Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

In October 1939, Liu Maoen was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the 14th Group Army, commanding its core units, the 15th Army, Gao Guizi's 17th Army, Pei Changhui's 9th Army, and Fan Hanjie's 27th Army. These units remained stationed in the Zhongtiao Mountain area of ​​southern Shanxi, under the command of the Second War Zone. In early 1941, all troops in the Zhongtiao Mountain War Zone were transferred to the First War Zone. Following the Zhongtiao Mountain Campaign in late spring 1941, the group army retreated across the Yellow River and stationed in Henan. By the summer of 1944, Liu Maoen remained Commander-in-Chief of the group army, commanding only the 15th Army and Xie Fusan's Provisional 4th Army.

In the spring of 1944, the Japanese launched the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi Campaign. The 14th Army Group fought tenaciously against the Japanese offensive in the Battle of Luoyang. By the end of 1944, the 14th Army Group was disbanded, and its subordinate units came under the command of the Shangnan Command Post of the First War Zone.

Fifth Army of the National Revolutionary Army

It was ordered to be formed in mid-August 1937. The first commander-in-chief of the army group was Gu Zhutong and the deputy commander-in-chief was Shangguan Yunxiang. It was under the command of the Eighth Army, the First Army, the 26th Army, the 57th Army and other units, and was under the command of the Fifth War Zone. After the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai, the Eighth Army, the First Army and others were incorporated into the combat sequence of other army groups, and Gu Zhutong was also transferred to the deputy commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone to directly command the Battle of Shanghai.

In the summer of 1938, Yu Xuezhong was appointed commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army, commanding its core 51st Army and Song Xilian's 71st Army. At the end of 1938, Yu Xuezhong was ordered to lead his troops to form the Lu-Jiangsu War Zone. The Fifth Army was later transferred to the Second War Zone and formed from Chinese troops stationed in the Zhongtiao Mountains of southern Shanxi. Zeng Wanzhong was the commander-in-chief, and Liu Maoen was the deputy commander-in-chief. Under its command were the Third Yunnan Army, a unit of Zhu Peide's system that had existed since the Northern Expedition; Liu Maoen's 15th Henan indigenous army; and Gao Guizi's 17th Shaanxi indigenous army. Its core unit was the Third Army.

In early 1941, the Fifth Army and its Zhongtiaoshan Theater Command were transferred to the First Theater Command. At this point, the Fifth Army commanded only the Third and 98th Armies. In the summer of 1941, during the Battle of Zhongtiaoshan, the Fifth Army's headquarters and its main force, the Third Army, suffered a crushing defeat. The Third Army's commander, Tang Huaiyuan, and the commander of the 12th Division, the army's main force, Cun Xingqi, along with numerous officers and non-commissioned officers, were killed. In late summer 1941, the 98th Army suffered defeat in combat with the Japanese, with its commander, Wu Shimin, killed on September 29. The army's designation was subsequently revoked.

After April 1943, the Fifth Army's designation was restored at its Kunming headquarters, with Du Yuming as its commander-in-chief. It comprised the Fifth and Eighth Armies, among other units. Its core unit was the Fifth Army, the first mechanized unit of the Chinese Army and a mobile, primary combat force directly under the Military Commission. At the end of 1939, it used Soviet-style equipment to completely annihilate the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Fifth Division at Kunlun Pass in Guangxi, killing its commander, Masao Nakamura. Later, it participated in the First Burma Expedition. Dai Anlan, a renowned general who died in the war against the Japanese, commanded the 200th Division of the Fifth Army.

Ninth Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army

The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a crucial component of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese Anti-Japanese War was the primary battlefield for the Allied Powers' ground operations in Asia. During the eight years of fighting against Japan, the Chinese Anti-Japanese Army annihilated, depleted, and contained the vast majority of the Japanese fascist ground forces, making a significant contribution to World War II and the final victory of the Anti-Fascist War. Throughout the War, the Chinese Army was organized into 40 group armies.

The Ninth Group Army was formed in the Shanghai area in mid-August 1937. Its first commander-in-chief was Zhang Zhizhong, with Huang Qixiang as its deputy commander-in-chief. It comprised the 36th, 87th, and 88th Divisions, all elite divisions of the former Nationalist Government Guard Army trained by German advisors. They were the first troops deployed in the Battle of Shanghai and were under the command of the Third War Zone. General Huang Meixing, the first to die in action on August 13, 1937, was the commander of the 264th Brigade of the 88th Division. In mid-September, Zhu Shaoliang assumed command of the Ninth Group Army, and the 18th and 61st Divisions joined the group army. At this point, the group army was tasked with defending the central sector of the Battle of Shanghai. The "Eight Hundred Warriors" who defended the Sihang Warehouse were composed of officers and soldiers from the 524th Regiment of the 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division. On October 25th, Zhu Yaohua, commander of the 18th Group Army's division, committed suicide after his defenses at Dachang were breached, resulting in heavy casualties among his men. Unable to recover, he was pounced upon by a guard, whose bullet missed his target, but he survived. Later, during the Battle of Nanjing, Yi Anhua, commander of the 259th Brigade of the 87th Division, Gao Zhisong, commander of the 264th Brigade of the 88th Division, and Zhu Chi, commander of the 262nd Brigade, all died in action. In the summer of 1938, the Ninth Group Army was transferred to the command of the Ninth War Zone, with Wu Qiwei as commander-in-chief. It comprised the 64th, 70th, 25th, 4th, 8th, and 66th Armies, stationed in Jiangxi. It participated in the Battle of Wuhan and was a key participant in the Wanjialing Victory, annihilating four Japanese regiments. By the spring of 1939, the Ninth Group Army consisted of only the 4th and 49th Armies, though it participated in the Battle of Nanchang. In 1940, the Ninth Army was transferred to the Fourth War Zone, with Guan Linzheng as its commander-in-chief. Under its command were the 54th and 6th Armies. In 1943, the Ninth Army was transferred back to the Kunming Headquarters, with Guan Linzheng remaining as commander-in-chief. His original unit, the 52nd Army, joined the army's battle order. The 54th and 6th Armies were later transferred out of the army. In the spring of 1945, the Ninth Army and the 52nd Army were ordered to be incorporated into the First Front Army, one of four fronts directly under the Chinese Army General Headquarters dedicated to strategic counteroffensives. Guan Linzheng served as deputy commander-in-chief of the First Front Army.