Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 307 The Benefits of Holding the Righteousness in Hand

The headquarters of the Japanese North China Area Army in Taiyuan.

With the arrival of Iseki Ren's farewell telegram, the atmosphere in the entire headquarters became extremely heavy, so silent that one could almost hear the air solidify. Shinotsuka Yoshio's face was ashen, and his clenched fists were so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"Tanaka-kun, the 36th Division... Iseki-kun, he... he really..."

Yoshio Shinotsuka's voice was deep, with a hint of disbelief and hoarseness.

He never imagined that the 36th Division, on which he had placed such high hopes, would be defeated so quickly.

In just three days, more than 10,000 people were wiped out.

Chief of Staff Ryukichi Tanaka also wore a somber expression.

He had just received the latest battle report from the front lines, and every word in the report felt like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his shock, then slowly raised his head, his eyes showing a hint of weariness, yet he had to face the cruel reality.

"Commander, the entire 36th Division... has been annihilated."

Tanaka Ryukichi's voice trembled noticeably, and each word seemed to be squeezed out with great difficulty from his throat.

He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts or trying to process the harsh reality.

"According to the latest aerial photographs transmitted at great risk by reconnaissance aircraft and reports from the garrison outside the city... all the positions outside Taiyuan City have been... lost."

He pointed to the huge military map spread out on the table, which originally showed the Japanese army's layers of defenses, but now only a red area representing the fall of the Japanese army remained.

"Lieutenant General Iseki and his division command launched a final Banzai charge in front of the cave, but were instantly wiped out by the concentrated firepower of the Chinese army... No, not a single person survived." Tanaka Ryukichi's voice grew softer and softer, his eyes filled with pain.

He paused for a moment, as if recalling something, then added in a slightly trembling voice:
"Chief of Staff Colonel Toshio Suzuki, Artillery Regiment Commander Colonel Kiyoshi Suzuki, Infantry Regiment Commanders Colonel Tadao Fukushima, Colonel Sadao Ouchi... and all the staff officers, guards, and communications soldiers who accompanied His Highness the Division Commander on the final assault... all, all of them were killed in action."

He paused, his voice filled with indescribable grief.

"The 36th Division has been completely annihilated... Commander, all defenses around Taiyuan City no longer exist."

The vanguard of the Chinese army has now advanced to... to within 500 meters of the city gate, ready to launch an attack on Taiyuan at any time.

"Commander, we must be prepared."

Inside the headquarters, the air was stagnant, like lead, pressing heavily on everyone's chest.

After a long while, Yoshio Shinotsuka let out a long sigh, his voice filled with endless bitterness and exhaustion.

There's an old Chinese saying: "Life is unpredictable..."

He muttered to himself, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet each word echoed clearly in the deathly silence.

"When I first came to serve in the First Army, I was looking forward to making great strides, completely eliminating the Chinese forces in Shanxi, and turning Shanxi into a stable rear area for the empire... I never expected this..."

His gaze shifted from the map to the dark night sky outside the window, as if through the darkness he could see his former high-spirited self and the despairing reality he now faced.

"Your Excellency Commander!"

Tanaka Ryukichi straightened up abruptly; he couldn't accept the commander's dejected posture.

"You don't need to be discouraged!"

He emphasized his words, trying to boost Yoshio Shinotsuka's confidence, "Although the 36th Division has been destroyed, we still have the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Taiyuan!"

Tanaka Ryukichi's tone was urgent. He strode to the map and placed his fingertips heavily on the marker in the center of Taiyuan City, as if he wanted to firmly grasp the fate of that city in his hands.

"If you add the puppet troops, the number will be more than 10,000."

We can hold Taiyuan for a long time! Once reinforcements arrive, we can then launch a surprise attack on the Chinese, wiping them out!

However, Yoshio Shinotsuka simply shook his head, his gesture carrying a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

"If only it were that simple..."

Tanaka Ryukichi only considered the issue from a military perspective, but he overlooked politics and public sentiment, which are the truly invisible and intangible factors that can determine victory or defeat.

"Tanaka-kun, the forces in Shanxi are too complicated."

