Spy Shadow: Command & Conquer

Chapter 1986, The Cooked Duck Flees
Changzhou.

Provisional Headquarters of the Japanese Expeditionary Army.

Hata Shunroku had already learned that the anti-Japanese armed forces in Nanjing were gradually withdrawing.

However, it did not immediately order its entry into Nanjing.

What if it's a deadly trap?
What if Zhang Yong launches a surprise attack?

You can't help it.

Look at Wang Jingwei, he's hiding in Shanghai, not going anywhere.

Wherever Zhang Yong might appear, Wang Jingwei would stay far away, maintaining an absolute distance from him.

That's what a smart person is!
As long as the distance is far enough, it is safe enough.

Therefore, Hata Shunroku was in no hurry. He would wait until all the follow-up troops arrived before making any moves.

If even one regiment is not in place, it will not enter Nanjing. Furthermore, it has repeatedly sworn that it will never make the same mistake again.

Under no circumstances would they be allowed to deplete their military forces near Jinling. They would absolutely not give Zhang Yong a third chance to enter Jinling.

There are no more than three things.

If this happens a third time, I'll be too ashamed to show my face.

"chief of staff."

"exist."

The newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Expeditionary Army, Seishiro Itagaki, has arrived.

Unlike his previous high spirits and ambition, Seishiro Itagaki did not actually want to take on the position of chief of staff.

It would rather go back to serving as the commander of a division with a number of 50 or so, even if it was a Class C division.

It wanted to avenge itself. It wanted to get revenge.

The former 5th Division was so glorious.

If it weren't for that damned Taierzhuang...

This dispatched army chief of staff was a complete retirement official.

The situation is now clear: the Empire is no longer willing to invest more in China.

A bottomless pit...

Muddy swamp...

There is only consumption, no benefit.

The empire was already exhausted by such a battlefield.

Their gaze began to turn south.

In other words, the resources that the future dispatched army headquarters will be able to obtain will be very limited.

It's even possible that some of the current troops will need to be redeployed.

It’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!
Forget about attacking. Just maintaining the status quo would be a miracle.

"Your Excellency Commander..."

"Itagaki-kun, please have a seat."

Hata Shunroku remained very polite. After all, the two would be sharing the same fate from now on.

Both of them knew that the days ahead would be difficult.

The strength of the Chinese people is growing stronger and stronger. Even local armed forces are starting to actively provoke the Japanese army.

Apart from some large and medium-sized cities, many county towns will likely be occupied by the Nationalist army one after another.

Especially the very active Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army.

"Sir, you..."

Seishiro Itagaki noticed that there were many draft papers on Shunroku Hata's desk.

The draft paper was covered with dense handwriting. It was all written by Hata Shunroku himself.

This is not surprising.

What's strange is its content.

It's actually an excerpt from "On Protracted War".

"I am currently studying it."

Hata Shunroku's expression turned grave. Then he sighed silently.

In the beginning, "On Protracted War" was just a lecture script. It was used in class.

Later, it gradually circulated and began to appear in handwritten copies.

Hata Shunroku gradually began to pay attention.

From initial disdain to current study.

It can be said that it remembered most of the content in this speech very clearly.

It can recite many paragraphs, long passages.

It is also used for calligraphy study.

"Commander, what are your thoughts?"

"An ant trying to swallow an elephant."

"Why?"

"China is too big, with too many people. It's impossible for us to annex it. The best outcome is to maintain the current situation."

"But the Chinese will not agree. They will counterattack. And their first target will be Yueyang."

"Yes! They will definitely retaliate. We are forced to fight back passively."

"Commander, should we arrange for a division to be stationed in Anqing?"

"Do not."

Hata Shunroku slowly shook his head.

What is the purpose of sending a division to Anqing?
Are we to be divided and surrounded by Zhang Yong again, and then devoured? Absolutely not.

During his second term as commander of the expeditionary army, Hata Shunroku summarized many lessons learned.

The most important rule is not to divide your forces.

Don't put a lump of food here and a lump of food there.

If it were other Nationalist troops, of course it would be fine. But if Zhang Yong were to come, then things would be bad.

A division was stationed in one place, and Zhang Yong just happened to surround and devour it.

Then the Empire lost another division.

