Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 312 Transfer
On the outskirts of Taiyuan, a Japanese bunker that had just been captured by the Eighth Route Army was filled with thick smoke, dust, and the stench of blood.

Exhausted, Li Yunlong was leaning against a wall that had been partially destroyed by artillery fire, taking a nap without any regard for his image.

His face, weathered and scarred by gunpowder, held a drowsy, sound sleep, with each stubble on his chin clearly visible.

Around him, his veteran soldiers from the Independent Regiment were all doing the same thing.

Some were holding guns, some were leaning against the wall, and many were even snoring loudly, creating a symphony of exhaustion.

We're all veterans who've crawled out of piles of corpses, and we all understand an irrefutable truth: on the battlefield, any lull between battles is the best time to rest.

Because no one knows when the next battle will begin or how long it will last. Making the most of every available moment and keeping your energy at its peak is the best guarantee of survival.

Just as Li Yunlong was sound asleep, probably still bragging to Kong Jie and Ding Wei in his dreams, a voice rang out beside him.

"Li Yunlong... Li Yunlong... Wake up... Don't sleep."

The sound wasn't loud, but it persistently penetrated his ears.

"Damn it, who's disturbing my rest!" Li Yunlong, who had been woken up, cursed loudly before he had even fully opened his eyes. This was an instinctive reaction ingrained in his bones.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a louder voice, like a thunderclap, rang out in the cramped bunker, causing dust to fall from the walls.

"It was me who disturbed you... So, how about it, do you want to spar with me?"

This time, Li Yunlong was completely sober.

He suddenly opened his eyes and recognized the familiar face of the newcomer, a face tinged with anger. Startled, he jumped up from the ground as if springs had been inserted into his bottom. He hurriedly dusted himself off and snapped a fairly standard military salute at the newcomer.

"Good day, Brigade Commander... What brings you here?"

The person who arrived was none other than the brigade commander who had just finished a meeting in Wutai County and rushed to the front line without stopping.

The brigade commander looked at Li Yunlong, who was covered in dirt and reeked of gunpowder from head to toe. His stern expression, which had been hardened by Li Yunlong's earlier exclamation of "damn it," softened somewhat.

He reached out his large hand and patted Li Yunlong heavily on the shoulder, shaking off another layer of dust from his body.

"Li Yunlong, in this series of battles to attack the outskirts of Taiyuan, your Independent Regiment and Ding Wei's New First Regiment fought very well, demonstrating the might of our Eighth Route Army!"

"I have already petitioned the headquarters commanders for commendation for you and the soldiers of the Independent Regiment, but..."

He changed the subject and his expression became serious.

"Given the continuous fighting of the Independent Regiment and the New 1st Regiment these past few days, resulting in a certain degree of loss of manpower and ammunition, the Joint Command has decided to withdraw you for a few days to rest and recuperate. The 771st and 772nd Regiments will then come to relieve you."

"What……"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong nearly jumped three feet high. His eyes, still a little groggy from just waking up, instantly widened to the size of copper bells.

"No... absolutely not! Why should I, brigade commander?"

His shout startled all the soldiers who had been half-asleep watching the commotion. They opened their eyes and pricked up their ears, staring at their regimental commander and brigade commander.

Li Yunlong was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks, looking extremely frustrated, and his spittle almost landed on Commander Chen's face.
"Brigade Commander! Our Independent Regiment has suffered some casualties and consumed a lot of ammunition, but this is all within the normal range."

Our independent regiment is still very combat-ready. If you don't believe me, I'll give you a written guarantee right now to finish the upcoming battle!

"Okay, okay..."

Commander Chen waved his hand impatiently, interrupting his boastful words. He stared into Li Yunlong's eyes and asked, word by word:

"Li Yunlong, don't give me that crap. Tell me honestly, how many men are left in your Independent Regiment?"

Under the watchful eyes of Brigade Commander Chen, Li Yunlong's arrogance immediately diminished. He stammered, his eyes darting around, and the fearless attitude he had displayed just moments before vanished instantly.

"This one……"

Li Yunlong hesitated for a moment, like a child who had done something wrong, before lowering his head and reporting in a low voice:

"In the fighting these past few days, our regiment... has lost 526 soldiers and wounded 627. Apart from the seriously wounded who have been sent to rear hospitals, there are still 1,538 men in the regiment who are still able to fight."

