Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

"Snapped!"

The deputy commander slammed a telegram on the table, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing slightly. His voice boomed, "This Li Yunlong, although usually carefree and fond of causing trouble, has a very keen sense of smell!"

"Since he said Chu Yunfei is not in Changzhi, then Chu Yunfei is definitely not here!"

Shanxi, deep in the Taihang Mountains.

The Eighth Route Army headquarters, in its simple yet spacious operations room.

A high-level military conference is underway.

The atmosphere inside the room was both solemn and warm.

Sitting around the rough wooden table were several key figures from the Eighth Route Army's former command.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of the General Staff Tang Dayun, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Liu, and Commander He.

Commander Liu adjusted his glasses, picked up the telegram and read it carefully. He pondered for a moment and said, "Not only is Chu Yunfei not here, but even Zhang Dayun is covering for him."

"'Going to the mountain city to report on my work'? That excuse might fool others, but it's not quite enough to fool Li Yunlong."

"At this crucial moment when Chu Yunfei is in control of the overall situation in North China and preparing for a counter-offensive, how could Chiang Kai-shek possibly recall him at this critical juncture?"

"That's the problem."

Chief of the General Staff Tang Dayun tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, his expression somewhat solemn: "In the past, whenever there were major military operations in North China or even the whole country, or when strategic adjustments were involved, Chu Yunfei would inform us immediately if he was in charge, or give us a heads-up through his 'liaison office'."

"For example, the previous battles, or even the allocation of certain resources."

Tang Dayun paused, his tone tinged with worry: "But this time, he has remained silent to us about both the specific timetable for the counter-offensive in North China and his own movements."

"Does this mean..."

Tang Dayun looked at the deputy commander-in-chief, but didn't elaborate.

But the meaning is obvious.

Did the authorities in Shancheng put pressure on Chu Yunfei?

Or is it that victory in the war is imminent?

Has Chu Yunfei's political stance undergone a subtle change?

I don't see it that way.

The deputy chief of the general staff, who had been silent all along, spoke up. He walked to the map, his gaze sweeping across North China and landing on the distant southern sea.

"Based on our intelligence network, and Li Yunlong's speculation about the 'South'."

The deputy chief of staff drew a circle around the location of Qiongzhou Island with a pencil. "Chu Yunfei's big move this time is most likely to take place here."

Qiongzhou Island?

Commander He's hand holding the pipe froze in mid-air: "That place is isolated overseas."

“That’s right.” The deputy chief of staff nodded. “There is indeed one of our armed forces there—the Qiongya Column.”

"However, comrades, the Qiongya Column has been isolated behind enemy lines for a long time, and its communication with the Central Committee and headquarters has always been very difficult, and was even interrupted at one point."

There are two possibilities why Chu Yunfei didn't report it.

The deputy chief of the general staff analyzed: "First, it is out of the military need for absolute secrecy. After all, if the secret of a cross-sea amphibious landing operation is leaked, it will be a disaster."

"Secondly, and most importantly, Chu Yunfei may not have taken the Qiongya Column into account at all."

"In his strategic vision, or in the intelligence provided by Yamashiro, there were probably only Japanese troops on that island, and no organized friendly forces."

"This is what is meant by intelligence asymmetry."

Commander Liu nodded slightly in agreement: "This analysis makes sense. Chu Yunfei is a pure soldier and a pragmatic strategist."

"If he wants to launch a counter-offensive in North China, he can't do without our cooperation, and he will definitely notify us. But in the South China Sea..."

“He probably felt that this was a matter between his Dingnan Army and the Americans, and had nothing to do with our Eighth Route Army.”

"Then what do we do?" Commander He tapped his cigarette ash. "If the comrades on the Qiongya side don't know the situation and start fighting with Chu Yunfei's troops or the Americans, wouldn't that be like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple?"

The deputy commander walked around the room twice with his hands behind his back, then suddenly stopped, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Whether Chu Yunfei knows or not, we can't pretend we don't know!"

"Now that Li Yunlong has delivered the intelligence, we have to take responsibility!"

