Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Outside Caoshi Market, the forward command post of the Japanese 59th Division.

The dim lantern swayed precariously amidst the violent shaking of artillery fire, and loose soil fell from the top of the command post, scattering onto the spread-out battle map.

An atmosphere of anxiety and despair permeated the air.

Division Commander Lieutenant General Tadayasu Hosokawa's face was ashen, his hands gripping the edge of the map so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the excessive force.

His gaze darted back and forth between the red circle representing the Eighth Route Army's Eastern Expeditionary Column and the blue arrow representing the Nationalist Army's 31st Group Army, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"Why can't we take it down, you idiot?!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu's voice was hoarse and filled with resentment: "Two whole days! Even without the support of the heavy artillery brigade, do you think we can't do anything to an isolated army with just the division's artillery?"

"Your Excellency, Division Commander."

Chief of Staff Colonel Fujita took off his dusty glasses, wiped them, and reported bitterly, "This enemy force, known as the 'Eastern Expeditionary Column,' is far too powerful."

"The front-line regiment reports that the enemy's firepower configuration is highly unusual."

"They were equipped with a large number of American 60mm mortars, and even 81mm mortars and so-called disposable rocket launchers."

"In urban warfare, our heavy machine gun positions often attract precise indirect fire from the enemy as soon as they open fire."

"Our tank squadron is struggling to move through the ruins and could be destroyed by those damned rocket launchers at any moment."

"This is the 'model unit' that Chu Yunfei meticulously trained!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu sighed deeply, his tone filled with regret and helplessness: "I knew they were well-equipped, but I never expected that commander named Li Yunlong could use that equipment so skillfully. A roughneck who never went to military school actually has such abilities."

He slammed his fist on the table, making the map shake violently.

"If Commander Okamura assigns me a heavy artillery regiment."

"No!"

"Even if you give me two more field artillery squadrons!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu held up two fingers, his eyes filled with regret: "If only I had two more squadrons equipped with 75mm field guns, I could have carried out a more thorough fire suppression on the core positions of Caoshiji, and I could have blew up Li Yunlong's command post before sunset yesterday!"

"Just one step away from the goal!"

"With just a little more firepower and a little more time, we can annihilate this elite Eighth Route Army force and completely sever one of the Chinese's arms on the southern front."

"Unfortunately, the opportunity was fleeting," Chief of Staff Fujita said in a low voice. "We didn't have those two squadrons, and Li Yunlong was indeed a tough nut to crack. He fought us for two days in the ruins, and he managed to wear down our offensive momentum."

"And now, something even more troublesome has come."

Before Hosokawa Tadayasu could recover from the regret of "losing a good opportunity," a series of even more intense explosions came from the flank—the sound of large-caliber howitzers hitting the ground.

A communications officer stumbled in, his face contorted with terror: "Reporting, Division Commander! The flank! The flank defenses have collapsed!"

"The 31st Army Group of China! They have broken through our defensive positions and are advancing rapidly towards the core area of ​​Caoshiji!"

"Nani?!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief: "How could it be so fast?!"

"Just two days ago, they were still dawdling around a few kilometers away, crawling like turtles!"

"One of our battalions could easily hold off an entire division of theirs!"

How could it be so sudden?

The communications officer said, trembling, "Reports from the front: the Chinese army is completely disregarding casualties in this offensive!"

"Their officers led the charge, with the supervisory squads setting up machine guns behind them!"

"Moreover, they opened fire at full power!"

"Division Commander, those are the elite troops of the Central Army, trained in the German style and equipped with American artillery. If this unit goes berserk and attacks without regard for the cost, our meager forces on the flank simply cannot stop them!"

“We all underestimated Wang Zhonglian, or rather, we underestimated Chu Yunfei’s methods of coercing Wang Zhonglian.”

Hosokawa Tadayasu slumped into his chair, utterly aware of the terrifying nature of the Central Army's elite forces launching a full-scale attack without conserving their strength.

"Division Commander, a decision must be made!"

