Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Shanxi, Longcheng.

A teahouse facing the street was packed with customers, and the air was filled with lively chatter.

The storyteller was recounting the tale of "Commander Chu pacifying western Henan and the tyrant Wu being brought to justice."

This drew cheers from the audience.

And in a corner by the window.

Two middle-aged men, dressed in long gowns and looking like school teachers, were talking in hushed tones about more "trendy" topics.

"Have you heard, Old Li?"

One of the slightly overweight gentlemen said mysteriously, "A new government office has recently been established in North China."

"Oh? What government office?" another Mr. Li asked curiously.

"What's it called, 'Inspectorate of the North China Joint Command'!" the fat man said, enunciating each word with a look of both awe and excitement. "I heard from my brother-in-law at the Second World War Zone Command that its power is terrifying!"

"What kind of Dafa?"

"How so?" Mr. Fatty lowered his voice and leaned close to Old Li's ear: "Let me put it this way. In the past, we only knew how powerful the 'spies' of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics were. Everyone would avoid them."

But this Inspectorate not only has jurisdiction over the military and local officials, but it even oversees the secret agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!

"Oh my God!"

Old Li gasped, "Then wouldn't this become the 'Western Depot'?"

"What kind of important person must this section chief be to be able to keep things under control?"

The fat man smiled smugly, as if he had made the appointment himself.

"Guess who it is?"

He held up three fingers. "Three leaders. One chief and two deputies. This arrangement is absolutely brilliant!"

"The director is Cao Potian, the deputy director of the Military Law Department of our Second War Zone!"

"I heard that this man was promoted by Chief Advisor Chu. He once beheaded a Japanese colonel on the battlefield. He is ruthless and impartial, showing no favoritism even to Commander Yan or Commander Chu!"

"The two deputy directors are even more impressive. One is Mao Renfeng from the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the other is Ye Xiufeng from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics! These two are both trusted lieutenants of Boss Dai and Mr. Chen!"

Old Li was dumbfounded. After a long while, he clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This arrangement was flawless!"

"That's right!" Mr. Fatty slapped his thigh. "Think about it, the army, the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—all three of them are in one government office. No one can be the only one in power. They keep an eye on each other and check and balance each other. In the end, won't they all have to listen to the one above them?"

……

On the other side, in Lin County.

The county magistrate of Linxian County personally hosted a banquet to entertain Major Jia Weicheng, a staff officer who came from "above".

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

"Staff Officer Jia."

The county magistrate, holding a wine glass and smiling broadly, said, "The land you've chosen has excellent feng shui; it is indeed one of the finest plots of land in our Lin County."

However, this land purchase will likely require some effort.

A thought struck Jia Weicheng, but he asked calmly, "Oh?"

"What do you mean by that, County Head? Could it be that you can't agree on the land price?"

"No, no, no," the county magistrate quickly waved his hand, "The price is negotiable. The main issue is that the best part of that plot of land, originally..."

He sighed, looking troubled and hesitant.

Jia Weicheng put down his wine glass and asked, feigning curiosity, "County Magistrate, please speak freely. There are no outsiders here. If there are any difficulties, I can report them to Commander Zhao Pengcheng."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate felt as if he had received a "royal decree," and lowered his voice to pour out his grievances.

"Chief of Staff, you are unaware of this."

"That prime piece of land originally belonged to several families. But just six months ago, the Qian family forcibly bought it."

"The Qian family?"

"They are from the same clan as Commander-in-Chief Qian of the Sixth Army Group in North China."

The county magistrate spoke even softer: "Their family, along with a group of people, threatened and intimidated us, and in the end, forced those families to sign off on the land for less than 30% of the market price."

"The common people are angry but dare not speak out. Even when they submit their complaints to me, I dare not do anything about it!"

The county magistrate looked bitter.

Jia Weicheng understood perfectly, but he asked casually, "Isn't there anyone who will speak up for justice?"

The county magistrate slapped his thigh, as if he had remembered something.

"Yes! How could there not be any!"

His voice suddenly rose a few decibels: "We just had a college graduate assigned here from Taiyuan last year."

His name is Zhou Zheng.

This young man is hot-blooded and hates evil.

Upon hearing this, an uproar erupted on the spot!

"He didn't care who the other party was, he just wrote a detailed investigation report and wanted to send it up to his superiors."

"The results of it?"

The county magistrate shook his head and sighed, "The report was blocked by the Qian family with their men before it even reached Changzhi."

"They beat that little Zhou so badly..."

"I was bedridden for more than half a month. If I hadn't secretly sent people to protect me, I probably would have lost my life."

“From then on.”

The county magistrate said helplessly, "After that, no one dared to mention it again."

A college student clerk who hates evil.

A bullying tyrant from a powerful military family.

A dark reality of officials protecting each other.

