Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Mountain city, Huangshan official residence.

The warm spring sun finally broke through the cold and thick fog of the past few days, casting its golden rays upon the green tiles and bricks of Yunxiu Tower.

Inside the large operational conference room of the Supreme Command.

The atmosphere swept away the oppressive and dull atmosphere of the past seven years.

Several large, carved wooden windows were half-open, and fresh air, accompanied by a rich floral fragrance, filled the entire room.

Before the meeting officially began, several high-ranking military and political officials who had arrived early were gathered in twos and threes around the sand table, chatting and laughing.

Minister of Military Affairs Chen Cixiu held up a cup of freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea: "Respect, sir."

Chen Cixiu looked at He Jingzhi and Bai Jiansheng standing to the side and chuckled: "You two have both seen the Nanyang war report that was just sent back by the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Expeditionary Force, right?"

He Jingzhi should have been at the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, but due to the next phase of the Pacific War plan, he had to return to the mountain city to report on his duties and discuss follow-up matters.

Chief of the General Staff Bai Jiansheng pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and let out a cold snort of extreme disdain: "I saw it."

"That arrogant Lord Mountbatten, and that so-called jungle warfare expert General Slim, have truly made the British Empire lose face in the quagmire of Indonesia this time."

He Jingzhi crossed his arms and took over the conversation: "How impressive it was when the entire army of 150,000, fully equipped and manned, boarded the ship at Chittagong!"

"The results of it?"

He Jingzhi held up three fingers and waved them in the air with extreme sarcasm: "It's been almost half a month since we landed in Sumatra and Java, and this army of 150,000 has been pinned down on the beach by tens of thousands of Japanese remnants!"

"Aside from barely managing to capture the port under the cover of naval gunfire, they only advanced less than thirty kilometers inland!"

"They still need our help now, and that's why I came back to discuss this matter."

Thirty kilometers!

For a combat force with overwhelming numerical and firepower superiority, this is a truly shameful number.

"A 30-kilometer buffer zone was just enough to prevent the Japanese from shelling their command post."

Chen Cixiu shook his head with a cold laugh: "I heard that the British were tormented by the Japanese army's 'canopy snipers' and by leeches and malaria in the rainforest."

“Daily non-combat casualties even exceeded the number of deaths in action, and the hospital beds in the field hospitals were so full that the corridors were overflowing.”

Bai Jiansheng tapped the edge of the sand table twice with his baton: "These arrogant Anglo-Saxons were so cocky at the Cairo Conference."

"Now that's good, even if they win this battle, the British will lose at least 70% of their strength in the Far East."

"Unfortunately, Indonesia is too far away from us, and there are too few skilled Chinese people there. We cannot exert influence in the short term. Once the Americans get involved, we will have no chance."

"Who can predict the future? What if, within ten years, our fledgling nation surpasses Britain?"

"It's not impossible, otherwise why would the British have yielded to us?"

"Controlling Pearl City is enough to control the strait, and we have no ability to get involved in things in Indonesia."

Several KMT leaders looked at each other and laughed, their laughter revealing an absolute confidence that was triumphant and looked down on the former powers.

"The telegrams President Roosevelt sent to London these past two days are unlikely to be very pleasant in terms of wording," He Jingzhi added with a smile.

"That's natural."

"The Americans were hoping they would cut off the Japanese army's energy lifeline, but instead they built trenches there, turning the blitzkrieg into trench warfare. They were a complete liability, and compared to us, they were utterly inferior."

Just as everyone was discussing this, accompanied by the guard's loud announcement, the two heavy oak doors were pushed open with a bang.

"The Chairman has arrived!"

Chang Ruiyuan, dressed in a crisp general's uniform with several dazzling medals on his chest, strode into the conference room with a vigorous and radiant appearance, looking as if he were ten years younger.

"Shh!"

All the officers in the meeting room stood at attention, the sound of their boots hitting each other like a thunderclap.

"Sit down, everyone sit down."

Chang Ruiyuan walked to the head seat of the long table, and gestured with his hands to indicate that everyone should sit down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I could hear your laughter from outside the door. It seems today is a good day."

Chang Ruiyuan sat upright like a bell, his eyes sweeping across the entire room with piercing gaze, his eyes revealing an "absolute commander's majesty" that suggested he held absolute power and could sweep across the world.

"It really is a good day."

Chief of the General Staff Bai Jiansheng was the first to stand up and open the folder beside him.

"Chairman Chiang, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Fakui, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth War Zone, has just sent a joint battle report on the great victory across the entire southern Guangdong front!"

Bai Jiansheng's voice was loud and clear: "Under the swift offensive of the reorganized 18th Division and Wang Yaowu's 24th Army Group, the remnants of the Japanese 23rd Army, which had been entrenched in southern Guangdong and Guangzhou, were completely annihilated yesterday!"

"Our army not only recovered the entire southeastern region, but also annihilated it completely."

Bai Jiansheng slammed the file shut, his eyes burning with fervent zeal: "At this point, the entire South China region, except for a few isolated coastal islands, has been completely liberated!"

