The news of the Northeast Army declaring war on the Kwantung Army spread like wildfire through major Chinese cities with the extras issued by the "Northeast Daily" at various stations.

In Nanjing, Cao Kun, the leader of the Zhili clique, took the extra presented by his subordinate. Before he even finished reading it, he slammed the table and stood up. "He Rui has really gone mad! Send a telegram to Wu Ziyu (Wu Peifu) in Wuhan and tell him to come see me immediately!"

In Wuhan, Wu Peifu was also holding a copy of the extra, but he fell into deep thought. He Rui's Fengtian clique had made quite a name for itself among foreigners in recent years, and it was said that he had built an army of hundreds of thousands. But He Rui remained silent on domestic affairs. No matter what methods the Zhili clique tried to send messages to He Rui to inquire about his intentions, they made absolutely no progress.

Zhang Xiluan, who had yielded the Northeast to He Rui, once evaluated He Rui as 'having mountains and valleys in his chest (having a grand vision/strategy), calm and composed.' In Wu Peifu's view, He Rui's mind was as deep as the sea, and his intentions were completely unfathomable.

Precisely because of He Rui's attitude, the Zhili clique had wanted to launch a punitive expedition against the Anhui clique several times, but eventually dared not make a move because they were worried that He Rui would reap the benefits as the third party. Unexpectedly, when He Rui finally made a move, it was actually to start a war with Japan. For a moment, Wu Peifu didn't know whether he should admire He Rui or laugh at him for being truly arrogant and conceited.

In Beijing (the Capital), Republic of China Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing was completely stunned after reading the extra brought by his subordinate. Minister Yan Huiqing felt as if he had thousands of thoughts, yet he couldn't be sure of any of them. Just then, a subordinate rushed in and said anxiously, "Minister, the British and French ministers to China both want to see you and demand that you explain the latest news."

Hearing this, Yan Huiqing finally regained his ability to think. Yan Huiqing wanted very much to explain He Rui's attack on Japan, but he had absolutely no idea what to explain. As the leader of the Fengtian clique, He Rui would never inform the central government in advance of whatever he wanted to do.

This was Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing taking things for granted. In the Premier's office, Duan Qirui finished reading the extra and tossed it onto the table casually. Two hours ago, around 10:30 AM, the person in charge of the Northeast Government's Office in Beijing had arrived before Duan Qirui at the agreed time and informed him of the Northeast Army launching an attack on the Kwantung Army.

In addition to explaining the 'whole story' of the matter, the person in charge of the office also mentioned an old matter from a month ago, asking Duan Qirui to consider it.

After the person in charge left, Duan Qirui asked someone to contact his capable subordinate Xu Shuzheng, while he himself recalled that 'old matter'.

For several years, Duan Qirui had been trying to get Japan's support to unify China. The Japanese side had been indifferent and instead proposed many conditions. Recently, Japan suddenly seemed to change its nature and gave the Anhui clique generous support. Weapons, ammunition, officer training—Japan's concern was almost meticulous. Duan Qirui felt that Japan harbored ill intentions, so he told his subordinates never to mention the issue of benefits. The Japanese side did mention a few sentences, but seeing that the Anhui high officials interfacing with them didn't respond, they actually stopped mentioning it and just fully assisted the Anhui clique.

After the equipment and Japanese instructors arrived, Duan Qirui began to feel that Japan's hints might be true: He Rui was about to march into the pass (Shanhai Pass) to unify China.

The meeting with He Rui at Shanhai Pass ended unhappily, and the two almost broke ties. Duan Qirui began to sharpen his weapons and feed his horses, preparing for war. Duan Qirui never expected that He Rui would take the initiative to attack Japan. The old matter mentioned by the person in charge of the Northeast Government's Office in Beijing was what He Rui had said when he parted ways with Duan Qirui at Shanhai Pass: if He Rui went to war with Japan, in order to defend against a surprise attack by the Japanese army, he would take over Shanhai Pass and establish a defense line from Tanggu to Shanhai Pass. He would also establish a defensive reconnaissance system from the Capital to Tanggu.

At that time, Duan Qirui felt that He Rui was demonstrating his power, showing Duan Qirui that even if Duan Qirui had Japanese support, He Rui was not afraid of him. Unexpectedly, what He Rui said turned out to be true.

