Chapter 199: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 199: Helping a Brother Out

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Commander Lu, great news!!!" Inside the Youth Army Command, Qiu Qingquan handed over a victory report.

"Commander Lu, Zhang Fei at Jinshanwei Beach annihilated over seven thousand enemies in two days!"

Lv Muzhi hurriedly took the telegram and laughed happily: "Good, this time the little devils at Jinshanwei Beach have gotten their heads bloodied!

How are the other areas of Hangzhou Bay? No leaks, right?"

Qiu Qingquan replied: "Commander Lu, rest assured, Right Wing Army Commander Zhang Feikui has already sent a report. Whether it's Caojing Town or Quan Gong Ting, they are as impregnable as Jinshanwei. Hangzhou Bay is temporarily safe. Given the little devils' tactics, they can't take Hangzhou Bay for now.

It's just... our Shanghai Main Battlefield... is not looking optimistic now......."

Hearing Qiu Qingquan's words, Lv Muzhi understood clearly in his heart.

The little devils were locked in a stalemate with the Xia Guo Army in Shanghai. Both sides had poured large numbers of troops into the Dachang area. Not to mention aircraft, just in tanks, both sides kept escalating.

Everyone recognized the terrifying industrial production capacity of the Japanese Empire. Just as the devils' tanks finished one battle, a new batch of tanks was thrown onto the battlefield.

According to intelligence reports, after encountering Lv Muzhi's tanks, the little devils had already ramped up production at their domestic tank factories in early September. The tanks sent to the front were mostly Type 97 Medium Tanks and Type 89 Medium Tanks. Even just in terms of numbers, it was enough to make the Xia Guo Army suffer.

Taking the several days of fighting at Dachang as an example, not counting light tanks and armored vehicles, the devils lost over sixty medium tanks of various types. The Xia Guo Army also suffered heavy losses. Du Yuming's Armored Corps had only 3 Vickers tanks with tank cannons left out of 12; the rest were over thirty tanks equipped with machine guns.

Zhou Weiguo's Armored Tank Regiment also lost 7 Type 38T Light Tanks, and 3 of the 20mm Light Anti-aircraft Vehicles were destroyed by the devils. Two Type 3 tanks were damaged and towed back for repairs.

Lv Muzhi's tanks had not yet been replenished, but the devils, via warships, had transported new tanks from the home country. Aircraft production was also at full capacity, all to win the war in one stroke.

Left Wing Army Commander Chen Cheng walked in: "Air Force Commander Zhou Zhirou sent a telegram. His air force has suffered heavy losses these past days. To protect the sky for the ground forces, since the war began over two months ago, his losses have already reached over two hundred aircraft. In the last two days, his air force needs to regroup and cannot provide support."

Qiu Qingquan flared up: "Nonsense. Commander Lu produced quite a few aircraft for him in the Southwest, plus those bought from the Americans. These losses aren't even half yet. How can he need to regroup?"

Lv Muzhi raised his hand, signaling Qiu Qingquan not to speak yet: "It's not about the aircraft, it's about the pilots. I know General Zhou Zhirou's air force—they have more aircraft than men. What needs regrouping is the pilots... The devils' fighters suffer more losses than we do... but they have far more pilots than us."

Chen Cheng said: "Brother Wei Yue, in the Dachang area, the devils' naval guns can still reach us. Our fortifications there are field fortifications. After fighting for so many days, they are no longer very effective against the devils..."

Lv Muzhi said directly: "We still have National Defense Works in the rear that haven't been used. There, we don't need to worry about the devils' naval gun attacks."

Chen Cheng was stunned and said: "The old man still won't let us retreat!"

Lv Muzhi asked: "Have the casualty reports been sent up? Has the old man seen them? If we should retreat, then retreat. The National Defense Works in the rear are more solid. Let's pull the devils back to fight in the rear."

"Deputy Commander Gu sent it up yesterday, but there's still no news!"

"Commander Lu, a telegram from Liu Xiang, Commander of the Twenty-first Group Army." The Communications Staff Officer handed over a telegram.

Lv Muzhi unfolded the telegram: "To my younger brother Wei Yue, the Twenty-third Group Army has entered the Wufu Line National Defense Works and deployed. I, your elder brother, await you in Suzhou."

