Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Inside Yichang city.

This is no longer a city.

This is a burning inferno.

Thick smoke billowed from the ruins, obscuring the sky and the sun.

Every intact building, every abandoned window, and even every seemingly insignificant pile of rubble could unleash a deadly flame.

The Japanese city defense commander, Ando Rikichi, did not break his promise.

He scattered the remaining few thousand soldiers to every corner of the city, turning them into countless poisoned nails, attempting to pierce the attackers' feet.

The northern part of the city.

Zhao Tiezhu's regiment of the 30th Army stumbled into this maze.

"boom!"

With a loud crash, half of a two-story building at the street corner collapsed.

That was a concealed Japanese firing point, where two Type 92 heavy machine guns formed a crossfire, suppressing the vanguard company for a full ten minutes.

"Damn it! This is the third one!"

Battalion Commander Ma Qifeng spat out the mud and sand from his mouth. Half of his face was blackened by the smoke, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Battalion Commander, we can't break through the main gate! The Japanese have blocked the road, and it's full of booby traps!"

A platoon leader ran back, his voice trembling with tears, his left arm stained red with blood.

"Who told you to use the main entrance?!"

Ma Qifeng kicked away the broken bricks at his feet.

"All those urban warfare tactics I taught you before, have they all gone to waste?!"

"Damn it, who goes through the front door? Break down the wall for me!"

"Yes!"

Two soldiers, carrying entrenching tools and explosive charges, darted into the neighboring house like cats.

"boom!"

A large hole was blown open in the side wall.

Soldiers from the 30th Army, who had been waiting for a long time, filed in through the smoke and dust, carrying submachine guns.

This is the 30th Army's fighting style—the wall-penetrating tactic.

They don't walk on the street or through the main gate; they only walk through holes in the wall.

"Burn it for me!"

Ma Qifeng roared.

Several Molotov cocktails were smashed into the room where the Japanese soldiers were stationed.

Flames erupted instantly, and amidst shrill screams, several Japanese soldiers, their bodies engulfed in flames, charged out, only to be riddled with bullets before they could take more than two steps.

Zhao Tiezhu, carrying a large machete, followed behind the group, grinning as he watched this scene:

"Good lad! Fight like that!"

"Don't worry about ammo! Throw grenades at every window you see!"

"We must pull out the Japanese devils one by one, like pulling out nails!"

The soldiers of the 30th Army displayed the ruthlessness unique to the Northwest Army.

Some soldiers were stabbed through the stomach by bayonets in close combat, but they gritted their teeth and refused to let go, detonating their grenades to take the Japanese soldiers down with them.

Like a pack of wolves that have smelled blood, they were covered in wounds, but their biting became increasingly ferocious, tearing the Japanese defenses to shreds step by step.

……

The eastern part of the city.

The advance of Luo Weijun's regiment of the 18th Army presented a completely different picture.

If the 30th Army was a savage, charging bull, then the 18th Army was a calm, cutting scalpel.

They didn't use the tunnels in the walls, but they controlled the streets with terrifying firepower.

on the street.

Several 37mm anti-tank guns were pushed to the front line by the engineers, their dark muzzles pointing straight at the end of the street.

The infantrymen spread out in battle formation, close to the base of the wall, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"11 o'clock position, second-floor window, machine gun firing point!"

The sound of the forward observation post had just faded.

"Tom!"

Without any unnecessary words, the 60mm mortar crew, who had been waiting in advance, carried out a precise rappelling shot through the wall.

The shell hit the window accurately, exploding into a burst of fire.

But this is only the beginning.

The Japanese bunker was still firing.

"Rocket launcher! Charge!"

Two gunners carrying Type 31 rocket launchers, under the cover of a machine gun team, quickly advanced to a sandbag fortification.

After aiming at the target, he decisively pulled the trigger.

"Boom!"

The rockets, trailing plumes of flame, seemed to have eyes; one destroyed a Japanese defensive fortification, while the other pierced through the breach and entered the Japanese fortification itself!
The violent explosion instantly tore the Japanese soldiers inside to pieces.

Immediately afterwards, an engineer carrying a heavy steel cylinder approached rapidly from the flank under the cover of infantry.

