Chapter 100: If You Dare, Come!

If Jiang Bai’s army were to strike first, that would be exactly what the enemy wanted, giving the Island Dynasty a pretext for war.

To ensure the army could land successfully in Blue Land, the Island Dynasty’s military devised a plan under the guise of “rotational garrison duty,” secretly transferring the four divisions originally stationed in Blue Land through the port to the border between Gaoli and the Chengyun River.

Once war broke out, these divisions could both help the Japanese forces encircle Chengyun from two sides and directly support the fighting in the Chengyun sector.

The reason for this arrangement was, on the one hand, that the Island Dynasty’s military believed that although these four divisions were formidable in the eyes of Yan Sang, they were still no match for Jiang Bai’s Seventh Army Group.

Rather than let these troops become cannon fodder for Jiang Bai, it was better to concentrate the main force in the Chengyun River region.

Once Chengyun fell, the battlefield would largely be in their hands.

As for the fighting in Blue Land, that would be entrusted to the 15th and 16th A-class divisions. This would not only ease the burden of transport, but also allow the A-class divisions to fully exploit their maneuverability and seize Chahar in one swift stroke.

With such a superior force behind them, the Island Dynasty was confident this operation would succeed.

In a short time, the Island Dynasty’s strength in the Chengyun region increased rapidly.

At the same time, Jiang Bai never expected his own military moves to escape the keen awareness of the Island Dynasty.

It could be said that both sides were tacitly preparing for this battle, and both were filled with enormous confidence in their own victory.

Jiang Bai hoped to use this war to establish the renown of the Seventh Army Group on the international stage, while also showing the other forces at home that the Island Dynasty was not invincible.

If anyone wished to secretly cooperate with the Island Dynasty, they would first have to consider whether they could bear Jiang Bai’s retaliation.

Meanwhile, Zhao Mingling, an emissary from the Shui faction, also arrived in Wangkou aboard a special plane to meet Jiang Bai.

When he first saw Jiang Bai, he praised him without pause.

Yet Jiang Bai seemed unmoved. He replied coldly:

“When do you plan to pay the money? That is when I will begin.”

“If you stop funding me, then I will find it hard to work for you.”

Those words froze the smile on Zhao Mingling’s face.

According to the earlier agreement between the Shui faction and Jiang Bai, in order to win his support, the Shui faction had agreed to pay him ten million each month as war funds to sustain his military operations.

Jiang Bai had won his first battle and taken Wangkou, forcing the other side to split its forces for defense. The Shui faction had been quite pleased with that, and had hoped Jiang Bai would continue his offensive.

They believed that if things continued this way, the hostile forces would inevitably be dragged into a two-front war and collapse.

But after his initial victory, Jiang Bai had not pressed forward, which made the Shui faction furious.

They could not understand why Jiang Bai would abandon such a golden opportunity to keep attacking.

Faced with their questioning, Jiang Bai’s reply was blunt: if he was to continue fighting, then the support had to increase.

Not only increase, but triple, because he was facing a powerful hostile alliance and needed more resources to fight one against three.

When the Shui faction heard this, they were enraged, feeling they had been treated like gullible fools.

Their monthly military budget was only twenty million, and the money already given to Jiang Bai had been a stretch.

For Jiang Bai to suddenly demand support raised to thirty million seemed to them like blatant extortion.

The Shui faction’s position was firm: they would never yield.

But Jiang Bai’s response was even harder. He threatened that if payment was not made today, he would immediately switch sides and support Yan Sang against the Shui faction.

This move completely shocked the authorities of the Shui faction. They had originally thought they could gain the upper hand in this game of power, never expecting Jiang Bai to answer with such force.

In the face of this, the Shui leadership felt unprecedented pressure and panic.

They had already squeezed out the very last drop to provide Jiang Bai with ten million a month, and now he was suddenly demanding three times that amount. For them, it was an astronomical sum.

Their reaction was a firm refusal, but Jiang Bai’s attitude was cold to the extreme, as though he were ready to change camps at any moment.

In such a situation, the Shui faction had no choice but to reassess their position and strategy. They began to realize that if they could not satisfy Jiang Bai’s demands, they might truly lose this struggle of schemes and armies.

Jiang Bai’s move had unquestionably forced the Shui faction into a corner, filling them with an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Under this sudden pressure, the Shui authorities had to rethink their next step, because Jiang Bai’s uncompromising stance had left them with very little room to maneuver.

If Jiang Bai truly joined forces with Yan Sang, then with the unmatched sharpness of his Seventh Army Group, would he not be able to sweep the Shui faction away with ease?

For that reason, the Shui faction hurried to soothe Jiang Bai, while urgently sending Zhao Mingling to negotiate with him.

Faced with Jiang Bai’s direct demand, Zhao Mingling looked troubled.

He had not expected Jiang Bai to be so straightforward, with no attempt at circumlocution.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Mingling asked:

“Commander Jiang, once the funds are in place, when do you intend to move?”

Jiang Bai answered with equal directness:

“The moment the money arrives, the troops move. If it is transferred today, I march today; if it is transferred tomorrow, I march tomorrow.”

“If there is no payment within three days, then I can only help Yan Sang deal with you.”

Zhao Mingling drew a deep breath and answered solemnly:

“Understood. We will transfer five million through an international bank today as an advance.”

“The remaining funds will be remitted gradually within three days. I hope Commander Jiang will keep his word.”

Jiang Bai replied at once:

“Take a man’s money and avert his disaster. I know exactly what I am doing.”

The Shui faction truly kept its promise. Before two days had passed, it had transferred the full thirty million as agreed.

They naturally had no wish to drag things out—if they delayed any longer, the hostile forces might be at their very gates.

Once the money arrived, Jiang Bai did not hesitate in the slightest.

He immediately sent a telegram to the three-nation alliance, warning that if they did not withdraw from Jingjin within a week, then they would meet him on the battlefield.

Yan Sang and Li Yiren were both infuriated and publicly denounced Jiang Bai’s atrocities, their words amounting to: if you have the nerve, come and try.

In the face of the three factions’ provocation, Jiang Bai decisively sent out his troops.

Using the gap while the enemy was redeploying, he ordered the 62nd Division and others to spearhead a direct assault on Jingjin.

At the same time, the Second Army Group under Yang Ting invaded from the north, creating a pincer attack from both sides.

In just three days, the allied forces were already pressing close to the city walls.

The three-nation alliance hurriedly pleaded for negotiations, but Jiang Bai put forward harsh terms:

They were to surrender Blue Land and Jiuping, and pay thirty million in compensation, or the war would not stop.

The three-nation alliance angrily refused and swore to fight Jiang Bai to the death.

On the fifth day, Jiuping City fell, with sixty thousand defenders suffering devastating casualties and large numbers of soldiers taken prisoner.

Jiang Bai left part of his force to garrison Jiuping, then continued leading the main army along the coast toward Blue Island.

The ferocity of Jiang Bai’s offensive completely threw the three-nation alliance into disarray.