pappabearbooks Chapter 184 A Resounding Speech: Chinese Soldiers Will Never Surrender
Chapter 184 A Resounding Speech: Chinese Soldiers Will Never Surrender
() The latest update puts you in charge of guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you bring out a German-equipped division.
Commander He slowly turned his gaze to Li Jianghe, his tone calm yet each word firm and resolute, carrying an unquestionable tone:
"Jiang He, what do you think are the reasons why Wuhan couldn't be defended?"
Is it that our million-strong army, assembled by our country, lacks the determination to resist Japan?
Or do you feel that your mechanized forces are no longer capable of turning the tide?
If Wuhan falls, where can we retreat to?
The four questions progressed step by step, hitting the core of the matter. All eyes in the command center instantly focused on Li Jianghe. Countless gazes fell on him, some expectant, some scrutinizing, and some even probing. Everyone was waiting for his answer.
Commander Li, standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine, knowing this was an unavoidable pitfall. He quickly gave Li Jianghe a meaningful look out of the corner of his eye, his brows furrowing slightly, signaling him not to speak out of turn, lest he give others cause for criticism.
After all, Li Jianghe had already inadvertently gotten into the argument, and if he rashly joined in, he would definitely suffer a great loss.
But Li Jianghe seemed oblivious, shifting his foot slightly, stepping forward, his back ramrod straight, and speaking with a booming voice, he countered with a question:
"Why is the Japanese army so eagerly advancing on Wuhan? You all know the answer, don't you?"
Commander Chen lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, breaking the brief silence. He looked up at Li Jianghe and said calmly:
"This is common knowledge. They want to penetrate deep into our country's interior, open up the Pinghan Railway, connect the northern and southern battlefields, and form an encirclement."
"That was just a tactical objective; what I'm talking about is their true strategic objective."
Li Jianghe smiled calmly, a glint of clarity flashing in his eyes.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that as someone who had traveled from another era, he possessed a far-sighted vision that surpassed that of everyone else in this time.
Most people in this era are blinded by their own involvement, but he, an observer standing decades later, can see the whole picture clearly.
"Strategic objective?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Commander Chen's eyes, then he raised the corners of his mouth slightly and gestured for him to speak, "I'd like to hear your insights."
Li Jianghe nodded slightly and spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly throughout the command post:
"Actually, the answer is very simple."
From attacking Shanghai to capturing Xuzhou, and now with their troops at the gates of Wuhan, the Japanese have been gambling from beginning to end.
"What were they betting on? They were betting that through our repeated retreats, we would develop a fear of them, and ultimately, because of that fear, we would lose the courage to resist and choose to surrender."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming heavy:
"In the Nanjing Massacre, they killed far more than just 300,000 soldiers and civilians in Nanjing."
They killed the courage and determination of our Chinese military and civilians to resist; they wanted to cast a shadow of terror over the whole of China!
After the words were spoken, the command post fell silent. After a moment, the generals nodded in agreement, and murmurs of support rang out.
"That's right! The Japanese devils are spreading fear, trying to break our will to resist!"
"Dream on! Their tactics might have some impact on ordinary people, but they're not going to make us soldiers submit!"
"Damn it! Anyone who dares to mention surrendering, I'll be the first to make them pay!"
Hearing what everyone was saying, Commander Li and Commander Bai exchanged a glance and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally calmed down a little, and their gazes toward Li Jianghe held a hint of approval.
Once the room quieted down again, Li Jianghe continued to explain his point of view, his voice becoming increasingly firm:
"Therefore, what we must do is never be fixated on the gains or losses of a single city or place."
Instead, we must utilize Wuhan, every inch of our land that might be captured, every village, every city, to continuously deplete the Japanese invaders' manpower.
"Japan is just a tiny island nation; they can't even imagine how vast China's territory is."
We must use space to buy time, leveraging our vast strategic depth to wage a protracted war against these Japanese troops!
"In the past, we fought a bloody battle with them in Shanghai, fought a desperate battle with them in Nanjing, and fought a fierce battle with them in Taierzhuang."
In the future, we will continue to fight them in Wuhan, Nanchang, Changsha, and even in Sichuan and Yunnan!
He stepped forward, his voice powerful and resonant, like the roar of a machine gun, deafening:
"We want to tell these Japanese invaders that as long as every breath of a Chinese soldier remains, we will never compromise or surrender!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire command center fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy breathing of everyone echoing in the room.
A moment later, Xue Yue slowly raised his palm and clapped twice. The crisp, loud "clap clap" sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet room.
Immediately afterwards, the applause spread like wildfire, and all the generals raised their hands to clap. The applause grew louder and louder, making the roof beams seem to tremble.
Yes, Shanghai can be lost, Nanjing can be lost, and Xuzhou and Wuhan might also be lost.
But there is one thing we must never lose—the backbone of the Chinese people and the soldiers' will to resist.
As long as this spirit and this will remain, no matter how many cities the Japanese occupy, it will not be a true victory.
Commander He raised his hand and took off his glasses from the bridge of his nose. He gently wiped the corner of his eye with his fingertips, and tears quietly slid down his cheeks.
He was by nature more sentimental, and Li Jianghe's words deeply touched the most passionate and tender part of his heart. These tears, half genuine emotion and half sentimentality, ultimately flowed out sincerely.
"I still remember what you once said, Jiang He."
Commander He's voice was choked with emotion.
Upon hearing this, Commander Chen's eyes flashed with curiosity, and he asked:
"Oh? What did you say? Why don't you share it so we can hear it too and benefit from it?"
Commander He composed himself, spoke slowly, and said, word by word, "If you save people but lose land, you can save both people and land; if you save land but lose people, you can lose both people and land."
At that time, his understanding of this statement was limited to the superficial level of reality, and he thought it was just a simple tactical choice.
But now, after hearing Li Jianghe's words, he has gained a deeper understanding.
The so-called "preservation of people" has never been just about preserving military strength and protecting civilians, but also about preserving that indomitable spirit and will to fight bravely.
Indeed, as Li Jianghe said, there is no need to sacrifice the entire million-strong army in order to defend Wuhan to the death.
As long as the will to resist remains, as long as we do not bow down and surrender to the Japanese, and let their strategic objectives completely fail, then we can use our vast territory to continuously tie down and wear down the Japanese army, and continue this war indefinitely!
The group whispered and repeated the sixteen characters, carefully savoring their profound meaning. They nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with sudden enlightenment.
Commander Chen looked at Li Jianghe and secretly admired him:
"What a brilliant strategist! Li Jianghe truly possesses the talent of a general!"
He had to admit that Li Jianghe was a rare young talent, and he even felt a little jealous of Commander Li, who had such a fierce general under his command, which was truly enviable.