The deputy commander looked at the chief of staff: "Send a telegram to the coast immediately!"

"Report Li Yunlong's discovery and our speculations to XX."

"Please have XX contact the Qiongya Special Committee as soon as possible to inform them of the possible landing operation by the National Revolutionary Army and its allies, so as to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts!"

"At the same time, we also ask Yan'an to decide what attitude the Qiongya Column should take if the Nationalist army really carried out an island-seizing and landing operation!"

"Yes!"

After the matter of Qiongzhou Island was settled, the topic of the meeting naturally shifted back to the current war situation in North China.

"Let's talk about things around our neighborhood."

The deputy commander pointed to the map on the wall, his tone becoming impassioned: "The North China Joint Command has really gone all out this time."

"Besides not clearly telling us Chu Yunfei's whereabouts, or the entire three-phase counter-offensive operation plan."

"Zhang Dayun really gave Li Yunlong the truth about supplies and equipment."

"Shells, explosives, medicines."

"Even some heavy artillery pieces used for assaults."

“As long as we ask, they will basically grant our request.”

"And the shells they provided us were all American or brand new from their Changzhi arsenal, with extremely high reliability."

Zhang Dayun further revealed that Chu Yunfei plans to equip two of our four armies with a full-fledged field artillery regiment, whose weaponry is comparable to that of a Class A combat unit. The remaining two armies will be equipped with additional support weapons such as mortars and grenade launchers, making them comparable to Class B combat units.

Commander Liu exclaimed, "I have to admit that Chu Yunfei does a better job in the united front than any other KMT general, and is even more 'magnanimous' than that guy in Chongqing."

"He gave us things, but didn't ask us to reorganize or infiltrate our ranks. He just wanted us to provide manpower, intelligence, and fight the Japanese."

"What do you call this? This is called respect!"

Commander He laughed heartily, "If they treat us with respect, we must treat them with even greater respect!"

"Our Eighth Route Army never takes advantage of others or does no work!"

"Now that we've taken their guns and cannons, we have to fight this battle well!"

"We are familiar with the terrain in Shandong."

"The hearts of the people are with us."

"With our help, the Japanese devils in Shandong will naturally be wiped out."

The group discussed the matter for half an hour, each contributing their own thoughts.

Finally, the deputy commander surveyed everyone and delivered his final concluding remarks: "Order!"

"The Shandong Military Region and all participating troops in North China are hereby placed on Level I combat readiness!"

"In the upcoming fourth phase of the joint counter-offensive in North China, our army must unconditionally cooperate with the frontal offensive of the North China Joint Command!"

"Don't worry about the gains or losses of a single city or place, and don't care who attacks first and who assists!"

"We have only one mission."

"Cooperate fully, we want to tear down the railway lines in the Japanese-occupied area."

"Take down the Japanese's key strongholds."

"Block their reinforcements on their way!"

"Our Eighth Route Army has successfully proven itself in previous battles. We are not only capable of guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare, but we are also capable of regular warfare. Just as XX said before, in this historical transformation, our Eighth Route Army must also quickly complete its transformation and development. We must also build a benchmark force like the 88th Group Army and the 6th Group Army."
-
Qiongzhou Island, Lingao Cape Landing Site.

The operation has progressed to its fifth day.

The tropical rainy season is like a child's face, changing in an instant.

One moment the sun is blazing, the next a torrential downpour begins.

Although the muddy roads caused some trouble for the troops' assembly, this did not dampen the high morale of the Dingnan Army.

Two days ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used bulldozers and steel plates to lay several temporary paved paths on the soft sand.

On the sea, a transport fleet fully loaded with the main force of the Second Army of Dingnan was continuously dumping troops and supplies onto the beach.

"Hurry up! Keep up! Stop dawdling!"

Zhang Dongkai, a formidable general who also served as the Chief of the General Staff and commander of the Second Combat Division.

He was standing next to a jeep that had just been driven off a landing craft, watching the last batch of soldiers land.

Not far from him, Deputy Division Commander Guo Lingfeng was directing soldiers to load heavy ammunition boxes and mortars onto trucks.

