A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Before the smoke of battle had cleared, the soldiers of the sergeant battalion led squads of garrison soldiers to gather and regroup.

The battle was truly spectacular. The joy of victory made every soldier incredibly arrogant, their chins practically pointing to the sky, displaying an air of superiority as if their sergeant battalion were the best in the world.

The soldiers resting nearby were chatting and laughing excitedly. Some soldiers even felt it wasn't enough and exclaimed, "How come the battle is over in such a short time?" Some even looked regretful and sighed that their positions were at the back and they hadn't even fired many shots with their semi-automatic rifles!

People need face, and trees need bark; the defeated soldiers' faces grew increasingly grim.

"Hurry up! Stop dawdling and get to the assembly!" the soldier urged the defeated troops.

However, this tone sounded rather harsh to the defeated soldiers.

A defeated battalion commander was furious. He was used to being arrogant and domineering towards his soldiers, but now he was being bossed around. He couldn't accept it and couldn't help but glare at them resentfully.

The soldier snapped, "What are you looking at! Get out of here!"

A lieutenant from the 3rd Company of the nearby sergeant battalion also got angry: "They're already prisoners of war, what's there to be so arrogant about?"

The defeated battalion commander felt humiliated after being publicly reprimanded: "Tanks attacking infantry from behind, what kind of heroes are you?"

The lieutenant said with a hint of disdain, "I'm just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It's all the same whether I kill it or not, so I might as well kill it."

These words were very unpleasant to the ears of the defeated Southeast Army officers. Their eyes were blazing with anger. "Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, treating us like dirt chickens and dogs."

Zhang Xuewen, the commander of the 9th Regiment, said with a livid face: "If you have that ability, go fight the Japanese! What kind of skill is it to only fight your own people! It hurts our friends and pleases our enemies. We are a team that is determined to resist the Japanese!"

Zhang Xuewen was the second son of Zhang Shaoshuai's second uncle. He was quite dissatisfied with this battle. His regiment was bombarded before they even saw the enemy. Later, in Tianjia Village, before they could fully deploy their forces and build their positions, they were divided and surrounded. He felt frustrated by this battle and couldn't help but feel resentful.

Zhang Yi sneered dismissively: "In the Rehe Resistance and the Great Wall Resistance, wasn't it the Central Army that ultimately stepped up and took the lead?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense again, the tension grew stronger, and it looked like the two sides were about to have a falling out.

After the battle, Song Hongfei, who was checking on the situation in each company, overheard their conversation. He walked up to them with a stern face, raised his hand to stop Zhang Yi from continuing, and said sternly to the officers and soldiers of the sergeant battalion: "Pass on my order: no more talk that could affect unity! Anyone who disobeys will be punished!"

The order was immediately relayed by the officer in charge.

Song Hongfei looked at Zhang Xuewen and said, "National decisions are not something that you and I can decide at our level. Although we are enemies on the battlefield, we are not enemies. After the battlefield, we are still brother units. On the contrary, we have a common enemy."

This common enemy is self-evident; everyone knows it refers to the common enemy of the Chinese nation.

Zhang Xuewen and several other Southeast Army Corps commanders observed this Central Army lieutenant colonel. Despite his young age, he possessed an extraordinary bearing, exuding a natural and commanding presence, befitting a great general. This unit was known for its discipline and obedience; the soldiers' eyes revealed their heartfelt admiration for him, clearly demonstrating his immense authority among them.

Lin Damu's 3rd Regiment, as the frontline garrison, suffered the heaviest losses. Thinking of the wounded and killed soldiers, he couldn't help but feel indignant: "If that's the case, as the backbone of the nation, we should unite to defend our country against external forces, so why are we fighting amongst ourselves?"

Song Hongfei looked at him and said, "For soldiers, obeying orders and doing their duty are fundamental."

Another meaning of this statement is that the duty of soldiers is to train and strengthen the army in order to win on the battlefield. If you can't even do your duty well, what are you talking about?

"After this battle ends, one day we will face a common enemy, a battle for the life and death of our nation and people." Song Hongfei's piercing gaze drifted towards Xijing.

The commanders of the Southeast Army Corps were all taken aback, pondering his words in secret.

Song Hongfei withdrew his gaze and then asked Lin Damu, "Has your unit ever fought against the Japanese army? What do you think of the Japanese army's combat capabilities?"

The regimental commanders were all puzzled for a moment.

Lin Damu said, "During the Great Wall Resistance, my division fought against the Japanese army. We have to admit that the Japanese army was powerful and our division was no match for them."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Your tactics, artillery, and tank coordination in this battle were all excellent, and you are indeed an elite force. However, if we exclude tanks and tactics, the Japanese army's combat quality is no less than yours, especially since the Japanese army has a large number of heavy artillery pieces, strong firepower, and many aircraft."

