Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Inside the forward command post in northern Hubei
Chu Yunfei stood quietly in front of the sand table with his back to the door. His back was straight, like a javelin, one hand behind his back and the other gently massaging his throbbing temples.

The continuous command and combat operations and skill usage over the past few days left him physically exhausted.

Not far away, in a corner, a communications soldier was urgently adjusting the relevant equipment.

"Beep...sizzle..."

Suddenly, a passionate, almost distorted male voice resounded throughout the command post:

"In the great victory in western Hubei, under the strategic planning of the chief advisor, the soldiers of our Sixth War Zone successfully encircled the main force of the Japanese 11th Army on the outskirts of Yichang. After several days of bloody fighting, the enemy was severely damaged, and preliminary estimates indicate that more than 80,000 enemy soldiers were annihilated."

The words have not yet fallen.

Chu Yunfei's hand holding the teacup suddenly stopped, and scalding tea splashed onto the back of his hand, but he seemed not to notice.

"boom."

He slammed the celadon teacup down on the ammunition box covered with a map, making a dull thud.

All eyes in the command center instantly focused on him.

Chu Yunfei's face showed no joy of victory; instead, it was as if a layer of frost had formed on it.

Zhao Pengcheng stepped forward quickly, lowered his voice, and said with undisguised worry, "Your Excellency, the people in Shancheng are too impatient."

"The battle wasn't even over yet, but the celebratory drums were already beating."

"This is not only putting you, but also hundreds of thousands of brothers on the front lines to the brink of disaster!"

Chu Yunfei didn't speak, but slowly turned around, his deep gaze sweeping over the jagged chess pieces on the sand table.

His fingers rubbed against the rim of the cold teacup, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

In my mind, the entire battle situation was crystal clear.

The 74th Army did indeed complete its infiltration, like a sharp knife piercing the enemy's waist and abdomen.

The 18th Army also held off the Japanese army's most frenzied counterattack.

However, many of the main Japanese forces, the 13th and 39th Divisions, which were besieged, were still trapped in Yichang and Yidu.

and.

Don't forget, the Japanese army also had a large number of inland river vessels and naval ships.

It would have been entirely possible to take advantage of the high water season in summer to transport Japanese army troops in this area via the Yangtze River.

Completely eliminating these enemies within the encirclement is already extremely difficult.

As for the General Headquarters' claim of "annihilating 80,000 enemy troops," that's pure fantasy.

Many Japanese combat units had already crossed the Yangtze River and retreated north to the area surrounding Yichang.

The actual number of enemy casualties (referring to those killed) was only one-third of what was reported in the battle reports.

The number of casualties, including those of the puppet troops, barely reaches 80,000.

obviously.

This battle in western and northern Hubei is a political battle, not a military one.

Chu Yunfei understood perfectly.

This victory report was not meant for the soldiers on the front lines, but for the people of the mountain town and for the Americans on the other side of the ocean.

However, this good news was like an invisible shackle around the necks of all the frontline commanders.

"This is forcing us."

Chu Yunfei finally spoke, his voice calm but carrying a chilling undertone: "Use a fake 'great victory' to shut everyone up, and then force us to use the lives of countless officers and soldiers to make this play a success."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Zhao Pengcheng: "What the General Headquarters wants is a 'complete victory' that will go down in history, not a bitter battle full of variables."

Pang Junming sighed: "Now, the pressure is on our side. Everyone thinks victory is within our grasp. But if any setbacks occur in the subsequent battles, or even if the casualty count is just a little higher, who will take the blame?"

Zhao Pengcheng's face also darkened; he understood Chu Yunfei's deeper meaning.

The feeling of being swept up by public opinion is more unbearable than facing the guns and cannons of the Japanese army.

"Sir, what's more troublesome is that this good news will also have a negative impact on the troops below."

"Especially the Guangxi Army, which was already putting in a lot of effort but not putting in any real work, is now even more focused on preserving its strength and waiting for victory, now that the overall situation is settled."

"Once morale collapses, the encirclement we've painstakingly built could be breached by the Japanese at any moment, since they could break out eastward along the north bank of the Yangtze River at any time."

"Then we must act swiftly." Chu Yunfei's gaze suddenly sharpened as he scanned the group in the command post, each word ringing with conviction. "Pass on my order: pursuit!"

Before he could finish speaking, the curtain of the command post was suddenly lifted.

A young communications officer, his face flushed with rain and excitement, strode in, clutching a heavy folder wrapped in oilcloth.

He snapped to attention and said in a loud voice, "Reporting to Your Excellency, the North China Joint Command has sent a top-secret document for you to open personally."

