Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 402: The th Army's North China War Situation and the Establishment of Armed Supply and the Discussion of the Legitimacy of the Base Area
Pingxingguan front line.

Headquarters of the 13th Infantry Regiment.

Bao Zhishan took the steamed bun handed to him by Chief of Staff Lin Yi and motioned him to sit aside.

"First time on the battlefield?"

Lin Yi's smile was a little forced, and he nodded slowly: "I guess so."

“Have you adapted?”

Lin Yi shook his head in silence: "Not yet."

"It's been so long and you still haven't recovered?" Bao Zhishan said in a normal tone, as if he was just chatting about family matters.

"I saw many people sacrificed... many people were injured right before my eyes, screaming and wailing... I..."

Lin Yi's speech was a little halting and he kept talking in a rambling manner, as if he had not yet recovered from the brutal battlefield environment.

Bao Zhishan on the side kept picking up the side dishes on the table.

By the way, they opened a can of confiscated Japanese beef.

There is a slight difference between it and imported American canned beef.

At least it's not that sweet.

The taste is slightly salty and fishy at this point in time.

It's meat after all.

Lin Yi was indeed at a loss.

Bao Zhishan looked up at Lin Yi who was standing beside him, chewing his tongue.

"In your impression, what should a battlefield look like?"

Lin Yi hesitated to speak, always feeling that his previous ideas were a bit far-fetched.

"Most of you young officers and student soldiers go to the battlefield with passion and a yearning for heroic stories. You have the lofty ideal of defending your country and take Yue Wumu and other national heroes as your role models. This is a good thing."

Bao Zhishan first expressed his affirmation of young officers like Lin Yi.

Then he changed the subject and continued, "I served as the battalion commander and deputy regiment commander under Commander Chu for more than a year. In terms of seniority, I could have been promoted to regiment commander a year ago, but I was not transferred to become the regiment commander until the 13th Regiment was formed. Do you know why?"

Lin Yi shook his head in silence.

"I used to be the head of a security team in Yangquan. Thanks to my father's connections in Taiyuan City, I lived a happy life."

"Once the Japanese invaded China, there would be no more peaceful days."

"At that time, I was thinking that the people of Shanxi should not be bullied. Why should we, upright Chinese people, be bullied by these little devils?"

“So I thought, could I be of any help?”

Bao Zhishan looked lost in thought, as if he was lost in memories: "Before the Battle of Yangquan, a group of Sichuan Army brothers came, some of them were still wearing straw sandals, and their feet had already developed frostbite.

Their guns are not even as good as those of our security forces, and many of them are still using homemade hunting rifles.

I have read books for so many years.

There is a saying that every man is responsible for the rise and fall of his country.

I understood it clearly at that time.

I gathered a group of brothers from the security team together and said we wanted to change the way we live.

It's called a group, but in reality, there are only about 200 people."

When Bao Zhishan said this, his eyes suddenly opened and his speech speed increased a lot:
"But the battlefield is never a romantic place. People die in wars. Many, many people die."

"Yangquan Defense Battle, Pursuit and Annihilation Battle, Shouyang Defense Battle."

"Some of my brothers died, and some were injured."

"As of today, there are only three or four of my old brothers left in the war."

"There were more than 200 people, but only a few survived."

"So many brothers died, and we didn't even defend the land. We fought it all to pieces, and in the end, we were left with nothing."

"I don't understand how to fight this war."

Bao Zhishan was slightly excited, his eyes were wet, and he tried hard to suppress the sadness in his heart, and said slowly: "Until later, I figured it out myself."

"If we don't fight this battle, our son will still have to fight."

"If our sons can't win, our grandsons will still have to fight."

"Our generation is destined to shoulder our due responsibilities and obligations."

Lin Yi's eyes gradually became firm: "Strive for national independence, a strong and prosperous country, and stand tall among the nations of the world."

"In the words of Commander Chu, we commanders must not allow any personal feelings to interfere when directing a battle."

"All human lives are numbers to us, they are currency, they are something that can be paid for, including our own."

“Fighting is a fair trade. What kind of “goods” can be exchanged for currency is like what kind of progress is made on the battlefield and what kind of goals are achieved.”

"Sun Tzu said: 'If a man is kind but cannot be commanded, if he is loving but cannot be ordered, if he is chaotic and cannot be governed, he is like a spoiled child and cannot be used.'"

"You should understand that kindness is not the key to success in the military."

"clear."

“You can learn from your classmates in this regard.”

"Zhiheng?"

