Chapter 56: Zhang Fugui Leads the Team to Provide Support, Qian Bojun Offers Strategic Advice. (Please continue reading)

"Boom...!"
"Boom, boom...!"

An entire squadron of Japanese invaders attempting a flanking maneuver had its formation shattered in the blink of an eye. Individual squad leaders and platoon leaders roared at the top of their lungs, ordering their men to scatter immediately.

Chunks of flesh, shrapnel, dust, and withered branches flew in all directions. Once the artillery barrage began, there was no reason for it to end. Shell after shell rained down in relentless succession.

The order Chu Yunfei had given was for sustained bombardment. This meant that without a direct order from him, the mountain artillery battalion would not cease its fire from the moment it began!

"Old Bian, that's our artillery! It's definitely the commander calling for support!"

Bian Fucheng laughed heartily, raising the heavy broadsword in his hand to hack an ignorant little Japanese soldier down into the mud. "Goddamn it, thanks to the mountain artillery battalion!"

Bian Fucheng was a tall and sturdy man. At this moment, he was drenched in sweat, his muscles bulging. The scars earned from vicious hand-to-hand combat looked utterly ferocious on his body. Illuminated by the red flares, he looked precisely like a furious Vajra Arhat.

Seeing Bian Fucheng striking a combat stance and preparing to lead his men forward in another charge, Sun Ming hurriedly grabbed his sweat-soaked left arm. "What are you doing, Old Bian? It's time to fall back!"

Bian Fucheng was at a loss for words, hesitating for a moment. "I..."

"Old Bian, don't forget how the commander planned this. If the little Japanese show any signs of preparation, we fall back immediately." Sun Ming urged. "Besides, think about it—after all this chaos we've raised, those bastards won't be getting a good night's sleep. Our mission is already accomplished!"

Bian Fucheng nodded heavily, stretching his neck and roaring at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, get ready to fall back! Throw all your grenades and treat the little Japanese to a full meal!"

"Boom...! Boom...!"

The artillery support continued as the soldiers fought and retreated simultaneously.

By this time, Qian Bojun had already arrived by Chu Yunfei's side. "Commander, the Seventh and Eighth Companies have completed their assembly. Qian Bojun requests permission to lead the troops forward to provide support!"

"You are a battalion commander! You are a commanding officer!" Chu Yunfei rebuked sternly. "Sticking to your respective duties is fundamental. Where are Xue Jie, Liu Wang, and the others?"

"Reporting to the commander, both the Seventh and Eighth Company commanders have been wounded... and their respective deputy commanders have already fallen in action."

Zhang Fugui straightened his chest and stepped forward. "Commander, Zhang Fugui requests permission to lead the troops in support!"

Chu Yunfei stood with his hands behind his back. After a brief moment, he stepped forward and patted Zhang Fugui on the shoulder. "I'll wait for your return!"

"Yes, Commander!"

At a time like this, Zhang Fugui was no coward. He pulled the C96 pistol from his holster and charged right out of the command post.

Chu Yunfei cast a sidelong glance at Qian Bojun, then raised the binoculars in his hand. High above the battlefield, the illumination flares were still suspended in the night sky.

Qian Bojun looked somewhat hesitant. "Commander..."

Chu Yunfei turned his head to look at him. "You and I are brothers. What is there left to hesitate about?"

Qian Bojun sighed. "Our troops have been engaged in bloody combat for seven or eight days now... yet the reinforcements have still not arrived..."

"Let's not dwell on that anymore. You and I are soldiers. We obey orders and defend our soil. Without an order, no one is permitted to withdraw on their own authority."

Qian Bojun paused. "Commander, might I have a word..."

Chu Yunfei nodded, just as he had said before. You and I are brothers, what is there that cannot be spoken aloud?

"Go ahead, I'm listening with rapt attention."

Qian Bojun hesitated slightly before continuing, "I was wondering if we might alter our combat strategy, focusing primarily on preserving our effective strength..."

