pappabearbooks Chapter 265 The Principal's Doubts and Anxiety, The 3rd Column Heads to the Front Lines
Chapter 265 The Principal's Doubts and Anxiety, The 3rd Column Heads to the Front Lines
Currently reading: Chapter 265 The Principal's Doubts and Anxiety, The Third Column Heads to the Front Lines, latest chapters available here.
Upon hearing this, the principal chuckled, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out:
"May I take this as your answer?"
Li Jianghe straightened his back: "Fine. If we can't stop the Japanese advance along the Jiujiang line, I'll offer my head in return."
He spoke with great passion and fervor, but in his heart he was thinking that if they really couldn't hold on, they should retreat.
After all, preserving our strength is essential for planning a future counterattack.
But the principal likes this kind of thing; being more proactive and decisive is considered a plus.
At times like these, there's no room for hesitation or ambiguity; you have to make your stance clear.
After these words were spoken, the principal finally seemed relieved.
He patted Li Jianghe on the shoulder, his hand lingering there for two seconds before pressing down firmly.
"Jiang He, when you return in triumph, I, Jiang, will personally award you a medal."
The tone wasn't like he was just making empty promises; it sounded more like an elder making a solemn commitment to a younger person.
After saying this, he got up and walked towards the door.
The leather shoes made a steady sound as they stepped on the floor.
Sitting in the car, Commander He finally spoke and asked:
"Commander, do you really think that deploying Li Jianghe's troops will change the course of the battlefield?"
The principal sat in the back seat, rubbing his eyes wearily.
The sky outside the car window had darkened, and the streetlights flickered across his face.
"Of course not. But I have no choice but to believe it."
His voice carried a hint of helplessness, like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, knowing it wouldn't last long, but having no choice but to hold on tightly.
He paused, then continued, "Speaking of which, Li Jianghe's Third Column is truly extraordinary. I think it surpasses even the German-equipped divisions of yesteryear. No wonder he always manages to win battles."
There was appreciation in those words, but also a hint of something complicated that was hard to explain.
Commander He then asked, "Since we know that even if Li Jianghe's third column were to be deployed, it would be difficult to turn the tide of the battle, shouldn't we make plans as soon as possible?"
The principal knew that what he meant was to move as many schools, factories, and equipment in Wuhan as possible in advance.
It must not be destroyed in the war, nor fall into the hands of the Japanese.
The tragedy of Nanjing must not be repeated in Wuhan.
The souls of those who were massacred in Nanjing have not yet found peace.
"Let's begin preparations. The tragedy of Nanjing must not be repeated."
The principal waved his hand, his voice low and hoarse.
As for Li Jianghe's third column, it was a formidable force, but the principal did not see it as a lifeline.
What good is straw? It only buys time.
There are some things he can't say aloud, but he knows them better than anyone else.
This battle is no longer about winning or losing, but about fighting for pride and upholding the backbone of a nation.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, fog still shrouded the streets of Wuhan.
Li Jianghe's troops have begun to assemble.
The tank started up, and the roar of the engine shattered the tranquility of the morning.
The soldiers, carrying their packs and rifles, lined up to board the trucks.
The 5,000 barrels of fuel promised by Commander He have arrived and are neatly stacked in the warehouse, emitting a pungent odor.
Li Jianghe stood in front of the command vehicle and took one last look in the direction of Wuhan.
The city was still asleep, and a thin mist shrouded the river like a veil.
He turned around, opened the car door, and jumped into the seat.
"Set off."
After the order was given, the convoy slowly started, kicking up a cloud of dust, and headed towards Jiujiang.
The wheels rolled over the road, raising billowing yellow dust, like a giant yellow dragon winding its way through the fields.
The road ahead is long, and the battle ahead is tough.
But no one turned around.
De'an, the headquarters of the First Army Corps.
The air inside the room was as stuffy as a steamer, and even breathing carried a damp heat.
Xue Yue stood in front of the map, his hands resting on the edge of the table.
The unit he led was the core of the frontal defense against the Japanese offensive and the backbone of the entire Nanxun front.
