Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

As winter approaches on the Loess Plateau, the northwest winds have already carried a biting chill.

The wind whipped up the withered yellow leaves from the roadside, which rustled against the outer wall of the giant war reserve granary in the south of Qixian County, which was converted from an old-style courtyard.

One after another, four-wheeled bakelite trucks loaded with golden corn and plump wheat were lined up and drove into the tall warehouse gate.

Even among the long caravan of oxen and horses, there were several Ford trucks and new tractors that made a loud roar.

Old Zhao, the director of the grain depot, was wearing a faded gray woolen overcoat, the empty left sleeve fluttering in the wind.

As a former military officer who came from a farming background, he was extremely conscientious in his work.

He considers his post-military resettlement work an honor, believing it to be a sign of the country's trust in him.

Old Zhao's right hand, covered in calluses and frostbite, gripped a sharp, hollow grain inspection skewer and skillfully pierced it into a bag of freshly unloaded wheat.

The metal skewer that was pulled out was filled with golden, heavy grains of wheat.

Old Zhao poured a few grains into his palm, put them in his mouth, and bit down hard.

With a crisp "crack," a smile instantly appeared on his weathered face.

"Good grain! It's dried thoroughly, and the color is excellent."

Old Zhao roared loudly and turned to look at the accounting desk next to him.

Tax officer Xiao Li, sitting behind a wooden table, was writing furiously, his fingers red from the cold, but he didn't bother to rub them.

He abruptly stamped a large, bright red seal on a stack of grain receiving slips and handed the slips to the grain transport driver.

"The thirty-second batch from Lijia Village, 3,500 jin, has been successfully harvested!"

After Xiao Li finished singing loudly, he finally let out a long breath of white air.

He took off his peaked cap, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his tone revealed an undisguised weariness and excitement.

"Director Zhao, the speed at which the autumn grain is being stored this year is absolutely astonishing."

"Our six auxiliary warehouses are already full. At this rate, even the main warehouse might not last until the end of next month."

Old Zhao wiped the iron skewer on his clothes and snorted, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

"That's natural!"

Old Zhao turned around and pointed with his only remaining arm at the burly men queuing up: "In the past, landlords exploited people. At most, an acre of land could yield two hundred catties. In years of famine, people even had to sell their children."

"now what?"

A hint of pride flashed in Old Zhao's eyes: "The branch canal for diverting water from the Yellow River to Shanxi has been built for more than 300 kilometers, and the two newly built water conservancy hubs on the Fen River divert water day and night."

"With the fertilizer produced in our own factory, how could the crops not grow like crazy?"

Xiao Li nodded in deep agreement and slammed the thick ledgers together on the table.

"That's right, this is the foundation for survival left to us ordinary people by the higher-ups."

Xiao Li lowered his voice, leaned closer, and said with a touch of emotion, "But speaking of which, when I went to the countryside to collect taxes a couple of days ago, I still ran into a few stubborn people from before. They hid their grain in double walls and cried poverty, refusing to pay the highest progressive tax."

Old Zhao's eyes instantly turned cold, a flash of murderous intent accumulated on the battlefield passing through them: "And then what? Let them run wild?"

"No way."

“The young cadres dispatched by our military and political university went directly to the village entrance with big-character posters and abacuses.”

“Those fully armed tax police officers stood in the courtyard, holding submachine guns made in Taiyuan.”

"Make it clear to them that the fighting on the front lines is protecting the lifeline of the country, and even more so, the land under their name."

A sense of awe shone in Xiao Li's eyes: "Education combined with legal action; those who led the tax resistance were directly taken away and handed over to the military court."

"How dare the remaining local tyrants and bullies utter a word?"

"Honestly pay the outstanding tiered tax."

“In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary; this is the proper way.”

Old Zhao patted Xiao Li on the shoulder approvingly.

"This grain is the courage of a million-strong army on the front lines, and the teeth that bite the Japanese to death."

"Anyone who dares to undermine the country at this critical juncture is simply handing their own neck to the guillotine."

Old Zhao gazed at the rows of red brick chimneys belching white smoke in the distance, his eyes becoming distant and profound.

