Chapter 70: The Curtain Rises on the Great Battle!

As time passed, the situation in the Xuzhou region—and indeed throughout North and East China during the Republic—grew ever more dire. After the fall of Nanjing, the Japanese forces remained unsatisfied. They gathered their troops once more, seeking to swiftly defeat the remaining military strength of the Republic. Thus, the Japanese army mobilized a large number of soldiers again, preparing to launch a major battle in the Xuzhou area, hoping to annihilate the Republic’s main forces in one fell swoop.

Should the Japanese achieve a decisive victory in Xuzhou, they would be able to advance south through Xuzhou, straight to Wuhan. If Wuhan fell into their hands, it would serve as a strategic base from which to seize all of southern China. At that point, most of the Republic would be under Japanese control, and any further resistance would become exceedingly difficult.

Driven by these ambitions, the Japanese organized the Battle of Xuzhou with heavy forces. For this campaign, the Japanese North China Army and Central China Army worked in concert, each dispatching part of their strength to assault the critical area of Xuzhou. To establish a continuous front between the northern and southern battlefields, the Japanese Thirteenth Division crossed the Yangtze River to reach the eastern bank of the Chihe River in Anhui, along the line from Outang to Mingguang. Meanwhile, the Tenth Division, invading from North China, moved from Shandong to cross the Yellow River at Jiyang, captured Jinan, and pushed onward to Jining, Mengyin, and Qingdao.

The Japanese assembled eight divisions, three brigades, and two detachments—about 240,000 troops in all—under the command of General Shunroku Hata of the Central China Expeditionary Army and General Seichi Terauchi of the North China Army. Their strategy was a pincer movement from north and south: first, they would seize the strategic stronghold of Xuzhou in East China, then advance west along the Longhai Railway to capture Zhengzhou, and finally move south along the Pinghan Railway to take Wuhan.

Given these circumstances, Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone directing the Battle of Xuzhou, assembled 64 divisions, three brigades, and roughly 600,000 troops. He concentrated his main force north of Xuzhou to resist the Japanese advance from the north, stationed some forces along the southern section of the Tianjin–Pukou Railway to block the Japanese from the south, all in an effort to safeguard Xuzhou.

The entire Xuzhou battlefield spanned the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Anhui, and Henan, with Xuzhou as its center and Linyi as the pivotal strategic point, creating an enormous theater of war. Originally, Li Zongren intended to establish the main defensive line south of the Yellow River, but unfortunately, the Yellow River defense was lost without resistance due to Han Fuqu’s lack of opposition, causing the Japanese to seize all of Shandong and the Yellow River line without a fight. The defending forces had no choice but to fall back to Linyi and set up defensive positions there.

Under such circumstances, both armies were poised for imminent conflict. This battle drew the eyes of countless people; with over 600,000 troops committed on both sides in the early stages, such a scale was rare even by global standards.

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“Commander, a telegram from headquarters!”

That day, Chen Qingzhi was training the broadsword squad with Huzi when a soldier ran over with a telegram in hand. Chen took it and his expression changed at once.

“The order commands the Independent Mixed Zhongzheng Brigade, effective immediately, to assist the Thirty-first Army in setting up defensive positions around Dingyuan, and to repel the Japanese southern attack!”

Upon reading the order, Chen Qingzhi understood immediately: the Battle of Xuzhou had begun. The realization made his whole body tremble—not from fear, but from excitement. Ever since withdrawing from the Nanjing battlefield, he had been recruiting, training, and reorganizing his troops, all in anticipation of this day, waiting for the Battle of Xuzhou to finally engage the Japanese in earnest.

Now, at last, it was here.

“Quick, call all officers of battalion rank and above from the Independent Brigade to the conference room for a meeting!” Chen shouted.

“Yes, sir!” An officer saluted and replied loudly.

Soon, the conference room of the Independent Brigade began to fill as regimental and battalion commanders arrived and took their seats, chatting quietly among themselves.

Wang Yachuan glanced around, noticing Chen Qingzhi had not arrived yet. He turned to Fang Xiaodong beside him and asked, “Old Fang, why do you think the commander called us here? Is it because we’re about to go into battle?”

“If you know already, why ask me?” Fang Xiaodong responded coolly.

“I just don’t feel certain, so I wanted to ask you!” Wang clicked his tongue and muttered, “I wonder where our unit will be assigned this time. I really hope we get sent to the front lines, so we can have a real fight with the Japanese!”

Hearing this, Fang Xiaodong’s interest was piqued, and he listened closely to Wang’s muttering. As officers, their greatest concern was always where they would fight. For the men of the Independent Brigade, nothing was more gratifying than fighting at the front. Guarding some remote, desolate place would be terribly dull.

“I suppose our brigade may be assigned to the northern front, since that’s the main battlefield,” Fang said. “Look, our current station is not far from places like Teng County on the northern line—most likely, we’ll be sent there.”

“Right!” Wang replied. “With our brigade’s fighting strength, it would be a waste not to fight on the northern front!”

As they spoke, Huzi sat silently in his seat, while Zhu Xiaocheng, the artillery regiment commander, sat upright and meticulous in his uniform, neat and orderly. Zhu was a man of strict self-discipline; even when walking or eating, he paid close attention to his military bearing and posture. In short, he was a man of rules.

By contrast, the others were much more relaxed; several battalion commanders and Wang Yachuan himself smoked as they huddled together, chatting. Soon, the conference room was thick with smoke.

Just then, a military officer at the door called out, “Commander is here!”

At once, all the officers who had been so casual snapped to attention, returning to their seats and sitting upright. Wang Yachuan and several battalion commanders hurriedly stubbed out their cigarettes and straightened their uniforms. The room fell silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Tap… tap…

With footsteps echoing, Chen Qingzhi entered, walking to the head of the table. At that moment, everyone rose to attention and saluted, “Commander!”

Standing at the head, Chen Qingzhi surveyed the room, then pressed his hands down, his face stern. “Sit.”

“Thank you, Commander!”

Taking his seat, Chen looked at the assembled officers, all of whom watched him expectantly. He smiled, speaking softly, “I imagine you’ve already guessed why I called you here for this meeting.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you in suspense,” Chen continued. “That’s right—the Battle of Xuzhou has begun, and our combat orders have arrived.”