Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Luxi, Jinan (Spring City).

Inside the forward command post, the desk lamp that had been burning all night was finally turned off.

The curtains were drawn back, and the dazzling midday sun shone unrestrainedly onto the scraps of paper and maps scattered on the floor.

Chu Yunfei stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his hands behind his back.

Within the three-dimensional combat map, the skull representing the Japanese command post has disappeared.

The Battle of Pengcheng must be nearing its end, and we should receive news about it soon.

In a good mood, he changed into a brand-new military uniform, and his whole person was like a sharp sword that had been sheathed, exuding a captivating calmness and solemnity.

"Your Excellency."

Li Jingzhong put down the phone receiver, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy, and quickly walked behind Chu Yunfei: "Chief Lin's hotline."

"Oh?"

Chu Yunfei slowly turned around, picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "Has the dust settled in Pengcheng?"

"Yes!"

Li Jingzhong straightened his back and said in a loud voice: "According to Chief of Staff Lin's report, the work of eliminating the remaining enemy forces in Xuzhou city is nearing its end."

"The news that the commander of the Japanese 65th Division, Yoneo Ota, committed suicide by setting himself on fire in his underground command post has been confirmed by prisoners of war."

"Currently, the 31st Army Group is expanding into surrounding counties to cooperate with Sun Xinpu's troops in clearing out the remaining enemy forces."

What were the casualties of Wang Zhonglian's troops?

Chu Yunfei put down his water glass, his tone indifferent.

"It's very heavy."

Li Jingzhong lowered his voice: "According to preliminary statistics, the 31st Army Group suffered more than 22,000 casualties in this offensive battle. Several main regiments were almost completely wiped out. Commander Wang Zhonglian is pleading poverty to Chief of Staff Lin, saying that he needs to rest and replenish his forces."

"In war, people always die."

Chu Yunfei snorted coldly, showing little pity: "If Wang Zhonglian had shown this fighting spirit earlier, the casualties wouldn't have been so great."

“What you say is absolutely right.”

Li Jingzhong smiled and looked meaningfully at the winding Huai River on the map: "Speaking of which, this time we not only took Pengcheng, this thorn in our side, but also had an unexpected gain."

He pointed to the blue arrow representing the Guangxi clique troops that was moving north: "Li Pinxian's main force of the Guangxi clique has crossed the Huai River and entered the central Jiangsu region."

“They left their core business in Anhui, which they had built up over many years. Once they stepped into North China, it won’t be so easy for them to go back.”

"This is an alternative win-win situation."

Li Jingzhong remarked with emotion: "They not only used their troops to fill the gaps in the defense line, but also effectively weakened the Guangxi clique's separatist base in the region. For the General Headquarters, this is probably even more gratifying than the liberation of North China."

"This is an inevitable trend."

Chu Yunfei walked to the map, his gaze deep: "After the victory of the War of Resistance, this kind of warlord behavior of holding military power and drawing lines in the sand is destined to be swept into the dustbin of history. We are just going with the flow and helping the Chairman."

"This is a victory for the General Staff, and a victory for the nation."
-
The outskirts of Qingdao.

Jimo Frontline, Forward Command Post of the 34th Group Army.

"boom--!!!"

A deep, muffled roar came from the distant sea, followed by a violent tremor of the earth. Dust fell from the roof of the command post, directly into Li Yannian's teacup.

"Commander! We can't fight anymore!"

Liu Anqi, commander of the 57th Army, stumbled into the command post, his face covered in soot, not even bothering to salute.

"That's firepower we can't handle at all!"

Liu Anqi pointed to the smoke-filled battlefield outside the command post, her voice hoarse: "A 203mm naval gun! One shell and half a platoon of brothers is gone!"

"And those defensive fortifications, our mountain guns can't even scratch them!"

"We need heavy artillery."

"Commander, the brothers at the front have already charged three times, and the casualties are too high! We must halt the attack!"

Li Yannian sat motionless on the ammunition box with a gloomy face, but the baton in his hand was being squeezed so tightly that it made a cracking sound.

