Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Taiyuan, the headquarters of the Second World War Zone Commander.

Chu Xichun picked up the purple clay teapot and personally poured a cup of hot tea for Chu Yunfei.

"The storm that blew in from the mountain city has skinned many people alive."

Chu Xichun sat back on the sofa, her tone revealing a hint of coldness and emotion.

"The Chairman's move was indeed brilliant."

"Let the Crown Prince take full charge, and let the Military Intelligence Bureau's special task force cooperate with the Inspection Bureau to arrest all those corrupt officials who were sucking blood from behind the scenes."

Chu Yunfei picked up his teacup: "This is just the Chairman using the anger of the Americans to clean house. Now that he has realized the shortcomings of the KMT and is willing to work together again, he will naturally continue to receive support and endorsement from all sides."

"However, what I didn't expect was that this fire has now actually spread to the Central Cadre School."

Chu Xichun nodded in deep agreement.

"Yes, the power struggle between Kang Ze and Jian Feng within the cadre school was extremely tense."

He frowned, listing the background of his political rival: "After all, Kang Ze is one of the Thirteen Protectors and one of the three giants of the Fuxing Society."

"Previously, the Chairman had appointed him as the Director of the Organization Department of the Three People's Principles Youth League."

"Now that the Central Cadre School has been officially established, he is also a member of the school's administrative committee."

Chu Xichun sighed: "Although Jianfeng is the Dean of Education, he is still subject to his constraints at every turn."

Chu Yunfei put down his teacup, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his lips: "My old superior, isn't this precisely the brilliance of the Chairman?"

"He released Kang Ze, that vicious dog, not to keep Jian Feng in check, but to use him as a whetstone."

“Once Jianfeng’s knife is sharpened, Kang Ze will naturally follow in the footsteps of the two Chens.”

"It's a pity that he actually thought the Chairman was grooming him to be his successor."

Chu Xichun remained silent.

Chang Ruiyuan didn't even have the magnanimity of Yan Laoxi, so how could he possibly let Kang Ze take power?

"However, Jianfeng's blade is now aimed directly at the CC Group."

Chu Xichun lowered her voice with concern: "The two Chens have deep roots in the Party affairs and intelligence system."

"If pushed too far, these people might resort to desperate measures."

He looked at Chu Yunfei with a serious expression: "I'm worried that these bastards will secretly leak our Yangtze River Delta operation plan, and even our subsequent counter-offensive deployment, to the Japanese."

Chu Yunfei tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "This isn't the first time they've done this."

"The Inspectorate was established in preparation for this day."

"The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong). Hehe."

He wasn't surprised at all; in fact, his eyes held a hint of extreme contempt: "So what if it's leaked?"

"In today's Yangtze River Delta region, the enemy-friend situation is already clear."

"Even if Okamura Neiji obtains our battle plan word for word, he has neither the manpower nor the firepower to counter it."

"In the face of absolute national power and military strength, all command is futile."

"The Japanese army has completely lost any chance of turning the tide. Even if they find out, they can only wait to die in the fortifications that have been under repair for more than half a year."

Chu Yunfei leaned back on the sofa, a cold, calculating glint in his eyes: "Furthermore, what if they really dare to leak the plan to the Japanese?"

"That actually helped us a lot."

Chu Xichun's eyes narrowed: "You mean, take this opportunity to close the net?"

"Yes."

Chu Yunfei said in a chilling tone, "Once we have solid evidence of their treason, the mountain city authorities will be able to openly expand the scale of the purge and send these scumbags to prison."

"To truly build and revitalize the nation, we must unite all forces of 'progress'."

Chu Yunfei's gaze was deep, and the rhythm of his tapping on the table gradually quickened: "And the prerequisite for unity is that this force must possess genuine 'progressivity'."

"For those rotten woods who only know how to fight amongst themselves and make a fortune off the national crisis, it would be a blessing for the Party and the country to burn them all to ashes at the end of the national war."

