Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Luxi, Jinan, the former provincial government auditorium.

In the makeshift operations conference room, huge military maps occupied an entire wall.
The red and blue arrows were interlocked, but the blue arrows, representing victory, had already flooded most of Shandong like a tide.

Around the long conference table, a constellation of generals gathered.

These generals, who usually command thousands of troops, now had solemn expressions, or perhaps a hint of anticipation and trepidation.

"Clap."

As the heavy doors were pushed open, the buzzing conversation in the conference room abruptly ceased.

Chief of Staff Lin Wei, dressed in a crisp lieutenant general's uniform, strode onto the podium surrounded by a group of staff officers carrying heavy folders.

He had just returned from supervising the battle in the First War Zone, carrying a weary but sharp spirit, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Everyone immediately realized that the level of this meeting was much higher than they had imagined.

"All rise!"

"Shh-!"

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor was uniform as dozens of generals straightened their backs and saluted Chu Yunfei and Lin Wei as they entered.

Chu Yunfei remained calm as his gaze swept across every face present.

Among them are Qian Zhaoyou with bloodshot eyes, Li Zhenxi full of ambition, Pang Qingzhen relieved, and Chen Tie, deputy commander of the 14th Army Group, who is a little reserved.

He returned the salute, then gestured for everyone to sit down: "Please sit down."

"Today's meeting will not discuss how to fight next, but only how we fought over the past two months."

Chu Yunfei took his seat at the head of the table and handed the speaking rights to Lin Wei: "Brother Weiwen, let's begin."

Lin Wei nodded and opened the heavy document in front of him, "Summary of the First and Second Phases of the Fourth Counter-Offensive Operation in North China".

"Everyone."

Lin Wei's voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the empty hall: "After fifty days of bloody battle, the second phase of the operation has been completed in all aspects, exceeding the target!"

"This is a glorious moment for the North China Joint Command, for everyone present, and for all the soldiers who participated in the battle."

"But in the army there are rewards and punishments, merits and demerits."

Lin Wei's gaze sharpened. "According to the 'Combat Effectiveness Evaluation Regulations' jointly formulated by the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Military Training Department, the Joint Command and the General Headquarters conducted a strict four-level evaluation of each participating unit—A, B, C, and D."

Upon hearing these four levels, the breathing in the audience noticeably became heavier.

Combat performance ratings determine future ammunition resupply amounts, priority for advanced weapon replacement, and status in post-war rewards and honors.

"First, announce the 'Grade A' combat units."

Lin Wei picked up the first document and raised his voice: "The first one—the 88th Group Army!"

Fang Ligong, Xue Jie, and Sun Xinpu subconsciously straightened their chests.

"As the main force of the central assault, this unit not only captured strategic strongholds such as Liaocheng, Yanzhou, and Quancheng, but also annihilated the Japanese 32nd Division and the headquarters of the 12th Army. Its armored brigade also demonstrated the might of the National Revolutionary Army's mechanized forces!"

"His outstanding military achievements deserve the highest honor! Rating: First Class!"

There was thunderous applause.

The Flying Tigers' combat strength is undisputed.

Lin Wei continued reading: "The second one—the Fifth Army Group!"

Chief of Staff Pang Qingzhen was so excited that his hands were shaking.

For a unit with a "miscellaneous" background and classified as a Class B organization to achieve a Class A rating is truly unprecedented.

"Despite extreme logistical difficulties, this unit overcame natural barriers and cleverly employed a 'water attack' tactic to capture Jining at minimal cost, completely annihilating the Japanese 26th Mixed Brigade and thoroughly destroying the flank support of the Japanese defense line in central Shandong. In conjunction with subsequent related operations, after comprehensive consideration, this unit is hereby rated as: Grade A!"

There was another burst of warm applause.

Many generals of the Central Army looked at Pang Qingzhen with more respect.

Lin Wei paused, then turned his gaze to Qian Zhaoyou, the chief of staff of the Sixth Army Group, who was sitting in the corner and remained silent.

