Chapter 455: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 465: Dragon, Is It Not the Omen of an Emperor!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Inside the North China Area Army Headquarters, Lv Muzhi, Qiu Qingquan, Sun Liren, Chu Yunfei, and Lv Ziqing and others met in victory.

Inside the Japanese command headquarters, it was already empty.

In order to preserve more of its effective strength, at the critical moment, Imperial General Headquarters withdrew all eight thousand-plus remaining Japanese troops in the Pingjin area.

Some were transported by railway to Shanhaiguan, while some went to Tianjin Port to board ships and withdraw from the war zone.

The only ones left inside Beiping City were Commander Tada Toshin, supreme commander of the North China Area Army, Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo, commander of the Garrison Mongolia Army, and of course some attendants.

These two committed seppuku in advance as the Youth Army entered the city.

Also committing seppuku were other military personnel of various ranks within the Japanese command headquarters.

From the lowest private to the highest lieutenant general, over a hundred devils collectively committed seppuku.

Lv Muzhi looked at the blood and intestines flowing all over the floor inside the command headquarters, with not a place to step.

Everyone simply stepped on the devils' blood and organs as they entered the command headquarters.

Lv Muzhi sighed: "Since the twenty-seventh year of the Republic of China, when the Youth Army marched into North China and participated in the Xuzhou Campaign, until today two years later, we have completely destroyed the Japanese troops in North China!"

Qiu Qingquan said: "It is all thanks to Commander Lu not listening to the old man's order to stay in Shanxi back then, that we could recover this Pingjin land."

Lv Muzhi asked: "How is the Japanese retreat operation at Lian Yun Gang going?"

Sun Liren, as Chief of Staff, stepped forward to answer: "Commander Zhang Fei is leading the Youth Third Army and Fourth Army to pursue the Japanese retreating toward the Lian Yun Gang direction."

According to yesterday's battle report, on the Longhai Railway leading to Lian Yun Gang, the Japanese abandoned a large amount of weapons and equipment, and Japanese corpses were everywhere along the line.

Japanese shipping capacity was insufficient, even fishing boats were dispatched, port order was chaotic, Commander Zhang Fei is continuing to pressure Lian Yun Gang, striving to expand the battle results!"

After hearing this, Lv Muzhi couldn't help but sigh in his heart: this was truly the Xia Guo version of the Dunkirk evacuation!

Qiu Qingquan looked toward the northeast direction and said: "In the direction of Shanhaiguan, three hundred kilometers from here, the Japanese have already concentrated heavy troops; the Japanese who retreated by ship from Lian Yun Gang have all been reinforced to the Shanhaiguan direction; the Japanese troops stationed at Shanhaiguan are approaching four hundred thousand in strength, and there is also naval assistance guarding the pass."

Lv Muzhi understood Qiu Qingquan's meaning and waved his hand: "Since launching the winter offensive at the end of last November, our army has set out from Zhengzhou and fought continuously for four months; we must stop to rest."

Pass the order down: the Youth First Army will temporarily be stationed in Beiping, the Second Army stationed in the suburbs of Tianjin, Chu Yunfei leading the Guerrilla Corps stationed in Tangshan, with the three forces forming a triangular defense, supporting each other, to prevent the Kwantung Army from moving south to harass.

The Airborne Troops will return to Zhengzhou to continue training and reorganization.

Also send a telegram to Zhang Fei, ordering Liao Yaoxiang to lead the Youth Fourth Army back to Zhengzhou at the fastest speed.

The Youth Third Army, after the Lian Yun Gang battle ends, will pass through Shandong and move north to clear out the scattered Japanese troops within Shandong!"

After hearing this, Qiu Qingquan asked worriedly: "Ordering Liao Yaoxiang to return to Zhengzhou immediately—is it to guard against someone extending their tentacles into Henan?"

Lv Muzhi merely nodded, without answering aloud.

The situation was very obvious: Henan now only had Chen Minren's five-thousand-strong Military Police Corps.

The main forces of the Youth Army were all fighting outside.

Right now, the Central Army on the Xubeng Battlefield had all withdrawn; if the old man reached out toward the empty Henan, the Youth Army would become rootless duckweed.

Whether or not the old man had such an idea, Lv Muzhi could not give him the opportunity to entertain such a notion.

The Youth Army had operated in Henan for so long; it could not be directly robbed of its home, and this was also for the stability of the situation.

Finally, Lv Muzhi ordered an investigation of all Youth Army casualties over the past four months, preparing to provide pensions for the fallen soldiers.

At the same time, to celebrate the recovery, the troops would hold a grand entry parade ceremony.

——————

Five days later, the entry parade ceremony was held.

Outside Wanping City, Lugou Bridge quietly spanned the Yongding River.

