A Prophet - Chapter 20 (Part 5)

Chapter 5 - Bai Chongxi's Bloody Battle at the Dragon Vein of Kunlun Pass

Inside the garrison headquarters of Kunlun Pass, Ancestor caught his first glimpse of the "God of War" of the Kuomintang—Bai Chongxi.

Bai Chongxi was a core figure of the Gui clique warlords. Alongside Li Zongren, he was collectively known as "Li-Bai." Renowned for his shifting brilliance and extraordinary courage and resourcefulness, he was universally dubbed the "Little Zhuge," and his peerless military acumen and sweeping political maneuvering were recognized by both the Nationalists and the Communists. Marshal Lin Biao's most formidable rival back in the day was none other than Bai Chongxi; the two clashed repeatedly, each securing victories and suffering defeats.

Bai Chongxi's earliest ancestors were of Arab descent, and many among his forebears had passed the imperial examinations to serve as officials, until his father's generation finally abandoned the scholarly path to enter commerce. Bai Chongxi had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, capable of reciting anything after reading it just once. In 1907, he ranked sixth in the entire province and gained admission into the Guangxi Military Primary School. When the Xinhai Revolution erupted in 1911, Bai Chongxi enlisted in the dare-to-die corps, thus initiating his military career. During the Northern Expedition, he fought all the way from Zhennan Pass to Shanhaiguan, earning renown as "the primary man who completed the Northern Expedition."

Prior to the Central Plains War, out of deep disdain for Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorial autocracy, he issued a resounding cry: "Return party and state governance to the people, and the clash of arms can be transformed into jade and silk." Following the defeat at the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, Bai Chongxi took the initiative to petition the high command, demanding to go head-to-head with the Japanese invaders. Chiang Kai-shek gave his consent, but the result was that the Gui clique army—utterly devoid of experience in fighting the Japanese—was heavily battered by the Japanese 9th Division. The tens of thousands of dare-to-die troops meticulously deployed by Bai Chongxi were instantly shattered beneath the dense barrage of Japanese artillery fire. Grief-stricken to the core, Bai Chongxi went without food or water for days on end. From that moment onward, Bai Chongxi endured hardships and plotted vengeance in secret, finally assisting Li Zongren in crushing the Japanese army at Taierzhuang in 1938. This secured the "Great Victory of Taierzhuang," another major triumph in the War of Resistance following Lin Biao's "Pingxinguan Campaign," thereby washing away his deep humiliation.

In order to hold Kunlun Pass this time, guarantee the victory of the Nanning Campaign, and steadfastly defend the southwestern gateway of China, Chiang Kai-shek pulled out all the stops, placing the Nationalist army's most elite force and sole mechanized unit—the 5th Army—under Bai Chongxi's command. Chiang Kai-shek reached this decision after balancing matters from every angle, for his feelings toward Bai Chongxi were a mixture of affection and resentment: he needed to make good use of Bai Chongxi's talents, yet he could not allow his prestige to grow too great lest it threaten his own rule. In particular, after Dai Li personally sent men to inspect the Feng Shui of Bai Chongxi's birthplace, Chiang Kai-shek harbored an even deeper wariness toward him.

Bai Chongxi's former residence was located in Lingui, where his birthplace featured two undulating peaks that received the vital energy of the Xianxian Dragon Vein. The entire mountain resembled a camel lifting its head, and the Bai family residence sat right upon the camel's head—a formation known in Feng Shui as "the camel bringing treasure," destined to produce kings, prime ministers, and high-ranking officials.

Deeply aware of the immense responsibility resting upon his shoulders this time, Bai Chongxi—who had always possessed a profound interest in Feng Shui—immediately invited Ancestor over upon receiving Dai Li's telegram, so they could jointly examine the directional flow of the Dragon Vein around Kunlun Pass to aid in troop deployment and strategic formations.

Yet Bai Chongxi was no superstitious fool; the so-called strategic deployment based on Feng Shui could never contradict actual tactical necessities and was treated strictly as a reference.

