Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chu Yunfei's Frontline Command
The battle situation remained like a game of Go that had been played in disarray, with jagged edges and lurking dangers everywhere.

The offensive in the Xinyang direction has been suspended, and the main force of the Guangxi Army is engaged in an unbearable stalemate with the remnants of the Japanese Third Division.

The bloody battles around the Shipai Fortress entered their most brutal phase.

Every day, hundreds and thousands of lives are lost on that land soaked in blood.

Chu Yunfei, like a calm chess player, constantly moved his pieces around, using air force bombing, artillery precision strikes, and Sun Lianzhong's desperate counterattack to hold back Yokoyama Isamu, this beast that had already gone mad.

He knew very well that the scales of victory were gradually tipping in his favor.

In the midst of this anxious wait, an encrypted telegram from distant Yunnan and Burma was delivered to his desk.

The sender was Luo Weiguo.

The telegram was filled with helplessness and anger.

It took Luo Weiguo a full three months to barely manage to piece together a rough outline of the chaotic and corrupt Yunnan-Burma lifeline.

In his telegram, he vehemently denounced the problems: "Supplies are piling up, reselling is rampant, military trucks are openly carrying smuggled goods, and medicines and ammunition urgently needed at the front are rotting and moldy in warehouses! Due to the limitations of my authority, I am unable to take action. Without swift and decisive measures, this lifeline may become a noose to hang myself!"

The latter part of the telegram mentioned a name that made Chu Yunfei's heart skip a beat.

"While working in a roadside ditch, we discovered a batch of abandoned machinery. Upon investigation, it turned out to be the Madsen machine gun production line that our military industry department had imported from Denmark at great expense before the war!"

"The equipment was only slightly damaged by Japanese air raids, and the official in charge of the relocation at the time abandoned it here on the grounds that it was 'unrepairable'! After inspection by the accompanying experts, it was determined that the production line could be put into operation immediately with minor repairs!"

Madsen machine gun production line... was an alternative introduced by the Nationalist government to fill the firepower gap caused by insufficient production capacity and high price of the ZB26 Czech light machine gun.

Chu Yunfei actually remembered knowing about the weapons and equipment needed for this production line.

However, in his memory, it was during the Liberation War in 48 that the Nationalist government realized the mistakes made during the Burma Road period.

Although the Madsen machine gun was slightly inferior to the Czech-made one, its simple structure and low cost made it easy to mass-produce!

For local troops who cannot even guarantee "one person, one gun".

That's like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

But this valuable production line was treated like scrap metal and left on the roadside because of a little bit of profit and bureaucratic laziness!
"Those bastards!"

Chu Yunfei slammed his fist into the ammunition box, making a dull thud!
The telegram ended with Luo Weiguo's request.

"This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with various factions deeply entrenched in their own power. Without an absolutely loyal and reliable armed force, we can hardly move an inch! We earnestly request Your Excellency to consider the greater cause of the Party and the nation and offer your assistance!"

Chu Yun-fei slowly folded the telegram.

He raised his head, his anger transforming into a cold, resolute determination.

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

"exist!"

"Get me connected to the Expeditionary Force Headquarters immediately. I need to speak with Zhou Weiguo."

It took more than ten minutes for the call to finally connect to the Myanmar side.

"Defend the country? That's me."

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is I."

Chu Yunfei's voice was devoid of any emotion: "Right now, select a strong core battalion from your special operations brigade."

Zhou Weiguo on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback, but he immediately replied, "Yes, Your Excellency, but we..."

"No buts."

Chu Yunfei interrupted him, "This battalion, along with all its weapons and equipment, shall immediately proceed to Kunming and report to Director Luo Weiguo of the Yunnan-Burma Inspectorate."

"In addition, select capable personnel from your replenishment troops and wounded soldiers who have returned to their posts to form a new special operations battalion, and place it under the command of Luo Weiguo."

"Your Excellency!"

Zhou Weiguo became anxious: "Our special operations brigade is currently facing extremely heavy combat missions, and that's exactly when we need manpower."

"You've taken away two of my main battalions in one fell swoop, which will definitely affect our subsequent combat missions."

"At that time, more brothers will inevitably be killed or injured, and the clearing plan in Indochina will also be affected."

"Wei Guo, I understand everything you're saying."

Chu Yunfei's voice became extremely solemn: "But the internal purge is more important than you winning a battle on the front lines. I can't watch a perfectly good lifeline rot away like this."

