Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Northern Taihang Mountains.

Yi County, Thousand Buddha Mountain.

The setting sun dyed the steep mountain peaks a tragic blood red.

On a makeshift position halfway up the mountain.

Cao Zhifeng, the company commander of the third company of the reconnaissance battalion, was gritting his teeth as he pushed the last magazine into his already scorching hot submachine gun.

He had fewer than twenty brothers left who were still standing.

Everyone was covered in bruises, their faces smeared with gunpowder and blood.

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this? Li, can I have a cigarette? Li?"

Cao Zhifeng glanced at the young soldier beside him, who had already fallen silent, and after a moment's hesitation, he fired another long burst at the charging Japanese soldiers.

They were carrying out a routine reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines.

On his way back, however, he happened to encounter this Kuomintang agent who was being chased by the Japanese military police.

Driven by the simple idea that "we are all Chinese fighting against the Japanese invaders," they did not hesitate to lend a helping hand.

But I didn't expect it.

This is like stirring up a hornet's nest!

These damned Japanese devils were like madmen, chasing them for a full forty li (about 20 kilometers). They even risked great danger to pursue them all the way to the border area between the two sides' defense zones!
Keep in mind that this place is only a few dozen miles away from Yi County, where the main force of the National Revolutionary Army was stationed!
The main force could easily wipe out these few hundred people with a single movement!
Even under such circumstances, these Japanese devils still fearlessly launched wave after wave of fierce attacks on their small hilltop!

Below Cao Zhifeng and his group, the entire area was filled with Japanese military police wearing M30 steel helmets.

Conservative estimate: at least a battalion, several hundred soldiers!
At this moment, they still acted like a group of reckless madmen, continuing their upward attack.

"We've run out of bullets, but we have two grenades left."

"Captain, the portable radio has also been destroyed by the Japanese!"

Bang~!

Cao Zhifeng, filled with rage, didn't even have time to say anything.

Gunfire erupted again.

Those damn Japanese devils are coming again!
"They're fucking reckless, these sons of bitches."

A young soldier lay prone in the position, not getting up, and peeked out to see the general location of the Japanese troops before throwing a grenade.

When the grenade was thrown, the person's entire body was concealed except for their arms.

If they weren't so well-trained and truly elite.

I'm afraid they won't even last a few hours.

The Japanese soldiers down the mountain had suffered more than half casualties, and their bodies were too numerous to carry.

But they continued to attack with all their might.

Cao Zhifeng knew that there could only be one reason for all of this.

That's right behind them.

The Kuomintang agent lying on the stretcher had already lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss.

He must be hiding some top-secret information.

Otherwise, those damned Japanese devils would never have gone to such lengths.

Cao Zhifeng and his men had searched the agent's entire body.

Apart from a few Union Bank notes and Japanese yen.

They couldn't find any place where the intelligence was hidden.

All bullets were used up.

The remaining dozen or so soldiers roared as they picked up the rocks beside them and hurled them downwards with all their might.

Looking down the mountain at the Japanese soldiers who were once again forming an attack formation, Cao Zhifeng's eyes flashed with a resolute glint: "Brothers!"

He threw away his submachine gun, which was now out of bullets, and took a rifle handed to him by a soldier nearby. The rifle already had a bayonet fixed to the front.

"We're out of bullets!"

"We've thrown all the grenades!"

"Now all we have left are our bones and the bayonets in our hands!"

"Remember! We are Commander Chu's soldiers! We are the elite of the reconnaissance brigade."

"From the day our investigation team was established, there hasn't been a single coward!"

Cao Zhifeng pointed at the Japanese troops still charging down the mountain and roared, "Even if we die, we'll take a few of them with us!"

……

At this critical moment.

A rapid and powerful sound of horses' hooves, like rolling thunder, echoed throughout the valley from behind the Japanese troops!

Cao Zhifeng quickly raised his binoculars and looked in the direction of the military flag, using the afterglow of the setting sun.

"It's our cavalry! Reinforcements have arrived!"

On the mountaintop, a soldier wept with joy: "Damn it, we're finally here."

All I could see was in the ravine at the foot of the mountain.

A cavalry unit, as swift as a black whirlwind, brandishing gleaming sabers, crashed into the Japanese guard positions with overwhelming force.

This is due to a lack of manpower and the fact that the vast majority of firepower is used for attacking fortified positions.