These are no longer simply blacksmith shops or handicraft workshops.

The heavy industrial lifeline radiating from Taiyuan has taken root and flourished on this vast land.

"Little Li, look at things now."

Old Zhao was filled with emotion, "It's not just about having plenty of grain; how many flour mills have opened up in Qixian County?"

How many new agricultural machinery repair shops and oil pressing plants have opened?

"Ordinary people's pockets are truly bulging, and they have surplus grain in their hands."

……

At the same moment, in Taiyuan, the Dragon City, deep in the Western Hills.

Inside the headquarters building of North China Construction Group Co., Ltd., the tall building appears majestic and imposing in the early winter smog.

In the general manager's office, the heating pipes emitted a scorching heat.

Sun Weimou abruptly pushed aside the mountain of documents in front of him and slammed his hands on the desk.

On the rosewood table in front of him lay a top-secret summary report that had just been urgently delivered from the Logistics Coordination Department of the Second World War Zone.

This document records the final autumn harvest data for all 321 counties within the entire Second World War zone, plus the newly liberated border areas.

"boom!"

The wrought-iron oak door was pushed open from the outside, and a blast of air mixed with a biting cold wind and the smell of coal smoke rushed into the room.

Commander-in-Chief Chu Xichun of the Second World War Zone, wearing a general's woolen overcoat, strode steadily into the room.

He took off his white gloves, which were speckled with frost, and handed them to his adjutant.

"Wei Mou, why are you in such a hurry to send an urgent telegram to me?"

Chu Xichun walked to the brazier and warmed her hands.

Sun Weimou suddenly stood up, strode around the table, and handed the final accounts sheet to Chu Xichun as if it were a rare treasure.

"An unprecedented bumper harvest!"

His trembling fingers pressed heavily on the astronomical figure highlighted in red at the end of the document.

"Relying on the newly deployed large-scale combine harvester array, the fully deployed water conservancy network, and the fertilizer supplied by the explosives factory's secondary production line."

Sun Weimou took a deep breath of the scorching air, his eyes bloodshot: "This year alone, our total grain output has exceeded 14.68 million tons!"

Chu Xichun's hand, which was about to pick up the teacup, froze in mid-air.

Upon hearing this number, a look of extreme shock suddenly erupted deep within his pupils.

What concept is this?
In this brutal era when most parts of the country still relied on the weather for their livelihood, and many war zones couldn't even afford enough bran and chaff.

The grain output of nearly 15 million tons was equivalent to 1.4 billion yuan in taxes collected.

It accounted for a full half of the Nationalist government's fiscal revenue.

This only represents the tax revenue collected, not the region's total GDP!
Chu Xichun put down her teacup, solemnly took the report, and stared intently at the densely packed data summary on the paper.

His breathing also became a little heavier.

This is the strongest trump card that Shanxi has acquired in recent years by investing massive amounts of resources and overcoming countless obstacles.

"The Central Plains had just undergone the baptism of blood and fire of the fourth phase of the counter-offensive. The newly liberated plains of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui had been completely destroyed by the Japanese and their puppet troops before they left."

"Most of the people have been displaced, and many counties don't even have enough grain left for next year's planting. This year is their first bumper harvest."

Chu Xichun placed the telegram on the table, his gaze solemn: "The General Headquarters and Your Excellency mean that this year's autumn grain tax for these disaster-stricken provinces in the Central Plains will be reduced by 80%."

"Only the bottom line of maintaining basic public order and administrative operations will be retained, and all other taxes will be temporarily suspended."

Sun Weimou's face froze instantly, then was replaced by extreme anxiety and unease.

He almost instinctively took large strides forward.

"Sir, this won't do!!"

Sun Weimou disregarded all etiquette between superiors and subordinates and eagerly waved his arms in rebuttal.

"It is indeed important to be considerate of the people's plight, but sir, have you forgotten the strategic blueprint that the General Headquarters is about to formulate?"

"Next comes the crucial winter offensive. Once the offensive begins, the amount of supplies consumed every day will be a bottomless pit."

