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

The Japanese indiscriminate artillery fire caused considerable casualties to the pursuing 106th Brigade and successfully brought back the fleeing soldiers, at the cost of a large number of them dying from their own artillery fire.

Commander Gu had no choice but to call a halt and retreat to his position. The 36th Division repelled the Japanese first ground attack, with casualties on both sides.

The 65th Infantry Regiment had intended to take Fujinshan in one fell swoop, but instead suffered a crushing defeat, losing hundreds of men and utterly humiliating themselves. They angrily cursed:

"You bastards! You've utterly disgraced the Imperial Army!"

"Useless trash! You couldn't even take down a small mountain like Fujinshan, how dare you come back empty-handed?"

"A disgrace to the empire!"

The captains lowered their heads and remained silent. The two captains thought that what they had said was a bit too much. How could they imply seppuku after the first failed attack?

The senior staff officer quickly smoothed things over, saying:

"Commander, the 71st Army of Fujinsan is an elite Chinese force, consisting of three infantry divisions, of which the 36th and 88th Divisions are German-trained and have a status equivalent to the Imperial Guards Divisions."

With a total force exceeding 30,000, it's normal that it won't be easy to fight.

Liang Jiaoye's expression improved slightly. It wasn't that the 65th Regiment was incompetent, but rather that there were too many soldiers guarding the area. He wasn't so arrogant as to think that a single regiment could defeat 30,000 elite Chinese troops.

"Baka yarou! Request tactical guidance from the division commander to deploy the mountain artillery regiment and flatten Fujin Mountain!"

The captains looked at the senior staff officer with gratitude, then unanimously complimented the two protagonists' masterpieces:

"The regimental commander is brilliant!"

The senior staff officer then added:

"The mountain artillery regiment has 48 mountain guns of 75mm or larger, which is enough to flatten Fujin Mountain. Then we can send infantry up to collect the bodies."

The 71st Army headquarters, Chief of Staff Xing Chongchong, came to report:

"Commander, the Tiger Legion has arrived, led personally by Senior Zhao. The northern front is secured!"

After hearing this, Song Yingguo was very excited and no longer cared about looking at the map. He said anxiously:

"Come, follow me to greet Brother Yunwen!"

Song Yingguo handed the command post to the deputy army commander and headed straight for the Eastward Advance Detachment with the chief of staff. At this time, Zhao Yunwen and others were still on their way, and were still twenty minutes away from the defense zone.

Song Yingguo and others waited at the intersection, giving Zhao Yunwen plenty of face. The two became very close and addressed each other as brothers.

"Brother Yunwen, thanks to your help this time, I feel reassured. I will remember this forever."

"Brother Yin Guo, you're too kind. I'm just following orders from Commander Bai and wouldn't dare delay a single second!"

"Brother Yunwen, that is true, but if it were someone else, it would take seven or eight days to arrive, from assembling troops and preparing supplies to long-distance marching."

The vanguard of the Tiger Army arrived in four days, marching eighty li a day, and opened fire to support the Japanese troops as they crossed the river, severely damaging the morale of the 13th Division.

This is not something that can be accomplished by simply following orders!

Zhao Yunwen patted Song Yingguo on the shoulder and said:

"Alright, let's skip the formalities. Let me introduce you to a junior!"

"Qiu Qingquan, the commander of the 323rd Division, is a junior from the second class."

Qiu the Madman immediately stepped forward, bowed, and loudly proclaimed:

"Hello, senior! Qiu Qingquan reporting for duty!"

After returning the gift, Song Yingguo patted Qiu Qingquan on the shoulder affectionately and said:

"Brother Yu'an, you're too kind. Your name, Qiu Fengzi, is renowned throughout China. You're Brother Yunwen's right-hand man. We brothers should get closer in the future."

Qiu Fengzi is now a lieutenant general and division commander, so Song Yingguo wouldn't dare to act like a senior in front of him. The enrollment time of the first four classes of Huangpu Military Academy was actually not much different.

The first and second cohorts were only a few months apart. The fourth cohort entered the school from July 2025 to January 2026 and graduated on October 4, 2026. The first cohort had its graduation ceremony in November 2024 and was held in May 2025, less than two years apart.

Wang Yaowu from the third cohort is doing better than many from the first cohort. Who would dare to put on airs in front of him?

Song Yingguo also introduced Chen Sunong, the chief of staff of the third term, to Zhao Yunwen. After the group had finished getting acquainted, Song Yingguo took the opportunity to invite Zhao Yunwen and Qiu Fengzi to the command post for a chat.

Qiu the Madman quickly apologized:

"Thank you for the invitation, senior. The troops have just arrived at the defense zone, and I still need to keep an eye on things. Please forgive me."

Qiu Fengzi was very aware of the situation, and Song Yingguo did not force him. With tens of thousands of troops setting up camp, someone had to keep order.

Zhao Yunwen couldn't refuse, so he immediately said to Qiu Fengzi:

"Have someone send over the gift I prepared for Brother Yin Guo!"

When Song Yingguo heard that there would be a gift, his eyes lit up. Although he said some polite words, he was already full of anticipation.