"Cease the attack?"

Li Yannian slowly raised his head and questioned, "Cease the attack, and then what?"

"Then rest in place and wait for the heavy troops to arrive, or request air support from headquarters."

Liu Anqi urgently suggested, "If that doesn't work, we can wait for Commander He Zhuguo's 15th Army to arrive, and then we can join forces."

"wait?"

"Brother Shouru, why did I go to such lengths, even risking a complete breakdown in relations, to force Tang Huaiyuan's Fifth Army to Yantai?"

Li Yannian pointed to the location of Qingdao on the map, his fingers trembling: "I did this so that the credit would go to our 34th Army Group!"

"If we stop now and wait for the heavily armed troops behind us, whose troops will they be?"

"Those are Fang Ligong's elite main force."

"If we wait for that nice guy He Zhuguo to come up, whose soldiers will they be?"

"Those were the original Northeast Army!"

"The 15th Group Army was originally planned to be a detachment sent to attack Yantai and Weihai!"

"I was the one who snatched the main attacker position from the top!"

Li Yannian was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently: "If we stop now and let He Zhuguo catch up and fight alongside us, we'll have to share the credit for the liberation of Qingdao with others in episode 34!"

"Then all the bad things I did before were for nothing?!"

"By then, Tang Huaiyuan will be sweeping through Yantai, while we'll be stuck in Qingdao, and we'll ultimately have to rely on friendly forces for help."

"Does Li Yannian even have any shame left?!"

Liu Anqi was speechless. Looking at his superior's face, which was distorted by anxiety and greed, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He gritted his teeth, then lowered his voice and reminded him, "But Commander-in-Chief, with such heavy casualties, how will you explain this to Commander Hu and Chairman Chiang after the war?"

Li Yannian paused for a moment, then continued, "The offensive has slowed down, but the attack cannot stop. The reports on casualties and requests for reinforcements still need to be sent out."
-
That night.

Fang Ligong walked up to Chu Yunfei, carrying a thick stack of folders in his hands.

"Your Excellency."

Fang Ligong slammed the folder down on the table: "The casualties in all units are heavy. The 14th Army's southern front has already suffered more than half its casualties. On the northern front, the Japanese seem to be trying to crush Liu Maoen's troops."

"Ok?"

Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance: "Hasn't their offensive slowed down and they switched to a full defensive posture?"

"According to reports, just three days ago, after our general offensive against Pengcheng began, the Japanese army launched a new offensive. The defensive line has now fallen, and the 14th Army has retreated 35 kilometers to its second pre-established position..."

Without hesitation, Chu Yunfei immediately said, "Please, Commander Fu, dispatch a force to rush eastward to reinforce and stabilize the front line."

Fang Ligong asked in confusion, "Isn't this robbing Peter to pay Paul? Won't it affect our previous plans?"

"The main enemy at this stage is still the Japanese. It's not too late for us to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. On the northern front, it's enough to continue the stalemate."

Fang Ligong remarked with emotion: "After fighting in the three phases, overall, apart from a few elite units,..."

The quality of our army's grassroots officers and soldiers is still slightly inferior to that of the Japanese army.

Furthermore, since it is an offensive operation, it is destined to suffer higher casualties and consume more resources.

The Japanese army was so short of resources that their tanks were grounded and their vehicles couldn't leave the base. Our situation wasn't much better. There was a severe drought in 42, and now our food and supplies were almost gone.

New logistical problems have emerged in various departments; the issue isn't a lack of resources, but rather a complete absence of inventory.

Chu Yunfei nodded: "Yes, so after the battles in Haizhou, Pengcheng, and Qingdao ended."

We also need to rest and recuperate, and launch a new offensive after the autumn harvest. The results of the fourth phase of the counter-offensive far exceeded the pre-war assessment.

It even surprised everyone.

Chu Yunfei himself hadn't expected the battle to go so smoothly so far.

The situation on the battlefield within China indirectly resulted in the Japanese army not being able to transfer more Kwantung Army troops to the Pacific theater.

