Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Beiping, the headquarters of the Northern Theater Command.

The underground nuclear bunker contains a huge strategic sand table.

Several high-intensity incandescent bulbs illuminated the room brightly, and the air was filled with the smells of photocopy paper and black coffee.

Acting Chief of Staff Guo Chan stood by the sand table, clutching an urgent telegram that had just been sent from the border.

Since former Chief of Staff Lin Wei was transferred to the Ministry of National Defense, he has been temporarily in charge of all dispatching affairs in the Northern Theater Command.

On either side of the sand table, a dozen senior generals stood at attention.

These officers, with an average age of around forty, were all core members who had accumulated a wealth of combat experience in previous wars.

Fang Ligong is currently the commander of the First Army Group, and he is checking the logistical supply data.

Qian Bojun, as the commander of the Second Army Group, kept an eye on the red and white border line. His main force was closest to the front line and had already completed its assembly, ready to advance at any time.

In addition to these two main forces, the Northern Theater Command also deployed local troops specifically responsible for the defense of Beijing and Tianjin and maintaining order on the North China Plain, as well as border defense forces and armored armies directly under the theater command.

The Armored Front consists of two fully-equipped Armored Army Groups, comprising a total of four heavy armored divisions.

It was equipped with Sherman tanks, which had previously received a large amount of aid from its allies, as well as Priest self-propelled guns.

Their combat power is relatively strong.

"As expected, the Russians did indeed provoke a fight."

Guo Chan put down the urgent telegram, his voice echoing in the empty hall: "A reinforced tank platoon has crossed the 12th boundary marker to the north. The 3rd Border Defense Column has launched a counterattack, and the 1st Mechanized Rapid Reaction Brigade has entered standby positions according to the emergency plan."

Qian Bojun leaned back in his chair and pointed to the military data on the sand table, saying, "We are not at a disadvantage in terms of tactics and individual equipment."

"But when it comes to foreign operations, this is a national strategy that affects the whole country."

"We are capable of fighting, but the theater is currently lacking a core leader who can make the final decisions on major strategic matters."

Fang Ligong adjusted his glasses and continued, "In the past two years, Your Excellency has stepped down to the second line and devoted yourself to studying future warfare. The books you wrote, 'Mechanized Deep Battles' and 'Tactical Simulation of Defense Against the Hypothetical Enemy in the North,' have become common textbooks in various military academies."

"The military industrial production lines and troop organization of the Northern Theater Command were all set by him."

"Now it's time to test these troops, and we need him to command them."

Guo Chan nodded: "Since everyone agrees, let's jointly sign the report in the name of the Northern Theater Command and immediately send it to the Ministry of National Defense."

"Please invite the 'Commander-in-Chief' to come out of retirement and take charge of military affairs on the northern border."

Ten minutes later.

The top-secret telegram was sent to the Ministry of National Defense.

In less than an hour, the Ministry of National Defense's reply reached Guo Chan.

The telegram contained only one short line: "Immediate consent."

"Chu Yunfei is hereby reinstated to active duty and given full authority over all military and political affairs."

Fang Ligong stood up, picked up the military cap on the table, and said, "I will immediately take a special plane to the Linxian Veterans' Home to invite you, Your Excellency."

……

Six hours later.

Veterans' Home, Linxian County, Shanxi Province.

The environment here is serene, but the perimeter is heavily guarded with hidden sentries.

As a designated area for recuperation of senior generals and disabled veterans, the pace of life at the Veterans' Home has always been very slow.

Fang Ligong's car stopped in front of a bungalow with a separate courtyard.

He pushed open the door and immediately saw Chu Yunfei sitting at his desk.

Chu Yunfei was wearing a dark green civilian uniform without rank insignia, and the white hair at his temples had disappeared.

Nowadays, he doesn't seem to look much different from the man before the war.

The marks of time on his face seem to have disappeared.

When Fang Ligong arrived, Chu Yunfei was holding a pencil, calculating the width of an armored assault vehicle on a blueprint.

"Your Excellency."

Fang Ligong stopped, put his feet together, and gave a standard military salute.

Chu Yunfei put down his pencil, looked up at Fang Ligong, and said in a normal tone, "Brother Ligong, what brings you here? Could it be that that iron-willed but compassionate father wants to make some moves in the final moments of his life?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Ligong's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Your Excellency, as you predicted, the Russians can no longer hold back."

He took out the Ministry of National Defense's appointment letter and frontline battle reports from his briefcase and handed them over with both hands.

"This is an urgent message from the Ministry of National Defense, along with real-time information on the border situation."

