Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Lunan, on the outskirts of Xuzhou, is the main battleground at Jiulishan.

The sky was gray.

Of course, it wasn't because of the clouds, but because the sunlight was completely obscured by the dust and smoke raised by three days and three nights of continuous artillery fire.

This strategic location, which has been a battleground since ancient times, has now been transformed into a giant meat grinder.

Lieutenant General Yoneo Ota, commander of the Japanese 65th Division, was huddled in his underground bunker, which was reinforced with three layers of concrete.

The chandelier overhead swayed wildly like a madman, and every time a heavy artillery shell landed, the air inside the bunker trembled violently. Dust covered his shoulders, but he remained motionless, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at the battle map in front of him, which had been torn apart by red and blue pencil marks.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander!"

A major covered in blood stumbled in.

His left arm was gone, hastily tied with a tourniquet, and black blood was still seeping from the cut.

"The Chinese artillery fire is too fierce!"

"They have amassed a large number of 150mm heavy artillery pieces!"

"There are still planes. The sky is full of their planes. Regimental Commander Nomura requested a retreat, not to continue fighting with the National Army on the outer perimeter."

Ota Yoneo slowly raised his head, his eyes empty and cold: "Using the tunnels built by the Chinese back then, even if we die, we will die on the battlefield."

The major turned and left with a serious expression: "Hai."

The position of the 1st Battalion of a regiment of the 85th Army of the 31st Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army.

"Pooh!"

Battalion Commander Meng Xing spat out the saliva mixed with mud and sand from his mouth and pulled hard on the bolt of his Thompson submachine gun.

His military uniform was so worn that its original color was no longer discernible, and his face was blackened by smoke, revealing only a pair of menacing eyes.

"Brothers! Listen up!"

Meng Xing lay prone on the edge of the trench, pointing to Jiuli Mountain, which had been half-flattened by artillery fire: "The higher-ups have given a death order: we must take the main peak before sunset today!"

"If we can't take it, I'll offer my head to the commander, and none of you will get away with it!"

"Commander, those bunkers up there are too sturdy!"

"Just now, the Second Company charged up, and the Japanese machine gun swept them all away."

"Let's go again!"

With red eyes, Meng Xing grabbed the third company commander's collar: "That's the Japanese's core position, and also the northern gateway to Xuzhou!"

"Once we take it down, we can put the cannon right on the Japanese devils' heads and blast them!"

"Commander Chu has given us the best artillery support, and American planes are clearing the way for us in the sky. If we still can't take it down, it will be a disgrace to our Central Army!"

Just then, a muffled rumble came from the sky.

"Get down! It's a bomber!"

The soldiers instinctively shrank into the trenches.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The earth trembled, and the Japanese positions on the main peak of Jiuli Mountain were instantly engulfed by towering flames.

Those seemingly impregnable bunkers were torn apart like paper toys by the direct hit of the 500-pound bomb, and huge blocks of concrete mixed with human remains flew into the air.

"It's now!"

Meng Xing leaped out of the trench, brandishing his pistol: "Blow the bugle! Charge with me!!"

"Beep beep beep—!!!"

The resounding bugle call echoed in the aftershocks of the explosion, and hundreds of Nationalist soldiers in yellow-green uniforms charged toward the burning mountain like a flood bursting its banks.

This is the most primitive and brutal battle.

The surviving Japanese soldiers crawled out of the ruins, bayonets at their heels, and charged at the Nationalist troops like madmen.

In the trenches and shell craters, soldiers from both sides were wrestling.

When the bullets ran out, they used bayonets and rifle butts. When the rifle butts broke, they used their teeth to bite or smashed them with stones.

A young Nationalist soldier was stabbed through the abdomen by a Japanese bayonet, but he did not fall. Instead, he clung tightly to the Japanese soldier's leg and detonated the grenade at his waist.

"boom!"

Flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Meng Xing shot and killed a Japanese soldier who was trying to sneak up. He turned around and saw his orderly, Xiao Wang, rolling around with two Japanese soldiers.

"what--!!"

Xiao Wang screamed as half of his ear was bitten off by the Japanese soldier.

But he pulled a dagger from the side of his calf and plunged it into the Japanese soldier's neck.

"Kill! Kill them all!"

The stench of blood assaulted everyone's senses; on this small hilltop, life had become so cheap.

Meng Xing nodded in approval: "Good lad, you've got guts."

South of Xuzhou, in Xiao County, lies the headquarters of the 31st Army Group.

