Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Shuozhou, Shanxi, 129th Division, Division Headquarters.

Inside an ordinary cave dwelling.

Commander Chen was slamming his fist on the table, spitting as he gave a pre-battle mobilization speech.

Opposite him sat three troublesome yet proud "troublemakers."

Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie.

These three are the commanders of the "Eastern Expeditionary Column," which is about to be formed and is preparing to go to the battlefield in southern Hebei.

He was also the commander of three main regiments.

"Listen up, everyone!" Commander Chen's voice was so loud it could shake the dust off the roof: "This is the first time we've taken the initiative to go to the plains to cooperate with our elite friendly forces in combat."

"The deputy commander-in-chief personally gave the order!"

"This battle is not only to be fought, but to demonstrate the might of our Eighth Route Army! To show the might of our 129th Division!"

He looked at the three unruly faces before him, his tone filled with expectation.

"Li Yunlong! Ding Wei! Kong Jie!"

“The three of you are all soldiers from the Fourth Front Army. In the past few years, the Japanese have fought us a lot and wielded their hoes a lot. I just don’t know if you are capable enough.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Commander, just watch! Our New First Regiment, no, our 1177th Regiment, will definitely make a name for itself."

Kong Jie immediately responded: "No doubt about it. Now that we have an official designation and even our military pay is paid by Chiang Kai-shek, we should definitely fight a great battle."

"Anyone who loses a battle and acts like a coward, I'd be ashamed of them!"

A few words.

He spoke with great passion and fervor.

However, Ding Wei was the true commander of this "Eastern Expeditionary Column".

After listening, however, he did not show much excitement.

He just stood there, lost in thought.

His brows were furrowed, and his face bore a lingering worry.

When the group had talked until their throats were dry, they stopped to drink some water.

Ding Weicai slowly opened his mouth, and a bucket of cold water was poured over him.

"Chief."

Ding Wei's voice was icy: "Excuse me for being frank, but I am not optimistic about this battle."

At Commander Chen's instruction.

Ding Wei then quickly stood up, walked to the map on the wall, and pointed with his baton to the open area of ​​the southern Hebei Plain.

What kind of enemy are we facing this time?

"The main force of the North China Area Army has contracted its defensive lines."

"Its commander, Okamura Yasuji, is an outstanding commander that even Chief Advisor Chu Yunfei personally acknowledged."

"As of now, he has the 5th and 8th Divisions, two rapid-mobility forces that can be deployed to various battlefields at any time, as well as the 9th Division, which is stationed along the Jinan line and is equally formidable in combat."

"These three are all top-tier elite units of the Japanese army!"

"None of them are easy to deal with."

Ding Wei drew a circle on the map with his baton, encompassing his three regiments and the three main Japanese divisions.

"And what about us?"

"Our troops in this operation consist of only three regiments, totaling less than 20,000 men, and we have virtually no heavy weapons."

"Are you suggesting we go to the plains and fight positional and offensive battles against the well-equipped Japanese main force, whose local forces could be several times larger than ours?"

He shook his head, a bitter smile on his face: "Commander, this isn't war, this is going to our deaths."

"This is a war that cannot be won."

Ding Wei's words instantly brought the atmosphere in the cave to a freezing point.

Li Yunlong and Kong Jie also put away their playful expressions and became serious.

motherfucker.

They gave us unit numbers, military pay, and supplies.

A series of good fruits were eaten too much.

This caused them to completely overlook who was in command of the battle and how it was fought.

Upon hearing this, Commander Chen was not angry. He merely snorted, as if he had anticipated Ding Wei's question: "Who said you were only allowed to fight with one unit?"

Li Yunlong was an impatient man, and immediately asked, "Commander, at the very least, three army groups need to cooperate with each other, otherwise, if we really do as Lao Ding said, we're probably no match for the Japanese."

Li Yunlong at this time.

He is not the "main character in film and television dramas" who is always fighting against the security division in the original series.

He was a core commander of the Eighth Route Army who had fought a bloody battle against the main force of the Japanese army.

Regarding the strength of the Japanese army.

He now has a clear understanding.

"If Ding Wei can see the risks, can the deputy commander-in-chief not see them? Can the Yan'an side not see them?"

"If you three hadn't been so happy about getting guns and cannons, I would have told you already."

Mayor Chen put down his teacup and smiled mysteriously: "Let me tell you, the commander of this operation is neither Wei Lihuang, the commander of the First War Zone, nor Chu Xichun, the commander of the Second War Zone. It is someone else."