Fang Ligong gave a concise report: "A mixed tank platoon from the Russian Far East Military District crossed the No. 12 boundary marker seven hours ago. The 3rd Border Defense Column launched a counterattack and destroyed one enemy tank. Currently, the two sides are in a standoff, and the scale of the battle is not too large."

"After discussing with us, Chief of Staff Guo applied to the higher authorities to have you take charge of the work, and the Ministry of National Defense has approved it."

Chu Yunfei took the battle report, his eyes quickly scanning the pages before finally settling on the casualty ratio and anti-tank firepower configuration of the Third Border Column.

"The response speed of the Third Border Defense Column met the requirements."

"Our careful preparations have indeed paid off at this moment," Chu Yunfei said, placing the battle report on the table.

Fang Ligong stood at attention and said, "In the past two years, although you have been recuperating at the Veterans' Home and focusing on compiling tactical and strategic teaching materials, the troops in the Northern Theater Command have been training according to your plan."

"The First Armored Front is now fully fueled and armed, and the First Rapid Reaction Brigade is ready to engage the enemy at any time."

"My colleagues are all waiting."

Chu Yunfei stood up, walked to the coat rack, and took down his coat.

"I wrote those textbooks and did countless war games in the research institute, all to deal with today's situation."

Chu Yunfei quickly buttoned up his top button: "Clearly, the Russians want to test our reaction speed and our bottom line in actual combat."

"If the First Rapid Responding Brigade cannot exert pressure on the front lines in a short period of time, then the preparations of the past five years will have been meaningless."

He put on white gloves, glanced at the unfinished tactical manuscript on the table, and turned to Fang Ligong: "Arrange a flight for tomorrow morning."

Chu Yunfei's voice was calm and decisive: "We're going to the front-line command post."

"Yes, Your Excellency."
-
noon the next day.

Beiping, the headquarters of the Northern Theater Command.

The doors to the underground nuclear bunker were forcefully pulled open by the guards.

Chu Yunfei strode into the operations hall, his military boots making a dull thud on the concrete floor.

"Everyone stand up!"

Acting Chief of Staff Guo Chan loudly issued the order.

Dozens of senior commanders stood at the same time, heels together, and raised their hands in salute.

Chu Yunfei walked to the front of the sand table, and without any further pleasantries, he took off his white gloves and threw them on the table.

"Report the latest location."

Chu Yunfei's gaze fell on the red and white lines that represented the boundary markers.

First Army Commander Fang Guanli immediately stepped forward: "Sir, an enemy reinforced platoon and two T-34 tanks have crossed the border and are currently stationed 50 meters inside the No. 12 boundary marker within our territory."

"They built temporary shelters in the snow and did not go any further, but they also showed no signs of retreating."

Chu Yunfei stared at the sand table expressionlessly: "They're testing our bottom line, while also leaving themselves a way out."

“As long as we send people over to negotiate or issue warnings, they will turn it into a protracted diplomatic wrangling.”

Guo Chan asked, "Should the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issue a protest note to them?"

"No protest is needed."

Chu Yunfei coldly rejected the proposal.

He picked up the red and blue pencils on the table and drew a cross on the Russian position inside the No. 12 boundary marker.

"On our territory, when faced with a fully armed invading entity, the military has only one duty."

"That means killing them!"

Chu Yunfei raised his head and issued his first combat order after returning to the command post: "Send orders to the First Mechanized Rapid Reaction Brigade."

"Its subordinate 105mm howitzer battalion immediately moved forward to the artillery position."

The generals present turned solemn.

Chu Yunfei threw the pencil onto the sand table, the sound like the sound of frozen steel.

"This evening, artillery fire will be launched against the enemy forces that have crossed the border."

"No need for shouting, no need for warnings." "Just one request: leave them all on this frozen ground."

"Yes!"

……

That evening.

The snow has stopped on the northern slopes of the Kent Mountains.

Fifty meters south of Boundary Marker No. 12, a group of enemy soldiers were hiding on the leeward side of two T-34 tanks, gnawing on frozen black bread, waiting for further instructions.

Eight kilometers away.

The 105mm howitzer battalion under the First Rapid Reaction Brigade has moved into the concealed firing positions that were already set up in advance.

Twelve 105mm howitzers were lined up in the snow, their muzzles raised high.

The gun cover had been completely removed, revealing the cold and robust gun barrel.

Under the camouflage netting, ammunition handlers carried boxes of bright yellow shells to the breech of the gun.

Battalion Commander Lai Kuan-ting, holding binoculars, lay prone behind the bunker at the forward observation post.

The observer beside him was watching the rangefinder and quickly reporting the firing data.

"Direction 042, distance 8,600 meters."

"Target locked, wind speed shifting south, correction complete."

Lai Kuan-ting put down his binoculars and grabbed the microphone of the handheld phone.

