Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

"Lord Yun, we just received a message from Shancheng that they plan to form a new Second Army Group to adapt to the upcoming troop reorganization."

Chu Yunfei nodded slowly.

He had anticipated this matter, and it was one of the main things Lin Wei came to discuss.

"Regarding the 71st Army, the General Headquarters also decided to transfer it to Yunnan to support the construction of the 11th Group Army."

"In addition, the 14th Army Group, which suffered heavy casualties, was disbanded. The 14th Army itself was transferred and will be directly under the command of the Military Commission, while the 9th Army was transferred to the First War Zone."

"The Third Army Group will be established in Gansu, with Li Tiejun serving as its commander-in-chief."

The original Third Army Group was a unit of the old Northwest Army, under the command of Han Fuqu, who was executed.

After Han Fuqu's death, Sun Tongxuan took over command of the battle.

It once commanded the 6th, 12th, 55th, and 56th Armies.

Later, the 56th Army (Gu Liangmin, whose conflict with Cao was mentioned earlier) was disbanded, and the 22nd Division was assigned to the direct command.

After several reorganizations, the 29th Army was transferred to the 3rd Army Group. Subsequently, the 3rd Army Group was disbanded, and all of these troops were transferred to the direct command of the First War Zone.

That is, the Sixth, Twelfth, Fifty-first, and Twenty-ninth Armies.

After the number of the Third Army Group became vacant, it was assigned to the original Shaanxi Army troops and ordered to be stationed in the Gansu region.

Fifth Army Group

After a moment of silence, Chu Yunfei turned to Fang Ligong, Qian Bojun, and the others beside him and said, "Regarding the arrangements for Zeng's troops, the mountain city side is inclined to retain their organizational structure."

"What about the Five Armies?"

"Let's use a different designation," Chu Yunfei said slowly after a moment of silence.

Zeng Wanzhong and his officers and soldiers contributed to the War of Resistance against Japan, and performed very well in several battles.

Zeng Wanzhong is now serving as the deputy commander of the Second War Zone. There's really not much room for him to be promoted further.

"I reckon Commander Zeng wouldn't be too keen on going to the mountain city to recuperate."

Fang Ligong added with a smile, "I heard that he brought his family to the outskirts of Longcheng, where they cultivated several acres of land and farm in their spare time."

"Commander Zeng is getting on in years; it's actually a good thing that he's able to retire gracefully."

Chu Yunfei turned to the next page of the document in his hand and continued reading.

"Bojun, the organization of your troops needs further adjustment..."

Qian Bojun was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What else needs to be adjusted in the sixth episode? Should the establishment of the Provisional First Brigade be abolished?"

Fang Ligong: "Is the mountain city government planning to cut military spending again? If so, they should be eliminating the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled first."

Chu Yunfei nodded: "That's right, all the personnel of the Provisional First Brigade should be added to the main force. We shouldn't have this ambiguous organizational structure anymore."

"Can"

Qian Bojun hesitated to speak.
The personnel and strength of a provisional brigade are basically a mystery.

He can cram as many people as he wants into the fold.

It's like the detachments or columns of the Eighth Route Army.

Some detachments have only a few hundred people, while others have tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.

Some columns had three or four divisions under their command, while others actually only had four or five thousand men.
Since the people of Shancheng have brought this matter up so seriously.

Chu Yunfei naturally had no need to go against Shancheng.

After all, the Sixth Army Group is actually a very, very large organization.

Subordinate units: "83, 19, Reserve Thirteen, Reserve Fourteen".

The operational organization of the 7th Army Group remained largely unchanged, still comprising the old 33rd and 34th Armies, and the 1st Cavalry Army.

After Yan Xishan voluntarily requested the cancellation of the 13th Army Group.

The combat strength and organizational structure of an army group in North China were more than sufficient for the Second World War zone.

What constrained the continued offensive of these main forces was not primarily the casualties, but rather the excessive consumption of ammunition.

Although the Northwest Arsenal's production capacity had doubled compared to pre-war levels, it was still the same.

The troop strength supplied has also been increased from the original 120,000 Jin troops to the current 400,000 combat troops.

Next, the re-equipment, reorganization, and relocation of troops, as well as the corresponding tactical experience summarization, officer skills training, and rotation, will all require a lot of time to complete.