Yoshio Shinotsuka walked to the window, his back to Ryukichi Tanaka. His gaze was fixed on the distant mountains shrouded in night, as if countless elusive eyes were hidden among them.

"The Jin-Sui Army, the Central Army, the Eighth Route Army, the Shanxi militia, and private armed forces in various places... are as numerous as hairs on a cow."

With each power he mentioned, his tone grew increasingly forceful, each power representing a potential threat and an unpredictable variable.

"When the Shanxi militia and the 386th Brigade first attacked Taiyuan, other forces watched with a sense of schadenfreude. Most people were not optimistic about them and thought that it was a pipe dream for the Shanxi militia and a group of local Eighth Route Army soldiers to take Taiyuan."

Yoshio Shinotsuka's tone carried a hint of self-mockery. They had once thought the same way, regarding these "rabble" as child's play and dismissing them with disdain.

"But things are different now..."

His voice suddenly turned low, "The shock caused by the complete annihilation of the 36th Division was too great."

Yoshio Shinotsuka slowly turned around, "If the Jin-Sui Army doesn't seize the opportunity to take advantage, then he wouldn't be Yan Xishan..."

He snorted coldly. He could imagine that Yan Xishan, who was usually timid and cowardly, was now sharpening his knife with a greedy smile on his face, ready to pounce on the lucrative battlefield of Taiyuan.

Outside the city gate of Wutai County
A black sedan, escorted by a truck full of soldiers, drove dusty and grimy from afar, its tires making a low rumble as they rolled over the concrete road.

Night had fallen, and the lights on the outskirts of the county town were sparse, with only the oil lamps hanging high at the city gate casting a dim yellow glow.

The guards responsible for guarding the city gates, though already accustomed to the comings and goings at night, still immediately became more vigilant in the face of such a scene.

Several soldiers armed with submachine guns quickly stepped forward, set up a cordon, and signaled the convoy to stop.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing two officers seated inside. "Identifications," one of the guards said, extending his hand in a serious tone.

Inside the car, an officer handed over several documents. The guard took the documents and carefully checked them under the oil lamp. In the dim light, he could make out the stamp and photograph on the documents, as well as the prominent rank of Second-Class General.

His gaze fell on the name on the document… “Yang Aiyuan”.

After comparing his face back and forth with that of the general sitting in the back row, and confirming that it was indeed him, the serious expression on his face instantly relaxed.

"Sir, the verification is correct." The guard respectfully returned the identification to the other party, standing ramrod straight.

"Sir, the road is difficult to travel at night. We will send two brothers to lead the way for you," the guard leader stepped forward and said loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers quickly jumped onto the truck bed, signaling that the convoy could proceed.

The car and truck started up again, tracing an arc in the night, and soon arrived at the gate of the Wutai County Command Center.

Outside the command post, several gas lamps illuminated the gate.

At this moment, Su Yaoyang, Bai Chongxi, and the brigade commander were already waiting at the door.

Dressed in neat military uniforms, they stood ramrod straight as pines in the cool evening breeze.

When the door of the black sedan opened, Yang Aiyuan, wearing the rank of Second-Class General, stepped out of the car.

"Brother Xingru, you must be tired from your long journey!"

Bai Chongxi was the first to step forward, his tone warm, and he reached out to shake hands with Yang Aiyuan.

"Brother Jiansheng, it's been a long time." Yang Aiyuan looked Bai Chongxi up and down before saying with emotion, "You've gotten quite a lot more white hair in the years we've been apart."

"Who can argue with that? Time waits for no one." Bai Chongxi smiled helplessly and pointed to Su Yaoyang beside him, saying, "Come, let me introduce you to these two outstanding individuals."

Su Yaoyang and Su Mingxi are the general leaders of the Shanxi militia.

Although Yang Aiyuan's face showed a hint of fatigue, his eyes were still sharp and bright. He smiled and shook hands with Su Yaoyang, his tone as cheerful as a soldier's.

After a few brief pleasantries and eye contact, the group understood each other's purpose without excessive formalities. They greeted each other, then turned and walked steadily into the command post. Inside, the war map was brightly lit, awaiting their strategic deployment for Taiyuan City.