In an instant, a complete picture formed in Jia Weicheng's mind.

He realized that there must be something fishy about this.

This is no longer a simple village dispute.

This isn't ancient times; you don't have to go to the capital in person to file a complaint with the emperor.

Could it be that the Qian family really has absolute power in Lin County, to the point that they can't even make a phone call?
Jia Weicheng dared not delay and immediately reported the matter to Zhao Pengcheng via telegram.

……

Two days later.

North China Joint Command.

When Chu Yunfei saw the preliminary investigation report, his face immediately darkened.

"That's unreasonable!"

He slammed the telegram heavily on the table.

An invisible anger caused the temperature in the entire office to drop several degrees.

Fang Ligong, who was standing to the side, also finished reading the secret report, and his brows were also furrowed.

"Lord Yun".

He said in a deep voice, "Qian Bojun is someone who has worked with you and me for so many years. He is a fairly upright person and strict in disciplining his troops."

"I suspect that he himself is most likely unaware of these things in his family."

"Not aware?"

Chu Yunfei snorted coldly, his anger blazing.

If Qian Bojun were standing in front of him, he would have already been thoroughly berated by him.

After receiving the telegram, Zhao Pengcheng did not inform Chu Yunfei directly. Instead, he sent his subordinates to conduct a preliminary second verification and investigation before reporting the matter to Chu Yunfei.

The Qian family's land acquisitions were not something that could be kept secret in the local area.

With a few inquiries, the matter was basically confirmed.

There was a long silence in the office.

Chu Yunfei paced back and forth, clearly pondering how to handle this thorny issue.

Should we send the inspection department directly to investigate?

Making too much noise could embarrass Qian Bojun.

Especially now that the battle is about to begin, Qian Bojun cannot afford to have any mishaps at this time.

If a problem is indeed discovered, Chu Yunfei cannot deal with him while facing a formidable enemy.

After all, Qian Bojun was highly respected in the army and was an indispensable and fierce general in the North China Theater.

Suppress it and pretend you don't know?
Less likely.

This goes against Chu Yunfei's long-held beliefs.

Finally, Chu Yunfei stopped.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"Brother Ligong."

"Commander Pang, you can receive them for me. I'll go there myself."

……

As Pang Bingxun's special car slowly drove into Changzhi City.

Even the old general, who had seen many changes in the world, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The city before him was completely different from the impoverished and isolated northern town he remembered.

The streets are wide and clean, with newly painted blue-brick and tile houses on both sides. Although not very luxurious, they look neat and orderly.

The streets were bustling with pedestrians and traffic.

Workers in blue overalls, students carrying schoolbags, farmers selling vegetables from wheelbarrows, and soldiers in various military uniforms.

everyone's face.

Although still bearing the marks of wartime, they exude an uplifting and hopeful spirit.

This.

This contrasted sharply with the lifeless and malnourished scene he witnessed in western Henan.

Pang Bingxun couldn't help but mutter to himself, peering around cautiously the whole way: "This really is Changzhi. It feels even more prosperous than Xuzhou."

Outside the joint command post.

They came to greet him.

He is Zhang Dayun, the head of the operations section of the North China Joint Command.

"Commander-in-Chief Pang, you must be tired from your journey." Zhang Dayun's attitude was humble yet polite.

"Chief Zhang, you're too kind." Pang Bingxun got out of the car, shook hands with him, but his eyes were searching around. "Where is Chief Advisor Chu now?"

In Pang Bingxun's opinion.

After all, he was a senior who had voluntarily relinquished his military power and come to "report on his duties."

Based on emotion and reason.

Chu Yunfei should personally come forward to receive them.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dayun gave a slightly apologetic and mysterious smile.

"Commander-in-Chief Pang, it's really unfortunate. Lord Yun has some urgent business to attend to."

"He specifically instructed me to treat you with the utmost respect."

He invited you to stay in Changzhi for a few days.

"The matter of building a villa for you in Linxian will take some time to arrange."

Zhang Dayun naturally couldn't tell Pang Bingxun what Chu Yunfei was going to do.

Pang Bingxun felt somewhat disappointed and confused.

But outwardly, he remained expressionless.

Accompanied by Zhang Dayun.

Pang Bingxun conducted a cursory tour of Changzhi City.

The more he looked, the stronger the shock became.

He saw.

On the outskirts of the city, neatly planned industrial zones have sprung up.

Thick smoke billowed from the towering chimney.

He heard it.

From the huge factory came a series of deafening machine roars.

He passed by a large open-air canteen, which was around lunchtime.

The workers, who were standing in long lines, were happily getting their meals.

The meal consisted of rice, white flour, and steamed buns. The side dish was cabbage stewed with pork and vermicelli, although there was very little pork, as most of it was deep-fried. The vegetables were also simple pickled vegetables.

But it was piping hot and very filling.

