Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 325 Discussing the Big Plan
Inside the Second War Zone Commander's Headquarters, a mansion that once symbolized absolute authority, a furious roar was now echoing.

"You little brat, you've gone too far!"

Wearing a dark long gown, Yan Xishan slammed the thin telegram in his hand onto the rosewood desk with a loud bang.

His usually calculating face flushed red, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his chest heaved violently, like an enraged old lion.

"Thirty million silver dollars! How could he even utter that? Or does he think that I, Yan, can't do without him?"

His roar echoed in the spacious office, but the senior generals of the Jin-Sui Army, including Yang Aiyuan, who stood in front of him, were all silent and trembling, their heads bowed, not daring to even breathe.

They dared not speak, because what Yan Xishan said was the absolute truth.

They really can't do without that silly kid surnamed Su.

At this moment, Taiyuan City was in complete chaos.

Tens of thousands of Jin-Sui troops, who had been defeated at Niangziguan and Xinkou, crowded the streets and alleys of the city like headless flies.

Officers couldn't find their soldiers, and soldiers couldn't find their units. The once-imposing generals were now completely bewildered; while the common soldiers were running around in disarray, spreading panic like a plague to every corner of the city.

"The Japanese have already reached Niangziguan Pass!"

"I heard the northern pass has also been breached, and we're surrounded!"

All sorts of rumors were flying around, and no matter how hard the officers tried to refute them, they couldn't stop the panic from spreading.

Soldiers began looting food, shops in the city closed one after another, and some wealthy families began to secretly flee out of the city.

The entire city of Taiyuan is already a powder keg on the verge of spiraling out of control.

It was precisely for this reason that Yan Xishan completely abandoned his pride as the "King of Shanxi" and almost begged the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi militia for help.

After all, having lived to his age, he had long understood the simplest truth: compared to his own life, face is nothing!
but……

The principle is the principle, and understanding is understanding...

When he saw that the first item on Su Yaoyang's list was "Military Sponsorship: 30 million silver dollars," the sensitivity and stinginess towards money that was ingrained in the bones of Shanxi merchants still made his blood pressure soar instantly, causing him to feel a physical discomfort that almost made him faint on the spot.

That's not three thousand, nor three hundred thousand, but thirty million!

That's a sum that could empty the Yan family's coffers!

That fool isn't asking for money; he's cutting off his own flesh and drinking his own blood!

Huff... huff... huff..."

Yan Xishan was breathing heavily, his chest feeling like it was being pulled by a broken bellows. He gripped the table tightly, struggling to keep himself from collapsing from anger and heartache. The air in the office seemed to freeze; Yang Aiyuan and the others even held their breath, afraid of further provoking their superior who was already on the verge of exploding.

After a long while, Yan Xishan's rapid breathing subsided somewhat. He slowly straightened up, and the flush on his face gradually faded, turning into a grimace.

He didn't look at the telegram that had torn his heart apart again, but instead turned his gaze to the window. Outside, there was a gray sky and the faint, chaotic noise of distant sounds. That was his city, his territory, the foundation he had built over decades, and now, all of it was teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Xingru..." he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed.

“Yes, sir.” Yang Aiyuan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly looked up and replied.

"You mean...you mean that Su Yaoyang, did he really make a move last night?" Yan Xishan didn't turn around, still looking out the window, as if talking to himself.

"Yes...yes, sir." Yang Aiyuan quickly replied, "According to the scattered intelligence we received last night, a large number of planes are taking off and landing in the direction of Wutai County, making quite a commotion."

Moreover…and this morning, our scouts sent to scout the Zhengtai Railway reported…that in the Yangquan direction, Shanxi militia planes have engaged Japanese planes.”

Yan Xishan remained silent.

Of course he knows this.

Knowing this made him even more miserable.

That fool sent him that telegram saying "wait and see," but he had already made his move without anyone noticing.

He had spent his entire life playing political games and balancing various forces, but in front of this young man surnamed Su, he felt like an ancient general wielding a broadsword and spear, facing a tank firing machine guns.

All experience and all calculations become pale and powerless.

The opponent doesn't play any tricks on you; they just crush you with absolute strength.

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over his trusted and beloved generals. They all had their heads bowed, their faces filled with helplessness.

