Chapter 250: Our and Enemy Dispositions, Yueyang

Liu Bei lost Jingzhou, which led to the later Battle of Yiling, and Yiling is present‑day Yichang.

Jiang Anguo is now set to attack Yichang; the terrain is truly rugged.

It is like Lashu, occupying a key route and being stuck firmly on the only road into Sichuan.

However, Changsha in the th War Zone and Chongqing in the Senary War Zone, because of Yichang's fall, cannot be linked together.

It's not that they truly can't connect; rather, rear supplies cannot go by water, and overland would require crossing a hundred‑thousand mountains, cutting the loss of supplies in transit by half.

Leaving Sichuan is difficult.

Jiang Anguo now thinks carefully that only the 150th Division in Changde can attack Yichang head‑on.

The other attacking force that can strike Yichang's rear is the Shipa Guard, the Eleventh Division under Hu Lian.

Jiang Anguo turned, looked at Xu Guozhang, and said with unquestionable tone:

"Officer Xue's elite troops from the th War Zone are holding the Japanese Army's forces in Yueyang, and the Japanese in Wuhan will surely be drawn out. Old Xu, you know that the Third War Zone is also at war. The Japanese might move troops from Nanchang to encircle the Third War Zone; if Officer Xue moves forces north, not only can they hunt the Little Devil in Yueyang, but also pull the Little Devil from Nanchang over."

In fact, Xu Guozhang does not know much about the movements in the same direction as the Third War Zone.

However, Xue Yue's initiative to attack Yueyang did Jiang Anguo a favor.

"Officer Xue's move 'encircle Wei to rescue Zhao' not only eases the pressure on the Third War Zone; if at this moment we also redeploy the Little Devil in Yichang, that would be the perfect time for us to strike and retake Yichang in one blow!"

"By the way, Old Xu, which units of the Little Devil are in Wuhan?" Jiang Anguo asked, turning back.

"Got it! Little brother, you don't even know your opponent; it's the Japanese Senary Division and the Third Division." Xu Guozhang looked at Jiang Anguo with a puzzled face.

"Old Xu, they have been fighting in Myanmar all the time, so they don't know this area well."

The Third Division and the Senary Division are both permanent divisions.

They are also among the perpetrators of the Nanjing Massacre.

Jiang Anguo felt a hint of confusion: why is the defender of Yichang the Japanese Thirteenth Division, not the Third or Senary Division?

The Thirteenth Division is also organized as a Class A Division, but compared with the Japanese long‑standing permanent divisions, it still falls short.

Clearly, several units could be swapped between defense sectors.

Although puzzled, Jiang Anguo could not find an answer!

Jiang Anguo led Xu Guozhang to the airport and indeed saw the weapons and equipment Jiang Anguo had mentioned; Xu Guozhang was extremely excited.

Still unable to believe it, Xu Guozhang said, "Little brother, don't try to fool me!"

Jiang Anguo laughed, "What's up, Old Xu, you still want me to deliver it to you?"

"Got it, got it, Little brother, a mouthful of spit and a nail, I'll have someone bring it back immediately." Xu Guozhang, fearing he was dreaming.

He opened one of the crates, which contained ten Mauser rifles; Xu Guozhang picked up a Mauser, ran his hand over it, a brand‑new rifle with oil still on it.

"Good stuff!" Xu Guozhang said, looking at the rows of mortars. If we have this gear, what fear the Little Devil!

Chongqing, Huangshan Residence.

The atmosphere at the supreme military conference was heavier than the fog over the mountain city, as if the air itself had solidified into lead blocks pressing on everyone's hearts.

The massive rose‑wood conference table glowed dimly; seated at the center was the Principal, his face hidden in the lamp's shadow, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of a telegram.

It was a request‑to‑fight telegram from Changsha's Xue Yue; each character radiated scorching heat, yet it dropped the whole conference room's temperature to freezing.

"Officer Xue's telegram, everyone has read," the Principal said calmly, without hint of joy or anger, "He wants to exploit the enemy air force's damage, launch an immediate counterattack, and seize Yueyang."

He lifted his gaze, slowly scanning each person present.

On the left sat the solemn Chen Cheng, on the right the stern Bai Chongxi, and further down the recently arrived Li Zongren from the Fifth War Zone, dust‑covered. These men upheld half of the National Government's realm and wielded the life‑and‑death authority over millions of troops.

