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

At the military headquarters, Zhao Yunwen sat blankly in his chair, the urban street fighting was an ordeal for both sides' commanders.

Zhao Yunwen and Itagaki Seishiro have been locked in a test of endurance from afar for seven days now, and the gunfire in the city continues intermittently. Until one of them falls, or voluntarily withdraws, no one knows the answer.

It could be a loss, a win, or a mutually destructive outcome.

Xie Polu was the first to lose his composure, saying worriedly:

"Commander Wang called, saying that all three infantry regiments have been committed to the battle, and there isn't even a reserve force of two hundred men that can be mustered."

They can only contact the regimental level now. Even if they send a telegram to the battalion level, it won't help. They only have a platoon at most.

The fighting inside the city has descended into complete chaos!

Zhao Yunwen raised his hand to stop him:

"Let's fight chaotically, it's no big deal. I have faith in the brothers of the 324th Division!"

Xie Polu ultimately lacked Zhao Polu's composure. Before going to Sihang Warehouse, he was just a staff officer in the 524th Regiment. In just ten months, he was promoted to army chief of staff along with Zhao Yunwen. His overall abilities were still somewhat lacking.

Zhao Yunwen is different. He has a system, and his talent value is constantly improving. He can command battles with fewer than 100,000 people with ease.

Lupin leaned closer and said:

"Reconnaissance reports indicate that the 10th Division is assembling in large numbers, suggesting a possible reinforcement."

Zhao Yunwen snorted coldly:

"It's already quite remarkable that old devil Itagaki was able to endure until now before asking for help!"

Zheng County's urban area is now a quagmire; even if the 10th Division were deployed there, the balance wouldn't be broken anytime soon.

"Return the telegram to Xiao Jianyun and tell him to ignore it. The main force of the reconnaissance team should continue to lie in wait."

Once the main force of the 10th Division has crossed the Jialu River, they can harass the rear supply lines. They don't need to capture much, just destroy them.

"Tear down the railway too, so the Japanese can't get their supplies!"

Lupin's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly:

"Is this an attempt to cut off the Japanese army's supply lines?"

Zhao Yunwen shook his head:

"That's not quite the case. The reconnaissance regiment doesn't have that capability yet, but it can wage a logistical strangulation war behind the Japanese lines. Including the 10th Division, there are a total of three divisions at the front, tens of thousands of troops, and the daily consumption is astronomical."

If the daily supplies delivered to the front lines by the Japanese are reduced by more than 30%, it will be difficult to sustain a high-intensity offensive, which is tantamount to supporting the operations of the 324th Division inside the city.

Everyone agreed, and Lupin continued, "..."

"This should be the most cost-effective operation. It is equivalent to opening up a second front, and it will not arouse the Japanese's vigilance too early, thus achieving the goal of boiling the frog slowly."

The battle plan was quickly finalized. Xie Polu drafted the telegram, which was then signed and approved by Zhao Yunwen before being sent to the reconnaissance regiment behind enemy lines.

At the 5th Division headquarters, the arrival of reinforcements excited everyone in the Japanese army, and Chief of Staff Sakurada even asserted:

"Your Excellency, the Chinese in the city are already at their last gasp. After fighting for more than ten days, their ammunition and supplies have long been exhausted. It is a miracle that they have been able to hold on until now."

With the addition of the 10th Division, a fresh and powerful force, the Imperial Army will surely break the balance, crush the Tiger Army in the city, and achieve a decisive victory!

Seishiro Itagaki also held an optimistic attitude, confidently stating:

"Yoshi, the balance is about to be broken. The Tiger Army has reached its limit. It's like a tall building built on the beach. It will collapse with just a gentle push."

Gentlemen, the main force of my Itagaki Division is currently trapped in the city, and the two sides are locked in a fierce battle.

Regarding the use of the 10th Division, a plan needs to be drafted as soon as possible. Do you have any good ideas?

Guo Zhideng, commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade, was already suffering greatly and was the first to stand up and say:

There are only two options for increasing troops: one is to increase troops gradually, and the other is to send them all at once.

In my opinion, neither of these is advisable!

At this point, Major General Kunihisa deliberately kept everyone in suspense, and the old Japanese devil Itagaki very cooperatively asked:

How do you know?

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, it is a major taboo in military strategy to send reinforcements in succession. The city is in chaos. Adding a few thousand more men will not change the situation. It will only cause more troops to get trapped."

