Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 479 Huang Baitao pleads guilty, Yan Laoxi's support! (Subscribe)

On the outskirts of Yangon, near the temporary headquarters of the Joint Command
Chu Yunfei had just finished talking with Sun Ming and was standing next to a relatively intact bunker, looking into the distance. His face looked extremely pale due to fatigue and the severe situation, but his eyes were still sharp.

At this time, a figure walked quickly out of the smoke and dust. It was Huang Baitao, commander of the newly formed 11th Army.

His military uniform was covered in dust and even blood.

Apparently, they encountered an air raid by the Japanese army on their way to the headquarters.

Huang Baitao's face was filled with fatigue and deep self-blame that were difficult to conceal.

He walked up to Chu Yunfei, stood at attention and saluted, but his movements were standard but seemed a little stiff.

"Your Excellency!" Huang Baitao's voice was hoarse and filled with a heavy sense of guilt. "I, Huang Baitao, was incompetent in command. I failed to urge my troops to advance bravely at the critical moment and quickly break through the Japanese invaders' outer blockade, which allowed them to deploy calmly, completely destroy the port of Yangon, and severely damage our army with air strikes."

He lowered his head, his tone becoming more and more painful: "In this battle, although our army occupied Yangon, we lost the seaport, and the subsequent supply lifeline was almost cut off. This was all due to my slow command and hesitation! This is a heinous crime, and I cannot escape the blame! I have come to apologize to you, Your Majesty, and I am willing to accept any punishment!"

At the end, this general, who was always known for his toughness on the battlefield, had a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

Chu Yunfei turned around and looked quietly at this colleague who had fought alongside him for a long time.

He could feel Huang Baitao's heartfelt pain and self-blame.

He took a step forward and gently pressed down Huang Baitao's head as he tried to lower it, motioning him to lift it up.

"Brother Huanran, what are you doing?" Chu Yunfei's tone was serious but not harsh: "You need to raise your head!"

Huang Baitao slowly raised his head and met Chu Yunfei's gaze.

Chu Yunfei said in a firm tone: "Brother Huanran, you are too serious!"

"The destruction of Yangon Port and the sudden change in the war situation are by no means your fault alone, and the responsibility cannot be attributed entirely to your command errors."

Chu Yunfei paused, organizing his words, and his voice was clearly heard by Huang Baitao: "First, the Japanese army's retreat and port destruction operation this time was so meticulously planned and so resolute that it far exceeded our previous expectations.

Judging from the intelligence and battlefield feedback we have, this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a last resort that they had been planning for a long time.

They are determined to destroy this port at any cost."

“Secondly, although the enemy in front of us is a defeated army, its rear guard troops rely on the existing fortifications and fight desperately. Their purpose is to buy enough time for the rear explosion at the cost of their own lives.

The soldiers of the newly formed 11th Army fought bravely and suffered heavy casualties. I saw it all.

It's not that you didn't try your best, but the enemy was too cunning and too stubborn."

"The third and most crucial point," Chu Yunfei looked up at the sky, as if he could still see the shadows of the Japanese planes wreaking havoc before. "The Japanese army finally mobilized such a large-scale air force to carry out devastating saturation bombing on our attacking forces. Under such circumstances, the impact speed of the ground forces was greatly restricted, casualties increased sharply, and the offensive was forced to slow down. This is a crime not caused by war, and it cannot be completely reversed by your personal command."

"Your Excellency."

Chu Yunfei retracted his gaze and looked at Huang Baitao, his tone becoming more earnest: "Huanran, the fact that this battle has reached this point is the result of the interweaving of many factors. The lag in intelligence, the problem of allied coordination, and the lack of our overall strategic prediction, if we really want to trace them, the responsibilities are multifaceted. As one of the main commanders of the joint command, I also have an unshirkable responsibility."

He patted Huang Baitao's shoulder gently and said, "Now is not the time to find out who is right or wrong.