Fujita said anxiously, "Li Yunlong is too tough a nut to crack. We lack heavy weapons to take him down in a short time."

"Now that our flanks have been breached, we've become the meat filling sandwiched in the middle!"

"If we don't adjust our deployment immediately, we'll either be attacked from both sides or be surrounded in Caoshiji!"

"The opportunity to annihilate the Eastern Expeditionary Column... has been completely lost because of the missing firepower!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu looked at the map, a hint of extreme resentment flashing in his eyes.

It was so close!

The reality was cruel. That main force of the Central Army, which seemed to have gone mad, was like a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment and sever the neck of the 59th Division.

"Bagaya Road!!"

Hosokawa Tadayasu let out an angry roar, slammed his fist on the table, knocking the teacup to the ground and shattering it.

"Not only did we not get to eat any meat, we also had to guard against being bitten by wolves!"

After a long while, he sighed deeply, looking as if he had aged ten years.

Hosokawa Tadayasu's voice was filled with weariness and helplessness: "Stop the attack on Cao Market."

"Each regiment will take turns providing cover and advance to the rear defensive line, thus disengaging from the battle."

"Hai!"
-
Caoshiji, the ruins of the core position.

The smoke had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with a pungent, burnt smell.

After an urgent telegram was translated, the suffocating sounds of gunfire finally ceased.

"Pooh!"

Li Yunlong crawled out of the command post in the cellar that was almost half destroyed by the bomb and spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with sand.

His face was covered in soot, and his military uniform was torn to shreds, but his eyes still shone with an alarming brightness.

He raised his binoculars and looked at the large Japanese army unit that was retreating southeastward like a tide in the distance. He then slammed his hat to the ground.

"Damn it, that old Japanese devil runs faster than a rabbit!"

Li Yunlong looked pained and regretful, pointing to the dust in the distance and cursing, "It was just one breath away!"

"If only that bastard Wang Zhonglian's troops had arrived half a day earlier, or even just three hours earlier!"

"I'm going to make sure I can take down an entire regiment of the 59th Division today!"

"Alright, Lao Li."

Zhao Gang also emerged covered in dust and dirt. Looking at the shell craters and the bodies of the fallen soldiers, a trace of grief flashed in his eyes, but more so, a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal: "We're already incredibly lucky that we managed to break this tough nut before it was swallowed up."

“If it weren’t for Commander Chu’s ‘dead order’ that drove Wang Zhonglian crazy, we would probably be dead here today.”

As they were talking, flags of the Republic of China (Taiwan) appeared in the smoke and dust on the southern horizon.

At this crucial moment, the vanguard of the 31st Army Group finally broke through the Japanese flank blockade like a bulldozer and joined forces with the Eastern Expeditionary Column.

A tall, refined-looking major general of the Nationalist Army, covered in gunpowder, rushed over with his bodyguards.

Upon seeing Li Yunlong, he did not put on airs like a typical Central Army officer, but instead snapped to attention and gave a perfectly standard military salute.

"Commander Li!"

"I am Liao Yunzhou, commander of the 110th Division of the 85th Army of the 31st Army Group!"

Liao Yunzhou wiped the sweat and grease from his face, his tone revealing genuine anxiety: "We were ordered to rush to the rescue, but we're late! What are your casualties?"

"Liao Yunzhou?"

Li Yunlong was stunned for a moment before quickly returning the greeting.

He looked the Nationalist army division commander up and down, who seemed refined but was no slouch when it came to fighting.

Although he didn't know Liao Yunzhou's true identity (an underground member of the Communist Party of China), Old Li had a very sharp eye for people.

He could sense that the person in front of him was different from the previous Xu Kang and Wang Zhonglian.

This man didn't have that unpleasant, slick soldier vibe; instead, he exuded a friendly charm. "You won't die!"

Li Yunlong chuckled and returned the salute casually: "Commander Liao, right?"

"Thanks to you guys for making that last-minute effort! If you had arrived a few hours later, you would have been here to collect Li Yunlong's corpse!"

"I'll see how Commander-in-Chief Wang explains this to Commander Chu then!"