"Who?"

Li Yunlong couldn't help but ask.

Commander Chen looked at him and said, word by word, "Fang Ligong, Acting Chief of the General Staff of the North China Joint Command!"

"Fang Ligong?"

Li Yunlong paused for a moment, then a mocking smile appeared on his face.

He slapped his thigh and laughed: "Oh my, who do we have here? It's Staff Officer Fang! Back in the day, at the Yellow River ferry, when he saw me, Old Li, he had to be very respectful, give me a salute, and call me 'Regimental Commander Li'!"

"Hey! In just a few years, you've gone from a ragtag bunch to a 'boss' level guy?"

His words were sarcastic and clearly carried a hint of resentment.

"You son of a bitch, shut up!"

Commander Chen finally couldn't hold back and kicked him.

If Li Yunlong hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been kicked squarely.

"You, Li Yunlong! How dare you say that?"

Commander Chen pointed his finger at him and started cursing, his exasperation and disappointment returning.

"Fang Ligong, what is his position now? He commands an army of 100,000!"

"And you? You're still a regimental commander!"

"What else can you do besides cause trouble and ask me for guns and cannons, you son of a bitch?"

Li Yunlong was about to argue, but then he thought better of it and decided against it.

The reason we need guns and cannons is because there's no war to fight.

The army is expanding again, and we can't keep training the new recruits with wooden sticks all the time, can we?
"I'm telling you, Li Yunlong!"

Commander Chen's tone became more serious than ever before: "This time, all three of you have to behave yourselves! You must obey orders and follow commands!"

"This is not just the deputy commander's intention, but also the highest directive from Yan'an!" "If anyone dares to act recklessly or cause trouble on the front lines, don't blame me for being ruthless and court-martialing them!"

Commander Chen's words sent a chill down the spines of the three valiant generals in the cave.

They knew that their commander was serious this time.

Kong Jie finally understood.

He nudged Li Yunlong, who was still muttering to himself, signaling him to say less.

Then, he spoke to Commander Chen about his final concerns.

"Sir, we obey orders."

"But with Fang Ligong in command of the Battle of Handan, can we really win?"

His question also reflected the shared concerns of Li Yunlong and Ding Wei.

Let them listen to a former regimental-level "staff officer".

Ultimately, they felt uncertain about having an outsider in charge.

However, after hearing this, Commander Chen laughed.

He sat down again, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip.

Then, he looked at the three of them in a profound and enigmatic tone.

"You guys are still too narrow-minded."

"You only saw the three main Japanese divisions, and you only saw Fang Ligong."

"But they didn't see who was standing behind Fang Ligong."

He paused, then uttered the resounding name, word by word: "Yes, Chu Yunfei!"

"For this kind of war, which seems impossible to win."

A smile of respect and admiration appeared on Commander Chen's face.

"The best fighters in the world for this kind of battle are the 'Flying Tigers' that Chu Yunfei once commanded."

"This unit still exists today, but its name is not as prestigious as before. Don't forget, those units that performed brilliantly in the second phase of the counter-offensive were none other than the combat units that were split off from the Flying Tigers back then."

"Currently, Fang Ligong is basically in charge of command. If the battle situation becomes unfavorable, how can Chu Yunfei sit idly by?"

"North China not only has a cavalry mobile corps, two armies of combat forces, but also a field artillery group with hundreds of large-caliber heavy artillery pieces."

"Therefore, you don't need to worry about whether the Battle of Handan can be won, because no matter whether we win this battle or suffer a temporary defeat, someone will take care of it and find a way to defeat the Japanese devils."

"There is only one thing you need to do."

Looking at his three beloved generals, a burning flame reignited in his eyes.

"That means, be prepared for battle. Once we arrive at the front lines and the war begins, wherever Fang Ligong points, you guys have to fight your way there!"

"You three, do you have any confidence?!"

"Have!"

Ding Wei spoke out almost simultaneously.

The meeting has ended.

The three turned and left, preparing to return to mobilize the troops.

Ding Wei's brows remained furrowed.

Li Yunlong patted him on the shoulder: "Hey Lao Ding, ever since you came back from studying at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University in Yan'an, you've been looking gloomy all the time. What's wrong with you?"

Ding Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's go find a place up ahead to talk."

Kong Jie had just taken out Guanghua brand cigarettes from his bag, but then silently put them back: "Okay, let's go, let's talk up ahead."

