lovenovelstory Chapter 183 A Room Full of Bosses, Li Jianghe at the Eye of the Storm
Chapter 183 A Room Full of Bosses, Li Jianghe at the Eye of the Storm
On the wall of the command post hung a huge battle map, which clearly marked the current troop deployment of the Japanese army, possible attack routes, and the defensive layout of the National Revolutionary Army with arrows.
As the door opened, everyone's eyes instinctively focused on Commander Bai. They were naturally familiar with Commander Bai's face, but Li Jianghe behind him was an unfamiliar young face.
Li Jianghe's name had long been known throughout the army, but his photo had never been published in the newspapers; people only knew his name but had never seen him.
"Jiansheng (Bai Changguan's courtesy name), this is..." It was Commander Chen who spoke. He had a cigarette between his fingers, which were slightly yellowed from the smoke, and his eyes held a hint of inquiry.
Upon seeing this, Commander He, who was presiding over the meeting, immediately stepped forward and announced loudly, "Gentlemen, this young man is none other than the renowned Li Jianghe!"
As he spoke, he waved to Li Jianghe with great enthusiasm.
Li Jianghe stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the crowd, his demeanor humble yet composed.
The group of army leaders looked him over, their eyes filled with surprise and admiration.
"I'd heard Li Jianghe was young, but I didn't expect him to be this young. He must be at most twenty-five or twenty-six, right?"
"Tsk tsk, when I was his age, I was still figuring out how to copy homework in military school, and he's already a lieutenant general with a distinguished military record."
"No wonder Commander Li said he was Huo Qubing reincarnated; seeing him today, it's truly well-deserved!"
Amidst the murmurs of discussion, Li Jianghe stood still, subtly observing the crowd.
He suddenly realized that many of the people here overlapped with the portraits in history books—Feng Yuxiang, commander-in-chief of the Northwest Army; Chen Cheng, a bigwig in the Civil Engineering Clique and commander-in-chief of the Ninth War Zone; Xue Yue, the founder of the Tianlu Battle Method… all of them were veterans with profound military experience.
"Gentlemen, Jianghe is new here and has little experience. I will need your guidance and support in the future."
Commander Li stepped forward and stood beside Li Jianghe, introducing him to him in a sincere tone.
Commander Chen, the commander of the Ninth War Zone, chuckled and joked:
"He's not some inexperienced nobody. I think the combined reputation of everyone in this room probably doesn't even equal his!"
Commander Xue smiled faintly, said nothing, but gave Li Jianghe a friendly look with a hint of appreciation.
Commander Hu also spoke up:
"I've heard that Captain Li's mechanized troops are invincible. I happen to have a tank unit under my command, so I'll need to learn from Captain Li more often in the future."
Everyone chimed in with their own words, mostly praising and flattering him.
Li Jianghe felt extremely uncomfortable. The feeling of becoming the center of attention as soon as he entered the room made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He secretly warned himself, as the saying goes, the higher you are praised, the harder you fall.
The fact that these bigwigs from the Central Military Commission are praising themselves like this now indicates that they intend for the Third Column to play a key role in the defense of Wuhan, and it's even possible that they'll be tasked with taking on the toughest challenges.
Li Jianghe was never afraid to fight the Japanese, but what he feared most was being given bad orders that would send his Third Column to the wrong places, causing unnecessary casualties to the troops.
Just as Li Jianghe was pondering this, Commander He raised his hand and pressed down, saying in a deep voice:
"Alright, everyone, let's get back to the main topic and continue discussing the relevant plans for the defense of Wuhan."
As soon as he finished speaking, Commander Chen looked at Li Jianghe with a smile, his eyes carrying a hint of probing:
"I've heard that Captain Li is a man of extraordinary talent. Why don't you tell me how Wuhan should be defended? And what are the possible directions of the Japanese attack?"
Upon hearing this, the other officers also joined in the commotion, all focusing their attention on Li Jianghe, clearly wanting to hear the insights of this rising star.
Li Jianghe smiled bitterly to himself: This is really putting myself on the spot!
Just when he was caught in a dilemma, Commander Li reached out and gently patted his shoulder, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Go ahead, don't be afraid, I'll cover for you."
Li Jianghe felt a little more at ease. He thought to himself, "I am a time traveler. I am already familiar with the general course of the Battle of Wuhan and the main attack routes of the Japanese army. What is there to be afraid of?"
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and his gaze fell on the huge map on the wall.
Upon closer inspection, it was found that the Japanese army's deployment was not significantly different from that in history, except that the number of troops involved in the battle was more than 100,000 more than recorded.
"I am a junior with limited knowledge, and I hope that my words will be forgiven by my superiors if they are inappropriate."
Li Jianghe first made a humble remark, then cleared his throat and continued, "I believe that the main force of the Japanese offensive will inevitably be concentrated on the areas along both sides of the Yangtze River."
Our army needs to utilize the terrain of mountains, rivers, and lakes along the coast to construct tiered defenses, slowing the Japanese advance and continuously depleting their war resources.
These words were unremarkable and lacked originality, and most people present shared this view, so they did not cause much of a stir in the hall.
Li Jianghe changed the subject, his tone becoming firm:
"However, if the Japanese army wanted to break through our defenses and take Wuhan, the most likely point of breakthrough would be along the Huangchuan-Xinyang line."
They are highly likely to advance from the north, heading south, and directly attack Wuhan!
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room erupted in chaos, with discussions becoming even more heated than before.
"Objectively speaking, this possibility cannot be ruled out, as the Japanese army currently has a considerable number of troops deployed in the Jinpu Railway area."
"Perhaps the Japanese army will deliberately lure our main force to both sides of the Yangtze River, and then send a detachment to launch a surprise attack on Xinyang, catching us off guard."
"So, does that mean we also need to deploy heavy troops for defense in northern Wuhan? But it's impossible to allocate the necessary forces!"
"Yes, the Japanese invaders will definitely concentrate heavy troops on both sides of the Yangtze River, and with the support of naval gunfire, they will definitely attract our main force. We simply cannot spare many troops on the northern front."
Everyone expressed their opinions, and the debate raged on.
Seeing this, Commander Chen spoke up again, his questions sharp and direct:
"So, do you think Wuhan can be defended?"
This question undoubtedly hit a nerve with everyone present.
The Fifth War Zone had just lost Xuzhou. If Li Jianghe were to say that Wuhan could not be held and advocate for a continued retreat, he would inevitably face a barrage of criticism.
Commander Bai also realized the danger of this issue and was about to step forward to smooth things over and change the subject, but Li Jianghe spoke first, his voice clear and firm:
"Wuhan cannot be defended."
These five words were like a thunderbolt, instantly plunging the entire command center into a deathly silence, followed by an even greater uproar.
"Hmph, this Li Jianghe is indeed skilled in battle, but why does he always turn into a coward when it comes to fighting to the death?"
"The Fifth War Zone just lost Xuzhou, and now they're going to hand over Wuhan to the Japanese? Should we just lose Chongqing and Sichuan too, and then run off to Yunnan to fight the Japanese?"
"What kind of mess is this? The superiors set an example for the subordinates! The elders lost Xuzhou, the younger ones lost Wuhan—don't they have any will to resist the Japanese anymore?!"
Questions and accusations were heard incessantly.