The Japanese military forces in the Southwest Pacific have now been almost completely wiped out by the combined forces of the United States, Australia, and Canada.

"Jingzhong, go and send a telegram to Commander Fu first."

"Yes!"

Li Jingzhong turned and left.

Chu Yunfei continued to ask, "How is the situation in Haizhou?"

Fang Ligong took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and said with a helpless tone, "Han Deqin's department is currently still loitering about 30 kilometers outside Haizhou."

"His so-called 'centripetal assault' only advanced less than five kilometers per day."

“Even when faced with small-scale resistance from the Japanese army, he could stop and ‘redeploy’ for half a day.”

Even I suspect this old fox is just dawdling.

Chu Yunfei sighed, "It's really hard to say."

He clearly saw on the three-dimensional combat map that Han Deqin was indeed leading his troops to advance actively, with the attack direction being Haizhou.

However, Chu Yunfei was also able to clearly see the specific situation of Han Deqin's troops.

After Han Deqin's main force suffered repeated attacks from the New Fourth Army and their commander was captured, the 89th Army now only has the 117th Division, with a force of 10,000 men.

The original 33rd Division of the 89th Army had long been reassigned to Zhang Xuezhong's 19th Army Group.

As for the remaining tens of thousands of armed men...

Half of them were local security forces, bandits, and local armed forces, while the other half were puppet troops who had defected back to their homeland.

They are also scattered throughout northern and central Jiangsu.

Of course, it is worth mentioning that most of these puppet troops were originally Nationalist troops, but when they surrendered to the Japanese, their strength was only one-third of what it is now.

Such troops are at best slightly stronger than the militia, and are hardly of any use. Han Deqin was aware of this and had no intention of mobilizing them.

Before the attack began, the 89th Army's organization score was a pitiful 50 points. Once the battle started, the organization score quickly dropped to below 30 points, making it a completely third-rate unit.

With troops like this, let alone Han Deqin in command, even if Chu Yunfei himself were to lead them, he wouldn't achieve anything remarkable.

"but."

Fang Ligong then changed the subject: "In the direction of Haizhou, the 38th Army has arrived and launched a new round of attacks."

"The combat troops from the fifth episode launched an attack, delaying some of the Japanese forces on the outskirts of Haizhou."

"They have suffered heavy casualties and have withdrawn from the battle, moving towards the northeast. Some of the battle lines have been taken over by the 38th Army."

Fang Ligong pointed to the location of Haizhou Port on the map: "Although our heavy weapons were out of sync, with the support of the air raids in the past few days, we managed to catch up with the Japanese army's retreat."

"However, because Han Deqin's troops were late in arriving, the flank of the 38th Army was completely exposed."

The 38th Army is now facing both an attack on the port and a counterattack from the Japanese flank, resulting in heavy casualties. They have already sent several telegrams requesting friendly forces to join them.

However, Han Deqin frankly admitted that he was no match for the Japanese and puppet troops, and that the offensive was progressing slowly with heavy casualties.

Chu Yunfei frowned slightly: "As expected, they are troops from the Third War Zone, with poor combat effectiveness, and many of their subordinates are the kind of people who switch sides frequently. Fortunately, yesterday we had Xue Jie and Liu Wang finish their rest and advance eastward ahead of schedule."

"Your Excellency, I believe there is no need to worry too much about the Haizhou direction. After the battle of Pengcheng, Sun Xinpu's troops will also advance eastward along the Longhai Railway to provide reinforcements. Our forces are more than sufficient, and it is only a matter of time before Haizhou is recaptured. It's just a matter of how many Japanese troops will remain."

"That's natural..."

"How is Li Yannian doing?"

"Wasn't he eager to go and recapture Qingdao?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Ligong's expression turned even more unpleasant.

He pulled out a telegram with an urgent red stamp and handed it to Chu Yunfei: "Sir, take a look. They've really bitten off more than they can chew this time."