This is none other than the wealthy and powerful Young Master Zhao!

"Brother Yunwen, you're too kind. You came to help out and brought such a generous gift. How can I possibly accept this?"

Zhao Yunwen said calmly:

"It's not about lavish gifts, it's all for fighting the Japanese! 20,000 gas masks, 2000 rounds of 82mm mortar shells, 50 M1919 Browning machine guns, each with 3000 rounds of ammunition, 50,000 stick grenades, and one million rounds of 7.92mm rifle ammunition."

Song Yingguo and Chen Sunong were both stunned. They hadn't expected Zhao Yunwen to be so generous, which could be said to have solved the 71st Army's urgent problem.

Bullets, grenades, and mortar shells were all urgently needed by the 71st Army, and the 20,000 gas masks were a godsend, as the Japanese soldiers loved to use poison gas when they were attacking.

Zhao Yunwen had already thought of this. In another timeline, the Japanese had used poison gas multiple times at Fujin Mountain, causing thousands of casualties to the 71st Army. These 20,000 gas masks were all ordered from the United States.

Song Yingguo was so moved he couldn't speak; tears streamed down his face, and he said in a trembling voice:

"Brother Yunwen, you are the benefactor of the 71st Army. On behalf of 30,000 brothers... thank you! Thank you so much!"

Zhao Yunwen said solemnly:

"My brothers are fighting the Japanese to the death, and I am only doing my part."

The 13th Division had a history of using poison gas during the Battle of Nanjing. If their attack falters, they will surely repeat this tactic. We must be on guard!

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Yunwen. With these 20,000 gas masks, the brothers have a protective charm. We will definitely make those beasts in the 13th Division pay a heavy price."

Chen Sunong seized the opportunity to say:

"Commanders, it's getting dark soon. Let's go back to headquarters and discuss this in detail."

Song Yingguo then remembered the important matter and said:

"Brother Yunwen has come from afar. I don't have much to offer, just some simple food. Please come and join us."

Zhao Yunwen didn't stand on ceremony and walked hand in hand with Song Yingguo. As for the promised supplies, the supply battalion would send people to deliver them.

By the time everyone returned to the command post, night had already fallen, and the deputy commander had prepared a banquet, filling the table to the brim.

Upon learning that Zhao Yunwen was coming to provide reinforcements, Song Yingguo sent people to prepare ingredients, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, and many mountain delicacies.

According to the tradition of the Nationalist Army, when the front lines are in dire need, the rear is well-fed; how could the reception for the army commander be too meager?

"Brother Yunwen, I am very sorry. Being on the front lines, I did not dare to prepare any wine or drinks. Please forgive me for the simple meals."

Zhao Yunwen, adapting to local customs, smiled and said:

"Brother Yin Guo, this is far from a simple meal. It is truly heartwarming to prepare such a sumptuous feast during these extraordinary times!"

To be honest, after eating dry rations for days on end, my mouth is completely dry. All I want now is a hot meal.

Song Yingguo quickly greeted them:

"In that case, let's begin!"

During the meal, Song Yingguo introduced Zhao Yunwen to Chen Ruihe, commander of the 36th Division, Zhong Song, commander of the 88th Division, Zhong Bin, commander of the 61st Division, and others, all of whom were acquaintances from the first and second terms.

If there's no wine, we'll use water instead; we'll keep exchanging drinks without affecting our friendship.

Zhao Yunwen is now a favorite of the principal, and this time he brought a generous gift, so he naturally became the absolute protagonist.

Everyone tried to get close to him, and Zhao Yunwen, being shrewd and unpretentious, quickly became friends with several senior officers of the 71st Army and agreed to cooperate with each other.

Zhao Yunwen even took the initiative to propose that Song Yingguo take unified command of the two operations. The latter naturally declined, but finally agreed after Zhao Yunwen's repeated insistence.

"Brother Yunwen, let's discuss this further. I'm just taking the lead; I'll contact you when I need your support, okay?"

Song Yingguo also kept his position very proper. Zhao Yunwen was unwilling to overstep his bounds, and he could not actually issue orders to the 323rd Division.

The two sides primarily cooperated in operations, with Song Yingguo serving as the nominal commander to ensure unified command.

After finalizing the general direction, everyone ended the banquet and gathered around the map to discuss the next battle plan.

First, Chief of Staff Chen Sunong introduced the 71st Army's deployment to Zhao Yunwen, and then Zhao Yunwen's opinion was solicited.

Zhao Yunwen didn't stand on ceremony and, referring to the map, said:

"Fujinshan is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Japanese need to cross the river to launch an attack. They have too many troops and supplies to deploy, so they can only rely on air superiority, poison gas bombs, and artillery superiority to wear down the 71st Army's troops, supplies, and ammunition."

Therefore, it is essential to maintain sufficient reserves and strengthen air defense, artillery defense, and gas defense. The 323rd Division will do its utmost to block the Japanese outflanking maneuver, while sending out a cavalry regiment to harass the Japanese supply lines and an artillery battalion to provide support from the flanks.

If necessary, infantry reinforcements will also be sent...