Chapter 191: Call Me Dean Song
Song Mei’s resounding reputation was not due to her ferocity, but because of her fame for saving lives and healing the wounded.
Ever since Su Yaoyang made his debut, Song Mei had always stayed by his side, silently taking on the work of saving lives and healing the wounded. In the past year alone, countless wounded soldiers had been saved by her hand, and now in the vast Shanxi Militia, from officers to ordinary soldiers, who didn’t give a thumbs up at the mention of Dean Song of the field hospital?
Although Li Gaoyuan was the regiment commander, facing the boss’s wife, he was inherently at a disadvantage, not to mention that he was now injured with his life in her hands. Upon suddenly seeing Song Mei approaching with anger, his legs began to cramp.
Song Mei arrived at the bedside, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed: “Old Li, you’re a patient now, and as a patient, you have to listen to the doctor. Whatever the doctor tells you to do, you do it. There’s nothing wrong with what I said, right?”
“No problem, no problem.” Li Gaoyuan quickly nodded.
“Also… look at you, almost thirty and not even married yet. Mingxi specifically instructed me to keep an eye out for a wife for you. I was thinking, we have so many unmarried doctors and nurses in our hospital. Introducing one to you now, any problem with that?”
“It’s not… sister-in-law… I…”
“This is a hospital, please call me Dean Song!”
“Dean… Dean Song… I…”
“Alright, it’s settled then. Don’t be scared, the one I’m introducing to you is little Wu who just fed you earlier. She comes from a clean family background, is virtuous, hardworking, and thrifty, only twenty years old this year. Pairing her with a thirty-year-old man like you, could that possibly be wronging you?
Today, I’m making the decision. In a few days, when your condition improves a bit, I’ll have you two formally meet. If you both agree, in a little while, I’ll arrange your official wedding.”
“Hey hey… this won’t do, I haven’t agreed yet.” Li Gaoyuan panicked. How did it escalate to getting married just like that? He quickly protested: “Dean Song… sister-in-law… I think it’s better to discuss it at length after I recover, it’s not too late.”
“Discuss at length?”
Song Mei raised an eyebrow, smiling ambiguously: “Regiment Commander Li, how exactly do you plan to discuss at length?”
“This… this…” Under Song Mei’s amused gaze, Li Gaoyuan felt a chill down his back. After stammering for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth: “Um… Dean Song, I promise you, after my injury heals, I’ll start getting to know Nurse Wu. If both sides feel it’s suitable, we’ll take the next step. How about that?”
“Mm, that works too.” Song Mei also knew not to push too hard; this man was her husband’s capable subordinate.
Men were like a spring; if you pressed too hard, it would rebound.
After settling the matter, Song Mei left contentedly, leaving behind Li Gaoyuan thumping his chest in frustration and Lu Shaobin watching with gleeful amusement.
…………
Ever since watching that movie, the chiefs at the Eighth Route Army headquarters had realized that opportunities were rare. Now, the main force of the 20th Division was firmly pinned down in Wild Wolf Valley by Su Yaoyang’s Shanxi Militia, and the best chance to seize Xinxian had arrived.
Brigade Commander Chen, this general renowned for his boldness and wisdom, directed his troops like a chess master, secretly assembling several elite units under his command—the New 1st Regiment of Li Yunlong howling for a tough battle, Kong Jie’s steady and seasoned Independent Regiment, and the equally valiant 772nd Regiment of Blind Cheng, plus another crack brigade, totaling four main regiments like four honed sharp daggers, secretly converging on the outskirts of Xinxian, lurking under the cover of night and mountains.
Of course, this operation was not just relying on a strong assault by the main forces; that was the worst option. After all, Xinxian now was just an ammunition depot. If the Japanese discovered they couldn’t hold it and detonated the depot, it would be eggs smashed and chickens flown away for them.
A large group of experienced county brigade members, along with local loyal and reliable militia, all shed their uniforms and changed into ordinary civilian clothes.
Some disguised as peddlers carrying burdens and hawking wares, passing secret intelligence in their calls; others as farmers shouldering hoes, meticulously observing Japanese defenses and patrol patterns during breaks in fieldwork.
These seemingly unremarkable “good citizens” merged into the sea like drops of water, silently infiltrating the seemingly heavily guarded but actually greatly weakened Xinxian city, weaving a vast intelligence and support network.
Finally, on a pitch-black, windy night where one couldn’t see their fingers, the moment of action arrived!
The Eighth Route Army’s action capability was nothing like those Shanxi local militia who only knew hard fights and rough work.
The night curtain became their best cover, as warriors approached their targets like leopards in the dark, silently.
Xinxian’s Japanese garrison originally had a full company’s worth of troops, which was fairly tight defense. But with the fighting in the Wild Wolf Valley direction intensifying, frontline forces were stretched thin, and two platoons’ worth of main force were forcibly drawn from Xinxian’s defenders, leaving only a lone platoon plus a battalion of puppet troops to assist in defense. This power vacuum had long been scouted clear by Eighth Route Army reconnaissance.
When Brigade Commander Chen gave the order, the four main regiments charged like tigers down the mountain, launching swift assaults on Xinxian from different directions. The warriors moved quickly and coordinated perfectly, targeting weak points in Japanese defenses. Comrades already inside the city simultaneously rose up, and with inside-outside coordination, the Japanese and puppet defenses were torn apart almost instantly.
Though sporadic gunshots rang out during the battle, breaking the silent night sky, the entire process was surprisingly smooth, almost bloodless.
Most importantly, the crucial ammunition depot the Japanese had set up in Xinxian city was, under the Eighth Route Army’s meticulous planning and swift action, preserved intact! Mountains of ammunition, rifles, and various military supplies all fell into Eighth Route Army hands.
After dawn, news of Xinxian’s fall spread like wildfire at top speed to the 20th Division headquarters.
Division Commander Usijima Jotsuo, Lieutenant General, this senior Japanese officer known for his ferocity, leapt from his seat like he’d been struck by lightning the instant he received the report! His face, covered in puffy flesh, flushed pig-liver red from extreme shock and rage.
“Baka ya lu!!” Usijima Jotsuo’s roar nearly flipped the command post roof, “Xinxian fallen?! Ammunition depot taken by Eighth Route?! How… how is this possible?! Rice buckets! A bunch of rice buckets!!”
The fall of Xinxian’s ammunition depot was an utter bolt from the blue for the 20th Division! It meant they’d lost their most critical ammo source, frontline troops’ ammunition resupply would be unsustainable, and their ongoing fierce attacks would collapse from running out of ammo and supplies! The impact on the entire battle situation was catastrophic!
After a brief outburst of fury, Usijima Jotsuo forced himself to calm down. He urgently convened Division Chief of Staff Kesamura Hisazo, Colonel, and under him 39th Brigade Commander Takagi Yoshito, Major General, and 40th Brigade Commander Uezuki Yoshio, Major General, for an emergency military conference.
In the dim operations room, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy. The faces of several senior Japanese officers were grim to the extreme. Faced with such a major defeat and the imminent crisis, they racked their brains but couldn’t come up with any immediate way to turn the tide.
