One man's resistance against Japan, I mobilized a million people to aid Shanghai.

144th Division Headquarters, Windover Eagles.

Major General William Jenkins, the division commander, lost consciousness during the first round of shelling.

When he woke up, he found himself buried under the ruins of the command post, his right leg pinned under a reinforced concrete beam, and he was in excruciating pain.

He struggled to open his eyes and, through the dust and smoke, saw the scene outside.

The sight made him wish he were already dead.

The sky was red, dyed crimson by gunfire and burning.

The earth was shaking, not from artillery fire, but from the vibrations of thousands upon thousands of Type 95 tanks rolling over it.

The air was filled with the smell of death: gunpowder smoke, blood, and burning human bodies.

"Is anyone there..." he called out hoarsely.

no respond.

The entire command post—seventeen staff officers, eight communications soldiers, four guards—was dead.

Jenkins struggled to climb out, but the beams on his legs were too heavy.

He reached for the pistol at his waist; it was still there.

Then he heard footsteps.

It wasn't the sound of Eagle Army boots, but a heavy, metallic clanging sound.

And... shouts in foreign languages.

East Asian.

They are coming.

Jenkins raised the pistol and pointed it at his temple.

But before he could pull the trigger, a hand reached in from outside the rubble and snatched the pistol.

A young but indifferent face appeared at the gap.

He was a Chinese soldier with camouflage paint on his face and eyes as cold as ice.

It was Zhang Dashan

Zhang Dashan glanced at Jenkins' shoulder insignia and said in broken English:

"General?"

"You've been captured!"

Jenkins was about to say something, but the soldier had already turned around and shouted something outside.

A few seconds later, two Chinese soldiers climbed in and began clearing the rubble that was pinning Jenkins down.

Their actions were professional, but devoid of any warmth.

Jenkins was dragged out and thrown to the ground.

He looked around and finally saw the whole picture.

The Windover Pass... no longer exists.

Instead, a forcibly carved-out passageway stretched out, with tanks and armored vehicles speeding eastward in an endless line.

"you..."

Jenkins hissed, "How many people?"

Zhang Dashan glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then said a number:

"Eight million."

Then he added:

"This is just the middle lane."

Jenkins opened his mouth, but ultimately no sound came out.

He got it.

Everything is clear.

The northern route is the bait.

The southern route serves as a diversionary tactic.

The real attack has always been here, in this "low-threat" mountain pass that everyone has overlooked.

General Marshall... fell for it.

And the Bald Eagle West... is finished.

Zhang Dashan handed the man over to the rear, then turned around, jumped onto a passing tank, and drove east.

Jenkins, bound hand and foot, looked at the enemy army that surged like a flood and suddenly laughed.

They laughed hysterically, laughing until tears streamed down their faces.

So this is what war is.

It was neither a heroic resistance nor a battle of wits.

It's like when you think you're playing a grand game, your opponent just flips the chessboard over.

With a mere million people, how can they possibly contend with tens of millions of Eastern demons? Is there any hope left in this war?

.......

At the same time, 300 kilometers north of Salt Lake City, at the command of the 1st Armored Division of the Eagle Army.

A piercing emergency communication came through Major General Van Fleet's communicator:

"This is Salt Lake City Command Post! Wendover is under massive attack!"

"Repeated! Wendover is under attack! The enemy force... is immeasurable!"

"At least...at least five million! Requesting immediate reinforcements! Immediate reinforcements!"

Van Fleet paused for two seconds, then abruptly grabbed the microphone:

"What did you say? Wendover? Aren't there only small groups of troops there?"

"That was a feint! It was all a feint!"

The voice on the other end of the communication line was almost screaming, "The northern and southern lines are both fake!"

"The real main attack is in the center! They...they've broken through! Wendover has fallen! The 144th Division has been completely annihilated!"

Cold sweat instantly soaked VanVleet's back.

He got it.

Everything is clear.

"The entire division!"

He roared into the intercom, "Turn around immediately! Head south! Go back to Salt Lake City!"

But it's too late.

Just as the order was given, a burst of gunfire suddenly erupted around the division headquarters.

Reconnaissance soldiers rushed into the command vehicle:

"General! We've been ambushed! Chinese troops are surrounding us on all sides!"

"At least...at least half a million people!"

Van Fleet rushed out of the command vehicle and looked around at the surrounding mountains through his binoculars.

In the darkness of night, countless figures are surging in.

The flashes of rifle fire blended together, mortar shells exploded in the convoy, and rockets streaked towards the tanks.

ambush.

The Chinese not only launched their main attack from the central route, but also set up an ambush along their northward route.

"Break through!"

Van Fleet drew his pistol. "Break out in any direction! Someone has to get the message back to Salt Lake City!"

But he knew it was impossible.

In the sky, Chinese Air Force aircraft began to appear, strafing and bombing the chaotic eagle formation.

On the ground, the ambush forces are tightening their encirclement.

The 1st Armored Division, the most elite unit in the Western Theater of the Eagle Army, was already in dire straits before even reaching the battlefield.

Van Fleet looked at the approaching enemies around him, smiled wryly, and put down his pistol.

It turns out that the real hunter had already set up all the traps.

These self-important tigers were destined to become prey from the moment they left their den.

......

6:00 AM, San Francisco Command Center

Jia Gu received the first battle report:

"Wendover Pass is completely breached."

"The 144th Eagle Division was completely annihilated, and 1,200 officers and soldiers, including Major General Jenkins, were captured."

"The first wave of armored formations has advanced 80 kilometers eastward without encountering any organized resistance."

"Airborne troops have taken control of all transportation hubs west of Salt Lake City, and the Eagles' rear is in chaos."

"Ambush troops report: The 1st Armored Division of the Eagle Army is surrounded in the Blackford Mountains, and an annihilation operation is underway."

Jia Gu nodded, his face expressionless.

This was all expected.

The real test is just beginning.

He looked at the model, his finger moving eastward from Wendover, across Salt Lake City, and stopping at Denver.

"Order."

His voice echoed in the command center: "All troops in the central region, advance eastward at full speed!"

"Objective: Capture Salt Lake City within 48 hours, and besiege Denver within 72 hours."

"At the same time, notify the northern and southern fronts that the containment mission is over."

"Switch to a full-scale offensive, hold off the opposing Eagle Army, and prevent them from reinforcing the central area."

"at last..."

Jia Gu paused for a moment, then said, "Report to Jinling!"

He looked eastward, where dawn had finally truly arrived.

Sunlight pierced through the smoke of battle, illuminating the burning mountains and rivers.

"The Rocky Mountains have been breached, the entire gates of the Bald Eagle have been opened, and the Americas will be plunged into full-scale war."

"Rising in the east and setting in the west, its momentum is unstoppable!"