Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 233 Suspects Used Violently
Anqing.

Central China Garrison Command, Forward Command Post.

Fortunately, Wang Feng arrived in time, halting the decline of the 27th Army Group and preventing the situation from deteriorating further.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, an urgent telegram from the Ministry of the Interior!"

Wang Feng's perspective shifts back to the real world: "What happened?"

Zhao Fangyuan handed over a telegram: "The Japanese army has engaged in direct military conflict with the Soviet army in the Zhanggufeng area. The Japanese 75th Infantry Regiment has stormed the summit and killed dozens of Soviet soldiers."

Wang Feng immediately took the telegram, glanced at it, and a smile appeared on his lips:
"Not bad, it seems the Japanese have taken the bait!"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, according to the observations of our secret agents, after the Japanese 75th Infantry Regiment occupied Zhanggufeng, the follow-up troops of the 19th Division showed obvious loopholes in their coordination. It is very likely that this is another case of 'subordinates overstepping their bounds'."

The Japanese army high command likely wanted the Soviet Union to sue for peace in order to prevent the situation from escalating.

Wang Feng: "They're being too naive. Once war starts, it won't be subject to human will. They want peace? The Soviets might not agree!"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, your insight is brilliant! This will definitely draw the Japanese army's attention, giving us more breathing room!"

Wang Feng: "What is the situation regarding the troop movements in the rear?"
"Although the 27th Army Group fought back, they alone are probably no match for the Hata Detachment."

While morale is important in military operations, the objective disparity is the truly decisive factor.

After all, not every army can be like the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, using inferior equipment and logistics, and still manage to drive the UN forces back beyond the 38th parallel.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Zhang Hu led two battalions of soldiers to find the 26th Army Group, which had been defeated earlier. If all goes well, this unit can continue to participate in the battle after a short rest."

Wang Feng: "Transfer them to Qianshan to block the Sixth Division. They must hold out for at least three days!"

Three days
For an army group that was reorganized from a local militia, that was more than enough.

Strategic command requires careful planning and a step-by-step approach; he dared not expect the 26th Army Group to achieve any extraordinary feats.

Zhao Fangyuan: "In addition, the 31st Army and the 84th Army are also rushing to Anqing to provide reinforcements and are expected to arrive tomorrow morning."

Wang Feng: "Too slow. Tell them to speed up. The main forces of each army must arrive before six o'clock tomorrow morning!"

Zhao Fangyuan hesitated for a moment: "Isn't this too rushed, sir?"

Wang Feng: "Currently, our troops appear numerous, several times the size of the invading Japanese army, but in a real battle, with this force, we cannot recapture Anqing. All we can do is use the terrain of mountains and rivers to delay the Japanese army's advance."

"The Japanese army has naval superiority and their attack speed is exceptionally fast. We must hurry!"

As they were talking, an operations staff officer walked in: "Reporting, sir, the 27th Army has called to say that they have arrived in the combat zone!"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Two more people, mark them on the map!"

Operations Staff: “Yes!”

In no time, several staff officers clearly marked the front-line defense situation on the large wall map.

Wang Feng glanced at it symbolically.

The 27th Group Army comprises two armies: the 20th Army and the 44th Army.

The 20th Army was responsible for the main combat missions, the 133rd Division was responsible for capturing the Anqing military airport, and the 134th Division and the Provisional 54th Division were responsible for intercepting reinforcements from the perimeter.

The 44th Army, with fewer than 10,000 men, was less than a full-strength division in reality. It had no choice but to build positions in the rear and use the terrain to its advantage to hold off the Japanese army step by step through trench warfare.

Zhao Fangyuan was somewhat worried: "Sir, the battle line is so long. There is only a 40-kilometer gap between the 133rd and 134th Divisions. It seems okay now."

"But if troops are frequently moved around, gaps may appear in the defensive line, and the Japanese army may very well slip through and advance directly to the 44th Army."

Wang Feng looked at the logistics officer beside him: "Can the supply line keep up?"

Logistics staff officer: "We have conscripted more than 4,000 laborers from the county towns and villages near Madang Fortress, as well as a large number of handcarts. We have also set up many supply stations behind the 44th Army. There is no need to worry about that."

"The biggest problem we are facing right now is that we are running out of supplies!"

Wang Feng: "A deficit?"

The logistics staff officer looked troubled: "If we distribute the supplies according to the Nationalist army's standards, we'll run out of ammunition and food in less than a week."

Wang Feng: "National Army standard? Send them out first. As for supplies, Fang Yuan, go and urge Chen Cheng to send over a batch as soon as possible to support the frontline operations!"

If this were the garrison, they would probably be directing the artillery column to bombard the Japanese positions at this moment.

