Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 278 Reactions from all parties
Just as Wutai County was shrouded in a somber atmosphere, the atmosphere at the Second War Zone Command Headquarters, a hundred miles away in Kenanpo, also suddenly became tense.

An intelligence officer, looking flustered, practically burst into Yan Xishan's office, forgetting to even knock.

"Commander Yan... Commander Yan... Something terrible has happened!"

Yan Xishan, wearing his reading glasses, was studying a defense map of Shanxi under the dim light.

He was startled by the sudden intrusion, his brows furrowing as he looked up with displeasure: "What's with the panic? What kind of behavior is this! Is the sky falling down?"

The intelligence officer, panting heavily, handed over an urgent telegram he had just received, his voice trembling: "Sir... in Wutai County... Su Yaoyang... Su Yaoyang had just returned to Wutai County when... he was attacked! Now... his fate is unknown!"

"what?"

The magnifying glass in Yan Xishan's hand clattered onto the map. He snatched the telegram, his cloudy old eyes fixed on the few lines of text. The more he read, the more his hands trembled, and his face turned deathly pale.

Su Yaoyang!
This name now represents a formidable and rapidly rising force in Shanxi, and even throughout North China.

His militia was outrageously well-equipped and so powerful that the Japanese army suffered repeated defeats.

For Yan Xishan, Su Yaoyang and his militia were like a tiger crouching beside him, both a shield against the Japanese army and a huge potential threat.

The two sides have maintained a delicate and fragile balance.

But now, this tiger may be dying!
"Quickly! Go and call Xingru and Cuiya here! Immediately...right now!"

Yan Xishan's voice changed tone. He suddenly stood up from his chair and paced anxiously back and forth in the office.

Soon, Yang Aiyuan, commander-in-chief of the Sixth Army Group, Sun Chu, deputy commander-in-chief, and several other core generals of the Jin-Sui Army arrived at the office with solemn expressions.

After they finished reading the telegram, the entire office fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy, rapid breathing of the people in the background.

"Sir!"

Yang Aiyuan broke the silence first, his voice hoarse, "This matter is of utmost importance. Our most important task now is to find out immediately, at all costs, whether Su Yaoyang is dead or alive!"

Sun Chu chimed in, "Xingru is right. If Su Yaoyang were still alive, everything would be fine; it would just be a failed assassination attempt by the Japanese. We could send a telegram of condolence and wait and see. But if... if Su Yaoyang is really dead..."

He didn't say anything more, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Once Su Yaoyang dies, the massive armed force of the Shanxi militia, which relies entirely on Su Yaoyang's personal charisma and mysterious financial resources, will instantly lose its backbone!
Although Pi Ruoyu, Li Gaoyuan, and others were skilled fighters, none of them had enough prestige and ability to unite and control the overall situation.

Internal divisions and infighting are almost inevitable.

At that time, the power structure of Shanxi will be completely reshuffled!

That powerful army, with hundreds of tanks, hundreds of advanced fighter jets, and countless automatic weapons, will become a huge and lucrative cake that will drive any power crazy with envy!
A flicker of greed and fervor flashed in Yan Xishan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deep worry.

He wanted this cake; he dreamed about it!

But he knew he wasn't the only one who wanted a piece of cake.

In Chongqing in the southwest, Chiang Kai-shek, the general in charge, has probably received the news and is mobilizing troops to prepare to "take over" this "legacy." Various factions are even gearing up for action.

It is foreseeable that in the near future, the small Wutai County will instantly become the focus of national attention and a bloody chessboard for various forces to compete for power because of Su Yaoyang's uncertain fate!
"Immediately activate all personnel already in Wutai County!"

Yan Xishan finally made up his mind. He slammed his fist on the table and commanded in a deep voice, "I want to know whether Su Yaoyang is dead or alive as soon as possible! If he's alive, I want to see him; if he's dead... I want to see his body!"

…………

Taiyuan, headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

The office was filled with a strong smell of smoke and an barely suppressed excitement.

Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinotsuka, commander of the First Army, was holding a report that had just been delivered from the intelligence department, his face contorted with a mixture of heartache and ecstatic joy.

The elite special forces team of the "Chrysanthemum Agency" was almost completely wiped out in the assassination attempt against Su Yaoyang, which broke his heart.

But the last line of the report... "The fate of the target is unknown, and several places such as Wutai, Xiangding, and Mengxian have fallen into complete chaos"... turned all his heartache into an uncontrollable ecstasy!
Su Yaoyang! This huge boulder that has weighed on his heart for two years, this thorn in the side that has caused the Imperial Army to lose face in Shanxi, may finally be removed!
Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and Colonel Ichiki Yamamoto, a special operations expert, walked in, ready to report on the recent training progress of the special forces team.

"Yamamoto-kun, you've come at the perfect time!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka waved the report excitedly, not even waiting for Ichiki Yamamoto to salute, "Look... Amaterasu Omikami is here! We succeeded! That guy Su Yaoyang is probably dead!"

Yamamoto Ichiki took the report and quickly glanced through it. His expression wasn't as ecstatic as Shinotsuka Yoshio's; it remained his usual calm and aloof demeanor, though a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed deep in his eyes.

"Your Excellency General, this is indeed exciting news."

Yamamoto Ichiki placed the report back on the table and bowed slightly.

"It's more than just inspiring!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka stood up excitedly, walked to the map, and heavily tapped the location of Wutai County with his baton. "Now is the best time for us to expand our gains."