After saying that, he suddenly raised his head, as if trying to compensate for the lack of troops with the volume of his voice.

"But Commander, don't worry! Although our regiment isn't at full strength right now, I can assure you... we..."

"Okay!"

Commander Chen waved his hand impatiently, directly interrupting his repetitive and tired-of-hearing assurances.

"Your casualty rate is almost half, and you're still showing off here! Get back to Wutai County and rest right now!"

Brigade Commander Chen's voice suddenly rose, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Remember...this is not a discussion...it is an order, and it must be carried out immediately!"

"me……"

Li Yunlong's face instantly fell, his expression as if someone had forcibly shoved several dead rats into his mouth, a bitter, astringent, and nauseating feeling, his features contorted in pain. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue a few more words, but seeing Brigade Commander Chen's unquestionable gaze, he ultimately swallowed his words.

Military orders are like mountains.

Even though he was unwilling a thousand times over, he could only hang his head and weakly reply, "Yes..."

……

Meanwhile, on another front in Taiyuan, the same scene was unfolding.

Ding Wei, the commander of the New First Regiment, was observing the Japanese positions through binoculars when the political commissar beside him handed him a telegram. Ding Wei glanced at it, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"The brigade headquarters ordered our regiment to immediately withdraw from the battle, hand over defense duties, and return to the rear for rest and reorganization."

"Commander, this is a good thing. The brothers are all exhausted from fighting," the political commissar advised.

Ding Wei put down his binoculars, sighed, and looked at Ding Wei with resentment: "Resting? I just found one of the Japanese artillery positions and was planning to sneak over and take it out tonight... Now they want us to retreat? I reckon that kid Li Yunlong is probably cursing me out right now."

Although equally reluctant, Ding Wei was much calmer than Li Yunlong. He casually handed the telegram back to the communications officer and issued the order: "Notify all battalions to prepare for the handover of positions and withdraw!"

The various pre-war mobilizations, like an invisible net, quickly spread across a radius of dozens of miles around Taiyuan.

The Shanxi militia followed suit. In the general headquarters, after issuing the general offensive order, Su Yaoyang immediately ordered a troop rotation. The 1st and 6th Regiments, which had been fighting continuously for several days, were withdrawn for rest and replenishment.

Meanwhile, the 7th, 8th, and 9th infantry regiments, which had been resting and recuperating for a long time, quietly moved to the front line and took over their positions.

Of course, not all military units can enjoy this "good fortune".

As the iron fist and backbone of the militia, the first and second armored regiments, along with the two artillery and anti-aircraft regiments serving as the mainstay of firepower, must continue to hold the front line. Their tasks are even more arduous, requiring them to provide the most direct and intense support for the upcoming general offensive.

Inside the joint command center, Yang Aiyuan's side was also bustling with activity, the atmosphere tense as if a bowstring had been drawn taut.

He was making the most of every minute to deploy his troops, and several strongly worded telegrams were quickly sent out by the telegraph operator. The hand-cranked telephone on the table, which had only been installed not long ago, was also ringing incessantly.

"What? The troops have been ambushed by a small Japanese unit and their advance has been halted?"

Yang Aiyuan snatched the microphone and yelled into it, spitting as he spoke, "Lu Ruiying, I'm telling you, your troops must reach the designated position on the outskirts of Taiyuan by tomorrow evening."

Don't set conditions for me. If you can't meet them, I'll find someone else who can!

He took a slight breath and continued to give orders in an unquestionable tone: "Also, you must immediately send the 69th Division to the front line in Xinxian County to build a defensive line."

I don't care what methods you use, you absolutely cannot let the Japanese reinforcements coming from the north get even a step closer to Taiyuan!

After hanging up the phone, he rubbed his temples wearily.

In another room not far away, Brigade Commander Chen, who had just returned, lowered his voice and spoke seriously to his partner, Political Commissar Wang of 386.

"Old Wang... Judging from the current situation, the scale of this battle has far exceeded our initial estimates."

Our 386th Brigade's strength is far from sufficient. We must immediately send a telegram to headquarters, detailing the situation here and requesting urgent reinforcements!

"Yeah...I think so too."

Political Commissar Wang was also a seasoned veteran, and being able to work alongside Brigade Commander Chen meant his competence was undoubtedly high. He nodded in agreement, his expression grave.