The guard positions were almost completely defenseless.

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere on the battlefield!
The Japanese military police had never seen such a formation before.
Their defensive positions were quickly torn open by the cavalry battalion's rapid, sweeping attacks!

And this is just the beginning.

"Captain, should we retreat immediately?" Lieutenant Shota Tanabe hurriedly came to the captain's side to ask for a solution.

"Damn it!" Fukuyama Yuto slapped Tanabe Shota across the face and cursed viciously, "This cavalry unit launched its attack from the due north direction, and the nearest Chinese garrison is to the due south direction."

Clearly, they weren't reinforcements; they just happened to stumble upon our battle.

Lieutenant Shota Tanabe didn't think that far ahead; at that moment, he was only worried that he would die in this battle.

They are military police, not field troops.

Even if the dereliction of duty is serious, it is the head of the official who is executed.

Thinking of this, Shota Tanabe forced himself to persuade them again: "Although it is only a small cavalry force, our defenses have been breached by them. If we do not leave now, we may be left here by the reinforcements."

Fukuyama Yuto hesitated. If it was just an ordinary cavalry unit, it would probably be a company-level unit.

With their strength, they have nothing to fear. Even if something goes wrong, they can use the moonlight to make their way back.

however.

The window of opportunity left for the Japanese was only three to five minutes.

Less than half an hour.

Zhang Fugui's main infantry regiment, the 3rd Regiment, marched swiftly and lightly equipped, arriving at the battlefield from the south!
In order to wipe out this group of Japanese soldiers, Zhang Fugui deliberately had the cavalry take a detour of several kilometers along mountain roads, and the attack time was basically the same as that of the infantry.

Now, a pincer attack has been formed!
Fukuyama Yuto stared at the sudden turn of events before him.

His face turned even more ashen than that of a dead person.

He knew that he had lost his last chance.

If they don't leave now, all of them, numbering in the hundreds, will perish here!
Fukuyama Yuto, extremely unwilling, gave the order to retreat: "Retreat! Retreat!"

The remaining Japanese soldiers, as if granted a pardon, abandoned the corpses of their comrades and fled in panic in the direction they had come from.

"Hmph, want to run away?"

Zhang Fugui sneered, "Commander Zheng, now it's your turn to perform!"

"Please rest assured, sir. I have already given orders that not a single Japanese soldier who dares to invade our defense zone will escape!"

As for the mountain.

Cao Zhifeng and his brothers relaxed considerably as they watched the defeated enemy fleeing down the mountain.

The soldiers collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted: "Damn it, I thought we were going to die here!"
-

On the other side, at the joint command post.

After receiving Zhang Fugui's report that the enemy had been annihilated and the Kuomintang special agents and the Third Company of the Reconnaissance Brigade had been successfully rescued.

Zhang Dayun also visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "What's their casualty situation?"

Yu Yunjun then reported: "The situation is not optimistic. More than two-thirds of the Third Company have been killed, and the remaining dozen or so soldiers, as well as the company commander, are also injured. Should we report this to the Chief of Staff?"

Zhang Dayun grinned mischievously: "There are other troublesome matters that the chief of staff needs to handle, so don't bother him with this little thing."

"Yes!"

The trouble Zhang Dayun was referring to was actually the shortage of personnel in various combat units.

As early as the end of the Battle of Wuhan in late 38.

Chen Cixiu had already reported to Chang Ruiyuan that the average shortage of personnel in each division was around three thousand.

In 40, Chen Cixiu once again reported the vacancies in each division and indicated that the troops were not very enthusiastic about the war of resistance.

Going back to 1937, the total number of troops short was also 200,000.

However, with the further deterioration of the economic environment, military pay could no longer meet the normal living needs of officers and soldiers.

The number of vacancies in various units is getting larger and larger.

This has even led to a series of negative consequences.

For example, in 1943, Gu Zhutong of the Third War Zone, who relied on local conscription, also reported to the General Headquarters that each division was short of more than 3,000 men.

Not all officers wanted to line their own pockets.

Given the economic conditions in the Nationalist-controlled areas, relying solely on military pay would not only fail to support the soldiers below them, but would also make it difficult to support themselves.

In this situation, increasingly serious consequences naturally ensued.

At this moment, the most difficult problem facing the North China Theater Command, besides military pay and pensions, is the issue of manpower.

