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

After winning the counterattack, Zhao Yunwen ordered the abandonment of the gorge position, which was his habit. The advantage was that the Japanese could not chase after him and he could retreat at his own pace.

The Nationalist army generally had a bad habit: they couldn't win a battle; they would collapse as soon as they retreated. This was the case in the Battle of Shanghai, the Battle of Nanjing, and the Battle of Lanfeng.

Zhao Yunwen has always tried to avoid the lesson of playing brilliantly in the early stages but squandering all his resources during the retreat.

He first ordered the 31st Division to withdraw from its position, then the 323rd Division, the mountain artillery battalion, the supply battalion, and finally the cavalry regiment. With the cavalry regiment in command, the Japanese dared not pursue.

During the Battle of Xiakou, a large amount of equipment and supplies were captured. The 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division suffered heavy casualties. In return, Zhao Yunwen gave them 12 mountain guns and Type 92 infantry guns.

In addition, there were four 90mm mortars, 24 Type 4 heavy machine guns, as well as a large number of grenade launchers, mules and horses, and supporting ammunition, which greatly upgraded the equipment level.

The remaining spoils of war were used to reinforce the various regiments. The mountain artillery battalion was given an additional 90mm mortar company, bringing the total number of artillery pieces to 24, supported by more than 100 mules and horses.

After retreating to Shangcheng County, Zhao Yunwen began to change tactics. The cavalry regiment ended its rearguard mission and protected the supplies and division headquarters on both flanks, while the 646th Regiment took over the rearguard duties.

Zhao Yunwen kept Sui Youlan, the head of the delegation, behind for a private talk to give him instructions:

"The command has abandoned the city and left it undefended. The people are being evacuated to the mountains as much as possible to prevent Japanese retaliation."

The main force will first retreat to Yangang, where they plan to hold off the Japanese for three days. The 31st Division will withdraw to the Taolinpu area southeast of Huangchuan to rest and build fortifications to guard the flank of the 59th Army. The cavalry regiment will send a battalion to cooperate with the 59th Army in its operations.

I need you to use harassment tactics to slow down the Japanese advance. The exact timing is uncertain, so you need to decide for yourselves. Don't get caught up with the Japanese, and don't suffer too many casualties.

To sabotage the road, lay mines along the way, launch a surprise attack, and then leave. The attack must be well-organized: one battalion will carry out the attack, while the main force lays an ambush in the rear to engage the pursuing enemy…”

Zhao Yunwen taught Sui Youlan guerrilla tactics in a straightforward manner, leaving it up to him to see how much he could grasp.

"Master, please come in. Cultivation depends on the individual," Zhao Yunwen asked finally.

"Have you written everything down? If you have any difficulties, just ask. If you can't do it, I can switch to another group."

Instead of a plea, a provocation worked; Sui Youlan took the bait and immediately stated:

"There are no difficulties, we just hope you can leave us more landmines, these things are useful for blocking the enemy."

The 646th Regiment guarantees to complete the mission, so we won't trouble other regiments.

Zhao Yunwen patted him on the shoulder and strode away. Sui Youlan then summoned several battalion commanders to deploy combat missions.

At 6 p.m., at the Fifth War Zone's temporary command post, just as they had settled in, Xu Yanmou strode in and reported to Commander Bai Dai:

"Brother Jiansheng, great news! A resounding victory!"

Bai Jiansheng said with a long face:

"Brother Yan, please don't add to my worries. We just lost the mall, how can there be a great victory?"

Xu Yanmou pretended not to see his old classmate's sour face and continued:

"It was General Zhao and the 323rd Division that launched ambushes at Erdaogou and Zhaopeng, severely damaging the Laigu Brigade, which was carrying out a flanking maneuver. They annihilated a total of 3,000 enemy troops, crippled the 10th and 63rd Regiments, destroyed their artillery and supplies, and captured a great deal of spoils."

Subsequently, taking advantage of the Japanese army's wavering morale, the main forces of the 323rd and 31st Divisions launched a counterattack on the front, decisively defeating the 13th and 16th Divisions and annihilating 2,000 enemy soldiers!

Bai Jiansheng could hardly believe his ears, as if he were listening to a storybook. Even storytellers wouldn't dare to exaggerate like this, claiming there were five thousand Japanese soldiers in total.

He couldn't even imagine it. Zhao Yunwen had done it with just two crippled teachers. Was it even possible?

"Yan Mou, are you sure you've verified this?"

"Brother Jiansheng, how could I rashly report such a significant victory?"

Bai Jiansheng still trusted his old classmate, otherwise he wouldn't have recommended him to be Li Delin's advisor in the Fifth War Zone. In other words, the good news couldn't be fake!

Overjoyed, Bai Jiansheng, who had recovered, exclaimed excitedly:

"General Zhao is truly a divine being, winning battles like a god; I am no match for him!"

After praising him, his tone immediately changed:

"The three major divisions have suffered such a heavy blow that they won't recover for at least a couple of days. The gorge can definitely hold out for a few more days... Quickly draft a telegram for Zhao Yunwen—"

"Brother Jiansheng, the 31st and 323rd Divisions have successively abandoned the Xiakou position and retreated to Yangang and southeast of Huangchuan, leaving behind a rearguard to destroy the highway and delay the Japanese pursuit."

"Nonsense! We just won a great victory, why are we retreating? These arrogant and reckless soldiers from Whampoa Military Academy are far too arrogant and unruly!"

Bai Jiansheng was furious after hearing this. He was prepared to use Zhao Yunwen for a few more days, as he was even more useful than an old ox.

Xu Yanmou saw right through his little scheme; he was like someone who had caught a sheep and wanted to fleece it until it was bald.

"Brother Jiansheng, General Zhao's counterattack was only to make the retreat more comfortable and avoid being pursued by the Japanese."

