Chapter 309: Yiling, Shen Hour, Troop Deployment

On the lands of Jing and Chu, another clash of swords and spears unfolds.

Jiang Anguo was lying on a secluded clearing in the forest, resting, with damp dead grass beneath him. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open, the pupils shining terrifyingly in the darkness, without any of the drowsy haze of just waking, only an instant of sharp clarity.

Jiang Anguo stared at the numbers on the system, his eyelids flickering. Nearly two hundred thousand points! This is no small skirmish; it's enough to wipe out more than an entire Japanese regiment.

He immediately calmed and analyzed. The radio of the Independent Regiment's main force was silent, unable to contact the outside world. But based on earlier deployments, he inferred that no large‑scale gunfire had been heard from the Yichang direction, and it was not yet time for a full assault on Yichang.

Since it wasn't Yichang, it could only be the direction of Xiao Ting.

Or… it might be Japanese reinforcements heading to support Xiao Ting.

Jiang Anguo quickly searched the kill list and soon locked onto the heaviest name.

Kill: Japanese Army 116th Regiment Commander, He Er Jilong.

Dangyang direction.

"Good fellow!" Jiang Anguo couldn't help but mutter inwardly.

The 116th Regiment had originally come out of Dangyang to support Xiao Ting, and now even its commander is dead—the result is obvious. William's air squad earned merit; with his P‑38 fighter formation, they actually wiped out a Japanese main regiment midway!

Jiang Anguo curled a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. Indeed, truth lies not only within artillery range but also above the clouds. In a sky where the Japanese had no air superiority, William's P‑38 was a death‑scythe hanging over the enemy's heads.

He now feels immensely grateful for his seemingly crazy decision back then: before the Japanese could react, he used superior air power to concentrate on destroying all Japanese military airfields in Central and South China.

That move now looks like a stroke of genius. In today's sky, he calls the shots.

Although the Independent Regiment's radio remained silent, before crossing the Yangtze River Jiang Anguo had left a code for Xu Guozhang in the Xiao Ting direction.

If Xu Guozhang's 150th Division, after crossing the Yangtze River and preparing to advance toward Xiao Ting, should send a four‑character telegram to Hu Lian of the 11th Division stationed at Shipa Fortress:

"Yiling, Shen hour, troop deployment."

Yiling is the ancient name of Yichang. The Japanese may or may not know Three Kingdoms history, but given their arrogant habit, they would never believe the Chinese army would dare to directly assault the well‑defended Yichang City at this moment.

Shen hour refers to the period from 3 p. m. to 5 p. m.

The telegram's meaning is clear: at 3 p. m., the main force reaches Yichang for troop deployment, ready to attack.

And the troop deployment point lies at Luo Jia Chong, not far from where Jiang Anguo has hidden his soldiers, with Moji Shan on the side.

Time passes; it is now 4 a. m.

Shipa Fortress, inside a concealed anti‑air shelter.

Division Commander Hu Lian of the 11th Division was sleeping groggily when a sudden rush of footsteps and shaking jolted him awake.

"Division Commander! Urgent telegram!"

Hu Lian sat up abruptly, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and took the telegram paper handed by the staff officer. It contained only those simple eight characters, yet they thundered in his mind like a flash of lightning.

"Yiling, Shen hour, troop deployment."

Hu Lian stared at the telegram for a while, then, exasperated, slapped the paper onto the desk.

"That Xu Guozhang is something else—when did he become a cultured man? He sent the telegram all flowery, really pulling out a literary bag!" Hu Lian shook his head, a faint grin of irritation on his face, "What's even more outrageous is that he dares to order me!"

One must know that the 11th Division is the elite core of the Nationalist Army's direct line, dubbed the 'Civil Engineering Corps,' well‑equipped and fiercely powerful, always looking down on others. For a division commander of a 150th Division like Xu Guozhang to issue such a directive to the 11th Division shows he doesn't even consider the 11th Division.

But jokes aside, Hu Lian's gaze quickly grew solemn.

The 11th Division's organization is unique, employing a 'two‑brigade, four‑regiment' structure plus directly‑subordinate units, bringing its total strength to over ten thousand troops—a truly reinforced division.

"Division Commander, what should we do?" Deputy Division Commander and commander of the 33rd Brigade's 33rd Regiment, Luo Xianda, asked gravely from beside him.

Although the 11th Division uses the two‑brigade, four‑regiment setup, it essentially adds an extra infantry regiment; for example, the commander of the 31st Brigade is in fact the commander of the 31st Regiment, Yin China-Vietnam Route.

Hu Lian did not answer immediately; instead he closed his eyes, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, as if weighing pros and cons.

"What's the situation with the Army Commander?" Hu Lian asked after a moment.

Chief of Staff Wang Yuanzhi held a thick intelligence book, flipped through several pages, and reported, "Division Commander, the latest intelligence shows the Army Commander is leading the main forces toward Yichang."

The 18th Army, commanded by Fang Tian.

Upon hearing this, the anti‑air shelter fell silent, the atmosphere instantly becoming oppressive.

All present were battle‑hardened commanders, each keeping their own tally. The 18th Army was garrisoned in Enshi, with its main forces there. Although Enshi is only about two hundred kilometers in a straight line from Yichang, it is separated by a vast expanse of ten‑thousand‑mountain ranges.

The area is filled with high, rugged peaks, terrain extremely complex, with no roads at all, and even decent small paths are scarce.

For an army to break out of Enshi, traversing the mountains, marching would be extremely difficult. At a normal pace, without ten days to half a month, the ten‑thousand‑mountain barrier cannot be crossed.

Ten days to half a month? The daylilies would be cold!

In other words, expecting the Army Commander's main forces to come to the rescue is simply impossible.

The stone cave was so quiet that even a dropped needle could be heard. Everyone understood that this game now might truly have to be played by themselves.

"Division Commander, is Xu Guozhang mad?" Yin China-Vietnam Route, commander of the 31st Brigade, broke the silence, his tone full of disbelief and doubt, "A 150th Division, even with that so‑called Independent Regiment, daring to attack Yichang? Yichang City houses the Japanese 13th Division, a Class A Division!"

That is indeed madness. Logically, with the equipment and manpower of a 150th Division, confronting Yichang's hard stone is like striking stone with an egg.

The Japanese in Yichang City number at least ten thousand, and when combined with other units, the minimum is fifteen thousand.

Hu Lian gave a wry smile, slowly opened his eyes, a complex glint flashing in his gaze.

"It's more than madness." He sighed, as if making a resolve, his tone becoming somewhat ominous, "You may not know, Xu Guozhang has an Independent Regiment that just returned from Myanmar; who is its regiment commander?"

The others exchanged glances, looking at Hu Lian.

"The commander of that Independent Regiment is my brother‑in‑law."

"What?!"

The anti‑air shelter instantly filled with gasps of disbelief. Luo Xianda, Wang Yuanzhi, Yin China-Vietnam Route and others widened their eyes as if hearing a tall tale.

"Xu Guozhang's 150th Division is now attacking Xiao Ting; if the 150th can draw the Japanese in Yichang over, it's not impossible," Luo Xianda mused, lowering his head.

"Our division only has about ten thousand men, we lack enough boats; how can we cross the Yangtze?" Wang Yuanzhi threw out the most direct question.