Bright Sword: Iron Will 26

Chapter 26: The So-Called Proactive Attack Plan

Fanzhi.

Second War Zone Command Headquarters.

Chief of Staff Chu Yunfei, holding a pointer, eloquently addressed the operational map on the wall.

“Currently, the Yanmen Pass defense line, the Ru Yuekou defense line, and the Pingxing Pass defense line are all impregnable. The Japanese aggressors cannot break through our positions in a short period of time.”

Yan Laosi sat to one side, stroking his handlebar mustache, listening and nodding in agreement.

“Our Shanxi lads are fighting bravely, resisting the Japanese invaders, a great contribution to the nation!”

A slight smile played on Chu Yunfei’s lips. “It’s all thanks to the Commander-in-Chief’s brilliant leadership, and the concerted efforts of my colleagues, that we have achieved this anti-Japanese situation.”

As soon as he finished speaking, many senior officers in the conference room exchanged smiles, flattering each other.

It was as if the ability to resist the Japanese invasion war depended entirely on the merits of these people.

After a round of self-congratulation, the meeting continued.

Chu Yunfei weighed the pointer in his hand and circled an area around Pingxing Pass.

“There is currently a unit in this area on standby.”

“That’s the Eighth Route Army’s 115th Division.”

“In August, the 115th Division was stationed here, and even when the Japanese army began attacking Pingxing Pass, it did not reveal its position.”

“Our staff department’s suggestion is to formulate a proactive attack plan, using the troops stationed at Tuanchengkou to hold back the enemy.”

“Dispatch one unit north to cut off the Japanese army’s route to Hunyuan.”

“Another unit will cooperate with the 115th Division to annihilate the Japanese army near Caijiayu!”

Yan Laosi slowly nodded, approving the plan.

Initially, he wanted to deploy the Eighth Route Army to the front line as filler troops.

The reasons were simple enough.

But the Eighth Route Army commanders firmly rejected this operational plan, proposing to go behind enemy lines to fight guerrilla warfare.

After repeated persuasion, Yan Laosi failed to change their minds.

In the end, he had to deploy the 115th Division to the east of Pingxing Pass.

Seeing Yan Laosi nod, the other senior officers echoed his approval.

The operational decision was thus swiftly passed.

The meeting adjourned, and the officers slowly left the conference room. Chu Yunfei was the last to leave. Just as he was about to step out, Yan Laosi suddenly called out from behind.

“Qingbo.”

Chu Yunfei immediately turned around and closed the door. “Commander-in-Chief!”

Yan Laosi looked around, ensuring no one was present and the doors and windows were securely shut before speaking slowly, “Where is Guo Zongfen’s Reserve Second Army currently located?”

Chu Yunfei immediately replied, “They are resting in the large camp.”

Yan Laosi nodded, very satisfied. “Tell Gao Guizi at Tuanchengkou that the Reserve Second Army will set off immediately to reinforce Tuanchengkou.”

Chu Yunfei frowned but said nothing.

Gao Guizi’s 17th Army was a Central Army unit.

Yan Laosi turned around, his back to Chu Yunfei. “Simultaneously, send a telegram to the Eighth Route Army’s 115th Division informing them that Guo Zongfen will lead the Reserve Second Army to participate in the ambush of the Japanese.”

Hearing this, Chu Yunfei’s brow slowly relaxed.

He lowered his voice, “Understood!”

…

After a half-day battle, the Japanese army launched four large-scale attacks, supported by air power.

Under the integrated air-ground combat system, the Provisional First Brigade suffered heavy casualties, with over seven hundred casualties throughout the day, but they successfully held their ground.

Zhao Fangyuan’s battle plan was executed brilliantly.

Wang Feng, using pre-battle maps, accurately predicted the necessary hidden routes of the Japanese advance and set an ambush.

When this flank-maneuvering enemy unit engaged with the defenders, Zhao Fangyuan decisively launched a counterattack.

One company attacked the head, one the body, and one the tail.

In this battle alone, over two hundred Japanese soldiers were annihilated.

The Japanese commander was so rattled that he did not dare to attempt a flanking maneuver for three hours, and could only temporarily focus his main attack on the front lines.