The folder was sealed with bright red wax, intact, and marked with the word "Top Secret".

Chu Yunfei tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the table, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He didn't take it immediately, but let the document lie quietly on the table under everyone's gaze, as if weighing its significance: "Pengcheng" (meaning "A Bright Future").

Zhao Pengcheng nodded and stepped forward, carefully using a dagger to pry open the seal and take out a thick stack of documents inside.

On the homepage.

A line of powerful characters comes into view: "The Third Phase Counter-Offensive Operation Plan in North China".

Chu Yunfei's gaze was sharp as lightning, quickly scanning the documents.

When he saw the column for the person who drafted the plan.

A string of familiar names were prominently listed—Lin Wei, Qian Bojun, Fang Ligong, and even Commander Li, who had just been transferred to the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of North China, as well as the signatures of some generals from the First and Second War Zones.

To ensure that the counter-offensive plan was not leaked, the number of generals who knew about it was limited to a very small group.

This plan.

The operation was well-paced and involved the most critical strategic material transfer work.

Clearly, it was already being secretly planned when the Battle of Western Hubei was at its most intense.

Chu Yunfei's gaze continued to move down the large battle map, sweeping over Hebei, Henan and other places, and finally landing on that heartland that had been occupied by the Japanese army for a long time.

Northern Jiangsu and Southern Shandong.

The attack targets were the elite main forces of the Japanese North China Area Army: the 8th Division, the 5th Division, and the 7th and 10th Mixed Brigades!
They advanced towards the capital and cut off its central region.

This is a replica of the battle plan for the Western Hubei Campaign.

The Japanese forces were more sparsely populated, and similarly, their defenses were more formidable.

There are more permanent and semi-permanent fortifications.

Okamura Yasuji's command was better.

But correspondingly.

The combat forces in North China are also much stronger!
Chu Yunfei secretly praised him.

His colleagues in North China had seen through the thoughts of those in Chongqing and anticipated the political pressure he would face after the great victory in western Hubei. They prepared a brilliant move to break the deadlock for him in advance.

It's unclear what role Lin Wei played in all of this.

If we put ourselves in their shoes, the Civil Engineering Department naturally wouldn't want Chu Yunfei to stay in Central China for too long.

After all, the main force in this battle was the core force of the Civil Engineering Department, the main combat force directly under Chang Ruiyuan's command.

The third phase of the counter-offensive plan for North China explicitly stated that this counter-offensive would not involve the main forces of the Fifth War Zone. This clause must have been added after Commander Li's approval.

Like a ray of warm sunshine, it instantly dispelled the gloom in Chu Yunfei's heart.

This means that he no longer has to be tied to the slow-moving war machine of the Guangxi clique.

There's no need to waste our energy on those generals who preserve their strength and outwardly comply while inwardly resisting.

He can devote all his energy to a larger-scale strategic decisive battle that he can truly lead!

Chu Yunfei slowly closed the folder, the irritability and pressure caused by the publicity for the mountain city vanishing from his heart.

Instead, there is a sense of exhilaration at meeting a worthy opponent and a sense of pride in about to take control of an even bigger game.

A faint smile curved at the corners of his lips.

His gaze pierced through the dim lights of the command post, looking towards the distant north.

The real battleground has always been the vast plains of North China.
-
Tokyo, Imperial Palace, Imperial Conference Room.

The air was sticky and heavy, like washi paper soaked in water during the rainy season, clinging tightly to everyone's skin, making it suffocating.

The huge French windows were being washed by the continuous rain, blurring the carefully trimmed pines and cypresses in the courtyard into a deep, unfathomable dark green.

Marshal Sugiyama, Chief of the Army General Staff, trembled slightly as he read the last line of the top-secret telegram from the China Expeditionary Army Headquarters.

"The main force of the 11th Army was surrounded by superior Chinese forces on the outskirts of Yichang. The 13th and 39th Divisions were largely destroyed, and Commander Lieutenant General Yokoyama Isamu committed suicide in defeat, remaining loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. The war was beyond saving."

The last few words were so light they seemed to vanish into thin air at any moment, yet they were as heavy as mountains, pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

Only the incessant sound of rain outside the window could be heard. Navy Minister Shigetaro Shimada's folding fan fell with a "thud" onto the tatami mat, but he was completely unaware.

The face of the Minister of Finance, Kōya Kōnobu, was ashen, like plaster on a wall dampened by rain.

Behind the throne, behind the curtain adorned with golden chrysanthemum patterns, Hirohito's figure appeared blurry yet majestic.

for a long time.

