Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

In a secluded mountain cave near Qujiang, Shaoguan, South China.

This is the headquarters of the Fourth War Zone.

Although winter in Jiangnan lacks the biting ice and snow of the north, the damp cold that penetrates to the bone can still make one's hands and feet stiff.

Occasionally, the sound of breathing could be heard coming from inside the cave.

Inside the cave, a few gas lamps flickered on and off.

A dim, yellowish light shone on the huge sand table depicting the terrain of northern Guangdong in the very center.

Zhang Fakui, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth War Zone, frowned deeply as he stared intently at several passes on the sand table.

His eyes were bloodshot with fatigue.

Zhang Fakui threw the red and blue pencils in his hand onto the table, his tone revealing deep worry: "Okamura Yasuji lost two divisions in Jiangbei and can't explain himself to the Tokyo headquarters."

"Now, he's treating our Fourth War Zone like a punching bag and a pushover."

Chief of Staff Wu Shi stood on the other side of the sand table, his face solemn.

He held a stack of newly compiled reports from the Military Intelligence Bureau and frontline reconnaissance.

"Commander."

Wu Shi pushed up his glasses and spread out the report: "In the past two days, the Japanese army has been making extremely frequent unusual movements."

Wu Shi picked up the baton and pointed to the border between Hunan and Guangdong.

"The main force of the 40th Division of the Japanese 20th Army stationed in southern Hunan is secretly assembling in the direction of Daoxian County."

His baton slid southwards, landing in the area of ​​Guangzhou and Sihui.

"At the same time, the Japanese 23rd Army, which was stationed in Guangzhou, including its 104th Division and the 8th and 9th Independent Infantry Brigades, all showed signs of breaking camp and heading north."

Senior Advisor Chen Baocang took a deep breath, his eyes becoming extremely sharp.

"The Japanese army is trying to advance from two directions simultaneously."

Chen Baocang pointed out incisively: "They are attempting to take advantage of our superior military strength and the fact that our main force is resting and reorganizing to directly eliminate our key town in northern Guangdong!"

Zhang Fakui braced his hands on the edge of the sand table, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"We could have given them a run for our money."

He gritted his teeth, revealing a hint of helplessness: "But in order to cooperate with the General Headquarters' plan to form the '60th Division' of the Expeditionary Force, Wang Yaowu's 24th Army Group was urgently transferred away."

"Our southern gateway, which is like an iron plate, has had a large portion of its strength stripped away!"

Wu Shi nodded: "Currently, the military strength in the war zone is severely depleted, especially along the Lechang and Pingshi lines, where only some combat units, such as the 160th Division, are stationed."

"The defensive line is too long and the troops are too few."

"The Japanese army is launching a massive offensive, but they will only break through one point, and our defenses will be easily cut off."

Zhang Fakui decisively ordered, straightening up: "Telegram to the 160th Division: Hold the Lechang-Pingshi line at all costs!"

"Order all reserve units to immediately assemble on the outskirts of Shaoguan!"

"Yes!"

however.

The situation on the battlefield far exceeded the worst predictions of the Fourth War Zone leadership.

For this political campaign aimed at "whitewashing the truth," Okamura Yasuji mobilized almost all the available forces of the Japanese army in South China.

They gave the Chinese army no time to deploy its troops at their leisure.

Just three days later.

December 13th, dawn.

The piercing sound of gunfire shattered the tranquility of the mountainous region of northern Guangdong.

The Japanese army launched a large-scale offensive against the Fourth War Zone hastily but exceptionally fiercely.

……

Japanese 23rd Army Forward Command Post.

Lieutenant General Hisaichi Tanaka, the army commander, put down the hot towel in his hand and looked coldly at the sand table in front of him.

"The attack has begun."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips as he turned to look at his chief of staff beside him.

"General Okamura in Central China is under tremendous political pressure. The country needs us to achieve a clean and decisive victory in South China."

"Zhang Fakui's Guangdong army lacked heavy weapons, and Wang Yaowu's elite troops had already left."

"This is our perfect fighter jet!"

