Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Hideki Tojo's words made the air in the room seem thick and foul.

Even the cabinet officials who had been standing by couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

obviously.

They also clearly understood what the so-called true holy war actually meant.

Germ warfare is an atrocity against humanity!
It is important to know that Japan adopted bacteriological warfare as a national military strategy.

From August 1932 to August 1945, Japan established bacteriological research bases in Japan and in the Wuchang Beiyinhe and Pingfang areas of Harbin, China, and carried out large-scale research and experiments on bacteriological warfare.

Later, according to the Emperor's edict.

Japan adopted a phased approach, starting with key points and gradually expanding from north to south, to establish its bacteriological warfare unit.

According to Emperor Hirohito's imperial edict in 1936.

The Japanese military established two bacteriological warfare units in Northeast China: Unit 731 in Harbin and Unit 100 in Changchun.

PS: The infamous Unit 731 was expanded from the original Kwantung Army Epidemic Prevention Department. It did not exist in 36, but was formally established in 36. It was Terauchi Hisaichi who was ordered by the Emperor to establish Unit 731.

Subsequently, the BJ 1855, Nanjing 1644, Guangzhou 8604, and Singapore 9420 bacteriological warfare units were established.

At the same time, 69 epidemic prevention and water supply units were established in divisions and other units, and some medical units from the Japanese invasion forces also participated.

In Hideki Tojo's view, winning this war would inevitably require some unconventional methods.

Hideki Tojo eagerly awaited the emperor's approval.

However, behind the curtain, there was still a deathly silence.

This made Hideki Tojo extremely nervous, and cold sweat even dripped down his forehead.

After a long while, that calm voice slowly rang out again.

"Ah."

There was only one word, a word that was neither affirmative nor negative, yet it represented tacit approval.

Hideki Tojo felt a surge of elation.

At that moment, he won his gamble.

This locust, high above all, is a god revered by all people as a symbol of "peace".

To preserve his position and his hypocritical "respectability," he is willing to take risks without hesitation and open Pandora's box without reservation.

This shows that the locusts' bottom line was much lower than their military had anticipated.

"I understand. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will surely achieve the final victory in the Great East Asia Holy War."

Hideki Tojo bowed deeply, almost burying his head in the ground.

Emperor Hirohito sighed softly, "I am tired."

"Hai!"

Hideki Tojo turned around and led his cabinet members out of the Imperial Palace in a long stride.

His face wore an almost manic smile.
-

the other side.

After Chu Yunfei's heartfelt conversation with Yan Xishan on Mount Wutai, a conversation that could be described as "entrusting his orphan and his life to him."

He politely declined the temple abbot's invitation to worship Buddha, and instead rested briefly in his meditation room for one night.

The next morning, before dawn, he led Zhao Pengcheng and others down the mountain quietly and set off to return to his hometown.

He spent many years on the battlefield, fighting in the south and the north.

He hasn't been back to the place where he was born and raised for a long time.

The car was driving on the rugged mountain road.

Chu Yunfei leaned back in the back seat, looking out the window at the familiar, endless loess plateau.

A complex mix of emotions welled up within me—a feeling of being both close to home and apprehensive.

"Pengcheng" (meaning "a bright future").

With his eyes closed, Chu Yunfei asked casually, "How are my relatives doing now?"

Zhao Pengcheng immediately took out a small notebook from his briefcase and respectfully reported to him: "Reporting to Lord Yun, the old master sent eight eligible soldiers, all of whom are your relatives."

"We've lost two men in these past few years of fighting."

Zhao Pengcheng continued, "One died in the course of reconnaissance, and the other died in the counterattack at Nankou last year. Their compensation has been paid out according to the highest standards of our North China Theater."

"In addition, two others were also injured."

"One of them has difficulty walking, and the other has injured his lung. They are both receiving treatment and recuperating in a rear hospital in Changzhi."

As for the remaining four...

Zhao Pengcheng's tone became slightly more relaxed.

"Two of them are definitely not cut out for fighting, and they don't have any great ambitions."

"Therefore, at that time, Commander Sun Ming sent him to our own camp school to study."

"Right now, both of them are doing quite well."

"He was a second lieutenant in charge of military supplies, such as insoles and cloth shoes, in Xinxian County."

"The other one is quick-witted and resourceful. He was assigned to Fanshi as a local military and political cadre, and he should currently hold the rank of second lieutenant."

"The last two who remained in the field army were the most promising."

A hint of approval appeared on Zhao Pengcheng's face: "One of them is named Chu Yunzheng. I've heard you mention before that they have a close family relationship."

This is a fine piece of steel; he's brave in combat and quick-witted. In a limited time, he has already been awarded the Third-Class Merit Citation twice.

