Podcasts about Wuhan

Last time we spoke about the Miluo River Catastrophe. On September 17, General Xue Yue, watching alarming reconnaissance telegrams, learns the Japanese 11th Army has massed across the north bank of the Xinqiang River—3rd, 4th, 6th, and 40th Divisions—alongside additional detachments. Chinese operatives even intercept a Japanese order directing divisions to prepare for an attack on September 18. Despite this, Xue Yue's decisions and readiness remain inadequate. By September 21–23, the fighting at and around the Miluo River and Dongting Lake destroys the 37th Army's ability to function as a coherent combat force. The disaster as both tactical collapse and a failure of planning: Japanese interception and decoding of radio orders allow them to shift toward encirclement, turning Chinese movements into a "trap" laid in advance.   #211 The Japanese Blunt China's Iron Army at Changsha Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The four divisions that had stormed into northern Hunan had made good progress, achieving the victory of defeating three main Chinese armies in quick succession. General Anami Korechika, commanding the Japanese forces, was secretly pleased, but he dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest. He was a methodical man, and he understood that the contest was not yet decided. Every day, his intelligence officers placed before him a stream of intercepted Chinese military telegrams and aerial reconnaissance reports. What they showed gave him reason for both confidence and caution. Two significant forces were moving toward the battlefield — forces unlike those he had so far encountered. One of them was Chiang Kai-shek's elite 74th Army, a formation whose reputation had reached Anami long before, from his time at headquarters in Tokyo. The other was the 10th Army, considered second only to the 74th in quality and fighting spirit.   The 74th Army was no ordinary unit. It had been rigorously trained under German and Soviet instructors specially hired by Chiang Kai-shek, its officers schooled in both European combined-arms doctrine and Soviet tactical flexibility. It was characterized by its disciplined offensive and defensive tactics and was lavishly equipped by the standards of the Chinese military. Most remarkably, it had maintained an undefeated record on the battlefield since the beginning of the war — a distinction that had earned it the title of "Iron Army of the Anti-Japanese War" among the Chinese people. In the high command of the Imperial Japanese Army, it was referred to, with a mixture of respect and wariness, as the Tora no Ko — the "Tiger Child" — meaning, in essence, the ace in the enemy's hand.   The 10th Army was held in nearly equal esteem. The deployment of either of these two formations required the personal approval of Chiang Kai-shek himself. The Generalissimo's principle for employing them was clear and deliberate: they were to be committed only to the most critical battles, those that would decide outcomes, or to the most prominent ones, where their prowess could demonstrate the might of the Chinese army to a watching nation. Since the outbreak of the war, the 74th Army had been kept in reserve at Fenyi in Jiangxi Province, and the 10th Army at Hengyang in southern Hunan. Both forces had been conserving their strength, training, and waiting.   Now Anami's relentless offensive had forced Chiang Kai-shek's hand. The battle situation had tilted dangerously under the weight of Japanese pressure, and the fall of several elite units had left the Chinese commander of the Ninth War Zone, General Xue Yue, with little room to maneuver. Xue Yue had no choice but to appeal to Chongqing for help, and Chiang Kai-shek, reluctantly and with full awareness of the risks, agreed to release his two trump cards. Anami, having mastered his opponent's intentions through his intelligence apparatus, now found himself in the rare and advantageous position of a card player who could see his opponent's hole cards. He carefully planned his battle strategy, studying maps late into the night, conferring with his officers, and calculating how best to neutralize the Chinese elite before they could bring their full weight to bear. He knew that his life's honor, his career, and his legacy rested on this one gamble.   Li Yutang, the commander of the 10th Army, was from Guangrao in Shandong Province — a place that had given China more than its share of fighting men. He was a graduate of the first class of the illustrious Whampoa Military Academy, where he had trained alongside men who would go on to shape the fate of China. At the academy, he had been part of a celebrated group known informally as the "Four Lis of Shandong": himself, Li Xianzhou, Li Yannian, and Li Hanfan. The first three would all rise to significant commands in the Nationalist army. The fourth, Li Hanfan, a native of Changqing in Shandong, had taken an entirely different path, joining the Communist Party of China and fighting the same war under a different flag. In later years, the group became known as the "Three Lis of Shandong," the fourth having parted ways with his classmates long before the guns fell silent.   