Chapter 172: War in Progress 1

November 1, Kunshan, 259th Brigade temporary command post. Inside and outside Kunshan city it resembled a huge beehive, filled with tense, orderly bustle. The soldiers of the 259th Brigade sweated profusely, using any material they could find—sandbags, timber, even dismantled door panels—to hurriedly erect fortifications at key outlying points and gaps in the City wall. Outside the city, on the Beijing‑Shanghai Railway line, a steam locomotive puffed heavily, hauling heavy artillery, ammunition crates, and follow‑up troops; the whistle and the sound of tamping earth for the works intertwined.

Chief of Staff Wang Weilin, holding a freshly received Document, hurried over to Li Nian'an, who was observing the terrain on the ancient City wall of Kunshan, and said: "Brigade Commander, we just received a friendly report from the headquarters of the 87th Division and the 88th Division. Their main forces have begun moving toward Suzhou and Wuxi, carrying out the War Zone Headquarters' new deployment. It seems the large‑scale strategic adjustment has indeed begun."

Li Nian'an set down his binoculars, his brows slightly furrowed. The 87th Division and 88th Division are elite units; their withdrawal means the pressure on the front line has reached its limit, also confirming his assessment of the Jinshanwei direction—higher‑ups are reserving a fallback for a potentially massive crisis.

Kunshan sits in the Taihu Plain's water‑network zone, with rivers and canals criss‑crossing, seemingly unfavorable for large‑scale troop maneuver, but the Beijing‑Shanghai Railway and the Su‑Hu Highway—two major transport arteries—cut through the city, making it a genuine lock and key location.

"We can't just defend Kunshan City," Li Nian'an said, pointing at the map to the brigade commanders beside him, "We must establish a depth‑defense system. Orders!"

"First Brigade, move out immediately to Zhengyi, using the railway line and the Wusong River tributary to establish the first blocking position."

"Second Brigade, responsible for the Bacheng direction, secure the road leading to Changshu, and dispatch a detachment to Shipai to set up a watchpost."

"Third Brigade, deploy at Zhoushi, focusing on monitoring and hindering any enemy coming from the Taicang direction."

"Special attention! The three main bridges on the Kunshan segment of the Beijing‑Shanghai Railway, and the two road bridges on the Su‑Hu Highway, must be heavily guarded! Engineer Company, start embedding explosives in all these critical bridges and in some narrow sections immediately, ready to blow at any moment! I will make the Japanese pay with blood for every step forward, and suffer great trouble for each bridge they cross!"

"Report!" a breathless communications soldier shouted as he ran up the City wall, "Brigade Commander, the Fifth Army Vanguard Unit has arrived at the west of the city! General Du Yuming, please go to the Headquarters for a meeting immediately!"

Li Nian'an's eyes flashed with a hint of light: "Uncle Du, that was fast! Prepare the vehicles, head to the Headquarters!"

The Kunshan County seat, the former County Government Office, now the Fifth Army temporary command post. Inside the temporary command post, a detailed sand table of Kunshan's surroundings had been set up. Fifth Army Commander Du Yuming stood with his hands behind his back, concentrating on every terrain feature on the sand table. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw the dust‑covered Li Nian'an; a gentle, elder‑like yet militarily resolute smile appeared on his face.

"Xuewen! Perfect timing! I heard you made the Japanese dizzy at Luodian; truly the son of Lord Jing, you haven't disgraced our Fifth Army!" Du Yuming stepped forward, patted Li Nian'an's shoulder, his tone full of praise.

Li Nian'an snapped to attention with a "pop", rendering a standard military salute: "General Du! Li Nian'an of the staff reporting as ordered!" In the formal setting, he observed the proper hierarchy.

"No need, no need, there are no outsiders here." Du Yuming waved his hand, signaling him to relax, then his expression grew solemn, "Lord Jing is very concerned about the situation here, so he sent me with the armored brigade and the vanguard of the 200th Division to rush over day and night."

He lowered his voice, pointing to Hangzhou Bay on the sand table: "Regarding the Jinshanwei situation, how much have you guessed?"

"The Japanese have at least a two‑ to three‑division‑scale landing force, aiming to cut off our Su‑Hu main force's western retreat route, forming a strategic encirclement," Li Nian'an said concisely.

Du Yuming nodded appreciatively: "Your assessment is spot‑on! The situation may be even more serious than we anticipated. The Japanese Tenth Army, comprising the 6th, 18th, and 114th Type‑A Divisions, plus the Guoqi Detachment, totals over one hundred thousand troops! Carrying heavy equipment, once they land and deploy, given their mechanization, they could reach Jiaxing City in as little as three days! By then, the dozens of divisions still fighting hard in Su‑Hu would truly be turtles in a jar, unable to fly."

Li Nian'an inhaled a cold breath, his chest heavy despite his prior estimates, "Where is the Fifth Army's main force now?"

"Qiu Qingquan's New 22nd Division and Liao Yaoxiang's newly formed… oh, now called the 96th Division, are still en route, heavily blocked by stragglers and refugees. I have already brought a portion of Dai Anlan's 200th Division and the army‑attached armored brigade." Du Yuming said, "Lord Jing and the War Zone Headquarters are clear: our Fifth Army and your 'fire‑fighting team' will cooperate, using Kunshan as the core, to establish a solid blocking line along the Qingpu‑Songjiang‑Jiashan‑Kunshan axis, sparing no cost, to delay or even block the Japanese forces landing at Jinshanwei from moving north, buying the main forces at least seven to ten days for withdrawal!"

Li Nian'an walked to the sand table, tracing a circle around Kunshan, and mused, "Uncle Du, relying solely on the troops we currently have, even adding the forces you brought, trying to block the thrust of three Japanese divisions across such a broad front seems… beyond our capability. Kunshan has no defensible stronghold; the water‑network terrain can delay the enemy but also limits our own mobility. If the Japanese press forward on multiple routes regardless of casualties, we could be easily divided and encircled."

"Therefore, we cannot fight head‑on; we must fight smart." Du Yuming's eyes flashed with a keen light, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, "You previously, on the Suzhou Creek side, 'kept equipment for the allies,' gathering so many irregulars; now is the time to let those assets and people play their greatest role. When manpower is lacking, we compensate with terrain and tactics."

Li Nian'an nodded in understanding: "I understand. I will immediately order the consolidated units to be equipped with heavy weapons, break them into smaller elements, form multiple mobile assault groups and blocking detachments, advance to the likely Japanese landing advance routes, use the water‑network villages to set layered ambushes, resist step by step, continuously wear down and exhaust the enemy, slowing and breaking them!"

"Exactly!" Du Yuming gave the edge of the sand table a heavy slap, "The armored units and the elite of the 200th Division I brought will serve as a strategic reserve, to be used at the most critical moment, delivering a hard blow to the over‑aggressive Japanese. Xuewen, the key to this blocking action is the 'drag' principle! We will turn the area around Kunshan into a quagmire that devours Japanese supplies and soldiers."