This is not something that can be done overnight; it will take at least a year.

Throughout the entire year.

The entire liberated area of ​​North China will basically continue to be developed.

"Before the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, it was planned to build 120 infantry divisions and 60 division districts. When the war broke out, only 24 divisions were reorganized and 12 division districts were built."

"To this day, the number of combat units that meet the standards of standing at that time is at most sixty divisions, including the newly built divisional districts and comprehensive training centers."

"Even now, the Nationalist government has not completed the army reorganization plan that was set in 1935."

Fang Ligong paused here, a hint of worry in his voice: "Although the overall situation is improving, judging from the current momentum, it will be difficult for us to cope with the operations after we have dealt with the Japanese."

"I've heard that the Soviet Union alone has over a million tank troops. Our entire army in North China is barely enough to meet that number."

Qian Bojun's eyes were full of worry: "Even if we have towering mountains and towering peaks, even if we are good at fighting, what should we do in the face of a national power gap that is like an insurmountable chasm?"

"Further exploration and research are needed regarding mountain warfare and anti-tank tactics. The proposal to establish an experimental integrated combat force has not yet been approved by the General Staff, and the Second World War Zone also lacks sufficient funds."

This was due to the substantial aid provided by the United States in the form of radio equipment and light tanks.

Chu Yunfei wanted to transport some of them to the Second World War zone to further explore and train infantry-tank combined arms operations.

But it's clear that the mountain city side prefers to conduct such training in Myanmar.

Transporting light tanks to the World War II zone was a rather troublesome task.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Yunfei slowly instructed, "Brother Ligong, Bojun, I am about to say something behind closed doors. You must keep it firmly in mind."
-
The summary meeting of the counter-offensive in North China has just concluded.

The air in Changzhi was still thick with the smoke of victory and the generals' high spirits.

However, a U.S. military C-47 transport plane broke the tranquility belonging to the victors, and the transport plane soon slowly landed at Taiyuan Airport.

The hatch opened, and out stepped General Joseph Stilwell, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater and concurrently Chief of Staff of the China Theater.

This American general was known for his fiery temper and straightforward personality.

At this moment, however, his face bore a complex and conflicted expression that was completely out of character for him.

He came with President Roosevelt's "congratulations" and "concern".

But he knew in his heart what kind of cold political calculations were hidden behind this "concern".

As to how this trip to Shanxi went, Stilwell himself wasn't sure, but it wasn't his first time there.

He is quite familiar with Shanxi.

Mr. Stilwell

"Chief of Staff Chu." Upon hearing the voice, Stilwell immediately put on a "marketing-style" smile.

the next day.

North China Joint Command, Operations Conference Room.

The huge sand table still retains the final situation at the end of the North China counter-offensive.

Chu Yunfei personally stood at the door to welcome this ally who was nominally his "chief of staff".

"Mr. Stilwell, welcome to Shanxi." Chu Yunfei extended his hand, a polite and composed smile on his face.

"Chu, congratulations." Stilwell shook his hand firmly, his blue eyes filled with sincere admiration: "A remarkable victory!"
A textbook example of strategic maneuvering, worthy of being recorded in the annals of West Point! You and your troops fought a most brilliant battle! On behalf of Allied Headquarters, I extend my highest respect to you and all the Chinese soldiers who participated in the war!

His congratulations were heartfelt.

As a true soldier, he couldn't help but feel admiration for the glorious victory before him.

Inside the meeting room, both parties took their seats.

Stilwell's gaze swept over Fang Ligong and the others present, but finally landed on Chu Yunfei.

After the initial pleasantries and compliments, he finally managed to get to the real topic of the trip.

“Chu.” Stilwell’s tone became somewhat hesitant, as if he was organizing his words. “While Washington is elated by your victory, it also has some strategic concerns.”

Chu Yunfei picked up the teacup, gently blew away the foam, and said nothing, only using his calm gaze to signal him to continue.

Stilwell cleared his throat and said in a tone that was as tactful as possible, as if discussing military issues: "Your offensive this time is large in scale and has achieved brilliant results, but the front line has also been stretched too long. From Nankou to Shijiazhuang, and then to southern Hebei, the troops are quite exhausted along the hundreds of kilometers of front line, and the pressure on logistics has also increased sharply."

