Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 323 Critical Situation

The warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

In the courtyard, Su Yaoyang was lounging lazily in a rattan chair by a small square table, sipping a cup of freshly brewed Longjing tea with great contentment.

Beside him, Song Mei nestled happily against him. Although her belly was not yet protruding, her face was already radiating a gentle maternal glow.

Every now and then, Su Yaoyang would pick up a piece of cut fruit and put it into her mouth.

On the other side, Xiao Lu knelt obediently behind him, her soft little hands gently massaging his shoulders with practiced skill.

This warm, languid, and even somewhat decadent scene stands in stark contrast to the war-torn world outside.

Just then, a series of rapid and forceful footsteps broke the silence.

Pi Ruoyu strode in with a serious expression, and when he saw the scene before him, he was completely stunned.

His previously stern face instantly broke down, and even the muscles in his face twitched a couple of times.

"Sir, you're living a really good life, aren't you? You're so happy you don't even want to leave?"

Pi Ruoyu stood by the table, his tone filled with helplessness and a hint of barely perceptible sourness.

The situation in Taiyuan is in complete chaos, yet their own official still has the leisure to spend time here with his wives, indulging in romantic escapades.

Su Yaoyang lazily raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and instead of feeling guilty, rolled his eyes with a sense of self-righteousness.

"Hey... Old Pi, you're like a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of an starving man."

He rolled his eyes. "You have a son and a daughter, a wife and kids, and a warm bed. I finally managed to get my wife pregnant with our first child. She's so precious! What's wrong with me spending time with her?"

As he spoke, he defiantly picked up another piece of cantaloupe and fed it to Song Mei: "Besides, no matter what, I, Su Yaoyang, have shed blood and sweat for the Party and the country. I risked my life to build this business. Can't I even rest for a few days now?"

"Hey……"

Pi Ruoyu was almost amused by Su Yaoyang's self-righteous and shameless attitude.

He pulled a telegram from his briefcase with a "whoosh" and slammed the thin piece of paper onto the table with a flick of his wrist.

He said irritably, "My dear CEO, you should take a good look for yourself."

The Japanese army is now approaching Taiyuan again. Commander Yan is extremely anxious and has urgently sent a telegram to us and the Eighth Route Army, inviting you and the high command of the Eighth Route Army to come to Taiyuan immediately to discuss important matters!

Seeing that Pi Ruoyu was really anxious, Song Mei quickly got up and went to his side to gently smooth things over: "Chief of Staff Pi, please don't get upset. Mingxi... he was just too tired the other day and his body was depleted. I just wanted him to rest at home for a few more days to recuperate."

Xiao Lu, who was originally behind Su Yaoyang and focused on relieving his shoulders, also stopped what she was doing.

She took small steps and brought a small stool from inside the house, gently placing it behind Pi Ruoyu. Then she turned around, brewed a cup of hot tea, and handed it to him with both hands, her voice soft and gentle: "Chief of Staff Pi, please sit down and rest your feet, have some tea."

Faced with the two proprietresses' gentle words, Pi Ruoyu's anger subsided considerably. He wasn't ungrateful; he knew he had lost his temper. He nodded to Xiao Lu, thanked her, and then, without further ado, took the teacup and downed the still-scalding tea in one gulp, as if trying to extinguish his anxiety.

With a thud, he slammed the empty teacup down on the coffee table, then fixed his gaze on Su Yaoyang's face once more.

"Commander, this time the Japanese seem to be truly desperate," he said in a deep voice.

"Our reconnaissance planes have confirmed that the Japanese have deployed three divisions at once, along with more than 300 various types of fighter jets, which are advancing towards Taiyuan in three directions like three sharp knives."

Now, their vanguard has approached the Niangziguan and Xinkou line, and the Jin-Sui army at the front is on the verge of collapse. Niangziguan and Xinkou are both in dire straits!

At this point, his voice lowered even further: "Commander, if we don't take action soon, I'm afraid... I'm afraid the tragedy of Taiyuan falling three years ago will repeat itself!"

As Pi Ruoyu finished speaking, Su Yaoyang's lazy and nonchalant expression gradually faded.

He picked up the telegram from his lap, his half-closed eyes slowly opening, a sharp, gleaming light flashing across them.

The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze the moment Pi Ruoyu finished speaking.

Song Mei and Xiao Lu, who was standing next to her, held their breath nervously, their worried gazes fixed on Su Yaoyang's face.

