Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

A mighty river stretches across the land, its waves churning and rolling.

This natural barrier, which once witnessed the endless humiliation and bloodshed of the Chinese nation, is now shrouded in a thick layer of river fog.

South of the river, the former capital of six dynasties, which bears the remains of hundreds of thousands of innocent souls, is like a wounded beast lying in the darkness, trembling silently in the wind and rain.

Jiangnan War Zone, Frontline Command Headquarters.

Commander Gu stood in front of a huge military sand table, his hands pressed against the wooden frame at the edge, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.

The war zone commander, who was known for his maturity and composure, now had extremely fanatical bloodshot eyes.

This battle has drawn the attention of the entire nation and even the world.

The burden is heavy, and the pressure is immense.

"Reporting to the Commander, the artillery group on the north bank has all moved into firing positions!"

Chief of Staff Zhang Shixi strode forward, holding a stack of final confirmation telegrams from various departments.

"The four hundred 105mm howitzers and eighty 155mm heavy guns transferred from North China have completed the calibration of all firing parameters."

"Our left flank, the 32nd Army Group, has formed a three-sided encirclement of the Qiantang direction."

"On the right flank, Li Yutang's army has cleared the last three outer strongholds on the west side of the old capital, and the vanguard has reached the city walls!"

Commander Gu took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the sand table, as if he could already see the majestic ancient city wall on the other side of the river.

Commander Gu's voice was hoarse with extreme excitement: "The brothers in the north have demonstrated the power of our nation in Beijing and Tianjin, and have sunk the spiritual totem of the Japanese at sea."

"If we still can't tear down that Japanese flag from the top of the old capital city today, even with such an absolute firepower advantage!"

He suddenly turned around and slammed his hand heavily on the table, making a deafening noise.

"Then I, Gu, will jump into this great river myself and feed the fish!"

He grabbed the red and blue pencils from the table and drew a bright red X in the center of the old capital.

"Pass on my orders!"

Commander Gu's eyes widened, like a tiger descending from the mountain, and he let out a roar that shook the entire war zone.

"It's exactly 4:00 AM!"

"All-out offensive!"

"Today, we will use the blood of the Japanese to commemorate the villagers who died tragically on the banks of the river seven years ago!"

"Yes!"

All the generals in the command post snapped to attention in unison, standing like steel statues, their responses filled with chilling killing intent.

……

3:50 a.m.

On the north bank of the Yangtze River, tens of thousands of artillerymen are holding their breath and focusing intently on the artillery positions stretching for dozens of kilometers.

One after another, the bright yellow heavy grenades have been pushed into the gun barrel.

The locking mechanism emitted a crisp "click," sounding like a countdown to death in the deathly silence of the night.

"Target: Japanese river defense fortifications on the opposite bank!"

A young heavy artillery regimental commander stared intently at the luminous pocket watch on his wrist, raising his signal pistol high in the air.

The second hand skips to the last tick.

"Fire!!!"

"Bang!" A blinding red signal flare shot into the sky.

The next second, the entire world was completely torn apart.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

Nearly five hundred large-caliber artillery pieces unleashed a devastating roar at the same instant!

The north bank of the Yangtze River was instantly illuminated as if it were daytime, and the orange-red flames from the cannons formed a wall of fire stretching for tens of kilometers!

Thousands of tons of steel and high explosives, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound that tore through the air, crashed down like a dense meteor shower onto the Japanese army's permanent fortifications on the south bank.

The earth is shaking!

The mist on the river surface evaporated instantly due to the high temperature of the shells passing over it.

The Japanese positions on the south bank were instantly engulfed in a raging inferno.

The sturdy reinforced concrete bunker was directly hit by a 155mm heavy artillery shell, and its thick dome was instantly torn off like a fragile eggshell.

The Japanese soldiers hidden in the underground fortifications didn't even have time to scream before they were torn into a bloody mess by the terrifying high-temperature air waves and intense overpressure.

"Extend fire! Don't stop!"

On the artillery position, the young regimental commander roared hoarsely, his eardrums bleeding from the shock.

"Make the cannon barrel red-hot!"

"Plow down the south bank by three feet!"

The relentless artillery barrage turned the Japanese army's painstakingly constructed river defense positions into complete ruins within an hour.

At the same time that the artillery was raging.

On the wide surface of the Yangtze River, the low, rumbling sound of diesel engines, like a swarm of bees, could be faintly heard.

The assault detachment of the First Coastal Fleet is currently sailing upstream under the cover of night!

Fleet Commander Li Beifeng stood on the bridge of a gunboat that had been modified with heavy firepower, letting the river wind lash his weathered face like a knife.

"Sir, we have discovered a Japanese minefield and remaining riverbank firing positions ahead!"

The first mate gripped the helm tightly and reported loudly.

"I've been waiting for this day for seven years!"