Unlike the bloody and tragic scenes on the front lines, things here are just as busy.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Zhonglian sat on an ammunition box with a gloomy expression, holding the casualty statistics sheet that had just been delivered, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"Commander-in-Chief, a telegram from the 85th Army: the main peak of Jiulishan has been captured, but casualties have been heavy." The Chief of Staff reported cautiously: "Another battalion has been wiped out, and the reserves have been moved up."

"Another battalion wiped out."

Wang Zhonglian slammed the battle report on the table, his voice chillingly cold: "In just three days, we have suffered over four thousand casualties! Over four thousand elite troops!"

He stood up, walked to the map, and stared intently at the Huai River line to the south, rather than around Pengcheng. That was the direction of attack for Li Pinxian's Fifth War Zone and the Guangxi Army.

"Damn it!"

Wang Zhonglian suddenly swore, pointing towards the Huai River and cursing, "We're risking our lives up front, what are these Guangxi clique monkeys doing?!"

"Li Pinxian's troops are just stalling along the Huai River, claiming it's a feint attack. The defending forces there are only two mixed brigades, so why can't they take it down?"

"They watched us fight the Japanese to the death, like spectators at a play!"

The operations director, standing nearby, also chimed in indignantly, "The commander-in-chief is right!"

"Those Guangxi troops have always been very cunning. Commander Chu allocated so many weapons and ammunition to them, but they took the benefits and did nothing. They want to use the Japanese to weaken the strength of our Central Army!"

"that is!"

Another staff officer complained, "We're bleeding here while they're preserving their strength in the rear. When the war is over, everyone has to share the credit. This is just too unfair!"

Wang Zhonglian sneered, a hint of ruthlessness and resentment flashing in his eyes.

He didn't dare to directly curse Chu Yunfei, but he dared to curse Li Pinxian and this "unfair" world.

"Commander Chu has a good plan!"

Wang Zhonglian sneered, his tone full of resentment: "His elite troops are all resting now, saying they are exhausted from fighting for days and nights and have to guard against the Kwantung Army in the north. I think they are just sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight!"

"Right now, they've thrown the toughest nut to crack at us: Xuzhou. Let us fight to the death with the desperate Ota Yoneo!"

"They even have the audacity to call it an 'encirclement and annihilation battle'!"

"This is an encirclement and annihilation campaign? This is clearly a case of using someone else to do the dirty work!"

Wang Zhonglian paced back and forth in the room, his resentment and suspicion growing wildly like weeds.

In his view, Chu Yunfei was a "war commander" who rose to power as a local strongman.

Although it currently operates under the name of a joint command, it is certainly still thinking about how to weaken the strength of the "Central Army".

In particular, he himself came from the Tang Enbo lineage.

Tang Enbo and Chu Yunfei had a strained relationship.

"What about the 5th Army Group?" Wang Zhonglian suddenly asked. "What are Tang Huaiyuan's ragtag bunch doing?"

"Reporting to the commander, Tang's troops are advancing rapidly towards Haizhou, saying they are going to intercept the Japanese army's retreat route."

"Hmph, I think I'll go pick on the easy targets!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Zhonglian's eyes: "No, we can't keep fighting like this."

"If we keep fighting like this, even if we take Xuzhou, my 31st Army Group will be destroyed!"

"How will we explain this to Commander Tang? How will we explain it to the Chairman?"

"Come here and draft a top-secret telegram for me right now!"

"To whom should it be sent?"

"Two!"

Wang Zhonglian lowered his voice: "Send a copy to Tang Enbo, the deputy commander of the First War Zone in Henan. He is my old superior."

"Send one copy directly to the Chairman's office in Yamashiro!"

The staff officer felt a chill and quickly opened his notebook.

Wang Zhonglian carefully considered the wording, each character brimming with political calculation:

The telegram is as follows:

"The troops were ordered to besiege Pengcheng. The entire army fought bravely and bloodily, with casualties piling up."

"However, the ferocity of the battle far exceeded expectations. The Japanese 65th Division fought like cornered beasts, relying on its strong fortifications to hold out to the death."

"Observing the recent battle situation, I feel deeply worried."

"The movements of friendly forces are ambiguous, especially the Guangxi troops along the Huai River. They are ostensibly providing support, but in reality they are observing and waiting, which allows the Japanese army to fight our troops to the death without any worries about their rear."

"Although the North China Joint Command is named as such, its troop deployment seems to be biased."

"Their main force is mostly in the second line or on the flank, while the elite of our Central Army is tasked with the most difficult attack missions."

"In the Battle of Pengcheng, our manpower was greatly depleted. If this continues, it will not be a blessing for the Party and the country. Even worse, I suspect that someone intends to use the Japanese invaders to weaken the strength of the Central Army in order to achieve their ulterior motives."