The intense and protracted battle was gradually eroding the personnel and equipment he could command, like a piece of cloth being repeatedly washed, becoming thinner and thinner until it was almost transparent.
The worst news is that the Japanese are going to send more troops here.
Four divisions, a full four divisions, like four sharp knives, were advancing mightily from the direction of Nanjing.
Opposite him was Chen Cheng, the commander of the Ninth War Zone, who was also the commander of the war zone directly under the First Army Corps.
Both of them had their brows furrowed together, like a knotted rope.
Xue Yue's First Army Corps and Zhang Fakui's Second Army Corps have both reached their limits.
The soldiers were exhausted, ammunition supplies were extremely tight, and many artillery positions had even become mute because shells could not be delivered.
The cannons, with their dark muzzles agape, looked like a pack of hungry beasts with their mouths agape but no food in sight, staring blankly, utterly helpless.
The casualties were heavy, and weapons and ammunition were also in short supply.
The battle situation on the Nanxun line seemed destined to collapse, like a building whose foundation had been hollowed out, ready to crumble at any moment.
But at that very moment, the communications officer suddenly stood up, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:
"Report! A telegram has arrived from Wuhan—Li Jianghe's Third Column and Xiao Shanling's Eleventh Army have set off! They should be able to reach the Futu Town line before dawn tomorrow to participate in the counterattack against the Japanese army!"
"The Third Column? The Eleventh Army?"
Chen Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a lamp that was about to go out had its wick turned back on.
He didn't think much of the 11th Army—a ragtag unit bearing the name of the Central Army, whose combat effectiveness was probably no different from that of local security regiments, and which might not last long on the battlefield.
But the third column is different.
This is Li Jianghe's elite force, which has just completed the annihilation of the Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions in the Huainan and Gushi areas, even cutting off the head of Tani Hisao.
Without a doubt, this is a strong reinforcement.
Chen Cheng quickly calculated in his mind that this force was equivalent to ten divisions under his command.
"The third column is coming just in time."
Chen Cheng couldn't help but stand up, his voice tinged with excitement.
"If it's the third column, then there's hope of holding the Jiujiang defense line."
As he said this, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart—this highly capable unit did not belong to his Civil Engineering Department, but to the Guangxi Department.
This thought was like a fishbone stuck in my throat; I couldn't swallow it or spit it out.
Beside him, Xue Yue's tense nerves relaxed a little.
His angular face relaxed slightly from his furrowed brows, but then the furrows returned.
"Li Jianghe's troops are indeed formidable, but that was in the plains."
Xue Yue raised his hand and pointed to the hilly area along the Nanxun Line on the map, his tone tinged with concern.
"The Nanxun Railway is characterized by numerous hills and crisscrossing rivers. I'm afraid the combat effectiveness of the Third Column will be greatly reduced."
These words reminded Chen Cheng.
He also looked at the map, his gaze sweeping over the curves representing mountains and rivers, and remained silent for a moment.
"That's better than nothing."
Chen Cheng sighed, his voice low and helpless.
"The Chairman had no choice; otherwise, he wouldn't have deployed Li Jianghe's Third Column to terrain where they were not well-suited for combat."
His gaze shifted from the map to Xue Yue's face, carrying a sense of shared misfortune.
Xue Yue pondered for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table, as if giving rhythm to a certain determination.
"In any case, it can help us buy some more time."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a stubborn streak, as if he were gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"We're gritting our teeth and holding on, but aren't the Japanese doing the same? Whoever gives up first will lose."
When he said those words, a light flashed in his eyes, a light that contained resentment and defiance.
As dawn broke, Li Jianghe's troops had been marching for a day and a night.
The engineering corps was at the forefront, building bridges and paving roads, opening up paths through mountains and constructing bridges over rivers.
The engineering vehicles and pontoon bridge equipment gleamed with an iron-gray light in the morning sun, like a swarm of tireless ants.
The vanguard has even advanced to the vicinity of Futu Town.
I'm currently reading Chapter 265, "The Principal's Doubts and Anxiety," about the Third Column heading to the front lines, completely absorbed in the story.