"He is a military man, and you are a student who joined the army. You can actually learn from each other. After this battle, your old classmate will probably move up half a step, and my battalion commander will also move up half a step."

Bao Zhishan thought for a moment and said slowly: "I plan to transfer you over to be a deputy battalion commander. This will be of great help to your growth."

"Yes, Captain."

"I am not the only one who has spoken about personnel transfers. This matter needs to be reported to the higher-ups. At the very least, Commander Huang needs to make the final decision. You, the students of the Officer Training Corps, are also highly valued by the higher-ups."

"You are quite different from us roughnecks who come from the military. Your ceiling is higher, but you also lack the tempering. It is also the rule of our Flying Tigers to serve as deputy officers for training. Generally, you will be demoted. There is no acting company commander position for you."

Lin Yi said with a serious face: "Please rest assured, Commander, I will resolutely obey the arrangements made by the higher-ups."

After meeting Guo Jiqiao.

Chu Yunfei also roughly understood Guo's thoughts.

He wanted to be in charge of the 14th Army in a real sense, but he also didn't want to be independent.

Wei Lihuang was the one who promoted him.

This is the old troop led by General Wei Lihuang.

If it weren’t for General Wei Lihuang’s order.

Guo at this time.

He is most likely the acting senior commander of the Ninth Army.

General Wei Lihuang, Guo Jiqiao will probably attack wherever he points.

Continue Wei Lihuang's political advocacy.

On the basic position of maintaining the anti-Japanese national united front.

Chu Yunfei and the chairman's Five Tiger Generals still have a lot in common.

Fanshi is not big.

But it has everything you need, including clinics, schools, private schools, tailors, carpenters, blacksmith shops, etc.

Inside a medical clinic.

The "apprentice servant" received Chu Yunfei who was wearing casual clothes.

An old man in a dark gown walked into the hall and asked, "Sir, do you want to get some medicine?"

"Evil wind enters the body, causing many inconveniences."

Chu Yunfei bowed.

Then he pointed to his own face.

"Fortunately, no medication is needed, and acupuncture for a period of time will be enough to heal."

Following Chu Yunfei's eye signal.

Zhao Pengcheng took the initiative to ask: "Doctor, if you want to prescribe medicine, you..."

The words are not finished yet.

The old man took out a pair of silver needles and said, "Acupuncture is no problem. As for medicine, there are not many herbs left in the city, and the price is quite expensive."

"We can't transport much medicinal materials from the rear, and we are basically in a state of deficit."

As the old man spoke, he used the silver needle to burn the fire. It only took two or three minutes.

Chu Yunfei's face was pricked like a little hedgehog.

Not many words.

The old man simply bowed and entered the inner hall.

The apprentice looked at the master who was so nervous that he wiped his sweat, and asked in a low voice: "Master, what's wrong with you?"

The old man stretched out his hand to signal the apprentice to be quiet: "This man must be a very important person. The young man following him is no ordinary person. He must be from the military."

Someone who has been in the army for a long time.

Even when he changes into casual clothes, he still does things in a methodical manner.

Especially the adjutant.

It often represents the face of the superior.

You need to have good skills and broad knowledge. It is also important to wear a military uniform and a military cap and look heroic.

"Then Master, did we neglect him just now?"

"You are here in casual clothes, so just treat the patient as usual. There is no need to worry about anything else. You go wait outside. I will start the acupuncture in a quarter of an hour. If you have any instructions, just follow them. Don't neglect your distinguished guest."

The apprentice servant agreed readily.

As the old man spoke, he took out the medical book placed aside and began to read it: "Reviewing the old and learning the new, you can become a teacher."

Outer hall.

Under the watchful eyes of the apprentice servant.

From time to time, people walked in hurriedly, but no one came to see the patient.

Things like paper will be given to the young man standing next to him.

After reading it, I will put it directly in my pocket.

Then he would whisper something into the "patient's" ear.

As for Chu Yunfei.

He never opened his eyes.

Occasionally he nodded slightly to indicate that he had heard.

The apprentice servant looked at the scenes in front of him with curiosity.

Everything was a rather new experience for him.

At this time, Chu Yunfei was paying attention to the battlefield of the 14th Army.

Li Mo'an was relatively lazy in overcoming difficulties.

But when it comes to kicking a man when he's down.

The 14th Army showed extraordinary bravery.

The attack speed even exceeded that of the 4th Infantry Regiment.

This surprised Chu Yunfei a little.

As the battle line continued to stabilize, the two sides began to form a basic strategic situation of confrontation in the area around Datong City.

The initiative is actually completely in their hands.

