Chapter 328: Pre‑war Reinforcement of the 11th Division

Hu Lian felt a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny in his heart as he followed the Messenger through a dense forest.

After not walking far, he saw an open clearing ahead where several guards crowded around a figure. That person wore a uniform different from theirs—a German uniform that Hu Lian had seen in 1937, yet the vigor and spirit radiated so strongly he could feel it from a distance.

Hu Lian was just about to speak a greeting, before he could show a senior‑like smile, when Jiang Anguo on the opposite side spoke first.

Jiang Anguo strode forward in large steps, giving Hu Lian no chance for small talk, turning the tables, his gaze fixed on Hu Lian as he pointed at the rolling Yangtze River and said:

"Commander Hu, since you're here, let's skip the empty formalities. This Yangtze River obstacle is, to me, just a big ditch! I've prepared the ships for you, and I've set up the Artillery. Near Ba Wang Shop I've arranged a division's weapons and equipment for you. Yichang now is an empty city; do we cross the river and charge straight in, or will you just stand by and watch me act?"

A division's equipment isn't expensive—just 50,000 points, enough.

Jiang Anguo didn't know how many troops Hu Lian had brought, but the more the better, and he couldn't afford to lack the weapons and equipment on Hu's side.

Hu Lian's expression froze instantly, his mouth open, half a sentence stuck in his throat.

No, this…

He's jumping straight to the point? No pleasantries at all, not even a 'brother‑in‑law' address. It's a completely different style from the long‑awaited, warm reunion he had imagined. In his impression, that younger brother‑in‑law who still needed senior guidance, even a bit dandy Jiang Anguo, when did he become so abrupt, even somewhat overbearing?

Hu Lian's usually calm and cunning face flashed with a hint of anger; he stepped forward, furrowed his brows and demanded, "Anguo, what do you mean? Are you issuing orders to your second brother‑in‑law? Looking down on me, aren't you?"

"Commander Hu, I don't have time for anything else right now."

Jiang Anguo was not intimidated by Hu Lian's momentum; instead he raised his wrist to glance at his watch, his tone harder than the noon sun: "I assume no one else is here, so I'll get straight to it. At 3 p. m. this afternoon, my air squadron will carry out a precise, devastating bombing of Yichang's dock. Afterwards, the Independent Regiment will board transport ships at Moji Shan, forcefully cross the Yangtze, and storm in from the opposite dock!"

His words landed like a hammer, leaving no room for rebuttal.

The commander of the 34th Regiment, Cao Jinlun, stared dumbfounded, his eyes wide as if looking at a monster, and couldn't help interjecting, "Commander Jiang, you… do you really have only one regiment? And you're going to attack Yichang?"

To a traditional Huaxia officer, using a single regiment to forcefully take a strategic stronghold held by the Japanese Army is nothing short of a pipe‑dream.

Or perhaps this colonel in front has gone mad; does he think this is a scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms!

"What, can't I even lie to you?"

Jiang Anguo gave the colonel a cold glance, his eyes carrying a hint of "you've never seen the world," clearly he didn't know the commander of the 34th Regiment and was too lazy to get to know him.

"You continue speaking; everyone else may not speak!"

Hu Lian, truly a commander who had seen the world, raised his hand to stop Cao Jinlun from speaking, squinting as he signaled Jiang Anguo to continue. He wanted to hear what this arrogantly‑tongued younger brother‑in‑law actually had up his sleeve.

Jiang Anguo was unabashed, pulling out a map and pointing to Dianjun Mountain and Yichang City, laying out his plan clearly: "Over at Xiaoting, the 150th Division has thrown everything into it, successfully drawing all Japanese Army fire. The Japanese are now fixated on rescuing Xiaoting, leaving Yichang City almost empty. The Independent Regiment's plan is to seize the opposite dock at the first opportunity, lock the Japanese attention there, while also drawing the main Japanese force inside Yichang."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he looked at Hu Lian: "I want the 11th Division, after my Independent Regiment has drawn all fire on Yichang, to land immediately on the opposite bank from the Dianjun Mountain direction. I'll provide you with transport ships; your mission isn't to fight for the beach with me, but to pierce straight into the heart of the Japanese forces in Yichang, delivering a fatal blow to the Japanese 13th Division!"

Hu Lian listened, his brows slightly relaxing as he fell into thought.

He had to admit that Jiang Anguo's plan was sound—not only logically tight but also clearly structured, a brutally ruthless 'heart‑piercing' tactic. Let the Independent Regiment act as the spearhead to bleed the enemy, then the 11th Division comes down like a hammer to crush the vital point.

Yet there remained a huge risk.

"Commander Jiang," Hu Lian lifted his head, his tone solemn, "have you considered that opposite us is a Japanese Class A Division? Though its main force has been redeployed, the remaining troops are still no small matter. Even if we combine our forces, at most we have about eight thousand men; using eight thousand men to take on a division is a vastly uneven ratio."

"Uneven?"

Jiang Anguo lifted his head, a disdainful sneer on his face: "Commander Hu, this morning my bomber formation already struck toward Dangyang and flattened a Japanese regiment! It must have been the 116th Regiment that rushed from Dangyang to reinforce Xiaoting."

"What!"

This time, even the usually composed Luo Xianda couldn't help exclaiming, "What? Flattened an entire regiment?"

"Nothing is impossible!" Jiang Anguo's voice rose sharply, brimming with arrogant confidence, "That's absolute air‑power superiority. Whether you, Commander Hu, choose to attack Yichang or not, the decision is yours. But let me make it clear: the Independent Regiment must strike Yichang today!"

Finishing, Jiang Anguo glanced around, pointed to a nearby line of trucks: "Oh, right, the equipment I prepared for the 11th Division is also behind you, all rifles, mortars and ammunition; you can send troops to collect them."

Before the words even finished, Jiang Anguo gave Hu Lian no chance to respond, not even a farewell pleasantry, and with a swift wave of his hand, he turned with his Guard Company and left.

Watching Jiang Anguo's brisk silhouette retreat, Hu Lian stood rooted in place.

A gust of river wind blew past, stinging his face with a slight pain, yet it was only late May and the north‑west wind hadn't risen.

He felt… as if he had been looked down upon.

This younger brother‑in‑law finished speaking, set the mission, even left the equipment behind and ran, treating Hu Lian purely as a cooperating assistant, without any consultation.

"Damn it..." Hu Lian laughed bitterly, stamping his foot hard, pointing toward Jiang Anguo's vanished direction, and shouted at the stunned Cao Jinlun and Luo Xianda, "Who the hell is this reasoning for?!"

Later, when Hu Lian arrived at Ba Wang Shop, he was stunned; the unopened crates were filled with brand‑new rifles, even mortars they lacked, along with bullets and shells, as if they were free.

If a single bomb were dropped, this arsenal hill would be blown skyward.

Hu Lian wasted no time, ordering all soldiers to replace their gear in batches, taking the brand‑new equipment, donning fresh uniforms; his 33rd and 34th Regiments were completely renewed.

At this point Hu Lian even felt a bit regretful; this equipment alone was enough to arm a reinforced division.

But the question remained: how did his own younger brother‑in‑law manage to transport all this equipment here?