"Our unit did indeed rely on the advantage of tanks and artillery in this battle." Song Hongfei nodded solemnly. "Our training corps fought with one heart and one mind, and all officers and soldiers trained hard for months, enduring the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter. Only today were we able to achieve victory in this battle."

Several colonels, having been reprimanded in front of everyone by a young lieutenant colonel, were all too embarrassed to admit it and felt somewhat resentful.

Song Hongfei retorted without any politeness: "My troops have been working tirelessly and have not dared to slacken in the slightest, for fear of losing our army and disgracing our country when facing a formidable enemy in the future. The Japanese are also preparing for war; they will not stand still and wait for you to catch up! But what are you doing? Neglecting training, being lax and disorganized, and having outdated tactics and techniques. Look at how your troops were defeated by my troops on the battlefield. What do you have to complain about?"

"Look at you, your positions are arranged in a single line with shallow depth, and you don't even pay attention to flank protection. You didn't even know how to make an tiered, in-depth defensive deployment? You concentrated a large number of troops and weapons on the front line, and deployed light and heavy machine guns in exposed areas, firing incessantly. At the very beginning of the battle, they were heavily damaged by my artillery. My unit broke through one point, and the entire line wavered and collapsed!"

"Your artillery is still using outdated direct firing methods. Your equipment is not bad, but it was easily suppressed by our long-range artillery. What would happen if you faced Japanese aircraft and heavy artillery?"

"And look at what your senior officers are doing! Indulging in pleasure and debauchery! They show no ambition in the face of modern warfare, their military thinking is rigid and outdated, and they are lax and untrained from top to bottom! They know nothing about modern tactics and are completely ignorant of basic inter-service joint operations! How can they defeat the brutal Japanese invaders? They shout the slogans of resistance against Japan loudly, boasting of their heroic spirit, but what have they done in terms of response and preparation? Soldiers are not numbers, not chess pieces on a chessboard, not chips to be casually sacrificed! How can they irresponsibly push them onto the battlefield to fight the Japanese invaders to the death? This is tantamount to a crime!"

These sharp words were like a thunderbolt, grating on the ears of the regimental commanders. Their faces turned pale and then red, the shock lingering for a long time. The other side's mention of high-ranking officers was undoubtedly an insult to everyone in their ranks—a blatant slap in the face. Yet, they had to admit that the enemy had fought brilliantly; victory was the only truth, and the insults weren't entirely without merit. For a moment, the commanders were filled with mixed emotions.

The officers of the Southeast Army, facing this young and arrogant lieutenant colonel, sighed that he certainly had the right to be arrogant, and they could not bring themselves to think of him as an "ignorant child who is arrogant and conceited."

Zhang Yi, Liao Jianchu, Guo Hengjian, and a group of officers and soldiers from the sergeant battalion and armored corps looked at Song Hongfei with boundless admiration.

Zhang Yi was filled with admiration, thinking to himself, "My God! A battalion commander has managed to train several regimental commanders like little grandsons!"

Song Hongfei grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, looking utterly disappointed and heartbroken. He pointed into the distance and said, "Look at your so-called 'Steel Armor Ridge' Zhangjialing Highlands!"

The dark mass of people, like elementary school students being scolded in class, all turned their gazes toward the distant Zhangjialing Heights.

"Three lines of defense were constructed from the foot of the mountain, the mountainside, to the ridgeline at the summit. The fortifications, firing positions, and communication trenches were all exposed on the front and sloping sides. Each line of defense was relatively isolated, which was not conducive to mutual support and coordination. Overall, there was a lack of depth in the defense. Although this provided a good field of fire and a good line of sight, when facing an opponent with a heavy firepower advantage, the defending forces were exposed to the direct fire range of the enemy's firepower and could only suffer heavy casualties under the enemy's artillery fire."

Regiment Commander Ge Yanchun asked in confusion, "In mountain defense operations, aren't positions always arranged on the sloping side like this?"

Song Hongfei said, "If it were the previous domestic battlefield, with outdated equipment and low firepower, it wouldn't be a problem. But if we're facing a modern military superpower, it's like throwing our heads into their planes and cannons."

Everyone couldn't help but think about it carefully.

Song Hongfei said, "Faced with the firepower advantage of a strong enemy, the key is to 'disperse troops and concentrate firepower.' Strengthen the deployment in depth to form an overall defense system. Arrange shelters and tunnel fortifications on the reverse slope and flanks. This will allow us to both garrison troops for war and launch mobile counterattacks. Only a small number of troops are needed to monitor and guard the front and the front line to prevent large-scale casualties from the enemy's superior artillery fire."

This was a tactical concept of mobile defense, which was refreshing to everyone present. However, it was still too profound for the officers who had long neglected to study modern warfare. Everyone was trying to think about these words.