The stone lions at the bridgehead still stood, witnessing the humiliation of the past and also witnessing today's vindication.

With a loud bugle call piercing the long sky, fully armed Youth Army soldiers marched in neat steps onto this ancient bridge.

Leading the way was the Model Regiment of the Youth First Division; the soldiers held Garand rifles, wore steel helmets and boots, with complete equipment.

The soldiers' boot soles struck the stone bridge surface, the sound like muffled thunder.

Closely following was an endless torrent of armor.

T Tanks formed two columns, steel tracks pressing heavy muffled sounds on the road surface.

Panzer III Medium Tanks, Type 3 Assault Guns, Self-propelled Artillery III, Self-propelled Artillery III, etc., all made their appearance.

There were also improved Panzer III Medium Tanks topped with sixty rocket artillery tubes, their appearance exceptionally outstanding.

The dense launch tubes stood side by side, like a row of arrows ready to be fired, exuding a chilling killing intent.

Such a force passing through Fengtai and advancing into Beiping City, driving on the streets, immediately caused a strong sensation among the populace.

Since the late Qing, this ancient city had welcomed too many armies, both Xia Guo's and foreign ones.

The Youth Army was merely one of them.

But before this, no force had ever been as majestic and elite as the one before their eyes.

Vroom—!

A huge engine roar came from the sky; over a dozen fighter planes flew in neat goose formations, skimming low over the city tower.

The planes' shadows flew swiftly over the streets, and the huge wind pressure made the flags flutter noisily.

The people raised their heads, looking at the war eagles in the sky, their eyes full of awe.

On both sides of the street, countless reporters were frantically pressing their shutters, recording this moment that would go down in history.

Several middle-aged men who looked like scholars stood on the second floor of a teahouse, pointing at the tank columns on the street, with a look of understanding: "This is not an entry ceremony; this is the Youth Army showing the Japanese outside the pass."

"Several hundred thousand Kwantung Army troops are waiting at Shanhaiguan; Commander Lu's move is a warning to them not to act rashly."

The coachmen by the roadside put down their reins, watching the Youth Army slowly pass by, and discussed:

"In my opinion, that Lu Commander of the Youth Army is the former Governor of Zhili."

"Yes, I heard the Youth Army is entering Shandong to wipe out the devils in Hebei and Henan; combined, these three regions indeed make up the Governor of Zhili!"

A response came from the crowd: "Governor of Zhili? Which governor ever had such a display?!"

The end of the entry ceremony pointed directly at that red-walled, gold-tiled Forbidden City.

Lv Muzhi's boot soles stepped on the Han white jade floor tiles, with Commander of the Third Army Zhang Fei standing beside him.

The resistance of the Japanese puppet army within Shandong was weak; after Zhang Fei sent troops in, he discovered that the Shandong civilians had actually beaten the local Japanese puppet army into disarray, leaving Zhang Fei, responsible for wiping out the Japanese army, greatly shocked.

"The Shandong civilians are truly fierce, and besides, there are Eighth Route Army bases there; after I went there, there were hardly any devils left to fight."

"Only the Japanese Navy Base in Qingdao remains, temporarily difficult to capture; currently, my Third Army is garrisoned in Jinan, preventing the Japanese main force from landing from Qingdao."

Lv Muzhi said while walking deeper into the Forbidden City: "We don't need Qingdao's port, nor let the little devils use it; send troops every night to harass and sabotage the port area."

Zhang Fei nodded, and Qiu Qingquan, Sun Liren, and Chu Yunfei, who had just finished the entry parade ceremony, also followed.

Everyone strolled within this royal forbidden ground, the air carrying a sense of historical vicissitudes.

This imperial palace inner court was already deserted, the former emperor having long since fled.

Lv Muzhi walked in the front, looking at one hall after another, but what was on his mind were those commendation telegrams from the old man.

Same as before; besides a commendation telegram, there was no other communication between the two sides.

Lv Muzhi and the old man were actually both waiting for the other's move.

"Lu Commander, this place is truly huge; the emperor sure knew how to enjoy himself!" Qiu Qingquan said, pointing at the palaces around.

Zhang Fei also looked left and right, stroking the bronze vat before the hall with his big hand, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Lv Muzhi glanced at everyone and reminded: "Just look, don't entertain any crooked thoughts; we're not here to be emperors."

Everyone passed through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and ascended the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Inside the hall it was somewhat dim; that golden dragon throne carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes sat quietly in the center of the hall.

Everyone stopped before this dragon throne.

Zhang Fei hugged his arms, sizing up the dragon throne, and said: "The dragon is indeed the imperial symbol."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Zhang Fei with astonished eyes.

"Zhang Fei (courtesy name), what are you saying?"