Chapter 295: Xue Yue

May 31, 4 a. m., th War Zone, Miro Front Command.

Xue Yue, holding the telegram in his hand, finally let out a sigh of relief.

It is easy to imagine that Xue Yue's decision to launch an offensive on Yueyang also placed an enormous pressure on him.

If it were not for Jiang Anguo's advance shipment of weapons and equipment, especially those mortars.

and the air support, Yueyang might not have been taken at all.

"We finally captured it!" Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi, whose eyes were bloodshot from lack of rest, exclaimed.

Xue Yue felt the same, but he kept the solemnity of a war‑zone commander: "Immediately order Li Yutang to pull back the 3rd Division; casualties are too heavy. Let the 10th Army under Fang Xianjue fortify Yueyang City, the Little Devil's counterattack is coming at once."

Li Yutang's 10th Army was Xue Yue's genuine trump card, the anchor of his northern Hunan defensive line. Yet even this trump card paid a grievous price in the assault on Yueyang. The 3rd Division, serving as the vanguard, was almost halved under the ferocious resistance of the Japanese Army's 6th Regiment.

The battle for Yueyang railway station was nothing short of a meat grinder. Both sides wrestled over that tiny piece of ground more than a dozen times. Every inch of rail, every sleeper was piled with countless corpses. Blood stained the roadbed, and when it rained the runoff turned a dark crimson.

When the Japanese Army's 6th Regiment defending Yueyang saw Huaxia Army reinforcements enter the city, and realized their own reinforcements were delayed, the regiment commander Fujii Yoji ordered a withdrawal.

"Zhou Qingxiang is a tough nut," Xue Yue muttered low, praising the 3rd Division commander, "but only a tough nut can gnaw away at the Japanese Army's hard bone."

Wu Yizhi sighed, staring at the Yueyang station circled in red on the map, as if he could see the mountain of corpses there: "Indeed, the 3rd Division lost more than half its strength—that's only the preliminary post‑war count. The Japanese 6th Regiment's tenacity exceeded our expectations. They even launched multiple 'Ten‑Thousand‑Year Charges', clashing bayonets with us, as if they intended to die together with us."

Xue Yue snorted coldly: "Their Bushido Spirit is poisoned too deeply. Still, no matter how stubborn they are, Yueyang is now ours. This battle shattered the Japanese Army's swagger and bought us precious room for our next deployments."

He turned, his gaze sweeping over the busy staff in the command post: "Go quickly, notify all units. Also, Yizhi…"

Wu Yizhi replied promptly: "Yes, sir."

Xue Yue thought for a moment, pointing to the radio on the table: "Should we send a telegram to the Chongqing side? This battle was hard‑fought; the Principal is surely waiting for front‑line news. Reporting a victory will also ease the old man's mind. After all, domestic and foreign public opinion is watching us."

Wu Yizhi nodded: "I understand; this also boosts morale for the nation's troops and civilians. Since the Battle of Changsha we have won some victories, but capturing a heavily fortified Japanese stronghold like this is a first. This battle report must be written beautifully."

"Don't be too flamboyant; be factual," Xue Yue waved his hand, though a hint of a smile tugged at his mouth, "organize the report, include detailed casualty figures, captured supplies, and our next defensive plan. Send it over shortly."

Xue Yue was about to rest, but another telegram arrived; the telegraph operator, looking at the text, was naturally puzzled.

It wasn't addressed to Xue Yue, but to Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi.

"Chief of Staff, this is a strange telegram; I'm not sure what it is," the operator said, clutching a secret dispatch, his expression confused, not handing it directly to Xue Yue.

"What makes it strange?" Xue Yue, having taken Yueyang, asked, and Wu Yizhi, in a decent mood, replied, "What!"

Wu Yizhi was shocked; the content was too staggering.

"What's wrong with Yizhi?" Xue Yue asked, looking at Wu Yizhi oddly.

Wu Yizhi's complexion turned odd as he stepped to the operational map and placed a marker for his side: "Sir, the 150th Division captured Yidu yesterday."

The spot Wu Yizhi marked was indeed Yidu.

Xue Yue was startled: "What does this mean!"

Xue Yue looked closely; Yidu lies near Yichang, south of Xiaoting.

Changde belongs to the 6th War Zone, directly under Chongqing command, and the city is defended by the 150th Division, Xu Guozhang's troops.

The senior officers of th War Zone all understood that Changde's contribution—thanks to the Independent Regiment's weapons from that direction—helped secure Yueyang smoothly.

The facts proved that with a sufficient number of mortars, the Huaxia Army could engage the Japanese Army in direct offensive‑defensive battles.

"Xu Guozhang ordered my th War Zone to hold Yueyang at all costs, to tie down the Japanese forces in Central China," Wu Yizhi could not believe a division commander was ordering a war‑zone commander.

The key was still a Sichuan Army division commander.

Xue Yue could not believe what he heard; he snatched the telegram, which clearly stated that the 150th Division had seized Yidu, planned to cross the river to attack Xiaoting, and hoped th War Zone would hold Yueyang to buy time for taking Yichang.

Xue Yue clearly saw the 150th Division's intention: strike Yichang!

"Why didn't I know the Military Commission plans to attack Yichang?" Xue Yue's mind swirled with ten thousand questions.

When did the Military Commission decide to attack Yichang, and why was this war‑zone commander left in the dark?

The crux is why, at such a critical moment attacking Yueyang, they would also launch an offensive on Yichang.

It should be noted that th War Zone's weapons and ammunition are extremely limited now; without Jiang Anguo's provisions, they could not be sure of taking Yueyang.

Capturing Yueyang was already hard enough, let alone assisting the 6th War Zone to hold it to the death.

Indeed, Xu Guozhang was employing a hold‑to‑the‑death strategy.

"No, does Xu Guozhang think he's the Jade Emperor? One division daring to attack Yichang," Xue Yue kept questioning.

Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi wore a puzzled expression as well.

On our side, we deployed two armies against Yueyang, while Xu Guozhang dared a single division to assault the heavily defended Yichang.

Everyone knows the Zao‑Yi Campaign; the most critical point was exposing our right flank, leading to Zhang Zizhong's death and the loss of Yichang, a key gateway into Sichuan.

With Yichang in Japanese hands, the initiative to advance on Chongqing and Sichuan fell to the Japanese.

It is like a fishbone stuck in the throat—most apt.

Precisely because Yichang fell to the Japanese, Xue Yue must not only defend against their attacks on Changsha, but also intermittently dispatch troops to harass Japanese forces on both banks of the Yangtze River, preventing them from massing at Yichang; otherwise Chongqing would be in grave danger.

Yichang's fall also severely impacted the 5th War Zone and the supply issues of th War Zone.

The Yangtze River serves as a supply line for both the Japanese Army and the Huaxia Army.

After the Japanese seized Yichang, material supplies from the Chongqing‑Sichuan side had to travel farther, crossing higher mountains via Chongqing, Enshi, Zhangjiajie, reaching Changde, and then be shipped from Changde to Xue Yue.

Thus, one can see how little remains after this thousand‑plus‑mile supply line finally reaches Changsha.