Chapter 3: Temporary Compilation of the 79th Division

"Our situation is far from good," Lin Feng said with a bitter smile. "To be honest, our command system has been completely destroyed by the enemy, all main forces have lost contact, the direct units of the division have suffered heavy casualties, and the special operations battalion is left with only about twenty people. If it weren't for your appearance just now, we would have likely sacrificed ourselves for the party and the country."

"If you believe me, then hand over the command to me. I assure you that I will lead your temporarily organized 79th Division out of here," Xu Rui paused here, allowing Lin Feng a moment to digest the information, and then continued, "If you do not believe me, then consider that I have said nothing. However, rest assured, I will still do my utmost to assist you in breaking through."

"Absolutely impossible?" Xu Rui's expression immediately turned cold as he stared at Lin Feng and said, "Never draw conclusions lightly about things that have not been tried! You must believe in your subordinates; you must believe that, no matter what difficulties they face, they will not give up easily. They will persevere to the end. Never forget, they are soldiers of the 79th Army!"

"Alright, I will prove it to you right now." Xu Rui's lips curled into a faint smile once again, for he had already heard a faint sound of footsteps.

However, in the eyes of Xu Rui, a super soldier who has undergone the most modern and highest standard military skills training, the tactical movements of these remnants appear somewhat amateurish. For instance, there was a remnant soldier whose gun barrel got stuck in the rubble while he was lying down; if it were Xu Rui's soldiers, he would have already kicked him in the backside.

Lin Feng, the wind of the double woods, the wind that gallops like lightning. Lin Feng paused for a moment and retorted to Xu Rui, "What about you, brother?"

The climbing movements of that wounded soldier were so standard that they resembled those in a textbook, and he was as agile as a monkey. In just a couple of moments, he climbed up the side of a small villa that had partially collapsed, and quickly lay down on the second-floor balcony. It was a position that not only allowed for effective evasion of artillery shells but also provided an excellent vantage point for sniping. Xu Rui could tell at a glance that this soldier had received professional sniper training

"Gathering sand to build a tower, restoring command?" Lin Feng resolutely shook his head and said, "Absolutely impossible"

After the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai on August 13, the temporarily organized 79th Division was also dispatched to the Shanghai battlefield. However, its performance was poor, as the division commander Yang Ruofei fled in the face of battle, leading to a complete rout by a single Japanese infantry battalion in just one day. Furthermore, they lost the railway wharf at Wusong Town, which caused a rapid deterioration of the situation in the Shanghai battle.

Mr. Yamaguchi, Mr. Hasegawa, you two will flank from the left side

Listening to Xu Rui's resounding words, the more than twenty remaining soldiers behind Lin Feng straightened their backs in unison, and the intense fighting spirit reignited from the depths of their eyes. The 79th Army? It had been a long time since they had heard this designation, long enough for them to almost forget it.

Lin Feng had attended the Army University and had briefly learned sign language. Upon seeing the situation, he quickly crouched down. However, the twenty or so wounded soldiers following him mostly did not understand sign language and continued to run forward, panting heavily. As a result, the chaotic sound of footsteps immediately alerted a nearby Japanese patrol group.

Seeing Lin Feng leading over twenty remnants of soldiers following behind, Xu Rui's lips curled into a faint smile

It must be a raiding party of the little devils, let us use them as a sacrifice

However, now that I have crossed over, I must take these more than twenty remnants out, no matter what, and leave a few seeds for the temporarily organized 79th Division

Xu Rui turned his head to glance at Lin Feng, who had followed him, and asked, "Brother, what should I call you?"

Mr. Ono, Ms. Utada, you two will flank from the right side

At this point, there is no need to use any sign language. Xu Rui turned around and shouted, "Disperse, prepare for battle!"

Lin Feng instinctively wanted to refuse, handing over the command of the temporarily established 79th Division to a person of unknown origin? What a joke

If a jam occurs on the battlefield, it can be fatal

In an instant, the shouts of the enemy erupted into a chorus.

Quite interesting, Xu Rui's lips immediately curled into a faint smile, unexpectedly encountering a veteran of the National Revolutionary Army who had received specialized sniper training. In this era, such veterans are likely a rare find among millions of National Revolutionary Army soldiers. However, today, let me first show you what true sniping really is

"What does it matter if you believe or not?" Lin Feng retorted

No, they have not, they have not forgotten

Xu Rui is correct. Since his troops are still resisting and have not yet given up, as the commander, what reason does he have to abandon them

"Temporary Compilation of the Seventy-Ninth Division?" Upon hearing this, Xu Rui felt a chill in his heart

Qingshui, seize the high ground on the right side, with machine gun cover

After the complete defeat in the Battle of Songhu, the temporarily organized 79th Division was ordered to hold the rear and engaged in fierce battles with the Japanese army, particularly in Wuxi, where they fought an extremely brutal urban battle. This urban battle was also the only large-scale urban battle during the eight years of the War of Resistance. It was in this battle that the Independent 19th Division demonstrated their unyielding spirit, with not a single soldier surrendering.

