Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Thai-Myanmar Front Command.

"The heavy artillery units directly under the army group have been deployed to the flank of the 18th Division. They have been divided into two parts: one part is used to block the newly formed 13th Army, and the other part is used to attack the newly formed 22nd Division in China."

Terauchi Hisaichi's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman: "Swallow it!"

"Even if it means breaking the teeth of the Thai-Burma Front, we must make them swallow this bait whole!"

When he finally pieced together the chilling truth from the battle reports coming from all directions.

The newly formed 22nd Division was truly a lone bait.

When the main forces of the expeditionary force in the north and south were about to close in like two giant iron pincers, he did not choose to retreat.

When gamblers lose everything, they will bet everything, including their lives.

Terauchi Shouichi roared.

They committed the last available field troops to the battlefield.

He wanted to "swallow the bait and break the hook".

Before the expeditionary force's encirclement was completely tightened.

Annihilate Liao Yaoxiang's troops as quickly as possible, then tear a gap at the junction at any cost and escape alive.

However in reality.

His army was already a hollow force.

The logistics line was already greatly affected by the rainy season.

The soldiers had not eaten a single grain of rice for more than two days and had to rely on chewing tree bark and drinking muddy water to fill their stomachs.

Exhaustion, hunger, dysentery, and deep-seated fear, like an invisible plague, had long since emptied the army's will to fight.

Their continued offensive is entirely based on the Bushido ideology instilled by decades of militaristic education.

And the almost numb obedience they've developed through a lifetime of brainwashing.

This is what German and British/American military attachés praised as "the spirit of sacrifice."

However, all of this was destined to be in vain.
-

Dawn in Pyinmana.

There were no birdsong, no Yangon.

There was only dead silence.

It was a deathly silence more suffocating than any roar of artillery fire.

It essentially means that the last bullet has been fired and the last grenade has been thrown.

On the front lines, soldiers of the newly formed 22nd Division leaned against the muddy trenches.

Some people were gasping for breath, their chests heaving violently, each breath seeming to be ripped out of their torn lungs.

Some people silently stared in the direction of the Japanese army, always on guard against another attack from these beasts.

All the officers and soldiers had bloodshot eyes, and their faces were covered in mud and dried blood.

If we only consider appearance, it's actually impossible for anyone to tell them apart.

But in every pair of eyes, the same light burned.

A light that disregards life and death, as fierce and resolute as a wild wolf.

Inside the cellar of the pagoda.

Liao Yaoxiang used a piece of gauze, the only relatively clean one he had found on the body of a fallen medic, to wipe the medals that the medic had taken off his chest over and over again.

That was a precious cauldron medal.

This is also the highest honor Liao Yaoxiang received for the Battle of Kunlun Pass.

He had not slept for four days and three nights.

He was extremely tired and his figure was even slightly hunched.

His wiping motions were meticulous.

It was as if he were caressing a rare treasure.

This medal is an affirmation of his military career and a symbol of the glory of the Party and the country.

Today, it's also possible that I'll be with him to witness the end of my military career.

"Master's seat."

Chief of Staff Zou Mingcheng's voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows.

He pointed to the red arrows of the Japanese army surging forward like a tide on the map, his lips cracked and dry: "Commander, the enemy has regrouped; this should be the final assault."

Liao Yaoxiang didn't turn around; his voice was unusually calm: "Have all the food been distributed?"

Tell them that they have eaten and drunk their fill and are ready to set off.

“On the road to the underworld, we brothers of the newly formed 22nd Division will also die with full bellies.”

"Commander, our reinforcements have arrived."

Liao Yaoxiang did not reply, but simply turned away indifferently.

He straightened his back, which had become somewhat hunched from not sleeping for several days.

At that moment, he was no longer an exhausted commander, but the iron-blooded general who had dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders at Kunlun Pass.

He walked up to the young radio operator.

This child is only eighteen years old this year, and was previously just a trainee studying in this confidential room.

His master had been killed a day earlier because of the shelling.

"Sir!"

Whether from fear or pressure, the child's hands trembled so badly he could barely hold the keypad.

Liao Yaoxiang gently placed her hand on his shoulder and said, word by word, "Child, don't be afraid."

"We need to send a final telegram to the Chairman, to Commander Chu, and to Commander Du."

The young radio operator nodded heavily, tears welling in his eyes.

Liao Yaoxiang spoke slowly, and the telegraph operator's fingers flew across the key.

Transform a poignant passage of text into an everlasting radio wave, piercing the sky.

"Chairman Xun Jian, and forwarded to Chief of Staff Chu and Acting Commander-in-Chief Du."

The troops ran out of ammunition and food, and the officers and soldiers were almost all killed or wounded.

However, soldiers have a duty to defend their territory.

I am determined to lead the remaining troops and, with my own flesh and blood, buy our army a final chance.

In this battle, there will be no survivors.

I have done my utmost; I hope Your Excellency will grant me the greater good!
Liao Yaoxiang, commander of the newly formed 22nd Division of the Army, wrote his last words.

The telegram was sent.