Soon, Guo Lingfeng wiped the rain off his face, stepped over, and said with a smile, "Commander, these American ships are really sturdy. Few of the brothers got seasick, and they can go straight to battle after disembarking. The last batch is all in place, and there hasn't been a single non-combat casualty!"

"Of course, otherwise why would Your Excellency go to such great lengths to organize joint operations?"

Zhang Dongkai straightened his helmet, his gaze fixed on the distant temporary command post, his eyes gleaming with eagerness: "That kid Wu Sizhong was lucky; he got the first move and took Lingao."

"Now it's our Second Division's turn to shine! Tell the brothers to get their spirits up!"

"After this battle, I will be removed from the position of acting chief of the general staff, and you will be in charge of the Second Division."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

……

Lingao.

Frontline General Headquarters.

Chu Yunfei stood in front of the huge sand table, gently tapping the newly updated situation map with his baton.

After several days of progress.

The so-called "Great Flood" operation has reached its peak water level.

Wu Sizhong's First Division has secured the Lingao area and sent troops to conduct reconnaissance in the surrounding areas.

Zhang Dongkai's Second Division has also completed its landing and replenishment, and is ready to be deployed into battle at any time.

The Third Division, commanded by Bai Yongqiang and Bao Zhishan, is also en route and is expected to arrive within two days.

This is the end.

The main force of the Second Army of the Dingnan Army was fully in place.

The main force of the First Army of the Dingnan Army was also en route for transport.

However, given the current state of the battle, Zheng Dongguo and his elite troops can only follow in Huang Huanran's footsteps and get scraps.

"Your Excellency."

Huang Baitao strode to the sand table and pointed to two points on the map: "According to the original plan, the troops have completed their rest and reorganization. Should we proceed as planned and advance towards Haikou to attack the enemy's 46th Division headquarters?"

"Do not."

Chu Yunfei's gaze swept across the map, and his consciousness instantly sank into the system's three-dimensional map.

In his view, the main force of the Japanese 46th Division in the direction of Haikou seemed to be on high alert.

However, the Japanese forces defending Danzhou and the upper reaches of the Nandu River on its flanks were pitifully thin.

There were only a few scattered garrison troops and puppet soldiers.

obviously.

The Japanese want to resort to the same old "gyokusai" (honorable death) strategy again.

"Haikou is a tough nut to crack. The Japanese army has been building fortifications there for several years. If we try to take it head-on, even with the support of American naval guns, the casualties will be heavy."

"Moreover, they have a large number of forts in Haikou, and we don't know how many of them are facing other directions."

"Large-caliber coastal defense guns will cause us great casualties."

Chu Yunfei shook his head, and his baton suddenly drew two sharp arcs in the southwest and southeast directions:
We need to force them to take action!

He turned around, looked at Huang Baitao, and said in an unquestionable tone:

"Brother Huanran, relay my orders!" "Yes!" Huang Baitao snapped to attention.

Chu Yunfei pointed to Danzhou on the west side of the map: "Order Zhang Dongkai's Second Combat Division to set off immediately and launch an attack on Danzhou in the southwest along the western highway."

"Danzhou is an important town in western Hainan and a distribution center for Japanese supplies on the western front."

"If we take that place, the Japanese troops in western Qiongzhou Island will have no choice but to try every means to break through and retreat eastward."

Followed by.

Chu Yunfei then pointed his baton to the winding river to the east—the Nandu River.

"Order Wu Sizhong's First Combat Division to advance southeast and sweep across the banks of the Nandu River."

"Control the upstream ferry crossings of the Nandu River to cut off the Japanese troops' retreat route from Haikou to the inland mountains, and at the same time, block their access to reinforcements!"

Chu Yunfei put away his baton and placed his hands on the edge of the sand table: "We will tear this piece of flesh, the Japanese army around Haikou, right off Qiongzhou Island!"

"This is what they call 'cutting off its wings and locking its throat'!"

Once the two divisions arrive, the Japanese troops in Haikou will be completely surrounded if they do not withdraw.