"Some time ago, Chief of Staff Zhang Dayun personally recommended him to the Shanxi branch of the Whampoa Military Academy for accelerated officer training."

"Once he graduates, he'll start as a lieutenant company commander. The key thing is that he's also fought in quite a few battles."

"The future prospects are probably limitless!"

Having fought in battles and having a military academy background—if you meet these two requirements, there will be no obstacles to your promotion as long as you subsequently achieve meritorious service.

Besides, this person's surname is Chu.

No matter how fair and just the competition is for many positions,

They would also provide some conveniences out of respect for Chu Yunfei.

The balance between appointing people based on merit and appointing people based on favoritism is often difficult to achieve.

In matters of interpersonal relationships and social interactions, it is often difficult to avoid.

"Yun Zheng..."

In Chu Yunfei's memory, this cousin was not very talkative and had a rather introverted personality. Their relationship was just so-so, and they basically had no contact.

I never expected that my introverted cousin would be awarded the third-class merit twice.

This made him look at him with some new respect.

"There's another one, named Chu Zhongwei."

"I heard he's a bit simple-minded, illiterate, and doesn't like to study."

"But their strength lies in their obedience and willingness to work hard; in battle, they are first-rate fighters."

"Now, he's a veteran squad leader, holding the rank of corporal, and he's in charge of more than a dozen people."

Chu Yunfei listened quietly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He didn't make any special arrangements, but people like Sun Ming, Zhao Pengcheng, and Zhang Dayun would arrange it for him.

Even so, of the eight people, two died and two were injured in just a few years.

This is war.

Cruel, yet fair.

No matter who you are or what your background is, everyone is equal in the face of gunfire.

"That Zhongwei."

Chu Yunfei slowly began, “I have some recollection of him from when he was a child. The clan paid for his education at a private school, but he didn’t enroll.”

He worked full-time as a cowherd for landlords.

Once, when I went to find him to play, I secretly untied the ox's rope, and he found it barefoot. He really didn't like reading and writing; surely he couldn't escape the army's literacy education?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pengcheng laughed: "Lord Yun, Chu Zhongwei initially preferred to patrol at night, but absolutely refused to study and learn to read at night, saying that learning to read gave him a headache."

"When their battalion commander found out, he punished him by making him copy 'Serve the country with loyalty' nearly a thousand times a day on the ground with a twig."

"From then on, he became more obedient."

"Now, although I can't be considered a cultured person yet, at least I can recognize and write my own name, my home address, and some commonly used commands and slogans smoothly."

Chu Yunfei nodded, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

A modern army must never be an illiterate army.

Soldiers are not merely tools of war, but the cornerstone of a nation.

Let them learn to read, let them understand principles, and let them know why they are fighting.

This is more important than giving them a more advanced rifle.

The "night school" model, which required little investment but yielded significant results in literacy education, had already been fully implemented throughout the Nationalist army units in North China, and was being run with great enthusiasm and success.

"Your Excellency, should we transfer Chu Zhongwei to the Guard Regiment? After all, he's one of your own, so you can trust him with that."

Chu Yunfei pondered for a moment and slowly nodded: "Okay, I'll take care of it after I'm done with this busy period."

The car was still moving.

The outline of home is getting closer and closer.

Chu Yunfei looked out the window at the yellow earth that had nurtured him, and felt an unprecedented heaviness in his heart.

He was heartbroken by the sacrifices of his family members, but also gratified by their growth.

But more than anything, it is a sense of helplessness and guilt that makes it difficult to balance family and country.

The saying "one feels apprehensive as one gets closer to home" might be true.

He can bring victory and glory to this country.

However, he couldn't provide his family with a stable and peaceful life.

Perhaps this is the destiny he, as a soldier, must bear?

As Chu Yunfei's car slowly drove into the familiar village streets.

The entire village and town instantly erupted in excitement.

People flocked in from all directions, completely blocking the road.

They beat drums and gongs and set off firecrackers.

They welcomed this world-renowned hero, who hailed from their region, back to his hometown in the most sincere and enthusiastic way.

Chu Yunfei got out of the car.

Looking at those familiar yet unfamiliar faces, filled with admiration and love.

Listening to those heartfelt words.

"Commander Chu is back." "Folks, make way so Commander Chu can get home."

"Yes, yes, make way!"

Looking at the specially widened road, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

He is no longer the naive student who abandoned his studies to join the army simply to defend his hometown.

Nowadays, even without any special arrangements, his subordinates will build his hometown up very well.

the other side.

Changzhi, North China Joint Command.

Lin Wei, the newly appointed chief of staff, was currently extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan.

His desk was piled high with urgent telegrams from the Chongqing Command.

Each letter, written in the most urgent tone, inquired about the same thing.