"Although our troops are not to be underestimated, in order to preserve the strength of the war effort, we earnestly request the Chairman to consider whether it is possible to order friendly forces on the northern front to move south to assist in the attack, or to strictly order the Guangxi clique troops to launch a full-scale attack to share the pressure and relieve our troops' urgent crisis."

"This telegram is respectfully sent; Wang Zhonglian kowtows with tears of blood."

After finishing writing the telegram, Wang Zhonglian breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew perfectly well what sending this telegram meant.

This is an attempt to sow discord between Chu Yunfei and Chu Yunfei.

Wang Zhonglian firmly believed that within the faction-ridden National Revolutionary Army, preserving strength was often more important than winning battles.

Haizhou Port and its surrounding areas.

If Xuzhou is a meat grinder, then Haizhou Port at this moment is a living hell.

A bomber formation of the U.S. 14th Air Force.

Under Chennault's strict orders, the port facilities and the assembled Japanese fleet were subjected to almost continuous and devastating attacks over the past few days.

"Woo--Woo--"

The piercing air raid siren wailed once again over the port.

On the dock, tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers waiting to evacuate looked up at the sky in terror.

The clouds parted, and dozens of B-25 bombers and P-40 fighters descended like the Grim Reaper.

"Air strike! Air strike!"

"Spread out!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Aerial bombs rained down. A transport ship that had just docked and hadn't even had time to load people was hit in the engine room by a 500-pound bomb.

The massive explosion snapped the ship in half, and towering flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed the entire vessel.

The Japanese sailors on the ship screamed and jumped into the sea, only to be burned alive by the oil slick that followed.

The scene at the dock was even more appalling.

Shrapnel rained down on the crowd, and many Japanese soldiers who were jostling for a spot on the ship fell instantly.

Blood flowed down the pier into the sea, turning the azure waters dark red.

"Don't panic! Keep the formation!"

The Japanese military police responsible for maintaining order were still trying to suppress the situation, but fear had long since overcome discipline.

The soldiers rushed frantically towards the few remaining small boats, even drawing their swords against each other.

"Baka! I'm the company commander! Let me go first!"

"go to hell!"

"We want to go home!"

Amidst this chaos, earth-shattering battle cries erupted from the outer perimeter of Haizhou City's western outposts.

"Rush!!"

The vanguard of the Fifth Army Group finally arrived after two days of forced march.

This unit, known as a "ragtag" force, unleashed astonishing combat power after receiving ample ammunition supplies and gaining Chu Yunfei's trust.

They knew this might be the most satisfying battle they had ever fought in their lives—beating a dog when it's down!

"brothers!"

"The officers said! Take Haizhou and everyone will be rewarded with ten silver dollars!"

"The Japanese soldiers ahead have no more boats; they're all our prey!"

"kill!!"

The soldiers of the Fifth Army Group charged into the Japanese defenses from the flank like tigers descending a mountain.

At this time, most of the main force of the Haizhou garrison was maintaining order at the dock or preparing to withdraw. The outer defense line was weak and morale was low. They were basically being suppressed throughout the entire process.

"The Chinese are coming up!"

"Run!"

Panic quickly spread from the perimeter to the dock.

The already chaotic evacuation scene spiraled out of control completely.

Looking at the surging tide of Chinese troops on the shore and then at the American warplanes constantly diving overhead, the Japanese naval commander hardened his heart and issued the most brutal order.

"Weigh anchor! Weigh anchor now!"

"But Colonel, there are still many people who haven't come up yet."

"We can't worry about that now. If we don't leave, we'll all die here!"

Several transport ships, filled with wounded Japanese soldiers and officers, forcibly cut their mooring lines, even ignoring the soldiers still climbing rope ladders, and sped off into the open sea.

"Take me with you! Don't leave me behind!"

Countless Japanese soldiers knelt on the dock, wailing. Some desperately jumped into the sea to try to swim across, but were swallowed up by the eddies created by the propellers.

Just then, several P-40 fighter jets spotted these "big fish" trying to escape.

They swooped down with a whoosh, their rockets and heavy machine guns firing simultaneously from under their wings.

"Boom boom boom——"

A series of fireballs suddenly erupted on the deck of a transport ship, and the densely packed Japanese soldiers on the deck were blown to pieces.

Immediately afterwards, a rocket struck the rudder at the stern, causing the transport ship to lose control and spin on the surface of the sea before being finally sent to the bottom of the ocean by a bomb dropped by another B-25.
South China, south of Yueyang.