"Moreover, the purge of the CC Clique is only the beginning. If it were not wartime, even if Chiang Kai-shek wanted to take action, he would probably find it difficult to accomplish anything significant."

Chu Yunfei knew Chang Ruiyuan quite well and could basically guess the underlying logic behind his actions.

He was prepared for this long ago, and didn't even need the anti-corruption campaign in Chongqing.

The North China region is constantly monitoring itself.

After listening, Chu Xichun let out a long sigh: "This game of chess was so thrilling that even I felt my heart pounding. Fortunately, Shanxi is far away and surrounded by mountains, so the wind can't reach us."

Meeting Chu Xichun's smile, Chu Yunfei smiled and nodded: "Shanxi's location is indeed relatively advantageous, but old commander, you must not forget that a strong fortress is often breached from within."

"That's absolutely right."

Chu Xichun didn't understand whether this was a reminder or something else.

Seeing Chu Yunfei's calm expression, Chu Xichun simply stopped thinking about it and brought the topic back to the purest military level.

After all, this wasn't Chu Yunfei's style of doing things, so he simply stopped thinking about the undercurrents in the central government.

"Speaking of the Yangtze River Delta, how's the progress on Commander Gu's side?"

"The attack is currently stalled."

Chu Yunfei pulled a war zone report from his briefcase and pushed it across the coffee table.

"The Japanese army has been operating in that area for several years. Those permanent fortified fortresses are indeed tough nuts to crack. They have carried out corresponding repairs and renovations on the basis of our original defense line. The initial offensive was indeed much smoother, but judging from the current progress of the war, it will take at least three months for them to reach Nanjing."

"In episode nineteen, when Li Yutang's army was advancing toward the core defense perimeter, they encountered extremely fierce resistance."

Chu Xichun took the briefing and glanced at it, then frowned slightly: "Does Commander Gu's attack plan need to be adjusted?"

No adjustments are needed.

Chu Yunfei stood up and walked to the battle map on the wall: "Although the advance has been hampered, all units are still maintaining extremely high-intensity waves of attacks."

"Our heavy artillery is covering their positions day and night."

"Our fighter jets are harassing their rear, disrupting their logistics and even troop transport."

Chu Yunfei drew a line in the air with his finger, as if drawing on a battle map: "Under this relentless barrage of attacks, the Japanese army has no chance to catch its breath or organize a counterattack."

"They have completely fallen into a dead end where they are on the defensive and being attacked."

"Victory in the battle is only a matter of time."

Hearing this, Chu Xichun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked to Chu Yunfei's side, looked at the dense blue flags representing his side on the map, and was filled with emotion.

“Yunfei, once this battle is over and North and Central China are at peace, the landscape of the world will be completely changed.”

Chu Xichun looked at the territory of the Second War Zone under his command: "I'm afraid our Second War Zone designation won't last much longer."

"We simply couldn't keep them."

Chu Yunfei turned his head and looked at his old superior, who was both a teacher and a friend.

"After the war, the original war zones will inevitably be abolished, and they will most likely be replaced by new pacification zones."

"This area of ​​the Second World War zone will most likely be merged and designated as the 'Northwest Pacification Headquarters'."

Chu Yunfei's finger moved northwest on the map, across Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, pointing directly to the vast frontier.

"To facilitate subsequent management, and more importantly, to guard against the behemoth to the north."

"The headquarters can no longer be located in Taiyuan; it must be moved further into the northwest."

Chu Xichun nodded silently.

As soldiers, obeying orders is our duty.

He did not express much regret about losing this core base.

"My old commander."

Chu Yunfei turned around, patted Chu Xichun on the shoulder, and made a joke, which was extremely rare for him.

"You've gotten quite a few gray hairs from overseeing military industry development in the rear during this time."

"Take good care of yourself and get plenty of rest."

Chu Xichun was taken aback, then laughed and scolded, "You little brat, do you think I'm too old and want me to go to the veterans' home too?"