"Yamamoto-kun, I order you to immediately lead your special forces team and secretly infiltrate Wutai County! You have two tasks: First, find out Su Yaoyang's fate at all costs! Second, if he's still alive, find him, deliver the final blow, and send him to hell!"

However, to Yoshio Shinotsuka's surprise, Yamamoto Ichiki slowly shook his head in the face of this order that was enough to establish unparalleled merit.

“General, please forgive my bluntness, but I don’t think this is a good idea.” “What?”

Yoshio Shinotsuka's smile froze on his face. "Yamamoto-kun, what do you mean by this? Are you afraid?"

"No, Your Excellency General."

Yamamoto Ichiki's tone remained calm and firm: "It's not that I'm afraid, but from a tactical perspective, now is not the best time."

He walked to the map, pointed to the Wutai County area marked with a red circle, and calmly analyzed: "The report also mentioned that after Su Yaoyang was attacked, the entire Wutai County has entered the highest level of martial law."

At this moment, Wutai County must be heavily fortified, with guards every three steps and sentries every five, so that not even a fly could get in. More importantly, the tens of thousands of troops of the Shanxi militia are now in a state of extreme rage and irrationality because their supreme commander was attacked, like a pack of enraged wolves.

If we send people there now, it would be tantamount to sticking our hands into the wolf's mouth. Not only would we be unlikely to complete the mission, but we would also face their relentless and ruthless retaliation, which would be a net loss.

Yoshio Shinotsuka's face darkened, clearly dissatisfied with the explanation.

Yamamoto Ichiki continued, “General, forgive my bluntness, but based on my understanding of the Chinese, they have a deep-rooted flaw—internal strife.”

Su Yaoyang is the only core that holds that army together. If he really dies, within three days, his arrogant and fierce soldiers will start fighting among themselves for supreme command.

The wisest course of action for us now is to wait and see, and perhaps even secretly encourage things to turn around.

Once the Shanxi militias fall into complete disarray, the Imperial Army can reap the benefits without lifting a finger; this is the strategy that best serves the Empire's interests.

"Yoshi... That makes sense!"

…………

While various forces throughout Shanxi were secretly plotting and calculating for Su Yaoyang's "life or death," a completely different scene was unfolding in a special care ward of the field hospital at the headquarters of the Wutai County militia, at the eye of the storm.

The bright ward was filled with a faint smell of Lysol.

Su Yaoyang was half-lying on the hospital bed, his head wrapped in thick gauze, with only his eyes, nose and mouth showing. He looked rather comical, like a mummy who had been pranked.

His hospital bed was now surrounded by officers of the Shanxi militia, who looked menacing.

More than ten core generals at the rank of colonel or above, including Li Gaoyuan, Pi Ruoyu, Lu Shaobin, and Huang Guantao, gathered together.

Even the two air force commanders, Cheng Rufeng, the captain of the "Pirates" squadron, and Doolittle, the captain of the "Flying Tigers" squadron, who had just returned, rushed over from the airport and stood upright in the crowd.

Seeing their commander's "zongzi" (rice dumpling) appearance, a group of fierce generals who were originally furious and eager to lead their troops out to fight all showed strange expressions on their faces, wanting to laugh but not daring to. But more than anything, they breathed a long sigh of relief from the bottom of their hearts.

Thankfully... the boss is alright.

This idea was the only cornerstone that kept the entire Shanxi militia from collapsing.

They all knew perfectly well that if something really happened to Su Yaoyang, their seemingly invincible army would fall apart overnight and be devoured by various covetous forces, leaving not even bones behind.

In a corner of the crowd, Wei Jin, the head of the counterintelligence department, also stood there. Although less than a day had passed since the incident, it felt to him as if he had been repeatedly tormented in a cauldron of oil in hell for several years.

His face was sallow, his eyes were sunken, and his voice was hoarse and dry, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

He walked to the bedside and, under the cold gaze of all his colleagues, mustered his courage to give the final report on the interrogation results.

"Report to the General... The department has already investigated and clarified the matter."

This operation was planned by the Japanese "Kiku Agency," and was carried out on the direct orders of Yoshio Shinotsuka, commander of the First Army of the Japanese Army... Our inside man is... is Captain Liang Shaobin of the Logistics Department... He leaked your return route and time to the Japanese..."

As he delivered his report, the air in the ward grew increasingly heavy, and Li Gaoyuan and the others clenched their fists so tightly they cracked.

When Wei Jin finished his trembling report, bracing himself for the expected thunderous wrath, Su Yaoyang simply listened quietly, his eyes showing no emotion.

The expected roar and punishment did not occur.

Su Yaoyang simply looked at him and calmly said, "I understand... When you get back, clean up the mess and don't leave any trace. You can go out now."

Wei Jin was completely stunned; he couldn't believe his ears. Amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding officers, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, yet also felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He respectfully saluted and left the ward.

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Su Yaoyang didn't explain anything. He simply turned his gaze to the chief of staff beside him.

"Feigning foolishness."

“Here!” Pi Ruoyu immediately stepped forward.

Su Yaoyang's eyes instantly turned sharp as knives. His voice wasn't loud, but it made the temperature in the entire ward seem to drop to freezing point.

"We can't just let this go."

He paused, then said, word by word, "I want you to immediately begin formulating a comprehensive revenge plan. Not petty harassment, not a victory of shooting down a few planes."

I will make Yoshio Shinotsuka, and the Japanese First Army in Taiyuan, pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold price for what happened today, for every single one of our fallen soldiers!

As soon as he finished speaking, all the officers in the ward were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes revealed a bloodthirsty killing intent.

(End of this chapter)