Chapter 194: Meeting 1

In June, Jiangcheng's stifling heat had already begun to show its ferocity. In the conference room, the ceiling fan turned futilely, stirring the humid, stagnant air, yet bringing no hint of coolness. Along the long conference table sat a host of senior generals whose stars shone brightly—Fifth War Zone Li Zongren, Ninth War Zone Chen Cheng, First War Zone Cheng Qian, Third War Zone Li Yuxuan… as well as Chief of General Staff He Yingqin, Deputy Chief Bai Chongxi and others.

The brigade commander sat in the main seat, clad in military uniform, his face thinner and more gaunt than when he was on the Taierzhuang front a few months ago. Spread before him was a massive Central Plains War Zone map, densely marked with red and blue pencil.

"Gentlemen," the brigade commander began, his voice hoarse yet clear, "today's meeting concerns the overall situation of the Jiangcheng battle and the future of the resistance."

He lifted the pointer and tapped the Kaifeng and Zhengzhou area: "The Japanese Turkey Fei Yuan Division has broken through the Lan Feng defensive line, advancing straight toward Kaifeng. The First War Zone reports that the Yuxi eastern defenders have been fighting bitterly for over a month, suffering heavy casualties, and may not hold out long."

He moved the pointer west: "If Kaifeng falls, the Japanese can advance south along the Pinghan line, seize Xinyang directly, and join forces with the enemy on the east to encircle Wuhan. At that point, our Fifth and Ninth War Zones would be trapped, besieged on three sides."

The conference room fell silent, save for the fan's humming. Everyone knew what that meant— the Jiangcheng battle had not yet officially begun, yet the northern front might already collapse.

"Therefore," the brigade commander's pointer struck heavily near Zhengzhou, "the General Staff recommends that the First War Zone's Yuxi eastern forces should immediately withdraw to the Yuxi western mountains, using the terrain to resist step by step. At the same time…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping the room before finally landing on the winding blue line of the Yellow River.

"To hinder the rapid advance of the Japanese mechanized forces, to cover the Yuxi western troops' withdrawal, and to buy time for Jiangcheng's defenses, we propose… Breaching the Dike."

"Boom—"

Though not an actual explosion, the impact of those four characters in the conference room was no less than that of a heavyweight bomb.

Li Yuxuan jerked his head up, a flash of disbelief in his eyes. He looked at the brigade commander, then at the seated He Yingqin and Bai Chongxi opposite him. He Yingqin wore a blank expression, while Bai Chongxi bowed his head, studying his notebook.

"Brigade commander," Cheng Qian, the First War Zone commander, spoke first, his voice hoarse, "the breaching… is of great consequence. If the Yellow River is breached, millions of civilians in Yuxi east, northern Anhui, and northern Subei…"

"I understand," the brigade commander cut him off, his tone cold and hard, "but in wartime, sometimes a price must be paid. If we do not breach the dike, the Japanese mechanized forces could reach Xinyang within ten days, and the north gate of Jiangcheng would be thrown open. Then the dead would not be only the Yuxi eastern civilians, but the entire Jiangcheng, all of Central China, and even the whole anti‑Japanese war effort!"

He stood up, both hands braced on the table edge: "Gentlemen, you are senior generals; as soldiers, you must know the Sect's great affairs, the realm of life and death, the path of survival or ruin. In extraordinary times, extraordinary methods must be employed."

A dreadful silence fell over the conference room. Li Yuxuan stared at the winding curve of the Yellow River on the map, as if he could see the torrent rushing down, flooding fields, villages, towns… displacing millions of civilians.

"Brigade commander," he finally spoke, his voice trembling with restraint, "I think this matter… requires caution."

All eyes in the room focused on him.

The brigade commander looked at him, his gaze deep: "Jingxing, what are your insights?"

Li Yuxuan stood and walked to the map. Pointing at the lower Yellow River region, he said, "Brigade commander, look: downstream of Zhengzhou, the riverbed lies above ground, known as the 'Suspended River.' Once a breach occurs, the flood will flow southeast along the terrain, passing through Yuxi east, northern Anhui, and finally joining the Huai River. This area is our Central Plains granary, densely populated."