Liao Yunzhou gave a wry smile and said in a low voice, "Commander Li, you flatter me."

"Since we're fighting the Japanese, we're all one family."

"Chief Advisor Chu's 'military law' sword is already hanging over our heads. Division Commander Xu Kang has been taken down. Who would dare not fight to the death?"

He glanced at the horrific battlefield around him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "To be able to hold out for two days under the siege of an elite Japanese division, the Eastern Expeditionary Column truly lives up to its reputation. Yun Zhou is impressed!"

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries."

Li Yunlong's eyes darted around, and when he saw the damaged trucks and piles of ammunition boxes abandoned on the battlefield by the retreating Japanese army, he immediately revealed his true colors.

He pointed to the pile of spoils and looked tentatively at Liao Yunzhou: "Brother Liao, let's be frank. These Japanese devils ran away in a hurry and left behind a lot of junk."

"Your Central Army is so powerful and wealthy, equipped with both American and Soviet weapons, you probably wouldn't even look at this little bit of stuff, right?"

Liao Yunzhou was an extremely intelligent man, and he certainly knew what Li Yunlong meant.

As a comrade who was undercover, he was eager to give all this equipment to the Eighth Route Army, and he could use this as an excuse to do them a favor.

"Commander Li is joking."

Liao Yunzhou smiled slightly, waved his hand, and said in a very generous manner, "Since your unit held off the Japanese for two days on this position, these spoils of war should naturally belong to your unit!"

"Our 110th Division needs to continue the pursuit, and carrying these jars and pots would be a burden. We'll have to trouble Commander Li to help us 'clean up the battlefield'!"

"Hahaha! Great! That's awesome!"

Li Yunlong was overjoyed. He hadn't expected this Nationalist army division commander to be so savvy, as if he could read his mind.

He turned to Zhang Dabiao and yelled, "Dabiao! What are you standing there for?!"

"Did you hear that?"

"Commander Liao said that it belongs to us!"

"Bring all the canned goods, coats, and unexploded shells back to me!"

"And those damaged mountain guns, drag them all back for me. I reckon they can still be repaired and used!"

"Hurry up! Don't keep Commander Liao's men waiting!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Dabiao understood immediately and waved his hand: "First Battalion, follow me!"

"Hurry up!"

Watching the Eighth Route Army soldiers rushing towards the battlefield like wolves to collect the spoils, Liao Yunzhou's adjutant felt a pang of heartache and muttered under his breath, "Commander, there seem to be two Type 92 infantry guns in there. We're not exactly well-stocked either."

Liao Yunzhou glared at him and hissed, "Shut up!"

"Why be envious of something you risked your life for?"

"Don't forget that this unit is a model unit created by Commander Chu. Don't be so short-sighted!"

The adjutant dared not say more.

Everyone knew who was behind this unit, and even a major adjutant like him wouldn't dare to offend them.

Liao Yunzhou turned his head and saluted Li Yunlong: "Commander Li, the military situation is urgent. My unit must continue to guard the area towards Xuzhou, so I won't stay any longer. Until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again!" Li Yunlong clasped his hands in a deep fist salute. "Brother Liao, I'll remember this favor! I'll treat you to a drink sometime!"

Watching Liao Yunzhou lead his troops away, Zhao Gang walked over and said thoughtfully, "Old Li, this Commander Liao is no ordinary man. Not only is he fierce in battle, but he also has a very methodical approach to dealing with people. He seems like a soldier with conviction."

“He’s a real character!” Li Yunlong nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. “The Nationalist army is truly full of talented people. In my opinion, these little devils won’t be driven out of the country for long.”

That night, at the Eighth Route Army headquarters in Shanxi.

A few kerosene lamps illuminated the simple operations room.

On the huge North China battle map on the wall, the red and blue arrows indicating the enemy's and our own positions are changing dramatically. Each change in the markings represents a major turning point in the battle.

"report!"

The confidential staff officer delivered an urgent telegram from the front lines in northern Anhui to the deputy commander-in-chief.

