Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

In the blink of an eye, four days of fierce fighting had passed.

Due south of Yichang.

South bank of the Yangtze River.

The remnants of the Japanese 33rd and 19th Divisions, along with the Nochi Detachment, were cut off and surrounded along the Changyang and Duzhenwan line, like prey trapped in the center of a spider web.

They are making their last stand, like cornered beasts.

last night.

The 51st Division of the 74th Army and part of the 30th Army have successfully joined forces in the Pianyan area east of Ziqiu.

This completely severed all land connections between the Japanese army and the Zhijiang area.

The net of heaven and earth has been closed.

"boom--!!"

At exactly five o'clock in the morning, a deafening roar, like a war drum tearing the sky apart, resounded from the eastern horizon!

Immediately afterwards, the earth began to tremble rhythmically.

That was the roar of the 24 150mm heavy howitzers of the 8th Artillery Brigade!

The shells, trailing sharp whistles as they tore through the air, flew across the sky and accurately struck the Japanese field airfield and supply distribution center outside Yichang!

“Rumble——!!!”

A huge fireball shot into the sky above the Japanese position, illuminating the pre-dawn darkness as if it were daytime!
An explosion occurred in the ammunition depot, and the shockwave even tore several Japanese Type 97 fighter planes parked on the makeshift airfield to pieces.

This devastating bombardment is the signal that the general offensive has begun!

"kill--!!!"

Almost simultaneously, from the north, east, and south, nearly 10,000 Nationalist soldiers, who had been waiting in the wings, launched their final and most ferocious general offensive against the Japanese army that had been divided and surrounded, like a flood breaking through a dam!

Niejiahe.

The 18th Army's forward command post.

Army Commander Fang Tian held up his binoculars, looking at the officers and soldiers of his "Iron Army".

At this moment, they pounced on the remaining positions of the Japanese 39th Division like tigers descending from the mountain.

Fang Tian felt his blood boiling: "Tell the brothers!"

"If we fight worse than the 74th Army in this battle, we'll ruin the reputation of our 18th Army as the 'Iron Army of the Anti-Japanese War'!"

“Outstanding officers and soldiers will be rewarded generously, especially in terms of material rewards.”

"Yes!"

The chief of staff, Zhao Xiukun, standing beside him, was also flushed.

I've been holding this in for too long!

Since the start of the Western Hubei Campaign, the 18th Army, as the main force for river defense, fought the hardest, endured the toughest hardships, and suffered the greatest casualties.

But now the limelight has been stolen by the 74th Army, which appeared out of nowhere.

This tone.

They simply couldn't swallow it!

Fang Tian slammed his baton heavily on the map: "Let Hu Lian's 11th Division launch a frontal attack and smash the 39th Division's turtle shell to pieces!"

"Order the 17th Division and the Provisional 34th Division to outflank the Japanese from both sides and drive them towards the Yangtze River!"

"We must ensure that those scum don't even have the chance to jump into the river!"

……

Yuyangguan, the headquarters of the 79th Army.

As the victory reports poured in like snowflakes, Army Commander Xia Chuzhong showed no joy on his face; instead, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

"Commander."

The chief of staff said with great concern: "Although the 13th Division is surrounded, its will to resist is exceptionally strong, and our army has suffered heavy casualties."

"I know."

Xia Chuzhong's gaze fell on the blue arrow on the map that represented the 74th Army.

"Wang Yaowu's troops are almost at the gates of Yidu City." His voice carried a complex emotion that was hard to describe. "If we don't step up our efforts, this fattest piece of meat will be eaten by others. This battle has come to this point, it's time to fight with all our might!"

Xia Chuzhong suddenly looked up, a fierce glint in his eyes: "Send a telegram to the 63rd and 98th Divisions!"

"No matter what methods they use, we must completely crush the enemy in front of us, the remnants of that Xiaochai Detachment, before nightfall!"

"The whole nation is watching. Our main force, with the cooperation of friendly forces, fought against several thousand enemy troops for four days. What face do we have left?"