To the north, they could bypass Datong and attack Tianzhen directly.

By cutting off the Japanese army's logistical supply lines, Datong fell without a fight.

The risks are also great.

Chu Yunfei has strictly ordered the 14th Army not to attack without authorization.

The war in northern Shanxi.

The fight has basically come to an end now.

It is unlikely that the two sides will make any progress and are very likely to enter a long period of confrontation.

This kind of small-scale continuous war is very suitable for military training.

Chu Yunfei was also thinking about adding the new recruits from the comprehensive training ground to the front-line combat troops.

In such a battle.

Use combat as training (such actual combat training will only be conducted after completing three months of new training).

This will further increase the training speed.

After leaving the clinic, Chu Yunfei set off to return to his accommodation.

A new round of reorganization plan has begun to be formulated.

Headquarters of the Eighteenth Army Group.

A group of senior generals gathered together.

A new round of summary was conducted on the current raiding operations in North China.

The deputy chief of general staff first expressed his own views: "I think the situation of the war of resistance in Shanxi cannot be discussed separately."

"He is the Shanxi of North China and the Shanxi of the whole world."

"Changes in the domestic and international situation will affect the anti-Japanese war situation in Shanxi and even in North China."

"The current situation in Europe has changed. The Soviet Union is bound to focus more on Europe, and the help we will receive in the future is bound to be smaller."

"The Japanese army's defeat in the Battle of Nomonhan will most likely lead them to choose a southward strategy, and a conflict with Britain and the United States will be inevitable."

"Shanxi's geographical location is very important. Occupying the Taihang Mountains means taking the initiative in North China. To the north, we can threaten Suiyuan, Chahar and other places, and to the east, we can attack everywhere, making it difficult for the Japanese invaders to cope."

"After fierce struggle, our eastward-moving troops and combat units basically achieved great victory."

"Nowadays, the conflict between us and the diehards in the Kuomintang is gradually intensifying, so it is particularly important to have a stable rear."

"The importance of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area needs no further explanation."

"As our core base, we have mobilized the masses and basically completed the consolidation of the anti-Japanese democratic regime. Now, our base in North China can no longer develop in peace as before."

"Because of this major raid in North China, we are bound to become a real thorn in the eyes and flesh of the Japanese invaders, and raids against our rear bases will become more frequent."

"The struggle will become more acute, the battles more frequent."

"There are also different voices and opinions in Yan'an on this point."

"Our main difficulty now is the shortage of weapons, ammunition, medicines and other supplies. The public support in the newly opened base is relatively weak, and the Japanese and puppet troops are treating the people and our guerrillas more cruelly."

"Now, we urgently need to explore a path that is more suitable for operations in North China."

The deputy commander nodded seriously.

"Comrade XX's summary is very good. Do you have anything else to add?"

Most of the leaders attending the meeting shook their heads.

There is nothing more to add.

"Let's solve the first problem, which is also a concern of Yan'an. As the war progresses, the Shancheng side has been wary of us. Many troops have even started to actively create friction with us, especially Han Deqin's troops in northern Jiangsu."

The atmosphere of the meeting was a bit heavy.

"Let's discuss the second question now."

"That is, issues concerning weapons, ammunition, and later supplies."

"The ammunition supply to Shancheng is almost non-existent. Apart from a series of expenses such as military expenses, there is no other support. He Yingqin's words sound nice, but he basically did nothing."

Commander Liu smiled and took over the conversation: "The mountain city is unreliable, but there are always people who can help."

"After all, we are a team that is fighting the Japanese together. Chu Yunfei is still very happy to support us. At least under his influence, Commander Yan has become much more friendly to us."

"What we are going to do is actually not that different from what Yan Laoxi hopes Shanxi will become in the future."

Commander He nodded and said, "I think the reason why the situation in North China is so optimistic is because all parties have joined hands in the war of resistance and have really put in a lot of effort.

General Fu Yisheng in Suiyuan was also an open-minded general. At least when it came to the issues of the War of Resistance and mobilizing the masses, he was very humble and willing to learn from us and get closer to us.

As for Chu Yunfei, there is no need to say more.

There is no other person like him in the entire battle sequence of the National Army."

"Regarding the supply of subsequent combat materials, we have reached a preliminary consensus with Commander Chu. The specific supply details still need further discussion. I will follow up on this matter later. I think it should go smoothly."

"Regarding the division of the area for subsequent activities, we should discuss it with the Second War Zone. After all, the battle sequence of the 18th Group Army belongs to the Second War Zone."

(End of this chapter)