They fought fiercely at the gorge, suffering heavy casualties and were already at their limit, in dire need of rest.

Bai Jiansheng's feverish mind finally calmed down, and he gave an awkward laugh:

"Brother Yanmou is right to remind me that I was too eager for quick success and instant benefits. I compiled all the Tiger Army's achievements at the gorge and reported the victory to the Military Commission in the name of the headquarters. I couldn't let an honest man like General Zhao suffer losses."

Xu Yanmou was speechless. Just a moment ago they were arrogant and fierce generals, but now they've become honest and docile. It takes a lot of shame for a commander to be able to do this.

"I'll go and take care of it right away. Is there anything else to explain?"

Xu Yanmou asked casually, and Bai Jiansheng started ordering Zhao Yunwen around again:

"Return the telegram to General Zhao, ordering them to launch a staggered attack and set up defenses at multiple levels, so as to buy at least five days for the 17th Army Corps to deploy its defenses at Guangshan and Zhuganpu."

Hu Shoushan was his classmate from the same class; Zhao Yunwen had to help him with this.

Shameless, utterly shameless! In order to have a legitimate reason to order Zhao Yunwen around, they even brought up Hu Shoushan.

At this time, the main force of the 10th Division was attacking Huangchuan on the northern front. The 59th Army was fighting very hard. Bai Jiansheng was worried about the loss, so he sent the 17th Army Corps to defend Guangshan and Zhuganpu to block the Japanese from attacking Xinyang from the south of the plains.

Bai Jiansheng arranged for the 17th Army Corps to guard the north and northwest of Xinyang, and the Tiger Army to guard the east and southeast, all under his unified command.

Xu Yanmou turned and left to receive the order. Bai Jiansheng's previous bad mood vanished completely, and he muttered to himself:

"Yunwen, you are truly my lucky charm!"

East of the gorge, the 16th Division finally regained its footing. The division commander was so furious that he could hardly contain himself and cursed several regimental and brigade commanders one by one, with "Baka!" flying everywhere.

The old Japanese soldiers fell silent, none daring to answer, until he had cursed until his throat was dry, at which point Chief of Staff Nakazawa Saburo finally offered his explanation:

"Division Commander, even the intelligence department couldn't keep up with the news of reinforcements in China. What a bunch of useless idiots!"

The Japanese soldiers echoed this sentiment, shifting the blame to the intelligence system and diverting the trouble eastward.

Fujie Eipu knew who was responsible, but someone had to take the blame. The 10th Division was a reinforcement, so it wasn't appropriate. After thinking it over, the only options were the intelligence department and Zhao Yunwen.

Gu Xianjian, the captain of the Ninth Regiment, expressed a different view:

"Zhao Yunwen is too cunning. If it weren't for him—"

Fujie Hepburn raised his hand to interrupt his nonsense and coldly shouted:

"Enough! That's no excuse for your defeat!"

"A disgrace to the Imperial Army! A disgrace to the Empire!"

"We have both failed His Highness the Prince's trust!"

Nakazawa Saburo didn't argue anymore. His job was to muddy the waters. He wouldn't lose anything by taking a few scoldings. He just wanted to let the division commander vent his anger.

Just then, the communications staff officer rushed in excitedly to report:

"Commander, good news!"

"You bastard, what time is it and you still dare to laugh!"

Lieutenant General Fujie raised his hand and slapped him twice; the others were too high-ranking to fight.

The communications officer quickly looked to Nakazawa Saburo for help, but the latter coldly snapped:

"Get straight to the point!"

The communications officer then realized he had misled the officer; Lieutenant General Fujie, now impatient, immediately said:

"The Chinese at the gorge retreated; they all ran away, not a single one was left."

"You bastard! Say it again! Zhao Yunwen ran away?"

"Hai, the search team has confirmed it. I swear on my life."

Lieutenant General Fujie finally smiled, waved away the communications officer, and said thoughtfully:

"Oh crap, so Zhao Yunwen was using a strategy of advancing as a form of retreat. They've been too exhausted to fight for a long time, and the morale of those useless 10th Division is already being affected."

"Gu Xianjun, you immediately lead the warriors of the Ninth Regiment to take control of Eagle Beak Mountain. The other units shall prepare to pass through the valley."

"Lord Nakazawa, immediately report the victory to His Highness the Prince. Tell him that our troops have defeated Zhao Yunwen's forces and successfully captured the gorge. However, the casualties were quite heavy, and we request that appropriate reinforcements be provided."

The crowd's eyes lit up upon hearing this. They had been worried about how to explain themselves to the prince, but unexpectedly, Zhao Yunwen had offered them the gorge, which gave them room to maneuver.

Colonel Gu Xian was greatly encouraged and bowed deeply.

"Hai, the Ninth Regiment will certainly live up to the division commander's expectations."

As expected of the main force, they got to reap the rewards, leaving the other regimental commanders only with envy.

Fortunately, the crisis has been resolved, and the natural barrier of the gorge has been captured. Now we can advance unimpeded and bring our troops to the gates of Xinyang.

After Colonel Gu Xian left, the atmosphere in the command post became enthusiastic. As long as the gorge was captured, everything else would be easy to discuss.

The domestic propaganda is good, and there are plenty of replacement soldiers; many of them still need to go through connections.

Lieutenant General Fujie gave another order:

"Kondo-kun, your 38th Regiment suffered the fewest casualties. After the 9th Regiment controls the high ground on both flanks of the gorge, the 38th Regiment will act as the vanguard to capture the shopping mall first, and wait for the main force of the division to arrive."

"The 20th Infantry Regiment will cover the rear and then telegraph the 13th Division after capturing the gorge."

As orders were issued, Lieutenant General Fujie became spirited again.