Chapter 531: Great Wall

“Indeed, the Japanese have made their move against the United States,” a Chinese general said, glancing at a telegram on one side of the long conference table. “Our American allies have invited us to send troops to Burma. Did you agree to this, Mr. Chairman?”

“Yes, I agreed. As a steadfast ally of the United States, it is necessary for us to send our own forces to participate in the international effort to counter-attack the Japanese army,” Chairman Chiang replied with a smile, sitting in his chair and looking at his beloved generals.

“Report!” an officer shouted from the door of the conference room.

“Come in! What is it?” Chairman Chiang asked.

“A telegram from General Li Zongren. The Japanese offensive near Wuhan has broken through our lines. Last night, our army stabilized the situation, but we lost three county towns. However, the Japanese suffered considerable losses and have voluntarily halted their advance,” the officer replied loudly, glancing at the telegram in his hand.

“This Li Zongren, how did he lose his position again?” a general asked with a frown. “If I had known, I would have sent my own troops up!”

“Your troops? Sending your troops would be worse than sending my division up. Taking out two Japanese battalions would be no problem,” another general, with a pocket watch hanging from his breast pocket, said defiantly.

“Alright! No more arguing. General Li has done his best, and besides, it is only a minor setback for now! After all, the supplies he has on hand are not plentiful. To prepare for this entry into Burma, we have diverted a lot of supplies and ammunition from the front lines… So this time, the Battle of Burma is of the utmost importance! You must all unite in sincere cooperation!” the Chairman spoke, offering an explanation for the defeat at the front.

“Yes, sir!” The several men immediately stood at attention, and a clatter of tables and chairs rubbing and colliding was heard. Since the Chairman had explained the reason for the defeat, no one else said a word. This set a tone of not pursuing the matter further, and everyone turned their attention to the matter of advancing into Burma.

“If you’re sending someone, send me!” a general said, patting his chest in assurance. “Mr. Chairman! Let me go! I will definitely bring you back a great victory! I’ll stake my, Xue Yue’s, head on it!”

“General Xue, I know you can fight, but the defensive sector your troops are responsible for now is very important and cannot be easily moved. For this trip to Burma, it is better to choose me,” a middle-aged general said, standing up again and looking at Chairman Chiang in the main seat. “Chairman, this time, please let me, Du Yuming, go!”

“This time, in going to Burma, the first objective is to thwart the Japanese army’s operational attempt to press on to India. The second is to restore and ensure the absolute safety of the Burma Road. That is why I have made up my mind to draw so many of the country’s elites for this,” Chairman Chiang said with a nod and a smile. “Gentlemen, I have already chosen the candidate. General Zhang Zizhong will personally lead the team, with Generals Du Yuming, Sun Li-jen, and Dai Anlan personally coordinating… We must ensure the victory of our Chinese Expeditionary Force!”

“Chairman! Regarding supplies…?” General Sun Li-jen stood up and pointed to the map. “If no one provides them, then it is clearly an unwise choice to fight a battle here.”

“On this point, please rest assured, General Sun,” Deputy Chief of Staff Bai Chongxi stood up and handed him a telegram. “Our American allies have already given their guarantee to provide all the weapons and equipment for the Expeditionary Force. They have even prepared 200 M3 tanks and are just waiting for us to go and get them.”

This was not an empty promise from the United States, but real strategic materials. These supplies had originally been shipped to India, to be used for the training of the British Indian Army, and then to be sent to North Africa to participate in the war against the Germans. But now, the situation in the Pacific theater had changed suddenly, so they had been diverted by the Americans and provided to the Chinese army as heavy weapons and equipment.

The British had also cooperated in this matter. After all, as their last obedient colony, India could be said to be the top priority for the restoration of Britain and could not be lost. So Montgomery had been ordered to defend Tobruk to the death in North Africa, and the saved supplies were all sent to the British-occupied Burma region, to be given to the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

Not just tanks, but also trucks and a large number of cannons. The light weapons even included submachine guns, which were rare in the Chinese army, as well as an astonishing number of machine guns and the ammunition that the Chinese army lacked most. With these weapons and equipment, the strength of the Chinese Expeditionary Force would be greatly improved.

And China had also paid a heavy price for sending troops to Burma. It had drawn several thousand university students from the universities that had moved south and had sent them to the army as the backbone of the Expeditionary Force. With these intellectuals, the Chinese army’s learning and mastery of new weapons and new tactics had also risen to a new level.

Originally, due to German technical assistance and the teachings of General von Seeckt, the Chinese army’s understanding and learning of the world’s new weapons and tactics had become more advanced. Many military generals who had studied in Germany had personally witnessed the prototype of the Blitzkrieg and had also learned how to use advanced weapons and equipment to gain an advantage on the battlefield. They were no longer the ignorant old warlords, but top students who had been carefully cultivated by the German Senior Army Academy.