The cellar was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing of the people inside.

Liao Yaoxiang strode out of the cellar, the blinding sunlight making him squint slightly.

He took a deep breath of the air thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, and abruptly took the submachine gun that Zou Mingcheng handed him: "Where's Lao Xu?"

"In the end, he couldn't hold on and sacrificed himself."

Liao Yaoxiang sighed softly.

As he turned around, the gloom on his body vanished.

His roar, like a thunderclap, exploded across the ravaged battlefield. "The newly formed 22nd Division!"

On the front lines.

Those soldiers who had been dozing in the trenches or staring blankly at the sky suddenly stood up as if injected with their last bit of life force.

"All!"

Liao Yaoxiang's voice was hoarse, yet it carried a power that could tear the sky apart: "Fix—bayonet—!"

"Click! Click! Click!"

Nearly four thousand gleaming bayonets were simultaneously mounted on rifles.

The crisp metallic clanging sound merged into a torrent, instantly dispelling all the noise on the battlefield.

The soldiers stood silently, forming dilapidated yet resolute defensive lines.

Their gazes passed over the layers of corpses and landed on the dark mass of Japanese soldiers surging in from afar.

"Brothers!" Liao Yaoxiang raised his submachine gun, like an ancient general going into battle: "Behind us is Yangon, behind us is Myanmar! Behind us is the border of our nation, behind us is the honor of our expeditionary force!"

"Today, we'll use our lives to tell the Japanese!"

"Our newly formed 22nd Division is undoubtedly the backbone of the nation and the elite force of the Party and the country!"

"kill--!"

Nearly four thousand Chinese soldiers let out their last and loudest roar.

They were like a flood that had burst its banks.

Facing the enemy, they launched a fearless charge.

Just as black and red were about to collide.

A miracle occurred in the sky.

The thick, persistent clouds seemed to have been torn open by an invisible hand.

A sharp, booming sound, like the cry of a falcon, grew louder as it approached.

A dozen P-40 fighter jets painted with menacing shark mouth designs emerged from the clouds, the golden sunlight shining on their silver wings, making them look like gods descending to earth.

Da da da da~!

Boom~!

The sounds of explosions and machine gun fire were so pleasant to hear at that moment.

"Flying Tigers! It's our plane!"

A young soldier roared to the sky, tears mixed with blood rolling down his young face.

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

A wave of jubilation swept across the battlefield as desperate soldiers waved their rifles and cheered as if they had survived a catastrophe.

This was the expeditionary force's only and last timely air support during this decisive battle.

It is like a magnificent yet tragic symphony, offering the highest tribute to the final battle of the 22nd Division.

The Flying Tigers pilots were clearly also shocked by the sight before them.

They piloted their fighter planes like vengeful angels, diving again and again into the dense ranks of the Japanese troops.

Six .50 caliber machine guns under the wings spat out deadly fire, carving bloody alleys through the crowded streets.

As the bombs fell, they exploded in clusters of huge fireworks amidst the Japanese troops, revealing severed limbs and broken pieces.

However, there were simply too many Japanese soldiers.

They had no other choice.

If this battle fails, a breach will be torn in the defense perimeter.

Their so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and the glory of their brother nation will also become a mirage.

These Japanese soldiers, driven to madness, trampled over the warm corpses of their comrades and braved a hail of bullets from the sky, still advancing relentlessly like lifeless puppets.

"boom--!!"

An unprecedentedly loud bang.

One 150mm heavy howitzer shell was secretly transported from the rear of the Japanese army.

With the howl of death, it crashed towards the direction of the Nationalist army's position.

The earth shook violently, and the whole world seemed to be torn apart at that moment.

The sturdy cellar collapsed in the violent explosion.

Gravel, mud, and flames relentlessly devoured everything.

Liao Yaoxiang, who was charging at the forefront, was lifted into the air by an irresistible, massive shockwave.

He felt a piercing pain in his back, as if his entire spine had been broken.

"Commander!"

"Commander! Medics, damn medics!"

Liao Yaoxiang felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and all the sounds around her instantly disappeared.

Before completely losing consciousness.

Scenes from his life flashed through his mind.

As a child, I often took "If you don't strive hard when you enter life, you will fall behind; if you are afraid of difficulties, you will fall into danger" as my motto, and I shouldered the expectations of my elders to bring glory to Hunan.

After enrolling in Whampoa Military Academy,

Chang Ruiyuan specifically requested that students go to France to study.

The Battle of Shanghai, the Defense of Nanjing, the reorganization and training in Wuhan, the bloody battle of Kunlun, and the expedition to Yunnan and Burma.

In this life, I've experienced both loneliness and glory.

At that moment, only one thought flashed through his mind: "This life has been worthwhile."

at the same time.

Dozens of M3 "Stuart" light tanks roared deafeningly.

They formed an invincible steel shield.

They knocked down trees that were as thick as a person's embrace.

As they rolled over the hastily constructed machine gun emplacements of the Japanese army, the soil beneath their tracks was instantly stained red.

The Japanese anti-tank guns had already been exhausted in previous battles.