"If we can successfully defeat them, or even annihilate them, then we can take advantage of this opportunity of national attention to let the people know that in addition to the 74th Army and the 18th Army, there is also our 79th Army, an iron army!"

"Anyone who dares to let me down at this time, or who tries to preserve their strength, I will go to the front lines in Chiang Kai-shek's stead and personally execute them!"

……

Northern Hubei, Chu Yunfei's forward command post.

Chu Yunfei stood quietly in front of the huge sand table and steadily planted a small blue flag, representing the victor, on the last Japanese position.

Zhao Pengcheng and Pang Junming stood beside him, watching the sand table being rapidly swallowed by blue, feeling as if they were in a dream.

"Your Excellency," Zhao Pengcheng's voice trembled slightly, "are we really going to win?"

"It's not that we're going to win."

Chu Yunfei turned around, a slight smile appearing on his face: "We've already won."

Since the battlefield was divided, the encirclement and annihilation battle has been going on for five days.

During these five days, the Japanese army made several attempts to gather its forces in an attempt to break out of the encirclement, and even crossed the Yangtze River.

But under Chu Yunfei's precise micro-management...

The participating units shattered all their illusions!
Chu Yunfei walked to the map and pointed to the completely sealed-off encirclement: "The main force of the Japanese 13th Division and 39th Division, the field detachment, and other attached units, totaling more than 25,000 men, are now trapped like turtles in a jar."

"Even if Yokoyama Isamu has extraordinary abilities, he can't save them."

Looking at Chu Yunfei's calm profile, Pang Junming felt an immense sense of admiration.

Plan strategically and win the battle from thousands of miles away.

This is Chu Yunfei, this is the War Commander!

Chu Yunfei's voice was calm yet filled with undeniable authority: "Order!"

"Power on all departments, there's no need for any further hesitation!"

"The 22nd Army Group is ordered to wipe out all Japanese strongholds on the Dangyang and Yuan'an front lines! Completely block the retreat route of the Japanese 11th Army!"

"The 10th Army Group, the 79th Army, the 74th Army, the 30th Army, and the main force of the river defense army, tighten the encirclement and launch the final general offensive!"

“Tell the brothers.”

"A few hours later, our air force bomber formation carried out the final 'clean-up'!"

"In this battle, we should press the enemy to their death!"

"This battle will make Yokoyama Isamu and his arrogant 11th Army pay the most painful price for their arrogance and stupidity!"

"Yes!"

……

Japanese 10th Army Forward Command.

Yokoyama Isamu sat in the chair, his face ashen.

He clutched the farewell telegram from the 13th Division's provisional command tightly in both hands.

"The troops have run out of ammunition and food, and there is no hope."

"All officers and soldiers of the 13th Division will live and die with our positions, and be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor."

“Rumble——!!!”

Yokoyama looked up sharply, peering through the command post's view.

He saw that familiar fleet of planes reappear on the western horizon, densely packed together.

It's over, it's over!

Yokoyama Isamu slowly closed his eyes, and two streams of turbid tears silently slid down his face, which was as withered as a tree.

He knew what awaited the 13th Division.
"Your Excellency Commander"

Chief of Staff Takeji Shimano: "I suggest abandoning Yichang, Yidu, and other areas, and request the navy to mobilize relevant warships for the emergency transfer of our army soldiers."

Yokoyama Isamu didn't speak, but slowly drew his command sword from his waist. The cold blade reflected his face, which was filled with despair and resentment.

……

Mountain city, Huangshan official residence.

Chang Ruiyuan didn't sleep all night; he almost never put down the phone.

Another piece of good news came from the front lines, finally putting his tense heart at ease.

"Committee!"

"Great victory!"

"An unprecedented and unparalleled victory!"

Zhu Peiji practically burst through the office door, his face flushed with ecstatic joy, waving a telegram in his hand: "The outcome of the Battle of Western Hubei is decided!"

"The five-day siege operation has progressed quite smoothly."

