Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

"Bros."

Chu Yunfei looked around at everyone, his gaze sweeping over each young or weathered face: "You are all excellent."

His gaze finally settled on a young soldier huddled in a corner, trembling all over.

The soldier's face was still wet with tears and mud, and his eyes were filled with fear and confusion.

When everyone was looking at him.

Only this young soldier remained huddled in the corner.

This caught Chu Yunfei's attention.

Chen Tie introduced him in a low voice: "Sir, his name is Wang Erzhu, he is seventeen years old, from Xuzhou, Jiangsu. He is a new recruit who was added to the ranks three days ago."

His company successfully captured Hill 306 during the main assault and fought to the death against the Japanese counterattack.

Chen Tie sighed and didn't continue: "This kid was dragged back from the pile of corpses by the reinforcements. He was the only one left in their company."

Chu Yunfei nodded slowly upon hearing this.

She walked up to Wang Erzhu, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

A war commander who led thousands of troops on the battlefield and struck fear into the hearts of the Japanese invaders.

His eyes, however, no longer held their usual ferocity and murderous intent, but instead possessed a few traces of gentleness.

"Wang Erzhu, is that right?"

Wang Erzhu looked at Chu Yunfei, who was so close to him, and became so nervous that his whole body stiffened and trembled. He couldn't say a word and could only nod frantically.

"Don't be afraid." Chu Yunfei's voice carried a calming power: "You are very brave. Your company commander and your comrades are watching from heaven and they will be proud of you."

He slowly stood up, facing the camera, and his voice suddenly rose in pitch, becoming as loud as a bell.

"It is both fate and glory for soldiers to die on the battlefield! But their sacrifice must never be forgotten!"

May their souls rest in the Martyrs' Shrine!

Chu Yunfei slowly lowered his saluting arm, then took a deep breath and announced loudly, "In the name of the Deputy Commander of the North China Joint Command, I hereby confer upon the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 236th Regiment of the 86th Division the honorary title of 'Heroic Company in Assault Combat'!"

Everyone was stunned by this sudden honorary title.

In the name of the North China Joint Command
Heroic Company in the Battle of the Assault Forces.

Each one is unique.

In other words, Chu Yunfei's first commendation order after taking office was given to the 86th Division and the 236th Regiment!

Moreover, this company is actually left with only this new recruit who has only been on the battlefield for three days and is still trembling with fear.
However, what shocked them even more was yet to come.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Chu Yunfei slowly raised his arm and personally removed the shining "Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun" from his chest.

He knelt down again and respectfully pinned the heavy medal, which was filled with countless merits and honors, on Wang Erzhu's tattered and blood-stained military uniform.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

That's the Blue and White Medal!

One of the highest honors of the National Revolutionary Army, second only to the Order of National Glory!

During the War of Resistance against Japan, this medal was extremely valuable.

And so it was passed from Chu Yunfei's chest to Wang Erzhu's chest.

Although it is against the rules, it is reasonable.

"This medal is for my past military achievements." Chu Yunfei's voice was crystal clear in the ears of everyone present: "But today, I, Chu Yunfei, have witnessed the soldiers' bloody battle at Nankou."

I understand that true glory does not belong to me, Chu, but to you all, to every single soldier who faced death on the front lines, fought bravely, and never retreated!

"You all deserve this honor!"

Wang Erzhu stared blankly at the gleaming medal on his chest.

Warm tears finally burst forth.

He didn't know what to say.

He simply used all his strength to straighten his young, somewhat frail spine.

He gave the most standard and most forceful military salute of his life.

Inside the shack, all the soldiers, whether wounded or not, whether veterans or new recruits, were present.

At that moment, they all struggled to their feet and saluted Chu Yunfei and "Wang Erzhu"!

Just then, outside the shack.

A series of orderly footsteps and the roar of car engines approached from afar.

Troops in neat uniforms and with impeccable military bearing are continuously heading to the front lines at Nankou.

A young general, also dressed in his uniform, strode up to Chu Yunfei, saluted, and reported: "Reporting to Your Excellency! Chen Zejun, commander of the 14th Reserve Division, has been ordered to lead his entire division to report to you at the designated location!"

Following closely behind the procession were enormous vehicles being towed by heavy trucks.

"What kind of cannon is that?!"

A veteran of the 14th Army pointed at the cannons with their thick barrels, his voice trembling with excitement.

"A 150mm howitzer!"

"My God! There are eight 150mm howitzers!"

150mm howitzers provided by the Soviet Union during the interwar period.

Although its range was far inferior to that of the Japanese, it was still one of the few good weapons available to the Nationalist army.

Moreover, this thing can only be used in the present-day Shanxi region.

Further south, there weren't even any bridges that could support them.

