You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

After a few days of rest, Li Dadao, the head of the Haixian Security Corps, finally managed to catch up with his less than a thousand men after a long and arduous journey.

At this point, the total strength of the 3rd Security Brigade had exceeded 5,000, making it a truly reinforced mixed brigade.

The flag-raising ceremony is underway on the playground.

At the very front of the line, the two regimental commanders, Zhang Wenzhong and Li Dadao, stood side by side. Although they stood ramrod straight, their mouths were busy, muttering to themselves.

"Old Li, you just missed the good times."

Zhang Wenzhong kept his eyes straight ahead, his lips barely moving, his voice extremely low: "You have no idea, our Brigade Commander Lin has connections that reach the heavens."

"In the battle of Qibao Town, we annihilated more than 1000 Japanese soldiers. We even captured the regimental flag. We saw it with our own eyes. The corpses were piled up like a small mountain."

"Really?" Li Dadao was astonished, his eyes darting around. "A regiment wiped out over 1000 Japanese soldiers? Old Zhang, don't try to fool me. Even the Training Corps wouldn't dare to exaggerate like that, would they?"

"Hey, would I need to lie to you?"

Zhang Wenzhong sneered, his tone tinged with smugness, as if he had fought the battle himself:

"The most amazing thing is yet to come. We had barely arrived in Shanghai and hadn't even settled in when Brigade Commander Lin got in touch with Major General Wang, who was in charge of logistics for the army group."

Good heavens, you didn't see it that afternoon, but truckloads of canned meat, flour, rice, and crates of brand-new Hanyang rifles were being hauled into the camp like they were free.

"You ate a lot of the braised pork I treated you to last night, didn't you? That pork was arranged by Brigade Commander Lin."

Li Dadao swallowed hard as he listened. Last night's meal was indeed the most delicious military meal he had eaten recently; the slices of fatty meat were truly satisfying.

He looked at the well-equipped soldiers in the distance, his eyes filled with shock, envy, and a deep sense of awe.

"Goodness gracious... just who is this Brigade Commander Lin? Even if he's rich, he wouldn't be so extravagant!"

Suddenly, as if he had discovered something new, Li Dadao nudged Zhang Wenzhong with his elbow:

"Hey Lao Zhang, have you noticed? Our brigade's group... there seem to be a lot of people here."

He squinted and counted: "Back then at the provincial capital's train station, I thought there were only about two thousand people? Now... it looks like there are at least three thousand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenzhong frowned, then nodded thoughtfully.

"Speaking of which, I'm also puzzled. These extra thousand people seem to have appeared out of thin air, like... a magic trick."

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"And you have no idea, our brigade commander also has a heavy artillery unit and an armored vehicle company under his command. When we boarded the train in the provincial capital, we didn't see a single one of them. But when we got here, they all suddenly appeared."

"Hiss..." Li Dadao gasped, "Could it be... that Commander Lin can conjure soldiers from beans?"

The two exchanged a glance, and the more they thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. The more they thought about it, the more unfathomable this young brigade commander became.

In this chaotic world, this is what you call a powerful figure.

And it's an incredibly powerful and influential figure.

After the flag-raising ceremony, Lin Feng didn't waste any words and directly summoned all officers of battalion level and above in the brigade to hold a combat meeting in the temporary command post converted from a large warehouse.

A huge map of the Songhu region hung on the wall, densely marked with red and blue arrows and defensive lines.

Lin Feng stood in front of the map, holding a baton in his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

The six battalion commanders under the regiment were all system soldiers, absolutely loyal to him, and would fight wherever he was told, so there was no need to worry about them.

The key figures are Zhang Wenzhong and Li Dadao, two "outsiders".

Although they are now behaving very respectfully, they are, after all, someone who joined halfway through, and he has never let his guard down.

"Gentlemen."

Lin Feng tapped the location of the North Station on the map:

"Our mission this time is to take over the defense of the core of Zhabei—the North Station—from the 88th Division, which has suffered heavy casualties."

"This is a transportation hub, a piece of fat meat in the eyes of the Japanese, and a thorn in the side of our Great Xia army in Shanghai. The Japanese will definitely use heavy artillery, naval guns and even aircraft to bombard it, and then use tanks to clear the way and infantry to charge."

Everyone's expressions turned serious.

Everyone knows this is a tough job, and if it's not done well, the whole team could be wiped out.

In accordance with the usual warlord style, this kind of unfortunate task of being on the front line and facing the enemy's front line would definitely be to send ragtag troops to consume the enemy's ammunition first, and then the loyal troops would go up to reap the rewards or retreat after the ragtag troops were all dead.