And so, on this day, the formation of a famous force in later generations began. The name of this force was the Chinese Expeditionary Force. And this army was no longer the German-equipped divisions that had struck terror into the hearts of the Japanese. They used American equipment, but their commanders still remembered that special steel helmet, that special long triangular bayonet, and the instructions of the German general who was now buried in China: “To defeat the invaders is the duty of every soldier!”

With one command after another, hundreds and thousands of Chinese soldiers shouldered their rifles, set off on their march, and advanced slowly along the highway. Their goal was to leave the country, as the first army to fight outside the country in decades, to go to the British Burma region and begin the battle against the Japanese invaders.

And the generals commanding them were a group of famous KMT generals who had made their names in the Battle of Shanghai: Zhang Zizhong, Du Yuming, Dai Anlan, and Sun Li-jen were all figures who had given the Japanese army headaches. The campaigns they had commanded were practically a history of blood and tears for the Japanese Army in World War II.

In the Battle of Shanghai, the 1st Army commanded by General Du Yuming, the 2nd Army commanded by General Sun Li-jen, as well as the 3rd Army commanded by General Wang Yaowu and the 4th Army commanded by General Dai Anlan were all mainline forces in the Chinese army. These units were the first batch of first-class combat divisions established with the help of General von Seeckt, all with German-made equipment, well-trained and well-equipped. They had once beaten several of the participating Japanese divisions in Shanghai so badly that it had left a psychological scar. And the frontline commander of the Battle of Shanghai was the famous General Zhang Zizhong.

For example, to this day, a saying still circulates in a certain Japanese A-class division: “If you see a German helmet, don’t attack.” And the scandal of several high-ranking officers of the Japanese Navy and Army being killed by a single shot from a German Krupp cannon is still something the Japanese military officially refuses to admit.

These few divisions, together with Li Zongren’s now-defunct 5th Army, were the five absolute main forces of the Chinese army in the initial stage of the war of resistance. However, with the attrition of the war, these 5 corps and more than a dozen divisions of German-equipped troops were basically all lost. The once-dense formations of German M35 helmets were now a rare sight, replaced by the free helmets sent by the United States.

The facts have already proven that when the two sides are equal in firepower, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army is stronger than the Japanese army. At least in the case of defending their homeland, the powerful willpower displayed by the Chinese soldiers is something the Japanese army cannot surpass. But the war will not change the overall situation of the enemy being strong and us being weak just because of these things, nor will it take care of certain weak countries.

Is Poland pitiful? It was partitioned by the Soviet Union and Germany and is now a conquered nation. But has the god of fate taken care of it? Is France pitiful? It was defeated by Germany with lightning speed and lost the war without even mobilizing. But has the god of fate shown it mercy? Is Britain pitiful? It was once the world’s hegemon. Now, not only has it been pulled down from its divine altar, but it has ended up with a broken country and scattered families. But the god of fate does not seem to have lamented its fate either.

So do not rest on your laurels and squander your time. Under the wheels of history, there is no power that can never be subverted. If you don’t want to be bullied, you have to clench your fists. If you don’t want to be knocked down by a powerful opponent, you have to grit your teeth and stand straight to face the fist that is swinging at your cheek.

The British were also conquered by the Romans. America once had to pay taxes to the British. China once waged a war of extermination against the Xiongnu. The French were also beaten by the Prussians and forced to cede territory and pay reparations. So we don’t have to care about the Song Dynasty being defeated by the Mongols, nor do we have to get hung up on the Ming Dynasty being overthrown by the Manchus. And of course, we don’t have to be sad about the disastrous defeat in the year of Jiawu, because as long as we are strong, we will go and win it back!

What is the Great Wall? Is it the structure built of blue bricks piled up on Badaling? No, absolutely not. It is the unyielding soul that has been forged over thousands of years with the hot blood of countless loyal souls. It is because of this unwilling-to-be-left-behind soul, because of this indomitable spirit, because of this fearless will, because of this eternal heart of a strong one, that this nation can stand tall and, after every setback, can shine with a light that lasts for thousands of years.

So the Great Wall of China will not fall! So China will not be defeated! Looking at these soldiers carrying their steel rifles, chewing on their dry rations and waving goodbye to the cheering crowds, they, like every other soldier fighting on the front lines, are the backbone of this nation, the hope of this nation, and the most magnificent song of blood of this era.

With these tens of millions of resolute and unyielding lives, this era of war is worth remembering. And only these souls can adorn such a magnificent era of heroes.

Published: 2025-09-03T02:35:48.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-14T18:18:06.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c531-great-137999716

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