Handing the telegram to Chen Cheng, Lv Muzhi felt much more at ease and said: "The Sichuan Army's Twenty-third Group Army has already deployed at the Wufu Line works in the rear. As long as we fall back a bit, we can regain a solid defensive line."

When in the Southwest, Liu Xiang's Sichuan Army frequently dealt with Lv Muzhi. At first, Lv Muzhi only gave Liu Xiang small favors, but later the two often addressed each other as brothers. This Twenty-third Group Army was precisely an elite force within the Sichuan Army that Lv Muzhi helped Liu Xiang build.

After seeing the telegram, Chen Cheng also breathed a sigh of relief: "The Twenty-third Group Army has arrived too. This way, we can hold our ground when we retreat."

"Good news! Good news!" Middle Route Army Commander Zhu Shaoliang walked in quickly.

"The Third War Zone Command has issued an order for an orderly withdrawal. Relying on the National Defense Works line in the rear, we will block them step by step and inflict heavy casualties on the devils' manpower!"

Everyone in the headquarters breathed a sigh of relief. The higher-ups had seen the troops' casualty situation. Finally, they wouldn't have to hear the devils' naval guns booming every day.

Chen Cheng said: "Very good. Aside from a few divisions being mauled, the main forces of the main army are still here. This battle can still be fought! Plus, Brother Wei Yue's subordinate Zhang Fei Brigade annihilated seven thousand enemies at Jinshanwei Beach. Since the war began, the devils' death toll has already neared thirty thousand. The wounded are hard to count..."

Zhu Shaoliang took a sip of water: "I haven't finished yet... The higher-ups have other arrangements for Brother Wei Yue's troops..."

Lv Muzhi paused in his heart, thinking: What does that mean? What trick is the old man up to?!

Qiu Qingquan grew anxious: "Oh, Commander, can't you speak without keeping us in suspense? What exactly is the arrangement? You're killing me. Is it to hold the rear or fight to the death? Give me a straight answer."

Zhu Shaoliang hurriedly said: "To be precise, there are other arrangements for Sun Yuanlang's 88th Division. The old man still cares about those four words 'international opinion' and insists on leaving a division to defend Shanghai. You know, to let the Nine-Power Treaty see the Xia Guo Army's spirit of resistance."

Now Lv Muzhi understood. Sun Yuanlang was from his own Ninth Group Army. The higher-ups wanted to keep him to resist for the sake of face, and it was the kind without a specified withdrawal date—essentially a fight to the death.

Even though Qiu Qingquan looked down on Sun Yuanlang, at this moment he felt wronged for the 88th Division: "Hmph, they really are willing! Leaving an entire German-equipped division behind to die? How generous!

Isn't this just saving face while suffering?"

Chen Cheng also found it baffling, but he didn't join the conversation. Instead, he began arranging the retreat plan: "The matter of Sun Yuanlang's 88th Division should be left to Brother Wei Yue to decide. The retreat plan must be settled first."

Zhu Shaoliang and Chen Cheng gathered together to arrange which unit would stay behind to cover the retreat.

"Wu Keren's Sixty-seventh Army must temporarily remain in Pudong to resist the Shigetō Detachment and prevent them from moving south to harass Hangzhou Bay..."

"The Middle Route Army will leave Sun Yuanlang's 88th Division behind to cover the retreat... Anyway, the higher-ups originally wanted him to stay... I'll add a few Guangxi Army divisions..."

"Hmm, my Left Route Army will be handed over to Xue Yue's Nineteenth Group Army to cover the retreat..."

"First gather the scattered troops at Dachang. Dachang retreats to Nanxiang, then Nanxiang retreats further to Kunshan, Taicang, and other places..."

"Brother Wei Yue, your artillery needs to be pulled out a day early..."

While everyone was arranging things, talking over one another, Sun Yuanlang knocked on the door of the headquarters, followed by guards who hadn't had time to stop him: "Brother Wei Yue... please come out for a moment..."

Lv Muzhi looked at Chen Cheng and Zhu Shaoliang, gesturing that he would go out to handle it.

As soon as he stepped out, Sun Yuanlang grabbed Lv Muzhi's arm: "Brother Wei Yue, for the sake of being classmates, help a brother out!"