"Be good."

Pang Bingxun couldn't help but click his tongue: "The food here is much better than what our 40th Army gets."

“These workers do manual labor. If they are not well-fed, they will naturally not want to put in much effort. Therefore, ensuring the daily lives of the workers is a very important systematic task for us.”

Pang Bingxun then passed by a construction site.

Thousands of laborers, under the direction of technicians, were working with great enthusiasm.

They were not forced laborers, but workers paid by the day.

During their breaks, medical teams in white coats would bring them water and medicine.

"Chief Zhang."

Pang Bingxun finally couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get so much money to do all this construction?"

Zhang Dayun smiled and pointed to the energetic workers.

"Part of the money came from the central government, specifically bailout loans obtained from the central bank. Because of Chief Advisor Chu's influence, we were able to get the money much more easily than others."

"The other part is what we earned ourselves."

"We put tobacco, coal, and iron ore under the unified management of the Pacification Commissioner's Office in exchange for foreign exchange and supplies."

"Use this money to build factories and improve people's livelihoods."

"This is what Lord Yun planned: 'using work as a form of relief and using war to sustain war.'"

Pang Bingxun remained silent.

He recalled the exorbitant taxes and levies he had imposed to fund the war effort.

Those people who were completely exploited.

Even with the extreme exploitation of the people, they were still unable to support the 40th Army, which numbered around 10,000.

Given the situation in Changzhi, supporting one or even ten 40th Armies would be incredibly easy.

Comparing the two, a judgment is made.

In peacetime, warlords were able to recognize and act on matters such as local development.

However, during wartime, this awareness and capability are often lacking.

At noon, both sides enjoyed a lively lunch in the command post's canteen.

The slight meaty smell was enough to make Pang Bingxun sigh with emotion.

in the afternoon.

Zhang Dayun's itinerary included inspecting the Changzhi Arsenal.

Pang Bingxun had an idea and offered to go and take a look together.

Zhang Dayun readily agreed.

When Pang Bingxun walked into that huge, heavily fortified arsenal covering nearly a thousand acres.

He was once again deeply moved by the scene before him.

Inside rows of huge factory buildings.

Nearly 20,000 workers.

They are working busily and efficiently on the assembly line.

The forging workshop where sparks fly, the machining workshop with the strong smell of machine oil, and the final assembly workshop where everything is assembled.

This place is practically a small, modern industrial kingdom!
They visited the rifle production line.

Brand new, metallic-gleaming Type 79 rifles (copying the Type 24 rifle) rolled off the production line like an endless stream.

The workers are conducting final calibrations and tests.

“We can now produce more than 5,000 of these rifles every month,” Zhang Dayun explained. “The Northwest Manufacturing Bureau has not moved back to Taiyuan; it remains in Shaanxi Province, with some factories located in southeastern Shanxi.”

The Taiyuan area was planned to be a heavy weapons factory for the production of automobiles, armored vehicles and tanks.

The plan envisions the three arsenals forming a tripartite balance of power.

When Pang Bingxun saw the brand-new grenade launchers and 82mm mortars.

Even his battle-hardened heart couldn't help but pound violently.

Pang Bingxun's hands trembled, and his eyes revealed an almost greedy desire.

"These must be the small cannons that were previously assigned to us. They're all top-notch stuff."

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Dayun, his voice carrying a hint of undisguised bitterness and envy.

"Chief Zhang, these equipment..."

Looking at him like this, Zhang Dayun felt a pang of emotion.

He explained with a wry smile, "Commander-in-Chief Pang, don't be fooled by our current large and prosperous family."

"Actually, our large-scale expansion has only just begun in the last two months."

"Current production capacity is far from sufficient."

"Not to mention you, even our Flying Tigers Group Army and the Sixth Group Army, which are truly elite main forces in North China, have not yet been able to fully re-equip themselves."

"Many units of the Central Army are still using a motley collection of 'internationally made' bullets, and the caliber of the bullets is not yet standardized."

"Guess which department has the most people among all the personnel in the North China Joint Command?"

Pang Bingxun was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Could it be the logistics department?"

Zhang Dayun nodded: "Yes, it's the logistics department. After merging with the logistics department of the Second War Zone, the number of people reached seven hundred, and they still often work overtime through the night."

Pang Bingxun: "There are too many troops, and the backgrounds of the generals are quite complicated, so it is definitely difficult to treat them all equally."

Zhang Dayun nodded: "Yes, you have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to walk one step at a time. With the continued development of the North China military industrial system and the completion of the railway merging, the military output of Shanxi and Shaanxi regions will inevitably supply the whole country, which will greatly help the upcoming battles."

Pang Bingxun suddenly spoke up and asked, "Regarding the upcoming battles in the Anyang and Handan areas, the joint command has not yet held a meeting, is that right?" (End of this chapter)