sovbooks Chapter 193: A Reunion with Song Xilian – A Meeting That Ends in Smiles
Chapter 193: A Reunion with Song Xilian – A Meeting That Ends in Smiles
On the front lines in southern Henan, war clouds gather.
Upon receiving the orders, the Japanese troops immediately accelerated their march and launched fierce attacks on the cities garrisoned by the National Revolutionary Army along the way.
In just a few days, the Japanese 13th Division and the Imperial Guard Division on the southern front captured several cities in succession. The main force had already captured Yeji, and the vanguard was advancing directly to the banks of the Shi River, ready to launch a forced crossing at any time.
The Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions on the northern front advanced rapidly, their forces already approaching the east of Gushi County, and a fierce battle was imminent.
The air seemed thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and even the wind carried the scent of gunpowder from the front lines.
The atmosphere was equally somber in the army group headquarters south of Gushi.
A huge battle map hung on the wall, with Japanese attack arrows outlined in red and blue pencils, like sharp knives, heading straight for the National Army's defense line.
Sun Lianzhong stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed in a frown.
His face was etched with the marks of time, his eyes were filled with anxiety, his fingers moved unconsciously as he repeatedly weighed the strength of his troops in his hands.
At this moment, he could only directly command two troops.
One is the 30th Army, whose backbone is the Northwest Army, and the other is Song Xilian's 71st Army—an elite force whose backbone is the former German-equipped division of the Central Army, and it is one of the most capable forces in the current defense line.
Inside the command post, the commanders of each division had already arrived, standing in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones, their voices heavy with concern.
Chen Ruihe, the chief of staff of the 71st Army, glanced at his watch, turned to Sun Lianzhong, and asked:
"Sir, isn't this meeting starting yet? I think most of the attendees have arrived."
Sun Yuanliang, commander of the 88th Division, leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed, tapping the table absently with his fingers, and echoed:
"Yes, who exactly is this person who makes us, a bunch of lieutenant generals, wait here? It can't be the principal himself, can it?"
Sun Yuanliang was a true member of the Whampoa Military Academy and a confidant of the principal. He always spoke with a touch of unbridled arrogance.
Even during the Battle of Nanjing, when he abandoned his troops and deserted, hiding in a brothel for more than a month and barely escaping with his life, he did not receive any substantial punishment and was soon reinstated, still holding military power.
The crime of desertion in the face of battle is so serious that anyone else would be executed ten times over, but in his case, it was easily dismissed.
That's the confidence that comes from having powerful backers.
Sun Lianzhong glanced at him, then checked the time, and slowly said:
"Wait a little longer, there's still one person left."
Upon hearing this, Sun Yuanliang gave a cold sneer, his tone full of disdain: "Just who is this important person, acting so high and mighty?"
As soon as he finished speaking, steady footsteps came from outside the door.
"Squeak—"
The wooden door to the operations room was pushed open from the outside, and Li Jianghe, dressed in a faded military uniform, appeared before everyone.
His face bore the dust of a journey through the night, but his eyes remained sharp and bright. A pistol was tucked at his waist, and he stood ramrod straight, exuding a fierce aura honed on the battlefield.
"Rivers?"
The first to speak was Chi Fengcheng, commander of the 31st Division.
His eyes lit up instantly, and he stood up instinctively.
You received a new chapter update regarding the Battle of Taierzhuang: Chapter 193, "A Reunion with Song Xilian: A Smile Resolves All Enmity," here's the reading link. The two fought side-by-side, forging an extraordinary bond through countless battles.
For some reason, seeing Li Jianghe walk in made Chi Fengcheng, who was initially feeling uneasy and thought the battle would be difficult, feel much more at ease.
Song Xilian's gaze also fell on Li Jianghe, his eyes filled with complex emotions, including感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings), 放然 (fàngrán, relieved), and 感動 (gǎndòng, moved) at the sight of an old friend.
He was the first to stand up and gave Li Jianghe a solemn military salute.
As for Sun Yuanliang, he narrowed his eyes slightly, with a hint of disdain on his face. He hadn't moved from his chair until Chen Ruihe quietly pulled him up, at which point he reluctantly stood up, his face full of perfunctory attitude.
Sun Lianzhong laughed heartily, strode forward, grabbed Li Jianghe's arm, and loudly introduced him to everyone in the room:
"Gentlemen, I know most of you recognize him, but I still want to formally introduce him. This is Li Jianghe, the commander of the Third Column."
He will also lead his troops in this operation, fighting alongside us against the Japanese invaders.
Sun Yuanliang raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of sarcastic mockery:
"Of course I recognize him, he's a great hero from Nanjing."
Later, after the Battle of Taierzhuang, his reputation spread far and wide. Even those of us who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy had to study how his troops fought every day.
These words sound like a compliment, but they are actually barbed, intentionally or unintentionally placing the officers from the Whampoa Military Academy on the opposite side of Li Jianghe.
How could Li Jianghe not hear the malice in his words? He immediately sneered and retorted mercilessly:
"Speaking of learning, I really need to learn a lot from Commander Sun."
In one sentence, he directly hit Sun Yuanliang's most painful wound.
Sun Yuanliang's face instantly turned cold. He slammed his hand on the table and was about to stand up and retort when Song Xilian, the commander of the 71st Army, interrupted him with a cold voice.
"Brother Jianghe, how have you been?"
Song Xilian took two steps forward, stood in front of Li Jianghe, and gave him another solemn military salute, his tone full of sincerity.
Li Jianghe also dropped his previous coldness, raised his hand in a standard military salute, and calmly said:
"Brother Yin Guo, how have you been?"
Upon hearing Li Jianghe address him as "Brother Yingguo" instead of the unfamiliar "Commander Song," Song Xilian instantly understood that Li Jianghe had long since let go of the grudges and grievances from Nanjing.
It truly is a case of forgetting past grievances with a smile.
A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes, but he ultimately just nodded slightly. All the unspoken words were conveyed in this silent understanding.
Both men knew that with the nation in peril and the Japanese invaders at the gates, the most important thing to do right now was not to dwell on past grievances, but to work together to overcome the difficulties.
Sun Lianzhong looked at the two of them, a satisfied smile on his face, and clapped his hands, saying:
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin our strategic meeting."
After speaking, he turned and walked to the map, heavily circling two locations on it with his pencil, and said in a somber tone:
"Currently, the Japanese army's offensive is mainly divided into two directions. One is heading straight for the Fujinshan line, and the other is aimed at Gushi County."
"Among them, the Japanese troops in the direction of Gushi County were the 6th Division and the 10th Division, both of which were elite divisions of the Japanese army, with a total strength of nearly 60,000 men."