"That was a brilliantly fought battle!"

Chang Ruiyuan slammed his hand on the table and let out an extremely loud exclamation: "The end of the Japanese has come. This war is finally coming to an end!"

The generals present all nodded silently, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

From the repeated defeats and the loss of half of the country seven years ago, to the current mechanized heavy forces that have recovered lost territory with overwhelming force.

They knew all too well the painful rebirth that this country and this army had undergone.

"Now that we have won the battle, those who deserve commendation should be commended, and those who deserve rewards should be rewarded."

Chang Ruiyuan turned his gaze to Chen Cixiu, the Minister of Military Affairs.

"Resign!"

"Department Headquarters is here!"

"At the Kaifeng Conference, due to the changes in the Guangxi Clique's defense line in central Jiangsu, I suspended the commendation of the entire army."

Chang Ruiyuan said firmly, "Now, the old capital Nanjing has been liberated, the Japanese troops in the Yangtze River Delta have been driven to the brink of defeat, and the entire South China region has been wiped out!"

"This commendation should not only be reinstated, but doubled!"

"Immediately draft a joint commendation order in the name of the General Headquarters for the first phase of the Yangtze River Delta Campaign and the South China Liberation Campaign!"

Chang Ruiyuan raised his finger and pointed at each of them one by one.

"Gu Zhutong, Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangnan War Zone, strategized and commanded the recapture of the old capital. He is hereby awarded the Medal of National Glory!"

"Li Yutang's army corps, the 19th Group Army, the 31st Group Army, and all front-line division and regimental commanders who participated in the battle will be promoted and richly rewarded!"

"The pensions for fallen soldiers of all units will be doubled, and they will be permitted to be enshrined in the Martyrs' Shrine!"

Chen Cixiu quickly jotted down notes in his notebook and loudly replied, "Yes!"

"The Ministry of Military Affairs will immediately allocate special funds for military commendation, and the corresponding preparations will be completed within a week."

Chang Ruiyuan nodded in satisfaction.

But he did not bask in the joy of victory.

"The water network in Jiangnan has been almost completely cleaned up."

"However, there is still one crucial place where the Japanese flag is still flying."

Chang Ruiyuan's smile slowly faded, and his gaze gradually became sharp, cold, and even carried a trace of unforgettable pain.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the huge Yangtze River Delta battle map on the wall.

Those deep eyes were fixed on that mega-city in the Far East at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

"Songhu".

Chang Ruiyuan gritted his teeth and uttered those two words slowly and deliberately.

The air in the entire conference room instantly plummeted to freezing point upon hearing those two words.

Many of the high-ranking generals present instantly felt an uncontrollable surge of bloodlust in their eyes.

Songhu!

That was a name that caused the entire military community of the Republic of China to feel a deep sense of pain whenever it was mentioned.

The unprecedentedly brutal meat grinder battle seven years ago.

The central government continuously poured its most elite German-equipped divisions, the core of the Central Army, and passionate young people from all over the country into that insatiable millstone of flesh and blood. Countless generals died on the battlefield, and more than half of the 300,000-strong army was killed or wounded. That retreat was the most painful memory in the history of the National Revolutionary Army.

However, the number of Japanese soldiers killed in the entire Battle of Shanghai was more than the total number of Chinese soldiers who had fought against aggression in the previous hundred years. This was also the first time in recent centuries that China had deployed 700,000 government troops and warlord forces in a national-level decisive battle.

This was also the first nationwide general mobilization for war in five thousand years of history.

"We were defeated in the Battle of Shanghai back then."

Chang Ruiyuan slowly stood up, leaning on his cane. He closed his eyes and said, "Because we had no air superiority and no sea control, our officers and soldiers could only use their flesh and blood to withstand the Japanese naval guns!"

"But today, the roles have reversed!"

"Our air force has complete control of the skies!"

"Our heavily armed troops are sharpening their swords just a few hundred kilometers away!"

"The Battle of Shanghai was the last tough nut to crack, and a blood debt that had to be settled!"

Chang Ruiyuan's voice boomed like thunder in the conference room: "The general offensive force for this attack on Shanghai must be selected from the elite veteran units that participated in the Battle of Shanghai and have now completed their reorganization with American weapons!"

"Bring up all the old units from the original 87th, 88th, and 36th Divisions from the current reorganized divisions!"

"How we were bombarded by their naval guns back then."

"Today, I will have these veterans who crawled out of piles of corpses, carrying American submachine guns and driving tanks, crush the Japanese to death on the banks of the Huangpu River!"

"Let the old designation wipe away the old shame!"

Chen Cixiu and Bai Jiansheng exchanged a glance, both seeing extreme shock and resonance in each other's eyes.

Chang Ruiyuan was thinking not only about military deployment, but also about a perfect political mobilization that could ignite a nationwide frenzy of revenge among the military and civilians.

"The Chairman is wise!"

Bai Jiansheng snapped to attention: "Let the old troops take revenge! The fighting spirit of this unit will reach an incredible peak!"