Captain Li's eyes burned with a raging fire of revenge.

Seven years ago, on this very river, the Chinese Navy scuttled almost all of its ships in an attempt to halt the advance of the Japanese army.

Countless naval martyrs could only stand on the shore, shedding tears of blood, watching the Japanese warships swagger and swagger on China's inland waterways.

Today, they're back!

Although there were only a few dozen gunboats and torpedo boats with a displacement of no more than 100 tons, their bows were equipped with quadruple Browning heavy machine guns and American-made recoilless rifles!

"Minesweepers are clearing the way ahead!"

Captain Li drew his pistol from his waist and pointed it at the south bank beach, which was glowing red from the firelight.

"All gunboats, full speed ahead!"

"Once we reach the Japanese coastal defense positions, use machine guns and direct-fire artillery to take out those Japanese bunkers that have slipped through the net, one by one!"

"Yes!"

Dozens of light and powerful gunboats darted like arrows across the mine-strewn river.

The few remaining Japanese coastal guns attempted to fire to intercept, but they proved extremely clumsy against the fast-moving, small-tonnage target.

"Da da da da—!"

The gunboat quickly approached within 300 meters of the shore.

The quadruple-mounted heavy machine gun roared like it was tearing canvas, and the thick armor-piercing incendiary shells lashed out like a dense barrage of fire strikes against the firing ports of the Japanese bunkers.

The Japanese machine gunner hiding inside was instantly riddled with bullets, and blood spurted out from the gun holes.

"boom!"

A recoilless rifle shot accurately hit a concealed Japanese mortar position, blowing the man and the mortar into the air.

Under the close-range firepower of the river gunboats, the last will of the Japanese army to resist on the beachhead was completely crushed.

……

Meanwhile, in Zhenjiang.

The Yangtze River Delta campaign's front-line logistics hub was located just a stone's throw from the battlefront.

The oppressive river wind, carrying the strong smell of gunpowder from the south bank, poured straight into the makeshift operations room through the dilapidated window frames.

Chu Yunfei was wearing a heavy overcoat with the collar open, his hands gripping the wooden table piled high with dispatch reports.

The continuous work and high-intensity planning over the past two weeks left him physically and mentally exhausted.

His deep eyes were filled with bloodshot veins like a spider web, his eye sockets were sunken, and a bluish stubble appeared on his hard chin.

The right hand holding the strong tea was trembling very slightly due to extreme muscle soreness and fatigue.

But on that bloodless face, there was not a trace of weariness; instead, there was an extreme excitement that could ignite the entire cold winter of Jiangnan.

"Your Excellency, please have some hot tea. You've been working through the night for three nights now."

Fang Ligong handed over a hot towel, his tone revealing deep concern.

Chu Yunfei's tone was impassioned: "At a time like this, I can't sleep. I want to wait for news of victory!"

... Six o'clock in the morning.

The sky remained overcast.

Amidst the deafening bugle calls, the main force of the National Revolutionary Army, riding in hundreds of motorboats and rubber boats, surged onto the south bank of the Yangtze River like a flood bursting its banks!
Without encountering any significant resistance, the beachhead was left with only countless mutilated Japanese corpses and charred fortifications.

The infantry groups of the 31st and 19th Army Groups, armed with Garand semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns, stepped over the enemy's corpses, like two sharp knives, piercing straight into the walls of that ancient capital!

And in the eastern mountains, which are only twenty kilometers away from the old capital.

This high ground, which originally served as an absolute barrier for the old capital, has now been transformed into an impregnable fortress by the most elite remnants of the Japanese army.

The Japanese army knew that once this high ground was lost, the city's commanding heights would be gone.

However, what awaited them was not the brutal charge of the Nationalist infantry, where soldiers risked their lives to fill the trenches.

In the sky.

"Buzz—Rumble!!!"

Just two weeks ago, a heavy bomber group, which had accomplished the feat of "cutting down the cherry blossoms" and sinking the Japanese naval icon, appeared in the sky above Jiangnan under the leadership of Xu Huansheng, blotting out the sun.

Under the wings, the chilling yellow ring-shaped bombs—two thousand pounds of napalm—still hung.

Wearing an oxygen mask, Xu Huansheng coldly looked down at the dense forest below, which was full of Japanese soldiers.

"We've already blown up the Yamato, and you few earthen cave dwellings think you can block our way?"

"All team, throw the bombs!"

"Burn this mountain flat for me!!!"

"Click! Click!"

Hundreds of napalm bombs detached from their racks, whistling with the piercing shrieks of death, and rained down on the Japanese positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Flames soared into the sky!

An unquenchable, gelatinous flame spread wildly through the mountains and forests.

The intense heat instantly sucked away all the oxygen in the surrounding area.