He knew that expecting them to relieve the siege of Taiyuan was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Finally, he slumped back into his chair, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Thirty million silver dollars—that was his life savings accumulated over most of his life. Once he handed it over, although he wouldn't necessarily become penniless, it would at least severely damage his finances.

Finally, he opened his eyes and whispered, "Return the telegram to Wutai County..."

His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "Just say... I... I agreed..."

In the office of the Shanxi Militia Command in Wutai County

Pi Ruoyu strode in, a hint of barely perceptible excitement on his face. He went straight to Su Yaoyang and handed him a newly translated telegram.

"Commander-in-Chief, this is Commander Yan's reply."

Su Yaoyang took the telegram and, without even trying to hide it from the guests opposite him, began to read it right in front of the Deputy Chief of Staff.

The telegram was very short, containing only a few words.

"I will heed your wishes and look forward to your immediate arrival in Taiyuan to discuss a plan to defeat the enemy."

"it is good!"

Su Yaoyang folded the telegram with satisfaction and casually placed it next to his plate, as if it were not an agreement that would determine the future of Shanxi, but just a napkin to wipe his mouth.

He raised his head and looked at the deputy chief of staff again, his smile even brighter and more sincere than before.

"Chief of Staff Zuo, look, business is coming to our door."

Well then, you've been traveling for several days in a row, you must be tired.

Let's rest here for a day, and we'll head to Taiyuan early tomorrow morning. If you don't mind, you can come with me on the plane, how about that?

Once we arrived in Taiyuan, we settled everything in front of Commander Yan.

I think Commander Yan won't give me the cold shoulder this time, right?

The deputy chief of staff looked at Su Yaoyang, a hint of surprise flashing deep in his eyes.

Before he came, he had imagined countless negotiation scenarios, but he never expected it to be like this.

Su Yaoyang actually went from extorting money to achieving success right in front of him.

He took a deep breath and slowly nodded: "Since Commander Su has extended such a warm invitation, I shall gladly accept."

The next day, it was dawn.

A silver-white DC-3 twin-engine transport plane took off and flew towards Taiyuan.

On either side of it, six F4U Corsair fighter jets, painted with shark mouth markings and carrying several rockets under their wings, were escorting it. Inside the cockpit, the deputy chief of staff looked through the porthole at the barren mountains rushing past below, then at the escorting fighter jets beside him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This was the first time he had ever directly experienced Su Yaoyang's formidable strength.

A little over an hour later, the plane arrived in Taiyuan. As soon as the plane came to a stop, a black sedan with the Kuomintang flag on it drove directly to the foot of the gangway.

More than half a month later, Su Yaoyang set foot on the land of Taiyuan again.

However, the atmosphere in the city was more oppressive and chaotic than the last time they came. Under the escort of the militia soldiers, the convoy drove unimpeded all the way to the Second War Zone Command.

When the convoy stopped at the main gate of the headquarters, Su Yaoyang saw that Yan Xishan himself was leading a group of generals to stand on the steps to greet them.

"Hahahaha... Mingxi, Shuren! You've finally arrived!"

Yan Xishan forced a warm smile, strode down the steps, and extended his hands.

Su Yaoyang immediately noticed that although only a little over ten days had passed, Yan Xishan's temples had turned mostly gray, his eyes were sunken, and he looked as if all his energy had been drained away, barely holding on by sheer willpower. It seemed that he had indeed been under immense pressure these past few days.

"Commander Yan, how have you been?"

The deputy chief of staff remained calm and shook hands with him with neither arrogance nor servility.

Su Yaoyang raised his eyebrows slightly.

He hadn't expected that Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo and Yan Xishan, two seemingly irreconcilable enemies, would actually know each other.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo, Yan Xishan finally turned his attention to the real protagonist of the day... Su Yaoyang.

His eyes were extremely complex, a mixture of fear and resentment, but more than anything, a sense of helplessness at having to bow his head.

He tried to maintain a smile, but the smile was extremely complicated.

"Mingxi, we meet again," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes, Commander Yan, we meet again in Taiyuan after half a month."

Su Yaoyang touched his nose, a perfectly timed, slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

In Yan Xishan's eyes, his behavior was the ultimate example of someone who had gotten a good deal but was still acting innocent.

He felt a dull ache in his chest again.

That idiot extorted two million dollars from me last time.

How long has it been? This time, he's asking for 30 million with just a few words!