We can learn lessons from the defeat, but we must never let our commanders lose confidence!

The most urgent task is to gather the troops immediately, treat the wounded, calculate the losses, consolidate the areas we have occupied, stabilize the morale of the troops, and then we will discuss together what to do next! "

Huang Baitao stared at Chu Yunfei in a daze, with complex emotions in his eyes.

There is touching feeling, understanding, and also a trace of guilt that has not yet been completely relieved.

He moved his lips and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Chu Yunfei.

"No buts." Chu Yunfei's tone left no room for doubt. "Brother Huanran, you are the commander of the newly formed 11th Army, and the backbone of tens of thousands of brothers!"

"Now, they need to see a calm, strong commander, not a dejected sinner."

"Cheer up! Go back and reorganize your troops. There will be many tough and fierce battles in the future!"

Huang Baitao took a deep breath, and the depression in his chest seemed to be dispelled a lot by Chu Yunfei's words.

He stood at attention again, and this time his military salute was full of strength and determination: "Yes! Your Majesty! I understand! Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will regroup and fight the Japanese invaders to the end, and make amends for my sins!"

"Okay!" Chu Yunfei nodded, "Go, your troops need you."

Huang Baitao saluted again, turned around and strode away. Although his back was still heavy, he was no longer depressed.

Chu Yunfei watched him go away, knowing in his heart that calming the emotions of this important general was only the first step in dealing with this crisis.

"Sun Ming."

"Have."

Chu Yunfei said slowly: "Send a telegram to the headquarters in my name to apologize. The destruction of Yangon this time is my responsibility. Please only punish me, Principal."

"Also, send a telegram to Commander Yan of the Second War Zone in the name of the Expeditionary Force and myself, asking him to find a way to transfer 500,000 dan of food from Shanxi to support our subsequent operations."

Sun Ming nodded: "Yes, Your Excellency."

Chu Yunfei sat on the ammunition box and immersed his consciousness in the diplomatic panel of the system.

[Currently available action points: 473]

[Currently interactive forces: omitted]

[Currently available diplomatic options: improve relations; reduce relations; apply for assistance, etc.]

"Improve relations between the faction and the United States."

[Are you sure you want to spend 3 action points to improve relations with the United States? ]

abridgement
[The current relationship between the camp and the United States has risen to: sharing weal and woe, and being loyal to each other! ]

[It is currently no longer possible to further improve faction relations. 】

Has it been upgraded to this level so quickly?

Chu Yunfei was shocked.

There has never been such an evaluation.

[Currently available action points: 453]

“Identify requests for supplies, military equipment, civilian equipment and technical assistance.”

[Do you want to consume 100 points of action power to complete the above required operations? ]

"determine."

[Commander, please confirm the assistance content and technical assistance requirements.]

The aid is varied and consumes a lot of action energy.

The value of the materials exceeded 100 million US dollars.

In terms of technical assistance, Chu Yunfei focused on technical assistance in heavy industry.

If a country's industry wants to get started, it mainly depends on this thing. As for those high-tech technologies, Chu Yunfei does not expect the Americans to come up with them at this time.

Provide technical assistance to heavy and precision machinery manufacturing, power generation equipment manufacturing, metallurgy and mining equipment manufacturing, advanced alloy steel and non-ferrous metal smelting industries. The details of this matter still need to be discussed, and Chu Yunfei is not sure now.

With such a good relationship, Chang Ruiyuan's pro-American attitude is quite obvious.

Logically speaking, the Americans should give it.
-
The next day.

Shanxi, Longcheng.

Headquarters of the Second War Zone Commander, large conference room.

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and serious.

In front of the huge map of North China and surrounding war zones.

The core leadership of the Second War Zone gathered together.

Yan Laoxi, who was sitting in the main seat, had a solemn expression on his face. He tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and his eyes moved slowly between the map and the generals present.