Among more than twenty disabled soldiers, only the tactical movement of one disabled soldier left an impression on Xu Rui

There is no "but" in a soldier's dictionary; on the battlefield, there is only life and death, victory and defeat, and there will never be a "but!" Xu Rui rudely interrupted Lin Feng and continued, "Since you do not intend to abandon your subordinates, then muster your spirits and lead them to drive the little devils into Taihu Lake to feed the fish!"

On the battlefield, life and death are often determined in an instant

If sand gets into the barrel of this gun, it will jam

At present, Xu Rui said: "It seems that your master's situation is not very good, is it?"

It seems that this is Wuxi, and this battle will also be the final song of the temporarily organized 79th Division

Xu Rui's stride may appear slow, yet his pace of advancement is not lacking in speed. Lin Feng and around twenty remnants of the Nationalist Army exert all their strength just to barely keep up.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and quickly followed Xu Rui with more than twenty remaining soldiers

However, leading these more than twenty remaining soldiers to break through the encirclement of the enemy is not an easy task. The urgent priority is to first address the morale issue of these soldiers.

No, I, Lin Feng, will never abandon my subordinates

More than twenty remnants of soldiers immediately scattered upon hearing this, quickly seizing advantageous positions. It is evident that the military training of these more than twenty remnants is still quite solid, which also explains why they have survived until now. While others have fallen in battle, they have managed to survive, and there are indeed reasons behind this.

Xu Ruiping, holding a Type 38 rifle, moved slowly and cautiously through the ruins.

What other plans can there be? Lin Feng sighed and said, "As a soldier, one must fight for the country and the nation until the last soldier and the last bullet."

However, have they really forgotten

After the Fujian Incident, the 79th Army was disbanded and reorganized into the temporarily established 79th Division

Xu Rui frowned and said: "Why not break through? Preserve your useful self for the time to come"

Xu Rui suddenly squatted down in place, while simultaneously raising his right hand and clenching it into a fist

They will never forget that they were once soldiers of the 79th Army

Having finished speaking, Xu Rui turned and entered a narrow alley without looking back

Lin Feng then stopped in his tracks, earnestly straightening his wrinkled khaki military uniform, and replied very seriously: "National Revolutionary Army Temporary 79th Division"

In that instant, a surge of blood energy suddenly welled up in Lin Feng's chest

Xu Rui continued, "Your subordinates have not given up; as the Chief of Staff, you should not abandon them either"

At that moment, Lin Feng said: "I can hand over the command to you, but you must first prove that you have the capability to do so"

In modern Chinese history, the temporarily organized 79th Division is undoubtedly a renowned military unit, as its predecessor was the 79th Route Army, one of the few units in the Nationalist Army capable of engaging in tough battles. Five years ago, during the January 28th Shanghai Incident, the 79th Route Army had already forced the Japanese to change their commander four times.

Of course, the cost was extremely heavy, with the entire division being completely wiped out, and ultimately the unit number was canceled

Xu Rui's words seemed to possess a kind of magic, compelling the more than twenty remaining soldiers behind Lin Feng to move forward in unison. It was not until they had walked quite a distance that these soldiers finally reacted, quickly halting their steps and turning back to look at Lin Feng. However, from their eyes, Lin Feng saw a fierce and burning fighting spirit.

The rest, attack me from the front.

It is not for any other reason, but because the 79th Army is an iron army that has never yielded in both wars of resistance

Lin Feng immediately became anxious, his face turning pale as he shouted: "Of course I will not abandon my subordinates, but..."

However, just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, Lin Feng swallowed them back. He suddenly recalled the scene from earlier, where Xu Rui killed the enemy soldiers as if he were slaughtering chickens, commanding a large force. It is difficult to say whether Xu Rui possesses this capability, but when it comes to commanding a small unit, such a military expert should be competent, at least far superior to him, a chief of staff who has never independently led troops.

"Breakthrough?" Lin Feng said with a bitter smile, "I also want to break through, but what can we use to do so? The main forces have already been divided and surrounded. Our temporarily organized 79th Division has now become a pile of loose sand, and there are enemies everywhere, both inside and outside the city. There is at least one regiment; do you think we still have the possibility to defeat a regiment of the enemy and break through?"

Xu Rui then said, "So, what are your plans next?"

There is also a soldier whose prone position was not executed correctly; he actually performed a split while lying down. In this case, when transitioning, he must first bend his legs before he can exert force. One must not underestimate such a seemingly trivial detail, as it may be this momentary delay that allows the enemy's shells to land and result in your demise

Xu Rui slightly slowed his pace, and after Lin Feng caught up, he said: "Chief of Staff Lin, do you believe me?"

Then we should find a way to contact each main force, gather our strengths, and restore command

Xu Rui peeked out slightly from behind the broken wall where he was hiding and saw more than a dozen small Japanese soldiers dispersing and advancing from the street opposite. The tactical movements of these soldiers were extremely skilled; they bent low and moved like snakes, never exposing themselves easily. Moreover, their roles were clearly defined, with some flanking, some responsible for the frontal assault, and others in a machine gun team providing fire suppression.

In less than a moment, the command of the enemy commander echoed from across the street.

"Xu Rui, the unstoppable Xu. " Xu Rui smiled slightly and asked Lin Feng, "Which unit is it from?"