Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Pearl City.

The Supreme Joint Command of the Expeditionary Force.

A damp spring breeze squeezed into the conference room through the half-open blinds, causing the huge Pacific Ocean chart on the wall to sway slightly.

He Jingzhi had just stepped off the special plane that flew in from Chongqing today, and before he even had time to brush the dust off his shoulders, he took a car to the command post.

"Commander He has arrived!"

With a loud shout from his adjutant, He Jingzhi strode into the command center.

"Respect the Lord!"

Several senior officers of the expeditionary force, who had been waiting for a long time, stood up and saluted in unison.

He Jingzhi casually handed the peaked cap to his adjutant, walked to the head seat of the long table, and sat down, placing his hands on the tabletop.

The guard officer who was following beside him sat down to the side.

"The Chairman has officially approved it."

He Jingzhi's usually mature and composed face now revealed an unstoppable decisiveness: "Following the advance corps in New Guinea, the General Headquarters has decided to immediately dispatch a second expeditionary force to the Pacific theater in an organized manner!"

Upon hearing this, a low but unmistakably excited murmur arose in the meeting room.

"This time, we're not going into those rainforests to fight the Japanese in a messy battle, but just like before, the fighting won't be easy."

He Jingzhi's gaze swept over the assembled generals like that of a hawk: "We must use the absolute elite force that was the first to complete the reorganization and had the most complete heavy firepower in the '60th Division' re-equipment plan on the Pacific battlefield."

"Intelligence indicates that our enemy will be the elite Japanese army, which has perfected its island and cave defense system."

Expeditionary Force Chief of Staff Luo Zhuoying immediately stepped forward and laid out a troop allocation list in front of He Jingzhi: "Lord Jing, four fully American-equipped divisions have now completed their final reorganization."

Luo Zhuoying lowered his voice: "If all of them are transferred, won't our defenses in our Southeast Asian base be stretched thin?"

He Jingzhi sneered and shook his head: "Defense?"

"There is no need for that. The British army has been weakened, and the Japanese army is barely clinging to life."

He Jingzhi picked up the red and blue pencils on the table and drew a heavy circle on the map in the southwestern Pacific region: "General Stilwell has just informed us of MacArthur's latest battle report."

"The US-Australia coalition's 'reckless actions' and 'persecution operations' have achieved astonishing strategic results!"

He Jingzhi's pen focused intently on the heavily fortified Wevak fortress, which was heavily guarded by the Japanese army: "MacArthur did not even attempt to bite into this bone."

"The US fleet bypassed Wevak and carried out a massive amphibious assault landing at Hollandia and Etape behind it!"

The generals present all crowded forward, looking at the strategic situation on the map, disregarding the gains and losses of a single city or battle, and directly cutting off the Japanese army's sea supply lines and retreat routes.

Given the current weakened state of the Japanese Combined Fleet, this tactic is incredibly effective.

The Japanese army no longer even had the capability to harass the American fleet.

"This leap completely turned those 50,000 elite defenders into sitting ducks!"

He Jingzhi tossed his pencil onto the map with a crisp sound: "General Zheng Tingji from the front has sent an urgent telegram that their jungle warfare has been completely halted."

"The US-Australia coalition accepted our suggestion."

"They will use the interests of the locals and the name of development to gradually shrink the enemy's living space."

"They lack food, ammunition, and medicine, and the remaining less than 10,000 Japanese soldiers will likely be wiped out by the rainforest soon."

"At least, we won't have to risk the lives of our expeditionary brothers to fill that rainforest teeming with poisonous insects anymore!"

"Similarly, this applies to the fortresses on the islands."

"The Allied forces intend to use the most brutal siege to starve and kill these 50,000 blood-stained Japanese devils on this island!"

The generals nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with the satisfaction of avenging their great grudge.

"This means that the absolute island defense perimeter painstakingly built by the Japanese Empire has become a mere shell."

He Jingzhi placed his hands on the table, his tone becoming unusually serious: "MacArthur's next stop is the Philippines!"

"But his marine force is far from enough to open the door to the Philippines."

He Jingzhi sneered, incisively pointing out the Americans' sore spot: "American politicians are afraid of death. They absolutely do not want to see tens of thousands of American soldiers die in pools of blood during the assault on the beachhead."

"Therefore, they need our expeditionary force!"

"We need Chinese infantrymen like us who dare to fight hand-to-hand amidst a hail of bullets!"

He Jingzhi stood up and straightened his collar.

"This second organized elite force is the deepest wedge we have driven into the American Pacific strategy."

"We fight the battles, we shed the blood."

"But we must firmly grasp the distribution of interests in Asia after the war, and even the discourse power in the entire Western Pacific!"

