Chapter 64: The Future of the 358th Regiment (Revised Title)

"Wu Ying, Officer Xie, do you mean that my 358th Regiment is going to be expanded?"

Xie Ming nodded. "According to current information, Officer Yan has confirmed the expansion of the 358th Regiment, which is directly under the Second War Zone. Although Nanjing has not yet given formal approval, I estimate that the matter has a high probability of success."

Currently, counting non-combat personnel, his 358th Regiment had a paper strength of about five thousand men.

However, the actual number of combatants under his command, combined with auxiliary non-combat personnel, totaled roughly eight thousand.

If an expansion were to be carried out on this basis, the number of personnel under his command would likely increase significantly.

Hearing this, Chu Yunfei could not help feeling a sense of anticipation. "Then who will command this enlarged force?"

Xie Ming kept him in suspense. "You will find out when the time comes!"

According to previously obtained information, Chu Yunfei was poised for a promotion and would directly command this newly formed force in combat.

Because of this, those of them hailing from Wutai were overjoyed.

Chu Yunfei was only in his early thirties this year, making him a representative officer of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's young Turks.

Whether in tactical theory, military competence, troop training, combat achievements, or personal conduct—he neither smoked, drank, played cards, nor chased women.

He was practically faultless in every way.

At this thought, Xie Ming suddenly drew a sharp breath.

Damn it.

Something is not right here!

How could such a flawless man possibly exist within the ranks of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army?

The 358th Regiment, the New 1st Regiment, the 2nd Regiment, the 3rd Regiment...

Could it be—

Good grief! Xie Ming felt a cold sweat instantly break out across his back.

His heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

...

Second War Zone Headquarters.

Chu Yunfei stepped out of the vehicle first, walked respectfully to the front car, and opened the door for Sun Cuiya. "Officer Sun, please."

Sun Cuiya wore a smile, clearly well-pleased by Chu Yunfei's display of respect.

His originally somewhat gloomy mood vanished entirely.

Chu Yunfei was normally immensely proud; apart from Officer Yan and Chiang Kai-shek, no one else had ever caught his eye.

The only exception was perhaps the respect he showed toward his own patron, Xu Cichen.

Sun Cuiya had never expected that Chu Yunfei would show him such deep reverence.

Little did he know...

At this moment, Chu Yunfei was actually thinking about what it would be like if he were appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Sixth Group Army.

After shaking off the meaningless mental simulations from his mind, Chu Yunfei adjusted his mood.

He raised his head and looked at the Second War Zone Headquarters.

This was the first time since arriving in this world—and only within the city of Taiyuan—that he had laid eyes on architecture of this scale.

Taiyuan was the capital of Shanxi Province, and here, the Taiyuan Pacification Commissioner's Office shared offices with the War Zone Headquarters.

Internally, within the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and across Shanxi Province, the official seal of the Taiyuan Pacification Commissioner's Office was used.

Externally, when dealing with friendly forces and superior officers, the seal of the War Zone Headquarters was used.

Old Yan's calculations were indeed meticulous.

However, once the drums of war sounded, how much longer could the "King of Shanxi" retain his throne?

Chu Yunfei adjusted his mindset, pausing for a moment in place to await the arrival of Fang Ligong and the others.

Only then did he follow Sun Cuiya and Xie Ming into the Second War Zone Headquarters.

...

Officer Xie Ming led him into a reception room to wait. "Acting on instructions from the Generalissimo, Officer Yan is currently holding a press conference."

"This evening, there will be an exclusive interview focusing on you personally, conducted by reporters from the Central Daily News, Reuters, and other agencies."

"For this interview, is there an official script?"

Xie Ming shook his head and said, "Officer Yan read the Central Daily News's previous exclusive interview with you and was extremely satisfied."

"Brother Yunfei, you naturally have no need to worry too much about this matter."

Chu Yunfei was not a fool.

From picking people up at the city gates to Xie Ming's attitude, he had already sensed the underlying clues.

After chatting a little longer about old times, Xie Ming stood up and left.

Fang Ligong, who had been waiting outside the door, walked into the room.

After closing the door, Fang Ligong sat down nearby at a gesture from Chu Yunfei.

"Commander, I just overheard some news. Our 358th Regiment is very likely to be expanded, though the specific regulations are not yet clear."

"The exact organization remains undecided, but it will at least encompass two primary infantry regiments."

Chu Yunfei nodded. "If there are two primary infantry regiments, this force can also be classified as a Class-A combat unit. However, our 358th Regiment is already an augmented regiment, and its structure will certainly not adhere to a standard establishment."

"Indeed. The Battle of Yuanping brought our army glorious achievements; it is highly probable that we will receive commendations and promotions as a result."

Fang Ligong's eyes burned with anticipation as he looked at Chu Yunfei's shoulders. "Commander, I should probably congratulate you in advance on pinning on your general's stars."

"Let's not get too happy too soon about matters that are not yet certain!"

Given the battles at Ruyue Pass and Yuanping Town, his commander, Chu Yunfei, was most likely destined for a meteoric rise.

However, nothing had been finalized yet.

As for Old Yan, his fellow provincials from the Wutai faction would undoubtedly support him.

Aside from Chu Yunfei, who else could command this force?

Who else possessed the confidence to keep proud and fierce commanders like Qian Boyong, Luo Weiguo, Zhuo Tianwei, and Liang Guoping in check?

When it came to this position, if not the Commander, then who?

Chu Yunfei possessed both the qualifications and the capability!

Once that surge of excitement passed, Chu Yunfei touched his chin, feeling that the matter might not be as simple as it seemed.