"The third force—the Sixth Army Group!"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

"In the early stages of the battle, this unit captured several key towns and cut off the northern section of the Jinpu Railway. Later, facing the fierce encirclement and siege of the two main divisions of the Kwantung Army and the remnants of the 5th Division at the Machang line, they held their ground for more than ten days with their own flesh and blood. Despite heavy casualties, they did not retreat an inch, thus buying decisive time and space for the main force on the southern front to encircle and annihilate the 12th Army!"

Lin Wei's voice became somewhat low and solemn: "This is a Class A medal earned with one's life, and it is also the most tragic medal from this battle!"

Qian Zhaoyou stood up, his eyes red-rimmed, and saluted the surroundings.

The generals looked at his uniform, stained with the color of gunpowder, and couldn't help but feel a chill.

As everyone knows, the Sixth Army Group has almost exhausted its old resources this time.

Then, Lin Wei quickened his pace: "Next up is the 'Class B' troops."

"The 38th Army (4th Army Group) acted swiftly in the flank offensive, recapturing Feng and Pei counties, and then launched a long-distance raid on Zaozhuang, cutting off the Japanese army's retreat route. In particular, the newly formed 35th Division performed heroically in the Pei County blocking battle, wiping away the previous humiliation."

Grade: B!

Chu Yunfei also offered timely encouragement: "Brother Kuishan's command was decisive, and he brought out the fighting power that the troops should have."

Li Zhenxi chuckled, though he was a little disappointed that he didn't get an A grade.

But with the title of "Iron-Blooded National Guardian," even this second-class rank is earned with confidence.

"The 34th Army Group (Li Yannian's unit), deployed as a reserve force, delivered the final blow to the enemy in Quancheng and demonstrated decisiveness in clearing out the remaining enemy and maintaining order. Rating: Class B!"

"The 14th Army Group"

After reading through a series of "B" grades, we finally reached that awkward part.

Lin Wei closed the document, his face turning cold: "'Category C' troops—the 31st Army Group."

"The unit was slow to act in the early stages of the campaign, and some generals even hesitated to fight and watched their allies get trapped."

"Although things improved somewhat later under strict orders and some results were achieved in cooperation with the Eastern Expeditionary Column, the merits and demerits outweighed each other, and the overall deployment was seriously affected."

Rating: Grade C

"If the troops do not demonstrate outstanding performance before the end of this fourth phase of counter-offensive operations, they will be withdrawn to the rear, their Class A unit status will be abolished, they will undergo a second reorganization, and they will be downgraded to Class B combat units. Their heavy equipment units will be directly subordinate to the joint command."

The room was deathly silent; no one dared to speak up for Wang Zhonglian.

The scene of Xu Kang being arrested is still vivid in my mind; this "Category C" is already considered lenient.

After the rating was completed, Lin Wei did not sit down, but instead took out an even thicker data report from behind him.

"We've covered the performance of each unit pretty much. Next, we'll discuss the casualty figures compiled by each unit."

Lin Wei opened the report, his tone becoming heavy: "As of midnight yesterday, the casualty statistics for our army in the first and second phases of the operation are as follows."

"Deaths: 48,436"

Seriously injured: more than 19,000 people.

"Minor injuries and missing persons: more than 40,000 people."

Total casualties: Nearly 110,000!

Upon hearing this number, everyone present gasped in shock.

In two months, despite losing over 100,000 personnel, the offensive continued relentlessly.
Combat effectiveness, organization, and cohesion have improved by many levels compared to before.

Lin Wei paused for a moment, then continued, "Among them, the Sixth Group Army suffered the heaviest casualties, with nearly 50% casualties. The Eighty-Eighth Group Army, as the main attacking force, also suffered more than 20,000 casualties, especially in the street fighting in Quancheng."

"This is the price of victory. We wiped out an entire Japanese corps, but we paid a bloody price."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became oppressive, and the joy of victory was somewhat overshadowed by the cold, hard numbers.

"but!"

Lin Wei suddenly raised his head, his voice filled with a fierce determination: "Our blood was not shed in vain!"

Battle Results Statistics:

"According to preliminary counts, this battle resulted in the deaths of over 83,000 Japanese soldiers, including the commander of the 12th Army, and the capture of over 21,000 Japanese and puppet troops (mainly puppet troops)."

"Regarding the seizures."

Lin Wei took a deep breath and announced a series of numbers that made everyone's eyes water and their hearts race: "120,000 intact Type 38 rifles and Type 99 rifles!"