"To this end, the foreign ministry has discussed 47 aid packages with the Americans, totaling $300 million."

The generals felt no joy, only a deep, inexplicable sadness.

Knowing he had no choice, He Yingqin immediately changed the subject: "Pass on my order to immediately dispatch elite troops in new uniforms to assemble at Yangon port and board ships!"

"Yes!"

……

Shanghai. Headquarters of the Japanese Expeditionary Army in China.

The command post was deathly silent.

In front of the huge war sand table, no one spoke; only the impatient scraping of military boots on the wooden floor could be heard.

The blue arrows represent the main force of the National Revolutionary Army.

It has already formed a breathtaking, monstrous wave on the map.

Surrounded on three sides, the southern offensive has even reached the outskirts of the city.

"The enemy is less than 150 kilometers away from us."

A Japanese major general staff officer stared intently at the sand table, his voice hoarse as if he were chewing sand: "Jiangbei has been completely lost, and they have also recaptured the old capital."

"If the Chinese heavy forces continue their advance at the same pace, they will break through our outer defenses in at most half a month."

"Clearly, failure has become an irreversible inevitability."

These words struck like a heavy hammer into the hearts of every high-ranking Japanese officer.

Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Army, Okamura Yasuji, sat quietly in a high-backed leather chair.

He seemed to have been drained of all moisture, his body hunched over, resembling a piece of withered, rotten wood.

"Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief!"

A lieutenant general with bloodshot eyes suddenly pulled out half of his command sword and roared hoarsely.

"We cannot sit idly by and wait to die!"

"The Imperial Japanese Army has only brave warriors who die in battle, not cowards who wait to die!"

"I request that all overseas Chinese in Shanghai and the surrounding areas be mobilized immediately!"

"Give them weapons, and we'll have the final battle."

Hideaki Takizawa's face was contorted with rage, like a wild beast driven to desperation: "We will turn the entire city of Shanghai into a second Stalingrad, even if we reduce this city to ruins, we will make the Chinese army pay the price of hundreds of thousands of lives!"

"Not only that!"

Another general stepped forward and loudly echoed his sentiments.

"The General Headquarters must immediately dispatch five divisions from the mainland or the Kwantung Army to the south to provide support!"

"We have already lost dozens of islands in the Pacific theater!"

"We cannot allow the empire's territory to continue shrinking on the continent!"

"Otherwise, we will not even have the right to negotiate."

As Okamura Neiji listened to these frenzied shouts, a bitter smile of utter contempt and desolation tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Recall the Kwantung Army?"

"Draw troops from the domestic defense division?"

Okamura Neiji slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like two stagnant pools, coldly looking at those fanatics who were still living in their dreams.

"The first armored group in North China has been turned into a mess in the Liaoxi Corridor."

"More than 700,000 North China Field Army soldiers were like a hyena, biting the neck of the Kwantung Army tightly."

"The homeland is constantly facing the dual threats of the Soviet Union and the United States."

"What will we use to draw combat troops?"

Okamura Neiji stood up from his chair, pushed aside the staff officer blocking his way, and walked to the front of the sand table: "As for the Pacific Ocean?"

He grabbed a baton and slammed it hard on the map, striking the location of the Philippines.

"If the Americans hadn't wanted to use the blood and flesh of the Chinese army to fill the black hole of casualties in the landing operation."

"Do you think the Empire's combined fleet can hold out at sea until now?"

"They had long since run out of fuel, and they were unable to even resupply the garrison troops trapped on the island."

"The Navy has long abandoned us, and that bastard Toyoda Soemu is still trying to cause trouble for our Army."

The meeting room fell into an instant silence.

"MacArthur was a madman and an extremely arrogant politician."

Okamura Yasuji incisively dissected the extremely dark political maneuvering within the Allied Powers.

He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan!

"He was eager to keep his promise, 'I will definitely come back!'"

Okamura's command line followed the South China Sea all the way to Indonesia: "He not only wanted to take over the Philippines before the Chinese army could fully recover the mainland."

"He wanted to establish America's absolute dominance in the postwar Far East before Mountbatten of the British Empire conquered Indonesia!"

Okamura Yasuji dropped his baton and turned to look at the pale-faced generals of his sworn brother Japan: "In this frantic race for the great powers to carve up the interests of the Far East, our great Japan has long since been reduced from a player to a pawn to be plundered at will!"

"Defend Shanghai to the death?"

"Operation Gyokusai-Operation?"

"Defense at a cost, in exchange for negotiation?" Okamura Neiji let out a shrill, maniacal laugh. "That will only allow the Chinese to extract more from the Americans at the negotiating table."

