Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Mountain City, Command Headquarters.

That night, the lights in the operations room stayed on all night.

The ecstasy of victory was like the most potent stimulant, keeping him wide awake.

Chang Ruiyuan stood alone, leaning on his cane, in front of the huge battle map for an entire night.

Good news continues to come in one after another.

"Reporting to the Chairman!"

"The 74th Army advanced another 10 kilometers in the early hours of this morning. The enemy facing the 51st Division, namely the remnants of the 17th Mixed Brigade, is already in a state of collapse!"

"In Xinyang, the main force of the Guangxi Army has completed the complete clearing of the area and is currently assembling troops to pursue southward."

One piece of good news after another, like melodious musical notes, played a triumphant song in his ears.

This gave Chang Ruiyuan an unprecedented sense of control, a powerful confidence that "I can do it too."

Just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Peiji, the chief of staff, and Zhang Zhizhong, the minister of military and political affairs, were urgently summoned.

What they saw was a leader with bloodshot eyes, yet whose spirit was at its peak.

"Wenbai, Peiji, come and see!"

Chang Ruiyuan waved his baton, pointing out the landscape on the map, spitting as he spoke!
"The Japanese 11th Army is at its last gasp!"

"Their battle lines are fragmented and they cannot support each other at all!"

"I believe the time for the decisive battle has come!"

Without waiting for their response, he began issuing a series of incredibly detailed and outrageous orders!

"Send a telegram to Qin Daoshan of the 18th Division, ordering his troops not to hold onto the breakout route of the 13th Division, but to immediately move eastward to cut off the connection between the enemy's 13th Division and its rear field detachment, and to completely encircle both of these forces."

"Send a telegram to Xu Wenyao of the 26th Division, instructing him to abandon the enemy in front of him, turn to attack, and cooperate with Qin Daoshan's operation from the flank!"

"Also, Liu Yunhan of the Fifth Division and Cao Jinlun of the Thirteenth Division were ordered not to assist the river defense army in its assault operations, but instead to cooperate in carrying out infiltration missions."

One military order after another was issued from his mouth.

He treated the blue arrows on the map as chess pieces on his own chessboard, moving them around at will, attempting to create a perfect encirclement to annihilate the Japanese 11th Army.

Zhu Peiji and Zhang Zhizhong stood aside, silent.

The two looked at each other and saw the same helplessness in each other's eyes.

An amateur directing an expert is pure theoretical talk.

These commands seem grand.

In reality, it was completely detached from the actual situation on the front lines and had no operational feasibility whatsoever.

The specific attack capabilities of each unit can be seen from Chu Yunfei's battle reports.

The idea of ​​a great victory is something that can be easily fooled, just to deceive the general public and the Americans.

Taking this kind of thing seriously is just fooling yourself.

"Wenbai Gong," Zhu Peiji lowered his voice, "these are the Chairman's orders..."

"Send it." Zhang Zhizhong's answer was decisive.

"Send?" Zhu Peiji was taken aback.

If this continues, wouldn't the well-maintained encirclement be completely dismantled?

What if the Japanese troops break out of the encirclement?
Isn't this just ridiculous?

Zhu Peiji's eyes were full of suspicion, and he secretly wondered: Could it be that you, Wen Baigong, are now going to join forces with others to deal with Chu Yunfei?

"Of course we should send it."

Zhang Wenbai sighed: "But it's not going to be sent to Qin Daoshan and Xu Wenyao."

"All of the Chairman's orders were sent, word for word, without alteration, and encrypted, to the Hubei-North Front Command Headquarters. At the same time, copies were sent to the Fifth and Sixth War Zones."

Zhang Wenbai said that.

Zhu Peiji understood instantly.

They sent the telegram according to Chang Ruiyuan's orders.

As for whether the various units at the front will comply, that is Chu Yunfei's problem, and the problem of Li Pinxian, the acting commander of the Fifth War Zone, and Sun Lianzhong, the commander of the Sixth War Zone.

But if the telegram is sent directly to the front lines...

How could those division commanders and army commanders dare not disobey?
Even a seemingly minor, half-hearted action would inevitably disrupt the current frontline deployment and cause chaos across the entire battlefront.

If this leads to a defeat in battle, who will bear the responsibility?

Chairman?
The chairman can admit to a misjudgment, but he won't resign because of it.
What's the point of acknowledging the problem if you can't solve it?

They talk about being responsible, but they're actually unwilling to delegate authority!
Thinking of this, Zhang Wenbai couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

Just as Stilwell had argued with him before.

The Nationalist government seemed incapable of self-correction during the war, which made it unsuitable as a modern government.
The root of the problem lies not with anyone else.

It all comes down to Chang Ruiyuan, a high-ranking executive at the roasted mantou company.

……

Headquarters of the Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth War Zone.