"I need the sharpest knife to cut out all that rotten flesh!"

"Chop those bloodsucking parasites into pieces!"

"Director Luo has already made some progress; what we need most now is manpower."

"The most suitable knife right now is your special operations brigade."

"Do you understand?!"

On the other end of the phone.

Zhou Weiguo was silent for a moment, then his firm voice rang out: "Yes, Your Excellency, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Chu Yunfei walked to the huge map.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again: "Pengcheng, draft a telegram to Commander Wei Lihuang."

"Yes!"

Zhao Pengcheng took out paper and pen, preparing to jot down the key points.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Yunfei continued, "Just say that given the outstanding performance of the small elite troops on the Southeast Asian battlefield, we suggest that the expeditionary force should be equipped with more elite combat forces, and ask for his opinion."

Commander Wei naturally understood Chu Yunfei's meaning.

Chu Yunfei wanted to expand Zhou Weiguo's special operations brigade, and even wanted to form a special force specifically for combat in tropical rainforests, jungles and other terrains.

Yunnan border residents and indigenous people from Myanmar and Siam are all extremely suitable soldiers.

This approach actually coincides with the Commander Wei's proposition.

General Wei Lihuang advocated for streamlining the military and simplifying administration.

In his view, too many low-quality troops not only had little effect, but also wasted money and food, lowered the combat effectiveness of the National Revolutionary Army, and affected the image of the National Army in the eyes of the people.

Of course, this was also a drawback of the military service system in the Republic of China.

Logically speaking, the existence of conscripts is...

They should recruit from among those who are idle and lazy.

Not farmers, not workers.

While the influx of these men from good families into the army did indeed enhance combat effectiveness, it also weakened the production capacity in the rear.

Today, this refers to Shanxi and other areas in North China.

We must adhere to the relevant red lines and never recruit industrial workers.

On the farmers' side, appropriate mobilization and recruitment should be carried out, and efforts should be made to avoid a situation where the number of young people remaining in the area is too small.

Baking mantou (a type of steamed bun) made a mistake in recruiting industrial workers into the army.

As for the collapse of the local population structure due to excessive recruitment and mobilization, that was a mistake made by the Red Party.

Since Chu Yunfei knew that this approach was wrong, he naturally wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

The country's strength is different now than before, so there are naturally many solutions to such problems.

The North China model is actually quite suitable for nationwide promotion.

"Yes!" Zhao Pengcheng replied after he left.

Pang Junming, who came from the front line in northern Hubei, also came over: "Your Excellency, the combat effectiveness of the Guangxi Clique's combat troops is even worse than we imagined. I don't understand why the Chairman still wants to suppress them."

"Two hundred thousand guns, even if their combat strength is poor, they are not so easy to deal with."

Chu Yunfei paused for a moment, then gave a rather vivid description: "If the Republic of China regime at this moment is a large company, then Commander Li, Commander Bai and others are one of the shareholders of this company, and these Guangxi troops are their shares."

"In other words, without these people, the entire Republic of China would have become a one-man show for Chairman Chiang Kai-shek..."

"This is the essential reason why I am willing to lend a helping hand."

Pang Junming nodded, immediately understanding the reasoning behind it.

The lips are dead and the teeth are cold.

Once the Japanese, a major enemy, are gone, there will be no room for reconciliation between the two sides.

Although Chang Ruiyuan is not currently targeting the Red Party armed forces in North China.

But the lockdown has never been relaxed for a moment.

It's simply that his influence couldn't extend to the Shanxi region, and the Second World War zone continued to trade with it.

Once the war is over.

Given Chang Ruiyuan's level of fear of the Red Party, he might do something that would displease everyone.

Regarding the Red Party...

Chang Ruiyuan had a profound understanding of this before the April 12th Incident.

Although the number of people was small, they were exceptionally united.

It's often said that there's strength in numbers, and Chang Ruiyuan's core group, the Whampoa Military Academy faction, certainly had a large number of members, right?
As for the number of elite officers...

That's at least ten times more than the Red Party's.

However, there are many factions, and the country is not united at all.

Only by uniting as one can we achieve great strength.

Otherwise, having too many people will only hinder each other.

Take the recent Battle of Western Hubei, for example. Were there few disagreements between the various units?

However, he simply couldn't intervene in mediating the combat forces in South China.

