Chapter 251: The Military Commission

"You!"

"What's wrong with me?! Which of my words isn't the truth? You people of the Center always think of winning a great battle to showcase your merits, yet never consider the bottom soldiers' lives!"

"Don't spew false accusations!"

Just as the two were about to slam the table and insult each other in the meeting, a voice as cold as ice instantly quieted the entire conference room.

"Both of you, please sit down."

It was Li Zongren.

He didn't look at the arguing pair, but slowly rose, walked to the map, and with his baton lightly tapped the Dongting Lake beside Yueyang, producing a soft "thud thud".

"Brother Cixi's ambition, and Jian Sheng's (Bai Chongxi's courtesy name) concerns, both have merit," his voice always so calm, "but you've all mistaken one thing: what exactly are we fighting for?"

He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping the crowd: "What have we relied on in our resistance so far? Exchanging space for time! We use our vast lands to hold back the Japanese Army, wearing them down! That's our most effective strategy. Now, if we proactively concentrate our main forces to engage the Japanese Army in a decisive battle around Yueyang, we'd be abandoning our advantage and entering the rapid‑war rhythm the Japanese excel at!"

He turned to Chen Cheng, his tone becoming aggressive: "You've all overlooked a problem. The Third War Zone, Gu Zhuting, is under great pressure now; the Japanese Army's massing forces will inevitably seize our Third War Zone. At this moment, Xue Yue's th War Zone, if it launches an attack on the Japanese at Yueyang, can greatly relieve the pressure on the Third War Zone."

In fact, no one knew that the Little Devil's troops were moving extremely fast; while preparing to attack the Third War Zone, they were also shifting forces from Wuhan to Nanchang, even preparing to concentrate superior forces to annihilate the Third War Zone's troops in one blow.

Li Zongren turned again to Bai Chongxi: "Brother Jian Sheng, you say logistics are hard and the enemy situation is unclear; that is indeed a problem. But the core issue isn't whether we can fight, but whether we should. Once we take the initiative to attack, we're telling the Japanese that we can counter‑strike! What will they do? They'll pull more forces from the Pacific Ocean and from the mainland into China! Our already heavy burden will become even more unbearable! Your so‑called 'steady defense' will end up as sitting and waiting for death!"

Having fought for so many years, Li Zongren has also served as Commander several times; he knows that pure defense won't work, and sometimes a proactive strike is needed, though its effect would be far less.

"So, according to De Lian's view, we do nothing? Just watch Jiang Anguo perform alone in the sky while we stand idle on the ground?" Chen Cheng asked, dissatisfied.

"No." Li Zongren shook his head, a spark flashing in his eyes, "What I mean is to put Jiang Anguo's air force to the cutting edge! We should break this air force into pieces, using it to support the defense of each war zone, harass the Japanese rear supply lines, bomb their armories and warehouses! Make them exhausted, make them restless! Accumulate small victories into a great one, gradually weakening the enemy—that's the prudent strategy. Pinning all hope on the Yueyang battle is far too risky!"

If Jiang Anguo learned Li Zongren's thinking, he'd be the first to leap up and slam the table. I'm currently concentrating superior air force to eliminate the Japanese Army's aircraft in each war zone.

As it turns out, you want me to split the superior air force, distributing it to our side's various war zones, which just gives the Little Devil the chance to pick them off one by one.

The conference room fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Chen Cheng's offensive stance, Li Zongren's cautious realism, Bai Chongxi's reluctance to fight—three viewpoints, three positions—fully displayed the complexity of this decision.

The debate ended. Now, everyone's gaze converged on the Principal.

The Principal, eyes closed, tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop, producing a soft "thud, thud, thud". He was weighing and calculating. Chen Cheng's alluring victory blueprint was indeed tempting, but the warnings from Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi each touched the nation's survival.

Time passed second by second.

Suddenly, the Principal opened his eyes. In those deep gazes, hesitation was gone, leaving only a resolve to burn the boats.

"Enough!"

He slammed the table hard, stood up, his voice not loud but carrying undeniable authority that shocked everyone.

"De Gong, Jian Sheng's concerns, I understand them all." He spoke slowly, his voice still soft but clear to everyone, "This battle must be fought!"

He didn't know why, but at this moment he thought of that youngster, young and brimming with vigor!

As telegrams kept arriving, the air force's victories kept expanding; all Japanese Army aircraft in Central China and South China were completely destroyed.

He walked to the map, his gaze sweeping over Changsha, over Yueyang, finally landing on distant Chongqing.

The Principal looked at everyone and said, "Jiang Anguo's actions tell us the Japanese sky isn't a solid iron plate! Xue Yue's determination tells us the Japanese positions aren't immovable! This time we must fight!"

He punched the Yueyang spot on the map.

He turned to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, his tone firm: "I will have the logistics department requisition every truck in Sichuan and Guizhou, sparing no cost, to secure the th War Zone's supplies! Regarding the enemy situation Jian Sheng mentioned, I'll have Military Command and the Second Department mobilize all covert personnel, monitoring the Japanese Army's movements in North China and East China 24 hours a day! We won't fight an unprepared battle!"

Currently, there's still a route out of Sichuan: go through Chongqing, pass Zhangjiajie, reach Changde, then deliver supplies to Changsha. Of course, air transport could also send supplies to Changsha, but the National Government's transport aircraft are not many.

In fact, launching a large‑scale battle would require several months.

If we only attack Yueyang, Xue Yue's th War Zone has sufficient reserves now, but to attack Wuhan, the logistical pressure would be considerable, possibly needing several months to mobilize supplies.

Especially now that the Dian-Mian Highway is cut, with the entire supply line severed, the rear will face even greater difficulty!

The Principal took a deep breath and made the final decision:

"Transmit my orders!"

"Approve Xue Yue's operation plan!"

"Order Jiang Anguo's fighter aircraft to fully cooperate with the th War Zone, providing air support!"

"This battle, code‑named 'Heavenly Furnace'! We will use this blazing fire to melt the invaders completely on Hunan's soil!"

"Yes!"

In the conference room, everyone answered in unison. Chen Cheng's face broke into an excited smile, while Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, though still solemn, also rose slowly, accepting the Principal's final verdict.

The Principal stared at the map; after the Myanmar Campaign's failure, he could never control his emotions!

This year has been too difficult; he desperately needs a victory to prove himself!