Inside the command center, in a brightly lit operations room specifically for small-scale meetings, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Four people sat down in order around the rectangular wooden conference table.

Bai Chongxi sat in the main seat, with Su Yaoyang and others sitting on his left and right, while Yang Aiyuan and Sun Chu sat opposite him.

A strange tension filled the air. The battle map was laid out flat on the table, densely marked with the positions of the red and blue sides. However, the eyes of those present were not on the map, but fixed on each other's faces.

As soon as he sat down, before even the tea was served, Yang Aiyuan leaned forward impatiently, placed his hands on the table, and swept his piercing gaze over Su Yaoyang, Bai Chongxi, and the brigade commander. He got straight to the point, his tone carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

“Brother Jiansheng, Commander Su, Brigade Commander, you are all sensible people, so I won’t say anything more.”

Yang Aiyuan's voice carried the ruggedness and composure characteristic of a veteran of the battlefield.

"I'm sure you all know why I'm here. I'm here on the orders of Commander Yan. Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi, and it should and must be under the control of the central government, which is Commander Yan. I think you all have no objection to this statement, right?"

He emphasized "should" and "must" with particular force, his tone carrying an unquestionable rigidity, as if everything he said was a self-evident conclusion, allowing no room for rebuttal.

Su Yaoyang, Bai Chongxi, and the brigade commander exchanged glances, and in that brief exchange of eyes, they seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding.

A faint smile appeared on Bai Chongxi's usually calm face.

He picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and said slowly and deliberately:
"Brother Xingru, nothing is absolute. Don't be so sure. We can discuss any issues further."

Su Yaoyang's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes filled with amusement.

He leaned back slightly, sinking more comfortably into the chair, his posture relaxed.

"Commander Yang, it's not that the department is disrespectful to you and Commander Yan, it's just that Commander Yan handled this matter unfairly."

Su Yaoyang's voice sounded somewhat helpless, yet also contained a hint of accusation. He said the words "unethical" very softly, but the accusation was extremely strong.

He pointed to the map of Taiyuan on the table, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"We're fighting fiercely with the Japanese right now, and you suddenly come here wanting to eat what's already been served? That just doesn't make sense, does it?"

Although his words sounded like a joke, the irony in them was self-evident.

The phrase "taking advantage of someone else's success" in particular blatantly revealed the other party's true intentions, like a sharp blade piercing Yang Aiyuan's heart.

The brigade commander was known for his straightforwardness, and at this moment he spoke even more bluntly.

"Commander Yang, that's not how things are done!"

The brigade commander's voice was rough and loud, carrying an undisguised air of gunpowder.

He leaned forward, his eyes fixed intently on Yang Aiyuan.

"We didn't see you when we were fighting, but now that it's time to eat meat, you all jump out. Is this how you do things?"

"Commander Yan wants Taiyuan? No problem. Then let him send troops over and let the Jin-Sui Army recapture Taiyuan on its own. We are willing to cheer him on!"

Yang Aiyuan understood that they had indeed acted unfairly, and it was no wonder that the other party spoke with veiled barbs. However, he had come with a mission and would not back down easily.

He stared at Su Yaoyang, his face serious: "Since the fall of Taiyuan, Commander Yan has often been unable to sleep at night these past few years, constantly thinking about how to recover Taiyuan. It's just a pity that the Jin-Sui Army is not strong enough, so Commander Yan can only quietly develop his old troops while waiting for the right opportunity."

Now that the time has come, if you two were Commander Yan, what would you do?
Moreover, as the commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone appointed by the central government, the entire Shanxi province was under his jurisdiction. What was wrong with him ordering the Jin-Sui Army to recapture Taiyuan?

Now it was Su Yaoyang and the brigade commander's turn to remain silent. While Yan Xishan's attempt to take advantage of the situation was indeed shameless, Yang Aiyuan was right about one thing: no matter what, Yan Xishan was the commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone appointed by the central government. It was perfectly legitimate for him to send troops to recapture the provincial capital. This was the advantage of having the greater good in one's hands.

(End of this chapter)