Chapter 254: The Persuader, Jiang Anguo

Principal was silent.

He began pacing back and forth in the room, his leather shoes on the floor emitting a creak, creak, each step feeling like stepping on Jiang Anguo's heartbeat.

His mind was waging a battle between heaven and man.

Yichang! Those two characters, to him, were not merely a place name but a deep scar, a bone‑deep humiliation. The Zao‑Yichang battle, General Zhang Zizhong fell in sacrifice, Yichang fell.

From that moment, the Eastern Gate of the National Government was completely sealed.

He, the Principal, was like Liu Bei of old, trapped in the basin of Sichuan, the "hard road of Shu".

The only consolation was that he still controlled the areas south of Changsha.

But because Yichang was lost, the National Government lost the convenience of the Yangtze River; all supplies now had to travel farther roads to reach the troops.

"Jiang Anguo, you know the Myanmar Campaign's defeat, our supply lines are insufficient to fight two major battles!"

Recapture Yichang!

That thought, like a wildly growing vine, had long tangled itself in his mind. As long as Yichang could be taken, the Yangtze waterway could be reopened, linking Chongqing with the vast Central China war zone, and this deadened chessboard could be revived!

Its strategic value was more than a hundred times that of a single Yueyang!

But… the risk is too great!

"Too bold, too bold!" the Principal stopped pacing, slammed his hand on the table, causing the tea cups on it to tremble, "Jiang Anguo, do you know what this move means? It's no less than a large‑scale battle! A battle!"

His voice was filled with anxiety and struggle.

The Myanmar Campaign's disastrous defeat was like a poison sting, deeply embedded in his heart. The Expeditionary Force's elite were all lost, the Dian-Mian Highway was completely severed, and every road linking the country to the outside was cut off.

Weapons and ammunition, medical supplies, food, gasoline, clothing… which of these is not being lived on a tightened belt?

"Supplies! Our supplies are extremely scarce!" the Principal's tone was almost a roar, "To support Xue Yue in attacking Yueyang, I've emptied the pockets of the logistics department! I can't even spare extra ammunition! Now you tell me we still have to take Yichang? What are we supposed to use to fight? Fill it with the soldiers' flesh and blood?"

"Pull one hair and the whole body moves!" He sighed deeply, slumped back into his chair, hands covering his face.

Those hands that once commanded thousands of troops and decided countless lives now seemed so powerless.

He was afraid that this gamble, if lost, would not only fail to recapture Yichang but also squander the hard‑won family fortune completely.

By then, not even a counter‑offensive, let alone holding Sichuan, would be possible.

Jiang Anguo watched the Principal's painful and conflicted expression, his heart a swirl of five flavors.

He knew the Principal's concerns, but he also knew that opportunities for air strikes were fleeting. If we don't gamble now, by the time the Japanese Army's forces in Nanchang complete the encirclement of the Third War Zone, and the Japanese solidify Wuhan's defenses, Yichang will be truly hard to attack!

He had to give the Principal confidence, a confidence that would let him make up his mind.

"Principal!" Jiang Anguo's voice rang again, this time with a resolve of burning the boats, "Jiang Anguo understands the Principal's difficulty. Supplies are scarce; we won't fight an unprepared battle!"

"To attack Yichang, we let Xu Guozhang's 150th Division attack from the front, i. e., from Yichang's east side. Of course a single 150th Division is insufficient. But we can combine with the Senary War Zone's 18th Army! Fang Tian's troops, the 11th Division stationed at Shipa, right opposite Yichang, they know the terrain and the Japanese Army's situation intimately. As soon as Chongqing's order arrives, the 18th Army's 11th Division will be the sharpest knife!"

"As for supplies," Jiang Anguo paused, choosing his words carefully, "We can forgo a siege battle. My plan is to first use our Air Force main force to carry out devastating bombings on Yichang's Japanese Army airfield, Artillery positions, and command hub, destroying as much of their living force and defenses as possible. Then the 150th Division and the 11th Division will advance east‑west, storming the city at a lightning pace, engaging in street fighting, and encircling the enemy!"

