Tiger Roars for Eight Years (3)

Author: Wen Jingbang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: A long novel depicting the war and peace of China from 1936 to 1945, a detailed portrayal of the battlefields during the Anti-Japanese War. It can be read as a historical account of a self-entangled fate. Highly recommended by renowned American scholar Deng Ming and German sinologist Hans Alperd. Contemporary Chinese writer Wen Jingbang calls his work a true war literature, a monumental masterpiece worthy of epic qualities. After the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang lost his freedom, Yang Huicheng resigned, and finally, Chiang Kai-shek decided to resist Japan. However, the Nationalist Party's army, skilled in civil war but incompetent in foreign warfare, repeatedly suffered heavy setbacks on the frontlines due to the decision-making layer's lack of foresight, leading to vast territorial losses and widespread suffering.
This is the third part of the long historical novel Roaring Tiger for Eight Years, describing every major battle in the early stages of the war—Southeast Campaign. After the July 7 Incident, the Chinese government finally decided to take the initiative in Shanghai, luring the Japanese mechanized forces into the southeastern water country. The Southeast Campaign thus broke out. Although the weakness of the Chinese decision-making group caused missed opportunities on the frontlines, the Battle of Shanghai ultimately failed, and Nanjing was subsequently captured. However, this major battle forced the Japanese to deploy over 300,000 troops, suffering greatly; while the heroic struggles of the Chinese frontline soldiers inevitably delayed the Japanese advance, paving the way for the next major battle—the Battle of Xuzhou.