"Oh? Do you have any specific ideas in mind?"

Qian Bojun nodded. "Currently, in order to buy time, our forces have mostly adopted the form of positional defense, meeting the invading Japanese forces head-on."

"Although our defensive fortifications are well-constructed and the mortar support is prompt enough, against the enemy's tanks, armored vehicles, and field artillery, our sixty-millimeter mortars appear rather powerless..."

"Our range is insufficient, and our firepower is lacking..."

Chu Yunfei nodded. Everything Qian Bojun said were objective facts.

"Today, although the support from the mountain artillery battalion was timely..."

"You and I both know, Commander, that tomorrow the enemy aircraft will undoubtedly carry out targeted raids... and our mountain artillery battalion will most likely be compromised..."

"So, what do you propose to do?"

Qian Bojun did not hesitate, speaking directly. "Commander, I suggest transitioning from positional defense to mobile warfare, or even guerrilla warfare. We should break down into smaller units to harass the enemy, utilizing the characteristics of our mortar platoons—small, fast, and flexible."

"We must make them pay an extremely heavy and painful price for every single step they advance!"

Chu Yunfei nodded and broke into a smile. "Not bad. That's a very good idea, but it won't work at this current stage."

"Commander, why is that?"

Qian Bojun was thoroughly puzzled. It was completely obvious that Chu Yunfei agreed with his perspective. Otherwise, knowing his temperament, Chu Yunfei would have remained entirely silent.

"Because a detachment of the little Japanese has broken through the Fourteenth Group Army's encirclement and has already exchanged fire with our Second and Fourth Battalions over the last two days."

"Commander... I am aware of this."

Qian Bojun frowned in thought, then tentatively asked, "Commander, could it be that you intend to rely solely on our 358th Regiment to annihilate this bunch of Japanese?"

Chu Yunfei nodded and chuckled lightly. "Are you saying we can't do it?"

Qian Bojun shook his head. "But Commander... at this rate, our troop strength and equipment..."

"This is not the time to calculate personal gains and losses. For the sake of this war, you, I, and all our brothers must be prepared at a moment's notice to sacrifice everything to secure the survival of our country and nation."

Chu Yunfei motioned for Qian Bojun to sit nearby. "I know your concerns, but I can tell you clearly: even if the 358th Regiment is wiped down to the last man, it will still be the 358th Regiment. That will never change!"

After all, when some of the miscellaneous local factional armies were completely wiped out, Chiang Kai-shek would swiftly strip away their designations, leaving their military commanders to live under others' roofs, hanging on with nominal deputy titles.

Although Qian Bojun was merely a major battalion commander, he had spent over a decade traversing the battlefields and possessed his own network of connections, so getting wind of certain information was normal enough.

What do people fight wars for in the first place?

First, to protect the borders and the common folk, and to resist foreign aggression. Even if one dies on the battlefield, a separate page will be opened in the ancestral lineage book with supreme glory—this is a soldier's duty.

Second, a soldier dies for one who truly appreciates him. Qian Bojun was willing to fight for Chu Yunfei and for Old Yan; this was to repay the grace of being recognized and employed by them.

Third, naturally, it was for military merit and rewards—to benefit oneself and live a good life.

Qian Bojun was human, and Chu Yunfei was human, too. After fighting for such a long time without seeing any reinforcements arrive... it was entirely natural for Qian Bojun to have these misgivings.

Upon receiving Chu Yunfei's solemn promise, Qian Bojun visibly relaxed a great deal.

However, the truth was that even Chu Yunfei could not quite grasp Chen Changjie's attitude.

He could not fathom why there was still no news of support from Chen Changjie's 61st Army. Throughout the entire Yuanshiping County region, Chen Changjie's forces were the only Shanxi-Suiyuan army unit with the spare capacity to dispatch reinforcements and lend a helping hand.

It had been seven days...

He couldn't make contact, nor could the Second War Area Headquarters.

Where on earth was the 61st Army?