Under the big locust tree.

The three main regimental commanders gathered together.

Ding Wei went straight to the point and said, "During my trip to Yan'an, I didn't learn much theoretical knowledge about how to fight, but I did gain a lot of new insights and experiences regarding the current international situation, the domestic situation, and political analysis."

Li Yunlong grinned: "Hey Lao Ding, you're a column commander, not the director of the political department. Why are you learning all this stuff?"

Kong Jie directly mocked Li Yunlong: "What do you know, you illiterate? If you couldn't choose Ding Wei to learn from, why didn't you?"

"I raised an anti-Japanese force of more than 3,000 people in central Hebei, under various encirclement and suppression by the Japanese and puppet troops. Could you do it?"

Li Yunlong retorted, "Your area is a plain, so the population is naturally larger. In terms of battle record, which of your two regiments can compare to the New First Regiment?"

"Major raids on Niangziguan, southeastern Shanxi, the Zhengtai Railway, and the Pinghan Railway; counter-encirclement and suppression in the Taihang Mountains."

"Which tough battle didn't our New First Regiment participate in?"

Kong Jie's eyes widened: "Look at what you're saying, how are we, the 117th and 118th Regiment, inferior to you..."

Ding Wei quickly waved his hand: "Alright, let's not talk about this. The Japanese are getting worse every year, while the Nationalist army is also reorganizing and their combat effectiveness is getting stronger every day."

Their team is purifying itself. What Chu Yunfei is doing, in the words of my instructor from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, is like turning the blade inward and scraping the bone to remove poison.

You all know Wu Tinglin, right? He's a real military officer with real power, and he also has his own territory in western Henan.

The results of it?
Chu Yunfei only went there once, and the two division commanders and the chief of staff below him turned against him.

Although Wu Tinglin is indeed a scoundrel, and there is an old grudge between him and our Eighth Route Army.

But Chu Yunfei's influence in this incident

Li Yunlong interrupted, "In my opinion, Chu Yunfei did nothing wrong. He has made merits and mistakes. The 15th Army fought well, which can be attributed entirely to the patriotism of the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level. It has little to do with him, a Kuomintang warlord."

"Don't let his higher rank fool you; when it comes to command, Old Li is truly no match for him. He's nowhere near as good as us. With so many men under his command, how did he manage to capture Nankou?"

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Kong Jie continued, "Currently, Chief Advisor Chu Yunfei is the senior military officer with the clearest attitude and the most resolute stance in supporting cooperation between the two parties. From our interactions with officers of the Flying Tigers faction, most of them also hold a sympathetic and supportive stance towards our Eighth Route Army."

"In other words, these people also support our revolution, but now we are facing a formidable enemy. The greatest enemy is not the corrupt ruling class within our ranks, but the Japanese."

Ding Wei nodded approvingly: "Old Kong has hit the nail on the head. Yan'an is also discussing this issue: is Chu Yunfei protecting the people's regime or his Chiang family's regime?"

"This"

Li Yunlong's brain seemed to have short-circuited, based on his interactions with Chu Yunfei.

"Chu Yunfei is a grateful and ambitious 'hero.' How could such a person be willing to be a watchdog for the Chiang family dynasty?"

Ding Wei nodded slowly: "Yan'an also has this consideration, but Yan'an is more pessimistic about the situation in Chongqing, believing that one day the two sides will inevitably break apart."

The core of Chongqing's economy used to be the vast petty bourgeoisie in the south, and even landlords, powerful families, and local gentry.

nowadays.

Chang Ruiyuan is essentially a lone pillar in Chongqing, and so far, even the various warlords within Sichuan have been overwhelmed.

Even so, instances of outward compliance followed by inward defiance still occur from time to time.

Of course, these are just minor issues.

The biggest problem is that Chu Yunfei's sweeping reforms will inevitably infringe on the interests of more and more people.

Among them, the one blocking the way was the Guangxi Clique, which had the most powerful influence and strength among the local factions.

Secondly, there was the Central Army, which was scattered across numerous hilltops.

The reason why the conflict has not yet erupted is simply because Chu Yunfei has not suffered a single defeat so far.

Kong Jie and Li Yunlong are not fools.

Their more than ten years of military service and twenty years of revolutionary experience made them keenly aware of what Ding Wei wanted to express.

"You mean, in this Battle of Handan, the Mountain City side actually doesn't want Chu Yunfei to win?" (End of Chapter)