If we withdraw.

They would be torn apart in mobile warfare by the well-prepared US carrier-based aircraft and Dingnan army artillery fire.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Huang Baitao loudly accepted the order: "I'll go and make the arrangements right away!"

"Go."

Chu Yunfei waved his hand, looking at the increasingly heavy rain outside the window, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Do the Japanese want to fight us in Haikou?"

"I'm not going to give them that chance."

"I want them to bleed to the last drop of blood amidst endless mobilization and panic."

Regarding things like temporarily changing operational plans.

The officers and soldiers of the Dingnan Army were naturally prepared.

After all, that's exactly what their current commander likes to do most.

With Chu Yunfei's command.

The Second Combat Division of the Second Army of the Dingnan Army, which had just landed, immediately began operations.

The two initial landing forces split into two groups, one heading towards Danzhou in the west, and the other heading towards the Nandu River in the east.

at the same time.

Huaibei region in North China.

North China, the Huaihe Plain, the outskirts of Gaozhuang stronghold.

The early summer sun scorched the earth.

Xu Hu lay prone in a dried-up ditch, holding a finely crafted Thompson submachine gun, its barrel polished to a shine.

After recovering from his injuries and returning to his unit, he rejoined the reconnaissance brigade directly under the North China Joint Command and was awarded a blue and white medal by the General Headquarters.

Personnel who participated in combat and were killed in action.

All of them were enshrined in the Taihang Martyrs' Shrine, and their pensions were all paid at twice the normal rate.

This reconnaissance operation at Gaozhuang was Xu Hu's first "warm-up" mission after returning to the battlefield.

Xu Hu was quite looking forward to it.

After all, in Zhang Dayun's words, the Japanese devils were like grasshoppers in autumn, with only a few days left to hop around.

Their mission this time was to find out the situation inside the key Japanese strongholds through this operation.

Only in this way can they complete a systematic evaluation.

Only then could the fourth phase of the counter-offensive in North China be officially launched.

"Captain, we've figured it out."

A young soldier covered in camouflage grass silently crawled back to the irrigation ditch and reported in a low voice: "There is about a squad of Japanese soldiers and a platoon of puppet troops in the Gaozhuang stronghold."

"It looks like they're preparing to serve dinner at this time; their vigilance is very lax."

Xu Hu spat out the grass root he was holding in his mouth: "Relax?"

"They're tired of living."

He glanced back at the thirty carefully selected elites behind him.
They were all wearing steel helmets and special tactical vests, each equipped with a submachine gun or semi-automatic rifle, and their waists were covered with grenades.

With this firepower configuration, it's more than enough to take down a Japanese company, let alone a stronghold.

This was his first mission leading his troops since returning from injury, so naturally he wanted to perform well.

Xu Hu pulled back the bolt of his rifle, his voice cold: "After the first squad cuts the telephone line, quickly complete the encirclement."

"The second squad controls the high ground and is ready to provide fire support at any time."

"The third team will follow me and sneak in from the front."

"Remember, be quick and swift, wipe them all out."

"Yes!"

……

At noon, the Japanese and puppet troops at the Gaozhuang stronghold were holding their rice bowls and gathered in the open space under the watchtower.

"boom--!"

A sudden, loud bang.

The stronghold's gate, along with the sandbag fortifications at the entrance, was instantly blown away by the massive blast wave.

Before the Japanese soldiers inside could react...

Several hissing, smoking American-made grenades had already been thrown at them.

"Enemy attack——!"

Just as a Japanese sergeant threw down his rice bowl and reached for his gun, a burst of submachine gun bullets swept over him, riddling him with holes.

“Da da da da da—!”

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Xu Hu led more than a dozen soldiers like divine soldiers descending from the sky.

The muzzle flashes of submachine guns wove a web of death in the narrow courtyard.

A massacre.

These puppet troops, who usually acted arrogantly, were terrified when they saw this group of well-equipped and ferocious-looking Nationalist scouts. They knelt on the ground and raised their hands without even pulling the bolts of their rifles.

"Do not kill me!"

