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

Lieutenant Admiral Isogai laughed like a fisherman staring intently at his float, muttering to himself:

"No rush, let's wait! We'll talk again when there's a large influx of deserters!"

Di Bujiagui quickly offered a flattering reply:

"Was I too hasty? Or was it the division commander who remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a renowned general of antiquity? I admire him!"

Lieutenant General Isogai's habit of being a know-it-all has resurfaced:

"Uncle Di, the Chinese are only short of food right now, they are not panicking yet."

Even if a person doesn't eat a single grain of rice, they can still survive for at least a week.

Zhao Yunwen is now more eager than we are to change the status quo. If the Imperial Army attacks, it will play right into their hands.

The more eager the Chinese are to start a war, the more we must remain calm and force them to launch a full-scale attack. Then the Imperial Army can easily defeat them.

"Commander, you have a firm grasp on the human nature in war. Zhao Yunwen is unlucky to have met you."

It is said that Zhao Yunwen had never been defeated since he joined the Battle of Shanghai. He was the invincible general that the Chinese boasted about and the spiritual pillar of the resistance.

This time, the Chinese war god will suffer a crushing defeat at your hands, and even Lord Itagaki will have to admit his inferiority.

Tsutsumi Fukagi habitually began to flatter, which Lieutenant General Isogai found very pleasing, especially since this was after defeating Zhao Yunwen in front of Itagaki Seishiro.

At the Fifth Division headquarters, Itagaki Seishiro and others were also watching the contest closely, all gathered around him, listening to his eloquent speech.

"Zhao Yunwen estimates that this time he is going to suffer a big setback. Food has become the key to the outcome of the battle. No matter how good the Tiger Army is, they still need to eat."

Guo Zhideng retorted, unconvinced:

"The Tiger Legion's supplies were exhausted in the previous battles. The Isogai Division got a free lunch. My Itagaki Division deserves at least half the credit."

This is an indisputable fact. The Itagaki Division launched a full-scale attack for half a month, exhausting most of the defenders' morale and resources. In the end, the victory was snatched away by someone else, which would make anyone feel uneasy.

Junya Sakamoto continued, "..."

"The siege plan wasn't their idea at all; they simply couldn't defeat the Chinese, so they retreated!"

These words were laced with bitterness, which made Itagaki Seishiro very uncomfortable. He immediately snapped:

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"Enough! Whether the 10th Division did it intentionally or unintentionally, the facts are there, and the 5th Division must learn from this lesson."

Now we're discussing how many more days the Chinese can hold out! As long as the Isogai Division takes Zheng County, the gateway to the Pinghan Railway will be wide open, and Jiangcheng will also be under the Imperial Army's attack.

"Tell me, how long until the Battle of Zheng County ends?"

Although Guo Zhideng was very unhappy with the achievements of the 10th Division, he still said confidently:

"Three days, at most three days. Even if the Isogai Division doesn't attack, the Tiger Army will collapse on its own."

Sakamoto Jun and Chief of Staff Sakurada Takeya echoed his sentiments, while Itagaki Seishiro felt a mix of emotions. Regardless of whether he was deliberately avoiding the issue, the Fifth Division had ultimately benefited others.

"You bastard! Zhao Yunwen, you piece of trash!"

Three days later, at the headquarters of the Tiger Legion, a large sand table was surrounded by people, and Chief of Staff Xie Polu was introducing the latest situation:

"The Isogai Division is ready for a general offensive. Just yesterday, the Japanese transported a large batch of supplies from the Longhai Railway."

The 16th Division on the right flank also showed unusual activity; they too received supplies. Both divisions had completed their pre-battle assembly, and a major battle was now inevitable!

The expressions of the crowd turned serious. These were two top-tier divisions. Although the Tiger Army had been prepared for a long time, they were still nervous when they actually faced them.

Next, Xie Polu discussed our response:

"The 647th and 648th Regiments of the 324th Division adopted the tactic of retreating to fight a decisive battle, letting the Japanese invaders in to fight; if they could hold them off, they would hold them off, and if they could not hold them off, they would retreat to the flanks to clear the main road."

The 651st Regiment was stationed at the last line of defense in the west of the city. This area consisted of more than sixty fortresses of various sizes, arranged in two rows, front and back, with staggered defenses.

Some of the structures are permanent reinforced concrete fortifications, while the others are converted from residential houses, shops, and other buildings, connected by underground tunnels.

The first line was equipped with over a hundred light and heavy machine guns, while the second line consisted of mortars and infantry guns. The entire regiment had over 2,500 men, which was more than enough to hold off the Japanese advance.