The Japanese soldiers, hidden in the sturdy reverse slope and underground air-raid shelters, were not killed by the bombs, but were instantly turned into charred corpses beyond recognition due to the extreme heat and suffocation.

The Japanese soldiers, engulfed in flames, charged out of the bunkers screaming, rolling in the mud like fireballs, and finally turning into piles of black charcoal amidst their desperate screams.

A brief ten-minute aerial blockade.

This high ground, which the Japanese army was so proud of, was completely burned into a scorched wasteland devoid of any sign of life.

……

10:00 AM.

The city gates were breached.

With a deafening explosion, the old capital's riddled city gates were blasted open by Nationalist engineers using high explosives!

"Charge in!"

"Kill all these beasts!"

The reorganized elite infantry, like tigers unleashed from their sheaths, armed themselves with rifles fitted with bayonets and engaged in extremely bloody street battles with the Japanese troops who were attempting a last stand.

Da da da da!

Intense gunfire echoed through every alley and ruin.

Japanese soldiers continued to attempt suicidal counter-charges at street corners.

But what awaited them was an impenetrable metal barrage of countless Thompson submachine guns.

In front of a Shikumen courtyard that was occupied by the Japanese army and used as a firing point.

A young Nationalist army company commander leaned against a wall, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.

"Second Platoon Leader, don't risk lives!"

"Call in the rocket launchers at the rear. If all else fails, bring in the direct-fire artillery."

Less than half a minute.

"boom!"

A rocket launcher was fired precisely through a window in the courtyard, bursting into a blinding flash in the lobby on the first floor.

Several Japanese soldiers who were preparing to snipe were blown to pieces.

"on!"

The company commander kicked open the dilapidated door and led his soldiers to take turns providing cover, skillfully employing basic infantry tactics to eliminate the Japanese soldiers hiding in the blind spots one by one.

Clearly, this was a one-sided defeat with no suspense whatsoever!

Under such circumstances, the Japanese army was powerless to resist.

……

The battle raged fiercely.

The remaining Japanese troops continued to put up a stubborn resistance.

The next day, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Inside the forward command post of the Japanese Central China Area Army in the center of the city.

The tide is gone.

The Japanese commander knelt before the portrait of the Emperor, his abdomen already ripped open by his own samurai sword, blood flowing freely onto the ground.

As for the second who should have been his, he was already lying on the ground, groaning in despair.

He stared wide-eyed, his voice thick with bloodshot veins, as he listened to the increasingly loud and overwhelming roars of Chinese soldiers outside.

In his final moments, this officer, deeply indoctrinated with Bushido, finally understood.

The Japanese Empire had reached its absolute end on this vast land, and it was absolutely impossible for them to achieve final victory in this war.

boom!
The two main doors of the command post were riddled with bullets from several Thompson submachine guns.

Several Nationalist soldiers, covered in gunpowder smoke, rushed in and coldly stared at the Japanese general on the ground.

A sergeant stepped forward and, without any hesitation, aimed at the Japanese lieutenant general's head and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

The sinful life came to an abrupt end.

"Company commander, the command post has been captured!"

The sergeant holstered his gun and shouted towards the door.

……

At the same time.

Inside the General Headquarters of the Jiangnan War Zone.

Commander Gu stood in front of the radio with bloodshot eyes, clutching a stack of victory reports that were flying in from the front like snowflakes.

"Commander! We just received an urgent telegram!"

The chief of staff's voice trembled with excitement: "The 32nd Army has successfully captured 'Lake City'!"

"The remnants of the Japanese army have been completely encircled and annihilated on the banks of the Qiantang River!"

"Urgent telegram from the Eastern Wing Forward Command!"

Another communications officer shouted: "Our heavy equipment formations are advancing like a whirlwind, breaking into the outskirts of Shanghai!"

The successive reports of victory were like heavy hammer blows, striking the spine of this nation that had suffered repeated defeats, straightening the spine that had been bent for a century!

Commander Gu took a deep breath and picked up the encrypted microphone for the internal dedicated line with slightly trembling hands.

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a wild arrogance and tragic grandeur that shook the heavens.

"Take over to the headquarters!"

The moment the call connected, a hurried voice came from the other end: "This is Chang Ruiyuan, Mo San. Any good news?"

"Reporting to the Chairman, the soldiers have given their all and lived up to expectations, finally pacifying the Qiantang River and clearing the estuary!"

"Our army of 300,000 fierce warriors has already reached the formidable pass!"

"The south bank of the city wall has been breached, and all the Japanese flags that once filled the city have been torn down by our brothers!"

"Seven years of blood debt!"

"Today, the soldiers have avenged those villagers who died in the war!"

That night.

The rain in Jiangnan has stopped.

The waves of the great river still surged, but on the ancient city wall, a huge, blood-red flag fluttered in the spring breeze, facing the starry sky!
The old capital, liberated! (End of Chapter)