"puff--!"

A long fire dragon shot out from the flamethrower!

Flames reaching temperatures of over a thousand degrees instantly filled the entire ground floor of the building.

No need for a charge, no need for hand-to-hand combat.

There were only heart-wrenching screams and the stench of burning air.

Luo Weijun stood at the rear, calmly looking at the map and constantly adjusting the attack axes of each battalion.

"First Battalion, machine gun teams, block the left flank intersection, not even a bird is allowed to fly over."

"The Second Battalion and the regimental engineer company cleared the roadblocks, providing cover for the anti-tank guns to advance fifty meters and fire directly."

"The Third Battalion will make a flanking maneuver on the right flank, blasting up all obstacles on the road and leveling all the ruins where people might be hiding. During the process, be careful to evacuate the people in the city and be wary of Japanese soldiers infiltrating among them!"

The soldiers of the 18th Army demonstrated extremely high tactical skills and moving resilience.

In a dead end.

The Japanese army launched a desperate "Banzai Charge".

Dozens of wounded Japanese soldiers, strapped with explosives, roared as they charged toward the 18th Army's position.

"Hold on!"

The frontline company commander roared.

No one retreated, and no one panicked.

The soldiers of the 18th Army calmly raised their guns, aimed, and fired.

Several Type 24 heavy machine guns and Czech light machine guns formed an impenetrable crossfire network.

The Japanese soldiers at the forefront were blown apart, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Even if some fish slipped through the net and rushed close.

They were met with a barrage of grenades precisely thrown by soldiers of the 18th Army.

They were like a moving steel wall, slowly, heavily, yet irresistibly crushing towards the city center.

With the two forces launching a concentric attack, the Japanese army's living space was compressed to its limit.

The area around Ando Rikichi's city defense command post became the final meat grinder.

The remaining Japanese soldiers have gone mad.

They hid among the corpses and fired shots from the shadows.

They jumped off the roof carrying explosives.

Some Japanese officers even brandished their swords, attempting to carve a bloody path through the hail of heavy machine gun fire.

Is this the final struggle?

Zhao Tiezhu wiped the blood from his face and looked at the building in front of him, which was surrounded by layers of sandbags and barbed wire.

"Second Battalion Commander!"

"To!"

Ma Qifeng's arm was also wrapped in bandages, but his eyes remained fervent.

"Do you see that Rising Sun flag?"

Zhao Tiezhu pointed to the top of the building: "Take it down for me! Replace it with our military flag!"

"Yes!"

Almost at the same time.

At the end of another street.

Luo Weijun also put down his binoculars.

He looked at the same target and coldly gave the order into the walkie-talkie:
"Anti-tank artillery company, fire all your shells!"

"Target: The main entrance of the enemy command building!"

"Infantry, prepare to charge! As soon as the artillery fire stops!"

"The honor of the 18th Army is embodied in that flag!"

Two military units.

One left and one right.

Like two sharp swords, they simultaneously pierced the heart of the Japanese army.

"kill!!!"

Amidst deafening shouts of battle, the 30th Army's suicide squad, carrying explosives, charged towards the gate through a hail of bullets.

The 18th Army's assault team set up Type 31 rocket launchers and bombarded the windows relentlessly.

At 3 p.m. sharp, a flag bearing the marks of gunpowder and bullet holes, covered in gunpowder smoke, was raised in the hands of two soldiers covered in blood.

One of them was from the 18th Army, and the other was from the 30th Army.

This flag was planted on the roof of the Yichang City Defense Command building with the help of the two men!
Beneath that banner lay Ando Rikichi's already cold body, and his command sword broken in two.

At this moment, Yichang is liberated!
Ruins of the city defense command headquarters in Yichang.

The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the air was still filled with the pungent smell of blood and burnt flesh.

A pair of dusty military boots shattered the rubble on the ground.

Yang Jie was a recognized military theorist in the Kuomintang military, and was often referred to as "Yang in the South and Chiang in the North".

He stood solemnly beside Ando Rikichi's body.

Yang Jie did not look at the Japanese lieutenant general who had committed seppuku; his gaze swept back and forth between the faces of Luo Weijun and Zhao Tiezhu.