Following a thorough joint planning session between Ancestor and Bai Chongxi, the general began mobilizing troops and assigning commanders.

On November 23, 1939, the Japanese 5th Division forced its way across the Yong River under air cover and pushed into Yongning. The Nationalist 170th Division offered lackluster resistance, and by the evening of the 24th, Nanning fell.

Fuming with rage, Bai Chongxi dispatched an urgent telegram to Chiang Kai-shek: Taking advantage of the fact that the Japanese invaders have yet to firmly establish themselves in Nanning, the national army should launch a comprehensive counteroffensive to deal the enemy a heavy blow! He intended to catch the Japanese completely off guard.

Chiang Kai-shek once again exhibited his trademark trait of "using those he suspects, and suspecting those he uses." Remembering the disastrous defeat he suffered two years prior when Bai Chongxi petitioned for an active offensive against the Japanese, he hesitated this time: What if this fellow gets my 5th Army wiped out? Wouldn't my national strength suffer a crippling blow?

Driven nearly to the point of vomiting blood with anxiety, Bai Chongxi shouted: "Once the opportunity of war slips away, Kunlun Pass is doomed!"

True to his warning, after taking two days to regroup, the Japanese consolidated all their forces into the Yongqin Corps, launching a ferocious assault on Gaofeng Pass on the 26th, and capturing Kunlun Pass on December 4. The Japanese command immediately wired headquarters: The Dragon Vein has been locked; China can be destroyed in the blink of an eye!

Upon intercepting the Japanese telegram, Bai Chongxi slumped heavily into his chair: "It's over, everything is over! When on earth will the Generalissimo order a counteroffensive?!"

Ancestor was equally baffled by Old Chiang's sluggish reaction, stamping his feet in frustration: "After all this time spent planning deployments, we've ended up being tripped up by our own people, completely missing the window of opportunity!"

Across several major historical turning points in modern Chinese history, Chiang Kai-shek consistently displayed a sluggish rhythm—failing to strike when he should have, and fighting to the bitter end when he shouldn't have. This likely tied into his very name, "Zhongzheng"—impartial and balanced, neither advancing recklessly nor retreating timidly. In this regard, his "old friend" Mr. Mao Zedong was the exact opposite; Mao invariably struck first and achieved victory through the unexpected. Given that the flow of history is rarely orderly, Mao's defeat of Chiang was ultimately a historical inevitability.

It was not until three days after the fall of Kunlun Pass that the enigmatic Chiang Kai-shek finally issued his command: Counterattack! Swear to recapture Kunlun Pass at all costs!

That night, Ancestor met secretly with Bai Chongxi and pointed out: To retake Kunlun Pass, the surrounding highlands of Fairy Mountain and Old Mao Ridge must be captured first. These two locations stood like the horns of an ox, forming the "hook-horn malediction" in Feng Shui terms; the moment those two positions were occupied, the malediction would dissipate, making Kunlun Pass far easier to crack!

Bai Chongxi remarked: "That's the exact same logic as the tactical principle of holding the high ground and looking down—possessing a commanding vantage point! Damn it! Even if we have to exhaust our last reserves, we will take Kunlun Pass!"

On December 18, the epic and stirring Battle of Kunlun Pass erupted. Every inch of rivers and mountains cost an inch of blood; the national army recaptured Kunlun Pass three times, only to have it seized by the Japanese three times. National Revolutionary Army Major General Zheng Dongguo led the 1st Honorary Division into hand-to-hand bayonet combat with the Japanese. Every single soldier fixed his bayonet to engage the devils in close-quarters melee, and the blood flowing across Kunlun Pass formed waterfalls, soaking the earth down several inches! Of the entire division numbering 13,000 men, only 700 remained when they finally withdrew from the battlefield!

Toward the end, regular troops were nearly exhausted, and ordinary citizens picked up rifles to charge forward behind the ranks! Witnessing such a harrowing scene, Ancestor's face streamed with tears as he immediately summoned all his brothers: "Pull yourselves together, every single one of you! Get onto the battlefield! If we cannot retake Kunlun Pass, no one is permitted to return alive!"