"That's not what I meant."

Chu Yunfei's lips curled up slightly, his eyes revealing undisguised expectation: "The northwest direction will be the forefront of national defense in the future."

"If a Northwest Military Region were truly established or a Northwest Joint Command were formed," then besides you, who else could secure the position of commander?

Upon hearing this, Chu Xichun's body trembled slightly, and her gaze toward Chu Yunfei became unusually bright.
-
Southern Anhui, the forward command post of Li Yutang's army corps.

The freezing rain of winter pounded against the mud walls, and the air inside the command post was cold and heavy.

A detailed military map of the East China water network area hangs on the wall.

At this time, Li Yutang's army corps was serving as the vanguard of the Ninth War Zone's northward advance, penetrating directly into the heart of the Japanese army in Jiangnan from west to east.

But after the initial rapid progress...

They inevitably ran into the core fortress complex painstakingly built by Okamura Yasuji, the second-line Japanese defensive positions along the Niushou Mountain and viaduct line.

"commander."

Fang Xianjue, commander of the 10th Army, slammed a stack of battle reports on the rough wooden table, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with undisguised heartache.

"This war is getting worse and worse."

"Take a look at the casualty reports for the past few days!"

Fang Xianjue turned to the top page: "February 17th, freezing rain."

"Our 10th Reserve Division encountered a fierce Japanese defense at the Gaojialing line."

"The enemy relied on semi-permanent underground reinforced concrete fortifications, equipped with large-caliber mortars and Type 92 infantry guns."

"Under the cover of heavy artillery, our unit launched five waves of assaults, and the position changed hands three times. The total number of casualties was 762, and we only advanced less than 500 meters."

Wang Zejun, the commander of the 44th Army, who was standing to the side, also looked sallow and tired. He rubbed his face and smiled bitterly as he continued the conversation.

"That's not all."

Wang Zejun took out several telegrams from his military overcoat, spread them out on the table, and read: "February 18th, cloudy."

"When the 150th Division of the 44th Army broke through the outer fortifications of Fangshan, it was suppressed by crossfire from the Japanese army."

"The enemy launched a large-scale attack on our troops at night. Our troops were caught off guard during a shift change and were unable to fight effectively. We suffered 850 casualties throughout the day."

"On February 24, there was heavy fog. The 3rd Division of the 10th Army launched a major attack on the Xishan position, but was hit by a special smoke bomb released by the Japanese army, resulting in a surge in non-combat casualties. Nearly a thousand casualties were reported that day."

February 25th.

Wang Zejun couldn't continue reading, slamming the telegram down on the table. "A main force regiment of the 162nd Division of the 44th Army has been completely wiped out."

The 44th Army was originally from Sichuan and was capable of fighting tough battles, but the thought of losing lives in such a meat grinder is heartbreaking.

Fang Xianjue braced his hands on the edge of the table, staring intently at the Japanese army designations on the map: "Commander, it's not that the brothers are afraid to die!"

Fang Xianjue gritted his teeth and said, "It's obvious that old devil Okamura Neiji has brought all his best troops to our side!"

"Look at the intelligence report. The soldiers we've been fighting these past few days are all elite veterans from the Japanese Class A divisions."

"They are not only accurate marksmen, but they also fight extremely fiercely. If there is even the slightest opening, they will launch a counterattack."

Wang Zejun chimed in from the side, his tone filled with indignation: "Commander, take another look to the south."

Wang Zejun pointed to the attack route of the Third War Zone on the map.

"Commander Gu's 32nd and 25th Army Groups are fighting with incredible ease."

"The puppet troops and second-line Japanese troops on the other side collapsed at the first contact. They are now no more than thirty miles away from the outskirts of Hangzhou."

"Why should we be here taking on the toughest challenges, risking our lives to fill the Japanese army's ironclad fortresses and pillboxes, while they can easily reap the rewards in the south?"