Li Yutang had not risen quickly or through privilege. He embodied the hardworking, resilient, and tenacious qualities long associated with the men of Shandong — qualities forged by a hard land and harder circumstances. He had climbed the ranks of the army step by step: platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander. Each step had been earned through performance under fire. When Japan launched its full-scale invasion in 1937, Li Yutang was serving as commander of the 3rd Division of the 2nd Army under Li Yannian, participating in the brutal Battle of Shanghai in August of that year. He fought in the grinding urban warfare along the Suzhou Creek, learning lessons in modern combat that would serve him for the rest of the war. The following spring, in March and April of 1938, he led his troops in the Battle of Xuzhou, holding the Linyi line northeast of Taierzhuang, blocking the Japanese 5th Division under Itagaki Seishiro from breaking through to reinforce the embattled Japanese forces at that critical engagement. His handling of the defense contributed to one of the few early Chinese battlefield successes of the war.   For his performance at Xuzhou, he was promoted to commander of the 8th Army. During the Battle of Wuhan in 1938, he led his troops in major engagements against the Japanese 101st and 106th Divisions along the Nanxun Railway, inflicting significant casualties on the attackers. After that campaign, General Xue Yue, recognizing both Li's talent and his Shandong origins — Shandong being home to Mount Tai, the foremost of China's Five Sacred Mountains — personally inscribed a banner reading "Mount Tai Army" and formally presented it to Li Yutang's 8th Army. Chiang Kai-shek added his own recognition, awarding Li Huazhou a medal. In the Battle of Nanchang, Li Yutang again distinguished himself, leading his troops in the defense of Wuning for ten days and ten nights of uninterrupted fighting. When the battle was over, Japanese soldiers lay piled in front of his defensive lines, and the name "Taishan Army" was on every officer's lips from Chongqing to the front. After the First Battle of Changsha in 1939, Chiang Kai-shek personally nominated Li Yutang to take command of the 10th Army — the posting that would now define his legacy. The orders came on September 20, 1941 — three days after the Japanese forces had broken through the Xiangbei defense line in the north. General Xue Yue's summons reached Li Yutang's headquarters in Hengyang, and the 10th Army began immediate preparations for movement to the battlefield.   The mobilization was extraordinary even by the standards of an army that prided itself on discipline and fighting spirit. Li Yutang addressed his men, and the response was unlike anything a commander might ordinarily expect. He received wave after wave of letters — requests to be placed at the front, declarations of determination, pledges to die before surrendering. Some of the letters were written in ordinary ink. Others had been written in blood, the soldier biting his own finger to draw enough for a few lines. These were not men who needed to be driven to battle. They were men who had spent months training for precisely this moment.   Their preparation had been rigorous to the point of fanaticism. For six months before the order came, the 10th Army had conducted intensive training in the three core skills of infantry combat: marksmanship, grenade throwing, and bayonet fighting. The Ministry of National Defense had set a standard that considered a unit successful if one quarter of its men scored "top-tier" in each category. Chiang Kai-shek had personally raised the bar for the 10th Army: eighty percent of every unit must score "top-tier," with the remainder no lower than "excellent." Any unit falling short would face elimination. When the assessments were completed, the result was unambiguous — one hundred percent of the army had met the standard.   Over 30,000 men boarded seven special trains at Hengyang, their military songs and mobilization slogans ringing through the station as families and bystanders watched them depart. The troops traveled by train to Zhuzhou, then transferred to motor vehicles for the road north to Changsha, arriving in the Jinjing area — some seventy kilometers northeast of the city — on September 22nd. They had moved with professional speed. What awaited them would test something no training exercise could fully replicate. From the moment of arrival, the situation was clear to any officer with eyes: the 10th Army had stepped into chaos. However, given the already established passive situation, the 10th Army was like a leaf caught in a whirlpool as soon as it arrived on the battlefield. General Xue Yue, at the Ninth War Zone Command, immediately ordered the entire army to support the besieged 37th Army and simultaneously launch an offensive against the Japanese 3rd Division. It was an ambitious order for troops who had just completed a multi-day journey and had not yet oriented themselves to the ground. Nevertheless, Li Yutang passed the order down and his divisions began to move.   