"The empire has lost everything."

Standing in the shadows of a corner, Chief of Staff Kawabe Masazo coldly stared at his superior, who was mired in extreme pessimism and "defeatism."

His fingers gripped a miniature codebook tightly in his pocket. Without a trace of expression, he turned around and, taking advantage of the deathly silence in the command center, quietly left the room.

……

Ten minutes later.

The top-secret communications room of the garrison building.

Hei Bianzheng personally locked the steel explosion-proof door.

He sat in front of the telegraph machine, his fingers flying across the telegraph keys.

Groups of top-secret red codes, representing the highest level of authority, flew across the turbulent East China Sea and headed straight for the Tokyo headquarters.

[Urgent telegram to General Headquarters and Prime Minister Tojo: Admiral Okamura's mental state has completely collapsed.]

[His open dissemination of defeatist rhetoric at a military conference severely undermined morale and led to extremely pessimistic predictions about the future of his brother's country.]

The department is deeply concerned.

Such a coward must never continue to lead hundreds of thousands of locust soldiers on the mainland in a decisive battle of annihilation.

[We urge the General Headquarters to take immediate and decisive measures to disarm them!]

……

Tokyo, Japan: Underground air-raid shelter at the base camp.

This urgent telegram came from Shanghai.

Within just half an hour, it was delivered directly to Hideki Tojo's desk.

Hideki Tojo stared intently at the translated telegram with his bloodshot eyes.

His nerves, already stretched to the limit by the sinking of the Yamato and the series of defeats in the Pacific, completely snapped at this moment.

"Baka yarou!"

Hideki Tojo ripped the telegram to shreds and slammed it onto the solid wood table in front of him.

"What is Okamura Yasuji trying to do?"

"Does he intend to lead his entire expeditionary force to surrender to the Chinese?!"

Hideki Tojo paced back and forth in his office like a raging wild dog.

"My brother's country has not yet been defeated!"

"The Yamato people still have the determination to die for the Emperor!"

He turned around abruptly and pointed at Chief of the General Staff Gen Sugiyama, who was standing to the side: "Convene an emergency meeting of the Supreme Military Cabinet immediately!"

A morbid ferocity and the cruelty of a dictator appeared on Hideki Tojo's face.

"I hereby remove Okamura Yasuji from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army!"

"Send military police to Shanghai to escort him back to Tokyo and hand him over to a military tribunal for a secret trial!"

"Since he dares not lead his army to their doom, then I will personally appoint a true soldier with absolute Bushido spirit to take over the defenses of Shanghai!"

Sugiyama Gen glanced at the already crazed Tojo Hideki and whispered a word of advice: "This matter requires His Majesty the Emperor's permission."

"I will report the situation to His Majesty the Heavenly Locust immediately."

Clearly, a political farce brewing with the impending change of commanders and the acceleration of the complete annihilation of the Japanese army on the mainland battlefield was officially unfolding in this dark and gloomy basement in Tokyo.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days have passed.

Yangon Port, Myanmar.

The humid, hot sea breeze, characteristic of the tropics, carrying the strong smells of diesel fuel and rust-preventing oil, crashed wildly over the massive dock.

One after another, Liberty ships fully loaded with military supplies were moored close to the deep-water berths.

Behind them, in the assembly area, an endless array of dark green steel formations exuded a suffocating sense of war oppression.

The newly formed Fourth Army of the Expeditionary Force has completed its final assembly here.

Huang Jie, the army group commander, stands atop a high-rise warehouse in the port.

This renowned general from the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, who had been sidelined for many years by Chang Ruiyuan due to the defeat in the Battle of Lanfeng, is now once again wearing his crisp general's uniform.

He removed his peaked cap, which was already soaked with sweat, and looked down intently at the elite army below, which resembled a vast ocean, his eyes burning with a fervent fighting spirit eager to wash away the shame.

"commander."

With a remarkably calm report, Sun Ming, the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Fourth Army Group, strode onto the rooftop.

The American military boots under his feet creaked under the steel plates.

I heard those familiar and powerful footsteps.

A subtle, complex sense of apprehension flashed deep in Huang Jie's eyes.

He immediately turned around, and surprisingly, a warm smile appeared on his usually cold and stern face: "Chief of Staff Sun, thank you for your hard work."

Huang Jie's tone was unmistakably polite, and he even took a half-step forward to greet him.

In the organization of the National Revolutionary Army, army commanders and generals often regarded their chief of staff as senior adjutants.

But the Sun Ming in front of him was definitely a "true bodhisattva" whom even Huang Jie had to treat with utmost care.

Without him.

