I fought guerrilla warfare in the Yimeng Mountains during the Anti-Japanese War

Chen Feng heard that Li Zongren's praise was a bit excessive, and hurriedly said:

"Commander Li, the role of our commando team is to harass and raid. It is your team that is really fighting the Japanese to the death. I admire both the Sichuan Army's fearlessness and bravery and the heroic sacrifice of other troops in the Fifth War Zone. Under extreme disadvantages, they used rifles and swords to stop the Japanese army. They are the backbone of the Chinese nation."

Bai Chongxi smiled and advised:

"Okay, stop being so modest to each other. Don't you see that Yunyan's face has turned red because of your flattery?"

Li Yunyan was embarrassed when she heard this. How could I be so popular because of their flattery? What I am doing is...! Forget it. This officer Bai has a very venomous look in his eyes. It seems that he can see through people's hearts. I have to stay away from him.

Li Zongren smiled and said:

"Okay, since we all have the responsibility to drive out the Japanese pirates, let's get straight to the point! Brother Lengqiang, I know you wouldn't come here for no reason. Since you're here, it means you have something important to discuss. Yunyan, you know me, Jiansheng, you can trust me completely. Just tell me why you're here! I haven't slept all night since I knew you were coming! I always feel like something big is going to happen."

Chen Feng was no longer polite and walked directly to the sand table:

"Commander Li, have you ever thought about this? If the Japanese army deploys one or two more divisions to join the attack and wants to break through the surface by focusing on one point, where will they start?"

Li Zongren sighed:

"Jiansheng, the staff group and I have really thought about this issue seriously. On the western front, west of Weishan Lake, although the entire defense line is defended by Sun Tongxuan's Third Army and Sun Zhen's Twenty-second Army, as you know, both armies are in ruins, especially Sun Zhen's troops, which have less than 30% of their strength. This is despite the addition of some new recruits, but it is difficult for new recruits to form effective combat effectiveness within a few months!"

Chen Feng continued to ask:

"Captain Li, if the Japanese army deploys one or two divisions to join the attack on the western front, where do you think they will make a breakthrough?"

Bai Chongxi added:

"Captain Leng Qiang, this is not difficult to guess. If I were the commander of the Japanese army, Kaifeng would be a city that must be captured. Once Kaifeng is captured, it will block the retreat of our Fifth War Zone. There are more than 200,000 elite troops! The Japanese army will not let us evacuate easily."

Chen Feng felt a little relieved when he saw that the two top commanders of the Fifth War Zone did not get carried away by their previous victory:

"I have simulated the Battle of Xuzhou many times. If nothing unexpected happens, the Japanese army will definitely take action within a week. My opinion is the same as yours. The Japanese army will definitely make a move on the western front. Even if they use special bombs or charge at the expense of a group of tanks, they will definitely quickly open up the western front and detour to Kaifeng.

Once the retreat route of the Fifth War Zone is cut off, the Japanese army's full-line attack will become more frenzied. The Fifth War Zone has complex members, and I am worried that some troops will not be able to bear such losses and will abandon the defense line without following orders. In that case, the Japanese army will immediately infiltrate and encircle the more than 200,000 national troops, and then the elite forces of the Fifth War Zone will be in big trouble."

Li Zongren sighed:

"Factional strife is a disadvantage we cannot avoid, but brother Lengqiang, if we find that the momentum is not right, we still have hope of withdrawing if the Fifth War Zone retreats across the board."

"Commander Li, what I am considering is the issue of withdrawal. What should we do after the withdrawal? Commander Li, are you considering staying in Henan or..."

"I don't need to hide it from you. On this issue, the principal and I have a disagreement. The principal wants our Fifth War Zone to join the defense sequence of Henan and Anhui. What I mean is that Henan cannot be defended, and even Anhui cannot be defended. The next large-scale battle will definitely take place in Wuhan. However, the principal obviously does not want to retreat to Wuhan so soon! He still has high hopes for Henan and Anhui."

Chen Feng pointed at the sand table:

"Henan has a flat terrain. Whether the Japanese army deploys motorized troops, tanks, or even cavalry, they can march hundreds of miles overnight. By then, they can use all means of detour and infiltration. It will be easier than attacking Xuzhou. No matter how many fronts are deployed, even if they defend desperately, the Japanese army can quickly outflank them. After losing a large number of elite troops, they will have to retreat to Wuhan. Henan does not need to consider too much."

Li Zongren was somewhat confused about the cold gun's intention. Was he worried about retreating to Henan or was he afraid of being surrounded and annihilated by the Japanese army? Bai Chongxi also kept staring at Chen Feng, but he had not yet determined the intention of this cold gun.

"Commander Li, Commander Bai, let's make a hypothetical simulation. If the Japanese army successfully takes over Henan and Anhui, where will the next general direction of the attack be?"

Bai Chongxi was still trying to determine Chen Feng's intentions, but Li Zongren had already considered this:

"Wuhan, the Japanese army will definitely move south from Henan and take Wuhan in one fell swoop."

Chen Feng sighed:

"This is what I am really worried about. According to Commander Li's judgment, if the Battle of Wuhan is launched, how long will it take to make arrangements?"

"This needs to be considered from two aspects. If the elite troops of the Fifth War Zone can quickly break away from the Japanese army and return to defend Wuhan, the deployment can be completed in less than a month. If the elite troops of the Fifth War Zone are stuck by the Japanese army and suffer huge losses, the situation will be difficult to say. Brother Lengqiang, I understand your ability to control the battlefield. Don't hide it. You must have some good ideas."

Chen Feng was silent for a moment, staring at the sand table:

"In fact, there is a way to delay the Japanese attack and allow the retreating Fifth War Zone to suffer no losses. However, this method is too harmful to the natural environment. Once implemented, it may cause millions of casualties and tens of millions of people to be displaced. The low-lying areas in Henan and Anhui will also become flooded areas and become barren land. This process will continue for more than ten years or even decades."

The three people in the room were instantly startled and hurriedly gathered around the sand table to study it. Before Li Zongren realized it, Bai Chongxi had already understood:

"No, absolutely not. Even if the Fifth War Zone is wiped out, we cannot take such measures, otherwise we will all be sinners of the nation."

Bai Chongxi's impression of Chen Feng changed drastically. No matter how good you are at killing the devils, you can't transfer the suffering to thousands of civilians! Li Zongren suddenly noticed the Yellow River on the sand table. An idea suddenly flashed in his mind. In an instant, the expression of joy and worry overlapped on his face, which was very complicated:

"Cold gun, from a strategic point of view, this is an excellent plan, but why are we fighting against the Japanese? Isn't it to defend our country? In order to temporarily delay the Japanese attack and to protect the troops of the Fifth War Zone from loss, if it comes at the cost of destroying the people living in the two provinces, I, Li Zongren, will not do it."

Li Yunyan didn't understand what the plan was, but she knew it must be something very scary. The faces of her uncle and Commander Bai were so gloomy that it was scary.

Chen Feng understood the attitudes of the two people and was very pleased in his heart. He didn't know what their positions were in history, but judging from their current appearance, they didn't seem to be pretending.