Chapter 169: Su Yaoyang Arrives
“Staff Officer Wu… any news from headquarters?” Second Regiment Commander Huang Guantao entered the command post, glanced at the staff officers with worried expressions around him, and asked First Regiment Chief of Staff Wu Qingyun.
“Not yet.” Wu Qingyun shook his head: “Two hours ago, Chief of Staff Pi called and told us to wait patiently.”
“Waiting at a time like this.” Huang Guantao raised his voice: “Old Li has already been sent down, and now his life or death is unknown, but there’s not even anyone in charge here. The Japanese could come charging over at any moment. How are we supposed to wait?”
Seeing Huang Guantao’s gloomy expression, Wu Qingyun knew he was under a lot of pressure too.
The battle hadn’t even started yet, and the commander had been wounded by a bomb. All the responsibility was now on his shoulders. It would be strange if he wasn’t anxious.
“Sir, don’t worry. This is a major matter. The Commander and Chief of Staff Pi are definitely still discussing it. There should be news soon.”
“Sigh… I hope they can make arrangements soon. Otherwise, relying on me alone, it’s really too much to handle.” Huang Guantao muttered.
This wasn’t just posturing; it was the plain truth.
Now, Wild Wolf Valley had gathered First Regiment, Second Regiment, Anti-Air Battalion, Tank Battalion, and several other units. These troops together numbered over ten thousand, and since they weren’t under unified command, coordination alone was a huge problem.
The military emphasizes legitimate authority. Huang Guantao was Second Regiment Commander and could command Second Regiment without issue, but First Regiment, Anti-Air Battalion, Tank Battalion, and the others weren’t his direct subordinates. Until headquarters appointed him as commander of these troops, he had no right to direct or deploy them.
This wasn’t negligence on Su Yaoyang’s or Pi Ruoyu’s part; no one had expected that before the battle even started, the commander would be wounded by the little devils’ planes. Who could you reason with about that?
Just as the two were growing extremely anxious, a staff officer came running over, panting heavily.
“Commander Huang, Chief of Staff Wu… quick… quick… Commander Su is here.”
“What?”
The two exclaimed in unison, “The Commander is here in person?”
“Why can’t I come in person?” Su Yaoyang’s voice sounded from outside.
As his words fell, Su Yaoyang, dressed in military uniform and escorted by several guards, strode in.
“Greetings, Commander!”
Seeing Su Yaoyang arrive, including Huang Guantao and Wu Qingyun, as well as the more than ten staff officers in the command post, all stood at attention and smartly saluted him.
“Hello, everyone!”
Su Yaoyang stood straight and returned a military salute to the group.
He didn’t waste words and said clearly: “Alright, I’ve already heard about Li Gaoyuan’s situation. All I can say is his luck has been bad lately; he couldn’t even dodge the little devils’ bombs.
That said, this guy is over thirty and still a bachelor. Now that he’s in the hospital for a while, maybe some nearsighted little nurse will take a fancy to him, solve his singlehood problem, and turn misfortune into fortune.”
“Hahaha…”
Hearing Su Yaoyang describe what was originally a depressing matter so lightly, all the staff officers laughed.
Some of the still-single staff officers were tempted. They’d heard there were several hundred nurses in the hospital, many young and pretty girls. If they went there often, wouldn’t they have a chance?
Seeing Su Yaoyang arrive and revive the previously stifled atmosphere in the command post with just a few words, Wu Qingyun and Huang Guantao exchanged a glance and saw the admiration in each other’s eyes.
Especially Huang Guantao; he was one of the first to know Su Yaoyang.
When he first met Su Yaoyang in Nanjing, he was still a somewhat green young man. Now, less than a year later, he had transformed into an excellent commander. Such growth speed was truly astonishing.
Su Yaoyang turned to look at the two: “Chief of Staff Wu, Regiment Commander Li is injured and can’t manage First Regiment’s work for now, and First Regiment has no deputy commander temporarily. As chief of staff, you take charge of First Regiment’s affairs and fully handle its work. Can you do it?”
“Guaranteed to complete the mission!” Wu Qingyun stood solemnly and saluted gravely.
“Mm…” Su Yaoyang nodded. “While the devils haven’t come yet, notify all officers at battalion level and above immediately. They have half an hour to get to the command post for a meeting.”
“Yes!”
Half an hour later, all battalion-level and above officers from the participating units in Wild Wolf Valley gathered. Dozens of field-grade and above officers crammed the small command post full.
“Everyone!”
Su Yaoyang stood before the group, holding a pointer. In front of him was a sand table, which, being hastily made, looked somewhat crude in workmanship.
“No need for extra words. Originally, it should be Regiment Commander Li Gaoyuan standing here, but unfortunately, he was wounded by the little devils’ planes, so the person standing here is me now.
The only thing I want to tell you all is that in the coming period, we will face the assault of a full-strength Japanese Type A division.
Here, I only want to tell you one thing: in this battle, we must win; defeat is not an option.
Because once Wild Wolf Valley falls, the roads to Dingxiang County and Wuta County ahead will be flat and indefensible, which means we would have to abandon Wuta County, give up the results of months of hard construction, and retreat into the mountains to eat sand.
Tell me, do you want to live that kind of life?”
“No!”
The crowd roared in unison.
Wuta County was a large county with over three hundred thousand regular residents. After Su Yaoyang and the Shanxi Militia Group stationed there, it attracted merchants and travelers from all over, with the population steadily increasing and the place becoming bustling and lively.
They were human too; used to comfortable places, who would want to go live in the mountain nooks?
“Since you don’t want to be driven by the devils to live in the mountain corners, then fight hard for me.”
Su Yaoyang said bluntly: “I’m putting the ugly words upfront now: in this battle, victory only, no defeat allowed. Without my orders, if anyone dares to withdraw arbitrarily and abandon positions, don’t blame me for enforcing battlefield discipline!”
Seeing Su Yaoyang’s stern expression, everyone knew their boss was dead serious.
After speaking, Su Yaoyang turned to look to his right and suddenly said.
“John!”
“Here!”
John’s Chinese wasn’t great; he could handle everyday talk, but if the other person spoke too fast, he couldn’t always catch it clearly. Lost in thought, he jolted when he suddenly heard his name and quickly stood up.
“John, what’s the status of your tank battalion now? Did today’s bombing affect you?”
“Report, sir: Tank Battalion is in perfect condition, no losses!” John said loudly.
“Good… I have an idea now. While the Japanese haven’t come, advance the tank battalion twenty kilometers forward, then hide here.”
Su Yaoyang picked up a wooden stick and slowly moved it across the sand table, stopping at one spot…