"Understood!" the brothers roared in unison.

Though the men of the "Muzi Lotus" branch had never received formal military training, they were far more ruthless than ordinary civilians and yielded nothing to regular soldiers—though calling them regular soldiers was a stretch, as most had simply been press-ganged into service, dragging oxen and plowing fields at home just yesterday, only to be tossed a uniform and deemed soldiers today. The moment the "Muzi Lotus" brothers hit the battlefield, their eyes turned bloodshot. Those with guns shot; those without used cleavers and axes. In particular, the First and Second Leaders stripped off their upper garments, baring their chests as they brandished a pair of gleaming butcher's cleavers apiece. "I fuck your mother, you little Japanese bastards!" they roared, charging at the very front time and time again. Fearing the two of them would fall together, Ancestor invariably kept his rifle in hand and followed closely behind to cover them from enemy snipers.

The battle dragged on for over two months. The "Muzi Lotus" lost 15 brothers, and Ancestor and all the section leaders sustained injuries. Little Liu, in particular, took a bayonet wound during close-quarters combat with a Japanese soldier.

On February 24, 1940, Chinese forces finally recovered Kunlun Pass! On that day, a violent gale whipped through the mountains and forests roared, while soldiers fired their rifles in salute and mournful battle songs soared straight up to the firmament!

Bai Chongxi gripped Ancestor's hand tightly: "You gentlemen are far more than mere fortune-tellers—you are true heroes of the nation!"

Severely sapped of their vitality, Ancestor shook his head: "The General flatters us! Defending our homes and country is the duty of every ordinary citizen!"

When news reached Japan, even the Japanese were forced to praise the Chinese soldiers: The scale of this Chinese offensive was massive, and their combat willpower was exceptionally fierce. Their actions were proactive and tenacious to a degree rarely seen in previous offensives. Although our army achieved a massive battle result, our losses were correspondingly heavy.

From that point onward, the Japanese invasion of China entered its most deadlocked and agonizing phase. Their battle lines were stretched far too thin, supplies failed to keep pace, casualties mounted continuously with no fresh recruits to replenish the ranks, the Kuomintang's frontal battlefields refused to yield, and the Communist Eighth Route Army launched wave after wave of strikes from the rear. In particular, the "Hundred Regiments Offensive" launched by the Communists in North China between August and December of that year involved over 1,800 large and small engagements across a mere three months, killing and wounding more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers. This single blow shattered the Japanese "cage policy," leaving their forces caught between head and tail with no way to cope, and effectively delaying their southward advance.

Faced with the collapse of their plan to subjugate China swiftly, the Japanese began implementing the strategy of "sustaining the war through war." How could they replenish their energy rapidly? Only through further aggression! Occupation and plunder were the quickest methods for securing resources. At that moment, Army Minister Hideki Tojo cast his gaze toward the small nations of Southeast Asia and submitted a formal memorial to the Japanese Emperor detailing the plan.

The Emperor quickly granted his approval. However, Tojo's subsequent proposal left both the Emperor and the cabinet elders completely flabbergasted, and even spymaster Yoshio Kodama was left staring in utter disbelief: Tojo intended to attack the United States!

Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe questioned Tojo at the time: "America's attention is currently focused on Europe, and we should be seizing the opportunity to take Southeast Asia. Why must the General attack America first? Furthermore, it remains uncertain whether the Imperial Army can match the American forces; should the US launch a counterattack, it could prove disastrous for our war effort in East Asia!"

Hideki Tojo, possessing a genius intellect coupled with mental instability, offered a response unprecedented in history: "If you don't strike them, sooner or later they will strike you! Sometimes when you do something, don't think too much about it—just like committing suicide, you simply close your eyes and do it!" Little did he realize that while committing suicide on his own terms was one thing, he was dragging the entire Japanese populace down with him.

The Emperor ultimately placed his gamble on this psychiatric case: "The Army Minister says we strike, so we strike!"

