Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Fengkou area, Jianghan Plain.

The situation is deteriorating rapidly at a breathtaking pace.

The Japanese 40th Division relentlessly engaged two brigades of the 128th Division from the east and south.

Meanwhile, the 13th Division, which had just won a great victory at Xinchang, pressed in from the west, completely blocking any possibility of Wang Jinzai's troops breaking through to the west.

Then, even worse news arrived.

The Japanese 58th Division suddenly appeared from the north, completing the final piece of the encirclement puzzle.

Besieged on all sides!

The Japanese command immediately issued a general offensive order: starting from February 21, the 40th and 13th Divisions would launch a simultaneous concentric attack from four directions: Xindi, Xinhe, Fengkou, and Zhoulaozui, gradually narrowing the encirclement and crushing the trapped tiger, the 128th Division, into the Jianghan River network!

Headquarters of the 128th Division of the National Revolutionary Army.

Division Commander Wang Jinzai slammed his fist hard on the map, his eyes bloodshot.

"Damn it!"

"What on earth happened in this battle?!" he roared at his staff officers and brigade commanders. "We received advance warning and made ample preparations, so why are we still on the defensive at every turn?!"

He didn't understand.

From the very first moment the battle began, he felt as if he had been caught in an invisible net.

No matter how he moved his troops or changed his defensive strategies, the Japanese attacks always managed to hit his weakest and most vulnerable spots precisely.

It felt as if the Japanese army knew everything about his troop deployment, defense plans, and even his command habits!
"Commander, we can't keep fighting like this!"

A brigade commander said anxiously, "The Japanese are tightening their encirclement. If we don't find a way to break through, we'll be completely surrounded!"

"Break through? Where to break through?"

Wang Jinzai looked around at the red arrows on the map that represented the main force of the Japanese army, and felt a sense of powerlessness.

But even in such a desperate situation.

The officers and soldiers of the 128th Division continued their desperate resistance, relying on the bunkers they had built over the years on the Jianghan Plain.

Landmines, trenches, bunkers, crossfire points.

These defensive fortifications, soaked with countless drops of sweat, were now transformed into millstones that shredded the flesh and blood of the Japanese soldiers.

The battle for each stronghold was exceptionally fierce.

Although the Japanese army launched a fierce offensive, it also paid an extremely heavy price.

However, everyone knew that this was nothing more than a desperate struggle.

Just as the command post was filled with heated debate and chaos, a liaison officer from the Sixth War Zone headquarters approached Wang Jinzai with a solemn expression, holding an encrypted telegram.

"Commander Wang!" The staff officer's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness. "Urgent telegram from headquarters! Also, this telegram is copied to Chief Advisor Chu Yunfei of the North China Joint Command. Chief Advisor Chu has given clear instructions on your unit's next steps!"

As he spoke, he presented the translated telegram, along with another telegram he had just received from North China.

Wang Jingzai took the telegram and first read the order from the Sixth War Zone Command. The content was very simple: "The situation in the Jianghan War has suddenly changed. After coordination by the Military Commission, Chief Advisor Chu of the North China Joint Command is hereby authorized to coordinate and command your division's breakout. You must comply and there must be no mistakes!"

The South China Joint Command suddenly transferred command to the North China Joint Command.

What does this mean?
Is his 128th Division going to be transferred to the North China region for combat operations?

Most importantly, this was coordinated by the General Staff.

Even so, there is no reason for it to be so.

Those who lack political acumen naturally wouldn't have considered the underlying political relationships; otherwise, they wouldn't have met such a tragic end.

A sense of displeasure flashed through Wang Jinzai's mind; he felt no respect whatsoever.

However, a formidable enemy is at hand.

Wang Laohu patiently opened the telegram from Chu Yunfei, and his pupils shrank sharply after just one glance!
"Abandon the defense and immediately advance into the enemy-occupied lake and marshland area!"

