Inside the Guo'an Army headquarters in Chongqing, hidden among the mountains, the atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a violent storm. A middle-aged man stood alone in the center of the operations room, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with deep anxiety. He was agonizing over the ferocious, monstrous speed at which the Japanese Army was advancing in the War of Resistance. He knew full well that as a military commander, he carried the fate of the entire nation on his shoulders—a responsibility as heavy as Mount Tai, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
Slowly, he paced over to the massive military map, fixing his gaze on the aggressive Japanese offensive posture mapped out before him. The red arrows representing the Japanese forces stretched relentlessly deep into the heart of the country like the sharp talons of a demon, each one like a blade piercing his heart. As his gaze followed the movement of the arrows, scenes of the Japanese army's path of slaughter, burning, and looting flashed through his mind; the screams of ordinary citizens and the ruins of cities seemed to be right before his eyes.
He knew that the recent defeat in the Battle of Nanjing had dealt a devastating blow to the morale of the Guo'an Army's officers and soldiers. Those young and courageous fighters had rushed to the battlefield with burning blood to defend their homes and country, only to suffer crushing blows under the overwhelming Japanese offensive. Now, low morale hung over …
Chapter 38