The conscription of men has a certain degree of legal justification, after all, there are regulations such as the Military Service Law and the Household Registration Law.

Many studies have even pointed out that...

The overall quality of the Nationalist army actually improved considerably after the conscription of soldiers.

After all, the saying "good men don't become soldiers" has been around for a long time. These honest young men from good families who were sent to the army were clearly better at obeying orders than those scoundrels, hooligans, and slickers.

It's hellish, but that's the truth.

Yan Ruifeng, the operations staff officer standing nearby, served Lin Wei a cup of tea: "Chief."

"Officer Yan, how did you solve the problem of replenishing troops when you were in the Second World War zone?"

"Well, that's a long story. In general, it was carried out in accordance with the conscription guidelines issued by Commander Chu."

"Then let's get to the point."

Lin Wei rubbed her throbbing temples.

It wasn't that he lacked patience, but rather that Chu Yunfei delegated authority directly, causing a huge backlog of work to accumulate in his hands.

The days of slacking off in the officer corps and the aide-de-camp are gone forever, and I'm really not used to it anymore.

"Initially, we conducted war mobilization in the areas surrounding Changzhi. In essence, we were learning from the Eighth Route Army's experience in expanding the Red Army."

“We selected relevant soldiers, especially those who had won military merits, to give speeches, organized cultural troupes to perform in various places, and selected local people to explain life in our army to their relatives and friends.” “Of course, we basically have village cadres stationed in every larger village, and we have achieved full coverage in southeastern Shanxi. We have also established local mobilization committees in Shanxi to ensure that war mobilization has more political authority.”

"Some local activists should play an exemplary role. They are from the same hometown and believe that they can settle down in the army because they have acquaintances and family members there."

Seeing that Lin Wei had taken it to heart, Yan Ruifeng continued, "The specific task is to conduct preliminary organization and propaganda, such as recruiting people into our National Army to eliminate those who burn, kill, and loot."

Join the Flying Tigers and strive for continuous victories in the War of Resistance.

Joining the National Revolutionary Army is the greatest honor. We are the nation's armed force, the country's hope, and the people's armed force.

Another point is that recruitment officers should select the easiest candidates to persuade.

It's not just about persuading the person who is willing to join the army, but also their family members and relatives.

Only in this way can we launch a mass movement and inspire the patriotic enthusiasm of the masses.

In the past few years, Director Xu has also explored other good methods, which have also been incorporated into the conscription regulations.

This involves selecting heroes who have expanded the military and those who have joined the army by establishing role models.

Then they would advertise it in the newspaper, and the Changzhi Weekly would reserve a page specifically for this kind of promotional activity.

Yan Ruifeng paused, his mouth dry after saying so much.

Lin Wei smiled and handed him the teacup directly: "Advisor Yan."

"Consultant Xie"

Yan Ruifeng's words carried a clear hint of ruthlessness: "We will also use appropriate violence to suppress those reactionaries."

“Those who are unable to recognize the national crisis and the danger of the country’s collapse, and who are stubborn and unrepentant, will also be subjected to public trials and repression.”

"In addition, we have also made corresponding adjustments and learned about the resettlement of veterans."

"Of course, there were many demobilized soldiers from the Jin-Sui Army days, about seven or eight thousand of them. The vast majority of them were assigned to various new recruit training centers and to participate in production around the military bases."

Lin Wei then asked, "Oh? Are they all willing?"

"We also adopt the principle of voluntariness... However, as far as I know, more than 90% of veterans choose to stay around the military base and do some things. If they go home, we will give them a one-time demobilization payment and a certain amount of travel expenses."

"Local governments also provide some conveniences for these veterans, especially in terms of job security, which the Shanxi-Shaanxi region has done very well."

"In addition, after the local veterans arrived, cultural groups and schools would hold welcome parties. Overall, under the guidance of Commander Chu, veterans enjoyed a high social status in the entire Shanxi-Shaanxi region."

"At the same time, the village-based cadres in various places will also restrain and regulate their daily behavior to prevent other problems from arising."

"This has played a significant role in maintaining the image of the military and safeguarding morale."

Lin Wei was taken aback: "Then why are there still so many vacancies in each unit?"

Yan Ruifeng shrugged: "Chief, you are unaware of this."

