Songhu Operational Plan No. 1

A side wing of Wufeng Hall served as the confidential records office for the entire Nanjing-Shanghai Garrison Headquarters. Combining intelligence gathering, telegraph transmission, and cryptanalysis under one roof, it provided the vital foundation for the entire Songhu operational plan. With the pre-battle deployment briefing concluded, Zhang Zhizhong had already departed early to prepare his briefing materials for the following day's trip to Nanjing. Li Chuyue, the headquarters' secretary-general, was left in charge of Zhu Shiqing's subsequent assignments. Though titled Secretary-General, he bore little resemblance to the rank-and-file clerks handling paperwork at the lower levels. Li was, for all practical purposes, the grand steward of the entire Lingering Garden. Whether overseeing the construction of prearranged defensive positions, charting marching routes for converging forces, or dividing labor among the headquarters' various sections, none of it moved without his direction. The intercepted dispatch regarding Japanese troop movements had forced the entire Nanjing-Shanghai operational timeline to be moved forward. Li Chuyue dispensed with pleasantries. When it came to organizing the next phase of work, there was no time to let Zhu Shiqing rest until tomorrow. This was an assignment upon which the success or failure of the entire Songhu campaign hinged. There in Wufeng Hall, after the others had dispersed, Li Chuyue summoned the two men to his side and slowly unclasped the dark blue folder in his hands. "Gentlemen, Commander Zhang had arrangements in mind for your duties the moment he summoned you to Lingering Garden. Given the urgency of the situation and the imminent outbreak of a major engagement, I will not beat around the bush." Li drew a half-folded, straw-yellow map from the folder, along with a stack of manuscript paper filled with brushed ink, and handed them to Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian. "Take a look at this first." What Zhu Shiqing received was a regional map of Songhu marked in red and black ink. Beyond detailing Shanghai's streets, alleyways, and strategic strongpoints, the map bore striking red markings identifying various Japanese strongholds. The black markers denoted prominent Japanese landmarks across the Songhu region, among the most conspicuous being the Gongda Cotton Mill, Huishan Wharf, the Naval Landing Force Headquarters, and Gongda Airfield. The level of detail was astonishing. In Fang Wenjian's hands was a draft of the operational design for Songhu, headed in black brushwork: "Songhu Operational Plan No. 1." Spanning four pages, the document laid out the tactical positions each branch was to reach and the tactical objectives they were to fulfill. It included coordinated missions for the air group stationed at Hangzhou's Jianqiao Airfield, as well as select naval units from the Jiangyin Fortress. "The map in your hands was pieced together over two years by our intelligence operatives, using every method at their disposal—and at the cost of several lost working teams." "What specific duties are Wenjian and I to undertake? Please instruct us, Secretary Li," Zhu Shiqing said, standing erect before him. "The core objective of Songhu Operational Plan No. 1 is to wipe out the Japanese Naval Landing Force stationed in Shanghai. According to our intelligence, there are roughly four thousand Japanese naval troops of various specialties across the Songhu area. The three advance divisions mobilized by our army are currently en route to their designated positions." Watching their curiosity, Li Chuyue raised his teacup, took a modest sip, and continued in an unhurried tone. "However, Nanjing has not yet approved our operational plan. That is why Commander Zhang must go to Nanjing tomorrow to finalize the matter. But the planning cannot halt. The Japanese have been intensifying their provocations in Shanghai in recent days, and our three German-equipped divisions still need two to three days to reach their staging lines. "The Commander intends to form an advance action team to enter Shanghai ahead of the rest, keep watch on Japanese movements, and carry out specialized operations in accordance with headquarters' directives." "Yes, sir! We will carry out our orders without fail!" Zhu Shiqing answered immediately. Though he did not yet know what purpose this action team would serve, since it was General Zhang Zhizhong's will, there was no room for hesitation. "The members of this advance team are also core personnel drawn from various agencies. Once you enter Shanghai, you are to wear Peace Preservation uniforms and operate under the public guise of an inspection team for the Shanghai Peace Preservation Corps. Headquarters has already coordinated this matter with the Shanghai authorities." In truth, Zhang Zhizhong's eagerness for Zhu Shiqing's arrival was rooted entirely in the tactical purpose of this advance team. Their objective was not espionage work like assassination or sabotage. Rather, it was to monitor the enemy at arm's length, and, when the situation demanded it, provoke a war. When Li Chuyue whispered this essential directive to the two of them, Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian nearly stared their eyes out. *What? Provoke a war?