Chapter 175: Compensation 2

At 11 a. m., in the Military Commission meeting room, the atmosphere of the emergency military meeting was equally oppressive. Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin slammed a document heavily onto the table, his face as still as water: "Xuewen that stinky brat is simply lawless! He even dares to intercept the transport unit directly under our Military Affairs Department! Forcibly requisitioning supplies, like bandits! This trend must be stopped immediately!"

Chen Cheng, seeing this, had to step in to smooth things over: "Brother Jingzhi, calm your anger. Right now the Japanese Jinshan Guard have landed, the overall situation is perilous, a time of emergency…"

"Can a time of emergency justify disregarding military discipline and acting arbitrarily?" He Yingqin, his complexion sour, said, cutting off Chen Cheng, "One brigade has already seized equipment equivalent to two fully formed divisions! If everyone follows suit, how can we fight this war? Where is the authority of the Military Commission?"

Xu Yongchang, interjecting from the side, said: "Jingzhi's words are indeed reasonable, but according to front‑line battle reports, the th Brigade at Kunshan fought tenaciously, successfully halting the Japanese 6th Division for five days, buying precious time for the main force to redeploy. Merit and fault… perhaps should be considered separately."

"Merit is merit, fault is fault! They cannot cancel each other!" He Yingqin would not yield at all.

At that moment, the conference room door was pushed open and Li Yuxuan strode in. The previously noisy hall fell silent at once. He walked straight to He Yingqin, and in front of everyone said: "Brother Jingzhi, my son has acted recklessly and caused a great disaster; it is my fault for not teaching him properly. On his behalf, I solemnly apologize to you and all colleagues of the Military Affairs Department. All requisitioned and lost supplies have been ordered to be inventoried, with double compensation, and will be delivered to the Military Affairs Department warehouse by the end of today. The personnel involved have also been ordered the th Brigade to return immediately."

He Yingqin did not expect Li Yuxuan to lower himself so much, and was momentarily stunned; his tone softened a bit: "Jing Gong, … sigh, I am not targeting you. It is just that your son's conduct truly breaks the rules, making it hard for those below to act."

"I understand, the rules cannot be discarded." Li Yuxuan straightened up, his face showing sincere helplessness, "When this battle eases a bit, I will personally go to the front line and enforce strict discipline."

After the meeting, Chen Cheng quietly pulled Li Yuxuan aside: "Jing Zuo, why are you being so hard on him? Although Xuewen's methods are harsh, all the obtained supplies and personnel have been used to resist the enemy, with none lining his own pockets. Now the war situation is collapsing, we need commanders who dare to fight and can fight."

Li Yuxuan gently shook his head, speaking softly: "Ci Xiu, I understand your intention. But a tree that stands out in the forest is bound to be battered by the wind. If I do not step forward to take charge of this matter and calm the public anger, he, still young, will remain in this high position and act so independently; later in the army he will likely face constant difficulties, unable to move an inch."

At the same time, the headquarters of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army, General Matsui Iwane stared at the latest situation map on the wall, his gaze fierce. Chief of Staff Major General Iinuma Mamoru stood solemnly beside him, holding a battle report.

"Again this Li Nian'an! Kunshan! He's like a piece of gum you can't get rid of, opposing me at every turn!" Matsui Iwane's voice squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with suppressed rage.

"Hai yi!" Iinuma Mamoru lowered his head, "The th Brigade at Kunshan used the water‑net terrain to build multi‑layered defensive positions; the tactics are cunning. The 6th Division under Gu Shoufu is progressing extremely slowly, with heavy casualties."

"Baka!" Matsui Iwane slammed his fist on the map at Kunshan's location, "A pampered Chinese brat who leans on his father's shadow dares to repeatedly obstruct the Imperial Army! Have you investigated his background thoroughly?"

"It has been clarified. Li Nian'an, his father Li Yuxuan, is the Chinese Third War Zone Commander, the principal's absolute confidant; it is said he once served as the principal's page, making their relationship extremely close. Li Nian'an himself has frequented the principal's residence since childhood, essentially raised by the principal. He studied military affairs with the German Advisor at the time, mastering the German Tactical System. His performance at Luodian, Suzhou River, and now Kunshan indeed shows exceptional ability; he cannot be simply regarded as a brat."

Matsui Iwane's eyes were icy: "Order the 10th Army's Liu Chuanpingzhu! Concentrate fire, regardless of cost, and break through Kunshan's defenses at all costs! I want to see Li Nian'an and his th Brigade annihilated within three days! If Kunshan cannot be taken, make him perform seppuku and apologize to the Emperor!"

At 2 p. m., in the Jinling principal's office, the principal had just seen off the German ambassador Tao Deman, who had come to mediate, his face showing an unmistakable fatigue and disappointment. He instructed the Director of the Aide Office Lin Wei standing beside him: "Wei Wen, send a Document to Xuewen; the Kunshan defensive line must hold for at least six more days! Within six days, not a single step backward is allowed!"