Sun Weimou stared at Chu Xichun with deep concern, breathing heavily: "Even if we requisition over ten million tons of autumn grain in North China, don't forget that there are still hundreds of millions of refugees and officials waiting to be fed in the southwest rear!" "If we divert all our reserves to support the rear, the little we've accumulated to launch the next phase of the campaign might be reduced to less than half. This amount of grain is fine for launching a local counter-offensive, but for a full-scale counter-offensive..."

The sharp contradiction between the wartime economy and the people's livelihood in the rear areas was like a cold saw, pulling at the nerves of Sun Weimou, the chief steward.

Faced with Sun Weimou's fierce protest.

"Wei Mou, don't be anxious."

“Wei Mou, you have a very shrewd business sense, but your vision is limited to the area north of the Yellow River.”

Chu Xichun tossed the document she was carrying onto the coffee table, a sharp, confident smile curving her lips.

"This is a top-secret telegram I just received."

"The more than 30 super-large collective farms that we have occupied and placed under military control in Toungoo have already completed the third season of high-yield rice harvest this year by taking advantage of the seamless tropical climate."

"In addition, with the joint command's powerful purge and integration of overseas Chinese capital and old grain merchants in the Siam region, we now have complete control over the largest grain-producing core area in the Indochina Peninsula."

"The expeditionary force not only achieved complete strategic self-sufficiency!"

"Mountains of tropical rice are being transported to the country day and night via the expanded deep-water port of Yangon, along the Burma Road."

"This massive amount of tropical grain is enough to fill all the deficits in the rear areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, and even the consumption of the military and political organs in the mountain city and the rear arsenals has been completely taken care of by them!"

"What the superior means is..."

Sun Weimou swallowed hard: "Starting this year, the southwest and south regions will no longer need us in North China to send a single grain of rice for aid?"

"Of course not!"

Chu Xichun burst into laughter.

"The more than 14 million tons of autumn grain that we have just put into storage is a bargaining chip that is completely in the hands of the North China Joint Command."

Chu Xichun strode to his desk, pulled out a red and blue pencil, and drew two glaring red circles on the huge China theater defense map.

"I've come here to read out Your Majesty's secret order."

Sun Weimou was extremely serious.

"All field corps, major ordnance industrial clusters, and all transportation hubs in North China."

"Immediately initiate the final logistical reconfiguration for 'Winter Storm'!"

Sun Weimou stood up straight abruptly, breathing rapidly, his fists clenched tightly.

The red and blue pencils drew heavy lines across the map, leaving behind a breathtaking trail of attack.

"Snapped!"

The red and blue pencils, unable to bear the weight, broke in two in Chu Xichun's hands and fell onto the drawing paper.

"The main force from North China marched south in episodes 88, 31, and 19, reaching the Yangtze River!"

"Completely crush all Japanese and puppet resistance forces entrenched in the Yangtze River Delta!"

"At the same time, the heavy equipment cluster, along with the seventh and fourteenth episodes, launched a northward assault, its advance aimed directly at the throat of Beijing and Tianjin!"

"Furthermore, the Third, Fourth, and Ninth War Zones under the South China Joint Command will be reorganized and restructured, and will launch a strong attack on the areas in front of them, joining forces with North China to launch a full-scale attack against the Japanese invaders."

"In this battle, we will spare no effort to annihilate all Japanese and puppet troops within the Great Wall."

"The plan is to completely eliminate Japan's remaining forces within six months."
-
Chahar.

The cold wind from beyond the Great Wall, mixed with fine ice shards, felt like a knife cutting into my face.

The jeep carrying Chu Yunfei braked suddenly in front of the Northeast Advance Column headquarters.

On the training field not far away.

Squads of fully armed soldiers were conducting bayonet training on the muddy drill ground, their shouts of battle deafening.

This army, bearing the heavy responsibility of recovering lost territory, exudes an undisguised fierceness and grim determination.

Bian Fucheng strode forward, snapped to attention, and gave a perfectly standard military salute with his one arm.

Chu Yunfei returned the salute, his cold gaze sweeping over Bian Fucheng's weathered face.

"Sir, the brothers' bayonets have long been sharpened to the point of gleaming."

Bian Fucheng didn't waste any pleasantries: "Has the specific date for this counter-offensive been set?"