"Even if the Japanese army relied on the city's fortifications, they absolutely could not stop this armored torrent driven by resentment and revenge!"

"Not just in the south."

Chang Ruiyuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his chest.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over the Yangtze River and looking towards the distant north.

"How are the preparations going in North China?"

He Jingzhi quickly flipped open a top-secret red telegram at his side, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement: "Chairman, the North China Joint Front Command sent an urgent telegram late last night!"

He Jingzhi handed over the telegram with both hands.

"The strategic operation codenamed 'Leaving the Pass' has been launched in full force!"

"The commander-in-chief has personally gone to the front line, and hundreds of tanks from the First Armored Group have completely broken through Shanhaiguan!"

"The army is advancing like mercury spilling onto the ground, making a rapid and powerful advance along the Liaoxi Corridor!"

"Along the Great Wall, in the heart of the NMG, and even in the seventh phase of the WMG's flanking forces, an unprecedentedly massive offensive has been launched against the Japanese Kwantung Army!"

Chang Ruiyuan took the telegram, scanned it quickly, and his previously tense lips curled into a smile again: "Good!"

Chang Ruiyuan strode to the front of the long conference table.

"Thirteen years."

His voice suddenly became extremely deep and penetrating: "From the moment the gunshot rang out on September 18th, our black soil has been trampled under the iron hooves of foreign invaders for a full thirteen years!"

"The people of Guandong are always looking forward to the royal army's pacification of the north!"

"Now that the army has crossed the Great Wall, this earth-shattering news must not be kept secret!"

Chang Ruiyuan turned to look at Chen Cixiu and Zhu Peiji, the head of the staff office.

"I had already asked Yanji to draft a 'Letter to the People of the Nation and All Soldiers in the War of Resistance'!"

"Immediately restore power nationwide!"

Chang Ruiyuan's eyes shone with the ultimate light of a leader.

"Tell our compatriots across the country, tell all the soldiers on the front lines, and tell our allies who are providing aid overseas!"

"The Chinese National Defense Force has officially deployed its troops beyond the Great Wall!"

"We will not withdraw our troops until we have recovered the entire territory of Dzungar Khanate and completely eradicated the Kwantung Army!"

"Since the September 18 Incident, the Northeast has been lost. For fourteen years, there has been bloodshed and 30 million people in the Northeast have suffered the pain of subjugation."

"However, the Chinese people and soldiers, weeping blood and sleeping on their swords, have never forgotten their ambition to recover their homeland."

"Today, the nation is strengthening its military and its weapons are newly sharpened."

"The million-strong army of North China has already broken through the natural barriers of mountains and seas, and its iron cavalry has marched out of the pass in great numbers!"

"This battle is not only about recovering lost territory, but also about avenging our compatriots who died tragically thirteen years ago!"

"To lay an unshakeable foundation for the rejuvenation of Greater China!"

"I command all armies outside the pass to be prepared to fight to the death and to be as powerful as a whirlwind."

"When facing an enemy, we must unsheathe our swords; when encountering obstacles, we must overcome them!"

"Sweep away the puppet regime in Northeast China and annihilate the remaining Japanese invaders."

"Give me back my Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River, and restore the glory of China!"

"This imperial telegram is hereby sent to the entire nation, and all war zones are ordered to work together diligently to achieve complete success!"

A lengthy draft of a telegram, imbued with the classical militaristic style, came out of his mouth.

The generals in the entire conference room were filled with fervor, feeling as if a raging fire was burning in their chests.

"Use plaintext radio! Let every country in the world receive this message!"

"Let those war criminals at Tokyo Headquarters hear this death knell!"

"Yes!"

……

at the same time.

In the north, at Shanhaiguan.

The city gate tower, known as "The First Pass Under Heaven," is weathered and riddled with bullet holes.

The enormous battle flag, with its blue sky, white sun, and red earth, stretched wildly in the north wind carrying ice and snow.

Below the city wall.

The earth was trembling violently.

That wasn't an earthquake.

It is not a mighty torrent of steel belonging to the Chinese people!

"Buzz—rumble!!!"

One Sherman M4A3 medium tank after another, camouflaged with snow-proof netting, relentlessly crushed the barbed wire and barricades that the Japanese had once laid out below the fortress.

Thick black diesel smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe.

Qiu Qingquan, commander of the First Armored Group, leaned half his body out of the hatch of the tank he was directing.

He wasn't wearing a helmet; a pair of goggles were placed over his bald head.

He turned his head and looked behind him at the endless green python composed of tanks, half-track armored vehicles, and ten-wheeled trucks.

This giant python is pouring out of the city gate of Shanhaiguan in an endless stream, heading straight for the Liaoxi Corridor.

On their flanks, countless infantry regiments, carrying submachine guns and marching in orderly steps, were singing battle songs as they surged forward into the heart of Northeast China.

"Finally out of quarantine!"

Despite the fierce wind, Qiu Qingquan let out a hysterical roar: "Target: Jinzhou!"

"All troops, charge!!" (End of Chapter)