Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 272 Shocking Remarks

Su Yaoyang's resounding eight words—"China will win, Japan will lose!"—were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the noisy banquet hall.

The generals, who had been engaged in lively conversation and clinking glasses just moments before, seemed to have been frozen in place. Chopsticks hung in mid-air, wine glasses hovered at their lips, and everyone's face was frozen in a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and disbelief. An eerie silence fell over the entire hall; you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes, like searchlights, were focused on Su Yaoyang.

Do you know what time it is now?
It is now the 29th year of the Republic of China, which is 1940 in the Gregorian calendar.

This was the darkest and most difficult period of the entire War of Resistance against Japan.

Every general present felt the pain of the current situation acutely.

The most prosperous coastal areas had all fallen, and the Nationalist government was forced to move its capital to Chongqing, retreating to a corner of the southwest. It barely managed to maintain a crumbling defense line by relying on natural barriers such as the Three Gorges and the Qinling Mountains.

The channels for international aid were almost completely cut off with the surrender of France and the Japanese occupation of French Indochina.

The domestic economy has already collapsed. Since the beginning of this year, the depreciation rate of the legal tender has been like an avalanche. The price of rice in Chongqing has increased more than fifty times compared to before the war!

The people in the rear struggled against famine and the daily bombings of Chongqing, and exhaustion and despair spread like a plague.

Just recently, General Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Army Group, died a heroic death in the Battle of Zaoyi, casting a heavy shadow over the morale of the anti-Japanese war effort across the country.

Meanwhile, figures like Wang Jingwei took to the stage in Nanjing, establishing a puppet National Government and spreading traitorous rhetoric of "saving the country through indirect means," which intensified the already pervasive atmosphere of surrender.

Failure, sacrifice, collapse, betrayal... this is the reality they face every day when they open their eyes.

Amidst this gloomy atmosphere, Su Yaoyang, the young militia officer, surprisingly shouted, "China will win!"
The generals looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt.

Where does this confidence come from? Is it the arrogance of a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers? Or is it the overconfidence after winning a few battles?
Even Li Zongren, who admired him the most, frowned slightly.

He certainly hoped China would win, but the heavy pressure of reality made him dare not be optimistic in the slightest.

Su Yaoyang's words sounded more like an empty slogan to boost morale than a calm assessment based on reality.

Sun Lianzhong, who spoke first, shook his head with a wry smile, thinking that Su Yaoyang was drunk and talking nonsense.

Su Yaoyang naturally took in the complex looks in the eyes of the generals, which contained pessimism, hesitation, confusion, and even a trace of pity.

But he wasn't angry; on the contrary, he understood everyone's thoughts.

He knew how earth-shattering and...inappropriate his words sounded to them.

Those who have not personally experienced this era can never truly understand how difficult and hopeless China was in 1940.

Just a few months ago, General Yang Jingyu, the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, died a heroic death.

Su Yaoyang pieced together that tragic end from some scattered intelligence.

Starting at the end of last year, the general's troops were reduced from over a thousand to just a few dozen, and in the final stages, he had only a few soldiers left by his side.

The general's most trusted guard platoon leader betrayed him, taking classified documents and the last of the funds with him to the Japanese, thus completely exposing the general's whereabouts.

In the final days of his siege, he even encountered a fellow countryman who was gathering firewood on the mountain. The villager advised him to surrender, but the general replied, "Fellow countryman, if all of us Chinese surrender, will there still be a China?"

But as soon as that fellow villager came down the mountain, he immediately informed the Japanese.

In the end, that tough man, starving, cold, and seriously ill, fought alone in the freezing snow, using only two pistols, until the very last moment of his life.

It is said that the cruel Japanese soldiers dissected his body and found that his stomach contained only undigested tree bark and grass roots, as well as clumps of cotton wool.

Even the bravest warriors can be betrayed by their own people, and even the most steadfast generals can only survive by eating cotton wool. This is the reality of today.

The enemy pressed closer and closer, and our homeland was constantly being lost. Hope gradually faded away amidst the daily bombings and sacrifices.

In this situation, despair is like a contagious plague, infecting ordinary people, soldiers, and even the high-ranking generals present here.

Having figured this out, the last trace of unease in Su Yaoyang's heart subsided.

Despite the barrage of questions, Su Yaoyang's expression remained unchanged.

He cleared his throat, and his steady voice broke the awkward silence in the banquet hall.

"Gentlemen..." He looked around at everyone, his gaze sincere, "Don't think I'm just talking big. What I just said is based entirely on evidence."

He paused, giving everyone time to process his points, and then began his argument with a vivid metaphor.