At that moment, Yoshio Kodama boldly ventured a counter-argument: "Tojo-kun, according to the methods of Qimen Universe, waging war against America right now violates the laws of Feng Shui warfare. There is an old saying in Chinese divination: 'A declining spirit clashes with a flourishing spirit, causing the flourishing to soar; a flourishing spirit clashes with a declining spirit, causing the declining to wither.' Compared to the United States, we remain the weaker party. Should we enrage America..."

"Never mention your damned theories to me again! I am the Feng Shui! I am the I Ching! Any objections?"

"Uh... none."

Hideki Tojo immediately reshuffled the cabinet, concentrating both military and political power in his own hands, and then conspired with Isoroku Yamamoto—another gambling general born in the exact same year as himself—to orchestrate the Pearl Harbor attack.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, American GIs were fast asleep holding nurses when the roaring drone of airplanes jolted them awake. The soldiers merely rolled over and yawned, assuming it was a friendly drill. The next moment, bombs began to rain down, plunging the Pacific Fleet into a sea of flames. Pearl Harbor was struck, and the Pacific War erupted!

When the news reached the American mainland, President Roosevelt nearly tumbled out of his wheelchair. Much like an adult who never imagines a mere child would suddenly rush up and squeeze his testicles, this wheelchair-bound president—disabled by polio—had always prided himself on "never playing by the conventional rules," yet this time he had encountered someone who played by even less conventional rules: the master of multiple personalities, Hideki Tojo.

Immediately following this, Japan launched invasions against the small nations and territories of Southeast Asia, occupying Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Myanmar, and Indonesia in less than half a year.

Huang Farong's parlor in Nanyang was likewise forced to close down. Her employed manager liquidated all assets and brought the funds over to the United States to find Huang Farong.

Yet Huang Farong's husband, Hu Wanxiong, merely laughed: "Now we're in the clear! There's been an ongoing debate within the US Congress over whether to enter the war; with Tojo pulling a stunt like this, America won't have a choice but to fight! Once America makes its move, the devils will find themselves caught between head and tail, and victory in the War of Resistance is finally in sight!"

Huang Farong nodded repeatedly.

On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway erupted. The US military intercepted comprehensive intelligence regarding the Japanese fleet and executed a brilliantly orchestrated ambush. The Japanese suffered catastrophic losses, including 300 aircraft and over 100 pilots, dealing a crippling blow to their national strength.

In 1943, China, Britain, and the United States held a conference in Cairo and issued the Cairo Declaration, committing to joint military operations against Japan until Japan surrendered unconditionally.

By this point, nearly all of Japan's elite divisions had been wiped out. With manpower severely depleted, they had no choice but to contract their battle lines. Encouraged by militarist propaganda, teenagers across Japan eagerly enlisted, and wave after wave of youth volunteer corps were shipped off to Northeast China; even if they could not swallow the entirety of China, they were determined to hold onto puppet Manchukuo.

Simultaneously, the Japanese military's material supplies grew increasingly scarce. Airplanes, artillery, and firearms were constantly lost, subsequent military industrial production failed to keep pace, and the equipment of their troops deteriorated day by day.

On one occasion, when US forces ambushed a unit of Japanese paratroopers, they were astonished to discover that the paratroopers falling from the sky were all stripped to the waist, wielding nothing more than a single military saber with zero additional equipment whatsoever. The American GIs were dumbfounded, having no idea what kind of tactical maneuver this was, and after hesitantly firing a few rounds, the Japanese soldiers were shot dead. It was only after capturing the rest of the Japanese paratroopers intact that they learned the truth: this batch of paratroopers had just been inducted into service, and the quartermaster's department lacked sufficient equipment to arm them. But since going into battle without pants wasn't an option, they had each been issued a single pair of pants and a military saber. Before boarding the planes, the military indoctrination bureau handed each man an amulet: “Rest assured, enemy bullets cannot hit you, and even if they do, your soul will still enter the Yasukuni Shrine!” And so the recruits pulled on their shorts, put on their trousers, boarded the planes, and charged straight into battle.