If it is a combat unit in North China.

The reprimanding telegrams had already been sent out one after another.

Overall it's alright, but upon closer inspection, you can't help but want to scold it.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Among senior generals, those who possess initiative are few and far between.

The issue of troop coordination, which was emphasized at the Kaifeng Military Conference, was reiterated at the Hengshan Conference.

The war has continued until 1943, and the initiative of the troops and the "mind your own business" mentality have only improved slightly.

Especially after the Japanese army's strategy of "limited offensive" and "short strikes" was proposed.

The vast majority of senior officers believed that the Japanese army would be able to return to its original garrison soon after launching the attack.

Therefore, the focus of the operation was shifted entirely to a symbolic pursuit when the Japanese army retreated.

If the Japanese army does not launch an offensive, then each side should "guard its own borders," "coexist peacefully," and preserve its strength for use after the war.

The reason why the General Staff tacitly approved of this situation was...

There are reasons for this.

Friction between different units is a frequent occurrence.

Even the Eighth Route Army troops in southern Jiangsu had clashed with the New Fourth Army troops in northern Jiangsu on several occasions.

The two sides had also insulted each other on the radio.

Not to mention the various units of the National Revolutionary Army, where sometimes, heads were beaten so badly that even dog brains were left behind.

Losing several hundred people is common sense.

The reasons for the conflicts are varied.

Before his transmigration, Chu Yunfei had also read articles compiling relevant historical materials.

Many of these conflicts arose from neighboring defense zones seizing "smuggled goods," or from other vested interests.

Such combat troops.

Why keep it?

If proper political and ideological education cannot be carried out, and if the mindset of the new warlord troops cannot be transformed...

It would be better to send them all back to their hometowns to farm, or to place them in the many local enterprises that are being established nowadays.

Think of this.

Chu Yunfei subconsciously gasped.

If he proposes streamlining the combat forces.

Given Chiang Kai-shek's past questionable actions and the fear surrounding him.

They might start laying off workers on a massive scale without even having a resettlement plan.

There's no guarantee that a mourning incident at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum might occur prematurely.

By the time.

The one who should take the blame is not Chen Cixiu, but Chu Yunfei.

The thought of this.

Chu Yunfei immediately realized that this matter needed to be addressed slowly, as there was still a long way to go.

At least.

We need to take into account the survival and development of millions of officers and soldiers after their retirement.

We must never allow a horrific incident to occur where officers starve to death or their wives and daughters drown themselves in the river!
Soon, Zhao Pengcheng returned immediately, bringing back a new telegram: "Sir, the latest news I just received is that the 10th Army has suffered heavy casualties and losses, and its combat effectiveness has been severely reduced. It has begun to transfer in stages. The Japanese 39th Division has arrived at Xiliuxi, and the 13th Division has also captured the Duzhenwan line."

"In addition, in his telegram, Commander Sun Lianzhong clearly pointed out that a Japanese detachment had also launched several attacks from the bridgehead area on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Yichang. Their intention seemed to be to cut off the retreat route of the defending troops to the north."

Chu Yunfei picked up the command baton and circled it on the map: "The center of the battlefield has begun to shift gradually. The river defense troops in the Shipai Fortress area have become the focus of this battle. Next, we will see if the 18th Army lives up to its name as a direct combat attack army under the command of the General Headquarters."

Pang Junming analyzed: "After all, the 18th Army is the unit that Commander Chen started with. Its training, supply, logistics, officer configuration, and weaponry are in no way inferior to our main forces in North China."

Zhao Pengcheng added with a smile, "In this battle, even if the Japanese army were terrified and gritted their teeth, they would still find it difficult to take over the Shipai Fortress."

"I wonder which unit is currently responsible for the specific protection of Shipai Fortress, and who is the commander?"

"Hu Lian and his 11th Division, one of Chen Cixiu's few trump cards."

"Does Your Excellency know anything about this person?"

Chu Yunfei nodded slightly: "A senior from the fourth class of Whampoa Military Academy, he participated in the Northern Expedition and the Central Plains War, and was active on the front line of the War of Resistance against Japan."

During the Battle of Shanghai, Hu Lian's regiment was responsible for defending Luodian. Later, he led his troops to participate in many battles.

Including the Battle of Wuhan and the Battle of Changsha, the 18th Army and he were both present. (End of this chapter)