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

Hata Shunroku had already promoted Zhao Yunwen to the rank of theater commander, at least to the same level of treatment, which greatly increased his interest in him, and he continued to ask:

"Yoshi, it is an inescapable responsibility for Zhao Yunwen's growth from a small regimental commander to a lieutenant general. All those who have faced him have done so."

"If you don't kill a snake, it will surely bite you back! I've heard that the Tiger Legion only has one division at Fujin Mountain, while there are as many as three such elite infantry divisions. Tell me about the Tiger Legion!"

"Hai!"

Kawabe Masazo bowed deeply. He had many connections in the General Staff Headquarters and was an important member of the Saber Group, so he had a lot of information about the outside world. This was why Hata Shunroku valued him so much. The battle plan for the Jiangcheng campaign was formulated by Kawabe Masazo and his staff team.

"Commander, the Tiger Army is a first-class army, consisting of three infantry divisions. It adopts the 'three-three system,' which means that each division has three infantry regiments and each regiment has three battalions."

Both regiments and battalions have artillery companies, with each regiment having a minimum of 1500 personnel. Including directly subordinate units such as artillery companies, supply companies, and reconnaissance companies, each division has approximately 8500 personnel.

The most terrifying part of the Tiger Army was its directly subordinate units, which included an artillery brigade, cavalry regiment, guard regiment, reconnaissance regiment, training regiment, supply regiment, engineer battalion, communications battalion, and field hospital. These regiments generally had more than 1500 men, and some were even large regiments of 2500 men. They had not only a lot of artillery, but also a lot of machine guns, mainly equipped with German and American weapons, and there were also two or three regiments equipped with Japanese weapons.

The total strength is close to 40,000, with more than 20,000 veterans who have experienced actual combat. This intelligence all comes from the China Military Commission. Zhao Yunwen's troops never receive salaries without working.

They suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Zheng County and were resting in Xinyang. Among them were 20,000 newly recruited soldiers who were to be used as reserves for the Fifth War Zone. Therefore, only the 323rd Division was sent to participate in this battle, with a cavalry regiment, a Schneider mountain artillery battalion, and a supply battalion attached, totaling 12000 men. It was directly commanded by Zhao Yunwen, and the division commander was Lieutenant General Qiu Qingquan, a graduate of the second class of the Whampoa Military Academy and a renowned Chinese general.

Hata Shunroku was satisfied with Kawabe Masazo's intelligence and took a deep breath, saying:

"No wonder the 13th Division is having such a hard time. The 71st Army at Fujinshan is no pushover either. Its 36th and 88th Divisions are among the three early German-equipped divisions in China. Only the 61st Division is relatively weaker. Add to that the 12000 Tiger Legion troops, and the defenders have more than 40,000 elite troops. It's going to be tough!"

Kawabe Masashi said:

"Neither the Tiger Army nor the 71st Army can be measured by the combat strength of ordinary Chinese people, so we must reinforce them. If we want to make a rapid breakthrough, we need at least two or three divisions."

Hata Shunroku quickly made up his mind:

"Then send reinforcements. Send a telegram to His Highness the Prince, ordering him to increase his troops and strengthen his forces. He must not underestimate the enemy again. We cannot rule out the possibility that the Tiger Legion will also send reinforcements."

Furthermore, that mysterious Chinese air force couldn't have appeared out of thin air. No matter how well the secrecy was maintained, they would inevitably leave clues. We must find their location and destroy them!

"Hai, I'll make the arrangements right away. The war has been going on for over a year. The Empire is in trouble, but China is in even more trouble. Everyone is gritting their teeth and holding on. It's just a matter of who will fall last."

Kawabe Masazo was very clear-headed and dared to speak the truth, but he still couldn't escape the limitations of strategic vision. In the entire Japanese army, there were very few who could be called strategists.

Just when the Japanese were in a state of panic, Zhao Yunwen received good news: an olive branch from General Bai of the command headquarters. Qiu Fengzi said with a face full of anticipation:

"With these five thousand reinforcements, we can hold out for another month, or even three months. Commander, what do you think we should do with these men?"

Zhao Yunwen's face was full of smiles. Xu Yanmou knew him well; the young master Zhao was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything without a profit, especially when it came to replenishing troops, he would accept anyone who came.

As long as reinforcements are provided, everything will be fine. Qiu Fengzi's ulterior motives were written all over his face; he wanted to take advantage of his proximity. Zhao Yunwen only needed a moment's thought before making his decision:

"First, replenish the organization of each regiment of the 323rd Division. Replenish as many as there are casualties. The rest will be organized into supplementary regiments, with 500 men per battalion. Replenish as many battalions as possible."

This supplementary regiment was temporarily used as a reserve force, using captured Japanese weapons and equipped with a small number of artillery pieces.

