A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

Inside the Kinmen Defense Command headquarters, Chu Yunfei was signing a supplies allocation order.

Sun Jinzhong pushed open the door and came in, his expression carrying just the right amount of urgency.

"Sir, news has just come from the front lines that Commander Hu's command ship has been hijacked."

Chu Yunfei paused, his pen stilling in his hand. He slowly raised his head, his gaze lingering on Sun Jinzhong's face for two seconds, as if weighing the truth of his words.

After all, such a big thing, if it got out, would be a joke in military history!

The commander-in-chief was captured by the enemy on his warship...

"Who did it? How did the PLA infiltrate the command ship?"

Sun Jinzhong shook his head, his brows slightly furrowed.

The specific details are still unclear.

But it is said that it was done by the Liangshan Special Forces Battalion.

That battalion specialized in decapitation and infiltration operations back in Korea. I never imagined they'd even dare to touch a warship at sea! They're incredibly audacious!

Chu Yunfei placed the pen on the table, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a long while.

His mind was in turmoil.

On one hand, there was the shock of the senior's capture.

On one hand, there's the relief of not having Hu Xuechang as a ceiling anymore.

"So... how's the landing force doing?"

"The first wave of landing craft was pinned down by 107mm rockets and Katyusha rockets, suffering more than half of their losses. During the subsequent withdrawal, they were pushed back up by the People's Liberation Army and lost another half of their ships. They have now withdrawn."

The Air Force lost over thirty aircraft; the rest have returned to base.

Chu Yunfei did not respond immediately after hearing this.

"Oh, I see." He waved his hand. "You can go now. I want to be alone for a while."

Sun Jinzhong stood at the door, not leaving immediately.

He knew Chu Yunfei's temperament all too well. This officer was best at locking himself away to weigh the pros and cons, but at this critical juncture, there was no room for hesitation.

If they don't make a good impression, then the Chairman's anger might just reach them!

"Sir, Commander Hu is not entirely beyond saving now. If we don't take a stand, the Chairman might blame us..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

With the defeat at Dongshan Island, the Flying Dragon Plan has completely failed. Once the news of Hu Lian's capture reaches Taipei, the Chairman's anger will surely be unleashed.

He must protect Kinmen, and more importantly, he must protect himself!

He stood up, walked around the desk, and went to the huge coastal defense map on the wall. His gaze swept from Liaoluo Bay to Dongshan Island, and then from Dongshan Island to Kinmen Island.

Defending alone is not enough; we must take the initiative and make the right moves.

"Deputy Officer Sun's reminder was very insightful."

Now, order all surviving coastal defense guns to be aimed at the Gao An ship. They don't need to hit it, but the posture must be maintained.

"Order fighter jets from Kinmen to take off, but they are not allowed to approach Dongshan Island or drop bombs on the sea, so as not to provoke the other side."

"In addition, have each gun position fire in this order."

He picked up a pencil from the table, quickly wrote a string of numbers and directions on a sticky note, and handed it to Sun Jinzhong.

Back in the Jin-Sui region, Zhang Renfeng taught him the artillery suppression sequence: three rounds on the left flank, five on the right flank, and two in the middle, with a fifteen-second interval.

If the commander on the other side is Zhang Renfeng, then his subordinates should be able to understand Chu Yunfei's meaning when they see this order.

Sun Jinzhong took the note, glanced at it, asked no further questions, and turned to go out to relay the order.

Chu Yunfei sat back down in his chair, staring at the gray sea outside the window, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

He now only hopes that, out of consideration for their past friendship, the person on the other side will let him off the hook.

It wasn't that Chu Yunfei was a coward; after all, the commander on the other side was Zhang Renfeng, a figure even the Americans couldn't handle.

No matter how arrogant he was, he didn't think he could fight better than Van Fleet and Ridgway combined.

For the next three days, Dongshan Island was the site of a full three-day artillery battle.

The coastal defense artillery on Kinmen fired in the order set by Chu Yunfei: three rounds on the left flank, five rounds on the right flank, and two rounds in the middle, with a 15-second interval between each round. After each round, they rested for 20 minutes before repeating the process.

The shells all landed on the sea surface, creating spectacular water columns, but not a single rock on the opposite shore was damaged.

Chu Yunfei breathed a sigh of relief as each artillery position was precisely destroyed by 107mm rockets from the opposite bank.

