Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Bangkok, Thailand.

Thai-Myanmar Front Command.

Southern Army officers are evacuating urgently; they will be heading to Singapore.

In Singapore, these little devils were determined to make a final stand.

The Governor's House, which once symbolized the supreme power of the British Empire in the Far East, would become the last bastion of the Japanese Southern Army Headquarters.

A slightly damp sea breeze caressed the withered flowers in the courtyard, causing their petals to fall and wither.

However, the sea peaks could not dispel the pervasive sense of despair in the air.

Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, Army General Terauchi Hisaichi.

He was sitting quietly in his spacious office.

He neither looked at the map nor reviewed the documents.

He simply sat upright, with an exquisite tea set in front of him.

He personally lit the small charcoal fire under the tea stove, watching the clear water slowly heat up in the silver kettle, emitting wisps of steam.

His movements were slow and elegant, meticulous in every detail, as if he were not waiting for destruction, but performing a solemn and sacred tea ceremony.

Outside.

A series of hurried and flustered footsteps approached.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Takazo Numata practically barged in.

His military cap was askew, and his face was covered in sweat and his panic was undisguised.

"Your Excellency Commander!"

He slammed a telegram on the table, his voice trembling with fear: "The decisive battle of Pyinmana."

"The 18th and 33rd Divisions were almost completely wiped out!"

"The army's directly subordinate units also suffered devastating blows!"

"Huang Baitao's newly formed 11th Army has completely severed the 56th Division's connection with other units!"

"Sakaguchi Shizuo's 56th Division is surrounded and divided by Chinese special forces and main forces, and its chances of survival are slim."

Tajiro Numata's voice grew softer and softer until it turned into a desperate sob.

As a high-ranking general of the empire.

He never thought about it.

The Thai-Burma Front Army, which assembled the most elite forces of the Southern Army.

It has been transformed into its current state in such a short time.

Terauchi Hisaichi didn't even look at the telegram, not even lifting his eyelids.

He simply used a bamboo tea spoon to gently stir the matcha powder in the tea bowl until a fine layer of foam appeared.

"understood."

His voice was eerily calm, like a bottomless ancient well.

“Numata-kun,” he said slowly, “panic is not the proper demeanor of an Imperial soldier.”

Numata Takazo wanted to explain something: "But, Your Excellency! We..."

“Send a telegram to the 3rd Mixed Brigade,” Terauchi interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument: “Order them to abandon all outer positions and hold the city of Singapore with all their might, awaiting the final decision from headquarters.”

"At the same time," he paused, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip, "he sent a telegram in my name to the Tokyo headquarters, reporting the battle situation truthfully."

He also requested the navy to allocate as many troops as possible to evacuate the remaining imperial citizens and soldiers from Southeast Asia by sea.

Tadakatsu Numata was stunned.

Requesting naval assistance for evacuation?

This is tantamount to an open admission.

The Southern Army has completely lost the ability and courage to continue fighting on land.

Now it seems that this is indeed the case.

With the loss of the main force of the Thai-Burma Front, even the successful landing of two newly formed security divisions in French Indochina could not reverse the course of the war.

Their defense perimeter has been effectively breached.

The specific casualties of the expeditionary force.

They had no idea either.

"Your Excellency, we..."

Tadakura Numata wanted to say something more.

Terauchi Hisaichi put down his teacup.

Finally, he raised his head, but his eyes, which were once as sharp as an eagle's, were now cloudy and devoid of any light.

"That's fine then, Numata-kun."

"Take the rest of the headquarters to the port and find a way to leave here."

"I want to stay."

"Your Excellency!" Numata Tashōzō exclaimed in shock, "You can't!"

"This is my battlefield, and also my home."

A relieved smile appeared on Terauchi Hisaichi's face: "As the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army, I should bear the main responsibility for the failure of this operation, and I should live and die with this land."

Tasukuzo Numata stood there, dumbfounded.

Terauchi Hisaichi's face showed no sign of impatience; he simply repeated calmly, "Go. That's an order."

Numata Takazo looked at the old man in front of him, whose calmness was almost eerie.

At that moment, he finally understood.

Everything is beyond repair.