A calm, emotionless voice slowly rang out: "The military once said that the China Incident would be resolved in three months."

No one dared to speak; everyone lowered their heads even further.

"Now, six years have passed."

Sky Locust's voice remained calm, yet it sent a chill down everyone's spine: "We have lost one of the Empire's most elite field legions."

"Sugiyama-kun, Tojo-kun, tell me, can we really win this war?"

"His Majesty!"

Prime Minister and Army Minister Hideki Tojo, who had remained motionless like a sculpture, suddenly took a step forward.

He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice hoarse but unusually firm: "The failure of this battle is the fault of our poor command!"

"However, my brother's country still has the strength to fight again!"

"The Chinese army is merely using the prestige of American aid to show off its temporary bravery!"

He slowly straightened up, his face gaunt and sunken, his eyes burning with an almost insane flame.

He glanced around at his ashen-faced colleagues, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Gentlemen!"

"The annihilation of the main force of the Eleventh Army is not the end of our nation, but a wake-up call that we must heal!"

Hideki Tojo took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising: "The Army is arguing with the Navy over the budget and steel!"

"The Navy is locked in a standoff with the Army over fuel and fleet priorities!"

"The provincial departments are hindering each other for the sake of their own factories and workers!"

"Our brother's war machine is being torn apart from within by our own people!"

His gaze swept sharply over Navy Minister Shigetaro Shimada and Finance Minister Okinobu Kaya.

"Now, the time has come to make a decision!"

Hideki Tojo took a deep breath and made a groundbreaking proposal: "I propose that a 'Ministry of Munitions' be established immediately!"

"Place all war-related production, resources, and labor under unified command!"

"From this day forward, our nation will have only one goal: war!"

"There is only one voice, and that is victory!"

This suggestion sent a collective gasp through everyone present.

This is to concentrate all power in the cabinet.

Or rather, it was concentrated in the hands of Hideki Tojo alone.

“Your Excellency the Prime Minister!” Minister of Commerce and Industry Nobusuke Kishi stepped forward. His face was equally grim, but his anxiety stemmed from a different issue.

He first bowed deeply to Hideki Tojo, and then said in a slightly trembling voice, "Your determination to establish the Ministry of Munitions is admirable, but the problem of production is probably not something that can be solved simply by unified command."

He pulled a report from his pocket and presented it with both hands: "This is a report on national steel and aircraft production last month. The figures are far below our expectations."

“I visited the factories of Kawasaki and Mitsubishi. Many blast furnaces had been shut down, and half of the machines on the production line were stopped.”

Hideki Tojo's brows furrowed deeply: "The reason?"

“We don’t have enough skilled workers!” Kishi Nobusuke’s voice was filled with bitterness and helplessness. “The army’s conscription order is like a comb, sweeping away all the able-bodied young workers in our factories, especially those skilled technicians with more than ten years of experience!”

"Every conscription order is equivalent to shutting down a production line!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, even disregarding his respect for the army: "They took away the most skilled machine tool operators and the most experienced engineers, but left behind those idle, aimless street thugs!"

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, please forgive my bluntness, but exchanging a skilled technician for a street thug who only knows how to fight is simply not worth it!"

"If this continues, we'll bleed ourselves dry on the front lines, and then we won't be able to produce a single bullet in the rear!"

"Watch your words!" Army Chief of Staff Sugiyama Gen suddenly looked up and shouted sternly, "Serving the country loyally is the duty of every citizen!"

"obligation?"

Kishi Nobusuke, his face flushed, retorted, "Does producing weapons in the rear not count as being loyal?"

"Is watching the Empire fall because it lacks weapons the kind of loyalty your army demands?"

"One skilled worker is worth more than ten women and children, while the weapons and equipment produced by these unskilled workers are of extremely poor quality, yet the army is the one that sends them down."

"enough!"

Hideki Tojo's roar, like a thunderclap, instantly silenced all the arguments.

His cold gaze swept across Kishi Nobusuke and Sugiyama Gen's faces, finally settling on the production report.

"Minister Kishi's concerns are precisely the problems that the Ministry of Munitions needs to address," Hideki Tojo said, enunciating each word clearly and leaving no room for argument. "From today onward, all human resources will be strategically allocated by the Ministry of Munitions!"

"Whether factory workers or reserve soldiers, everyone must obey unified arrangements! Skilled technicians will return to their posts! As for the soldiers..."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "The streets of Brother Country certainly don't need so many idle people with nothing to do."

After the throne.

Tenko's voice rang out again, tinged with deep weariness, yet carrying a final resolve: "Let's do as Tojo-kun says." (End of Chapter)