Chapter 54: The Most Brutal Battle!

Peng Liang's sudden denunciation instantly stunned the chief of the public security bureau, as well as Xiao Bo, Liu Ping, and Cong Gui sitting in the audience.

A certain expression crossed Ye Yuan's face. Xiao Bo and Liu Ping exchanged glances and stood up simultaneously, walking out of the studio.

Liu Debao might well be watching this live broadcast.

The moment Liu Debao witnessed Peng Liang's confession and denunciation, his very first reaction would be to flee.

Therefore, they had to race against time to bring Liu Debao to justice before he had the chance to escape.

Outside the studio.

"Director Xu, I must trouble you with this matter. Dispatch men immediately to arrest Liu Debao," Xiao Bo said to Director Xu.

Director Xu nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Rest assured, Chief! I guarantee he won't get away!"

With that, Director Xu escorted Peng Liang away.

Liu Ping frowned slightly, then turned his gaze to Cong Gui. "Old Cong, don't just stand around. I suspect Liu Debao is already on the move. Arrange your men immediately to monitor all outbound routes from the county, and try your best to prevent him from leaving Hehe County."

"Understood."

Cong Gui was well aware of the gravity of the situation.

Ever since Liu Debao returned to Hehe County, he had been constantly making trouble for Ye Yuan. Cong Gui had chafed at the lack of direct evidence to move against Liu Debao and had been forced to let him act with impunity.

Now that such an opportunity had finally presented itself, how could he possibly let Liu Debao slip away?

"Let's go back inside and see what else the veteran hero Ye is talking about," Xiao Bo said, pulling Liu Ping as they re-entered the studio.

At this moment, Ye Yuan had moved on to a newly added segment of the program—answering letters from the audience.

"Damn it, it looks like we missed two letters."

Xiao Bo frowned and looked toward Liu Ping.

Liu Ping gave a slight shake of his head and smiled faintly. "We can just watch the recording after we get back."

At that moment, Ye Yuan was reading the contents of the third letter.

[Grandpa Ye, could you tell us about the most brutal war you ever participated in?]

Sun Ting, standing beside him, grew so anxious she nearly dropped her microphone to the floor.

For a soldier, every single battle they experienced was a deeply engraved, agonizing pain and an unforgettable nightmare.

However...

This audience member had so bluntly asked Ye Yuan to recount the most brutal war he had ever taken part in. Wasn't this simply sprinkling salt on an open wound?

"Grandpa, let's skip this question..."

Even as Sun Ting was speaking, Ye Yuan waved a hand dismissively at her. "The most brutal war? Now that really requires some thought..."

"If I must name the most brutal war I participated in... it would have to be... the Battle of Shanghai."

The Battle of Shanghai!

Everyone's heart seemed to be fiercely squeezed by an invisible, giant hand.

Even many people with little knowledge of history were more or less aware that the Battle of Shanghai was also known as the August 13th Campaign, though many preferred to call this battle by another name—the Oriental Meat Grinder.

"That battle was simply too brutal..."

Ye Yuan's voice trembled. Even though so many years had passed, the mere mention of it still caused him to shudder uncontrollably.

This shudder was not out of fear.

It was out of heartbreak!

"An army of over seven hundred thousand men, and at least two hundred thousand died on the battlefield!"

Ye Yuan's eyes widened, his fierce gaze making everyone present shudder from head to toe.

To be able to reduce a veteran hero who had survived countless battles to such a state—they could hardly imagine just how unimaginably brutal the Battle of Shanghai must have been!

"In the span of three months, our entire foundation was wiped out, and countless heroes buried their bones in foreign soil!"

Ye Yuan's eye sockets began to turn red. "Every single day, at least three thousand corpses were carried off the battlefield!!"

Ye Yan'an's delicate body trembled.

She had seen descriptions of the Battle of Shanghai in history books, but none of them were as visceral and direct as her grandfather's account.

The village where she lived, Kaoshantun, consisted of a little over a hundred households, totaling around three hundred people.

That meant...

Back during the Battle of Shanghai, every single day, the equivalent of ten entire villages of Kaoshantun would be wiped out to the last man?!

Ye Yuan took a deep breath, steadying his emotions slightly before continuing, "The Japanese invaders' equipment was simply too advanced, with airplanes and artillery everywhere—it was far from anything we, a ragtag army, could compare to!"

"And by the time the Northeast Army arrived, the situation at the Battle of Shanghai had already become extremely critical. Because of the special nature of the Independent Regiment I commanded, I didn't directly join the front lines of the battlefield; instead, we roamed the perimeters, waiting for opportunities to execute decapitation strikes."

"What a pity, it was too late. During our guerrilla operations, we were cornered by the Japanese. Two thousand men in total! More than half were killed outright. I only managed to escape because countless brothers fought to the death to protect me."

"After that, I crossed paths with the 67th Army and temporarily joined them, executing the mission alongside Army Commander Wu to hold the town of Songjiang to the death for three days."

Hearing this, Sun Ting asked with a hint of curiosity, "Hold Songjiang to the death for three days? It seems I've never heard of that."

"The 67th Army received that command under critical circumstances to cover the retreat of the main force."

Ye Yuan explained softly, "The 67th Army could be considered an elite force, but even so, they exhausted every ounce of their strength to barely complete this mission. When the mission was accomplished and they prepared to retreat, the 67th Army had been almost completely annihilated, and even their military designation was directly dissolved!"

Sun Ting covered her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.

An entire army.

To have its designation completely erased from existence—just how unimaginably fierce and brutal must that battle have been!

"Later on, during our retreat, we encountered a surprise attack by a small squad of Japanese plainclothes commandos. Army Commander Wu was unfortunately struck by bullets and died at the hands of the enemy!"

Ye Yuan clenched his fists so tightly they turned white. "A true hero did not die on the main battlefield, but instead fell to a sniper's cold bullet in the dark! I watched with my own eyes as Army Commander Wu was shot and fell into the water. I wanted to save him, but there was simply no chance at all!"

Everyone looked at Ye Yuan with solemn expressions.

In that instant, every single person felt a profound sense of shared empathy, deeply sensing the helplessness and crushing guilt that Ye Yuan carried.

Xiao Bo turned his head slightly and looked at Liu Ping beside him. "The Army Commander Wu that veteran hero Ye spoke of—is that him?"

"Who else could it be if not Army Commander Wu Keren!"

Liu Ping stood there, his eyes brimming with deep remembrance. "The only army commander who gave his life for his country during the Battle of Shanghai!"

"An army commander..."

Xiao Bo sighed with deep emotion. "The 67th Army was truly magnificent!"

In the chat room:

"I never imagined that veteran hero Ye had also participated in the Battle of Shanghai!"

"The 67th Army was originally the Young Marshal's direct elite force, heavily equipped and a super army comprising five divisions. They were formidable within the country, but after the Young Marshal was placed under house arrest, they were reorganized into two divisions, and their combat effectiveness plummeted sharply."

"It was precisely because of the Battle of Shanghai that the people of the country saw hope! When the nation faced mortal peril, everyone cast aside past grievances, united their forces, and swore to defend the sacred soil of the Dragon Kingdom to the death!"

"Not just the Northeast Army; the Guangxi, Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hunan armies were all magnificent!"

"It was precisely because of their fearless self-sacrifice that the Japanese invaders' delusion of conquering the Dragon Kingdom in three months was reduced to an impossible fantasy!"