"Discard all heavy weapons and preserve our manpower!"

"The final breakout direction must not be westward or southward to join the main force of the Sixth War Zone, but must resolutely move northward towards the defense zone of the Fifth War Zone!"

"what?!"

Inside the command post, an uproar erupted: "Break through to the north? Isn't that just running headlong into the guns of the Japanese 58th Division?"

"Should we abandon the fortifications we've built up over the years and crawl into that muddy lake?"

"Are we going to throw away all the heavy weapons like cannons?"

"Without these family assets, wouldn't it be suicide for us to fight the Japanese devils?"

"What is he up to?" Gu Dingxin asked hoarsely. "Does he want to use the Japanese to wipe out our 128th Division?"

Upon hearing Gu Dingxin's words, the officers, who already had reservations, began to express their opinions.

Questions and objections arose one after another.

Wang Jinzai's expression was also unpredictable.

He knew full well that Chu Yunfei's suggestion was nothing short of a gamble.

But after calming down and carefully weighing the pros and cons, his mind, which had been in complete chaos due to the war, gradually became clearer.

Breaking out towards the main force of the Sixth War Zone, seemingly a return to the established order, is actually the most dangerous path.

The main force of the Japanese 13th Division was blocking their way there, waiting for them to die.

To the north, although the Japanese 58th Division was blocking the way, its main task was to encircle rather than attack; otherwise, it would not have only just joined the battle at this point.

The Japanese forces were bound to be dispersed, and northern Hubei was adjacent to the defense zone of the main force of the Guangxi clique in the Fifth War Zone.

If I can really fight my way out and join forces with the Guangxi army, that would be a great move!
More importantly, the order from the Sixth War Zone Command was clearly written—"Comply with all orders."

This is no longer a choice, it's an order!

Gu Dingxin continued to insist on holding out and waiting for reinforcements from the Sixth War Zone.

Wang Jinzai couldn't help but have some doubts.

Has Gu Dingxin really lost his mind?
Could the reinforcements from the Sixth War Zone defeat the main force of the Japanese 11th Army, which numbered over 50,000 men, in one fell swoop?

If not, then his 128th Division would still be doomed to annihilation, merely taking some Japanese soldiers down with it before it died.
……

Fifth War Zone, Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters.

A suffocating atmosphere hung over the place like dark clouds.

Chief of Staff Wang Hongshao pointed to the blue area on the sand table that was surrounded by layers of red arrows and said in a hoarse voice, "Commander-in-Chief, the situation is not good."

"For four consecutive days, the Japanese army has been continuously shrinking the 128th Division's living space. As of now, the encirclement line between the Japanese divisions is estimated to be less than ten kilometers."

He paused, then uttered the conclusion that sank everyone's hearts: "The complete annihilation of the 128th Division seems to be a foregone conclusion. We cannot complete the relief mission assigned by the North China Joint Command, nor can we explain it to the General Headquarters."

Commander-in-Chief Li frowned and remained silent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save them, but that he dared not easily deploy his main forces.

Currently, the elite troops under his command in Guangxi are relying on the favorable terrain of the Dabie Mountains and northern Hubei to confront the Japanese army. The two sides have formed a fixed tacit understanding and basically will not fight each other.

By this time, the Guangxi Clique was no longer the Guangxi Army of the early days of the War of Resistance: the Guangxi people who fought to the death and refused to retreat.

Instead, it was a new warlord force that, under the influence of Bai Jiansheng and Li Delin's personal interests, sought to preserve its strength and serve as the cornerstone of power.

They not only reached a "ceasefire agreement" with the Japanese army, but also fought a tacit war.

Furthermore, with Chang Ruiyuan's tacit approval, they exerted their utmost efforts to squeeze the New Fourth Army's living space, ignored the Japanese army's mopping-up operations against the New Fourth Army in Central China, and even took the initiative to engage in battle with them.

At this moment.