One was lost today...

Tomorrow we'll lose one...

How many divisions could the expeditionary army have?

"However, Anqing is a vital transportation hub and must be heavily guarded..."

"One infantry regiment is enough."

"Your Mightiness……"

Seishiro Itagaki couldn't understand it.

Such an important military location, and you only stationed a regiment there?
"Your Mightiness……"

"Itagaki-kun, how long do you think a division can hold out?"

"what?"

"If Zhang Yong attacks, how long can a division hold out?"

"This……"

Seishiro Itagaki was unable to answer.

The recent fighting is too bizarre, completely defying common sense.

Anami Korechika led five divisions and several independent mixed brigades to swarm Bengbu, but Zhang Yong and his Nationalist army managed to break through their defenses.

The final losses were devastating. The remaining remnants were forced to retreat to Xuzhou, barely clinging to life.

Five divisions couldn't hold out. What about the other one?

"Sakagaki-kun."

"exist."

"We must change our strategy. We cannot repeat the same mistakes."

"Please give instructions, Commander."

"From now on, we will only hold onto a very few major cities. We will concentrate our forces and actively defend them."

"defense?"

Seishiro Itagaki thought he had misheard.

Hata Shunroku's intention is actually to prioritize defense? Does that mean he's just giving up on attacking?

and many more.

It wants to continue its attack.

It still fantasizes about when it can defeat Zhang Yong and avenge its previous humiliation.

As a result, Hata Shunroku now tells himself: Stop thinking about attacking. Maintaining the current situation is already quite good.

"Yes. Based on defensive operations."

"Commander, our strength is not that weak yet."

"To have troops stationed everywhere is to have weaknesses everywhere."

"But……"

Seishiro Itagaki hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

It felt that Hata Shunroku might not be being overly cautious. He was being too prudent.

Given the current strength of the Japanese army, while they are unable to launch a large-scale offensive, they can still launch an attack at a specific point.

It's impossible for the Nationalist army to have such a strong defense at every location.

"Therefore, we need to consolidate our forces. We will wait for the Nationalist army to expose its weaknesses, and then strike with full force."

"Appreciate further details."

"I am prepared to abandon Yueyang if necessary."

"This……"

"Then wait for the Nationalist army to arrive. Then find the right opportunity to launch a counterattack and annihilate them."

"This……"

Seishiro Itagaki was stunned.

Isn't this Zhang Yong's tactic? Is Hata Shunroku trying to emulate Zhang Yong?
Zhang Yong precisely targeted the Japanese army's weaknesses, launched a sudden attack, and delivered a fatal blow.

This resulted in the Japanese army always being on the defensive and suffering heavy losses.

"We only need to concentrate our forces in Wuhan, Nanjing, Xuzhou, Taiyuan, Beijing, and Jinan."

Shunroku Hata began to explain in detail.

This is a very well-thought-out plan.

It has come to realize that the war in China is entering a stalemate.

According to the description in "On Protracted War", this stalemate phase may last for a long time.

Three to five years.

Ten or eight years.

All of these are entirely possible.

The empire's focus then began to shift to Southeast Asia.

Therefore, the main task of the dispatched army headquarters was to preserve its manpower.

To put it bluntly, we can't let Zhang Yong keep eating us up, bite by bite.

Today it's a battalion, tomorrow a company; after a month, an entire division might be wiped out.

Such heavy losses were unbearable for the dispatched army.

How to deal with it?

It means concentrating a large number of troops in major cities.

The surrounding small and medium-sized towns were only guarded by a small number of troops, or by puppet troops.

"Your Excellency, if Zhang Yong attacks..."

"Retreat immediately."

Hata Shunroku said without hesitation.

Do not get entangled with Zhang Yong. Give the land to him.

Anyway, they won't stay long. Once they leave, we'll take it back.

In this way, it was the puppet troops who suffered the losses.

Nothing.

The puppet army was originally just cannon fodder.

Using them to block Zhang Yong's sharp attacks is the best option.

"But……"

Seishiro Itagaki wanted to say that we should use war to sustain war.

They need to obtain food and other supplies from the occupied territories to sustain the troops' daily needs.

But then I thought, what use are supplies if the troops are wiped out? In the end, they'll just fall into Zhang Yong's hands anyway.
Silence ensued.

