Chapter 150: Waiting for the Right Moment, Reinforce the First Regiment!

"Commander! What on earth are you still waiting for? If you don't send troops to reinforce them right now, everything will be completely lost!" Wang Yachuan stood inside the command headquarters, his face filled with anxiety as he stared at Chen Qingzhi and shouted.

However, Chen Qingzhi acted as if he hadn't heard Wang Yachuan at all. He merely stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant setting sun.

The sun was now sinking close to the horizon. Bathed in its twilight glow, the sky flashed with an eerie, hazy red hue, resembling freshly spilled blood.

In the eastern sky, the faint outline of a crescent moon had quietly emerged. The crescent moon in the east, the dying sun in the west, and the fierce slaughter raging in the battlefield between them formed a striking and tragically beautiful tableau, akin to a poignant melody that somehow induced a sense of intoxicating trance.

Chen Qingzhi frowned in silence.

Wang Yachuan, on the other hand, was at his wit's end. He had just received word that a desperate and brutal battle had broken out at the South Gate. The 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment was holding out to the death, and Regiment Commander Fang Xiaodong had personally led forces to reinforce them, only to be bogged down and pinned by the Japanese troops. They were on the verge of collapsing!

Once the 1st Regiment was annihilated by the Japanese, the little devils would drive straight through and capture Dingyuan. From there, pushing further north straight toward Xuzhou, their own army would inevitably fall into a pincer attack from front and rear. By then, everything would be over!

When that time came, both the Independent Brigade and Chen Qingzhi himself would become sinners of the Republic!

Tortured by this horrifying outcome, Wang Yachuan cried out in a panicked, piercing voice: "Commander, what on earth are you waiting for? If you keep waiting any longer, once Regiment Commander Fang can no longer hold out, we are finished! Dingyuan is finished! Everything is finished!"

Repeating the word "finished" three times in rapid succession, one could easily imagine the frantic anxiety tearing at Wang Yachuan's heart!

Hearing this, Chen Qingzhi finally turned his gaze away from the horizon and glanced at Wang Yachuan. His eyes held neither joy nor sorrow, devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation.

He stared for a long, unbroken moment—a gaze that made Wang Yachuan's skin crawl—yet Chen Qingzhi still remained silent.

He was waiting!

He was waiting for a single piece of intelligence!

The very moment that intelligence was confirmed, Chen Qingzhi would immediately dispatch his troops to strike!

But until that message arrived, no matter what, Chen Qingzhi had to keep waiting. Unless the moment arrived when holding out became utterly impossible, until then, he had to maintain his vigil!

Waiting for the right timing!

Wang Yachuan, having endured Chen Qingzhi's intense scrutiny for a while, no longer knew what to say.

Though he had been pinned under the Commander's steady, unreadable gaze for so long—a gaze completely devoid of emotion—somehow, Wang Yachuan sensed a trace of hidden anxiety beneath that placid exterior!

Yes, it was anxiety!

It seemed... it seemed as though the Commander was waiting for something as well! The thought flashed through Wang Yachuan's mind.

Just as the two men stood in mutual silence, an officer suddenly rushed in, shattering the quiet.

For some reason, upon seeing this officer rush over, Wang Yachuan felt an involuntary wave of relief. Casting a cautious glance at Chen Qingzhi, Wang Yachuan quietly let out a heavy, long-suppressed breath.

The atmosphere from moments before had weighed upon him like a physical mountain, bringing an almost suffocating pressure!

"Commander, a report has come in!" The officer ran up to Chen Qingzhi, snapped to attention, and reported.

"Read it!"

"The Japanese 3rd and 13th Divisions have mobilized. They have already reached Linhuaiwan and are preparing to combine the forces of both divisions to forcefully cross the Huai River!" the officer reported rapidly.

The time had come!

A sharp, brilliant glint flashed abruptly through Chen Qingzhi's eyes, though he quickly masked it, whispering inwardly.

Whether it was a trick of Wang Yachuan's imagination or not, he felt as though the Commander's eyes had literally lit up upon hearing those words!