Chu Yunfei readily led Li Jingzhong to the hood of the jeep and spread out a defense map.

"At the end of this month, our operational window is very short, and we must complete a series of operational objectives before the winter snow melts."

Chu Yunfei's slender fingers traced the contour lines on the map like a sharp sword, finally landing heavily on the strategic choke point on the shore of the Bohai Bay.

"Our main force, the First Armored Group under Qiu Yu'an's command, will be the vanguard."

"Break through the Japanese defenses at Rehe and advance straight to Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan!"

"Completely cut off the land routes for the Kwantung Army to reinforce southward and for Japanese troops inside the Great Wall to escape!"

Bian Fucheng stared intently at the map, his heavy breathing turning into puffs of white mist in the cold air.

Since the establishment of the Northeast Advance Column, it has been engaged in one battle after another, large and small, but it has never been able to return to its hometown. This has been extremely agonizing for Bian Fucheng and the veterans from Northeast China in the Advance Column.

Chu Yunfei raised his head and patted the man from Northeast China heavily on the shoulder.

"They say that for you Northeasterners, once you cross the Shanhaiguan Pass, you're home."

"You've all suffered so much wandering around for so many years."

Bian Fucheng's eyes reddened almost imperceptibly, but his expression grew colder and harder: "Suffering is nothing."

"As long as we can fight our way back to Northeast China this winter."

"Even if we, a bunch of men wandering in the interior, die on our way home, it's worth it!"

Chu Yunfei nodded slightly: "That day is not far away. I came here today to check on how your final preparations are going."

"How is the expansion of your column going?"

"Have the reconnaissance and preliminary infiltration been completed?"

He heard his superior inquire about military affairs.

Bian Fucheng straightened up abruptly and reported at lightning speed: "Rest assured, Your Excellency, the Advance Column is now a full-fledged army-level unit!"

"It has four independent mixed brigades under its command, plus two infiltration detachments and a directly subordinate heavy firepower battalion."

"The troop strength has doubled since its establishment, and they are all made in Taiyuan. In addition, the railway line has been laid here, so there is almost no pressure on logistics."

"Our reconnaissance squadron has also been broken up into smaller units, and we have found out the Japanese troop deployment in Rehe and western Liaoning several months in advance."

"We're just waiting for your order to launch a coordinated attack from inside the Japanese devils' camp and cripple their railway network!"

Chu Yunfei was very satisfied.

His gaze shifted from the Liaoxi Corridor on the map.

It eventually landed on the vast grasslands of Outer Mongolia in the northwest.

He quickly calculated this grand geopolitical strategy spanning the Asian continent.

"Commander Fu's Seventh Army Group must be making quite a commotion too, right?"

Bian Fucheng followed Chu Yunfei's train of thought and replied in a deep voice, "The vanguard of the Seventh Army Group has already crossed the line."

"They have essentially entered the WM area and are preparing to bypass the western front and directly attack the weak defenses of the Kwantung Army."

Chu Yunfei frowned: "I did receive a telegram requesting instructions two days ago, but I told Commander Fu to act according to the situation. It seems that he has indeed seized the opportunity."

Bian Fucheng answered very decisively: "The Russians are unusually honest, which may be related to the excessive pressure on the European battlefield."

"The Far Eastern troops stationed on the border maintained the highest level of radio silence and did not take any substantive armed interception or excessive actions."

Just as the two were talking.

A communications staff officer walked over hurriedly from a short distance away.

"A confidential report just forwarded from the mountain city says that, as usual, the Russians have sent us an extremely stern diplomatic note."

Stalin hesitated to declare war on Japan, and now faced with the fait accompli of the Allied forces' armed advance and their passage through Japan.

Aside from protesting, he simply didn't have enough troops to fight on two fronts.

As long as our 80,000 troops and 20,000 cavalry are firmly stationed on that steppe, the Soviets' plan to monopolize the interests of the Far East after the war will be completely thwarted.

"Let them issue the diplomatic note, let them shout the protest."

Chu Yunfei deftly put away the map and gestured to Li Jingzhong to put it into his briefcase.

"Those who have wandered far from home in Northeast China, prepare to return!" (End of Chapter)