He turned to face the assembled, his tone growing heated: "It is June now, the wheat harvest is imminent. If we breach the dike at this moment, not only will millions of civilians lose their homes, but this year's Central Plains summer grain will be lost entirely! Then where will the army's provisions come from? Where will the people's food come from?"

"Jinggong," He Yingqin said, his tone as flat as if discussing the weather, "the General Staff has considered these. But when two evils clash, we choose the lesser. Food can be sourced, for example from Sanxiang or Sichuan. Yet if Jiangcheng falls, the anti‑Japanese war effort will be shaken, and that is the true great disaster."

"Jiangcheng falls?" Li Yuxuan turned to He Yingqin, a flash of anger in his eyes, "Jingzhi brother, are we to say that our hundreds of thousands of troops, relying on the Yangtze River natural barrier and the layered defenses of the Dabie Mountains and Mu Fu Mountains, cannot hold for even a few months, and must resort to breaching the Yellow River to buy time?"

His words sounded a bit harsh. He Yingqin's complexion darkened: "Commander Li, are you questioning our army's defensive capability?"

"I'm not questioning our army," Li Yuxuan raised his voice, "I'm questioning this decision! Once the Yellow River breaches, the flood will run out of control, and the consequences are unpredictable! This is not merely a matter of how many Japanese troops are drowned, but how many Huaxia civilians are drowned! It's about how many fertile fields and villages are destroyed!"

He turned to the brigade commander, his tone almost pleading: "Brigade commander, I am in the Third War Zone and know how vital popular support is to the resistance. We conduct guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, relying on the people's backing. If today we breach the dike to stop the Japanese and flood civilians, what will the people think? They will say the government, in its pursuit of war, disregards our very lives! That would exhaust all popular support!"

The brigade commander's complexion grew ever more grim. He stared at Li Yuxuan: "Jingxing, you only see the civilians being flooded, but have you considered that if we do not breach the dike, the Japanese will surge forward, and more civilians will die? Isn't the lesson of Jinling enough?"

Mentioning Jinling made the atmosphere in the conference room even heavier. Li Yuxuan recalled the desperate faces before Jinling fell, remembered his son who had almost died in the city, and felt a pang in his heart. Yet he persisted:

"Brigade commander, Jinling was a massacre by the Japanese after the city fell. But breaching the dike… is us killing our own civilians! The nature is different!"

"Enough!" the brigade commander slammed the table, sending a teacup trembling, "Jingxing! From what standpoint are you speaking now? From the civilians' standpoint, or from the Party‑State anti‑Japanese war effort's standpoint?"

His words were already very severe. The conference room fell silent, everyone bowed their heads, daring not to meet the brigade commander's gaze.

Li Yuxuan stood his ground, his face pale, but his back straight. He knew that to retreat now would mean the decision could never be reversed.

"Brigade commander," he inhaled deeply, "I am, of course, standing on the anti‑Japanese war effort's side. But I think the true war effort is not just about military victory or defeat, but about the people's hearts! We fight this war to protect civilians, for the nation's survival. If we destroy civilians' homes with our own hands for the sake of war, what meaning does the war have?"

He looked around, addressing the silent generals: "Comrades, we command on the front lines, witnessing soldiers charge into battle, seeing civilians support the front with food, water, carrying stretchers to rescue the wounded. Why do they support us? Because they trust that we are the army that protects them! Yet today, if we decide to breach the Yellow River, drowning their kin and flooding their homes… how can they still trust us?"

His words rang out with force. A few generals were visibly moved, but no one dared to voice support.

The brigade commander stared intently at Li Yuxuan, his gaze complex—anger, disappointment, perhaps a hint of embarrassment at being called out. After a long pause, he slowly sat down: "Jingxing, I have considered what you say. But war is that cruel. Sometimes, to ensure the survival of the majority, the few must be sacrificed. You understand this principle better than I do."

"Brigade commander," Li Yuxuan's voice lowered, weary, "I do understand sacrifice. In the Battle of Taierzhuang, my son led the Fifth Army in a charge, suffering thousands of casualties. That was battlefield sacrifice, a soldier's duty. But the common folk… they are unarmed, they trust the government, entrusting their lives and property to us. How can we… how can we personally push them into the flood?"

Only the fan's hum remained in the conference room.