"Order the 40th Division to cross the provincial border from Daoxian, Hunan, at top speed and advance into the Lianzhou, Dongpi, and Xingzi line in Guangdong!"

"The 8th and 9th Independent Infantry Brigades are advancing northward from the Guangzhou direction!"

"Use artillery fire to flatten the Chinese army's defenses!"

"Absolutely no delays allowed!"

"Hai!"

As the orders from the Japanese high command were passed down layer by layer.

Tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers were like a pack of hungry wolves.

They split into multiple groups and launched a frenzied counterattack against Pingshi and Lechang, the northern gateways of Shaoguan.

……

Northern Guangdong, the outer mountain pass defense line of Pingshi Town.

The sky was overcast and rainy, and the mountain road was muddy and difficult to navigate.

The 478th Regiment of the 160th Division of the National Revolutionary Army is ordered to defend this crucial transportation hub to the death.

Regimental Commander Lin Zhenwu lay prone in the trench, which was softened by the rain, staring intently through his binoculars at the fog-shrouded mountain path ahead.

"Commander, the Japanese are sneaking up."

The battalion commander, hunched over and covered in mud, ran over and said, "It's the vanguard of the Japanese 40th Division, at least a battalion strong, with artillery following behind!"

Lin Zhenwu put down his binoculars, wiped the cold rain off his face, and his eyes turned fierce.

"All units prepare for battle!"

Lin Zhenwu pulled the bolt, and the sound of a bullet being chambered was particularly crisp in the silent trench.

"Commander, we don't have any artillery, how are we supposed to fire?"

"Don't we still have this life given to us by our parents?"

"We all have one head on two shoulders, so who's afraid of who?"

"Get closer before you fire, don't waste bullets!"

500 meters.

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

The vanguard infantry of the Japanese 40th Division, with bayonets fixed, cautiously advanced towards the mountain pass in skirmish lines.

They wore khaki military uniforms and looked like a pack of stealthy wild dogs moving silently in the gloomy weather.

"beat!"

Lin Zhenwu roared and pulled the trigger first.

"boom!"

The Japanese sergeant at the forefront fell to the ground, his helmet flying off.

This shot is the signal.

In an instant, the 478th Regiment's positions, hidden halfway up the mountain, opened fire.

"Da da da da—!"

Three old Maxim heavy machine guns spewed long tongues of fire, weaving a crossfire network that, like a scythe of death, ruthlessly cut into the Japanese skirmisher line.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The soldiers in the trenches, armed with Hanyang rifles and Zhongzheng rifles, fired wildly at the figures below.

The dozens of Japanese soldiers at the forefront were instantly swept down, their screams and muffled thuds of being hit mingling together.

Compared to the Nationalist troops in the Fourth War Zone, the Japanese army was well-trained.

After being ambushed, they did not retreat but quickly lay down on the spot, found cover, and returned fire immediately.

"Machine gun cover! Grenade launchers ready!"

The Japanese platoon leaders and company commanders shouted at the top of their lungs.

In less than a minute.

The Japanese Type 92 heavy machine guns then began a fierce barrage of fire, with dense bullets hitting the sandbags in the trenches and kicking up clouds of mud and sand.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Dozens of grenade launchers fired simultaneously, and miniature grenades crashed into the machine gun positions of the 478th Regiment with a sharp whistling sound.

"Boom! Boom!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another inside and outside the trenches.

A Maxim heavy machine gun was blown up on the spot.
The main shooter's chest was torn open by flying shrapnel, and his blood splattered into the muddy water.

"Secondary shooter, move up!"

A company commander, his eyes red, shoved aside the assistant gunner and grabbed the blood-stained machine gun grip himself.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!"

The furious machine gun fire rang out again, relentlessly suppressing the Japanese troops attempting to advance.

The battle instantly escalated into a fierce and intense state.

However, the enormous disadvantage in troop strength and firepower quickly became apparent.

……

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar seemed to make the entire mountain ridge tremble.

The Japanese army's accompanying field artillery battalion deployed into formation.

Several 75mm field guns began to indiscriminately bombard the main positions of the 478th Regiment.

