Chapter 174: Compensation 1

November 8, 1937, 6 a. m., Jinling Military Committee Operations Hall. The cold wrapped the dawn light and seeped into the hall, yet could not disperse the iron‑heavy atmosphere. The Operations Hall was brightly lit, full of senior officers. The Principal, clad in dark‑blue woolen uniform, holding a baton, stood before the massive Songhu Battle Zone map, his face so grim it seemed it could drip water. Li Yuxuan stood quietly beside him, a half step behind, his dark‑blue eyes showing the fatigue of a sleepless night, yet his posture remained as upright as a pine.

"Dismiss," the Principal's baton struck heavily on the spot of Zhenru on the map, "Immediately send a telegram to the 87th Division, Wang Jingjiu, by noon today, relocate the division headquarters to Zhenru, construct a preparatory position, no errors allowed!"

"Sir," Chen Cheng said with a troubled expression, "Zhenru is already exposed to Japanese artillery fire; should we…"

"Execute the order!" the Principal interrupted without doubt, his sharp gaze sweeping the room, finally landing on Li Yuxuan beside him, "Jingxing, Xuewen, have you been keeping low lately? I heard you made quite a splash in Kunshan."

Li Yuxuan bowed slightly, his tone steady yet carrying a barely perceptible defense: "Young Master, Li Nian'an is currently engaged in fierce battle on the Kunshan front with the Vanguard Unit of the Japanese Tenth Army, serving the Sect without any hint of slackness. Recently… I have not heard of any misconduct."

"Oh? Is that so?" the Principal snorted coldly, precisely pulling out a document from the many on the desk and shaking it, "Last month Mo San sent a telegram saying your th Brigade borrowed an entire Artillery Company under his command, personnel and guns, and hasn't returned them yet! Xuewen, you brat, your nerve is getting fatter!" Though his tone was harsh, his calling Li Xuewen "brat" carried a subtle familiarity that the seasoned officers present could hear.

Li Yuxuan's expression remained unchanged, and he bowed again: "Young Master, please understand, the battle situation is urgent, material and personnel movements are frequent, there may be misunderstandings. I will certainly conduct a strict investigation; if the matter is confirmed, severe punishment without mercy will be meted out, and they will be ordered to return it immediately."

At that moment, the secretarial aide rushed in, went straight to Dai Li's side and whispered. Dai Li's face changed abruptly; he hurried to the Principal's side, his voice pressed low yet clearly audible: "Principal, urgent military intelligence! It has been confirmed, the Japanese Tenth Army… has successfully landed at Jinshanwei!"

"Clang!" the Principal's baton slipped from his hand and hit the floor, emitting a harsh sound in the silent hall. Everyone's breath caught.

"Intelligence… accurate?" After a long pause, the Principal finally sat down slowly, his fingers unconsciously and rapidly tapping the smooth tabletop, his voice low and hoarse.

"Accurate without error. The 6th, 18th, and 114th Divisions, attached to Guoqi Detachment, total strength… over one hundred thousand." Dai Li's voice carried weight.

The Principal closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his demeanor was cold once more: "Order! All Songhu units, immediately follow the Pre-Arranged Plan, advance toward the Wufu Line and Xicheng Line defensive works! Alternate cover, order first!" Suddenly, as if recalling something, his gaze shot at Li Yuxuan like lightning, "Jingxing, a few days ago you strongly advocated moving the th Brigade to Kunshan for deployment… Could it be that you already anticipated today?"

Li Yuxuan met Jiang Jieshi's gaze and answered calmly: "Young Master, it is merely based on the enemy‑friendly situation, making the worst‑case calculations and taking preemptive measures. Li Nian'an's unit suffered heavy casualties at Luodian, and moving to Kunshan also allows for recuperation." His words were airtight, both indicating strategic foresight and downplaying any hint of prescience.

The Principal gave him a deep look, did not pursue further, and simply waved his hand: "Everyone, go execute the order."

A while later in Jinling, at Li Mansion, in the mansion's living room, telephone rings rose and fell. Li Yuxuan's Adjutant Zhou Weian held the handset, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Colonel Liu, calm down, calm down… yes, yes, the th Brigade indeed acted improperly… Lord Jing has already issued a strict order, the equipment your unit lost, we will compensate double, never delay…"

Just as he hung up, the phone rang again. "Division Commander Zhang, let me explain… what? The th Brigade took your quartermaster and logistics clerks to assist with work? This… this must be the subordinates acting recklessly, a misunderstanding, absolutely a misunderstanding!"

After finally hanging up, Zhou Weian pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, then, looking at Li Yuxuan sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, he gave a wry smile: "Lord Jing, this is already the eighth accountability call this morning. The 54th Army says the th Brigade took away over three hundred ambulatory wounded; the 36th Division says a combat engineer company and its equipment were 'borrowed'; even General Zhou, head of the Tax Police Corps, called personally, saying twenty new bicycles were lost… Young Master Xuewen, truly, when he stays silent he's unnoticed, but when he speaks, he startles everyone!"

Li Yuxuan slowly opened his eyes, rubbed his tense temples: "Weian, make a list, how much equipment is still missing, what's the discount?"

"Rough estimate, just the equipment to be compensated is worth nearly eight hundred thousand Silver Yuan. That doesn't even include the relocation costs and subsequent salaries for the personnel who were sent to assist…"

"I will draw from my private account; for any shortfall, I will mortgage shares I hold in several Shanghai trading firms," Li Yuxuan said evenly, his tone decisive, "Additionally, in my name, I will personally write apology letters to each senior officer, with sincere wording, taking full responsibility for my failure to properly mentor my son."

"Lord Jing! This… this is your years of savings…" Zhou Weian became anxious.

"Go ahead." Li Yuxuan waved his hand, cutting him off, his tone tinged with fatigue, "We can't really let that kid offend everyone single‑handedly. He's still fighting hard out there."

Zhou Weian sighed, took the order and left. In the empty living room, Li Yuxuan rose and walked to the window, gazing at the withering parasol trees in the courtyard swayed by the autumn wind. He recalled the urgent report he had just received — the th Brigade had been locked in a five‑day bloody battle in Kunshan against the Japanese 6th Division, holding off an enemy force several times its own strength, suffering heavy casualties itself. As a father, his heart was torn like a knife. As an elder who had watched Li Nian'an grow up, he worried his brilliance might be overexposed; yet as a soldier, as a commander who deeply understood the battlefield's cruelty, he also felt an indescribable pride in his son's resilience and talent. This son was like a precious sword not yet fully honed—unmatched in sharpness, yet also prone to injuring its own wielder.