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

At the military headquarters, Xie Polu arrived with brisk steps, a telegram in his hand. His voice preceded his arrival:

"Commander, good news! The 324th Division has achieved a great victory. The 649th Regiment's flanking maneuver was remarkably effective, cutting off a large chunk of enemy territory. With the cooperation of the 648th Regiment, the enemy within the encirclement was completely annihilated, with 637 Japanese soldiers killed. Our casualties were minimal."

In addition, as you might expect, Isogai has sent a large number of reinforcements into the city, namely the 63rd Infantry Regiment, which has already engaged in combat with the 3rd Battalion of the 649th Regiment, with casualties on both sides.

The Japanese are still amassing troops, and there's a tendency for a major offensive.

Zhao Yunwen's tactical objectives were basically achieved, and adjustments were subsequently made:

"Telegram to the 649th Regiment, ordering them to withdraw from the battle when the opportunity arises, return to their starting positions, and continue to safeguard the flank of the 324th Division."

Tell Commander Wang not to be too aggressive; let the 63rd Infantry Regiment and the 10th Infantry Regiment come in and fight.

Xie Polu pressed on with another question:

"What if the Japanese continue to reinforce their troops?"

"Further retreat, the limit is west of the Pinghan Railway. Don't be afraid of the Japanese coming in, the more the better!"

Zhao Yunwen's intention was clear: to wear down the Japanese soldiers through street fighting, which was the most cost-effective way to fight.

At the 10th Division headquarters, Lieutenant General Isogai's face turned ashen. He was horrified to discover that the strategy he had devised with his chief of staff had been swayed again.

Now two infantry regiments are trapped in the city. He can't bring himself to withdraw, and he doesn't want to continue the war. He's really in a dilemma.

Chief of Staff Ti Bujiagui said in a deep voice:

"The routed soldiers of the 10th Regiment have been gathered up. Only more than 2,000 have returned. 1,324 were killed or missing, and a lot of equipment and supplies were also lost."

Lieutenant General Isogai now understands Itagaki Seishiro a little better. No wonder he gave him the easy victory; it wasn't a piece of meat, it was poison!

"You bunch of good-for-nothings! How come you can't fight when you meet Zhao Yunwen?"

Di Bujiagui chose to remain silent, which sounded somewhat disheartening, but it was understandable.

On other battlefields, a regiment can roam freely, and at the division level, it is almost invincible.

But things were different when the opponent was replaced by the Tiger Legion. They launched a regimental-level attack and were easily defeated.

With too many experiences, even self-confidence can be eroded.

Tsutsumi Fukagi tried to brush it off with silence, but Isogai Rensuke wouldn't let him off the hook:

"Tidi-kun, have you gone mute? What do we do next?!"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Colonel Tsutsumi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

"The first option is still to withdraw the 63rd Infantry Regiment and adopt the previously agreed siege campaign to wear down the Tiger Army."

The second option was to order the 63rd Regiment to contract its lines, switch to a defensive posture, and use small-scale battles to wear down the Chinese while the main force encircled them.

He did not mention a third option, but the all-out attack had already proven itself. Not to mention the disastrous situation of the 5th Division, the lessons learned by the 10th Regiment alone were enough for them to reflect on.

Lieutenant General Isogai ultimately chose the second option, which would reduce casualties, save face, and wear down the Tiger Army through a war of attrition—a triple win.

"Yosh, this is brilliant! Send a telegram to the 63rd Regiment immediately!"

Tibujiagui breathed a sigh of relief. The division commander had finally adopted his suggestion, which was the best plan he could think of.

When Fukuei Shinpei, commander of the 63rd Infantry Regiment, received the telegram, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to waste time with the Tiger Army, so he immediately gave the order:

Disengage from contact with the Chinese, retreat the front line 100 meters, and switch to defense on the spot!

A strange scene unfolded: the soldiers of the 324th Division discovered that the Japanese were retreating.

Commanders at all levels, unaware of what had happened and fearing a trap, dared not pursue the enemy. Instead, they reported the unusual situation up the chain of command, eventually reaching Zhao Yunwen.

Xie Polu looked completely bewildered, but Zhao Yunwen saw through the situation at a glance:

"The Japanese are scared off; they're tightening their defenses!"

"Commander, are you sure the Japanese are afraid? The enemy right in front of us is the 63rd Infantry Regiment."

When did these troops, who dared to attack over 100,000 defenders at Taierzhuang, become such cowards?

Xie Polu was a little confused, but Zhao Yunwen said confidently:

"Old Xie, that's because you haven't gotten used to the fact that we are now the strongest army in the world, and even the Fifth Division has to go around us. It's perfectly normal for the Isogai Division to back down."

