Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 279 A Big Gift

As the last officer gently closed the door to the ward, the palpable killing intent emanating from the dozens of high-ranking officers was shut out.

The ward, which had just been crowded, suddenly became empty and quiet.

Su Yaoyang leaned against the soft pillow and slowly closed his eyes.

After the initial resoluteness and ruthlessness of issuing the order for revenge faded, it was replaced by a deeper, colder sense of lingering fear and anger.

This attack can be said to have been a wake-up call for him.

As a modern person from a peaceful era, although he has become accustomed to the cruelty of war after arriving in this time and space, he still subconsciously holds a sense of "rules" belonging to modern civilization regarding "war".

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

The moment kept flashing through his mind... the whistling of the bullet tearing through the air, the resolute look in the guard's eyes as he lunged at him, and the bloody mess that exploded on his back after being hit by the bullet.

The Japanese… these despicable, vile, and utterly shameless adversaries will use every imaginable, or even unimaginable, means to take your life. Assassination, bribery, exploitation of civilians… in their eyes, there is no morality or ethics whatsoever.

Fighting such an enemy requires utmost caution. The slightest negligence could lead to utter destruction.

"You bastard... are you trying to scare me to death?"

A familiar voice, tinged with sobs and anger, rang in his ears. A warm, soft hand gently touched his forehead, testing its temperature.

Su Yaoyang opened his eyes and saw Song Mei's pretty face, which was a mixture of fear, heartache, and anger.

She wore a pristine white dean's coat, and her voluptuous, mature figure looked particularly alluring in the well-fitting uniform. Especially now, with tears streaming down her face, she appeared even more pitiful.

"Young Master... are you alright? Have... have some fruit..."

Another timid voice came from behind. Xiao Lu came over with a white porcelain plate. On the plate were apples that she had cut into small pieces with a knife.

Her delicate face was still streaked with tears, her big eyes were red and swollen like a rabbit's, and her hands holding the plate were still trembling slightly.

This concubine, who had been a maidservant since childhood and had been with him since he was a child, was clearly frightened.

Looking at the two tearful faces before him, filled with concern for him, Su Yaoyang felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but what followed was a question that sent chills down his spine.

What if... what if I really died today?
What will happen to Song Mei? What will happen to Xiao Lu? What will become of them?
He suddenly realized with absolute clarity a problem he had been deliberately ignoring... the Shanxi militia, this powerful armed force he had built from scratch, was far too dependent on him!
Winning or losing does not matter.

Because of him, and that magical material converter, the militia was able to possess weapons and equipment far superior to those of the era, as well as a constant supply of logistical materials, and was able to attract capable leaders like Pi Ruoyu and Li Gaoyuan. He had godlike absolute control over this force.

But precisely because of this, once he, the "god," is gone, the entire system will collapse in the shortest amount of time.

Pi Ruoyu is talented, and Li Gaoyuan is a skilled fighter, but who among them can conjure tanks and cannons out of thin air? Who can truly win over all the arrogant and fierce generals?

At that time, internal power struggles, the encroachment of external forces... this battle-hardened army that once struck fear into the hearts of the Japanese army will likely be reduced to dust in history.

Although he was keenly aware of this fatal problem, he sadly discovered that he was... utterly helpless about it.

This is a dead end.

A military group built on personality cults and supernatural abilities is inherently unstable from the start.

The only way to solve this is to find another time traveler or reveal the secret of the matter converter, neither of which is possible.

But he soon figured it out.

Since this problem cannot be solved, the only option is... to never give up.

"I am fine."

Su Yaoyang reached out and grasped Song Mei's warm, soft hand with one hand, while picking up a piece of apple from the plate with the other and putting it in his mouth. "Don't worry, a few Japanese bastards can't kill me."

…………

Under the careful care of the doctors and nurses, Su Yaoyang's head wound healed quickly.

Three days later, Song Mei personally removed the thick bandage that made him look like a rice dumpling, leaving only a small scar on his forehead covered by bandage, reminding everyone of the thrilling assassination that had occurred a few days earlier.