He straightened his body, solemnly gave Terauchi Hisaichi one last military salute, and tears welled up in his eyes.

The office door closed again.

Terauchi Hisaichi, unusually, lit a cigarette for himself.

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He looked down over the city he had once conquered.

In the harbor, warships still stand in rows.

The Rising Sun flag is still flying in the streets.

But all of this is nothing more than the last rays of the setting sun.

The flowers fall helplessly.

He seemed to hear the sound of cherry blossoms falling, and also the roar of the collapse of the Great Japanese Empire.

Even if some countries or forces are dissatisfied with the distribution of the post-World War II spoils.

He still won't be able to wait another twenty years.
Mountain City, Command Headquarters.

The Military Commission's operations hall was filled with an almost boiling joy, a welcome change from the gloom of the past few days.

"Chairman! Chairman! This is fantastic news!"

The current Director of the Operations Department, Guo Rugui, practically ran into the Chairman's office.

The telegram in his hand trembled slightly with excitement.

"Kid, what's the rush? Speak slowly. Is it good news from Myanmar?"

"Great victory!"

"Our expeditionary force encircled two main Japanese divisions in the Pyinmana area."

"During the pursuit and pursuit of the 56th Division, Huang Baitao's Northern Route Army, under the command of Zhou Weiguo's Special Operations Brigade, successfully captured the Japanese Division Commander, Shizuo Sakaguchi!"

"In addition, there are reports that all the main forces of the Japanese Southern Army have been committed to this battle."

"In other words, after this battle, the Japanese army in the south will no longer pose a threat to us!"

Chang Ruiyuan snatched the telegram. His eyes, which always held an air of authority and scrutiny, now blazed with barely suppressed elation.

He read the telegram three times, scrutinizing every single word, then slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Chu Yunfei! He truly is my Han Xin!"

He laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. The frustration that had been building up over the past few days due to the unfavorable situation in various war zones was swept away at this moment.

"Wenbai!"

He turned to Zhang Zhizhong beside him: "Immediately! Bring out the plan we drafted earlier!"

Zhang Zhizhong had already understood the implication.

He immediately retrieved a document marked "Top Secret" from the confidential cabinet.

On the document cover.

The words "National Army's Third Phase National Strategic Counter-Offensive Plan" were prominently displayed.

This was after the Military Commission's victory in Chu Yunfei's counter-offensive in North China.

The blueprint had already begun to be secretly planned.

In the first phase of the strategic counter-offensive plan, the Second and Eighth War Zones successfully liberated Shanxi Province, occupied the Taihang Mountains, and established a foothold on the Taihang side, thus gaining the initiative on the North China battlefield.

In the second phase of the strategic counter-offensive, under the command of the North China Joint Command, the various war zones successfully inflicted heavy losses on the North China Front Army and liberated large swathes of Henan and southern Hebei.

The third phase of the strategic counter-offensive plan was naturally also incredibly large-scale!
original.

Everyone thought the plan would take at least six months or even a year to be implemented.

No one expected it.

In Myanmar, Chu Yunfei sounded the alarm for a counterattack ahead of schedule with such overwhelming force.

"Chairman."

Zhang Zhizhong unfolded the map and said in a passionate tone: "If the main force of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia is annihilated by our army, their troops in South China and Central China will inevitably be left weak."

"According to the plan."

"I suggest that the Fourth War Zone's Yu Hanmou Command be ordered immediately to coordinate with all units within Guangxi to prepare for a full-scale counter-offensive against the enemy in Guangzhou and the Leizhou Peninsula!"

"at the same time."

"Order Xue Yue of the Ninth War Zone to assemble troops and make a feigned move towards the outskirts of Changsha and Yueyang."

"The purpose was to contain the Japanese 11th Army and prevent it from advancing south to reinforce!"

"Our goal."

Zhang Zhizhong used a red pencil to draw a huge encirclement on the map, encompassing the Japanese troops in the entire South China region: "We must recover Guangdong and Guangxi with thunderous force."

"Cutting off the Japanese army's maritime lifeline in South China will lay a solid foundation for the subsequent liberation of the entire country!"