The soil was blasted into the air, and severed limbs and gun wreckage were scattered everywhere.

Lin Zhenwu was thrown to the bottom of the trench by the blast wave, his head and face covered in charred mud and sand.

He shook his head vigorously, brushing the dirt out of his ears. The buzzing in his ears made it almost impossible for him to hear the shouts of those around him.

"Commander!"

"Left wing! Something's happened on the left wing!"

The battalion commander scrambled over, shouting at the top of his lungs, "The Japanese have split up! At least two companies are flanking us up the cliff path on the left, trying to outflank our rear!"

Lin Zhenwu suddenly poked his head out and looked to the left wing.

As expected, while the main position was being suppressed by artillery fire, a large number of tan-colored figures were rapidly infiltrating to their flanks and rear under the cover of trees and rocks.

This is the flanking maneuver that the Japanese army excelled at.

If the flank is breached, the entire 478th Regiment will be completely trapped in this mountain pass and wiped out.

"Liu Lang!"

A resolute glint flashed in Lin Zhenwu's eyes: "Take your entire battalion and go to the left flank to plug that gap!"

"Even if we fight down to the last man, we absolutely cannot let the Japanese get around us!"

"Yes!"

The battalion commander drew his broadsword and roared, "Brothers of the Second Battalion, fix bayonets and follow me!"

Several hundred Cantonese soldiers, bayonets gleaming, charged fearlessly towards the left flank of the Japanese lines, braving the enemy's artillery fire.

A fierce close-quarters battle then erupted in the woods on the left flank.

Due to the excessive intensity of Japanese artillery fire.

The Nationalist army was simply unable to repair its defensive fortifications during battle.

The soldiers from both sides clashed on the muddy slope.

"kill!"

Liu Lang slashed down a Japanese sergeant who charged at him with a single blow, and was then stabbed through the abdomen by another Japanese soldier's bayonet.

He gripped the bayonet tightly and roared as he pulled the pins on the two grenades at his waist.

"boom!"

Flames soared into the sky, and Liu Lang and three Japanese soldiers perished together.

The soldiers did not retreat an inch.

They used broadswords, rifle butts, and even their teeth to hold back the Japanese troops who were trying to break through.

On this muddy mountain land soaked in blood, the 478th Regiment displayed an extremely tragic fighting spirit.

……

The atmosphere at the Fourth War Zone Command was extremely tense.

The ticking of the telegraph machine sounded like a death knell, ringing incessantly.

Wu Shi grabbed a telegram he had just received, his face turning deathly pale.

"Sir, urgent telegram from Lechang."

Wu Shi's voice was somewhat hoarse from extreme tension: "The Japanese 8th Independent Infantry Brigade has broken through the first line of defense and has penetrated into the outskirts of Lechang."

"What about the Pingshi direction?" Zhang Fakui clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

"The 478th Regiment fought to the death at Pingshishan Pass, suffering more than 60% casualties. The position changed hands multiple times. The Japanese 40th Division, under the cover of field artillery, was carrying out a frenzied and repeated assault."

Chen Baocang planted a red flag on the left side of the map, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Most fatally, the Japanese 104th Division has completed a large-scale flanking maneuver from the Sihui direction and is rapidly approaching!"

Chen Baocang pointed to several points on the map: "They have an absolute advantage in troop strength, and our defensive forces are severely insufficient. We are now overwhelmed and vulnerable everywhere!"

Zhang Fakui closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air.

This is the tragedy of lacking strong mobile forces and heavy firepower.

Under the long-planned and superior multi-pronged attack by the Japanese army, no matter how desperately his soldiers resisted, they could not bridge the huge gap in firepower and manpower.

"The defense line has been breached."

Wu Shi managed to utter a few words: "If we continue to hold out in Lechang and Pingshi, the defending troops will be defeated one by one by the Japanese army, and eventually the entire army will be wiped out."

Zhang Fakui opened his eyes again, his eyes flashing with a painful yet resolute light.

As the commander-in-chief, he cannot act on emotion; he must make the most ruthless strategic choices.

"Cuiwen, it seems this place cannot be defended."