However, it was merely a fleeting moment, and Wang Yachuan had no time to dwell on it. Hearing the content of the report, he said with profound shock, "Two divisions! Good lord, the little devils are throwing two divisions at once—can our allied forces at Linhuaiwan possibly hold?"

"Defending the Linhuaiwan area is Yu Xuezhong's 51st Army, along with the main force of the 31st Army—He Weizhen's 173rd Division—and the remnants of Wang Zanbin's 174th Division who retreated from the Chihe battlefield. With such strength, while launching a counterattack against the Japanese might be unlikely, relying on the Huai River as a natural barrier should pose no problem in resisting the enemy as long as no major mistakes are made!" Chen Qingzhi stated calmly.

Then, Chen Qingzhi turned around and addressed the still-dazed Wang Yachuan: "Quickly, lead your 3rd Regiment to the South Gate immediately. Reinforce Fang Xiaodong's 1st Regiment and drive those little devils out! Furthermore, I will dispatch all remaining artillery from the city's artillery regiment to provide you with fire support, delivering long-range strikes against the Japanese rear reinforcements!"

"Your 3rd Regiment only needs to accomplish one mission. Listen carefully and remember this!" At this point, Chen Qingzhi's expression turned exceptionally stern as he locked eyes with Wang Yachuan. "Remember, once the 3rd Regiment reaches the South Gate, you must rout the little devils at the absolute fastest speed, pursue the retreating Japanese, and launch a counter-assault! You must chase the enemy to a distance of three miles out and firmly hold your ground there! Wait for further orders. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Seeing Chen Qingzhi's grim expression, Wang Yachuan didn't know the reasoning behind the order, but as a subordinate, his duty was simply to obey. What wasn't meant for him to know, he didn't need to pry into!

Therefore, Wang Yachuan replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Very good. Repeat the orders!" Chen Qingzhi commanded.

"Repel the Japanese at the South Gate, launch a counterattack, pursue for three miles, hold the position locally, and await further orders!" Wang Yachuan rattled off the response swiftly!

"Excellent, go!" Hearing the correct reply, Chen Qingzhi nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand.

Wang Yachuan nodded in return, spun around, and broke into a sprint.

Clearly, he could not wait another second!

The 1st Regiment had been holding the South Gate and was long past the point of exhaustion; if he delayed even a moment longer, the entire 1st Regiment might be completely wiped out!

Running at a full sprint, Wang Yachuan soon arrived at the assembly point of the 3rd Regiment's soldiers. Without breaking stride, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Lads, grab your gear! We're going to reinforce the brothers of the 1st Regiment! Move, fast!"

Hearing the command, the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment immediately shouldered their rifles and rapidly moved out toward the South Gate behind Wang Yachuan.

Ever since the battle had first erupted, the 3rd Regiment, serving as the reserve force, had already prepared to enter combat at a moment's notice. Thus, upon hearing Wang Yachuan's order, the soldiers showed no trace of panic. They quickly formed up in columns, led by their respective platoon and squad leaders, and charged toward the South Gate at a dead run following Wang Yachuan.

"Move, move... faster! Lads, the brothers of the 1st Regiment are fighting tooth and nail against the little devils right now. They need our reinforcement! Put your backs into it, full speed ahead!" Wang Yachuan sprinted at the front, his voice hoarse from shouting.

He didn't know why the Commander had waited until now to let them march out as reinforcements, but he knew the Commander must have had his reasons and had to consider the big picture. Because of this, Wang Yachuan felt no resentment toward the Commander.

However, the ones going to reinforce were his 3rd Regiment, his Wang Yachuan!

If the brothers of the 1st Regiment were annihilated because his reinforcement arrived too late, or if Fang Xiaodong fell in battle, that would be the 3rd Regiment's fault—that would be Wang Yachuan's responsibility!

If such a tragedy occurred, Wang Yachuan would never forgive himself!

For this reason, he could only continuously urge his men to pick up the pace. Even though they were less than ten minutes away from the South Gate—meaning even pushing their absolute limit would only shave off a single minute—Wang Yachuan still had to do it!

Because he knew that waiting for them at the South Gate were his brothers, his fellow soldiers, crying out for their rescue!

"Old Fang, hold on! You damn well better stay alive!"