After removing the gauze, Song Mei, in her dual capacity as the director of the field hospital and Mrs. Su, gave the order.

"From today onwards, you'd better stay home and behave yourself!"

You are to rest for at least two weeks. Until your wound is completely healed, you are not permitted to return to command post to handle any official business!

However, the days of recuperating at home are not so difficult to endure.

It seems that Song Mei and Xiao Lu had discussed it beforehand and temporarily put aside their work at the hospital and at home. One stopped making rounds in the wards, and the other stopped going to work, spending every day wholeheartedly with him.

Early in the morning, the three of them ate breakfast that Xiao Lu had carefully prepared together in the sun-drenched courtyard.

In the morning... Song Mei would accompany him for a walk in the back garden, breathing in the fresh air.

In the afternoon... it's a leisurely time to read books and newspapers. Xiao Lu will sit quietly to his side and brew him a pot of good tea.

In the evenings... the three of them would play games together, and life was indeed very comfortable.

This warm and peaceful life gradually eased Su Yaoyang's tense and violent heart, which had become tense and violent due to the assassination incident.

The feeling was like a tiger licking its wounds on the battlefield returning to its safest den, being gently comforted by its closest mate.

However, this leisurely life did not last long.

That afternoon, Su Yaoyang was lying on a rattan chair in the courtyard, enjoying the rare afternoon sun, when a guard came to announce that several "distinguished guests" had arrived.

Su Yaoyang entered the reception room with some doubt, and was greatly surprised when he saw who it was. Seated at the head of the table was a middle-aged general in a crisp military uniform, with a lean face but sharp, eagle-like eyes.

Although he was just sitting there quietly, the dignified air of someone who had been through many battles and held a high position made the entire reception room feel somewhat oppressive.

The visitor was none other than Bai Chongxi, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Military Commission of the National Government and the number two figure in the Guangxi clique, known as "Little Zhuge Liang"!

"Lord Jian... what brings you here?"

Su Yaoyang stepped forward quickly and saluted in surprise.

Behind Bai Chongxi stood several equally capable adjutants.

Bai Chongxi glanced at him and saw that although he still had a scar on his forehead, he was in good spirits and moved freely. A hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but he said in an annoyed tone, "How could I not come? If I hadn't come, your Shanxi militia, Su Yaoyang, would probably have to change its name and identity!"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued in a tone that seemed displeased but was actually full of concern: "Do you know what kind of rumors are circulating about your assassination attempt?"
In Chongqing, some newspapers even published your obituary, saying that you were assassinated by the Japanese!
Those people from the Ministry of Military Affairs, smelling blood, pounced on it. That old codger He Jingzhi has already drafted a report, planning to send people to 'take over' your Shanxi militia and then 'reorganize' them!

Bai Chongxi paused, his tone softening slightly: "After Delin found out about this, he was so worried that he couldn't sleep for several nights. If I hadn't insisted on stopping him, he probably would have come to Wutai County himself to see if you were alive or dead!"

Hearing these words, Su Yaoyang felt a surge of warmth and guilt.

He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Sigh... I really didn't expect that my little matter would alarm Lord De and Lord Jian, and make the two superiors worry. I feel really bad about it."

Bai Chongxi waved his hand, gesturing for Su Yaoyang to sit down, his sharp eyes fixed on him as if trying to see right through him.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. We're both soldiers, let's get down to business."

He picked up the fresh tea that Xiao Lu had just served, but didn't drink it. He simply used the lid to gently skim off the foam. "Tell me the truth. What exactly happened during this assassination attempt? The intelligence I've received is all over the place, but they all say you suffered heavy losses."

Su Yaoyang took a deep breath and told Bai Chongxi the whole story, from Liang Shaobin's betrayal to the ambush by the "Chrysanthemum Agency" agents, and then to the desperate resistance of his own guards, without holding back a single detail.

He did not exaggerate his own danger, nor did he embellish the sacrifices of the guards; he simply stated the facts in an almost cold and calm tone.