With things coming to this, Duan Qirui thought about it for two hours and made a decision: wait and see.

Although he didn't know why He Rui did this, Duan Qirui believed that He Rui was definitely not suicidal for no reason. With Duan Qirui's strength, he really couldn't confront Japan, nor did he have the strength to confront He Rui.

Duan Qirui absolutely refused to support He Rui, but in the current situation, he couldn't support Japan either. Otherwise, if the label of a traitor and collaborator were slapped on him, Duan Qirui really wouldn't be able to give an explanation that would convince the public. Therefore, watching the changes quietly became the only choice.

As for yielding Shanhai Pass and Tanggu, Duan Qirui decided to wait and see first. If He Rui could gain the upper hand now, Duan Qirui would have to yield even if he didn't want to.

At this moment, Colonel Tanaka, responsible for the border fortress of the Kwantung Leased Territory, was putting up his final desperate resistance.

In Colonel Tanaka's emergency plan, he wanted to assemble the troops from various fortresses to destroy the Northeast Army's siege artillery. Colonel Tanaka had already considered that due to the distance, the frontline Japanese troops could not assemble immediately. He could only divide them into two parts, letting the troops that arrived first probe with an attack, while Colonel Tanaka would assemble the troops that gathered later to launch a general offensive.

However, before the follow-up troops could finish assembling, the first wave of troops was annihilated by the Northeast Army. The few Japanese soldiers who fled back couldn't describe what happened tactically. They could only recount that the troops attacked under the increasingly fierce artillery fire of the Northeast Army, paying a huge price for every step forward. The Northeast Army's defense line was like a huge trap; shells exploded accurately on the Japanese advance route, and Northeast Army troops always appeared suddenly on the Japanese flanks, inflicting casualties on the Japanese army with fierce firepower.

Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Iguchi, the deputy garrison commander leading the team, felt that this couldn't go on and decided to disrupt the Northeast Army's deployment with a death-defying assault. He led the troops in a charge.

Nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers lost three or four hundred men during the advance, and the remaining five or six hundred Japanese soldiers chose a straight route to attack fiercely. A few minutes later, the Japanese troops fully exposed on the battlefield were covered by fierce Northeast Army artillery fire. Very few Japanese soldiers were able to flee back to the starting point. Even Lieutenant Colonel Iguchi died gloriously for his country.

Just then, news that made Colonel Tanaka despair arrived: the secondary fortresses were all attacked by the Northeast Army. Since those fortresses were far less sturdy than the core fortresses, the Northeast Army sent infantry directly to attack and captured most of them.

This could be seen from the appearance of the secondary fortresses, and confirming it was as simple as making a call—the person answering was a Northeast Army soldier pretending to be Japanese.

Colonel Tanaka immediately ordered another death-defying attack on the Northeast Army siege artillery unit. This was not recklessness on Colonel Tanaka's part; he understood that the Northeast Army, which had almost completely destroyed the fortresses, would never let him go. He Rui controlled Manchuria and Mongolia, and what was Mongolia most famous for? Cavalry! As long as Colonel Tanaka retreated, the Northeast Army cavalry would chase them down.

If they held fast, a single shell from the siege artillery capable of destroying fortresses would shatter the Japanese soldiers within dozens of meters to pieces upon landing.

Of course, there was another choice: surrender under the unfavorable situation. But Colonel Tanaka would rather die than surrender to the Chinese. Therefore, Colonel Tanaka chose to launch a death-defying attack.

Before Colonel Tanaka could organize the attack force, the Northeast Army's attack began. After the high-explosive shells fired by the 120mm artillery swept across the Japanese positions, there was no suspense left in the battle. Although the surviving Japanese soldiers used all terrain features to try to deal a final blow to the attacking Northeast Army infantry...

But the Northeast Army used mortars to easily eliminate the Japanese firing points before breaking into the Japanese positions. The leading Northeast Army soldiers were equipped with submachine guns; dense bullets ruthlessly harvested Japanese lives in the trenches, breaking through the Japanese defense line in an instant and then splitting the Japanese position in two.

Colonel Tanaka no longer knew how to fight this battle. Historically, it was always the Japanese army finding the weak points of the Chinese army, breaking through in one fell swoop, routing the Chinese army, and then beginning the pursuit. Now, the Chinese army directly broke through the Japanese sturdy defenses and forcibly divided and surrounded the Japanese army.