According to the report of Commander-in-Chief Sun Lianzhong of the Sixth War Zone, "Our army has successfully encircled and annihilated the main forces of the Japanese 13th and 39th Divisions, and severely damaged the Japanese 17th Mixed Brigade and 58th Division."

"Preliminary estimate."

"From the Battle of Northern Hubei at the beginning of March to the current Battle of Western Hubei, the number of Japanese troops annihilated is at least 80,000."

"The main combat force of the Japanese 11th Army has been lost by more than half."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Chang Ruiyuan suddenly stood up and said "good" three times.

He strode forward and opened the window.

The morning sunlight, mixed with damp mist, rushed towards me.

Chang Ruiyuan took a deep breath and felt the pent-up emotions in his chest disappear!

He seemed to see the dawn of victory in the war rising!
The fighting on the western Hubei battlefield is not yet completely over.

News of the great victory in western Hubei spread throughout the land instantly, at the command of the General Headquarters!
From the wartime capital of Chongqing to the occupied territories of Beiping, from the front lines in Central China to the rear areas in North China.

The whole of China was in an uproar!
The Central Daily News, with an unprecedentedly large page and impassioned words, announced to the military and civilians of the whole country an unprecedented and unparalleled great victory!
"Great victory in western Hubei! Our army annihilated 80,000 enemy troops and recovered all lost territory!"

"The 'Iron Army of Anti-Japanese War' has shown its might, and the 'Tiger Warriors' have penetrated thousands of miles to divide the enemy!"

"Shibei Fortress is as solid as a rock, and General Hu Lian vows to live and die with it!"

"Chief Advisor Chu's strategic planning and decisive victories are truly remarkable!"

In an instant, the shouts of newsboys echoed through every street and alley of the city.

Countless people flooded the streets, waving national flags and beating drums and gongs.
They lit the firecrackers that had been stored away for a long time and danced joyfully.

The festive atmosphere was even more lively than during the Spring Festival!

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"Great victory in western Hubei! We won! Our Nationalist troops wiped out an entire Japanese army!"

In the teahouse.

The storyteller, with spittle flying from his mouth, vividly portrayed the War of Resistance against Japan.

"Speaking of our Chief Advisor Chu, he's like a celestial slayer descended to earth, specifically to deal with the Japanese."

"Sitting in that command post, he kept a close eye on everything and listened to everything around him. How could the little devils' tricks escape his keen eyes?"

"With a stroke of his pen, hey, our hundreds of thousands of troops, like a net spread across the sky, instantly trapped the Japanese devils."

Inside the restaurant, the literati were inspired to write poetry and wield their brushes.

"Iron defenses were erected along the Yangtze River, and the Chu general remotely determined the fate of the nation."

"The elite troops darted through like lightning, and the iron-willed army held firm as if it were a fortress."

"The enemy's souls were lost beneath the walls of Yichang, and the fame of the Shipai Fortress spread far and wide."

"When we achieve our goal and recover the lost territory, we will drink a toast to celebrate our victory!"

The joy of victory at this moment is like a fine wine, intoxicating every Chinese person who has suffered the hardships of war.

……

Meanwhile, in Central China, at a certain railway hub station.

The freight train belonging to the Ito Detachment remained parked on the cold platform.

But this time.

The carriage doors were locked from the outside.

Company Commander Captain Nobuya Sato, along with other officers, was "invited" to the platform by the military police.

The atmosphere was horribly depressing.

Major General Masakuni Ito, the detachment commander, sat in the main seat with a livid face, clutching a telegram that had just been forwarded by the army headquarters.

That thin piece of paper felt incredibly heavy, pressing down on him so much that he could barely breathe.

He muttered to himself, his voice filled with unbelievable despair: "Everyone is dead."

On the platform, only the sound of trains could be heard.

Everyone seemed frozen in place, staring blankly at him, their minds completely blank.

"The 13th Division was completely wiped out, except for the 8,000 remnants who crossed the river. The division commander, Lieutenant General Akashi, was killed in an air raid earlier."