The first division to feel the dislocating effect of high command's demands was Zhu Yue's 190th Division. On September 23rd, the vanguard regiment of the 190th made contact with Japanese forces and was preparing to engage. Before a single shot was fired in earnest, Division Commander Zhu Yue received a telegram from army headquarters ordering him to abandon his current position and rush immediately to Shending Mountain to relieve the siege of the 140th Division of the 37th Army. The order brooked no delay. The troops dropped their baggage where it lay and ran — truly ran, in light order — to the vicinity of Shending Mountain.   They had barely formed ranks at their new position when a second telegram arrived from General Xue Yue. The 190th Division was to immediately reverse course and return to the Fulipu area to establish a defensive line and block the Japanese advance southward. Another forced march, exhausting men who had already marched and traveled for days. They arrived at the designated position on time — a testimony to their conditioning — and Zhu Yue established his division headquarters at Liangjiaduan, near Fulipu. After all the aimless marching and countermanding orders, after all the wasted energy and fruitless attempts, the troops were running on the last of their reserves. They worked through the night constructing fortifications with shovels and bare hands. Just as the first light of dawn revealed the outline of their new positions, the Japanese army advanced.   General Toyoshima Fusataro's Japanese 3rd Division had not rested. It had decisively defeated the 37th Army on the night of the 23rd and turned immediately, without pause, to attack the 190th Division. The blow came from the sky before it came from the ground. At dawn, more than ten Japanese planes swept down over Zhu Yue's division headquarters — seemingly guided, as the Chinese soldiers would later say, as if they had eyes in their heads, so accurate was the targeting. The small village that housed the headquarters was bombed almost to the ground. Dust and smoke billowed over the ruins as the aircraft banked away, and before it had settled, over a thousand Japanese infantrymen, seemingly springing from the earth itself, rushed forward directly toward the headquarters position. The regiment commanders, still at their positions elsewhere, could not be recalled in time.   Division Commander Zhu Yue did not hesitate. He drew his pistol and began commanding his subordinate units to fight back, rallying the headquarters staff and support troops into a perimeter defense. Under the fierce and accurate Japanese fire, Zhu Yue was hit by a bullet in his right arm. Then another round struck him in the left leg, and he went down. Almost simultaneously, Deputy Division Commander Lai Shixiang took command of the nearest available men and attempted to lead a breakout with a machine gun. An enemy mortar round found its mark, and Lai Shixiang was killed instantly. The division headquarters personnel, already shocked by the swiftness of the attack and the wounding of their commander, broke into disorder. Chaos erupted on the battlefield. Many soldiers ran blindly in the smoke and confusion, dying in the crossfire from multiple directions.   Division Chief of Staff Tao Xiu, now acting as deputy division commander with Zhu Yue incapacitated, took hold of the situation as best he could. He led the remnants of the headquarters staff in retreat toward a hollow in a grove of trees near the edge of the village. When the headcount was taken, approximately twenty men remained capable of fighting. It was already ten o'clock in the morning. Tao Xiu gathered these few men and led them along a small path through the dense forest on the outskirts of the village, bypassing Liangjiaduan, searching for the dispersed units of the division.   Out on the main positions, the 568th, 569th, and 570th Regiments were simultaneously surrounded and attacked. The officers and soldiers, exhausted from days and nights of continuous fighting, summoned what remained of their endurance and put up a tenacious resistance. From dawn until the afternoon, several positions were cut off and divided by Japanese encircling movements. In the ever-shrinking pockets, each cluster of defenders became an isolated target for enemy aircraft and artillery. Completely losing the initiative, groups of officers and soldiers perished in the shelling. Many of them died not in defiance but in something closer to despair — regretting this humiliating reversal, the waste of their patriotic aspirations, their unfulfilled desire to fight and kill the enemy on their own terms.   