Sitting on his left and right were Chu Xichun, Sun Chu, Yang Aiyuan, Wang Jingguo and other veterans of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

On the opposite side are Qian Bojun, Fang Ligong, Sun Weimou, Zhuo Tianyu and other young people who are relied on at this stage.

There are also middle and senior commanders from friendly forces or with related parties, such as Zeng Wanzhong and Liu Maoen, who are all focused on the same issue at this moment - that is the urgent request for help from Chu Yunfei on the front line in Myanmar.

Fang Ligong had just finished reading Chu Yunfei's telegram.

In the telegram, Chu Yunfei earnestly described the unprecedented difficulties faced by the Expeditionary Force in Burma, especially the dangerous situation in which the logistics supply line was on the verge of breaking after the port of Yangon was devastated by the Japanese invaders.

On behalf of hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting on the front lines, he pleaded with Commander Yan and the Second War Zone to take the overall situation of the War of Resistance into consideration and urgently allocate 500,000 dan of military rations to meet the urgent needs.

Whenever Chu Yunfei encountered problems, he still habitually wanted to rely on Shanxi and habitually wanted to seek help from the Second War Zone.

After all, Chu Yunfei is a native of Shanxi.

Fang Ligong had just finished speaking.

Yan Xishan broke the silence, his voice carrying an unquestionable determination: "Yun Fei and hundreds of thousands of expeditionary soldiers are fighting for their country in a foreign land. How can the rear just sit back and watch?"

"The expedition war is of great importance. We must not let the brothers on the front line fight on an empty stomach! We must help them!"

Yan Xishan’s clear statement warmed the hearts of Fang Ligong and others.

However, Yan Xishan immediately changed the subject and frowned: "But."

Yan Laoxi pointed to the distance from Shanxi to Myanmar on the map, which was so far that it almost spanned the entire China: "Five hundred thousand dan of grain is not a small amount."

"We in Shanxi have been at war for years, the land is barren and the people are poor, and our own reserves are not abundant."

"One-third of the grain reserves in southeastern Shanxi were sent to northwestern Shanxi for disaster relief last year. Now the actual grain reserves in our Second War Zone are less than one million dan."

Yan Laoxi's words immediately resonated with everyone present. Everyone nodded, with expressions of support yet embarrassment on their faces.

Yang Aiyuan also sighed: "This year is another drought year, and a reduction in production is certain... More importantly, the journey is too long!"

"From Longcheng to northern Myanmar, it's more than a thousand miles."

"How do we deliver this food?"

Sun Chu then said, "Commander Yan is right! Support is a matter of course, but transportation is a huge problem! Most of the railways and roads in our province were destroyed by the Japanese army before, and it is difficult to repair them. Moreover, if we want to transport grain, we need to cross the Yellow River ferry. If we transport it via the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, what about the loss on the way?"

Wang Jingguo also added: "Even if we rely on local people for transportation, we have to cross the Japanese blockade lines or take a detour through the equally complicated friendly defense areas from Shanxi. The risks on the road are extremely high, with bandits, enemy spies, and Japanese puppet troops."

"No one can guarantee whether this batch of food can be transported safely."

"The loss may be shockingly huge!"

"Yes," Yang Aiyuan sighed, "Now it's almost the time of shortage, and we have to consider the food supply for the army and civilians in the province. Five hundred thousand dan is almost emptying a large part of our family's assets. What if..."

"I mean if they can't be transported, or if most of them are lost on the way, then our lives in Shanxi will be even more difficult."

The difficulties raised by the generals of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army were real and objective, not excuses.

For a moment, the conference room fell into deep thought, and everyone frowned.

Thinking about how to find a feasible path between "affection" and "reality".

Seeing this, Fang Ligong stood up again and said, "Commander Yan and the generals, I deeply understand the difficulties you are facing."

"When Commander Chu called, he also anticipated that this trip would be difficult, but the military situation on the front line was urgent. Every grain of food could determine the outcome of a battle and the lives of countless soldiers."