"Attention all artillery positions, load high-explosive fragmentation grenades."

"Click, click."

The locking mechanisms of the twelve cannons simultaneously emitted a crisp mechanical clicking sound.

"Three rapid shots."

The battalion commander suddenly raised his right hand, then swung it down heavily: "Release!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The deafening roar of artillery fire instantly shattered the silence of the battlefield.

The twelve cannons recoiled violently at the same time, spewing out huge bursts of orange-red flames.

The powerful recoil left deep marks on the frozen ground as the gun carriage struck the ground.

Thirty-six 105mm high-explosive grenades, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, ripped through the gray-white sky.

Russian military camp in the distance.

Several Russian infantrymen who were smoking looked up and gazed at the southern sky with a puzzled expression.

The sharp whistling sound rapidly amplified in their ears.

"Artillery attack!"

An old soldier let out a piercing scream, but his voice was instantly swallowed up.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The firepower of twelve 105mm howitzers struck this small area of ​​less than a few hundred square meters with unparalleled precision.

Huge fireballs billowing with black smoke rose into the air from the snow.

The ground shook violently, and snow mixed with frozen soil was hurled into the air more than ten meters high.

The shockwave swept across the entire camp as if it were a tangible force.

Two tanks, each weighing 30 tons, were directly hit by 105mm grenades.

The vehicle's armor was severely deformed in the violent explosion, the tracks were blown off, and the engine compartment instantly burst into flames.

The violent explosion lasted for less than a minute.

When the smoke cleared, the snow inside the No. 12 boundary marker had been blasted into a charred mess.

Mutilated limbs and twisted gun parts were scattered around the edge of the huge crater.

The enemy reinforced platoon that had crossed the line was completely wiped out by this unexpected and precise artillery barrage.

On the artillery position of the First Rapid Counterattack Brigade, Battalion Commander Lai Kuan-ting looked at the black smoke rising in the distance and put down his binoculars expressionlessly.

"Target cleared."

"All gun positions are camouflaged and concealed, awaiting further instructions."

……

Half an hour later.

The sky was dark.

Thirty kilometers north of the boundary marker.

Enemy Far East Military District, forward infantry division command.

The telephone rang shrilly.

The communications officer answered the phone, and after listening for only a few seconds, his face turned deathly pale.

He rushed to Major General Ivanov's desk without even putting the phone receiver down properly.

"Commander!"

The communications officer's voice trembled with extreme shock: "The troops that crossed the border in the direction of Boundary Marker No. 12 have lost contact."

Ivanov's hand froze, and he dropped his pencil on the table. "Losing contact?" he asked, puzzled.

"Aren't they setting up observation posts on the spot?"

"An urgent telegram has just arrived from the observation post on the high ground behind us."

The communications officer swallowed hard: "Ten minutes ago, the area was subjected to heavy artillery fire from the Chinese border troops."

"Judging from the impact point and destructive force of the explosion, it was a group of 105mm heavy howitzers."

“Our infantry platoon and two T-34 tanks have been completely wiped out by artillery fire.”

"Snapped!"

Ivanov suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Sitting opposite him, the disprover Smirnov was so shocked that he lost all control of his expression.

"completely annihilated?!"

Smirnov's eyes were bloodshot, like a raging grizzly bear: "They didn't even go through diplomatic protests before deploying heavy artillery?!"

"This is a declaration of war. A direct declaration of war against a great nation!"

Chief of Staff Petrov, his face ashen, walked to the map: "The division commander has given instructions."

Petrov's voice trembled slightly, "The speed and accuracy of the enemy's artillery reaction proves that they had already locked onto the coordinates long ago."

"It's obvious that this is not the border guard we've been dealing with before."

"It should be a regular field army, and their mechanized artillery is carrying out this mission."

Ivanov was breathing heavily, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

This goes beyond a simple border probe.

As a frontline division commander, if he simply backs down or remains silent...

The military court and the Ministry of Internal Affairs would definitely send him to a labor camp in the Gulag.

Everyone present knew that backing down meant dismissal, or even death.

The only way out is to escalate the conflict and turn it into a regional self-defense counterattack.

"Order the armored battalions and motorized infantry units waiting in the rear to immediately advance along the entire front!"

"Bring out all the 122mm howitzers!"

"Now that they have opened fire, we must win this battle."

Smirnov strode to the center of the tent and said, "Report to the military district headquarters immediately."

"The enemy's Far East border defense forces crossed the border without cause and shelled our patrol troops. Our division has been forced to launch a counterattack in self-defense."

This order, filled with lies and anger, was transmitted rapidly along the radio waves.

What began as minor probing and friction inevitably escalated further with the tacit consent and manipulation of both parties. (End of Chapter)