The 644th Regiment of the 322nd Division protected the southern flank to prevent the Japanese troops of the 16th Division from outflanking our rear and causing trouble.

The 643rd and 649th Regiments were designated as operational reserves, ready to provide reinforcements at any time.

Artillery groups coordinate operations...

After Xie Polu finished conveying the battle plan, everyone turned their attention to Zhao Yunwen, who was the backbone of the entire army. With him around, they had nothing to fear, no matter how powerful the enemy was.

Zhao Yunwen's eyes were sharp as he said in a deep voice:

"Brothers, the time for the final battle has come! Some of you may not understand why I insist on fighting this life-or-death battle with the Japanese. Wouldn't it be better to complete the rearguard mission and then quietly retreat?"

At this point, Zhao Yunwen deliberately paused for a moment to give the others time to process what he had said.

Believe it or not, most people can't understand that this decisive battle might wipe out the 324th Division, and the 322nd Division would also suffer heavy casualties.

The Japanese only wanted the already destroyed city area; they would give it to them anyway, since they would have to give it up sooner or later. The Tiger Army couldn't stay in Zheng County indefinitely, and their food supplies were insufficient.

Although no one raised any objections, it was clear from everyone's reactions that quite a few people couldn't understand it.

After looking around, Zhao Yunwen continued:

"There's only one reason: exchanging pieces!"

"That's right, it's like exchanging pieces in chess. I'm going to use two divisions to exchange for the Japanese Isogai and Nakajima divisions, plus the Itagaki division from before."

It sounds cruel and unfair to the soldiers, but that's how war is, and someone always has to sacrifice.

As long as these three divisions are crippled, they will be unable to advance south along the Pinghan Railway. The hundreds of thousands of troops in the First War Zone will have no problem stopping three broken divisions.

Once they left the railway, the Japanese soldiers would have to change their route if they wanted to attack Jiangcheng.

To advance from north to south, they would have to cross the Huai River and the Dabie Mountains. Without railways, supplies would be a major problem, but the 300,000 troops of the Fifth War Zone would be enough to stop them.

Therefore, the Japanese had no choice but to change their attack route and advance from east to west along the Yangtze River, while the northern route could only serve as an auxiliary.

The Tiger Army may suffer heavy casualties in this battle, but as long as we defeat the Japanese, even if we abandon Zheng County, we can still hold the Pinghan Railway south of Zheng County and gain one to two months of rest.

The Central Plains is a populous province, so replenishing troops won't be a problem. At most, the Tiger Legion will be able to recover its strength in two months and march south to participate in the defense of Jiangcheng!

After hearing this, everyone understood that Zhao Yunwen had already made arrangements in advance. With the help of the main force, the 323rd Division had built a defense line more than ten kilometers deep south of Zheng County along the Pinghan Railway.

Lupin continued, saying:

"After the 322nd and 324th Divisions abandon the urban areas, they can retreat in large strides to both sides of the railway, while the 323rd Division blocks the pursuing troops moving south along the railway line, allowing the main force to rest and reorganize in the rear."

At this time, the main Japanese divisions had suffered heavy losses in manpower and supplies during the decisive battle, and there would not be many troops available to pursue them.

To the west lies the main force of the First War Zone, to the south is our Tiger Army, and behind us in southern Henan there are more than a dozen friendly forces. The Japanese can only retreat while they are ahead.

Although Zheng County was captured, it had lost its offensive capabilities, rendering its strategic value virtually zero.

Xie Polu shouted:

"Commander, our 30,000 elite Tiger Army soldiers are fearless in the face of sacrifice. Give the order!"

On the east side of the city, on the left flank, at the starting position of the 10th Division, thousands of Japanese soldiers had already taken up their positions, and behind them, even more Japanese soldiers were eager to attack.

All the cannons were raised, and Lieutenant General Isogai had staked everything on winning the battle to secure Zheng County.

The chief of staff, Ti Bujiagui, was thrilled and excitedly exclaimed:

"Commander, the Isogai Division is about to make history. In China, the Central Plains hold great significance."

Once Zheng County is captured, and the victory is pursued, the entire Central Plains will fall into the hands of the Imperial Army.

Their conquest of the Central Plains is a feat worthy of being recorded in history!

Lieutenant General Isogai felt a surge of pride and said smugly:

"Lord Tibu, this is the best era for the soldiers of the Empire. The time has come to establish immortal achievements!"

Give the order, let the cannons do the talking!

Thrust!