Even mobile warfare is a troublesome matter.

Only in North China, where infrastructure is well-developed, can it be used and used in combat.

This is their most direct way of reducing casualties, and also their most impressive way of making an appearance.

Chen Tie understood.

In fact, these howitzers had arrived two days earlier and had already suppressed the Japanese artillery fire.

However, the artillery was deployed in the rear and did not directly support the soldiers on the front lines.

These soldiers simply didn't know.

In fact, Chu Yunfei devoted a lot of his energy to the battlefield in the Nankou direction.

Because this is the only place that is closest to the North China Area Army headquarters.

This is the closest we can get to the goal of a "victory in the political offensive".

He needed the 14th Army to tie down Japanese forces as much as possible in order to achieve corresponding breakthroughs in other areas!

Chu Yunfei turned around, looking at Chen Tie and his equally dumbfounded 14th Army soldiers, a confident smile spreading across his face.

“Brothers, I have come today not just to offer my condolences.”

Chu Yunfei's voice echoed in the wind at Nankou, full of confidence, strength, and hope.

"I am here to bring you victory."

Chen Tie didn't think that Chu Yunfei was letting his own people reap the rewards and paving the way for Chen Zejun.

In fact, without Liu Maoen's request...

Chu Yunfei wouldn't even transfer the 14th Reserve Division from the Northwest to the front lines.

Prepare thirteen, prepare fourteen, and so on up to nineteen.

These units were scattered in various places, and were basically all commanded by the former commanders of the main regiments under the Flying Tigers.

Of these thirteen bodyguards, some joined the expeditionary force to continue fighting for the country, while others remained in Shanxi. These regimental commanders who stayed in Shanxi quickly rose through the ranks with the help of Chu Yunfei, Yan Laoxi, and others. All of this was essentially because Chu Yunfei dared to enter the mountain city alone.

It is important to understand that if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal.

Chu Yunfei proved one thing with his life.
If Chu Yunfei is unwilling to relinquish his military power and is unwilling to go to the mountain city...

Chang Ruiyuan's approach would inevitably lead to the isolation of the Second World War zone as much as possible, reducing the corresponding food, supplies and ammunition.

Even if he couldn't directly break off relations, Chu Yunfei would no longer receive the strong support from the Mountain City side.

far away.

Liu Maoen's request for support from Chu Yunfei's troops was essentially because he had barely managed to break through the Japanese outer defenses after suffering heavy casualties.

They occupied one-third of the Japanese positions at Nankou.

The remaining two-thirds were the core positions of the Japanese army.

The quantity of artillery shells and war materials is limited.

Even if the 14th Army Group, with its three armies and eight divisions, were to fight to the death, it would still be difficult to take them down.
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Mountain City, Command Headquarters.

The officials sat down neatly on both sides.

Bai Jiansheng, who had just been reassigned as deputy chief of staff, slowly stood in front of a huge battle map and described the battlefield situation.

"Currently, the Japanese military is urgently adjusting its deployment due to the impact of our North China Theater's second phase of strategic counter-offensive plan."

"The Central China Area Army, under the command of Anan Vichi, is assembling the 11th Army and the 13th Army. Their target is the core area of ​​the Fifth War Zone, the Dabie Mountains and the Xiangfan line. Even if the preparations are not very thorough, it is clear that the Japanese invaders will soon launch a fierce offensive."

"Under the attack of the 14th Army Group, Okamura Yasuji of the North China Area Army has lost all the outer positions of Nankou. Currently, with the support of the air force, he is able to hold out for a long time."

In his telegram, Yunfei explicitly pointed out for the first time that the fiercest fighting along the Nankou line was actually just a feint, the purpose of which was to threaten the North China Area Army Headquarters.

This prevented the Japanese army from diverting troops south to reinforce their positions.

A telegram arrived from Tang Enbo's troops, reporting that the 31st Army Group, during its northward advance, encountered sporadic resistance from the Japanese army but has now achieved a breakthrough. Everything is progressing smoothly, and it is anticipated that the entire Hebei region will be liberated within half a month.

Chu Yunfei led his troops in a difficult battle.

Tang Enbo's attack went smoothly.

This situation quickly attracted everyone's attention.

Liu Fei was the first to question, "The area around Handan is occupied by the Japanese 33rd Division and a brigade of the Japanese 20th Division. Did Commander Tang's troops defeat them in such a short time?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Xu Cichen said at this moment. "In my opinion, this is a Japanese army's plan to lure the enemy deep into their territory."

"If the 20th Division suffered heavy losses due to the fierce attack by Qian Bojun's troops, it is understandable that the Japanese army continued to retreat and withdraw."

Chen Cixiu repeated the name "Qian Bojun".