Although they didn't understand military matters, they could sense the seriousness of the situation from Pi Ruoyu's solemn tone.

Su Yaoyang raised his head and said softly to Song Mei and Xiao Lu, "Alright, Xiao Lu, Sister Mei, our break time is over."

He reached out and gently patted Song Mei's hand. "Now it's time to get down to business. You two go inside first. Don't wait for me for dinner."

Don't worry, the sky won't fall; you men will hold it up.

Having seen her share of ups and downs, Song Mei nodded vigorously after hearing Su Yaoyang's words. Without saying a word, she gave him a deep look, then pulled Xiao Lu aside and turned to walk into the house.

Only after the two daughters-in-law disappeared behind the door did Su Yaoyang turn his gaze back to Pi Ruoyu, a playful smile curving his lips.

"No hurries?"

He casually placed the telegram in his hand on the coffee table, leaned back, and said indifferently, "When fishing, you have to wait until the fish is hungriest before feeding it to make it bite the hardest. Old Yan Xi isn't hungry enough yet; the time isn't right."

Pi Ruoyu was stunned: "Chief, you mean..."

"It means let him be anxious a little longer." Su Yaoyang's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the rattan chair, making a rhythmic "tap, tap" sound.

"Alright, listen to my orders." His voice suddenly turned serious.

Pi Ruoyu subconsciously straightened his back, his body instantly entering a state of combat readiness.

"First, send a telegram to Commander Yan in my name. The content should be just four words: Understood, awaiting good news. Not a word more, not a word less."

"Second, notify all officers to attend a meeting in the operations room of the command headquarters in two hours."

I need to know the exact location and marching speed of every battalion in the three Japanese divisions, as well as the specific deployment of Yan Xishan's 120,000 troops, down to the regiment level.

"Third, order the entire army to enter a state of combat readiness."

Bullets are loaded, shells are depotted, and all vehicles are refueled.

However, without my personal written order, no unit, no individual, is permitted to step outside the Wutai County defense zone! Anyone who dares to move will be dealt with according to military law.

Fourth, tell Cheng Rufeng to work a little harder.

Deploy all the reconnaissance planes from the flight squadron and conduct reconnaissance 24 hours a day.

I need to know not only the movements of the Japanese ground forces, but also the exact location of every single one of their supply lines and every single logistics depot! I need a map so clear you can see exactly where those little devils are defecating!

A series of clear and decisive commands came out of Su Yaoyang's mouth one after another.

The more Pi Ruoyu listened, the brighter his eyes became, and all his anxiety and unease vanished.

It turns out that his boss wasn't slacking off; he was just waiting for an opportunity.

"Yes... Commander!"

Pi Ruoyu abruptly stood up, forcefully bringing his feet together in a military salute to Su Yaoyang, then turned and strode out. Su Yaoyang was left alone in the courtyard once more. He picked up the now-cold teacup, took a small sip, and gazed towards Taiyuan.

"The real show is just beginning."

Meanwhile, in Taiyuan City, at the SX Provincial Government and the Second War Zone Command.

The atmosphere here is in stark contrast to the leisurely courtyards of Wutai County.

The huge operations room was filled with smoke, so thick that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.

The telephones rang incessantly. Staff officers, their uniforms soaked with sweat, shouted themselves hoarse into the receivers, hurrying between the huge sand table and maps, pushing the red arrows representing the Japanese offensive inch by inch toward Taiyuan.

"Reporting to Commander Yan, the Japanese 37th Division has broken through the forward positions of our army under Wang Jingnan in the direction of Niangziguan. Division Commander Wang requests urgent reinforcements."

"Sir, the Xinkou area is also under attack! The Japanese planes are like locusts, bombing our fortifications to the ground!"

"Telegram to Sun Chu: tell him to hold his ground no matter what! If he retreats even a step, he will be court-martialed!"

Yan Xishan, the former "King of Shanxi," paced anxiously back and forth in the operations room, his eyes bloodshot, like an old lion trapped in a cage. His high-grade woolen military uniform was wrinkled, and his once meticulously combed beard appeared somewhat disheveled.

Every piece of bad news from the front lines felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

Just then, a confidential secretary rushed in, as if grasping at a straw, her face filled with wild joy, her voice trembling with excitement:

"Commander Yan, Commander Yan, the Shanxi militia... the Shanxi militia has replied!"