Although their 358th Regiment had performed exceptionally well and killed Major General Brigade Commander Seiichiro Shinohara, the main force that wiped out the bulk of the enemy was the Central Army of the Fourteenth Group Army.

The Battle of Zhuanshuicun had eliminated over a thousand enemies, but it was accomplished with the cooperative combat of the Eighth Route Army.

With the worsening situation at Niangniang Pass, the overall military situation across Shanxi might deteriorate even further.

Earlier, Chiang Kai-shek and the Yan'an authorities had both reminded Old Yan, urging him to pay attention to the defense of the Niangniang Pass area.

Yet, because Old Yan had no troops available to deploy, loopholes emerged in the defense of Niangniang Pass.

Consequently, the fall of Jiuguan threatened to impact the entire defensive system of the Niangniang Pass region.

Upon detecting the Japanese invaders' intentions to attack Niangniang Pass, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Fourteenth Army Corps under Feng Qinzai of the Northwest Army and the Seventeenth Division of Zhao Shoushan, both located in eastern Shanxi, along with the Third Army under the Yunnan Army's Zeng, to shoulder the defense of Niangniang Pass.

If Niangniang Pass were to fall, the strategic advantages gained in the early stages would likely vanish into thin air.

The loss of Niangniang Pass would inevitably expose the main forces in the entire Xinkou region to attacks from both front and rear.

As early as the warlord civil wars in the early Republican era, Old Yan had constructed numerous defensive installations at Jiuguan and Xinjiuguan—collectively known as Niangniang Pass.

Moreover, he routinely dispatched heavy garrisons to block anyone attempting to meddle in his Shanxi.

Before the outbreak of the War of Resistance, the National Government had also built cave-style, semi-permanent defensive fortifications there.

The ideas of Deputy War Zone Commander Huang Shaoxiong and even Chiang Kai-shek were to use a small force to hold Shijiazhuang and pin down the enemy on the front of the Peiping-Hankou Railway, preventing them from turning toward Shanxi.

However, the Japanese military were no fools.

They did not even need traitors inside the War Zone Headquarters or intercepted telegrams; relying solely on battlefield intelligence gathered through aerial reconnaissance allowed them to guess the tactical intentions of the Chinese military.

They dispatched only cavalry and mechanized units south along the Peiping-Hankou Railway, while shifting their main force toward Shanxi.

This approach ran completely counter to the notions of Chiang Kai-shek, Huang Shaoxiong, and Wei Lihuang.

Their underlying idea was to annihilate the enemy north of Xinkou, thereby preserving Taiyuan and keeping the situation in Shanxi under control.

Just as Chu Yunfei had said, Old Yan was not a pure soldier; he was a politician and a warlord.

What he considered was not how to win the war, but how to solidify his position in Shanxi.

Naturally, he could not bear to risk his dwindling Shanxi-Suiyuan Army on such a hazardous gamble.

The entire flank of Shanxi—namely the Taihang Mountains—had been completely exposed, forming a long and thin defensive line.

Garrisoning Niangniang Pass heavily was done merely because that route could accommodate heavy equipment and facilitate logistics for their large forces.

If one spoke solely of attacks by small infantry and cavalry units, the enemy had countless paths by which to infiltrate the interior of Shanxi.

"Brother Ligong, this matter is probably not that simple."

Chu Yunfei continued, "Inside the Second War Zone Headquarters, apart from the Eighth Route Army Commander and Sixth Group Army Commander Sun, it seems only Officer Yan remains."

General Yang was inspecting the front lines, General Huang was inspecting the front lines, General Wei was inspecting the front lines...

Why was there a need to inspect the front lines?

Was it not because they were losing the upper hand and the situation was turning perilous?

Otherwise, why inspect the front lines at all?

"Commander, what do you mean?"

Just as Chu Yunfei was about to speak, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and a man in a Western-style suit stepped into the room.

Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar man, Chu Yunfei hurriedly stood up. "Director Zhao!"

"Commander Chu, Chief of Staff Fang."

In a fraction of a second, Chu Yunfei regained his composure and continued, "Mr. Zhao, please sit."

Fang Ligong stood up, made a gesture of invitation, and seeing that there was no one behind the visitor, closed the door himself and sat quietly to one side.

"Commander Chu, this is the first time we've met, isn't it?"

For the first time, Fang Ligong noticed a trace of slight tension in his commander's expression.

"Indeed, this is indeed our first meeting."

Chu Yunfei smiled slightly and took the initiative to probe, "What brings Mr. Zhao here today?"

"I have long heard that Commander Chu is Officer Yan's trump card, and there are even rumors circulating that Commander Chu is Officer Yan's sharpest blade..."

Chu Yunfei laughed. "Hahaha, Mr. Zhao, you flatter me far too much."

"I, Chu Yunfei, am a soldier. A soldier's bounden duty is to defend his territory, protect his country, and obey orders."

His tone was resonant, and he emphasized the phrase "defend the territory and protect the country" with great weight.

Mr. Zhao simply went along with the flow and smiled. "I have long heard that Staff Officer Xie once stated at a War Zone Headquarters operational meeting that your remark—'The great land of the Three Shanxi cannot breed a Chu Yunfei who clings to life and fears death'—was deafening. I have come here today precisely out of admiration for Commander Chu's character."

"You flatter me, sir. I have merely fulfilled a soldier's duty. I have always held great admiration for Mr. Zhao's integrity and conduct."

While acknowledging Mr. Zhao's praise, Chu Yunfei continued to express his stance: "I have always maintained that in resisting the Japanese invaders, we must repay blood with blood and tooth for tooth."

Seemingly recalling something, Mr. Zhao lowered his gaze and said softly, "If all the domestic armies were elites like the 358th Regiment, the war perhaps would not be so arduous..."