"The 323rd Division is giving you an extra replenishment battalion. Don't think about anything else after that. Just complete the mission first. What do you think?"

Originally, each regiment had one supplementary battalion. Now, Zhao Yunwen not only filled the 323rd Division's quota but also added another supplementary battalion. Qiu Fengzi was naturally overjoyed, his eyes narrowing into slits. He immediately expressed his opinion:

"I have no objection. The regiments haven't used up all their reinforcements yet. Once they're fully replenished, plus an additional reinforcement battalion, the whole division will have two thousand reinforcements. We can fight for another month without any problem."

The matter of adding extra troops was not a secret to either side; for example, the 61st Division of the 71st Army had a supplementary regiment.

The most elite German-trained 36th Division was originally formed using supplementary regiments from the 87th and 88th Divisions as its backbone.

Not to mention the Japanese soldiers, their battalion stretcher teams, regimental replenishment teams, divisional replenishment regiments, and supply regiments all had reinforcements.

The Japanese reinforcements were not part of the regular army; they were formed from reserve soldiers. Their deaths would not be acknowledged. This is why the Japanese suffered very few casualties in each battle in the early stages. Since the organization was still intact after the reinforcements were completed, it wouldn't be wrong to say that a few dozen people died.

323rd Division Chief of Staff Ma Weilan leaned over and said:

"News from the 3rd Cavalry Battalion indicates that the Japanese are significantly increasing their troop reinforcements, and the amount of supplies being transported from the Lu'an direction to Yejiaji has increased dramatically. In addition, the Japanese have dispatched several thousand men and a large number of cavalry to encircle and annihilate the 3rd Cavalry Battalion."

Zhao Yunwen and the others pressed their heads close to the sand table, which was densely covered with small blue and white flags. The flags representing the Third Cavalry Battalion had already moved away from the Six Leaf Highway, while the 58th Regiment and the Cavalry Regiment were closing in from the east, south, and west, surrounding the Third Cavalry Battalion. The situation was not optimistic.

Qiu the Madman spoke first:

"Commander, the Third Cavalry Battalion only has a few hundred men. They are no match for the Japanese. It would be better to have them abandon their baggage and spoils and escape the Japanese encirclement lightly equipped."

Zhao Yunwen did not rush to express his opinion. The cavalry battalion consisted of one man and two horses each, plus hundreds of captured mules and horses carrying a large amount of supplies. Their mobility would be greatly affected, but their speed would still be faster than that of the Japanese infantry.

Having thought this through, he made up his mind and said firmly:

"The real threat from the Japanese is still the cavalry regiment. It sounds intimidating, but it's only a little over a thousand cavalrymen. One battalion has already been wiped out, which means that at most, there are two battalions left, less than a thousand men."

Telegraph the Third Cavalry Battalion, instructing them to find a way to eliminate the Japanese cavalry, and if necessary, to use baggage trains as bait to lure the cavalry into pursuit;

As long as the cavalry and infantry maintain distance, it won't be difficult to wipe them out with the superior equipment of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion!

Qiu Fengzi's eyes lit up, and he chimed in:

"That's a brilliant plan! The Commander always has so many ideas!"

Zhao Yunwen laughed and scolded:

"Stop flattering us. You're right, the brothers of the 3rd Cavalry Battalion are the most important. The mule and horse teams are the best bait. Don't be stingy with the supplies. We've wiped out the Japanese cavalry. The 58th Regiment alone can't capture the 3rd Cavalry Battalion. Get to work!"

Qiu Fengzi nodded to Ma Weilan, who readily accepted the order and left, while Qiu himself stayed with Zhao Yunwen to continue studying the war situation on the northern front.

The Japanese offensive on the northern front has resumed, but on a much smaller scale than before. Neither Zhao Yunwen nor Qiu Fengzi dared to be careless, because they both knew that the Japanese were preparing a major attack.

Taking advantage of this rare lull, the 323rd Division quickly replenished its troops, restoring its manpower and supplies to normal levels. The Shangcheng region also allocated them a batch of food and ammunition.

Whether it was the 71st Army or the Tiger Army, they had the rear area behind them, and the command headquarters still had basic supplies, at least ensuring that they wouldn't go hungry or run out of ammunition.

North of the Six Leaves Highway, cavalry regimental commander Ono Ryozo finally received good news. Excited, he immediately wanted to lead his troops in pursuit, but his senior staff officer dissuaded him:

"Be careful, it might be a trap. The infantry hasn't arrived yet. Should we wait for them to come before giving chase?"

Lieutenant Colonel Ryozo Ono said with great impatience:

"There's no time. The infantry's advance is no different from an old lady taking a stroll. By the time they arrive, it will be too late."

"No need to wait any longer, give chase immediately, quickly!"