Sun Lianzhong looked at the combat order forwarded from Shancheng, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Commander."

Guo Chan, standing to the side, also looked helpless: "The Chairman's appetite is too big, isn't it? He actually wants to swallow the entire Eleventh Army in one gulp?"

"Yes."

Sun Lianzhong placed the written order together with another telegram that had just been sent from the Hubei-North Front Command.

The telegram from the Hubei-North Front Command instructed all units to "advance steadily and gradually reduce enemy forces, and be wary of the enemy resorting to desperate measures."

The contrast between the two sets of content adds a touch of irony.

After thinking for a moment, Sun Lianzhong immediately said, "Keep it on file."

"Then let's..."

"A general in the field may disobey some military orders; he shall execute the orders of Chief Advisor Chu."

"Yes!"

……

Northern Hubei, Chu Yun-Fei Forward Command Headquarters.

Pang Junming and Zhao Pengcheng were sitting around the sand table, explaining their experiences from the pursuit battle to a group of North China military officers who had come to observe.

"In conclusion, the overall combat effectiveness of the Nationalist Army is still far behind that of our North China region."

Pang Junming pointed to the sand table and said, "You see, even an elite unit like the 74th Army still showed problems of poor coordination and hesitation in attack during the pursuit. As for the other units, there is not much to discuss."

Even the 18th Army, their battlefield performance can only be described as that of a qualified elite force. Their biggest highlight is their level of organization compared to other combat units.

"This kind of organizational capability is possessed by every newly trained unit in North China."

He shook his head and didn't say anything more.

Clearly, in Pang Junming's view...

Apart from having superior weaponry and equipment compared to some other reorganized armies, the 18th Army had little else to offer in terms of merit.

Chu Yunfei walked over with the micro-operation command from the mountain city in his hand.

"Your Excellency."

Seeing that his expression was off, Zhao Pengcheng asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Chu Yunfei handed him the warrant, his tone laced with sarcasm: "You're never satisfied. You don't even understand the basic capabilities of the Sixth War Zone's combat troops."

After reading it, Zhao Pengcheng had an expression of disbelief on his face.

"This...this is utter nonsense! Does he intend to annihilate them all at this stage?"

"How could that be? According to your battle plan, the subsequent operations along the Yangtze River will not begin for another six months. This is already the third phase of the operation."

"And the fighting in northern and western Hubei alone has lasted for three months."

“The troops are already gritting their teeth and holding on, and he's completely disregarding the supplies, casualties, and fatigue of the frontline troops.” “He's high above, and all he sees are those arrows on the map that can be moved at will.” Pang Junming’s voice was also full of regret: “He seems to have no idea how long it takes for a unit to go from assembly to deployment, and he doesn’t know that the officers and soldiers on the front lines have been fighting continuously for over a month and are already at their limit!”

"He has absolutely no clear understanding of the actual combat capabilities of the military forces of various countries in South China!"

Chu Yunfei looked at the jagged arrows on the sand table: "No wonder Stilwell called to say that T.V. Soong was in the United States requesting the US to provide further bombers and aviation fuel. I'm afraid this was the Chairman's idea again."

"Your Excellency, shall we proceed now?"

"I will send a telegram in my name to all units at the front, instructing them to strictly abide by the previously issued operational orders and not to change them, with the aim of compressing the regional defense zone, shrinking the front line, and encircling the 13th Division."

"Yes!"

Chu Yunfei rubbed his throbbing temples.

In order to support the 74th Army's infiltration.

Chu Yunfei used the artillery guidance skill three times in one morning, so he took the opportunity to take a lunch break.

Just as he sat down on the cot, the communications officer handed him a telegram: "Sir, a telegram has just arrived; it's from the Chairman."

The telegram came from the entourage.

It's obvious they're asking for his opinion.
[3: Our territory possesses numerous air force bases and major airfields, including Quzhou, Lishui, Yushan, Shancheng, and Jincheng, which are the closest to key Japanese bases in China and various naval bases. If the United States can assist us in maintaining a monthly supply of 200 new heavy bombers and fighter planes, then the main Japanese fleet can easily sweep them away within a few months. This is not an exaggeration. Please pay attention to this, United States. Respectfully submitted.]

The telegram contained little information. Besides the "great victory," it stated that they wanted to take this opportunity to request fighter jets from the Americans and to ask for Chu Yunfei's opinion.

Let's see what else we can ask for besides the plane.

After seeing the contents of the telegram.

Chu Yunfei felt that he had been far too polite to the American side.

What he had previously demanded were mostly raw materials for the arsenal.

The bullets that can't boost production capacity.

Light machine guns and infantry guns, which have relatively high production costs.

Howitzers, tanks, and other key heavy weapons.

He always provides whatever amount is needed and ensures that the US sees the results promptly. Therefore, the US is generous and decisive in its aid efforts.