* Li Chuyue's meaning was crystal clear. These men had planned the Songhu campaign for far too long, and three German-equipped divisions were on the verge of moving into position. This battle had to be fought! Yet the political landscape within Nanjing was treacherous and fraught with infighting among rival factions. Once war erupted in Shanghai, it would inevitably disrupt the interests of thousands of people, and opponents were far from few. Meanwhile, there were already signs that the Japanese military was preparing to reinforce Shanghai. If Zhang Zhizhong failed to secure genuine backing at the national defense conference in Nanjing... Then, when the moment required, no matter the method the team employed— whether by firing the first shot in secret, or baiting the enemy into pulling the trigger first—the war had to be ignited. The Japanese invaders had to be driven into the Huangpu River. Li Chuyue was a man of swift action. Mid-conversation, he picked up the telephone and summoned the designated members of the advance team to Wufeng Hall on the spot. Counting Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian, the team numbered six in all. "Like the two of you, these four have already begun to distinguish themselves in the military." While waiting for the four to arrive, Li Chuyue sipped his tea and introduced them. "Ping Hong, a graduate of the Fuxing Society Intelligence Section's special training class, later employed in the Secret Service. He contributed significantly to this map. "Deng Yifei, a graduate of Whampoa's Fifth Class, currently serving as a section chief in the Military Affairs Commission's Political Training Department. "Yu Yang, the youngest of you six, a cadet studying communications in Whampoa's Twelfth Class. Due to wartime needs, I had him transferred here as well. "Yu Feishuang, a deputy company commander in the 87th Division, a seasoned veteran of many battles." Listening to their backgrounds, Zhu Shiqing realized the team's composition was anything but simple. Staff officers, agents, regular army officers, communications specialists, and political training cadres—they covered every base. It was clearly a small, irregular unit. An outsider looking at this roster might mistake it for some high-level central inspection team. Yet that was precisely what warranted caution. Different departments represented different stances, which meant competing interests. Back during his days in the Staff Corps, the mere mention of the "Red Party" had thrown the entire Qingliang Mountain camp into turmoil. Among the six of them, two were responsible for that brand of political surveillance. And the Secret Service was hardly gentle; their motto was not loyalty to the nation. Their motto was loyalty to the Leader! Fortunately, Zhu Shiqing was confident he had left no vulnerabilities for anyone to exploit. Before long, the four arrived one by one. After brief introductions and receiving their assignments from Secretary-General Li Chuyue, the action team was officially established. Zhu Shiqing remained circumspect in his interactions, quietly sizing them up as they spoke. Yu Feishuang clearly carried the air of an old soldier. The eldest of the group, his face was covered in stubble, his frame burly, and his speech blunt and free of pretense. Yu Yang was the youngest, looking almost like an underage boy, yet he was remarkably handsome and articulated his words with crisp clarity. He possessed a sharp cleverness, likely placing him among the very top of his class. The name Ping Hong fit Zhu Shiqing's mental image of an operative—it sounded like a codename. To his surprise, Ping Hong acted familiar right away, calling everyone brothers, chatting about everyday trivia, and playfully asking that they look out for one another down the road. After listening for a while, Zhu Shiqing realized this man was far from a cold assassin. He was clearly a smooth-talking socialite straight out of the entertainment halls. As for Deng Yifei, he opened with bureaucratic platitudes about "devoting oneself to the party-state" and "sincere cooperation," which fit the style of someone from the Political Training Department to the letter. Li Chuyue cared little about how the six would integrate or what they were discussing. Once they had grown somewhat acquainted, he gave his final instructions. "The advance team departs for Shanghai tomorrow. Ping Hong is provisionally designated team leader, Zhu Shiqing deputy leader, and Yu Yang the team's radio operator." Li Chuyue rose to his feet, letting out a meaningful sigh. "Gentlemen, you are elites drawn from every quarter. By that same token, you are the fuse for Songhu Operational Plan No. 1." Rather than a fuse, it was more like a small bomb—one about to be hurled straight onto the front lines of Shanghai.