"Sir, spare us! We surrender!"

A dozen or so Japanese soldiers, who were putting up a stubborn resistance, tried to retreat to the pillbox and fight against the Japanese soldiers who remained inside.

But before they could even get close to the firing port...

The second squad's "marksmen," who had already secured the high ground, then ripped their skulls open with their guns.

The battle lasted only eight minutes before it ended.

The Gaozhuang stronghold was littered with the corpses of Japanese soldiers. Only one puppet soldier was hit by a stray bullet; the rest were crouching in the corners with their heads in their hands.
Xu Hu kicked aside a Japanese soldier's corpse, blew away the non-existent smoke from his gun barrel, and showed a hint of disdain on his face: "These little devils are getting less and less interesting as the fight goes on. Their reaction speed is much worse than it was two years ago. They easily sneaked into the village."

"Captain, the warehouse door is open."

A soldier ran over excitedly: "I thought they were hiding some treasure because they were guarding it so tightly!"

Xu Hu put away his gun and strode towards the warehouse behind the stronghold.

In addition to killing the enemy, the reconnaissance battalion's more important task was to gather intelligence and information on supplies.

Based on past experience, Japanese strongholds usually stockpile a certain amount of ammunition, canned goods, and rice.

They will also use this to judge the difficulty of this counter-offensive.

however.

When Xu Hu entered the dimly lit warehouse and saw what was inside, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His brows furrowed tightly.

The warehouse was empty; there were no mountains of ammunition boxes or stacks of rice.

There were only a few dozen open bags of grain piled up in the corner.

There were also several wooden crates that had been pried open.

Xu Hu walked over and reached into the bag, grabbing a handful of things.

It wasn't refined rice; it was a "mixed grain" containing sand, husks, and moldy sorghum, and even some unknown dried wild vegetables mixed in.

Xu Hu was incredulous: "This is what the Japanese soldiers ate?"

"Call them over."

"Sir, you called me?" A puppet soldier looked at Xu Hu with a terrified expression.

"Did the Japanese eat this?"

The puppet soldier nodded blankly: "Yes."

"They're not eating polished rice?"

"In the last six months, I've only seen white flour and refined rice. Even brown rice is rarely available. These little devils are complaining about it themselves."

Undeterred, Xu Hu kicked away the wooden crate next to him that looked like it contained ammunition.

Inside the wooden crate, there was only half a crate of reloaded bullets that looked refurbished and had some oxidized casings.

This thing.
The Nationalist army in North China no longer uses them; only the Eighth Route Army occasionally uses reloaded ammunition.

The roles have reversed... it's the Japanese's turn to use reloaded ammunition.
"Captain, look at this canned food..."

A soldier handed over an opened Japanese military can.

Xu Hu took it and smelled it, almost vomiting.

That's not the kind of canned beef or fish we used to have.

Instead, it was a paste-like substance with a strange smell.

It seems there aren't even things like cow's blood or offal.

It looks like the internal organs of some kind of fish.

As everyone knows, nobody eats fish innards.
The Japanese, however, mixed them with some kind of "starch" and made them into canned goods.

The soldiers looked at each other, and they all saw shock in each other's eyes.

“Back when we raided strongholds, the canned beef we seized was a real bargaining chip.”

"These Japanese devils have actually fallen to this level?"

Xu Hu casually tossed the disgusting can on the ground, dusted off his hands, and his eyes became unusually deep: "The Japanese devils really can't live like this anymore."

"The manpower at the front is exhausted, and the logistics are in such a terrible state."

"Even the garrison troops in such key strongholds eat this kind of pig swill and use this kind of rotten bullets."

"This is enough to show that their national strength has been completely depleted."

Xu Hu turned around, looked at the mess on the ground, and waved to his accompanying communications officer: "Where's the camera? Bring it over and take pictures!"

"Take some samples of these moldy grains and substandard bullets back with you."

Xu Hu paused for a moment, then said confidently, "With these things, I'm afraid the higher-ups will no longer be worried about Okamura Yasuji's tortoise formation!" (End of Chapter)