"What are your thoughts on this plan?"

Silence. No one spoke first.

Everyone knew that the first speaker would be placing the opening piece on this board.

Finally, Chen Cheng cleared his throat and sprang to his feet.

He has always been the Principal's staunchest supporter; his stance often indicates the prevailing wind.

"Principal, I think this proposal is feasible! And it must be carried out!" His voice was not loud but firm, bearing an undeniable decisiveness, "Officer Xue is not reckless! He fought three Battle of Changsha engagements, steady and never missed a strike! His current counterattack proposal must mean he has seen an opportunity we have not."

He walked to the map, lifted a slender baton, and hammered it onto Wuhan's spot: "Jiang Anguo's air raid means more than destroying a few aircraft! It has disrupted the Japanese Army's entire command and supply system! Now, rail and road transport from Wuhan to Yueyang will inevitably descend into chaos! This is a providential chance, a gift from God!"

"Our soldiers fought bravely in defensive battles, yet they were stifled! They have held the line for six years; now is the time to let them go on the offensive and retake lost ground. Capturing Yueyang not only pulls out the nail under Changsha's eyelid, but also proves to the nation's troops, to President Roosevelt, to Prime Minister Churchill that the Chinese army can launch a counterstrike! This will greatly aid our quest for international aid and boost anti‑war morale beyond measure!"

Chen Cheng's speech, full of passion and charisma, gave the stifling air in the conference room a hint of relief.

However, a slow, heavily Guangxi‑accented voice rose, like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the spark.

"Brother Chen Cixi, you are gambling the lives of hundreds of thousands of brothers for a hollow reputation!"

Bai Chongxi leaned back in his chair, not moving a muscle, simply lifted his tea cup, gently blew the steam, his eyes full of sarcasm.

"I admire Officer Xue's courage. But war does not rely on hot‑blooded zeal, nor on drawing a few red arrows on a map!" He set down the cup, his gaze sharpening, "I will ask you some practical questions!"

"First, the supply line! The hundreds of thousands of troops in the th War Zone push forward; in northern Hunan there are several rivers and roads. How will we get our grain and ammunition there? By men shoulder‑carrying? When the front line fires intensely, how many shells are consumed per day? Can the logistics staff guarantee it? If the Japanese cut off the rear, the hundreds of thousands of troops could not retreat—can Chen Cixi bear that consequence?"

"Second, the enemy situation! Our bombing of the airport does not mean the Japanese Army is gone! The Little Devil's Eleventh Army in Wuhan still numbers over a hundred thousand, well‑equipped! When we attack Yueyang, will the Japanese in North China and East China just watch us? If they shift a few divisions from elsewhere to form a counter‑encirclement, what then?"

"Third, casualties! What will we use to assault the Japanese fortifications? Our own flesh and blood? In the third Battle of Changsha we won, but we all know the losses we suffered! Now to go on the offensive again means letting our elite trade lives with the Japanese once more. If what we capture is a ruin and we sacrifice our most experienced backbone, what meaning does this war still have?!"

Each of Bai Chongxi's three questions hit like a heavy hammer, crushing the hearts of everyone present. He offered no grand theory, only the most practical numbers and the harshest possibilities.

Chen Cheng's face turned the color of pork liver; he slammed the table and roared, "Bai Chongxi! What kind of words are these! What is a hollow reputation? This is the recovery of our land! This is national righteousness! You are always so timid, how can the anti‑Japanese war ever win?!"

"I am timid?" Bai Chongxi sprang up with a sharp "whoosh," unyielding, countering, "I am responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers! Chen Cixi, you sit in the Chongqing residence and can speak lightly! Ask the frontline commanders, ask the generals and division commanders who fight the Japanese daily—who dares say they will launch an offensive without absolute certainty? This is not a time for heroics! This is joking with the nation's lifeline!"

ps: In fact, looking back now and considering the Japanese forces stationed in Wuhan, I understand that the Japanese Thirteenth Division, although the main force in the Zao‑Yi battle, was also used to disgust the Chongqing side, because the Principal served in the Thirteenth Division's artillery when he was in Japan, and the Little Devil also used this unit to block Yichang.