This is no longer just cutting off flesh; it's like slowly torturing him with a dull knife, yet he can only endure it and even have to greet it with a smile.

But in reality, neither Yan Xishan nor the deputy chief of staff beside him could truly understand Su Yaoyang's logic.

For Su Yaoyang, who possesses the material converter, money is truly just a number.

Let alone 30 million, even 300 million would be nothing more than a matter of lifting a finger for him.

The reason he adopted such a greedy, almost extortionate stance was entirely to create a thick layer of camouflage for himself.

In this chaotic era, a "saint" who rises out of nowhere, possesses immense military power, yet is devoid of desires, is the most terrifying and fearsome existence.

That would make people question his motives, speculate about his purpose, and ultimately see him as the greatest threat, uniting against him.

Conversely, a warlord who is greedy, lustful, and has obvious desires and weaknesses is more easily understood and accepted.

"Oh, so he was just after money and territory."

"It turns out he was just an ordinary person with slightly better abilities, nothing special."

Such a perception will lull all potential adversaries into a false sense of security and make them lower their guard.

Su Yaoyang wanted to use this method to tell the world: I, Su Yaoyang, am neither a savior nor an ambitious man.

I am just an ordinary person with emotions and desires. I like money and beautiful women. Everything I do is to make life better for myself, my family, and my brothers.

The same considerations were behind Li Bai's previous collaboration with the Guangxi clique to sell penicillin to Chongqing.

He wanted everyone to believe that he, Su Yaoyang, was a shrewd and profit-driven "war merchant."

Only in this way can the existence of the cheat ability be concealed to the greatest extent.

The insincere greetings at the entrance quickly ended. Yan Xishan stepped aside, made a "please" gesture, and welcomed Su Yaoyang and his entourage, including the Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo, into the headquarters.

They walked through a long corridor and went straight to the operations room.

In stark contrast to the chaos and despondency on the streets outside, the atmosphere in the operations room was heavy and somber.

A huge sand table was placed in the center of the room, densely covered with small flags representing the opposing sides.

Several staff officers were busily working around the sand table, with the telephones ringing incessantly.

Yan Xishan, Yang Aiyuan, and other generals of the Jin-Sui Army did not waste any more words, skipping all unnecessary pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

Yang Aiyuan personally picked up the command stick and stood in front of the sand table.

"Commander Su, Chief of Staff Zuo, please take a look."

He pointed the command stick to the east of the sand table, saying, "Currently, the main force of the Japanese Third Division has broken through our last line of defense at Niangziguan, and its vanguard is less than 20 kilometers from Yangquan. Our troops in the Niangziguan direction have been basically scattered and have lost their organizational structure."

His control stick moved slowly, pointing to the north side of the sand table.

"On the northern front, the Japanese 20th Division has also captured Xinkou and is advancing south along the Tongpu Railway. Its vanguard is less than 60 kilometers from Taiyuan. Our defense on the northern front is also in a precarious state."

Finally, he slammed his command stick down heavily on the location of Taiyuan City.

"To be honest, Taiyuan is now an isolated city. Although there are still tens of thousands of troops inside, their morale is low and people are filled with anxiety. The city's defenses have been in disrepair for years, and the food and ammunition are only enough to last for a week at most."

us……"

At this point, Yang Aiyuan took a deep breath and looked at Su Yaoyang and Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo with almost pleading eyes.

"We can't hold out much longer. If the Shanxi militia and the Eighth Route Army can't send troops to our aid soon, we...we will have to abandon Taiyuan again!"

The words "abandon Taiyuan again" struck the hearts of every Jin-Sui Army general in the operations room like a boulder.

Their faces showed pain and humiliation.

As Yang Aiyuan continued his introduction, the atmosphere in the operations room grew increasingly heavy.

The deputy chief of staff stood by the sand table, his hands behind his back, listening quietly.

When he saw the blue arrow representing the Japanese army, like two sharp pincers, clamping down tightly on the small red flag representing Taiyuan, a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

As the deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, he deeply understood the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

Once Taiyuan falls, the Jin-Sui Army will inevitably suffer heavy losses, at which point the Japanese army will be able to free up its resources to concentrate most of its forces on dealing with the Eighth Route Army.

By then, the anti-Japanese situation in the entire Shanxi province had been severely damaged.

(End of this chapter)