Wang Feng: "Where is the Second Field Army?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "An hour and a half ago, they called as usual. According to the Second Field Army Headquarters, they expect to arrive in Zhengzhou early tomorrow morning and then quickly take over the city's defenses."

Wang Feng nodded.

Zhengzhou is a major city in the Central Plains, with its population, market, raw materials, and so on. He has been eyeing it for a long time and has always wanted to bring it into his possession, but he has always lacked a suitable reason.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, here is another telegram from the 23rd Army Group."

Wang Feng frowned: "The 23rd Army Group? Aren't they fighting guerrilla warfare in southern Anhui and western Zhejiang?"

Zhao Fangyuan explained, "Yes, but after receiving news of the crisis in Anqing, the army group commander Tang Shizun immediately gathered troops scattered in various places, wanting to support our battle from the flank!"

Wang Feng: "Where are they now?"

The transition from the enemy's rear to the front lines was indeed difficult, but fortunately, the Japanese army's attention was focused on Wuhan, and the General Headquarters was drawing troops from all over the country and desperately trying to send them to Hata Shunroku's command.

An army group amassed over hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers of land is simply too much for the remaining security forces to handle.

Zhao Fangyuan: "In the mountainous area south of Tongling!"

Wang Feng immediately looked at the wall chart.

Tongling is located between Anqing and Wuhu, on the south bank of the Yangtze River. From an aerial perspective, once you reach this point, it is already part of the Japanese army's logistics supply area. If you raise the aerial perspective, there are at least five supply stations within a radius of 20 to 30 kilometers.

If the 23rd Army Group can assemble here and launch a surprise attack, even if the Sichuan Army is weak, it can still have a significant impact on the battle situation.

Wang Feng: "Reply to the 23rd Army Group, approve their request, and order the unit to quickly assemble and immediately advance towards Tongling to cut off the Japanese army's Yangtze River supply line!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

Wang Feng: "We have another army group, but we still cannot let our guard down. How are the preparations at Madang Fortress?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "The unfinished bunker is under construction and the 16th Army has stepped up its defenses, but the 'Anti-Japanese Military and Political University' is still holding training classes."

Wang Feng felt a headache coming on whenever this matter was mentioned.

Unlike Liao Zhen, who deserted his post, Li Yunheng's establishment of a school was ostensibly a good thing for the army and the country, although Wang Feng, from God's perspective, knew that this damn school might ruin everything.

However, at this stage, he simply cannot find a suitable "charge" to remove Li Yunheng from his post.

Sending a corps commander to a military court without any legitimate reason, based solely on fabricated charges, would be a devastating blow to the morale of soldiers on the front lines.

Wang Feng: "Send a telegram to Bao Changyi, ordering him to conduct strict patrols and arrest anyone found to have abandoned their post!"

Zhao Fangyuan responded:
"Yes!"

Wang Feng: "By the way, go and contact the Air Force again, and ask them to send planes to bomb Anqing. The specific coordinates are here." As he spoke, he picked up his baton and gestured on the map.

"According to the reconnaissance soldiers at the front, this place is very likely the headquarters of the Japanese Hata Detachment, and this place is the port where the invading Japanese warships docked."

Zhao Fangyuan took out his notebook and wrote down the approximate coordinates based on the information on the map.

"Sir, when should we deploy?"

Wang Feng glanced down at the time; it was already past midnight.

"The fighter jet formation will take off at 6:00 AM tomorrow!"

With the Anqing military airfield in the hands of the Japanese army, the air force could only take off from airfields in Nanchang, Hankou and other places. Judging by the time, it would probably be seven or eight o'clock by the time they arrived over the battlefield.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, is there anything else you need to add?"

Wang Feng: "Let's leave it at that for now."

Zhao Fangyuan: "I'm going right now!"

------

mountain city.

Chiang Kai-shek stood by the window, gazing eastward.

“Jingzhi, Wang Feng really made the right bet this time. Dai Li just sent over the exact troop deployment of the Japanese army. Hundreds of thousands of troops are deployed along the river. This time we misjudged the main direction of the Japanese army’s offensive.”

Upon hearing this news, He Yingqin breathed a sigh of relief: "It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. We mobilized our troops several days in advance, so this misjudgment should not have too much impact on the front-line battle situation."

Chiang Kai-shek: "That would be best. The military friction between Japan and the Soviet Union on the northeastern border has caused the Soviets to suffer losses. They will definitely not let it go. We must seize this opportunity!"

He Yingqin: "Please give us your instructions, Chairman!"