Zhang Fakui picked up a red and blue pencil and drew a huge cross on the map, marking Pingshi and Lechang, with the arrow pointing south to Shaoguan city.

"Order all garrison troops along the Lechang-Pingshi line to immediately take turns providing cover and retreat south!"

"Abandon the outer passes and advance the entire army into Shaoguan city!"

"We must rely on the core fortifications in Shaoguan to fight a proper mountain tug-of-war with the Japanese!"

Wu Shi immediately turned around: "Yes! I will immediately issue the retreat order to all units!"

……

Pingshi Defense Line, the main position of the 478th Regiment in ruins.

Lin Zhenwu's left arm was cut open by shrapnel, and blood stained half of his military uniform.

Beside him lay the bodies of his brothers, their ammunition nearly depleted.

The communications soldier ran over carrying a radio with its antenna damaged by the bomb, shouting loudly.

"Commander! Urgent telegram from the war zone! Orders my unit to abandon the position and immediately retreat to Shaoguan!"

Lin Zhenwu looked at the Japanese troops who were regrouping and preparing to launch their next attack, his eyes filled with resentful anger.

"retreat?"

He gritted his teeth, which were covered in mud and sand, and pounded his fist into the trench.

"Brothers, take the wounded!"

Lin Zhenwu drew his broadsword and roared, "First Battalion, cover the rear! The rest of you, withdraw from the battle!"

As military orders were relayed, the various units of the National Revolutionary Army, which had been fighting fiercely in the Leping area for two days, began to struggle to break away from the Japanese army and retreat southward.

The Japanese army's pursuit was like a leech clinging to a bone.

However, during the retreat, the 478th Regiment and other defending troops maintained a fairly complete structure, using the familiar terrain to set up ambushes layer by layer, which greatly slowed down the Japanese army's pursuit.

December 23rd, dusk.

The city walls of Pingshi and Lechang, two important towns in northern Guangdong, were adorned with glaring Japanese flags.

The northern defense line was completely breached.

The four-day Battle of Leping ended with the complete withdrawal of Chinese troops after being fiercely attacked by multiple superior Japanese forces.

The northern gate of Shaoguan was kicked down.

The news reached Nanjing.

As Okamura Neiji looked at the battle report presented by Kawabe Masazo, his face, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed a little.

"The Chinese army has retreated to Shaoguan."

Okamura Yasuji picked up a pen and signed his name on the battle report.

"Although we did not annihilate the enemy's main force, capturing Pingshi and Lechang is enough to report back to headquarters on the map."

Kawabe Masazo stood to the side and said cautiously, "Commander, according to the report from the 40th Division..."

"In the Battle of Pingshi, the Imperial Army encountered extremely fierce resistance from the Chinese army."

"In particular, the 478th Chinese regiment fought to the death despite a lack of artillery, resulting in over 130 of our soldiers being killed and 400 wounded in a mountain pass, making the casualty ratio between the two sides very close."

Okamura Yasuji paused slightly as he signed his name.

"More than one hundred and thirty people."

Even these ragtag troops he had previously looked down upon possessed such fighting power.
Okamura Neiji walked to the window and looked at the gloomy night sky outside.
……

Shaoguan city proper.

Amidst the wind and rain, the remnants of the retreating Nationalist army were busily constructing barricades and urban warfare fortifications.

Zhang Fakui stood on the gate tower atop the city wall, looking at the dark mountain shadows to the north.

Although Leping fell, Shaoguan was exposed to the enemy's advance.

However, according to the emergency post-battle statistics, the frontline defenders still stubbornly inflicted substantial casualties on the Japanese army.

They used their own flesh and blood to blunt the enemy's vanguard's momentum.

"Cuiwen, I'm leaving this place to you."

Zhang Fakui turned around and looked at Wu Shi, who was arranging defenses, his gaze deep and firm.

"Although the gate has been breached, this battle has only just begun."

"Okamura Neiji wants to use our heads to curry favor, then let's make him knock out all his dog teeth right here under the walls of Shaoguan!"

Wu Shili stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Commander! The entire army swears to live and die with Shaoguan!" (End of Chapter)