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

After several days of marching, the main force of the 323rd Division finally arrived at Luoshan and joined forces with the 324th Division, where they began to rest and reorganize.

The 324th Division had made extensive preparations beforehand, especially in field hospitals and supplies, so that all the wounded could receive the best medical treatment and no longer suffer from the hardships of travel.

Hot dishes and hot rice were also served, with plenty of steaming bowls of rice and pork stew with cabbage. Zhao Yunwen also ate two large bowls of hot rice in succession, and then patted his round belly and said:

"Finally, we can have a hot meal! It's fucking awesome!"

324th Division Commander Wang Guohua leaned over and said:

"The meat this time is calculated at half a pound per person, and the cabbage is just an extra. There's definitely enough oil and fat, and everyone gets the same amount, so you can eat your fill."

"Very good, I trust you, Lao Wang, to get things done. Any new battle reports?"

Wang Guohua quickly replied:

"On the northern front, the main force of the 10th Division was launching a strong attack on Huangchuan City. The 59th Army had been fighting fiercely for ten days and had suffered huge losses in manpower and supplies. The Laigu Brigade of the 10th Division broke away from the Shangxin Highway and attempted to flank the 59th Army, but was blocked by the 31st Division, resulting in casualties on both sides."

On the southern front, Commander Xue has encircled the overconfident and reckless 106th Division at Wanjialing in northern Jiangxi, compressing it into the narrow mountainous area of ​​Wanjialing, and is expected to annihilate an entire Japanese division.

In the Battle of Wanjialing, Zhao Yunwen almost forgot about this incident. It was Xue Laohu's masterpiece, but unfortunately, some of them managed to escape, and the Japanese only admitted to suffering heavy losses.

Zhao Yunwen considered whether to intervene and lend a hand, but then decided against it.

There's no need. With the Japanese's thick skin, they can always find an excuse.

In a battle to annihilate tens of thousands of people, there are bound to be some who escape. Wanjialing is not within the range of the minimap, the enemy situation is unclear, and he cannot provide support from a distance.

He vaguely remembered that simply surrounding the area wasn't enough; there were still many twists and turns inside. With about ten days left in the battle, he stopped paying attention and said to the two division commanders, Wang Guohua and Qiu Fengzi:

"The battle on the southern front will not be decided anytime soon. Once the 106th Division is annihilated, the morale of the Japanese will definitely be affected, and they may shift their focus to the northern front."

While the Japanese forces were still stationed on the southern front in northern Jiangxi, the northern front had already reached the outskirts of Xinyang. This might give the Japanese high command the illusion that once they captured Xinyang, they could advance south along the Pinghan Line and their forces would be aimed directly at Jiangcheng.

Luoshan will become the next focal point of contention between the two sides. The 646th Regiment, which is covering the rear, can only buy you three more days at most. At that time, the Japanese will be at the gates of Luoshan, and the 324th Division's defense line will bear the brunt.

The 323rd Division's current task is to rest and reorganize. When the Japanese troops approach Luoshan City, they will continue to retreat to the south of Xinyang City, and Luoshan will be handed over to the 324th Division for defense.

"You will have to withstand the attacks of the 13th and 16th Divisions on the eastern front, and the Lai Gu Brigade may also launch a pincer attack from the northeast. Are you confident you can hold out for more than half a month?"

The timeline on the northern front had long been disrupted by the Tiger Army. Many battles, such as Fujinshan, Xiakou, Yangang, and Chunhepu, had been prolonged, so the defense of Xinyang could also be altered.

The first one started in Luoshan. The original Luoshan defense battle was fought by the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army, which held out for 11 days.

Now it's the 324th Division that's been replaced, and they're being asked to hold out for half a month. That makes sense.

Wang Guohua stood up abruptly and said:

"The 13th and 16th Divisions had already been severely damaged by the 323rd Division, and their strength was greatly reduced. Even if the Raigu Brigade could recover its strength, it would still have less than 40,000 men in total."

The 324th Division was not only confident of holding them off for more than half a month, but also of inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese at Luoshan.

Wang Guohua's confidence was not blind; rather, it was a conclusion drawn from a comparison of the strengths of both sides, which made him more reassuring.

Zhao Yunwen put away his smile and said:

"The Japanese Second Army deployed three divisions in the Xinyang direction. After entering the plains, the Japanese tanks and artillery will also come in handy."

With Hu Shoushan's 17th Army Corps holding the line north of Xinyang, and the 22nd Army Group as the general reserve, plus the remnants of the 59th and 30th Armies, there was no problem in blocking the main force of the 10th Division.

My unit is about to be besieged by two and a half Japanese divisions. It is possible that the Second Army will send reinforcements, as they have one and a half divisions under their command.

Be prepared to withstand an attack from three and a half divisions!

Wang Guohua nodded emphatically and said:

"Mission accomplished!"

Zhao Yunwen's gaze fell on Chunhepu again. The Japanese were reinforcing their troops, and the main force of the 16th Division was arriving one after another, greatly increasing the pressure on the 646th Regiment in Chunhepu.

He then added:

"Send a message to the 646th Regiment: if Chunhepu can be defended, then defend it; if not, then abandon it. Chunhepu is 50 kilometers from Luoshan. We can use harassment tactics to hold off the Japanese for three days. We absolutely cannot afford to wipe out our troops."