Li Dadao and Zhang Wenzhong were also feeling uneasy, fearing that Lin Feng would send them to block the front lines first.

However, Lin Feng's next words took them by surprise.

"Commander Zhang."

"Here." Zhang Wenzhong stood up reflexively.

"Your Second Regiment, set up your defensive positions east of the North Station, which is right here." Lin Feng pointed with his baton. "This is the junction of our brigade's and the 88th Division's defensive lines."

"You have only one mission: keep an eye on the flanks and keep a close watch on the 88th Division."

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened:

"I don't want us to be sold out and still be helping them count the money. If the 88th Division can't hold out, or runs away prematurely, exposing our flank to the Japanese, you must inform me immediately."

"To strengthen your defenses, I'm allocating a radio, 30 boxes of grenades, and 40 Molotov cocktails from the brigade headquarters' direct depot."

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then dropped a bombshell:

"In addition, I'll give you 30 Czech light machine guns and 400 brand-new Hanyang rifles, with plenty of ammunition."

"ah?!"

Zhang Wenzhong was stunned, then overjoyed.

His regiment wasn't like Lin Feng's, which was called a security regiment but was actually a more luxurious unit than the tax police regiment.

These weapons would more than double his current firepower.

Moreover, Lin Feng didn't send him to the front, but instead had him guard the flank, which was incredibly kind of him.

"Yes, sir, don't worry."

Zhang Wenzhong was so excited that his face turned red and his neck bulged, and he snapped to attention and saluted:

"If I can't get through by phone, I'll use the radio. If the radio can't get through, I'll send a messenger. If there's any disturbance on the flank, I guarantee I'll get the message to you immediately. As long as I, Zhang Wenzhong, have a breath left, the flank will not be lost."

Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.

Zhang Wenzhong, as expected of a native of Baoding, may be a bit slick, but he still possesses strong basic military skills and initiative.

Li Dadao, sitting next to him, had red eyes; he was incredibly envious.

They're both regimental commanders, so why is it that Lao Zhang gets to eat meat?

Lin Feng turned his head and looked at Li Dadao:

"Commander Li."

"Here." Li Dadao stood up abruptly, his back straight as a javelin.

"Your position is west of the North Station, integrated with the 96th Division's defensive line. Your mission is the same as Commander Zhang's: keep a close watch on the flanks and prevent the Japanese from infiltrating."

"I'll replenish your supplies with 300 Hanyang rifles, 20 Czech-made rifles, and plenty of grenades, Molotov cocktails, and ammunition."

"Although it's less than the Second Regiment, that's because the pressure on the west side is relatively less."

Lin Feng's actions were clearly discriminatory.

Zhang Wenzhong was not only a native of Baoding with a good foundation, but he had also privately pledged his loyalty and paid a blood oath. Naturally, he should be given more benefits; it's like spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.

As for Li Dadao, although he is a rough man, he still needs to see the benefits of following him, but he also needs to be taught a lesson so that he knows the difference between close and distant relationships.

"Thank you, Lord Traveller, thank you for your guidance."

Although Li Dadao was somewhat envious of Zhang Wenzhong's rank, he was content.

At least he wasn't made cannon fodder, and he was given so many machine guns and rifles for free. If it were any other officer, he would be lucky if his pay wasn't docked.

"As long as I have guns and bullets, I, Old Li, will never back down."

Having appeased the two flanks, Lin Feng slammed his baton down on the core area in front of the North Station.

"As for the main positions north of the North Station, directly facing the enemy's advance..."

"My team will be in charge!"

These words shocked everyone present.

Zhang Wenzhong and Li Dadao were deeply moved.

In the past, the miscellaneous troops were sent to their deaths while the loyalists supervised the battle from behind.

This Brigade Commander Lin, on the other hand, kept the toughest challenges for himself, leaving the relatively safer flanks to them.

This is a true leader.

"but……"

Lin Feng changed the subject: "The North Station isn't a big place, and the Japanese have heavy artillery and naval guns. If we deploy our troops too densely, we're just handing our lives to the Japanese."

"Therefore, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment, reinforced by the 4th Battalion, and attached to a tank company, entered the position as the first echelon. They used the ruins and terrain to construct fortifications, preparing to meet the first wave of Japanese attacks."

"The armored reconnaissance company dispersed and conducted mobile sentry duty around the defense zone to prevent small Japanese units from infiltrating."

"The remaining four battalions of the regiment, the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th, will serve as the operational reserve, remaining concealed and on standby at the second line. They will be ready to rotate the frontline troops or launch a counterattack at any time."

"Did you all understand?"

"clear."

The officers roared in unison, their voices shaking the roof tiles.