The North China Joint Command assigned the task of providing assistance to them based on the principle of proximity.

The fact that the General Staff urged them to immediately send troops into battle was not due to considerations of proximity.

The aim was to weaken the strength of their Guangxi clique troops and to break the tacit understanding between them and the Japanese army.

Beyond political considerations, Li Bai and his companion shared similar concerns regarding military command.

If the Guangxi clique forces rashly move south to the Jianghan Plain, a water-rich area with no natural defenses, they will easily be targeted by the Japanese army. Moreover, the Guangxi clique's current combat effectiveness is not high, and it can even be described as having neglected military equipment.

They were inferior to the reorganized Northwest Army, Sichuan Army, and Yunnan Army.

Just as Commander Li was frowning and racking his brains for a solution to this situation...

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a guard rushed in to report: "Reporting to the Commander!"

"Commander Chu of the North China Joint Command has arrived at headquarters!"

"what?!"

Li Zongren suddenly stood up from his seat, his face showing an expression of disbelief and surprise.

Although they knew Chu Yunfei might come back.

But nobody knows the exact time or the specific itinerary.

Without any hesitation, he strode towards the door, shouting, "Quick! Come with me to greet them!"

At the entrance of the headquarters, Chu Yunfei, dressed in military uniform, had just stepped out of a dusty jeep.

"Lord De!"

Upon seeing Li Zongren come out to greet him, Chu Yunfei quickly stepped forward, stood at attention, and returned the greeting, his tone full of respect for his senior.

"Hey, Yunfei, you've come at the perfect time!"

Li Zongren, however, was completely at ease. He grabbed his arm, patted his shoulder, and pulled him directly into the operations room. "We've been waiting for you for ages! Come in and give us your advice!"

"How should this war be fought?"

In the war room.

Everyone was invigorated when they saw the legendary "War General" arrive in person.

Chief of Staff Wang Hongshao didn't exchange many pleasantries. He immediately stepped forward and pointed to the sand table, briefly describing the precarious situation of the 128th Division. His face was full of worry: "The 128th Division is probably in grave danger this time."

Chu Yunfei's gaze swept quickly across the sand table, but his usually calm face did not reveal much surprise.

He addressed the crowd, reassuring them, "Duke De, Chief of Staff Wang, you need not worry too much."

"Before coming here, I had already telegraphed Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone and Division Commander Wang Jinzai to adjust the corresponding deployment."

"Adjust the deployment?" Everyone was taken aback.

“That’s right.” Chu Yunfei picked up a command baton and tapped it lightly on the encircled area: “What Division Commander Wang needs to do now is not to hold out for reinforcements, nor to break through towards the main force of the Sixth War Zone, but rather…”

His baton suddenly swung towards the flank and rear of the Japanese encirclement, towards the densely networked lake and marshland area, and further north into the northern Hubei region!

"Disperse and relocate to the enemy's flanks, rear, or even rear!"

"Their breakout direction is due north, and they are moving towards the defense zone of the 39th Army of the Fifth War Zone!"

"The 128th Division can take advantage of the inconvenient transportation in the lake area to slow down the pursuit of the Japanese mechanized troops and cavalry to the greatest extent possible."

"At the same time, I have ordered them to decisively abandon all unnecessary heavy weapons and carry only light weapons such as rifles and light machine guns, with the preservation of manpower as the top priority. I suppose their footwork should be no less than that of the Japanese."

Abandon the position, break into smaller units, and instead of regrouping with the main force, break out to the north!
This is truly a case of turning adversity into opportunity!
Of course, that's a nicer way of putting it.

To put it more bluntly...

Under Chu Yunfei's decisive reminder and remote command, the 128th Division was not breaking out, but fleeing for their lives.

Yes, it was purely about escaping for one's life.

Under Chu Yunfei's remote micromanagement, a subtle yet decisive change occurred in the battle situation thousands of miles away.