"Where is Chief Consultant Chu Yunfei now?"

"Why haven't you called back yet?"

"The situation in Southeast Asia has changed. Return immediately!"

As Lin Wei looked at the telegrams, he felt his temples throbbing.

Where did Chu Yunfei go?
He doesn’t know either!

After handing over his work to him and Fang Ligong, that man and a few others simply vanished without a trace.

Not to mention Lin Wei, even his most trusted confidants, such as Fang Ligong and Qian Bojun, did not know his exact whereabouts.

What put him under even more pressure was...

Stilwell, that troublesome Allied Commander-in-Chief of the Southeast Asia Theater and Chief of Staff of the Far East Theater, has arrived in the mountain city by special plane!

Furthermore, they made their statement quite bluntly.

He will soon visit North China to inspect the "reorganization" of various troops.

This is clearly a hostile move!

At this critical juncture, he, the nominal "chief of staff," had neither Chu Yunfei's authorization nor could he contact the person in charge.

How could he possibly deal with that aggressive "Chief of Staff of the Far East Theater"?
Without any choice.

He could only find Chu Yunfei's "deputy" left at the command post.

That is, Zhang Dayun, the head of the Operations Section.

Hopefully, I can get some useful information from Zhang Dayun.

however.

Zhang Dayun's behavior, however, made him feel extremely frustrated.

"Chief of Staff Lin, don't worry."

Zhang Dayun's attitude was impeccable; he poured tea and offered cigarettes.

But when asked about crucial questions, he was completely clueless.

"Commander Chu's whereabouts?"

"Oh dear, this is something I truly do not know."

"As you know, our commander is always elusive, appearing only briefly and never returning."

“Sometimes, when he has a plan in mind, he won’t inform us, his subordinates, in advance.”

Left with no other choice, Lin Wei slowly revealed the top secret: "Stilwell is coming."

"Stilwell is coming?"

Zhang Dayun chuckled, looking completely unconcerned: "Let them come. We'll meet them head-on. Don't worry, with so many brothers in North China here, what can one American do to us?"

"Besides, he is our ally and the commander of our friendly forces."

Lin Wei snorted coldly and sat down on a chair to the side, sulking.

Zhang Dayun's words seemed to be meant to comfort him.

In reality, it was telling him to stop worrying unnecessarily.

We, the Flying Tigers, are very measured in our actions.

Since Stilwell was able to come, it means that it must have been arranged in advance, and he was just there to go through the motions.

Why are you, a civil engineering department chief of staff, worrying about this?
Lin Wei was speechless for a long time after hearing his words.

He could only earnestly explain to Zhang Dayun, who was unaware of the seriousness of the problem, "Section Chief Zhang, things are not as simple as you think!"

"What you may not know is that just a few days ago, our mountain city government officially sent a telegram to Washington requesting that Stilwell be recalled!"

"but."

Lin Wei's voice grew heavy. "Our demands were flatly rejected by Marshall and other high-ranking U.S. military officials!"

"What does this mean?"

Zhang Dayun seemed to understand but not quite, and asked, "This shows that the United States is very satisfied with Stilwell's current work results in China!"

Lin Wei took a deep breath, then slowly revealed another top-secret intelligence report, handing it to Zhang Dayun: "The US is showing that it is determined to continue increasing its leverage in Southeast Asia."

"They not only approved aid to build a modern shipyard in Yangon."

"They will even help us form a task force composed of U.S. warships and naval personnel!"

"It is proposed to donate one cruiser, three destroyers, and eighteen transport ships to the Republic of China Navy for future troop transport and escort missions!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dayun was also taken aback, but he remained expressionless, feigning ignorance: "Chief of Staff, isn't this good news? The Americans are willing to donate warships to us."

"A good thing?" Lin Wei gave a wry smile. "This is hardly a good thing. What are they giving us ships and warships for?"

"It's so that our expeditionary force can fight those bloody and brutal island landing battles for them."

"They want us to be cannon fodder for their Marines!"

Lin Wei's voice was filled with helplessness and indignation: "Large swathes of our own territory are still in the hands of the Japanese. In French Indochina, there are still tens of thousands of remnants of Japanese and puppet troops who need the main force of the expeditionary force to wipe them out!"

"General Huang Baitao's main force is currently being held back by the Japanese in the jungles of French Indochina, playing that damned guerrilla warfare!"
These damned Japanese devils have an extremely strong will to resist.

They broke up into smaller groups and hid in the jungle.

The expeditionary force would need to expend a great deal of time and effort to completely eliminate the resistance!

"Our expeditionary force, with its limited elite troops, still needs to be scattered and stationed in various places to guard against the British's underhanded tactics!"

"It can be said that our mountain city is now facing enormous pressure from the entire Western world!"