Qian Bojun was an old man who had followed Chu Yunfei since the warlord era.

For fifteen years, he fought in the north and south, and was always regarded by Chu Yunfei as his right-hand man.

Even before Chu Yunfei was dismissed, he was assigned to take over Yang Aiyuan's Sixth Army Group.

This kind of affection cannot be described in just a few words.

There are some tricks to this.

During the year or so that Chu Yunfei served in the mountain city.

The 88th Group Army has been effectively split into six reserve divisions, directly under the command of the General Headquarters and also subject to the jurisdiction of the Second World War Zone.

Although the organization still exists, it basically does not engage in combat.

To put it bluntly, when the Flying Tigers are all clustered together...

It wasn't just Okamura Yasuji of the North China Area Army who couldn't sleep.

Chang Ruiyuan, far away in the mountain city, probably won't be able to sleep well either.

The Sixth Army Group, however, retained its proper designation and organizational structure, with a combat strength of over 30,000 personnel.

Except that its name isn't as famous as the Flying Tigers back in the day.

However, in terms of combat strength, it is no less than that of the Flying Tigers in their prime.

Although their overall combat effectiveness was somewhat lacking, they were absolutely elite troops within the National Revolutionary Army, or in any war zone.

In other words, Qian Bojun had this capability, and the Sixth Army Group had this combat power.

Even Chen Cixiu suspected that the Sixth Army Group alone was fully capable of defeating the elite Japanese 20th Division.

"When the War of Resistance against Japan first broke out, our three divisions and one main army were barely able to withstand the attack of a Japanese division (which actually means a division), and often could not inflict much damage on the enemy."

Zhang Zhizhong laughed and said, "In my opinion, nowadays, three main divisions equipped with heavy weapons and air cover are enough to contend with the main force of the Japanese army. With the support of other friendly forces, it is even very likely that we can severely damage them."

Lin Wei glanced at the silent Chang Ruiyuan, then said, "Commander Tang's 31st Army Group is an elite force under the Fifth War Zone, so it is normal for it to make such progress."

After Lin Wei finished speaking.

Chang Ruiyuan indeed spoke up: "Have the deployments in each war zone been adjusted accordingly?"

Bai Jiansheng opened the document in his hand, then waved his baton and continued, "In the Fifth War Zone, actively prepare for defense, and shrink the front line to reduce the area of ​​contact with the enemy."

Commander Li was confident that he could withstand the Japanese army's hasty counterattack in this battle.

In the Ninth War Zone, Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue decided to send his "elite" 73rd and 79th Armies northward to reinforce the area and to build new defensive lines in northern Hubei and northern Hunan to guard against a possible Japanese counterattack.

Commander Gu of the Third War Zone also mobilized six divisions to threaten the flank of the Central China Front Army, aiming to contain it and even relieve pressure on Zhao (the enemy's rear).

Chen Cixiu concurrently served as the head of the Sixth War Zone, whose main purpose was to protect the mountain city.

In this situation, naturally, there wasn't much screen time.

It was also the most uneventful war zone.

With the adjustments made to each war zone, the Japanese army's deployment was merely a matter of maneuvering.

What began as a battle confined to two provinces in North China gradually escalated into an unprecedented large-scale melee encompassing North China, Central China, and South China, with a combined force of nearly one million troops on both sides!
Changshan is located in the heart of the North China Plain.

Of course, he also has another name: Shijiazhuang.

This ancient city, a strategic hub where the Pinghan and Zhengtai railways intersect, is steeped in history, but at this time it is shrouded in the flames of war.

Thick black smoke rose from a corner of the city, gathering into a huge column that obscured part of the sky.

Outside the city, on the Chinese army's position.

The soldiers were still desperately digging trenches.

Civil engineering was considered a specialty of the Jin-Sui Army.

The Jin army was good at defense but not at offense, whether it was Fu Zuoyi or Chu Yunfei.

They all have unique insights into earthwork operations.

The Sixth Army also has this distinctive characteristic.

As the main force in the siege.

They strictly obeyed the combat orders issued by Qian Bojun.

The task was simple: to surround Changshan in layers upon layers of defense.

It is located 30 kilometers outside Changshan City.

Cao Potian was standing in his command post, looking into the distance through his binoculars.

He was tall and imposing, with a stern face, seemingly wondering why the Japanese army and reinforcements were so late in arriving.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Division Commander Sun has called to inquire whether the battle plan should be changed, with the 15th Reserve Division taking the lead in the assault."

"Tell Sun Xinpu!"

After a moment of silence, Cao Potian continued, "And Liu Wang!"

"Remember Commander Qian's previous instructions: wait three days. If the Japanese reinforcements do not arrive within three days, then let them carry out the assault."

"Yes!" (End of this chapter)