By evening, the regimental commanders had lost control of their respective battalions and companies. The remaining soldiers on each position scattered and concealed themselves in whatever ground offered cover, hiding in all directions across the darkening hills. It was not until midnight that the lightly wounded and unwounded officers and soldiers managed to assemble, as the contingency plan had directed, in a dense forest on the southwest side of the position. Division Commander Zhu Yue, wounded in both his arm and his leg, had been sent to the rear to receive treatment. Acting Deputy Division Commander Tao Xiu stood before the assembled survivors — more than two hundred men gathered from the regiments — and offered them quiet words of comfort. There was little else he could give them. The people present carried the seriously wounded on improvised stretchers and supported the lightly wounded with their arms and shoulders, groping their way through the darkness toward Zhuzhou. The 10th Reserve Division, under Commander Fang Xianjue, had been assigned to hold the Jinjing line — a position that, on paper, formed an anchor of the defensive scheme. In practice, the situation was deeply flawed from the outset. The Ninth War Zone Command had placed the 10th Reserve Division alone at Jinjing with no depth behind it and no friendly forces on either flank — an isolated salient that offered the Japanese every opportunity for encirclement.   On the 23rd, the division captured the Kanai line at noon, an initial success that promised more than it delivered. Around six o'clock in the evening, as darkness gathered, General Kanda Masatsuka arrived at the front with the vanguard of the Japanese 6th Division. He was not a man to move without information. Before committing to a full assault, Kanda ordered a probing attack and watched its progress carefully through binoculars from a small hill behind the advancing force. What he saw gave him pause. However he searched for a weak point in the Chinese line, the defenders showed none. No gap in the wire, no position carelessly manned, no sector that sagged under pressure. Kanda lowered his binoculars and considered his next step. He felt this was indeed an elite unit with excellent tactical skills, and should not be underestimated. He ordered a halt to the attack and waited for the full arrival of his division's strength.   On the morning of the 24th, the Japanese launched their proper assault — a fierce attack from the east, north, and west simultaneously. The three-directional pressure was designed to pin the defenders and deny any lateral reinforcement. Kanda went further, requesting permission from General Anami to concentrate all thirty-plus bombers available for the entire battlefield and direct them at the 10th Reserve Division's positions in a single concentrated raid. Anami granted the request. The bombing was devastating. The defending positions were almost completely destroyed from the air. Yet in the ruins of their fortifications and bunkers, the soldiers of the 10th Reserve Division continued fighting, repelling Japanese ground attacks wave after wave through the rubble and the smoke.   At two o'clock in the afternoon, a report reached Fang Xianjue that halted him in his tracks. A Japanese regiment had executed a large-scale outflanking maneuver around the south side of Jinjing and was approaching the rear of the position. The encirclement was closing. Fang Xianjue was shocked. He now grasped in full the tactical impossibility of his assignment. The Ninth War Zone Command had placed the 10th Reserve Division here alone, exposed on all sides, without depth and without support. The order to "block the enemy's southward advance" had been an empty promise from the start. Fang Xianjue could not understand the strategic intention behind the deployment at all — there was none that made any tactical sense. The only purpose of holding out here, he concluded bitterly, was to theoretically be seen to be "fighting the Japanese." Before Fang Xianjue could translate his analysis into a decision, the Japanese troops launched another fierce attack from the front and both flanks, and one side of the defensive line was breached. The situation became critical. Fang Xianjue decided to withdraw before the encircling force to the south could complete its movement and seal off all escape. He did not have time to seek authorization from the war zone — there was no time. He ordered each regiment to organize its own breakout and reassemble at designated locations.   At four o'clock in the afternoon, Fang Xianjue led the division headquarters in the first withdrawal from the battlefield. Looking back as he departed, he watched as the regiments were cut apart by Japanese fire, large numbers of officers and soldiers falling among the mountain ridges and into the ditches and gullies. There was nothing more he could do for them.   By the 25th, approximately half of the division's troops had reached the designated reception point. After a hasty reorganization, they were ordered to occupy positions along the Xueshi Bridge line and prepare to resume the defense. That same evening, a portion of the Japanese 3rd Division — fresh from its defeat of the 190th Division — launched a fierce attack on Xueshi Bridge. The positions could not be held. The scene of the previous day's rout was repeated almost exactly, and this second defeat completed the destruction of the 10th Reserve Division as a coherent fighting force. General Xue Yue's rebuke reached Fang Xianjue shortly afterward, and the division commander had no way to express the depth of his frustration — the tactical position he had been placed in had made his assignment impossible before the first shot was fired. On the 26th, he led the surviving troops to be received and reorganized by war zone units near Changsha. Compared to the bitter fates of the 190th Division and the 10th Reserve Division, Zhou Qingxiang's 3rd Division wrote a different kind of story in these same days — one of extraordinary tactical competence maintained against mounting odds. In the equally fierce battles, the 3rd Division demonstrated the qualities of an elite force more effectively than any other unit on either side.   