalion are unarmed, and their participation in the battle will only increase casualties. We have already figured out the enemy's deployment. The attack time is set for three o'clock in the morning, and we will take care of all the guards silently."

We will cut off the power in advance to ensure the battle ends within an hour. The brothers in the isolated battalion must all be up at 3:15, without bringing anything, and secretly assemble according to their unit's formation, making absolutely no noise. Can you do that?

Xie Jinyuan nodded emphatically. He decided to trust the Security Corps and go along with his senior's madness this time. But he still had some concerns:

"This is the International Settlement, British territory. Attacking the Settlement is tantamount to declaring war on the foreign powers. Has Commander Zhao considered this?"

"Don't worry, Commander Xie. We've prepared several Japanese corpses on purpose. We'll leave them behind after the operation to create confusion. Also, from now on, you can no longer show your true identity until this matter is completely forgotten. The Commander-in-Chief asked me to tell you that, in order to avoid international disputes, you will have to continue fighting the Japanese under a new identity within the Security Corps."

Xie Jinyuan was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Commander Zhao is right. What is this little grievance compared to the country and the nation? As long as we can continue fighting the Japanese, it's all worth it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Jinyuan immediately ordered Shangguan Zhibiao to summon all the company commanders and secretly convey the mission. After the company commanders returned, the mission was relayed down the chain of command to the platoon leaders, squad leaders, and finally to every soldier. To maintain secrecy, the soldiers below the squad leader level were not told the truth, but were only informed that they needed to cooperate with the nighttime evacuation drill.

Liu Wei stayed in the isolated camp to coordinate and assist Xie Jinyuan in organizing personnel to prepare for the subsequent evacuation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jianyun had also made thorough preparations. Zhao Yunwu sent men to bring back several Japanese corpses from the battlefield, dressed them all in black, tight-fitting clothes, and kept only the Japanese soldiers' insignificant loincloths and beards for later use.

At three in the morning, the bustling concession fell asleep. During the war, the International Settlement was under a curfew, with only Chinese police officers patrolling the streets at set times. Xiao Jianyun had already figured out their patrol routes and times, easily avoiding the patrols, and led his team to the vicinity of Jiaozhou Park.

Their first targets were the mobile sentries within a 50-meter radius. These White Russian scouts, dressed in civilian clothes, roamed the streets, openly monitoring passersby, practically wearing the word "sentries" on their faces. The assault team members, in groups of three, silently eliminated them with tactical knives.

After eliminating the sentries, the next task was the ground patrol. The opposing team, in groups of four, was equipped with Lee-Enfield rifles and batons, and patrolled clockwise along the outside of the barbed wire fence. They were supposed to complete a round every fifteen minutes, but as night fell, they started to slack off and often hid in corners to rest.

Six guard towers stood outside the barbed wire fence, one at each of the four corners and one on each side of the main gate, each about five meters high and a commanding position, though visibility was extremely low at night. Inside the fence, White Russian patrols, in pairs armed with pistols and tactical knives, patrolled the inner side to prevent anyone from digging tunnels or climbing over. At the main gate, two White Russian mercenaries and one officer from the International Merchant Corps were on duty, armed with rifles and pistols, and strict registration and body searches were conducted for everyone entering and leaving.

The mobile force, consisting of about 10 to 15 men, was stationed in temporary tents outside the gate. Each man was equipped with a Lewis light machine gun and a rifle and could reach any position on the field within two to three minutes.

The guard post is surrounded by Jiaozhou Road to the east, a road and sidewalk with only a few streetlights and few pedestrians at night; to the south is the wooded area of ​​Jiaozhou Park, densely wooded, dimly lit, and extremely well-hidden; to the west is wasteland and drainage ditches, muddy and waterlogged, making footsteps extremely quiet; to the north is a residential area, all low-rise Shikumen buildings, about thirty meters from the barbed wire fence, allowing observation of the area from the rooftops. In addition, the patrol team is equipped with guard dogs, making the defense virtually impenetrable.

The isolated camp was pitch black, save for the tiny lights flickering in the wind atop the six watchtowers. The monotonous, dull thud of White Russian patrol boots echoed every fifteen minutes, approaching and then receding again. The electrified barbed wire glowed with a faint blue light, sparking with a crack at the slightest touch. The occasional rumble of trams from the distant concession occasionally broke the silence, but the camp itself was eerily quiet, save for the patrolling footsteps, the low barks of the guard dogs, and the occasional cough, all standing out starkly in the darkness.

Xiao Jianyun ultimately chose to break through from the south, with his primary task being to eliminate the sentries in the watchtower. Once the patrol with the wolfhounds had gone some distance, Xiao Jianyun waved his hand, and five soldiers quickly formed a combat formation. Using blind spots and the cover of the trees, they silently made their way towards the watchtower…