These two men, one with impeccable military bearing, though looking exhausted, still stood as upright as a pine tree, like a fine steel sword that had just been sheathed.

The other was dressed in rags, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exuding a fierce, bandit-like aura, like a butcher's knife that had just chopped bones.

"Brother Geng Guang."

Guo Chan, the chief of staff of the Sixth War Zone who accompanied the inspection, asked in a low voice, "What do you think... how should this report be written?"

Yang Jie did not answer immediately.

He turned and walked to the window, looking down at the two troops cleaning up the battlefield.

On the left, soldiers of the 18th Army are methodically clearing the battlefield, counting ammunition, and treating the wounded; everything is like a sophisticated machine in operation.

On the right, the soldiers of the 30th Army appeared much more casual. They sat in groups of three or five on the ruins smoking, but in the eyes of these seemingly undisciplined soldiers, there was something that Yang Jie had only seen in the eyes of the elite Japanese troops before. It was a kind of simple desire for killing and extreme confidence in their own strength.

"One is the ultimate embodiment of German military discipline, relying on heavy firepower and a tight organization to advance step by step."

Yang Jie spoke slowly, his voice carrying an undisguised shock:

"The other is the perfect integration of the Red Party's guerrilla and mobile tactics with regular warfare and siege warfare."

"They are agile, ruthless, and unscrupulous."

"The victory of Luo Weijun's regiment was a victory of industrial capacity and a victory of tactical skill."

"And the victory of Zhao Tiezhu's regiment..."

Yang Jie turned around and looked at Zhao Tiezhu, who had a fierce face, with a complicated expression: "It is the purest understanding of the essence of 'war'."

"Chu Yunfei..."

Yang Jie murmured the name and sighed, "He's not just training soldiers; he's reshaping the soul of our army."

"The 18th Army proved that as long as we are equipped, our military skills are no worse than those of the Germans."

"The 30th Army proved that as long as we are given the opportunity, those ragtag troops that are looked down upon can also become a pack of wolves that can kill a lion!"

Yang Jie immediately ordered his staff officer behind him: "Record it!"

"Review and Evaluation Report on the Battle of Yichang"

"In my opinion, the tactics of the 18th Army can serve as a benchmark for the future construction of our army's main force."

"The tactics of the 30th Army should serve as a model for the training of local troops!"

"This battle proves that Chief Advisor Chu's strategy of 'military reorganization' is indeed a good medicine for saving the nation and ensuring its survival!"

"I suggest that Chairman Chiang not only implement this policy, but also promote it throughout the entire army at all costs!"

……

The next day, in the mountain city, at the Huangshan official residence.

The atmosphere in the Yunxiulou conference room was solemn and dignified.

The huge round table was filled with bigwigs who would decide the military direction of the country.

Chang Ruiyuan sat upright in the main seat, radiant with health.

The news of Yichang's liberation was like a shot in the arm, making the leader stand a little straighter.

On the left are Minister of Military Affairs Chen Cixiu, Chief of the General Staff Bai Jiansheng, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army He Yingqin.

On the right are Xu Cichen, Chief of the General Staff; Zhang Wenbai, Chief of the Political Department; and Wang Jun, Deputy Chief of Military Training.
Many other key officials also attended the meeting, such as Liu Fei, Vice Minister of Military Affairs; Yu Dawei, Director of the Ordnance Bureau; and Zheng Jiemin, Director of the Second Military and Political Department.
"Everyone."

Chang Ruiyuan looked around, his tone tinged with pride: "The liberation of Yichang, the great victory in western Hubei, and the report sent back from the front by Yang Gengguang have given extremely high praise to the combat effectiveness of our newly reorganized troops."

"This shows that as long as we put in the effort, the Japanese devils aren't made of iron!"

The several bigwigs present nodded in agreement and said a few polite words.

But they all knew that the reason they were called here today was not simply to hold a victory celebration.

Sure enough, after exchanging pleasantries, Chang Ruiyuan changed the subject.

"I have invited you all here today because there is a very important matter that concerns the overall situation, and I want to discuss it with you all."