On the 22nd, the 3rd Division had been ordered to establish positions two kilometers east of Fulipu. At noon on the 24th, after the Japanese 3rd Division defeated Zhu Yue's 190th Division, a portion of the Japanese force turned and attacked the right flank of Zhou Qingxiang's position. It was repelled. That evening, the Japanese 4th Division, riding the momentum of its success against the 37th Army, launched a night attack on the 3rd Division's left flank. It too was repelled. On the 25th, Zhou Qingxiang's division was attacked from both sides simultaneously by the main forces of two Japanese divisions — forces that outnumbered the defenders several times over. The officers and soldiers of the entire division showed no fear. They fought bravely and with skill honed by months of intensive preparation, holding their lines despite heavy casualties and preventing the Japanese from breaking through at any point.   When word of this resistance was relayed to General Anami Korechika at his headquarters, he fell into a long, uncharacteristic silence. He studied the reports before him, the maps, the casualty tallies on both sides. Then he turned to his chief of staff, General Isamu Kinoshita. "This is the elite force," Anami said quietly. He paused a moment, and added: "I really want to go there and see for myself." The compliment, delivered in the private setting of a Japanese headquarters, was perhaps the most honest assessment of the fighting quality of Zhou Qingxiang's men that history has preserved.   Anami's response, however, was not admiration — it was determination to overwhelm. On the morning of the 26th, he concentrated nearly the entire combat power available to him against the single 3rd Division: units drawn from the Japanese 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 40th Divisions — close to 100,000 men — were directed to surround and destroy the Chinese formation. The 3rd Division stubbornly held its ground despite catastrophic casualties, the soldiers refusing to give way even as the perimeter contracted and the dead accumulated.   To ease the relentless pressure from enemy aircraft, the division commanders made a calculated decision: all positions were ordered to allow the Japanese troops to close to hand-to-hand fighting range. If the enemy was within arm's reach, the bombers above could not strike without killing their own men. Several instances of fierce hand-to-hand fighting erupted across the defensive line as a result — bayonets, shovels, pistols and bare hands in the broken earth and shell craters. By noon, the 8th Regiment had been divided and surrounded. Shortly afterward, the 7th and 9th Regiments met the same fate. Zhou Qingxiang moved the division headquarters to the position of the 7th Regiment to maintain command over his most accessible unit, while the deputy division commander and chief of staff were dispatched to coordinate the independent defense of the 8th and 9th Regiments respectively. For another half day, each of the three regimental pockets fought alone. At dusk, Zhou Qingxiang ordered a breakout.   As darkness fell, exploiting the brief respite that came when the Japanese halted their attacks for the night, each regiment burst simultaneously from its position. Carefully prepared covering detachments remained behind and created convincing feints toward false breakout directions, drawing the enemy's main pursuit forces away from the actual withdrawal routes. The deceptions worked. By the time the Japanese commanders understood what had happened, the breakout had succeeded. Officers and soldiers filtered into the designated reception point in small groups — three men here, five there — arriving through the night and into the following morning. When the count was complete, the 3rd Division was a remnant of less than one-fifth of its pre-battle strength. The finest infantry division in the 10th Army had bled itself almost dry, but it had done so on its own terms, and it had extracted as much as it was possible to extract from an impossible situation.   On September 27th, a chilly autumn wind blew across the city of Changsha. At the playground of Lizhong Middle School in the eastern part of the city, Li Yutang stood and watched the survivors of his divisions come in. A week before, on September 20th, more than 30,000 men had departed Hengyang aboard seven special trains. Their military songs had filled the railway station. Their letters of determination, some written in blood, had been stacked on Li Yutang's desk. Their training scores were the highest ever recorded for a Chinese army unit — a perfect one hundred percent of "top-tier" achievement across all three infantry skills. They had been, by every measurable standard, the finest army China could produce.   