"In my opinion, Japan is like Cheng Yaojin in the storytelling, seemingly powerful, but in reality only knows three tricks."

Once it's used up its three main attacks, it'll have no other options left!

This easy-to-understand analogy eased the furrowed brows of many generals slightly. Su Yaoyang didn't give them much time to think; he immediately dropped his first bombshell.

"Let's take the domestic economic situation in Japan as an example, not to mention anything else."

Since last year, Japan has experienced a drought of unprecedented severity, resulting in widespread crop failures.

In order to sustain the war, the Japanese government has begun to implement a strict food rationing system on its own soil, limiting the amount of food that can be purchased.

At the same time, they also used their precious foreign exchange reserves to urgently purchase hundreds of thousands of tons of flour on the international market to supplement the shortage of domestic supplies.

These words caused a slight change in the expressions of the generals present. They were all commanders who had led troops into battle and knew the principle that "an army marches on its stomach."

They are fully aware of what a food crisis means for a country, especially one engaged in a full-scale war.

Seeing their reactions, Su Yaoyang knew that his words had worked, so he pressed his advantage and threw out a second, even more damaging statistic.

"Let's talk about their money. Before the full-scale outbreak of war in 1937, Japan had foreign exchange reserves of about $3.8 million, including about 400 tons of gold. This was a considerable amount."

He extended three fingers, then abruptly retracted two.

"And this year, in just three years, Japan's gold reserves have dropped to less than $100 million!"

"boom!"

This number, like a real bomb, exploded in everyone's minds.

Less than one hundred million US dollars!
The entire banquet hall erupted in chaos, with buzzing discussions rising and falling, making it impossible to remain quiet any longer.

"What? Less than 100 million?"

"This...how is this possible? So much money was burned in just three years?"

"If this is true... then wouldn't the Japanese be..."

No one present was a fool.

What does modern warfare involve?
It's all about logistics, it's all about industry, and ultimately, it's all about money.

For a resource-poor country like Japan, which relies on buying everything, if it runs out of money, gold, and foreign exchange, it can't buy oil, steel, or rubber. Then all its frontline planes, tanks, and artillery will become piles of scrap metal!
The total war had only been going on for three years, and Japan's economic situation had already deteriorated to this extent.

If what Su Yaoyang said is true, then even a fool would know that the Japanese absolutely cannot hold out for much longer!

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Su Yaoyang finally delivered a concluding speech. His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight:
"I would like to ask you all, under these circumstances, how long can the Japanese government maintain this situation?"

If we can hold out for a few more years, Japan's collapse is just around the corner!

After the words fell, the whole place fell into silence.

After the initial shock, an even greater question loomed over everyone's minds like a dark cloud.

Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and the others exchanged glances, all seeing the same problem in each other's eyes.

Japan's grain reserves, foreign exchange reserves... these data are absolutely top-secret information of the Japanese government. Apart from Emperor Hirohito and a very few key ministers around him, it is impossible for outsiders to know them.

How did Su Yaoyang, a militia leader living in a remote area of ​​Shanxi, find out?
The way everyone looked at Su Yaoyang had completely changed.

From initial gratitude, to later appreciation, then to just now doubt, and now, it has transformed into a gaze mixed with awe, surprise, and deep apprehension.

Looking at Su Yao-yang's confident and seemingly genuine demeanor, a storm of emotions surged within them.

Could it be... that he's so powerful that he can even get his hands on top-secret information of this level? What kind of terrifying strength and background is hidden behind this young man?
In an instant, Su Yaoyang became increasingly mysterious and unpredictable in everyone's eyes.

After a long silence, Bai Chongxi said solemnly, "Mingxi... you are also a soldier, you should know that a soldier's words are not to be taken lightly."

If you cannot take responsibility for what you just said, I can consider it drunken ramblings, as long as you apologize to everyone present, I can pretend I didn't hear it. But once you admit to what you just said, especially the authenticity of those data, if it is later discovered that the data has been significantly falsified, you will be held responsible!

Seeing Bai Chongxi's solemn expression, Su Yaoyang glanced around at everyone present and suddenly smiled: "Commander Bai, you flatter me. If you think the Ministry's words are unreliable, then just consider me talking nonsense."

After all, the staff member had just drunk too much, so it's understandable that he said some incoherent things.

"Hey...you little rascal..."

Bai Chongxi was almost amused by his words, and pointed at him, speechless for a moment.

However, Li Zongren, Sun Lianzhong and others looked at Su Yaoyang with a hint of appreciation. This kid was able to take things in stride and wouldn't put on a brave face. Just for that, he was much better than many others.

(End of this chapter)