Although Sun Ming only wore the rank of Major General on his chest, behind him stood the "Commander-in-Chief" who held absolute power in North China and could even influence the entire Allied Far East strategy.

This massive army of 130,000 men, armed with Thompson submachine guns, fed on American canned goods, and even every shell they fired was supported by the Americans.

Sun Ming remained calm and did not show the slightest arrogance despite Huang Jie's politeness.

He snapped to attention and handed Huang Jie a thick roster of all the army's personnel and a firepower configuration table with both hands in an extremely respectful manner.

"Commander-in-Chief, all units of the Fourth Army are fully equipped and ready to board the ships at any time!"

Huang Jie took the roster, his fingers tracing the thick document, his heart pounding with excitement.

"We'll need the Chief of Staff to carefully check the brothers' uniform changes," Huang Jie asked solemnly.

Sun Ming opened his military briefcase and began to report in a loud voice: "Commander-in-Chief, rest assured."

"The entire army comprises three newly formed, fully American-equipped main force divisions."

"The firepower of the company and platoon level was all equipped with Thompson submachine guns and M1 Garands, and the firepower of Browning light and heavy machine guns completely overwhelmed the Japanese."

Sun Ming turned to the second page of the allocation list, his eyes flashing with a cold, sharp light: "In addition to the three main divisions, the General Headquarters and Chief Advisor Chu have also specially approved the direct allocation of two heavy howitzer regiments, one anti-aircraft artillery regiment, and one mechanized armored battalion to us!"

"Including logistics, pontoon bridge, medical, and engineering support units."

"Our vanguard force, which is preparing to be deployed to the Pacific islands, has a total strength of 150,000 men!"

150,000 people!

This is the ultimate military force built entirely according to the standards of modern amphibious landing and high-intensity meat grinder warfare.

After hearing this, Huang Jie patted the roster in his hand hard, his eyes even getting a little hot.

"A strong and well-equipped army!"

Huang Jie exclaimed, "I've led troops for half my life, and I've never fought such a rich battle before!"

"Chief of Staff Sun, this solid foundation is all thanks to the support of the General Headquarters."

Sun Ming lowered his head slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Commander Chu said that Commander Huang is a veteran of many battles. We only hope that the Commander can lead his brothers to show the might of Chinese soldiers in the Pacific Ocean after this batch of national weapons is handed over to you."

Huang Jie nodded repeatedly, secretly relieved. It seemed that the North China side had no objection to his return to public life: "Of course. This first strike must draw blood!"

"Chief of Staff, what about the reserve forces?"

"The arrangements in Shancheng have been made."

Sun Ming answered very decisively: "The General Headquarters has newly formed the Fifth Army Group, led by General Wu Ziqiang and expanded with Chen Ze's army as the core. Three reorganized divisions will be added on this basis, including many people from Toungoo."

"They will serve as our second wave of landing forces."

"As long as our attack goes smoothly, the follow-up combat troops will naturally follow."

A series of coordinated deployments and a relay of heavy troops.

The Chinese military has played its cards very tightly in the Pacific theater, leaving no room for error.

Huang Jie took a deep breath and looked at the surging blue ocean in the distance, his eyes burning with an extremely strong fighting spirit.

Everything is ready.

Huang Jie turned to look at Sun Ming and asked in a deep voice, "Now we're just waiting for news from the Americans."

"I wonder when our hundreds of thousands of brothers, who are here in Yangon Harbor every day, will finally be able to board the ship and set sail?"

Upon hearing this question, Sun Ming's excitement faded slightly, and his brows furrowed.

He shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"We still have to wait."

Sun Ming sighed: "Our current attack timeline still needs further clarification from the Allied Far East Supreme Command."

"The Americans are now launching an extremely fierce island-hopping landing operation in the Pacific."

Sun Ming pointed to the islands deep in the sea chart: "MacArthur's troops have already rushed directly towards the core defensive perimeter of the Japanese army."

"The situation was changing rapidly, and the fighting was extremely fierce."

"General Stilwell sent an urgent telegram last night, stating that the latest combat situation on the U.S. side has not yet yielded a highly accurate summary."

"If we rashly board the ship and set sail now, we are very likely to encounter the remnants of the retreating or maneuvering Japanese Combined Fleet on the route, and we may even lose the air and sea cover of the US fleet due to the unclear target."

After hearing this, Huang Jie waved his hand dismissively: "These Americans are quick to provide equipment, but when it comes to fighting, they're hesitant and timid, as if they're afraid we'll steal their credit."

"This is a good thing. MacArthur wants credit, and we can have fewer casualties. Why not?"

Huang Jie and Sun Ming exchanged a smile. (End of Chapter)