The deputy commander glanced at it, his thick, dark eyebrows suddenly shot up, and then he handed the telegram to Commander Liu beside him. His hearty laughter shook the dust off the roof, causing it to fall in a flurry: "Hahahaha! What a Chu Yunfei!"

"Look, Li Yunlong was extremely grateful in the telegram."

"He said he originally thought he was going to die at Caoshi Market, but because Xu Kang, the division commander of the Central Army, refused to come to his aid."

"Unexpectedly, Chu Yunfei really dared to take action! With a wave of the imperial sword, he directly captured Xu Kang! Not only did he save Old Li's life, but he also forced Wang Zhonglian to become the fierce Zhang Fei!"

Commander Liu took the telegram, adjusted his glasses, read it carefully, and then a signature gentle and wise smile appeared on his face.

"Boss, I think Chu Yunfei did more than just 'good' in this matter; he did it 'brilliantly'."

Commander Liu put down the telegram, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and analyzed, "Xu Kang is He Yingqin's relative and a direct descendant of the Whampoa Military Academy. If it were anyone else, even if they wanted to help us, they would at most send a couple of telegrams to reprimand him and then smooth things over."

"After all, it would be unwise to offend our central colleagues for the sake of our Eighth Route Army."

"But Chu Yunfei didn't."

Commander Liu's eyes revealed deep admiration: "He didn't even need our Eighth Route Army headquarters to express its opinion, nor did he need us to put pressure on or protest to the mountain city. He handled things perfectly!"

"Act swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for future trouble."

"What does this mean?"

The deputy commander nodded, his expression turning serious: "This shows he has determination, courage, and even more so, boldness!"

"Yes."

Commander Liu exclaimed, "As the saying goes, 'listen to their words and observe their actions,' Chu Yunfei's use of Xu Kang's head further proved to us his sincerity in upholding unity in the War of Resistance."

"Since they have shown such great sincerity, entrusted their backs to us, and even helped us withstand the greatest pressure on the southern front."

"Our Party believes in reciprocity and must never allow anyone to look down on us!"

"Commander, this is a telegram just sent by the Chairman and the Military Commission in Yan'an."

"In order to deepen the strategic partnership between the two sides, and also to completely disrupt the Japanese army's strategic layout in the north."

"The Yan'an authorities have decided that in this major counter-offensive, we will not only fight in North China, but also fight our way out!"

"Fight to the border!"

The chief of staff walked to the map, but his pencil did not stop at the North China Plain. Instead, it went all the way up, past the Great Wall, and pointed to that vast black land—the Northeast!
"Since Okamura Yasuji transferred the main force of the Kwantung Army, the 29th and 57th Divisions, into the interior in order to protect North China, then Manchuria is now just an empty shell."

"To this end, Yan'an has issued a mobilization order, mobilizing Lin Biao's elite troops to fight together with the Northeast Advance Team."

"Their mission was to disrupt the Japanese army's rear, threaten the western defense line of the puppet state of Manchukuo, and support General Fu Yisheng's operations in the Northeast."

The chief of staff then shifted his focus to the east: "The main force of our Commander Liu will be deployed to support the North China battlefield in accordance with the original operational plan."

"Great! That's a generous offer!"

The deputy commander-in-chief slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly: "Lin's army marches out of Rehe, Liu's army locks down Anhui!"

"Insert these two knives, and not only will Okamura Yasuji be unable to defend himself from both sides, but they will also directly threaten the Japanese stronghold!"

"Chu Yunfei wanted to use WM as a transit point, which was a diplomatic problem he was creating for the Soviets."

Commander Liu smiled slightly, his eyes deep: "Chu Yunfei is in the open, drawing the main force of the Japanese army into a decisive battle; we are in the dark, making large-scale incursions and outflanking maneuvers. If we can advance into the Dabie Mountains strategic base area..."

"After this battle, the situation in North China and even Northeast China will be completely changed!"

"Send the order!"

The deputy commander-in-chief waved his hand, exuding heroic spirit: "Fight according to the instructions from Yan'an!" (End of Chapter)