"Commander, if that's the case, our previously formulated strategy will be difficult to implement, as the Japanese are unwilling to commit a large number of troops."

So that's what Xie Polu was worried about. Zhao Yunwen waved his hand and said:

"Old Xie, there are no fixed formations in warfare, just as water has no fixed shape. Our opponents cannot always fight according to our plans."

The enemy changes, and so do we.

If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese probably want to wear us down through a protracted siege.

After all, the Tiger Army has more than 30,000 men, each with two catties of rations per day, which is at least 60,000 catties per day, and 600,000 catties in ten days.

According to conventional wisdom, our grain reserves shouldn't last more than ten days. We can't win a war, so we have to settle for second best.

Xie Polu suddenly realized:

"I understand. Siege warfare is indeed a very practical tactic, but they didn't know that the Tiger Legion's food supplies could last for another two months, so their strategy was destined to fail!"

Deputy Army Commander Lu Ping said jokingly:

"It cannot be called a complete failure, because they greatly reduced casualties and thwarted the general's calculations."

Zhao Yunwen helplessly spread his hands and said:

"There's nothing I can do about this. The Japanese are just too cunning! Let's send a telegram back to Commander Wang. If the enemy doesn't move, we won't move either. We'll just keep at it with the Japanese."

Zhao Yunwen really wanted to cripple the 5th, 10th, and 16th Divisions in Zheng County, this meat grinder, through street fighting. Unfortunately, these Japanese soldiers had learned their lesson and become docile, as cunning as monkeys.

When the Japanese also learned to use military tactics, Old Zhao was at a loss.

Lupin put away his smile and said:

"Are we just going to waste time with the Japanese like this? That's not like you!"

Zhao Yunwen grinned and said:

"You really can't hide anything from us. When it comes to military strategy, we're the ancestors of the Japanese!"

First, stall for time, then feign weakness to let the Japanese see that we are short of food and our morale is low;

When they see a large number of our soldiers deserting, do you think that old devil Isogai of the 10th Division will still be able to tolerate it?

Lu Ping immediately understood Zhao Yunwen's intention and suggested:

"We need to give the Japanese a push, ask the Military Commission for supplies, and send more telegrams. Then we won't have to worry about them not taking the bait!"

Zhao Yunwen couldn't help but give a thumbs up:

"Wow, that's impressive, a real sixth man!"

After both sides made adjustments, the gunfire in the city became much less frequent. At first, the Japanese launched several company-level attacks, but after two days they were downgraded to squad-level attacks, and finally they simply stopped.

The 16th Division on the right wing went even further, retreating to outside the city walls, determined to wear down the Tiger Army.

On the contrary, the Tiger Legion was struggling to hold on, sending one telegram after another requesting reinforcements, all asking for food, ammunition, and additional troops.

Soon, the contents of these telegrams were obtained by Japanese intelligence agents, and after verification from multiple sources, the following conclusion was reached:

The Tiger Legion is out of food and ammunition, and can't hold out for more than a few days!

The Military Commission in Jiangcheng was also receiving divine assistance, sending back telegrams that were all empty promises, and every time they urged them to raise funds, they were asking them to hold on for a while longer.

Where in Central China could we find grain to support the Central Plains? When pressed, the Military Commission passed the buck, directing the First War Zone to allocate the funds.

There was no surplus food in the First War Zone. In those days, even landlords didn't have surplus food, and even if they did, they wouldn't give it to everyone.

Cheng Songyun even resorted to shamelessness, saying, "Why don't you stew and eat all these dozens of kilograms of my meat?"

We have no food, but you can take my life.

This information was collected by Japanese intelligence agents and became invaluable intelligence. After reading it, Lieutenant General Isogai could not hide his pride and said with a smile:

"Di Bujun, how long do you think General Cheng's flesh will be enough for Zhao Yunwen to eat?"

Seeing that the division commander was in high spirits, Di Bujiagui chimed in, "I'll join in the conversation."

"Zhao Yunwen has always had a huge appetite; there probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth!"

After saying that, the two of them couldn't help but burst into laughter. Their sense of humor was really low; they just couldn't help it, they were so eager to see Zhao Yunwen make a fool of himself.

After the jokes, Ti Bujia Gui got down to business:

"The Tiger Army is already facing a serious food shortage. Our disguised warriors discovered that the Chinese front-line troops have run out of food and there have been fights over food, resulting in more than ten casualties."

Some even risked their lives to dig for wild vegetables to fill their stomachs, cooking and eating even their skins.

Lieutenant General Isogai nodded repeatedly as he listened, and Tsutsumi Katsuki pressed on, asking:

"Commander, the time is ripe for the general offensive. Shall we begin?"