"The 39th Division, with fewer than two thousand remaining troops, has retreated to Yidu. Division Commander Sumita Raishiro has sent a do-or-die telegram to the Expeditionary Army Headquarters."

"The 17th Mixed Brigade has been severely damaged and has now 'rented' civilian boats to move from the Yangtze River toward Wuchang."

One after another, the latest battle reports and news.

It was spat out of Masakuni Ito's mouth.

These messages struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

"Commander Yokoyama Isamu committed suicide yesterday in his command post at the front line to atone for his sins. Now all units of the 11th Army are under the direct command of the Expeditionary Army Headquarters."

"Nani?!"

Sato Shinya felt a sudden dizziness.

Before their hastily assembled reinforcements could even set foot on the battlefield, the target they were supposed to rescue had already vanished.
"Order from the Army Headquarters."

Masakuni Ito slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with nothing but a deathly numbness.

"Our detachment need not go south any further. We should return to our original post immediately and strengthen our defenses."

"The Chinese troops in North China may be making unusual movements."

……

Peking, North China Front Army Headquarters.

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere at the Nanjing Expeditionary Army Headquarters.

It was unusually peaceful here.

It was so calm it was almost eerie.

Commander-in-Chief General Yasuji Okamura was alone in his office, pruning a delicate bonsai.

The scissors made a crisp "snip" sound as they opened and closed, which was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Your Excellency, Commander."

Major General Shinichi Kitajima, the chief of staff, strode in, his face filled with undisguised anxiety and resentment: "You've already seen the 11th Army's battle report."

"Ah."

Okamura Neiji didn't even look up; he was simply focused on pruning away an extra branch.

"This is a great disgrace to our country!" Shinichi Kitajima's voice trembled. "Commander Shunroku Hata and Commander Isamu Yokoyama must be held accountable for this!"

"Chu Yunfei, he's practically a curse on the empire!"

"Are we just going to stand by and watch him grow stronger, sending the empire's warriors to their graves one by one?!"

Okamura Neiji finally put down the scissors in his hand: "Kitajima-kun."

Okamura Neiji spoke slowly, his voice calm and undisturbed, "Anger solves nothing."

"But, Commander!"

Do you think I haven't done anything?

Okamura Neiji interrupted him, a cold, venomous glint flashing in his eyes.

He walked up to the huge map of North China and picked up a baton.

"Look here, here, and here."

His baton pointed out a dozen seemingly unrelated items on the map.

However, it is a remote village located at the border of the Nationalist Army and the Eighth Route Army's defense zones.

"The 'Divine Punishment' plan has been underway for half a month."

"According to the report from the North China Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department, the strains we released have successfully caused small-scale outbreaks in these areas."

"Although the Chinese army's reaction speed far exceeded our expectations."

"They seemed to have anticipated that we would do this, and prepared a large amount of disinfectant and isolation measures."

"but."

Okamura Neiji's voice was filled with cruel pleasure.

"Once the seeds of plague are sown, they are not so easily eradicated."

"Chu Yunfei is currently in northern Hubei, enjoying his glorious victory."

"He will soon discover that a fire has broken out in his backyard that he can't put out no matter what he does!"

"He can win one battle, or even ten battles."

Okamura Neiji's eyes remained calm: "But he cannot win this war against an invisible enemy!"

"The headquarters wants him to watch as everything he has painstakingly built up is wiped out in this plague!"

"The entire North China region has become a giant hell on earth!"

Shinichi Kitajima asked doubtfully, "Commander, does what we're doing really make sense for this war?"

Okamura Neiji sighed and replied earnestly, "It has no meaning in terms of the outcome of the war. Such actions are enough to send us to the gallows after the war. But Kitajima-kun, we are soldiers. We can only carry out His Majesty the Heavenly Locust's highest orders. Now that the Divine Punishment Holy War Plan has begun, there is no reason for it to be interrupted..." (End of Chapter)