A torrential downpour extinguished the smoke of battle and also extinguished the anger in Xue Yue's heart.

Inside the forward command post of the Ninth War Zone, Xue Yue stared at the battle map in front of him with a grim expression.

Li Yutang and Ou Zhen's reckless advance not only resulted in heavy casualties among the vanguard troops, but also disrupted the overall deployment of the South China battlefield.

The Japanese 116th Division did not suffer a complete rout as expected. Instead, after a successful counterattack, it quickly consolidated its forces and relied on the terrain to fight back step by step.

"Sir, the troops need to rest." Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi advised in a low voice, "The rain is too heavy, the roads are muddy, the logistics can't keep up, and the support troops have been marching for two days and their physical strength has reached its limit."

Xue Yue took a deep breath. He was an arrogant man, but he was also a rational commander.

"Also, contact Commander Sun Lianzhong of the Sixth War Zone."

Xue Yue's finger traced across southern Hubei on the map: "Please order the river defense army to exert pressure on Xianning from the flank, to tie down the Japanese forces and support our regrouping."
-
Luxi, the city of springs (Jinan), the front-line command headquarters.

Chu Yunfei stood alone in front of the huge battle map, his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting, but in reality his consciousness had already sunk deep into his mind.

Northern Front
The battle around Weixian has come to an end, and the next step is naturally to continue advancing towards Qingdao.

(The main force attacking the Shandong Peninsula consisted of He Zhuguo (episode 15) and Li Yannian (episode 34), with a combat strength of approximately 110,000 men, while the Japanese and puppet troops numbered approximately 30,000.)
(The main force attacking Haizhou consisted of Tang Huaiyuan's Fifth Army Group, part of Sun Weiru's Fourth Army Group, part of Zhang Xuezhong's Nineteenth Army Group, and the main force of Han Deqin's troops, with a combat strength of about 70,000 men, while the Japanese combat strength was about 20,000 men.)
(The main force attacking Pengcheng consisted of Wang Zhonglian (episode 31), Zhang Xuezhong (episode 19), the Eighth Route Army's Eastern Expeditionary Column, and part of the Eighty-Eighth Route Army, with a nominal combat strength of about 110,000 and an actual combat strength of about 80,000, while the Japanese and puppet troops had a combat strength of about 30,000.)
(The main force attacking Huaiyin City consisted of Liu Jun of the Eighth Route Army and part of the main force of the New Fourth Army, with a total combat strength of about 30,000 men, while the Japanese and puppet troops numbered about 8,000 men.)
(Huaihe River and Zhenjiang direction: The main force of the National Revolutionary Army was the main force of the Guangxi Clique of the Fifth War Zone, with a total combat strength of about 120,000 men, while the combat strength of the Japanese and puppet troops was about 34,000 men.)
(North of the Yellow River: The main force currently attacking the capital region and blocking the Japanese army north of the Yellow River is Liu Maoen's 14th unit, with a combat strength of about 53,000 men, while the Japanese and puppet troops have a combat strength of about 46,000 men.)
Haizhou direction.

Han Deqin's main force, numbering approximately 15,000 men, is currently carrying out a concentric assault mission from south to north towards Haizhou.

The Japanese defense line was on the verge of collapse, needing only one more step.

There were still 18,000 Japanese troops waiting to evacuate.

It's easy to imagine that even if these Japanese devils tried to escape, they couldn't all get away.

They all had to die in Haizhou, a place that filled the Japanese with despair.

The area surrounding Pengcheng deserves attention.

This is the heart of the entire North China Campaign, and also the most brutal battlefield where slaughter has taken place.

On the map, the red patch representing the Japanese 65th Division is tightly compressed into the urban area of ​​Xuzhou and the surrounding highlands of Jiulishan and Yunlongshan.

Although the Japanese defense lines were constantly shrinking, the organization of the combat troops remained above 60%.

This shows that the defending troops, under the command of Yoneo Ota, had not been broken up and were still putting up an organized resistance.

On the periphery of the Japanese army, the military markers and battle lines representing the 31st Army Group of the National Revolutionary Army and the Eighth Route Army's Eastern Expeditionary Column were like iron clamps, tightly gripping the throat of the Japanese army.

The Battle of Pengcheng was the key to this campaign.

It was a tough nut to crack that Chu Yunfei was determined to swallow even if it meant gritting his teeth.

Chu Yunfei focused his attention here, and the troop markers on the three-dimensional combat map were changing rapidly.