He said, “Old Chen… there’s no time to lose. Draft the telegram immediately, and after it’s written, we’ll both sign it and send it out right away!”

"That!"

The brigade commander immediately pulled over a table and picked up a pen.

An even larger storm is brewing over Taiyuan.

Late at night, at the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

Under the dim light of the kerosene lamp, the atmosphere was solemn and tense.

The ticking of the telegraph machine was the only sound here.

The contents of the telegram confirmed their judgment: the Battle of Taiyuan had evolved into a major battle that would determine the course of the entire war in North China.

He slammed the telegram on the table, his eyes sharp as an eagle's beneath his rugged eyebrows. He looked at the deputy chief of staff and asked in a deep voice, "Old buddy, what do you think?"

The deputy chief of staff adjusted his glasses. He had already studied the troop deployments around Taiyuan on the map countless times and had a plan in mind.

"With the rapid expansion of the battle, especially the large-scale intervention of the Jin-Sui Army and the Central Army, the 386th Brigade alone is indeed unable to fully control the situation and even risks being marginalized. We must send reinforcements!"

"Ah."

He nodded, paced back and forth in the makeshift command post, his footsteps making the ground feel firm. "Since Su Yaoyang has made such a big show of things, dragging Yan Xishan and Chiang Kai-shek's men into this mess, we Eighth Route Army certainly can't just stand by and watch. We are one of the main forces in the attack on Taiyuan, and we absolutely cannot lose this initiative!"

His gaze fell on the map again, and his finger tapped heavily on the number of the 129th Division.

"Send a telegram to the 129th Division, ordering them to transfer the newly formed 1st Brigade there as well, to be under Old Chen's unified command. Tell them to act quickly!"

The order was quickly drafted and issued.

After all this was done, the tense atmosphere in the command center eased a little.

A rare smile appeared on his usually tense face. He spoke to the deputy chief of staff with a hint of mockery:
"Who told Su Yaoyang to be such a low-key but incredibly wealthy man?"
Since he's being so generous, let's not be shy and let the New First Brigade go over and have a taste of the good life! Anyway, judging by his attitude, he won't go broke from all that eating!"

"Haha..." The deputy chief of staff also laughed.

…………

At Jiuquhe Airport, dozens of kilometers away from Wutai County, the atmosphere was completely different from the tense and solemn atmosphere at the front-line command post.

In the officers' club here, under the dim chandeliers, smoke swirls, and the air is filled with the aroma of whiskey, the foam of beer, and the spiciness of cigarettes.

A phonograph was tirelessly playing a fast-paced American swing song. The noisy music, the men's laughter, and the clinking of glasses intertwined to create a brief moment of wartime indulgence and pleasure.

This club, originally established for American volunteer pilots, was initially dominated by blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.

But as the "Thunder Flight Squadron" continues to expand and more and more Chinese pilots join, the number of Asian faces here is also increasing.

Today, those once dominant American pilots have become a minority, enthusiastically boasting to their Chinese comrades in broken Chinese and exaggerated gestures about their achievements.

In an inconspicuous corner of the club, pilot Li Xiuming sat alone on a soft leather sofa, looking utterly bored.

He didn't join his comrades' lively conversation, but just idly swirled the glass in his hand, watching the amber liquid trace arcs on the glass, his handsome face filled with a silence that seemed out of place with his surroundings.

"Hey, Xiu Ming. Thinking about your little hunter again?"

A companion, his face flushed, came over with a wine glass in hand, slapped him hard on the shoulder, and shouted loudly.

The surrounding pilots immediately burst into laughter, casting teasing glances their way.

"Our great hero Li is an eagle that can bite Japanese planes in the sky, but on the ground he's a henpecked cat!"

"That's right! Everyone in the whole brigade knows that our Xiu Ming is the perfect 'filial husband.' Every time he's on leave, his soul flies back to him before he even gets a chance to leave!"

Faced with his comrades' good-natured teasing, Li Xiuming could only helplessly twitch the corners of his mouth and reveal a bitter smile.

Everyone knew he had married a woman from a hunter's family, and the two were exceptionally loving after their marriage, almost inseparable, becoming the envy of everyone in the airport. He was indeed thinking of her, wondering if she was already asleep, and if she was having trouble sleeping because of him.

He took a sip of wine; the spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the longing in his heart.

(End of this chapter)