Staff officers in Washington worried that if the Japanese were to launch a fierce counterattack against one of your salients now, either from the Kwantung Army or from the mainland, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“So,” he looked at Chu Yunfei and finally said the most crucial sentence, “the Pentagon and the White House agree that the most urgent task on the North China battlefield right now is to ‘consolidate the gains,’ not to continue expanding the offensive. You need time to rest your troops, digest the occupied areas, and wait for more of our reinforcements to arrive.”

Fang Ligong, who was sitting to the side, tightened his grip on his teacup upon hearing this, and a barely perceptible hint of anger flashed across his face.

He knew that the so-called "strategic concerns" were nothing more than a verbal retelling of the cold diplomatic note.

Moreover, even if one is mentally prepared...
Chu Yunfei remained calm. He put down his teacup and smiled, "The general's concerns are very reasonable."

"Our army has indeed paid a heavy price in this battle, and the troops need rest and recuperation."

Seeing that Chu Yunfei seemed to "understand" what he meant.

Stilwell felt somewhat relieved and immediately extended his "olive branch".

"Chu, I know you are a pure soldier, and your goal is to completely defeat the Japanese."

“And so do I, and the United States behind me.” Stilwell’s tone became sincere: “So I hope that you can put more of your outstanding military talent and strategic focus back into the battlefields that we have jointly planned and that are crucial to the entire Allied strategy.”

He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at the southwest corner of the map.

"Burma and Siam!"

"Opening up the Siam-Singapore line and continuously transporting tens of thousands of tons of strategic materials into China is the key to completely turning the tide of the war! This is the strategic goal that we should concentrate all our efforts on at this stage!"

He turned around, looked intently at Chu Yunfei, and made a very tempting promise.

"If you agree, the offensive in North China will be temporarily suspended, and your command focus will be shifted back to the Expeditionary Force."

"I assure you, I'm willing to personally mediate!"

"I will persuade those stubborn British in London to fully cooperate with our counter-offensive plan in Burma! I will also apply to Washington to prioritize the supply of your expeditionary force with the latest and best American equipment! Tanks, heavy artillery, and aircraft."

"Whatever you want, I'll give you!"

"We can join forces and launch a campaign in the direction of Burma and Siam that is ten times larger than the counter-offensive in North China!"

"We can completely annihilate the main force of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia and plant the flag of victory all the way to Malacca!"

Stilwell's words were incredibly tempting.

For any Chinese general eager to make a name for himself, this was an offer he could not refuse.

However, Chu Yunfei simply listened quietly, his face still bearing that polite and composed smile.

He slowly stood up, walked to Stilwell's side, and looked at the huge map as well.

Chu Yunfei spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing in every corner of the conference room: "You're right, this is indeed about victory, and it's crucial."

He paused and changed the subject.

"But Mr. Stilwell, have you ever considered what true victory means for a nation?"

Chu Yunfei's finger did not point to Siam, but instead started from Shanxi, crossed Hebei, and covered the entire North China Plain.

"To reclaim our own land, to drive the invaders out of our homeland, and to free our people from enslavement and slaughter."

"I think this is the most fundamental meaning of a war."

"As for aid..."

A meaningful smile appeared on Chu Yunfei's face: "Of course we need it."

He pointed to the route of Soviet aid, his meaning very clear.

Stilwell's eyes narrowed.

As expected, Chu Yunfei changed the subject: "But aid should be to help us win our own war, not to make us fight a war that others want us to fight just to get aid."

"General, are you right?"

Stilwell looked into Chu Yunfei's deep, calm eyes, which were as still as the sea, and felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

He suddenly realized that the young Chinese general in front of him was thinking about things that went far beyond simple military victory or defeat.

What he was planning was the independence and dignity of a nation, and the future and destiny of a people.

That's not something that can be bought or exchanged with a certain number of tanks or heavy artillery.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze at that moment.

Stilwell knew.

Washington can pressure China to suspend aid.

But he could not change the man before him, whose steely resolve was to fight for his country and his people.

Chu Yunfei deserves respect. Yes, he and the country behind him deserve genuine respect from the United States! (End of Chapter)