[Unit Name: Episode 31 - 85th Army]

Current organization level: 56%

Current combat strength: 22313 (out of 35000)

[Currently the main light weapons in service: Hanyang rifle, Type 38 rifle, and Zhongzheng rifle]

[Currently the main machine gun models in service: Czech light machine gun, Sichuan-made light machine gun]

[Current main equipment support weapon models: 60mm mortar, 82mm mortar, 107mm mortar]

[Current main equipment heavy weapons: Shanghai-made 75mm mountain gun]

Current equipment status: Moderate

Current logistical support status: Moderate

[Current training level of this unit: Well-trained]

As the main force attacking Pengcheng, and also the 85th Army, the main force under the original Tang Enbo faction, its overall combat effectiveness was quite good.

However, this unit has not undergone modernization.

Under the command of a group of officers, this unit was not good at siege warfare.

It is a protracted war of maneuver and defense.

This resulted in them receiving the evaluation of being well-trained in three-dimensional combat maps, but their performance on the battlefield did not satisfy Chu Yunfei.

During the five days of the attack, the number of casualties reached 3,500, not counting the 13th Army that supported the attack.

The casualties of the two main forces were around six thousand.

However, Wang Zhonglian reported that the number of casualties had reached 15,000.

According to the battle report of episode 31.

The casualties of the attacking 31st Army Group have exceeded 13,000.

This included many lightly wounded soldiers, yet they dared to ask for 13,000 in a telegram.

These extra 7,000-plus "casualties" are either "ghost employees" who never actually exist.

Or they might include soldiers with scrapes or who are sick.

Perhaps the logistics and cooking staff were included.

The Japanese army, as reported in episode 30, had already lost 10,000 men!

But actually?
Japanese casualties have just surpassed five thousand!

They still possess ample combat power and are not so easy to eliminate!
The casualties of Li Yunlong's Eastern Expeditionary Column, which was supporting the attack, also exceeded 1,500, approaching a quarter of its original strength.

but.

Li Yunlong was a typical stubborn commander; he remained silent and continued to confront the enemy head-on, maintaining a high-intensity offensive posture.

This is something that Chu Yunfei greatly admires.

At this crucial juncture concerning the nation's rejuvenation.

Li Yunlong's troops were able to fight the toughest battles without a word, and to shed real blood and sacrifice their lives.

Meanwhile, the well-equipped elite Central Army was still playing the old warlord tricks of "raising bandits to enhance their own power" and "falsifying military intelligence."

I used to think that Hu Zongnan's subordinates were all bastards who were just trying to preserve their strength.

But after this battle, the thirty-four soldiers under Li Yannian's command were all brave men.

On the contrary, it was Wang Zhonglian, whom Chu Yunfei had previously had a fairly good impression of.
He's almost become the next Tang Enbo!

"Your Excellency?"

Fang Ligong seemed to hear Chu Yunfei's cold laugh, and stepped forward with some confusion, asking softly, "What's going on?"

"Brother Ligong."

Chu Yunfei turned around, but instead of directly revealing the truth, he walked to his desk, picked up the telegram sent by Wang Zhonglian, and casually flicked the paper, making a crisp sound.

"Wang Zhonglian said that he had suffered heavy casualties and that the front-line troops were almost wiped out. He requested to suspend the offensive, rest in place, and ask friendly forces on the northern front to come south to provide support."

Fang Ligong said with a solemn expression: "If it is true, then the 31st Group Army has indeed suffered heavy losses."

"After all, it's a tough battle, and Jiuli Mountain is a hard nut to crack, so heavy casualties are inevitable."

"Damaged vital energy?"

Chu Yunfei walked to the map, pointed heavily at the southern route of Xuzhou, and asked meaningfully, "Brother Ligong, do you believe it?"

Fang Ligong was taken aback. Looking at Chu Yunfei's insightful eyes, he instantly realized what was going on and hesitated before asking, "Does Your Excellency mean there's something fishy going on?"

Chu Yunfei said coldly, "The 85th Army is the foundation from which Tang Enbo rose to power. It is well-equipped and well-trained. Furthermore, the 13th Army, which is cooperating with the attack, is the apple of Tang Enbo's eye."

"How long have they been attacking at full speed?"

"If he's really crippled, then Wang Zhonglian should be brought before a military court!"

"He's playing the 'squeaky child gets fed' game with me, and he's trying to drag me down with him so he can give an account to the mountain town."

Fang Ligong adjusted his glasses, his brow furrowed: "If we expose him now, it might provoke a backlash from the Central Military System, and could even lead to a breakdown in frontline command. You wouldn't be able to explain that to the Chairman either. I suggest..." (End of Chapter)