Chang Ruiyuan stared at the imposing red arrow on the map, his eyes burning with unprecedented ambition.

Although I have no money.

Although the counter-offensive force has only formed one division so far.

But he was ambitious at that time.

Chang Ruiyuan nodded decisively: "Okay!"

He said firmly, "Wenbai, once the battle results are in, immediately send a telegram to the entire army."

Chang Ruiyuan paused, paced back and forth for a moment, and then slowly added: "No, directly connect the entire country to the power grid!"

"Tell all the soldiers, tell all our compatriots!"

"From this day forward, we will do more than just defend our territory."

"We'll fight back soon!"

"Drive these damned invaders out of China completely!"

"Yes!"

Since the end of the Siam campaign.

A resounding call to counterattack is about to sound from this foggy mountain town.

The bugle call is about to resound throughout the ravaged land of China!
Yangon, Allied Joint Command.

General Stilwell, with his signature pipe dangling from his lips, stared at the huge map on the wall, speechless for a long time.

Standing beside him was Brigadier General Abrams, who had just returned from the front lines.

On the map, the blue arrows representing the Chinese Expeditionary Force resemble two ruthless giant pincers, clamping down on the once invincible Japanese Thai-Burma Area Army and crushing it to pieces.

Stilwell finally couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation: "My God."

"I can hardly believe my eyes. Two divisions, plus several brigades, wiped out in less than a week?"

Stilwell slowly exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke blurring his face, which was always filled with stubbornness and dissatisfaction.

Abrams nodded slowly: "I can't believe the Japanese defenses are so weak, but the facts are right in front of us. Our soldiers can't even find any usable supplies in their warehouses. They seem to be at their last gasp."

Stilwell recalled his initial assessment of the battle.

He believed that most of the commanders of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were rigid in their thinking, outdated in their tactics, and that although the soldiers were brave, they lacked training.

Stilwell believed the counterattack was too risky and likely to fail.

but now.

Stilwell felt that Chu Yunfei's command was simply the true art of war.

Lure the enemy deep into our territory.

From a stalemate on the front lines to maneuvering between the north and south, and finally to besieging a stronghold and attacking reinforcements, and then blossoming in the center.

The command of the entire campaign was fluid and graceful, full of artistic beauty and ruthless efficiency.

"General."

Abrams couldn't help but exclaim, "Commander Chu Yunfei is a true war genius!"

"His command skills must be beyond those of any commander I know."

Stilwell remained silent.

He had to admit that Abrams was right.

Chu Yunfei not only possesses an amazing strategic vision, but also an iron will and skill to put his strategies into practice.

He could not only win American aid, but also get those unruly local warlords to work for him.

It can even make the most elite elite troops willingly act as bait and die heroically.

This ability.

It has gone beyond the purely military realm.

Sometimes, Stilwell would sigh, wondering if even if Chang Ruiyuan were on the front lines, he could not command to this extent.
"In fact, we have always underestimated them."

Stilwell spoke slowly, his voice filled with unprecedented admiration and emotion: "I always thought that without our American help, they would have had a hard time winning this war."

"Now it seems that perhaps they are teaching us how to fight on this Eastern continent. Even without our help, they will eventually achieve final victory, but we will never have the chance to gain their friendship."

Stilwell tapped his pipe in the ashtray, looking at the victory flag on the wall with a complicated expression.

"Abrams, send a telegram to General Marshall."

"To put it another way, my previous assessment of the Chinese military's combat capabilities was completely wrong."

“General…” Abrams was taken aback. The Stilwell in front of him was recognized by the Allies as the most knowledgeable expert on China among the “Nationalist Army”.

How could his judgment be wrong?

Stilwell then sensed Abrams's doubts: "This ancient country has long produced many talented people and famous generals."

"They now have a leader, creating a chemistry that I can't describe in words."

"They never need our training experience or combat experience."

"It is not so much weapons, but enough industrial production equipment, and enough technical experts and workers."

Stilwell sighed, then added gravely, "Perhaps we should carefully assess its post-war comprehensive national strength to avoid affecting the continued implementation of the Eurasian balance of power policy." (End of Chapter)