The setting sun was like blood, the red flag like a painting.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder.

The flags remained planted firmly in the ground.

There were several large burn holes in the flags, making them look old and tattered, stained with bloodstains.

But they still fluttered in the wind.

The fiery red sunset illuminated the flag, and Wang Feng couldn’t help but recall a lyric—”On the flag of the Republic, there is the glorious color of my blood!”

Wang Feng slowly walked onto the position held by the first regiment. The earth, originally yellowish-brown, now appeared dark red, stained with blood.

The soldiers huddled in the trenches below immediately stood up.

“Commander!”

“Commander!”

Wang Feng pressed his hands down. “Brothers, sit down. You’ve fought all day. Take some time to rest!”

He surveyed the faces of the soldiers below; each one looked somewhat young, all grimy after a day of fighting.

Although their appearance hadn’t changed, their eyes seemed to have undergone a transformation, revealing an unprecedented firmness.

The battlefield truly is the best training ground!

“Commander, Commander, why are you here?!”

Zhang Hu, leading his guards, ran quickly, holding a Mauser pistol.

“What? Can I not visit the position of my great regiment commander Zhang?”

Wang Feng playfully teased.

Zhang Hu’s performance today had greatly pleased him. Although he lacked skill in operational command, he already possessed the bearing of a commander.

Zhang Hu grinned. “Commander, please don’t make fun of me…”

Wang Feng smiled faintly. “Alright, I have something serious to tell you.”

“How much ammunition does your regiment have left?”

Zhang Hu was startled, scratching his head. “About 150,000 rounds.”

“What’s wrong, Commander?”

Wang Feng said nothing, silently calculating in his mind.

He hadn’t realized that at the start of the battle, the entire brigade had over 500,000 rounds of ammunition. He thought that conserving ammunition would be enough for a battle.

Unexpectedly, on the first day alone, nearly 100,000 rounds had been expended.

Just as Wang Feng was deep in thought, Zhao Fangyuan ran up quickly. “Commander!”

“General Gao Guizi has sent a telegram inviting you to his command post. He says he has urgent matters to discuss.”

Wang Feng received the telegram and quickly scanned it.

It didn’t say what it was about, but the urgency was clear from the text.

Zhao Fangyuan was somewhat worried. “Commander, should we…”

Wang Feng waved his hand. “Don’t worry. In this national crisis, we are all comrades in arms.”

Based on the historical timeline, he could guess the content of the telegram.

It was most likely related to the Pingxing Pass battle.

Sure enough, when Wang Feng arrived at the 17th Army command post, Gao Guizi had already rehearsed the situation on the sand table countless times.

“Regimental Commander Wang, you’ve arrived.”

“Take a look, this is the latest telegram from Commander Yan.”

Wang Feng looked suspicious. After receiving and scanning the telegram, he immediately noticed something odd.

“Commander Gao, Commander Yan says that he’s deploying the Reserve Second Army to support the Tuanchengkou position to buy time for the proactive attack behind enemy lines?”

Gao Guizi nodded. “Yes, Commander Yan has given a clear response; he shouldn’t go back on his word.”

Wang Feng sighed.

The telegram itself was very suspicious.

Yan Laosi first said he would deploy Guo Zongfen’s Reserve Second Army to defend Tuanchengkou, then said he would dispatch a force from Tuanchengkou’s left flank to attack the Japanese in cooperation with the Eighth Route Army’s 115th Division.

But in the end, only the Reserve Second Army was mentioned.

The 17th Army bore the designation of the Central Army.

It was likely that Yan Laosi had made promises on both sides, and in the end, the Reserve Second Army would remain in the rear.

Even if the Reserve Second Army truly reinforced Tuanchengkou, the 17th Army would likely not have run out of ammunition and abandoned the Tuanchengkou position.

After much deliberation, Wang Feng still reminded him, “Commander Gao, I’m afraid that reinforcement won’t arrive.”

After all, his Provisional First Brigade and Gao Guizi’s 17th Army were essentially in the same boat—their fates intertwined.

“We must conserve ammunition and prepare for a prolonged battle.”

(End of Chapter)

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