In an instant, the entire noisy operations room fell silent.

All eyes were immediately drawn to the thin telegram.

Yan Xishan suddenly stopped and snatched the telegram from his secretary's hand.

He took a deep breath and unfolded the telegram.

However, the paper contained neither the grand pronouncements he had imagined, nor any terms for negotiation; only four solitary traditional Chinese characters typed in ink:

Understood, awaiting good news.

Yan Xishan was stunned.

He read the telegram over and over again, even holding it up to the light to make sure he hadn't misread it.

Got it? Awaiting good news?
What does it mean?
Did they agree? Or did they not agree?

This sounds more like an elder trying to appease an ignorant junior!
After a few seconds of deathly silence, an indescribable sense of humiliation and the anger of being toyed with erupted from the depths of Yan Xishan's heart like a volcanic eruption!

"Damn!"

A furious curse, thick with a Shanxi accent, echoed through the operations room. Yan Xishan abruptly crumpled the telegram in his hand into a ball, slammed it to the ground, and then kicked over the chair next to him.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous! What is Su Yaoyang anyway? A mere brat! A bandit! A nouveau riche! Who does he think he is? He's playing me! He's playing me, Yan!"

He was so angry that he was trembling all over. He pointed in the direction of Wutai County and cursed loudly. The senior generals in the operations room were terrified and didn't dare to breathe.

On the other side, there is a mountain road.

As dusk settled, a small caravan of horses galloped along the winding mountain road.

The leader was none other than the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eighth Route Army.

His gray military uniform was covered in dust, and his face was full of fatigue, but his eyes behind his glasses were still exceptionally bright.

The guard beside him said with some concern, "Sir, it's getting dark, and the mountain road is difficult to travel. Why don't we find a place to rest and continue our journey tomorrow?"

The deputy chief of staff shook his head, tightened the reins, and made the horse run even faster.

"No, the military situation is urgent, we can't wait."

He gazed in the direction of Wutai County in the distance, his eyes deep. "I'm getting more and more curious now. Just what kind of person is this Su Yaoyang?"

As night fell, Su Yaoyang pushed open the door to the operations room.

"Shh..."

The moment he pushed open the door, all the officers in the operations room stood up, saluted him in unison, and said in unison:

"Greetings, Commander!"

"Please sit down," Su Yaoyang waved his hand and walked straight to the sand table.

Pi Ruoyu followed behind him, while on the other side of the sand table, several military officers were already standing.

The leader was Li Gaoyuan, who said loudly, "Commander, the brothers are about to burst with impatience, please give the order!"

Standing next to him was the captain of the pirate air force squadron.

He shouted, "Commander, the flight squadron is ready and can launch at any time."

Su Yaoyang nodded slightly, and finally turned his gaze to Pi Ruoyu.

Pi Ruoyu understood, immediately picked up a baton, cleared his throat, and began to report.

"Commander, gentlemen, the current situation is far from optimistic."

He pointed his baton at Niangziguan, saying, "As of an hour ago, the 27th Division of the Japanese North China Area Army had broken through the outer defenses of the Jin-Sui Army at Niangziguan."

Its vanguard, the 1st Regiment, was advancing towards Yangquan along the Zhengtai Railway at a speed of five kilometers per hour. The resistance from the Jin-Sui Army was negligible.

The baton has now been moved to Xinkou in the north.

"On the northern front, the Japanese 3rd Division, under the repeated bombing by more than 80 Type 97 heavy bombers, has also breached the Xinkou defense line."

The Jin-Sui Army under Sun Chu was completely routed and is currently retreating southward. Furthermore, we have recently discovered that the Japanese 4th Division is advancing south from Datong, attempting to cut off all routes of retreat from Taiyuan to the north, thus forming a complete encirclement.

Pi Ruoyu's report made everyone frown.

"In short, the Japanese army, with more than 100,000 troops in three routes, is encircling Taiyuan with unstoppable momentum."

At the current pace of advance, Japanese artillery shells will land on the walls of Taiyuan within 48 hours at the latest.

Yan Xishan's 120,000-strong army, apart from being crammed together inside Taiyuan, had completely lost its organization and fighting capacity on the outskirts.

The entire operations room was deathly silent, with only the faint hum of the instruments breaking the silence.

All eyes were focused on the man in front of the sand table.

(End of this chapter)