In total, more than a dozen gun positions were lost, and three old propeller planes were damaged and forced to land on the mudflats of Liaoluo Bay.

This loss is insignificant compared to the loss of Hu Lian's command ship and more than thirty fighter jets.

At least, I did try my best to rescue Senior Hu, and Kinmen's defenses are still impregnable, aren't they?

As the defense commander, I, Chu Yunfei, have done my utmost to protect Kinmen from falling!

Chu Yunfei stood by the window, looking at the still-smoking wreckage of the gun emplacements on the distant sea, and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the windowsill.

He must make the right gesture before the Chairman is enraged.

He turned around and yelled at the staff officer:

"Now! Immediately! At this moment! Telegraph the Chairman: Operation Flying Dragon has failed, the Gao An warship has been hijacked, and Commander Hu has been captured. Kinmen will resist to the death to defend the honor of the Party and the nation. I, Chu Yunfei, swear to live and die with Kinmen. If Kinmen is lost, Yunfei will atone with my death!"

The staff officer responded and quickly ran off to send the telegram.

Chu Yunfei stood by the window, looking at the still-smoking wreckage of the cannon positions on the sea, then looked down at the three general's stars on his shoulder and suddenly felt that the stars were a bit heavy.

He turned around, looked at Sun Jinzhong beside him, and gave him a self-deprecating yet helpless smile.

"I, Chu, have become the very thing I used to hate the most."

Sun Jinzhong stood at the door, looking at Chu Yunfei's face, which was full of complex expressions, and felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

He followed Chu Yunfei for more than a decade, from northwestern Shanxi to southeastern Shanxi, watching as this once proud and self-possessed scion of a noble family was gradually swept up in the vortex of factional struggles and transformed into his current state.

Back in northwestern Shanxi, Chu Yunfei, though skilled in political maneuvering, still retained a certain scholarly pride at heart.

Nowadays, in order to keep their positions, they are even willing to use the lives of their former seniors as bargaining chips.

But then Sun Jinzhong thought about it again and realized that he was no different.

He changed his name to Jinzhong, ostensibly to show loyalty to Chu Yunfei, but in reality, he had already secretly transferred that loyalty to Zhang Renfeng on the other side of the river.

Every piece of intelligence, every transmission, is a gamble with one's own life.

But he didn't regret it, because he knew what he was fighting for.

Just like Deputy Minister Wu...fighting for the beliefs in our hearts!!!

He lowered his gaze, his voice neither loud nor soft.

"Sir, there are many times in life when we are not in control of our own destiny."

You've reached a point where many people can only dream of.

After hearing this, Chu Yunfei remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand.

"Alright, you can go now. Leave me alone for a while."

Sun Jinzhong turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

He stood in the corridor, leaning against the wall, and let out a long breath.

He thought to himself, "This charade has finally come to this point. As long as the other side doesn't publicize Hu Lian's capture too much, Chu Yunfei's side can hold on for the time being."

But he also knew that this balance wouldn't last long.

As soon as Commander Zhang makes a move, the entire game in the southeast will have to be reshuffled.

Inside the room, Chu Yunfei stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the gray sea, and the self-deprecating smile on his lips slowly faded.

One thought kept running through his mind:

Zhang Renfeng, Zhang Renfeng, just how big of a game have you been planning?

From North Korea to the Soviet Union, from the military parade to Dongshan Island, every step has been crucial, leaving people breathless.

He raised his hand, rubbed his face vigorously, then walked back to his desk, sat down, opened the folder in front of him, and began writing a report.

The wording was carefully considered, aiming to convey both the speaker's valiant rescue efforts and unwavering resistance, while avoiding overly blatant descriptions of Hu Lian's command errors.

With perfect control, he gripped the pen so tightly it became hot.

Sun Jinzhong returned to his office, closed the door, took a thin notebook from a drawer, turned to the latest page, and wrote:

The Battle of Dongshan Island lasted three days. The enemy lost over thirty aircraft, more than half of their landing force was wiped out, their main warships were captured, and Hu Lian was taken prisoner. Chu Yunfei feigned shelling the sea, but in reality, he was preserving his strength. Though Kinmen remains, their hearts are in turmoil. I am in Kinmen, awaiting good news.

After writing it... I tore it out and burned it. I hope Vice Minister Wu can see it...