Perhaps, this is the only option left.

Given the current situation, it cannot conceive of a better solution. It can only comply.

Therefore, a joint detachment was arranged to be stationed in Anqing.

What should Bengbu do?
Serve cold.

Let's wait until the Nationalist army retreats before discussing it further.

What if the Nationalist army doesn't retreat? Then we'll just wait.

Anyway, Jinan and Xuzhou can resupply from Qingdao or Lianyungang. There shouldn't be any major problems for now.

As for the future...

That's a matter for headquarters.

That's all the expeditionary force headquarters can do.

Sigh... I knew this job wouldn't be easy.

Whether it was the commander or the chief of staff, they all felt like each day was an eternity!

I wonder if anyone is willing to take over?

I think I should just go back to being a division commander.

"report!"

"Urgent telegram from headquarters."

A communications officer arrived in a hurry.

He handed a telegram to Seishiro Itagaki, then quickly turned and left.

After reading it, Seishiro Itagaki frowned deeply.

What bad luck.

When it rains, it pours!
"what's up?"

"Commander, the General Headquarters intends to prioritize assigning the 103rd Division to the Southern Army."

"understood."

Hata Shunroku remained expressionless, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Seishiro Itagaki hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

unacceptable.

Another division was transferred away.

It is also a special division with relatively strong combat capabilities.

However, this is just the beginning.

In the future, more divisions may be drawn from the army.

Elite units, including the 3rd, 16th, and 18th Divisions, were mostly lost.

Instead, there may be more independent mixed brigades.

Or it could be a three-unit division with a number of 50 or higher. Or even the lowest-ranking D-class division.

It's the kind of division that only has infantry guns, not even mountain guns. A pure infantry division. Only capable of defensive operations. Its offensive capability is zero.

Frustrated...

despair……

How am I supposed to get through this awful life...?

It's all that damned Zhang Yong's fault!
I curse him ten thousand times again...

……

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Zhang Yong sneezed repeatedly.

After leaving the front line in Bengbu, he traveled day and night.

Back at the makeshift airport in Huoshan.

"Commissioner".

"Commander Zhang."

Zhang Yong and Zhang Gan shook hands.

The other party was indeed waiting for him.

We promised each other that we would wait for him to come back.

He's back now. Zhang Gan kept his promise.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yong was about to leave again.

Busy! Working non-stop.

Baldy is still waiting for him at Chongqing Baishiyi Airport.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Take off in a Hawk 3 fighter jet.

There was no direct flight to Chongqing. Instead, it flew directly to Changsha Airport and landed smoothly.

"Commissioner".

"Minister Min."

Zhang Yong climbed out of the plane. He landed.

Nothing unusual was found. It shouldn't be the bald man's doing.

However, better safe than sorry.

Safety first at all times. To avoid any unexpected mishaps.

"Somebody come!"

"To!"

"Help me connect to the headquarters of the 67th Army."

"Yes!"

Zhang Yong's first priority was to find Huang Wei.

Huang Wei is the commander of the 67th Army. He had been stationed in Yueyang for a long time. Now that a counter-offensive is underway, the 67th Army will definitely be at the forefront.

At the same time, there are also the 103rd Army and the 69th Army. Concentrating the forces of three armies should be enough.

There was also a 100th Army. But it was stationed in Shanggao, near Nanchang.

Oh, and there's also the newly formed 23rd Division. But Liu Zhi took it to the Fourth War Zone. It can't be moved for the time being.

"Commissioner".

Soon, Huang Wei's voice came through.

Huang Wei was very excited to learn that it was Zhang Yong who had contacted him.

The previous rumors have finally been confirmed.

Zhang Yong is really back. He's going to make a move against Yueyang.

Without a doubt, the 67th Army was the main force of the offensive.

"How is the situation with the troops?"

"We are ready to deploy at any time."

"Then let's head towards Yueyang! Seize the outer defenses of Yueyang!"

"Yes!"

Huang Wei gave a loud and clear answer.

excited.

Rubbing hands together.

The war has finally begun.

I've been waiting for this for so long!
"You will be formally given the combat orders shortly."

"Yes."

Zhang Yong ended the call.