In addition, send a telegram to the cavalry regiment, instructing them to withdraw to the southwest of Chunhepu, and notify the 3rd Cavalry Battalion to return to its original unit.

The cavalry regiment had been fighting continuously for over a month. Once the battle of Chunhepu was over, they would retreat to Luoshan to rest and reorganize.

The subsequent battle for Luoshan will require them to hold back the Japanese forces on the periphery.

Qiu the Madman chimed in, saying:

"Once the cavalry regiment returns to its position, the garrison at Luoshan will consist of the 324th Division, the cavalry regiment, the artillery brigade, and other units, with a total strength of nearly 20,000 men."

"Twenty thousand against forty thousand, or even fifty thousand—isn't that a bit too weak a force? Should we leave a regiment from the 323rd Division as a reserve to assist in the battle?"

Zhao Yunwen waved his hand and said:

"No need, Luoshan is only so big, 20,000 troops are enough."

Your 323rd Division's mission is to rest and recuperate, while also sending out a large number of combat veterans to assist the training team in training the security regiment.

"I'm giving you a month. I need them to be able to deploy as many troops as possible to the battlefield."

"Mission accomplished!"

This was not difficult for them. After a series of battles, including Fujinshan and Xiakou, the 323rd Division had no shortage of battle veterans.

At Tangjialing, the field command post of the 646th Regiment was bustling with staff and communications personnel, creating an unusually tense atmosphere.

Sui Youlan stared intently at the section of highway west of Chunhepu on the map, already planning where to organize a new harassment operation, with Chief of Staff Le Bo beside him.

With the Japanese army pressing in with overwhelming force, the 646th Regiment's defensive line faced increasing pressure. Every decision Sui Youlan made concerned the safety of the entire regiment, so he had to be cautious.

The communications officer strode in to report:

"Deputy Division Commander, an urgent telegram from the Army Commander forwarded from division headquarters!"

Chief of Staff Le Bo quickly signed for it and then handed it to Sui Youlan.

Sui Youlan graduated from the third class of the Whampoa Military Academy. He was originally a colonel and commander of the 4th Regiment of the Training Corps. He had rich combat experience and, after being tempered in rearguard battles, he was already capable of leading independently.

After reading Zhao Yunwen's instructions, his expression didn't change much, but he said in a deep voice:

"The commander has granted us the right to make independent decisions regarding the Chunhepu battle. According to the division headquarters, the main force of the 16th Division has arrived east of Tangjialing and is making final preparations for the attack. Once the offensive is launched, the firepower will be very strong."

"Holding out will result in too many casualties. Chief of Staff Yue, in your opinion, should we retreat or continue holding out?"

Sui Youlan originally wanted to hold out for another half a day, but he had to be responsible for the more than 2,000 soldiers of the 646th Regiment, all of whom were battle-hardened veterans, including the soldiers of the supplementary battalion.

After thinking for a moment, Le Bo said:

"Deputy Division Commander, we were able to hold off an entire Japanese regiment before because we had enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with the regimental artillery. Now the Japanese are using divisional artillery, and our brothers can only passively take the bombs. The casualties will be huge."

Since the commander has granted my unit autonomy, my opinion is to proactively abandon Chunhepu. We can buy half a day through harassment tactics; there's no need to fight head-on.

Le Bo's words made Sui Youlan make up his mind. He remembered Zhao Yunwen's instructions: fight if you can win, retreat if you can't, don't worry about the gains or losses of a single city or place, and preserve your strength.

Thinking this through, his gaze hardened, and he said loudly:

"Leave the Second Battalion behind to cover the rear, and the main force will immediately withdraw from the position. Report our decision to the division headquarters for record."

Le Bo's expression relaxed. He was really worried that Deputy Division Commander Sui would continue to hold on, since the ones who sacrificed were all veterans from the Training Corps.

South of Chunhepu, the Japanese had completed preparations for the general offensive. Chief of Staff Nakazawa Saburo requested instructions from the division:

"Your Excellency Division Commander, the artillery is in full position, a total of 27 howitzers of 75mm or larger, which is enough to raze Tangjialing to the ground."

The 20th Infantry Regiment will launch a frontal assault, while the 133rd Infantry Regiment will flank them. The battle will be over in a maximum of two hours!

Division Commander Lieutenant General Fujie said with great enthusiasm:

"Yoshi, the Chinese garrison has every right to be proud. The remnants of the 323rd Division were able to push the Imperial Army to this point. They deserve the Imperial Army's respect. I have decided to treat them as prisoners of war!"

"Let's begin! The battle at Chunhepu can't be delayed any longer; let the cannons decide!"

Nakazawa Saburo bowed deeply and said loudly:

"Hai, the warriors will not let you down!"

Lieutenant General Fujie watched Colonel Nakazawa leave, then picked up his binoculars to prepare for the performance.

The 22nd Field Artillery Regiment didn't keep him waiting long; the thunderous roar of artillery fire reached his ears, and Tangjialing, this small hill, was instantly engulfed in artillery fire. Lieutenant General Tengjiang muttered to himself:

"Chinese, let's see if your bones are harder, or the steel of the Imperial Army!"