Lin Wei showed a hesitant expression: "Your Excellency, the front‑line battle report shows that the th Brigade and a portion of the Fifth Army fighting alongside it have suffered heavy casualties; the Japanese 18th Division has begun to flank, should we… consider sending reinforcements?"

The principal shook his head decisively: "All units are already on the move, too busy to attend to themselves; moreover, I have heard that Jingxing has sent the entire elite force of the Fifth Army to Kunshan, which includes several hundred aircraft. Not only can we not hold for another six days, even a month would be more than enough." He paused, then added in a complicated tone, "Add a line to the Document: tell Xuewen that if he can fulfill this order and hold Kunshan for six days, I will not hold his previous misconduct against him."

Lin Wei hesitated slightly: "Principal, this…"

"Send it as I said." The principal gestured, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "Also, in my name, issue a separate commendation Document to the th Brigade, praising its bravery in blocking the enemy at Kunshan, to boost the morale of the entire army."

"Yes, Principal!" Lin Wei obeyed, understanding that the principal again intended to use the th Brigade to set an example.

At 4 p. m., at the Kunshan front line, the th Brigade headquarters was set up in a half‑collapsed ancestral hall's underground bunker, the air thick with smoke and the smell of sweat. Li Nian'an crouched beside an ammunition box, sipping cold water from his canteen while gnawing on a hard compressed biscuit. His young face was blackened by the smoke.

"Brigade Commander, Jinling Urgent Document." The communications soldier handed over the translated Document.

Li Nian'an took it, glanced over it, and a slightly mocking sneer curled his mouth: "Commendation? No retribution? The old man's move, beating a stick to give a sweet date, he plays it quite deftly."

Chief of Staff Wang Weilin, standing nearby, worriedly said: "Brigade Commander, the Japanese 18th Division's flanking maneuver is obvious, while the frontal 6th Division attacks in waves, each more ferocious than the last. At this rate of consumption, and with General Du's aircraft losses increasing each time, we can't even hope for six days; holding three more days would already be a blessing…"

"Who said we have to hold for six days?" Li Nian'an tossed the biscuit crumbs, stood up and walked to the operational map on the wall, "The main forces have largely withdrawn from the danger zone; our mission is already mostly complete. Issue the order: from midnight tonight, each battalion and company, according to the pre‑arranged plan, will advance sequentially and alternately toward Suzhou!"

"But… the principal's strict order…"

"Being away, I will not obey the command!" Li Nian'an declared resolutely, "The old man cares about face and political influence; I care that the th Brigade's seeds survive to keep fighting the devils later! We cannot let a single order of his waste all our resources at Kunshan!"

At that moment, a courier, covered in dust, rushed in: "Report, Brigade Commander! General Du of the Fifth Army urgently requests you to come for discussion; they say large‑scale Japanese armored forces have been spotted on the flank!"

At 8 p. m., in the study of the Jinling Li Gongguan, Li Yuxuan was reviewing piled‑up documents under the lamp when Zhou Wei entered quietly, a rare smile on his face: "Jing Gong, the Fifth War Zone's Gu Mo San has arrived; he seems in good spirits."

Li Yuxuan, a bit surprised, set down his pen: "Please, bring him in."

Gu Zhutong strode into the study, his military uniform dust‑stained yet his face smiling: "Jing Gong, sorry to intrude. I'm here to say a few good words on behalf of your trouble‑making son."

Li Yuxuan rose to meet him: "Mo San, what is this…?"

"We just received the latest front‑line report from Kunshan!" Gu Zhutong said, his voice buoyant, "Nian'an's worthy nephew and Du Guangting coordinated on the flank, launching a brilliant counterattack, using terrain and pre‑set minefields to heavily damage a Japanese 18th Division armored assault battalion attempting to infiltrate, destroying seven tanks and capturing countless others! They completely turned the Black Tiger's heart back on the devils! This kid's knack for causing trouble is top‑notch, and his combat skill is beyond words!"

Li Yuxuan heard this, the tension of a day's worth of nerves easing slightly, yet his face still wore that helpless wry smile: "Mo San, don't just speak good of him. This kid does have talent, but…"

"I know the difficulty of the Jing Gong," Gu Zhutong said seriously, "Rest assured, as long as I, Gu Mo San, am here in the Fifth War Zone, I will do my utmost to mediate for you. In a time of emergency, everything that matters is resisting the enemy; personal grudges and departmental friction are set aside! We'll talk about defeating the devils later!"

After seeing Gu Zhutong off himself, Li Yuxuan stood alone in the chilly courtyard, the night wind brushing his face, carrying the cold of deep autumn.