"First of all, Hebei, Henan and other places do not yet meet the conditions for implementation. They have just been liberated and their production and life have not yet fully recovered. Moreover, because the battle was concentrated in the autumn, many people in the area have fled their homeland in a hurry before the autumn harvest."

"Under these circumstances, the people's enthusiasm for resisting the Japanese will inevitably not be very high."

"Secondly, only Commander Chu's old troops can ensure that officers do not embezzle funds and that soldiers receive their pay and pensions on time."

"Other combat units have more serious long-standing problems, and there are many veteran officers in the ranks, which are difficult to completely replace and eliminate in a short period of time."

"In addition, the years of war have resulted in an excessive number of deserters, and the punishments imposed by various units are quite severe and harsh."

Yan Ruifeng did not continue speaking.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, as if he had mustered up his courage: "Sir, please forgive my boldness in offering this advice."

Lin Wei nodded slowly: "Officer Yan, please speak."

"In my opinion, a thorough and radical reform is necessary to solve the problem of insufficient manpower."

"The first thing the senator does is enforce the conscription law, which is practically a formality."

"Although the government has a so-called conscription law, the sons of the wealthy and powerful are not required to enlist, while those who are forcibly conscripted are all sons of working people engaged in production."

The brutal mistreatment of conscripts by the military service agencies in the north was simply unimaginable.

After the able-bodied men were conscripted, they were bound with ropes and marched in formation, surrounded by armed soldiers and police on all sides, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The place of concentration was then sealed off, as if the prisoners were being treated.

They could not eat their fill, could not receive medical treatment when they were sick, and could not be provided with a coffin when they died.

Withholding rations, embezzling medical supplies, and falsely reporting the cost of coffins were the three major sources of revenue for military service agencies.

Once a able-bodied man is taken away, it's like walking into the gates of hell; if he manages to escape, he's incredibly lucky.

Once captured, they were tortured to death; countless people died violent deaths.

The supervisory department is currently overseeing this matter and investigating the forced conscription in Dengfeng County.
The preliminary investigation results are shocking and appalling.

Having been in the central government for a long time, Lin Weijiu was naturally well aware of the drawbacks of the current conscription system and the true state of its implementation at the grassroots level.

Of the 14 million conscripts, only 8 million actually reached the front lines and played a significant role.

The remaining six million either fled, disappeared, or died on the way for various reasons.

And the most crucial point is...

During the Republic of China era, some military districts required soldiers to trek through mountains and rivers to transport troops.

For example, goods were sent from Fujian to Henan, or from Sichuan to Shanxi.

The mortality rate for transporting soldiers over long distances is extremely high, and the escape rate for recruits conscripted locally is also extremely high.

Some units, when they capture deserters, have no other options but to torture them to death or behead and rip out their hearts.

There will be no other chances.

While this approach upholds military law, it is excessively brutal given the current environment and the mindset of new recruits.

Chang Ruiyuan once wrote about this incident in his diary.

To replenish the new recruits of the Fifth War Zone, the recruiting officers went to Sichuan to pick up the soldiers, and allowed them to desert or fall ill along the way, thus saving the food expenses and putting them into the pockets of the recruiting officers.

To make up for the missing numbers, the recruiting officers would conscript more men from the surrounding area, which led to cases of mistaken identities and imposters.

To prevent them from escaping, they were tied up with ropes and treated like prisoners.

This kind of thing happens in every war zone.

Lu Zhonglin encountered similar situations several times when he inspected the conscription work in various divisions and districts.

Not long ago, Huang Shaohong reported that a son of one of their colleagues who was applying to military academy was conscripted into the recruit unit on his way to register. When his original work unit sent a letter to inquire about the matter, he was unable to get the information.

The damn people have already been conscripted to Hengyang.

As one of Chang Ruiyuan's confidants, Lin Wei was naturally also aware of the drawbacks of the conscription law.

Although Chang Ruiyuan was strict, he insisted that the lower levels must rectify the situation and implement the measures.

But overall, he just likes to spout correct but meaningless platitudes.

For example, "military first" and "soldiers first".

However, the Republic of China has always had very good policies.

The implementation at the lower levels is a complete mess, or even non-existent, with virtually no control at the grassroots level.

According to the summaries of Western countries (led by Britain and the United States), the National Revolutionary Army had the best soldiers and the worst officers.

The mess in North China, including the First, Fifth, and Eighth War Zones, was actually laid out before Lin Wei.

