Chapter 7: Old Miser Yan Is Truly Stingy!

Although Sun Cuiya was deeply trusted by Old Man Yan, at this point in time, Old Man Yan was heavily influenced by Chiang Kai-shek’s penchant for micromanagement. Orders were frequently handed down directly to the regimental and brigade levels, effectively leaving Sun Cuiya’s position as Deputy Commander of the 6th Group Army as little more than a figurehead. Furthermore, warlord armies shared a long-standing tradition: when allied forces were in trouble, one remained as motionless as a mountain, sweeping only the snow from one's own doorstep and ignoring the frost on a neighbor’s roof.

Sun Cuiya felt this deputy commandership was entirely meaningless. Having returned to report for duty, he had no intention of going back to command operations. When Old Man Yan was in his most jubilant mood, Sun wore a look of deep concern, reminding him not to underestimate the opponent of the 358th Regiment. They belonged to the elite combat sequence of the Japanese Kwantung Army, equipped with vast numbers of artillery pieces, tanks, and armored vehicles. In other words, Sun was worried that while the 358th Regiment might win, their own casualties would be equally devastating. He argued that sending reinforcements—even just to bolster the defenses of Fanzhi County and secure a line of retreat—would be a wise move.

Old Man Yan knew of Sun’s talent and loyalty. Among the many men around him, Sun was the only one who dared to whisper such warnings at this time. After knitting his brows in thought for a moment, Yan sighed slightly, grabbed Sun’s arm, and patted it. "Cuiya, how could I not know this? It is just that, right now, I truly have no troops to send and no men to spare!"

"Commander Yan, then?"

"Issue a commendation to the entire 358th Regiment and grant them a reward of 5,000 silver dollars. Furthermore, issue an order to the 358th: hold Ruyue Pass for another three days, and they shall receive 10,000 silver dollars. Hold it for ten days, and the reward shall be... 30,000!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

"Colonel, a telegram from Commander Yan!"

Chu Yunfei read it carefully by the dim light of an oil lamp. "Commander Yan is as calculating as ever."

Fang Ligong, curious, took the telegram Chu handed over. "Colonel, given the terrain of Ruyue Pass and our current troop strength, holding for three days is certainly no problem. But ten days... isn't that a bit difficult?"

"Commander Yan simply hopes we can buy more time."

Chu Yunfei dismissed the telegram. Fang Ligong asked skeptically, "Colonel, does Commander Yan really intend to block the enemy at the Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass lines?"

"Block them?" Chu Yunfei chuckled. "Based on the current strategic situation, not only will the Pingxing Pass line be difficult to hold, but even our final fallback position, the Xinkou line, will likely be untenable. Once Xinkou falls, Taiyuan will be lost. If Taiyuan is lost, all the counties and towns along the Tongpu Railway in central Shanxi will fall into Japanese hands. Ligong, although our reinforcements are numerous, their combat effectiveness is still far inferior to the main force of the Japanese Itagaki Division."

Sun Ming frowned, puzzled. "Colonel, isn't this view a bit too pessimistic?"

Chu Yunfei shook his head, feeling his subordinate was still too naive. "No, this is the best-case scenario. Look: the war has broken out on all fronts. The main Japanese force is advancing south along the Jinpu and Pinghan railways. If the 5th Division’s southward advance into Shanxi is blocked, as a high-ranking Japanese commander, how would you continue your offensive?"

Sun Ming was silent for a moment before slowly uttering a name: "Niangzi Pass?"

"Exactly, Niangzi Pass! Our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has limited strength. We are already struggling to resist the invasion in the north; opening an eastern front will inevitably affect our forces. Whether it is the loss of the Pingxing Pass line or the fall of Niangzi Pass, both will pose a grave threat to the heartland of Shanxi."

After hearing Chu’s deduction, Sun Ming thought it over carefully. Cold sweat instantly drenched his body. The war situation seemed to be heading exactly in that direction. With the fall of Datong, the overall situation had become increasingly clear. If they could not stop the main force of the 5th Division from pushing south...

"Colonel, if that is the case, is there any..."

*Ring-ring!*

The telephone rang. Chu Yunfei gestured with his chin toward his Chief of Staff, Fang Ligong, who had been silent. "You can ask Ligong about such matters."

Chu Yunfei picked up the phone. Facing Sun Ming’s curious and expectant gaze, Fang Ligong rubbed his chin for a long time before uttering two words: "Thirty percent."

"A thirty percent chance of defeating the Japanese?" Sun Ming was overjoyed. He pressed, "Chief of Staff, thirty percent is quite high. Should we present your operational ideas to Commander Yan? If the commanders at the Second War Zone Headquarters adopt your suggestion..."

Fang Ligong felt Sun Ming was being overly optimistic. He shook his head. "No, I only have a thirty percent chance of stalling the Japanese, forcing a stalemate, and buying us a six-month window to catch our breath."

"Thirty percent, six months?" Sun Ming was shocked. "How can that be? Colonel always says our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is second to none in the country..."

"That is correct. In terms of strength within the National Revolutionary Army, we are second only to the Central Army. Precisely because of that, if our 358th Regiment and Liang’s 203rd Brigade fight to the death, we can buy enough time for the defenses at Xinkou and Niangzi Pass. When the Japanese exhaust their supplies and manpower and become unable to launch further offensives, we will have gained that breathing room. As for defeating the Japanese entirely... it is not that I am being pessimistic, but from a comparison of our relative strengths, it is almost impossible."

Chu Yunfei hung up the phone and nodded. "Ligong is right. But I want to emphasize that while our 358th Regiment may not have the capacity or the means to change the final outcome of the war, we can accumulate small victories into a large one. We can deplete the enemy’s vital strength and force them to burn through their war reserves. I just received bad news: scouts from the 1st Battalion report that the Japanese Suzuki Brigade is massing a large number of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery outside Datong. I judge that the Japanese and puppet forces will likely launch another attack shortly."

Chu Yunfei rubbed his fingers and sneered, "If these Japanese devils want to swallow our 358th Regiment, they’ll have to see if they have teeth strong enough to do it!"

As the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, the Japanese launched their attack under the cover of artillery fire. Shells exploded across the front-line positions, rousing the soldiers from their sleep. As illumination flares and signal rounds ascended into the sky, the heavy mortar company and mountain artillery battalion, having long been prepared, launched a counter-barrage against the advancing enemy.

Although they could not immediately pinpoint the Japanese artillery positions, guided by the scouts, they struck the advancing Japanese infantry with ease. Shells rained down among the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles. The explosive power of the 75mm mountain guns was not immense, and unless they scored a direct hit, it was difficult to destroy the enemy vehicles outright. However, once their tracks or turrets were damaged, their armored combat regulations required them to withdraw and reorganize. This would deprive the devils of their most direct and powerful support.

"Order the 1st Battalion to be ready to counterattack at any moment. Once the enemy’s advance is thwarted, the entire line is to switch to a counter-offensive to buy us breathing room. We must not allow the enemy to maintain a continuous assault."