Of course, Jiang Anguo was not lacking supplies; he was already devising ways to transport supplies to the Third War Zone and the th War Zone.

The wealth‑delivering boy has arrived!

Only the th War Zone and the Tertiary War Zone hold the Front, Jiang Anguo can implement his own plan.

The only trouble is Hu Lian's 11th Division.

Jiang Anguo has already had Yan Xing produce a feasibility report: the 11th Division at Shipa can only receive an Air Drop, which means heavy weapons cannot be delivered to the 11th Division.

"We don't seek to finish the job in a single battle, but to strike a perfect hit; before the Japanese Army can react, we will firmly hold Yichang city! As long as the city is in our hands, even if later supplies are difficult, we will find a way!"

These words, like a dose of a heart‑strengthening injection, struck precisely at the Principal's most concerned issue. It was not empty talk, but a relatively complete, actionable plan. Using Air Force superiority to make up for ground firepower shortfall, leveraging the 18th Army's local advantage for rapid insertion, avoiding a war of attrition.

"Principal, do you know, the 18th Army, although belonging to the Senary War Zone, still has its main force in Enshi for replenishment, with ammunition stocks insufficient for three days? Xue Yue has movements toward Yueyang, but the th War Zone itself is also at the end of its strength. What will you use to fight? Use a single 150th Division from Changde? Relying only on your aircraft in the sky is not enough to destroy the Japanese Army's 13th Division?"

Jiang Anguo did not retreat; instead he stepped forward half a pace, his voice lowered yet each word clear: "Principal, precisely because supplies are scarce, we must achieve victory by surprise."

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Principal, give us five days—within five days, the 150th Division will feign an attack from Xiaoting to draw fire. If the 18th Army forcefully crosses the Yangtze at Shimen Cave, the 11th Division will advance eastward into Yichang, three fronts advancing together, and coordinated with the Air Force to concentrate bombings on Dongshan, Zhenjing Mountain and other high points; Yichang can be taken!"

The Principal furrowed his brow, paced to the map. On the massive Central China operation map, red lines crisscrossed like a spider web, while blue lines retreated step by step.

His finger traced Yichang, paused at Wuhan, then moved toward Nanchang.

There, as Jiang Anguo said, the Japanese Army indeed had unusual movements.

The Third War Zone's Gu Zhutong unit has recently issued frequent distress calls, reporting a large number of Kwantung Army units appearing on the Zhejiang‑Jiangxi line, evidently to cut off the Sino‑American joint Air Force base.

"You mean…" the Principal suddenly squinted, "The Japanese Army's main force is being drawn by the Third War Zone, Wuhan is empty, and if we create a large‑scale battle illusion at Yueyang, the Japanese Army will shift troops northward; at that moment our forces strike Yichang, just like Sun Bin's ancient strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao?"

"No, Principal." Jiang Anguo shook his head, a hint of almost cunning smile at his mouth corner, "The 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao' is a rescue; ours is a 'make noise in the east, strike in the west'—Yueyang is the noise, Yichang the strike. Commander Xue's attack on Yueyang is merely to tie down; we taking Yichang is the true killing move."

"Principal, I understand your doubts. How about we set a date—June 1st—as the benchmark, let Commander Xue launch Xue Yue's attack, and have the 150th Division, the 18th Army, and the 11th Division converge on Yichang. Once the Japanese Army is drawn to Yueyang, I will immediately order the Air Force to take off, first bomb all Japanese fortifications surrounding Yichang, then launch a general assault."

Jiang Anguo grew more animated as he spoke, "Principal, although Yichang's fortifications are solid and the supply line stretches to Hankou, once our forces strike, reinforcements will need at least five days to arrive. Five days—if we fail, we die honorably!"

Did Jiang Anguo have confidence? Actually not much, because he didn't know how strong the 18th Army was, but the 11th Division's combat power was unquestionable; being able to guard the entrance to Chongqing indicated that this division's strength was reliable.