"Commander Chu means that even if it is done in batches and phases, even if we need to send our own troops to escort and coordinate along the way, as long as we can get the food to the expeditionary army as soon as possible, we will pay any price."

General Zeng Wanzhong spoke at this moment. He owed Chu Yunfei a favor, so he seemed particularly positive at this moment: "Chairman Yan, Chief of Staff Fang, although the journey is long, we may be able to think of a way. For example, can we transport it in sections?"

"First, concentrate transportation resources to Henan or Shaanxi, and then coordinate with the local garrison or the central government to find a way to transport it?"

"My troops' garrison area may be able to undertake some escort missions or provide some convenience along the way."

Commander-in-Chief Liu Maoen also expressed his opinion: "Commander-in-Chief Zeng's suggestion makes sense. However, even if it is divided into sections, transit coordination is not easy, and the Japanese army is active along the Yellow River and on the Henan-Shaanxi border, so the risk is still not small."

"Although our 14th Army is willing to assist, its transportation capacity is also stretched. However, perhaps we can try to communicate with Shancheng and Yunnan, and let Commander Long provide the money and food, and we in Shanxi can try to transport it to Yunnan through Shancheng."

The focus of the meeting quickly turned to specific transportation options and risk assessments.

Everyone began to discuss details such as possible routes, required transportation capacity, escort forces, coordination along the way, etc. The atmosphere was extremely lively.

Yan Xishan listened carefully to all the opinions, tapping his fingers slowly on the table.

After a long while, he slammed the table and made up his mind: "Okay! No matter how great the difficulties are, we can't let the heroes on the front line feel discouraged!
Every citizen has a share of responsibility for the fate of a country. We, the Second War Zone and the people of Shanxi, cannot just focus on our own little piece of land!"

He stood up and looked around the room. "I've decided! We in the Second War Zone will tighten our belts and do everything we can to support the expeditionary force! We'll first mobilize 300,000 dan of food!"

Although this figure is less than the 500,000 requested by Chu Yunfei, compared with the difficulties discussed before, it is already the greatest sincerity and determination that Yan Xishan can show.

"Order!" Yan Xishan's voice became sonorous and powerful. "Deputy Commander Yang Aiyuan, you must immediately go to the granary to count the grain, make a detailed allocation plan, and take out the best grain!"

"Chu Xichun and Sun Chu from the Staff Department, you are responsible for planning the safest and most feasible transportation route and formulating an escort plan!"

"Commander-in-Chief Wang, you are responsible for coordinating and communicating with the war zones and friendly forces along the way!"

"Commander-in-Chief Zeng, Commander-in-Chief Liu, and all the troops in our Second War Zone, wherever the transportation route is involved, must fully cooperate to ensure that this batch of life-saving food is safe and delivered as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!"

All the generals present stood up and responded loudly.

The conference room was filled with a sense of determination and courage to unite against the common enemy and overcome the difficulties together.

Fang Ligong, on behalf of Chu Yunfei, bowed deeply to Yan Xishan and all the generals present: "On behalf of Commander Chu and hundreds of thousands of expeditionary soldiers, I would like to thank Commander Yan and all the generals for their strong support! The soldiers on the front line will remember this kindness and fight bravely to repay the country!"

"We are one family, so we don't have different opinions. Although Yun Fei has gone far away, he is a Shanxi native after all. He is a famous coach from Shanxi. If we Shanxi people don't support him, who will support him?"

"Commander Yan is right. Even if we have to tighten our belts, Yun Fei always said that the national war situation is a chess game. Now the war situation of the expedition is also related to the domestic war situation. We must not focus on this small piece of land in Shanxi!"

Qian Bojun added with a smile: "If the expedition goes smoothly, given your character, I'm afraid the whole of Southeast Asia will be annexed by the Republic of China. There are three crops a year, and there are no good places for farming for too long. If these places can produce food, our people will never go hungry again!"

(End of this chapter)