Chiang Kai-shek turned around and walked to his desk: "Go to Wuhan immediately and tell Chen Cheng that the main force of the Japanese army is along the Yangtze River. The success or failure of the Ninth War Zone is related to the direction of the entire war. Tell him to write a battle plan for me immediately, and do it quickly."

He Yingqin: "Chairman, shouldn't these matters be handled by Wang Fenglai?"

"Sending Chen Cheng would be an oversimplification!"

Chiang Kai-shek: "Wang Feng is indeed the garrison commander, but Chen Cheng is still the deputy commander! He is also the commander of the Ninth War Zone. I am very reassured to entrust him with this task."

"As for Wang Feng, let him focus on commanding the Anqing campaign for now!"

"I heard that he killed a Sichuan army commander who deserted on the battlefield?"

He Yingqin: "That's true!"

Chiang Kai-shek was silent for a moment: "Good riddance! I killed Han Fuqu, which led to the victory in the Battle of Taierzhuang. Killing a few more good-for-nothings is also a good thing for the front-line operations."

He Yingqin nodded: "This subordinate understands!"

Chiang Kai-shek: "You go ahead and get busy, I need to rest."

He Yingqin stepped back, always facing Chiang Kai-shek, and slowly left the office.

Not far from the entrance.

Bai Chongxi had been waiting for a long time. When He Yingqin came out, he immediately went up to him and asked, "Jingzhi, what does the Chairman mean?"

He Yingqin sighed: "Alas, the Chairman has asked me to go to Wuhan to inquire about Chen Cheng's key operational cases in the Ninth War Zone."

Bai Chongxi: "Just send a telegram to Chen Cheng. Why bother traveling all the way to Wuhan in person?"

He Yingqin: "This is the Chairman's intention, and I'm not entirely sure myself, but Jiansheng, you know the Chairman's personality."

Bai Chongxi clicked his tongue: "If you doubt someone, you'll use them recklessly. But if you do that, the king will be in trouble."

He Yingqin: "I believe Cixiu is a person who understands the bigger picture."

Bai Chongxi lowered his head and sighed, "That's all we can do."

------

7 month 14 day.

Nanchang Military Airport.

An I-15 fighter jet slowly taxied out of the hangar. Pilot Grigory Kulichenko looked at the ground crew and said in broken Chinese, "Hey! Are you ready?"

Ground crew: "Hurry up and take off, it's time!"

Grigory waved to the fighter jet beside him: "Watch how I'll beat those Japanese devils to a pulp this time!"

Inside another I-15 fighter jet, Wang Yuanbo, the captain of the 22nd Squadron of the 4th Group, smiled and made a "take off" gesture.

Ground crew waved flags beside the runway as fighter jets took off, roaring with their propellers before disappearing rapidly into the clouds.

With few and narrow runways, the Air Force deployed a total of 24 I-15 fighter jets and 6 SB-2 fast bombers for this operation.

As the second wave of bombers took off, the ground crew leader watched the flight formation gradually disappear from sight and couldn't help but sigh:
"These bombers are the latest aid the Soviet Union has given us. They haven't been in service for many years. I heard from the pilots that each of these planes can carry 600 kilograms of bombs. Guess how fast it can go?"

A staff member nearby frowned: "300 kilometers per hour?"

The team leader gestured: "Four hundred and fifty kilometers! In just one hour, we can fly 450 kilometers!"

The staff member exclaimed in astonishment, "Sigh, if only we could manufacture this plane ourselves! Aid might stop at any time; we can't always be at the mercy of others."

The regimental commander interjected, "Hey, have you heard? Commander Wang has set up an aviation school in Changzhi."

Ground crew leader: "Air Force School?"

"real or fake?"

Regimental Commander: "It's absolutely true. When I was in Lanfeng, I fought the Japanese alongside the garrison troops. I heard it from one of their battalion commanders while we were resting on the position!"

The ground crew leader shrugged: "Even if we did it, what good would it do? Without planes, the trained pilots can only watch from the ground, like a rooster that can't take off no matter how hard it tries, only able to look up at the eagles in the sky."

The group leader couldn't help but laugh: "Hey Lao Guo, where did you read that in? It doesn't sound like something a famous writer would write!"

The ground crew leader rolled his eyes at him: "Can't I make it up myself?"

Regimental Commander: "To be honest, I think the garrison might actually be able to build airplanes. They're already capable of producing large-caliber heavy artillery on their own!"

Ground crew leader: "I hope so. How did you find out so much about these things between the higher-ups?"

Battalion Commander: "I found out during casual conversation. These things are considered secrets by us, but the higher-ups probably already know about them."

"If military aid stops and we lose our planes, where will you go?"

The ground crew leader looked somewhat dejected: "We'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll just go to logistics."

(End of this chapter)