The desperate Japanese soldiers could only rush forward with explosives, only to be riddled with bullets by the coaxial machine guns on the tanks before they could even get close.

The defenses collapsed the moment they made contact.

Eisenhower, huddled inside the command tank, listened to the good news from the vanguard and became even more excited, wanting to personally drive the tank to attack the Japanese army!

Two armored brigades.

It is an excellent choice for a frontal attack.

The newly formed 22nd Division used a full five days to buy time for the main force of the expeditionary force, which was in retreat, to rest and launch a counterattack.

This victory deserves the greatest credit!

Northern route.

Nanbang.

The continued offensive of the newly formed 12th Army became the final straw that broke the back of the Japanese 18th Division's support defense line.

Zhou Weiguo's special operations brigade, like a pack of tireless jungle wolves, turned the retreat route of the Japanese 56th Division upside down.

After completely paralyzing its logistics and command systems.

Huang Baitao's newly formed 11th Army did not continue south to encircle the main force of the Japanese army's Thai-Burma Area Army.

Instead, under his orders, they pursued the enemy swiftly to the southeast.

Inside the command tent of the Japanese 56th Division, there was a deathly silence.

Division Commander Shizuo Sakaguchi looked ashen-faced; he knew.

The empire's military fortunes, at least in Southeast Asia, have come to an end.

He silently straightened his uniform, drew his command sword—a symbol of warrior honor—and prepared to fulfill his final duty.

The chief of staff, his hands trembling, laid the blood-stained and honor-laden military flag on the ground, poured the last bucket of gasoline on it, and prepared to set it on fire.

at this time.

The tent flap was violently kicked open by a foot wearing military boots.

Zhou Weiguo strode in, accompanied by several guards carrying submachine guns.

He coldly watched the classic "jade shattering" scene before him, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.

He shouted fluently in Japanese, which he had learned from Takeshita Shun: "Put down your weapons."

Shizuo Sakaguchi's knife, which he was about to use to commit seppuku, stopped just an inch from his lower abdomen.

Fluent Kyoto accent.

Could he be a spy lurking within the expeditionary force?

He looked up in surprise.

Looking at the Chinese officer in front of him, whose eyes were like an eagle's and whose aura was imposing.

He saw no joy of victory in the other person's eyes, only a bottomless coldness.

next second.

There was a bang.

Shizuo Sakaguchi's military knife clattered to the ground.

He felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he collapsed to his knees in despair.

Zhou Weiguo tucked the Browning back into his waistband and then ordered, "A living division commander is more useful than a corpse."

Southern front, behind the Japanese 18th Division.

Yu Zhixing and his newly formed 13th Army.

These "local ragtag troops," once looked down upon by the Central Army, staged a remarkable comeback that will go down in history.

After suffering heavy casualties in a frontal attack.

Yu Zhixing made a desperate decision and went all in.

He personally selected five hundred veterans of the Yunnan Army who had followed him for many years to form a "knife-stabbing team," which was personally led by his second son.

These veterans, on average over thirty-five years old, each carried heavy cluster grenades and explosive charges.

They took advantage of the deepest darkness of the night, using the bushes and trees for cover.

Like a ghost, they reached the edge of the positions that the Japanese army relied on to support their battle lines.

Then they launched a fierce attack on the artillery positions!
"You damn Japanese! Open fire!"

Yu Shenqing detonated the fuse of the first explosive charge and, with all his might, threw it into a Japanese artillery fortress.

"For the people of Yunnan! For our fallen brothers! Bomb them!"

The deafening explosions echoed one after another, illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daytime.

Three hours later.

The Japanese artillery positions were instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire.

The exploding shells sent heavy artillery pieces flying into the sky.

This was the heart of the Japanese army, providing them with crucial firepower support.

It was dug out by Yu Zhixing himself using the most primitive and brutal methods.

When the smoke of battle finally cleared in the early morning.

The expeditionary forces from the north and south finally met victoriously on the ruins of Pyinmana.

Terauchi Hisaichi and his arrogant main force of the Thai-Burma army.

Being completely surrounded and annihilated was an irreversible fate.

after one day.

In the field hospital, which reeked of blood.

Chu Yunfei found Liao Yaoxiang lying on a stretcher.

He was covered in bandages, as if he had just undergone surgery.

The military doctor in charge of the surgery rushed over upon hearing the commotion: "Commander Chu, Commander Liao's surgery was very successful, but he is still not out of danger for the time being."

Chu Yunfei nodded slowly: "Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest of the treatment to them."

The medic looked at the group of rather professional American military doctors, then nodded somewhat reluctantly: "Yes, sir!"

Chu Yunfei didn't say any polite words, but silently took off the National Glory Medal, which represents the highest military honor, from his chest.

Solemnly, gently.

It was pinned to Liao Yaoxiang's tattered military uniform.

"Liao Yaoxiang, I, Chu Yunfei, feel that being famous throughout Hunan is not enough. The resilience of the newly formed 22nd Division is enough to shine in the history of world military affairs!" (End of this chapter)