"Light and heavy machine guns: 842 pieces!" "Various types of artillery (including mortars, infantry guns, and mountain and field guns): over 300 pieces!"

"Cars: 295 vehicles"

"This does not include the hundreds of tons of ammunition, hundreds of tons of explosives, and tens of thousands of sets of clothing stored in the Quancheng arsenal, as well as the grain, fuel oil, and coal resources seized in Jining, Zaozhuang, and other places!"

"A number of other civilian supplies have been identified, but relevant statistics have not yet been completed."

The conference room exploded instantly.

Li Zhenxi's eyes widened like copper bells, while Pang Qingzhen was so excited that his face turned completely red.

"Get rich!"

"This time we've really struck it rich!"

"My goodness, 120,000 guns! That's enough to arm so many divisions!"

"Three hundred cannons, if I could have a few dozen, I could go and lead the main attack next time!"

The gloom previously cast by the casualty figures has vanished, replaced by a frenzy of harvest.

These spoils can not only make up for the losses of various units, but can even raise the overall strength of the Nationalist Army in North China to a new level!
Chu Yunfei stood up at the opportune moment, gestured for everyone to be quiet.

He walked to the front of the stage under the watchful eyes of the crowd, his gaze calm and profound: "Ladies and gentlemen."

Chu Yunfei's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly: "These spoils will be replenished accordingly."

"The key now is that we have captured Jinan and basically opened up central Shandong."

"Our next three-phase mission is to eliminate the Japanese troops entrenched in the Huaihai Triangle and the Shandong Peninsula and annihilate these Japanese combat units."

He looked at Sun Xinpu and Pang Qingzhen in the front row: "At this critical juncture, I don't want to hear anything nice."

“You have all worked your way up from the front lines. Even at the celebration party just now, I saw some of you with furrowed brows.”

“Speak up, what difficulties need to be resolved? Bring them up now, and we'll solve them on the spot. Don't wait until the next battle and then pay the price with our brothers' lives!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Xinpu immediately stood up.

As the commander of the 88th Group Army, his words carried great weight: "Sir, I speak frankly."

Sun Xinpu's expression was grave: "In the street fighting in Jinan, although our armored forces were formidable, their field of vision was severely limited in the complex urban ruins, and there were delays in communication for combined arms operations."

The Japanese army's small-team anti-tank tactics were extremely insidious; often, one team would draw enemy fire while another team attacked the tracks from the flank and rear with cluster grenades.

"In addition, the consumption of flamethrowers and 'Type 31' rocket launchers in urban warfare far exceeded expectations. The current allocation standard is sufficient for field operations, but it is not enough for this kind of meat grinder-like urban warfare!"

Yin Chongyue hesitated for a moment, then stood up and added, "Furthermore, our armored forces have basically lost their combat effectiveness. In addition to the heavy losses and long repair waiting time, the personnel losses cannot be made up for in a short period of time."

Chu Yunfei nodded and looked at Lin Wei, who was taking notes: "Write it down."

"First, engineering units should strengthen their support for armored troops; second, the logistics department should immediately adjust the ammunition allocation ratio, and the rocket allocation ratio for urban warfare units should be doubled, even if the stockpiles are depleted, to ensure that the front-line combat units have a strong suppressive capability."

Pang Qingzhen also stood up. He was an operations staff officer under the Fifth Army Group. At this moment, he had a worried look on his face: "Sir, the biggest problem we face is still the roads."

"The southern Shandong region is densely covered with waterways. Although the previous torrential rains helped us flood the Seven Armies, they also destroyed a large amount of roadbed."

The battlefield then extended southward, with the central and southern Jiangsu regions becoming known as a land of water and marshes.

Our heavy artillery units face extreme mobility difficulties, often relying on manual labor to carry their equipment, which severely hinders the speed of our attacks.

"I've also taken that into consideration."

Chu Yunfei walked to the edge of the map and traced a large area south of Weishan Lake with his finger: "In response to the water network terrain, I have ordered the logistics department to urgently requisition a large number of civilian boats and modified flat-bottomed barges."

"In addition, engineering units will be equipped with a large number of pontoon bridge equipment and deployed in advance."