The command post fell silent immediately.

All that could be heard outside was the sound of wind and rain, and the occasional muffled blast of cannon fire.

In fact, both of them knew why.

The 10th Army was an absolute ace unit with the prestigious title of "Mount Tai Army".

From Wanjialing to the three Battles of Changsha, they forged the might of the National Revolutionary Army.

Okamura Yasuji, a cunning old fox, naturally knew how formidable this unit was.

Facing an attack launched from the western flank by a corps led by the "Taishan Army".

The Japanese army made the most powerful targeted deployment, stuffing all those well-trained, die-hard elites who were ready to "die at any moment" into their only route.

Li Yutang stood in front of the sand table, listening silently to the two men's complaints.

The corps commander, known as the "Shandong Hardliner," had an especially cold expression on his face at this moment.

He didn't rush to speak, but instead threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with his military boot.

Then, Li Yutang suddenly turned around, his tiger-like eyes coldly sweeping over Fang Xianjue and Wang Zejun.

"Are you finished?"

Li Yutang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an extremely terrifying aura.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately straightened their backs.

"If you feel that the casualties are too great, that this battle is too difficult, or that you feel wronged."

Li Yutang walked to the desk and picked up the telegraph receiver.

“Okay, I’ll send a telegram to Commander Gu right now, saying that the 10th and 44th Armies are too exhausted to fight and request to withdraw for rest and reorganization.”

His eyes sharpened: "Believe it or not, the front-line command will definitely approve it within half a day of the telegram being sent out."

"Moreover, the combat troops willing to take on this main attack mission could stretch all the way from the front line to the mountain city!"

Fang Xianjue's face flushed red, and he shouted back, "Commander!"

"I'm not retreating! We, the 10th Army, have never known the meaning of cowardice!"

"If you don't know how to retreat, then shut your mouth and keep fighting!"

"You think the casualties are too high? You think the Japanese soldiers on the other side are too tough to take down?"

Li Yutang reprimanded them sternly, "You two should think about this carefully!"

"Back when we were fighting in Shanghai, Anhui, and Changsha."

"When we used our flesh and blood to block the Japanese tanks and our rifles to resist the Japanese plane bombing, how many people died?"

"And now?!"

Li Yutang slammed his hand on the firepower allocation list on the table.

"As soon as you call for fire support, our own bomber squadron will come down on the Japanese devils' heads with napalm bombs!"

"There are plenty of shells, and heavy artillery is providing support from behind."

"Would you have ever dreamed of such a wealthy war before?"

A stern rebuke silenced Fang Xianjue and Wang Zejun completely.

Indeed, compared to the desperate defense of running out of ammunition and supplies and being isolated and helpless in the past, the current firepower allocation is simply heavenly treatment.

Even with the fiercest resistance from the Japanese army, the initiative remained firmly in their hands.

"Remember this!"

Li Yutang braced his hands on the table, his gaze sharp as a sword as he stared at the two men.

"No matter how fast Commander Gu fights in the south, it's all to support our encirclement."

"There are grand plans and strategic layouts from above!"

"The General Headquarters is using us as a sharp dagger to stab the Japanese army in its most vulnerable spot, just to drain the last drop of blood from this elite force!"

He straightened up and gave his final, death order, word by word.

"Don't worry about the number of casualties, and don't be envious of others' achievements."

"As soldiers, we must obey orders, and the troops below must also obey orders and continue the attack!"

"At daybreak tomorrow, concentrate all the artillery fire from your two armies and tear a breach in their defenses!"

"Even if you have to flatten the mountain, I will crush those die-hard Japanese devils inch by inch into dust!"

"I refuse to believe that these damn Japanese devils are made of iron, that they can't take Niushou Mountain after fighting for so long!"

"Did you understand?!"

Fang Ligong and Wang Zejun suddenly snapped to attention with their feet together.

"Yes!" (End of Chapter)