Chen Cixiu understood immediately and stood up to distribute the "Joint Landing Operation Plan for Qiongzhou Island" that he had prepared in advance to everyone.

The sound of pages turning filled the conference room.

A moment later, Bai Jiansheng was the first to raise his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Qiongzhou Island..."

Bai Jiansheng put down the documents and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Chairman, this is a big move."

"It not only cut off the Japanese army's southward advance, but also directly threatened the coastal areas of Guangdong and Guangxi."

As one of the leaders of the New Guangxi Clique.

Bai Jiansheng was most sensitive to the war situation in the south.

Once Qiongzhou Island is liberated.

This would provide an additional maritime barrier for the Guangxi clique's ancestral homeland, which he naturally welcomed.

"but……"

Bai Jiansheng changed the subject and looked at Chen Cixiu:
"The plan says that the Americans will lead the way, and the Australians will provide escorts. Will the Americans and Australians agree to that?"

"Take Stilwell, for example. Normally, he'd treat getting supplies like it's the end of the world. But this time, they actually agreed to send troops?"

Chang Ruiyuan smiled slightly and looked at Chen Cixiu.

Chen Cixiu confidently replied, "Chief Bai is unaware of this."

"Although this plan was proposed by Chu Yunfei, it hit the mark right where the Americans were going."

"They urgently need to make a breakthrough in the Pacific theater, and President Roosevelt also needs a victory to appease the domestic population."

"According to the latest news, Washington has agreed in principle."

Upon hearing the words "Washington agreed."

He Jingzhi's eyes lit up; he had once been a well-known "pro-Japanese" figure.

They are now considered "pro-American" and value foreign aid the most.

"Committee!"

He Jingzhi pushed up his glasses and said urgently, "If the Americans are really willing to send troops and equipment, then we will naturally fight this war."

"The plan mentions that the U.S. will provide a large amount of amphibious combat equipment and logistical supplies to support the landing."

"After this battle, these things..."

"Even if it's just for maintaining order, we should stay on that island, right?"

He Jingzhi was making his own plans.

It is obvious that they are after the weapons and equipment aid that the Americans are providing for free.

This is precisely the point that everyone cares about.

The development of amphibious landing forces is also one of the future directions, and everyone is well aware of this.

Xu Yongchang, on the other hand, was more composed. He frowned and asked a crucial question: "Chairman, gentlemen."

"If we win this battle, everyone will be happy."

"But what about the command authority... we are the nominal commander-in-chief."

"When we actually get to the battlefield, will those tens of thousands of American soldiers listen to us?"

"If the command fails or something goes wrong, this 'joint effort' will likely turn into a matter of shifting blame."

"Besides, what if the US military does something that would incur public outrage on our soil? How should we deal with that?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Ruiyuan gave a soft hum: "Ci Chen's concerns are not without merit."

"Foreigners, they've always only recognized strength, not people."

Chang Ruiyuan stood up, walked to the map, and his gaze fell on that large, isolated island overseas.

"Therefore, the troops we send out this time must be the elite of the elite!"

"We need to show the Americans that our Chinese army isn't just there to make up the numbers, but to be the main force!"

He turned around, his gaze sharp, and swept over everyone present: "I propose..."

“Establish the ‘Supreme Command of the Qiongya Campaign’, with myself in charge.”

"Specific battle command..."

Chang Ruiyuan's gaze lingered on Chen Cixiu and Bai Jiansheng for a moment, but finally turned to look out the window towards northern Hubei.

"I'm considering sending Yunfei."

"He proposed the plan, and the Americans only listen to him."

"and……"

Chang Ruiyuan's lips curled into a meaningful smile: "Since he enjoys dealing with foreigners so much, let him go and have a battle of wits with that stubborn mule Stilwell. What do you think?"

Everyone stared at each other, wide-eyed.

They all looked pleased with the outcome.

"agree."

"Stilwell seems to admire Chu Yunfei quite a bit."

"Yes, Americans really appreciate commanders like Chief Advisor Chu."

Bai Jiansheng exclaimed in high praise, "Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, this is a brilliant move! With the Chief Advisor's military talent, he will naturally be able to win over these foreigners!" (End of Chapter)