The fierce battle that everyone had anticipated did not erupt in the core battlefield from Fengkou Town to Honghu.

The Japanese army's large force was like throwing a heavy punch, but it hit empty air.

When they finally captured those deserted positions.

Wang Jinzai's main force had already silently merged into the vast expanse of the lake, like raindrops falling into a lake.

Although the 128th Division paid a heavy price, at least its main force survived and it avoided total annihilation.

However, the Japanese army continued to pursue relentlessly, like sharks that had smelled blood, relentlessly biting the tail of the 128th Division's breakout force.

This left Chu Yunfei puzzled as well.

He increased the frequency of his orders, even adjusting the marching route of Wang Jinzai's troops every six hours.

This unusually precise pursuit.

This made Chu Yunfei suspicious, as the Japanese army's aerial reconnaissance speed could not possibly be faster than his three-dimensional combat map.

This speed of adjustment alone is enough to illustrate a lot of issues.

The Japanese army seemed to already know that they wanted to move north and join up with the Guangxi Army's combat forces. Based on this, their judgment, interception, and pursuit were simply a matter of choosing between splitting up or not splitting up their forces.

“They shouldn’t know our plans; something’s not right.”

"Could it be because the information was leaked?"

"You mean the Fifth War Zone?"

Zhao Pengcheng shook his head: "It could also be someone close to them."

The Fifth War Zone conducted isolation and investigation that evening, and continued their breakout northward for two days.

The Japanese army was still able to intercept accurately, and there were even instances where the blocking forces collapsed, affecting the combat troops.

Based on various circumstances, this judgment is made.

Chu Yunfei guessed that there must have been a traitor among Wang Jinzai's men, otherwise this situation would never have occurred.

Once the telegram was sent, Wang Jingzai's long-standing suspicions finally erupted. He had suspected a few days earlier that there was definitely a traitor within his division headquarters!

Otherwise, how could the Japanese have possibly defeated them?

Wang Jinzai immediately remained calm and secretly dispatched his trusted confidants to take control of several highly suspected targets.

After a series of intensive interrogations, Gu Dingxin, the commander of the Independent Brigade who had been bribed by the Japanese army, finally slipped up: "Commander, I was confused for a moment, Commander. Please give me another chance, Commander."

"Take him out and execute him on the spot!"

Enraged, Wang Jinzai did not hesitate for a moment.

With a gunshot, the traitor who nearly cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in the division received his just deserts.

After eliminating the traitor.

Wang Jingzai immediately followed Chu Yunfei's second instruction in the telegram, resolutely abandoning the original plan to move west and south to join the main force of the Sixth War Zone. Instead, he commanded his troops to head north towards the Fifth War Zone, specifically towards Suixian and Zaoyang in northern Hubei, to break through the encirclement!

Li Zongren received the news.

Looking at Chu Yunfei's determined eyes in front of the battle map, the last bit of worry in my heart vanished!

"Order!"

Commander Li issued a thunderous order from the Fifth War Zone Headquarters: "The 21st Army Group and the 39th Army under Liu Heding shall immediately launch an attack from the Dahongshan defense zone and move south to support the 128th Division!"

"Other!"

"Order the main force of the 21st Army Group, namely the 7th and 48th Armies, to launch a full-scale attack!"

"Launch a full-scale diversionary attack on the Japanese strongholds in front of us, especially in the Suizao Corridor area! We must not allow the Japanese to easily transfer troops to encircle the 128th Division!"

For a while.

Fierce fighting is raging across the Dabie Mountains, Tongbai Mountains, and Dahong Mountains region.

The main force of the Guangxi clique's long-dormant "Steel Seventh Army".

With Chu Yunfei's personal intervention and ingenious planning, the enemy, like a tiger descending from the mountain, once again bared its fangs at the Japanese invaders.

A larger-scale strategic game involving several war zones and hundreds of thousands of troops has officially begun. (End of this chapter)