Then he called the 69th Army, the 100th Army, and the 103rd Army in turn.

Understand the situation of the troops. Then issue orders.

The 100th Army is near Nanchang, so it certainly can't get close to Yueyang. But that doesn't matter, we'll launch an offensive on Nanchang.

"report!"

"Commissioner, Commander Xue from the Ninth War Zone is calling for you."

An advisor arrived.

Zhang Yong nodded.

Soon, Xue Yue answered the phone.

"Commissioner".

"Commander Xue, what are your orders?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare. What are your orders, Commissioner? What can the Ninth War Zone do?"

"If possible, order the 18th Army, 74th Army, and other units to attack Nanchang. Clear out the area around Nanchang and draw some of the Japanese troops away."

"it is good."

Xue Yue readily agreed.

He stopped interfering in the battle of Yueyang.

The command headquarters has been handed over to Zhang Yong. Huang Wei is in charge of the front lines.

Zhang Yong was in charge of Yueyang. Xue Yue, on the other hand, was in charge of Nanchang.

A two-pronged approach was adopted to keep the Japanese invaders preoccupied.

I wonder how long it will take Zhang Yong to conquer Yueyang?

five days?

Ten days?

If I use five times or ten times the time, maybe I can conquer Nanchang.

"Commissioner, shall we discuss this in person?"

"it is good."

Zhang Yong agreed.

They immediately drove to the Ninth War Zone Command.

Xue Yue went out to greet them. Then they entered the operations room and began their discussion.

Zhang Yong offered no specific suggestions regarding the attack on Nanchang. He generally didn't consider things that weren't his own business.

Right now, all he cares about is Yueyang. He's focused solely on recapturing Yueyang.

While they were studying the matter, Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi suddenly arrived quickly.

Face full of excitement.

High spirits.

"Commander-in-Chief! The Japanese invaders in Yueyang have retreated."

"what?"

Zhang Yong and Xue Yue were both taken aback.

Did the Japanese invaders retreat?
Have they given up on Yueyang?
no……

and many more……

I haven't even started the attack yet!

I just issued the operational orders to the 67th Army. The troops haven't even arrived yet...

"true and false?"

"The report came from the 67th Army's frontline personnel. They witnessed firsthand the Japanese abandoning Yueyang and retreating towards Hankou."

"Let me ask."

Zhang Yong found it hard to believe.

It seemed like the Japanese invaders were very afraid of him. As soon as he returned, they ran away.

Seriously. Am I that scary?

Start the 5C communication center. Looking for Huang Wei. Couldn't find him. He said he went to the front lines.

We had no choice but to wait patiently.

In the meantime, many telegrams arrived.

Most of the content reports the withdrawal of the Japanese invaders from Yueyang.

"Commissioner, the Japanese invaders have really withdrawn."

"They left behind an empty city."

Huang Wei sent a telegram from the front lines. He went to confirm it himself.

The reconnaissance company of the 67th Army, along with Sun Dexi's cavalry battalion, have entered Yueyang.

Two hours later, Zhang Yong finally believed that the Japanese invaders in Yueyang had really retreated.

The Nationalist army's transport ships, which had previously been blocked in Dongting Lake, could now sail freely out of the Yangtze River and then upstream to Yichang, Wanxian, and Chongqing.

Similarly, ships from upstream areas such as Chongqing can also turn at Yueyang and enter Dongting Lake.

Then, they traveled upstream along the Xiang River to reach Changsha.

Water transport between Chongqing and Changsha has resumed.

Zhang Yong: ? ? ?
Strange, why are the Japanese invaders running so fast?
Ruined……

The Yueyang operation plan failed.

The 650 million silver dollars are gone.

Damn...

That's six and a half million silver dollars!
With just 10,000 Japanese soldiers and 10,000 tons of firepower, there would be millions of silver dollars in revenue.

hateful.

The cooked duck flew away.

How to do?
Attack Hankou?
This is a bit difficult.

However, there is a replacement target. It was added later.

where?

Nanchang!

Zhang Yong's gaze began to fall on Nanchang.

Since the attack on Yueyang failed, the only option left was to launch an attack on Nanchang.

I hope the Japanese invaders in Nanchang will never retreat...

[To be continued]

(End of this chapter)