"At this point in the battle, it's a contest of who has the toughest teeth and the fastest legs!"

"Everyone!"

Chu Yunfei swung his baton sharply, drawing a huge triangle heavily on the map.

The vertex is Jinan, the city that was recently liberated. The two corners of the base are Haizhou (Lianyungang) on ​​the coast of the East China Sea and Huai'an, which guards the Grand Canal. The core of this triangle is Pengcheng (Xuzhou), the intersection of Jinpu Road and Longhai Road!
"In the second phase, we need to 'break through' and completely destroy the Japanese army's defense line in central Shandong, thus disrupting their defense system in North China."

"And in this third phase, what we need is 'annihilation'!"

"Based on the current battle situation summary."

"The remnants of the Japanese 59th Division and 65th Division, along with puppet troops and security forces pieced together from various places, totaled 100,000 men, but they were already frightened and were currently huddled in the triangular area centered on Pengcheng, Haizhou, and Huai'an, attempting to make a last-ditch effort by utilizing the Longhai Railway and the Grand Canal defense line."

"Their intentions are clear—by relying on the Xuzhou hub, they can retreat eastward to Haizhou to await maritime evacuation, and southward to central Jiangsu and Nanjing."

Chu Yunfei sneered: "But you think you can run away? Not a chance!"

"The third phase of the fourth counter-offensive operation in North China—the 'Huaihai Sweep Operation'—is to commence immediately!"

All the generals held their breath, awaiting the final assignment of combat tasks.

Lin Wei immediately stood up and issued combat orders.

"He Zhuguo!"

"To!"

In episode fifteen, Commander-in-Chief He Zhuguo suddenly stood up.

"Your episode 15 is assigned to Commander-in-Chief Li Yannian for unified command."

Lin Wei pointed to the southern section of Jinpu Road, saying, "You two units, as the northern route cluster, will head straight for Qingdao and clear away the eastern threat."

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

"Zhang Xuezhong!"

"Have!"

Commander-in-Chief Zhang Xuezhong of the 19th Group Army stood up.

"Your 19th Army Group, advance southeast to Haizhou!" Lin Wei pointed his baton towards the Jiaodong Peninsula, "responsible for clearing out the remaining enemy forces in central and eastern Shandong, heading east to cut off communication between Japanese troops!"

"Yes!"

Then, Lin Wei's gaze became complicated as she looked at Wang Zhonglian, who was sitting at the end of the table with his head down.

"Wang Zhonglian".

Wang Zhonglian trembled and quickly stood up: "Yes."

Lin Wei stared at him: "Your unit is located in northern Anhui, a crucial position. I order your unit to join forces with Liu's Eighth Route Army unit to form the Southern Route Group."

"Your task is the heaviest and the most arduous!"

Lin Wei drew a sharp line on the map around Suxian and Guzhen: "Screw them up like nails south of Xuzhou and cut off the railway for the Japanese troops in Xuzhou to retreat to Bengbu and Nanjing!"

"If the Japanese escape again, or if there is another instance of fear of battle and avoidance of combat..."

Lin Wei didn't continue, but Chu Yunfei's cold gaze said it all.

Wang Zhonglian had no doubt that Chang Ruiyuan would punish him for his poor performance in battle.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhonglian roared with red eyes, as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up anger in his chest: "If we don't win this time, I, Wang Zhonglian, will commit suicide to atone for my sins!"

At last.

Chu Yunfei looked at the vast North Jiangsu Plain on the map: "Regarding the Eighth Route Army's Liu Department and the various units of the New Fourth Army."

"I have already informed the Yan'an authorities."

"They will be responsible for launching operations in the Huai'an and Yancheng areas, disrupting the Grand Canal, blocking Japanese reinforcements from Haizhou, and completely securing the bottom of this pocket!"

After finishing the setup, Lin Wei took a deep breath and looked around the room.

"Everyone."

"The great victory in Jinan is our gift to the Quebec Conference."

"And this upcoming Huaihai Campaign will be the final battle in our North China region."

"If we win this battle, there will be no more major battles in North China!"

"We must use this battle to completely open up the Longhai Railway and push our forces to the Yellow Sea and the Yangtze River!" (End of Chapter)