It was just like how Chang Ruiyuan handed over the punishment of the Guangxi clique generals to Chu Yunfei with strict measures.

No matter how you handle it, it's a difficult matter.

Now, Chu Yunfei has handed over the work to him, who is nominally the third-in-command.

If he wanted to find someone else, he could only contact Chang Ruiyuan, the nominal commander-in-chief of the North China Joint Command.

Da da da~!

Feeling slightly irritated, I tapped the table.

Yan Ruifeng stood quietly to the side, waiting for Lin Wei to make the final decision.

however.

However, just a few minutes later...

The knocking on the office door sounded again.

"Please come in."

"Chief, Brigadier General Stevens, along with General Stilwell and other U.S. military advisors, have arrived in Changzhi."

Lin Wei was taken aback: "Why wasn't there any prior notice?"

Zhang Dayun was also somewhat flustered and overwhelmed: "These Americans were negotiating and arguing with you gentlemen in the mountain city yesterday, and today they flew directly to Changzhi. No one was notified, and even security has not been strengthened."

"It must be Stilwell's idea again!"

Lin Wei had worked with Stilwell and had close contact with him during his inspection of Myanmar, not to mention before.

That's just Stilwell's personality.

If you can subdue him, he's a pretty good deputy or subordinate.

The premise is that he does not command combat operations.

Once he gained power, those Nationalist Army officers he already looked down upon naturally did not receive the respect they deserved.

Some say it's a matter of upbringing, but it's clear that Stilwell didn't care and was even proud of it.

Chu Yunfei is not here now.

The only person the joint command could barely communicate with on an equal footing with Stilwell was Lin Wei. However, Lin Wei's position was a step below Stilwell's, so he had little confidence in front of Stilwell.

Think of this.

Once Lin Wei came to his senses, he immediately realized that this was very likely a mess that Chu Yunfei had deliberately left for him.

It was also to give him, the third person in the Civil Engineering Department, a warning and to retaliate against Chen Cixiu.

That's really underhanded. Lin Wei is helpless against Chu Yunfei. Could it be that he sent a telegram to Shancheng and Chu Yunfei quit?

Isn't the problem of shirking responsibility ultimately caused by the Ministry of Military Affairs?
After sighing inwardly, Lin Wei looked up and asked, "Section Chief Zhang, what are your plans to do about the manpower issue?"

"We've thought of all the possible solutions before. Now it's just a matter of choosing which to pursue. However, Chief of Staff, Commander Chu prefers to act swiftly and decisively, investigate, arrest, and kill, to restore order to North China."

Lin Wei frowned: "Do you know how many people are involved?"

"Cutting flesh to treat a wound is a last resort. At present, the Japanese army has no strength left for offensive operations, and we can withstand such torment. The longer it goes on, the more officers and soldiers will be affected."

Seeing that Lin Wei was still hesitating, Zhang Dayun decided to report on the matter in Yi County: "Chief, there is another matter I have to report to you today."

"whats the matter?"

"When the Third Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion under my command was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in Yi County, they happened to encounter a group of Japanese military police chasing a Kuomintang agent. After successfully rescuing him, they withdrew to our controlled area."

To their surprise, the Japanese reinforcements arrived quite quickly, consisting not only of vehicles and armored cars, but also six or seven hundred men, roughly equivalent to a large battalion.

"Oh?"

Lin Wei was quite perceptive. For the Japanese to pursue him at all costs under such circumstances, this person must have considerable value: "Was the person rescued? What is the background of the Military Intelligence Bureau personnel?"

"Last night we received news that all the surviving officers and soldiers have been rescued. The special agents are still in danger, but the other surviving officers and soldiers are fine. Chief of Staff, should we notify Deputy Director Mao of the Inspectorate to come and assist in the work?"

Before one problem is resolved, another one pops up.

Lin Wei is now 100% certain that Chu Yunfei is deliberately trying to trip him up.

What Zhang Dayun said yesterday was probably just to lull him into a false sense of security and appease him.

If Stilwell doesn't handle this matter well, then he, as chief of staff, will probably have to slink back to the mountain city in disgrace.

Lin Wei rubbed his temples: "Forget it, their inspection department is investigating a case in the division's jurisdiction, so let's not trouble them. As soon as he wakes up, we'll ask him about the intelligence and make preparations to welcome our Far East Theater Chief of Staff." (End of Chapter)