Chapter 310: Shipa Deploys Troops

Hu Lian sat on that mottled wooden bench, silent, his fingers rhythmically tapping his knee.

The atmosphere in the air‑raid shelter was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe. In his mind, the Telegram he had received from Chongqing not long ago resurfaced.

The instruction on it was only four characters: "Act according to the situation."

Those four characters contain a depth of knowledge that is enormous.

As the Principal's direct loyalist, how could Hu Lian not understand the old man's intentions? The Principal placed great expectations on Jiang Anguo, the "big nephew," after all Jiang Anguo had distinguished himself in Myanmar, but this is the Huaxia Battlefield.

Even if Jiang Anguo personally went to persuade the Principal, the Principal would agree to attack Yichang, yet he absolutely did not believe he could truly recapture the strategic stronghold of Yichang with that modest force. After all, it was a key Japanese Army stronghold, with towering walls and numerous artillery batteries.

The Principal neither wanted to chill the big nephew's spirit nor directly dampen his enthusiasm, and could not let the Central Army's main force be sacrificed, so he tossed the hot potato to the 18th Army and the 11th Division.

I'll leave it to you to handle. It's actually simple: if the attack goes smoothly, you help out on the front; if it doesn't, return and continue defending Shipa, lest the Little Devil seize the chance to advance westward into Chongqing.

Because under such limited logistical supply, launching multi‑front attacks and dispersing troops is a classic military taboo and is unreasonable.

Bang!

A crisp sound broke the silence.

Hu Lian slapped the table hard, sprang to his feet, and a flash of resolute light flashed in his eyes.

"Since Xu Guozhang dares to send an entire division into the Dragon Pool Tiger's Lair, I can't just stand by! My 11th Division will also go to Yichang to lend a hand!"

This is not merely lending a hand; it's a high‑stakes gamble. The bet is whether Jiang Anguo truly creates a miracle, or at least ties down the Japanese Army's main force. If one doesn't believe this, and Yichang truly falls while the 11th Division ends up a shrinking turtle, where will the 'Civil Engineering' faction's face go?

"Order!"

Swoosh! All the officers in the stone cave seemed struck by electricity, instantly rising in unison and looking at Hu Lian.

Hu Lian's gaze burned like a torch as he authoritatively issued the battle orders:

"33rd Regiment, 34th Regiment, follow me south to Yichang, depart immediately!"

He paused briefly, turned to look at China-Vietnam Route, who had been standing silently beside him, and his tone grew solemn and heavy: "After I leave, the defense of Shipa is entirely entrusted to you, China-Vietnam Route. Shipa is the nation's shield; you must hold it to the death, and be vigilant against the Japanese Army exploiting any weakness. If you lose it here, even if I win battles ahead, my head will be cut off!"

The 31st and 32nd Regiments, which have been defending Shipa year after year, cannot be redeployed lightly.

"Yes, Division Commander, rest assured!" China-Vietnam Route snapped his legs together in a salute, his voice loud and fearless.

Yin China-Vietnam Route, the commander of the 31st Brigade and also the leader of the 31st Regiment, is renowned for his composure; entrusting his back to him, Hu Lian felt at ease.

Hu Lian led the forces of two regiments southward; this was a brilliant move with clear strategic footing.

People have gone, bonds have been fulfilled, the battle has begun. Even though Jiang Anguo is his brother‑in‑law, he cannot abandon Shipa and lead all his troops to attend to you. If, upon reaching the foot of Yichang, the opportunity proves slim and Jiang Anguo and Xu Guozhang are both dying, he could simply claim a "tactical adjustment" and pull the troops back to continue defending his Shipa fortress.

If Shipa falls, he becomes a criminal of the nation.

In short, regardless of how the battle unfolds, there is only one core bottom line: the Japanese Army must never breach the Shipa Defensive Line and step even a half‑step into the rear!

He goes to seize that sliver of possible opportunity, and also to verify what that headache‑inducing brother‑in‑law has actually accomplished. You'd be better off going to Myanmar to fight the devils than making a fuss here.

"Depart!"

With Hu Lian's command, the great gate of the Shipa fortress slowly opened. In the night, two regiments of roughly five to six thousand elite troops surged out silently like a torrent of steel, advancing toward Yichang in the South.

The night wind howled as combat boots crushed the gravel.

The straight‑line distance from Shipa to Yichang is only fifteen or sixteen kilometers. If marching at a forced pace, four hours is enough to arrive.

Four hours later, dawn would be breaking.

By then, beneath Yichang City, a spectacular drama is likely to unfold.

Hu Lian strode ahead of the column, glanced back at the Shipa fortress disappearing into the darkness—a position he had defended for years and his final retreat. Then he turned, his gaze fixed like a wolf on the faint lights toward Yichang, his eyes sharp as a predator's.

"Jiang Anguo, you better hold it for me. If I find out you're messing around, I'll kill you with my own hands!" he cursed fiercely in his mind, while quickening his stride.

In Hu Lian's mind, national affairs always take precedence over family matters.

Jiang Anguo sent Hu Lian's 11th Division to Yichang, also fearing Hu Lian wouldn't come to support; as long as he arrives, Jiang Anguo considers it a great gift.

Whether it's a fully staffed American Equipment Division or a German Equipment Division, counting the ammunition resupply from one operation, the total comes to no more than forty thousand points.

Rifles cost 2.5 points each; ten thousand rifles amount to just points.

60 mm and 80 mm mortars are 50 points each; a division's battalion equipped with fifty of them totals 2,500 points.

75 mm field guns cost 75 points per piece; outfitting sixteen yields 1,200 points.

105 mm howitzers are now only 150 points each; a division‑direct artillery battalion with twelve amounts to 1,800 points.

It's simply that shells are a bit pricier; after a System Upgrade to Tier 3, rifle ammunition drops linearly, with 1 point exchangeable for forty rounds of any type of bullet.

Moreover, his previous rewards from attacking Bamo, Myitkyina, and several other campaigns lie quietly in storage, unused.

Jiang Anguo can, in a single day, obtain 96,000 points from the 24,000 troops of his four regiments.

That means, if Jiang Anguo wishes, he could arm two ten‑thousand‑person German Equipment Divisions—or American Equipment Divisions—in a day, providing sufficient fire support for that day.

Moreover, Jiang Anguo's current reserves are substantial; the points in storage have reached 3.1 million, making him practically a tycoon.

The war is fought on logistics!

Easy to say, hard to do!

Why does Jiang Anguo dare to give away weapons so generously? Because once the supplied items lack artillery support, they become a pile of scrap metal.

And precisely this allows Jiang Anguo to firmly grasp these people's lifelines.

Including Xu Guozhang's 150th Division, Jiang Anguo can supply unlimited artillery and ammunition, but once he leaves for Myanmar, those guns and shells are practically chicken‑ribs for a Sichuan Army‑origin unit like Xu Guozhang's.

The premise of overwhelming firepower is absolute logistics!

ps: got stuck again; Yichang is actually finished, and the next part goes to Jingzhou, because if I keep writing it will reach Tokyo, since it's already invincible here. The key is that I haven't figured out the main force in the South, nor whether to fight everything or leave a portion for readers to imagine. I want to leave half of the Southeast Peninsula and let everyone fill in the rest, but the stuff from the 70s‑80s still can't be written, including any contact between the sides. As for the capital, it would definitely be Singapore or Manggu; Myanmar isn't suitable, and Australia—well, we'll see.