However, the calmer the situation, the more Bai Chongxi felt the raging fury suppressed beneath it.

After listening, Bai Chongxi remained silent for a moment, then slammed his teacup down on the table with a thud.

"What a shrewd Yoshio Shinotsuka! What a shrewd Kikuchi! The Japanese, they've never given up on their desire to destroy us!" He sneered, then asked, "So, what do you plan to do with this? Just let it go like this?"

"never mind?"

Su Yaoyang smiled, but there was no warmth in that smile, only a chilling killing intent. "Lord Jian, I, Su Yaoyang, am not some big shot, but I am not a pushover either. If Shinotsuka Yoshio dares to touch me, I will smash all his teeth!"

As he spoke, he no longer concealed anything and revealed the large-scale retaliatory plan he had ordered Pi Ruoyu to devise, targeting the entire First Army of the Japanese Army in Shanxi, especially its capital Taiyuan, which involved a combined land, sea, and air operation.

As Su Yaoyang recounted the story, Bai Chongxi's expression shifted from solemnity to surprise, then to shock, and finally to a complex mix of excitement and caution.

After Su Yaoyang finished explaining the framework of the plan, Bai Chongxi did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he got up and walked to the huge Shanxi military map hanging on the wall, stood with his hands behind his back, and remained silent for a long time.

Just when Su Yaoyang thought he would object to this overly risky plan, Bai Chongxi suddenly turned around and tapped a few points on the map with his finger.

"Your plan is ambitious and your determination is strong. However, there are a few loopholes. If you don't find a way to fix them, it could cause quite a bit of trouble."

He bluntly pointed out, "First, you set the main attack direction on the Taiyuan front, which could put the greatest pressure on the Japanese army, but it also happened to run into their most fortified fortress complex."

Second, although your air force is elite, it is only used for bombing and has not taken into account the coordination between seizing air superiority in the theater and providing continuous fire support for ground troops.

Third, your armored forces' infiltration route was too simplistic, ignoring the complex terrain of Shanxi and the anti-tank traps that the Japanese might have set up..."

The title "Little Zhuge Liang" was indeed well-deserved. After listening only once, he accurately pointed out several key oversights in Pi Ruoyu's hasty formulation of the plan.

With just a few words, Su Yaoyang understood why they say experience matters. He stepped forward and humbly asked, "What Jian Gong said is absolutely right. Yaoyang has learned a lot!"

Looking at the bigwig who had left a great name in Chinese military history, a bold idea suddenly came to him.

"Jian Gong!"

Su Yaoyang's tone became extremely sincere, "Yaoyang has a favor to ask."

This retaliatory action is my decision, and it is imperative.

Although my troops are strong and well-equipped, we ultimately lack a commander who can strategize and win battles from afar.

I humbly request that you, Lord Jiansheng, condescend to stay and serve as the deputy commander-in-chief of this operation, to jointly command this battle with me, and I request that you personally revise our battle plan!

Upon hearing this, the air in the entire reception room seemed to freeze.

Bai Chongxi suddenly turned his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, staring intently at Su Yaoyang.

It has to be said that Su Yaoyang's move really hit the nail on the head.

Such an opportunity is something any general in China today would dream of! This is no longer just a battle, but a classic example worthy of being recorded in the annals of world military history!

Bai Chongxi's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

His military aptitude was instantly activated. Countless tactical ideas, flanking maneuvers, and air-ground coordination plans that he had only dared to conceive in his mind before, but could only sigh at due to the weakness of the National Revolutionary Army, suddenly echoed in his mind.

He carefully considered the matter, weighing its military value against the political risks. Ultimately, the soldier's yearning for the art of war overcame all his concerns.

He slowly reached out and clasped Su Yaoyang's hand tightly.

"it is good!"

Bai Chongxi's voice was a little hoarse with excitement: "I, Bai Chongxi, will take on this deputy commander-in-chief position! Let's work together to present Yoshio Shinotsuka with a great gift."

(End of this chapter)