Zhang Dayun nodded in sudden realization.

It seems that the mountain city is struggling to withstand such immense pressure.

If Chu Yunfei firmly supports the mountain city side, the mountain city side will naturally have a much stronger stance.

But now.

Chen Cixiu has just set two obstacles for North China.

Chang Ruiyuan was unable to provide compensation to the fallen soldiers.

It's perfectly normal to not be able to find anyone at this point.

In Chu Yunfei's words, politics is about personnel matters and the art of compromise.

If the mountain city government won't compromise, how can we expect them to?

That's simply impossible.

The war has reached this point,

Nationalism has fully taken hold, and the level of national cohesion is unprecedented.

Under this circumstance.

Chang Ruiyuan dared to compromise with Japan, or with either Britain or the United States.

Not only will it lose the support of the people, but it will also affect the morale of the military.

"Commander Lin, instead of focusing on those empty rhetoric from above, we should concentrate on solving practical problems."

Zhang Dayun calmly lit a Guanghua brand cigarette: "Stilwell's trip has only two plans."

Firstly, it was to gain greater influence in the Far East theater, open a third front as soon as possible, and alleviate the pressure on the Americans in the Pacific theater.

The high-quality soldiers of the expeditionary force became a target that Stilwell had to win over.

Given the harsh rhetoric and the apparent contradictions from the mountain city side.

Stilwell could only try to find a solution from Commander Chu.

Only after helping our National Revolutionary Army resolve these troubles might Chiang Kai-shek be willing to compromise with the U.S. Army he represents.

Secondly, Stilwell's trip was also to understand the progress of the National Revolutionary Army's reorganization. Once the time was right, a full-scale counter-offensive could be launched to tie down Japanese army forces and further deplete Japan's national strength.

Lin Wei nodded slowly: "That's right. However, according to current intelligence, the Americans are not making good progress in the Guadalcanal campaign. They have suffered considerable losses in several smaller battles."

"For them, the war has only just begun. Didn't our combat troops also suffer huge losses at the beginning of the war?"

"Based on the American military advisors I've encountered, these Americans are very good at summarizing experiences and innovating, finding tactics that suit their own military."

Zhang Dayun paused for a moment, then added, "Moreover, based on previous exchanges with Brigadier General Stevens, the Americans seem to be more focused on building up their artillery capabilities under our influence."

My personal assessment is that if the Americans and Japanese can successfully establish beachheads with naval assistance during their battles, their heavy artillery units will be able to play a more unexpected and effective role than their naval gunnery units.

Lin Wei seemed unwilling to discuss these matters with Zhang Dayun, and instead asked again, "Section Chief Zhang, is there really no way you can contact Commander Chu?"

Zhang Dayun stroked his chin and pondered for a moment: "Perhaps you could try contacting Commander Yan. Commander Yan probably knows where Chu Yunfei went."

Lin Wei remained silent for a moment, then sighed, quickly turned and left.

Zhang Dayun lowered his head, continuing to focus on his current hopes, and asked the staff officers not far away, "Has the reconnaissance team sent any new intelligence? Has the Japanese finished their deployment adjustments?"

"In addition to the reconnaissance battalion being active, the search companies under each division are also stepping up their infiltration efforts. However, the Japanese seem to have raised their alert level, making it difficult for our people to get close."

"These Japanese devils are really strange."

Zhang Dayun looked slightly puzzled: "With this major battle no longer going to happen, who are we putting on this show of being on high alert for? Could it be that a high-ranking official is coming to inspect the front lines in North China?"

"It's quite possible. Back in the day, the Japanese army sent a prince's observation group to the front lines in Shanxi to observe the battle. That was quite a show of force."

Zhang Dayun felt quite regretful when the matter was brought up: "It's such a damn pity that we couldn't keep that damned prince. If we had the strength and military equipment we have now back then, that Japanese prince would have died in Shanxi."

"Report."

"Come in." Zhang Dayun turned his head to look at Yu Yunjun, the guard staff officer who walked in through the door: "Yunjun? What's the matter?"

"We just received an urgent telegram from the Third Squadron of the Reconnaissance Brigade."

"They rescued a Kuomintang agent in the Japanese-occupied area, saying that they had top-secret intelligence that needed to be reported immediately. The agent was injured and at least a battalion of Japanese troops were pursuing them. They requested that the main force be mobilized to provide support."

Yu Yunjun reiterated, "The situation is extremely urgent."

Zhang Dayun was taken aback: "The exact location?"

“The closest combat unit to Qianfo Mountain, north of Yi County, is Zhang Fugui’s troops.”

"Immediately send a telegram to Division Commander Zhang, requesting that he send troops to reinforce us immediately."

"Yes." (End of Chapter)