Therefore, the US even analyzed Chu Yunfei's strategic command tendencies based on his habit of demanding aid.

Based on this, a large amount of related supplies were prepared. When Chu Yunfei presented the relevant list, their supplies were already on the flight path.

Even if they are not combat supplies for this period, they will be redistributed after arriving in Yangon.

Therefore, the efficiency of aid is constantly increasing, shortening from the original six months at the beginning of the war between Japan and the United States to the current two months.

And what about Chang Ruiyuan?

They started by mentioning two hundred bombers and three hundred fighter planes every month...
There is absolutely no basis for this.

The air force's battlefield performance was hardly outstanding; it was simply that the Japanese military had diverted a large number of its air force units to the Pacific theater.

That's what allowed the Air Force to make a difference.

Otherwise, the Air Force's performance will remain the same as always.

In addition, let's talk about the issue of production volume.

In 1936, the production of warplanes in major countries such as the Soviet Union exceeded 10,000 aircraft.

After the outbreak of World War II, the United States was able to produce an average of about 70,000 fighter jets per year, with a total of up to 300,000.

This does not include outdated aircraft (i.e., biplanes).

Chang Ruiyuan's request for 200 bombers and 300 fighters was not an exorbitant demand compared to the total production of fighters.

only.

Whether the US can provide it is another matter.

after all.

In comparison, Japan and Italy produced a greater number of fighter planes during World War II.

Adding them together, it barely amounted to a fraction of what the major belligerent nations produced; the Japanese produced a total of 70,000 fighter planes and bombers.

The allocation and adjustment of Japanese war resources meant that the intensity of the conflict on the Far East battlefield was not particularly high.

The Americans will naturally send more fighter jets to Europe as aid.

Compared to the Germans, who also produced a large number of high-quality aircraft.

The Japanese are really not a threat.

In 43, the Japanese air combat was basically a two-for-one exchange for an American fighter.

The US military produced more than three times the number of fighter jets as the Japanese military.

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, many people believed that the Japanese did not have airplanes.

In reality, the Japanese had airplanes; what limited their operations was fuel and qualified pilots.

They changed their pilot training strategies both before and after the outbreak of World War II.

Although it temporarily made up for the lack of numbers, their pilots were not qualified.

The lack of metallic materials.

This even meant that their "kamikaze" fighters could only use a mixture of steel and wood.

Aluminum alloy is a type of material.

Even for Japan, which has one foot in the modern world, this is a very precious and rare thing.

It is easy to imagine how Japanese air force in such a state could fight against elite American pilots.

In contrast, the Republic of China's air force development has returned to normal within a few years.

The number of fighter jets alone is close to seven hundred, not to mention bomber squadrons and transport squadrons.

The number of pilots has exceeded one thousand.

Subsequent training is also underway, and if it proceeds at the normal training pace,

For the Republic of China at that time, it was indeed a situation where one person was waiting for an opportunity, but it was not to the point that two hundred bombers and three hundred fighter planes were needed every month.

This thing not only takes up a lot of transport capacity, but we can't even fill all the hangar space.

At the same time, this is not a reason for Chang Jui-yuan to only focus on the Air Force. Given the Army's disastrous performance, it would be absurd to ignore the Army.

In Chu Yunfei's memory.

While he was recuperating in the mountain city, Chang Ruiyuan was quite optimistic, believing that the current army was sufficient to deal with the Japanese attack.

They also requested US assistance with aviation fuel and air force construction, and there were even instances where they received air force supplies for several months in a row.

Lin Wei, the former chief of staff of the adjutant's office who is now the chief of staff of the North China Joint Command, talked to him about this matter.

Now that things have come to this, the Battle of Western Hubei has begun.

Chu Yunfei had initially expressed optimism that this battle would make Chang Ruiyuan acutely aware of the inadequacy of the army's strength in South China.

But to his utter surprise, this battle actually boosted his confidence.

I have no idea how many times he had edited the telegram.

Not only did this fail to make Chang Ruiyuan realize the inadequacy of the army's strength, but he also wanted to continue to invest the aid funds into the air force.

This is utter nonsense.

In the event of a conflict with the United States after the war, the US would have to cross the ocean to project its troops.

Moreover, the focus of the United States will inevitably shift to Europe.

They are bound to confront the Soviet Union after the war; this is an ideological struggle.

What about the Soviet Union?
Damn it, it's right on the border.

They can mobilize hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of troops to march south at any time and place, making it impossible to distinguish which is more important.

The claim of deploying a million troops is not a joke circulating on the internet; the Soviet Union truly had the capability.

It makes sense when you think about it.

Chu Yunfei couldn't help but feel a pang of regret once more. This old man was truly getting old and increasingly confused; how could he not even see this much clearly? (End of Chapter)