"The 57th Army, the vanguard of the 34th Army Group, encountered a combined attack from Japanese naval and land forces while advancing towards the outskirts of Jimo and Qingdao."

"Especially the Japanese Navy"

Fang Ligong took a deep breath: "The fleet is anchored in the waters near Jiaozhou Bay. A single shell from a 203mm naval gun can wipe out an entire squad."

"Our army had basically never seen anything like this before, and they were completely disoriented by the bombing."

"In addition, the Japanese troops on the outskirts of Qingdao held their ground by relying on old fortifications. Several assaults organized by Li Yannian were repelled, resulting in heavy casualties and extremely low morale for the troops."

"Li Yannian is currently sending a telegram requesting assistance, asking to suspend the attack and wait for heavy artillery support, or requesting the air force to bomb the Japanese warships."

After reading the telegram, Chu Yunfei expressionlessly tossed the thin piece of paper onto the table: "Back then, you patted your chest and promised to send Tang Huaiyuan to Yantai to eat leftovers, but you insisted on going to Qingdao to eat your fill?"

"Now that they've suffered, they've remembered they need help."

"Before going to war, we didn't even think about how we don't have much heavy equipment to begin with, and we need to prioritize things."

"Qingdao was a secondary objective; an entire army group with so many men couldn't take it."

Under Fang Ligong's gaze, Chu Yunfei paused for a moment, then commented, "Incompetent."

Fang Ligong's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "The US Air Force moved to Zhengzhou yesterday, and they're probably in Wuchang or Changsha today. The support that Commander-in-Chief Li wants is probably not available in the short term."

"Compared to the dilemma in episode 34, it was actually Commander Tang, who was driven out, who led the main force of the Fifth Army Group to Yantai and Weihai, and his advance was truly unstoppable."

“The Japanese forces in that area were sparsely deployed, and their main force consisted of puppet troops.”

"In just three days, Commander-in-Chief Tang annihilated two Japanese military police battalions and a guard company, and also dealt with two puppet army brigades, recovered seven county towns, and almost controlled the northern coastline of the peninsula, capturing two thousand people."

"Tang Huaiyuan sent a telegram, his tone quite modest, saying that this was all thanks to Commander-in-Chief He, and asked if we needed to return to support Qingdao."

"Returning to what?"

"Have him hold Weihai and Yantai and be wary of Japanese landing operations."

"Honest people may sometimes suffer losses, but they won't let you down when it matters."

"Then, Your Excellency, what is the casualty report from Li Yannian's side?"

Fang Ligong was about to hand over the casualty statistics attached to the back.

Chu Yunfei abruptly waved his hand, interrupting him.

"It's pointless, so I won't watch it."

He continued, "Where are we at episode 15?"

"We are only 40 kilometers away from the front line. The journey ahead has been mostly small-scale battles, and our strength has been well preserved."

"Then doesn't he, as the commander-in-chief of the front lines, have reinforcements?"

"I have heard that Commander-in-Chief He is very kind to his subordinates and never uses foul language to reprimand them or his colleagues. His subordinates all love and respect him. In previous battles against the Japanese and in the warlord civil war, he has demonstrated his wisdom and resourcefulness. Such reinforcements should be enough for Commander-in-Chief Li, right?"

Fang Ligong was taken aback: "You want Commander He, this old military officer, to deal with Li Yannian?"

Chu Yunfei shook his head and denied it, saying, "No matter what, the 34 episodes are ultimately part of China's national defense capabilities."

Although Li Yannian made a mistake, the officers and soldiers below him did not.

We must provide the necessary support and not treat them differently because of factionalism or prejudice.

My disagreements and conflicts with Shancheng shouldn't be implicated in him, Brother Ligong. I remember they switched to some American-made light weapons?

"They were equipped with 107mm mortars and a significant number of sniper rifles."

"Then let them wait for reinforcements to arrive before launching a general offensive. Until then, maintain small-scale, low-intensity, continuous offensives to continuously deplete the Japanese army's manpower."

"Yes." (End of Chapter)