When the Northeast Army approached the temporary Japanese command post, they didn't attack immediately either. Instead, they used the terrain to hide and used mortars to blast the command post to pieces. Several machine guns along with their gunners were blown into the sky.

Colonel Tanaka already knew he was doomed. Seeing the final moment arrive, he gathered his last subordinates and said loudly, "Gentlemen, see you at Kudanshita (Yasukuni Shrine)!"

The remaining troops also understood the situation at this time and shouted one after another, "See you at Kudanshita!"

Colonel Tanaka drew his military sword. Although this was not one of those imperial gift swords of the "Sword Group" (top graduates), Colonel Tanaka was also a member of the "Tempo-sen Group" (Army War College graduates). At this moment, Colonel Tanaka had no fear. Losing to the top graduate of the Japanese Army War College like He Rui was regrettable, but there was nothing to be ashamed of. However, a cowardly death was an ending Colonel Tanaka could never accept.

The Northeast Army also launched an attack at this time. Colonel Tanaka jumped out of the trench and ran straight towards the rushing Northeast Army soldiers. The distance between the two sides was very short. Colonel Tanaka raised his military sword high and swung it down with all his might.

The oncoming Northeast Army soldier raised his rifle with a bayonet fixed and quickly parried upward. Colonel Tanaka only felt that the opponent had great strength and was quite skilled in technique. With the clang of metal colliding, the Northeast Army soldier actually blocked the military sword. And another Northeast Army soldier following behind had already thrust his bayonet forward. Colonel Tanaka felt a chill in his chest; the bayonet pierced directly through his chest.

*Am I going to die?* As the Northeast Army soldier pulled out the bayonet, this thought popped up in Colonel Tanaka's mind. At this moment, he suddenly thought of that beautiful figure, not the Yasukuni Shrine at Kudanshita, but that dearest person.

His body fell softly to the ground. Colonel Tanaka wanted to call out that name, but blood surged up and blocked his throat. Although that name echoed repeatedly in his mind, he couldn't shout it out.

Colonel Tanaka tried to take a breath but was choked. As his consciousness dissipated rapidly in suffocation, Colonel Tanaka shouted in his heart. "Yoshiko..."

Seeing their commander killed, the Japanese officers and soldiers following behind the colonel all saw red and rushed over madly. However, their luck was not good—or perhaps quite good—as the Northeast Army follow-up troops had already set up machine guns. Bullets mowed them all down like a scythe. The Northeast Army officers and soldiers then rushed up to the command post. The Japanese military flag was planted at the command post. A Northeast Army soldier pulled down the Japanese military flag, snapped the flagpole, and threw the flag onto the ground.

The accompanying photographer happened to capture this scene. As the camera clicked repeatedly, the movie camera recorded the precious footage of the Northeast Army soldier throwing down the military flag and planting the Northeast Army's military flag on the Japanese command post more comprehensively.

At 2:00 PM, the 14th Army troops began to cross the battlefield, advancing along the railway and highway towards the Jinzhou Isthmus.

1st Group Army Commander Zheng Silang finally sent the first telegram to the Military Commission after the start of the war: "After five hours of fierce fighting, the 1st Group Army has destroyed the Japanese Kwantung Leased Territory border fortresses and completed the first phase of the mission. The battle is progressing smoothly, and our army's casualties are very small..."

He Rui just looked at the telegram after receiving it and put it down. Raising his head to look at Hu Xiushan in front of him, He Rui asked, "Comrade Xiushan, are you ready?"

Hu Xiushan immediately replied, "Preparation complete."

Only He Rui and Hu Xiushan were in the room. In the entire military plan, Hu Xiushan's 2nd Group Army undertook a top-secret mission. Even in the Military Commission, only He Rui, Commander-in-Chief Xu Chengfeng, and Chief of General Staff Cheng Ruofan knew of this top-secret plan. Every time He Rui discussed it with Hu Xiushan, there were only the two of them.

"The army, air force, and surface units in the Yalu River direction are all under your command." Saying this, He Rui walked up to Hu Xiushan, handed him the order, and then extended his hand to Hu Xiushan.

Hu Xiushan's hand grasped He Rui's hand. "Chairman, I will definitely succeed."

He Rui nodded. "Xiushan, I believe you will definitely be able to succeed. So, I will just say one sentence: Take care."