Deploying all our forces in at once is also not advisable. Although it would temporarily strengthen us, the enemy and our forces are already entangled, and the 10th Division, a fresh force, cannot operate effectively and will not be able to play its full role.

Sakamoto Jun guessed Major General Kunihisa's little scheme and went along with it, saying:

"King Guozhi, since neither of these two plans is feasible, you must have a better one. Please tell us quickly, don't keep us in suspense."

Guo Zhideng, who had been waiting for this, straightened his back and said:

"It's very simple, just withdraw all the Imperial Army troops from the city and lull the Chinese into a false sense of security."

Then, all artillery fire was concentrated to plow the entire city, followed by the deployment of the entire fresh 10th Division, which swept away the remaining Chinese troops within the city with overwhelming force.

After listening, Jun Sakamoto praised it highly:

"Brilliant! This solves all the previous problems. At that time, there will only be exhausted Chinese soldiers in the city. The 10th Division can fight freely without worrying about getting in the way."

Seishiro Itagaki finally understood that his two generals were unwilling to fight anymore and preferred to give the credit for capturing the castle to the 10th Division.

If that's the case, then the Fifth Division was essentially doing all the work for someone else;

However, even if the plan is not changed, victory can still be achieved, but the Fifth Division will be decimated, with very few men remaining.

One is about appearances, the other is about substance; it remains to be seen how he will choose.

Major General Kunihisa and Major General Sakamoto have both made their stance clear, so Itagaki Seishiro really had no other choice, otherwise the team would be difficult to lead.

Having figured this out, he quickly made a decision:

"Kunishige-kun's plan is brilliant, and I'm sure Isogai-kun won't have any objections. It's just the right time to free up space for the 10th Division to make a great show of its abilities."

"Immediately formulate a combat plan and forward it to the 10th Division headquarters so that they can prepare for the general offensive."

The warriors inside the city were ordered to cease their attack and retreat to their starting positions.

I'll give them two hours. Once that time is up, the Imperial Army will launch an indiscriminate artillery barrage, leveling the city to the ground with the most intense firepower!"

"The final assault is scheduled for 4 PM!"

As Seishiro Itagaki issued his orders, the Fifth Division, which had been fighting hard, underwent a major reorganization and was to be relegated to the second line.

The Japanese army changed commanders on the eve of battle, with the 10th Division of the reinforcements taking the lead. For the first time, the Itagaki Division took the initiative to back down.

Outside the city, bugles sounded continuously, and the Japanese troops trapped inside the city began to withdraw one after another.

Although the two sides' battle lines were already intertwined, the Japanese soldiers were well-trained and disciplined, and were single-mindedly focused on retreating eastward, so the defending troops had no way to forcibly keep them there.

Although they lost a significant number of troops during the retreat, most of the surviving Japanese soldiers successfully escaped their predicament.

The Fifth Division was gathering its remaining troops and preparing a major offensive. Soon, the Japanese reaction was reported up the chain of command to the army headquarters. Zhao Yunwen saw through the Japanese's intentions at a glance:

"The Itagaki Division is trying to exchange land for the Isogai Division. These old devils are quite shrewd; this is their best option."

Next, the cannons spoke for themselves. They thought they could take over the city like this, but they underestimated the resilience of urban warfare!

Immediately telegraph the 324th Division, instructing everyone to go down into the tunnels to avoid being bombarded by artillery fire.

Also, let's preemptively send a power supply to the artillery brigade!

Outside the city, at the Japanese artillery positions, cannons were raised high, their dark muzzles pointing straight at the sky.

In order to destroy the surface buildings in the city and kill as many soldiers as possible, the Japanese concentrated most of the artillery of the 5th and 10th Divisions, dozens of them, which made Lieutenant General Isogai nod repeatedly.

This time, the Isogai Division finally got its revenge, outshining the Itagaki Division. He couldn't help but say with pride:

"Yoshi, Tsubasa-kun, I haven't seen such a grand scene in a long time! From this day forward, Zheng County will no longer exist on the map of China!"

The chief of staff, Colonel Tibujiagui, jokingly remarked:

"Commander, this is not difficult. Once the shelling is over, the city will be razed to the ground, and the Chinese in the city will be wiped out. The warriors only need to go up and collect the bodies of the Chinese."

"Yosh, I can't wait to see the spectacle unfold! Let's begin, fire on the city!"

"Boom boom boom..."

Lieutenant General Isogai angrily cursed:

"You bastard! I haven't given the order yet, why are you firing?"