Standing now at the playground of a secondary school repurposed as a muster point, Li Yutang looked at what remained: a little over 2,000 men, including lightly wounded soldiers from Changsha who had been caught up in the fighting and bandaged civilians who had taken up arms. Two thousand, from thirty thousand. What had happened to the others? They were dead. They were injured. They were maimed. Some had broken under the pressure and run. The accounting was simple and devastating. Li Yutang's expression remained dignified as he inspected his survivors — the face of a commander who understood that bearing is required of officers precisely in the moments when bearing costs the most. But his heart was filled with tears. Perhaps soon, he reflected, there would be another 10th Army — still heroic and spirited, still singing loudly as it went to war. But it would not be the same one.   History has no gaps or blank pages. The story of the 10th Army's ordeal was barely complete before the next chapter began. Reluctantly, one must turn the page. Following the 10th Army, Wang Yaowu's 74th Army also suffered a crushing defeat. Wang Yaowu had received his orders from Commander Xue on September 21st and had immediately begun moving his three divisions from their cantonments at Fenyi and Xinyu in Jiangxi Province. The 74th Army was composed of three divisions: the 51st Division under Li Tianxia, the 57th Division under Yu Chengwan, and the 58th Division under Liao Lingqi. These were the formations that had kept the "Iron Army" undefeated through four years of brutal warfare. Their code names told their own story — the 51st Division was called "Frontline," the 57th was called "Tiger Warrior," and the 58th was called "Exhilarating." Wang Yaowu had personally chosen the code name for the army headquarters: "Brilliant." Chiang Kai-shek himself had once remarked, "Of all the code names, yours is the best." It was a small distinction, but one that Wang Yaowu quietly cherished.   What Wang Yaowu did not know — could not know, for Anami's intelligence network had kept the preparation perfectly concealed — was that Anami Korechika had been monitoring his movements since the order to deploy was first issued. The Japanese commander had already selected the terrain, positioned his units, and laid the trap. He was waiting for the 74th Army's arrival.   On the 25th, Wang Yaowu led the 57th Division into the battlefield first, marching rapidly as Xue Yue had directed to Chunhua Mountain on the north bank of the Laodao River, east of Changsha, to occupy positions and cover the main force's deployment. On the evening of the 25th, the 169th and 170th Regiments of the 57th Division arrived at the south side of Chunhua Mountain and encountered a Japanese search party of over a hundred men. The 169th Regiment swiftly cut off the small force's escape route, coordinating effectively with the 170th. The Japanese detachment suffered heavy casualties, and the survivors fled toward Chunhua Mountain. When part of the 170th Regiment reached the foot of the mountain, they ran into a much larger Japanese force coming down to meet them — and learned in that moment that Chunhua Mountain had already been occupied by the enemy.   Wang Yaowu responded instantly. To seize the initiative before the Japanese could consolidate, he ordered two regiments to assault Chunhua Mountain that same night. Around midnight, the troops advanced in silence through the dark. After a fierce night battle, two Japanese battalions were unable to hold against the assault and withdrew in the early hours of the morning. The 57th Division had its foothold. At dawn on the 26th, a regiment from the 57th Division followed up the night's success, and Yu Chengwan positioned the division along the Chunhua Mountain line. As the morning advanced, the 51st and 58th Divisions arrived to complete the deployment. Following Xue Yue's orders, Wang Yaowu spread his force across the line: the 57th Division at Chishi River, the 58th Division at Chunhua Mountain itself, and the 51st Division at Fengjiang Bridge. They were ready. Or so it appeared.   At dawn on the 27th, Wang Yaowu went on the offensive. The 57th Division launched a surprise attack on the camp of the main force regiment of the Japanese 3rd Division. The Japanese were caught entirely unprepared — the attack came in total darkness, and the camp was thrown into chaos before anyone could organize a coherent response. The Japanese managed to form some kind of defense only as the first light of dawn broke, and through the morning the two armies clashed furiously. By mid-morning, the Japanese had been forced back three kilometers — a genuine and significant victory achieved through aggression and timing.   Then, at eight o'clock, the Japanese 3rd Division launched its counterattack with the support of dozens of aircraft — fighter-bombers diving low over the Chunhua Mountain positions, strafing and bombing. Both armies knew themselves to be elite formations; each had its country's reputation riding on the outcome. They clashed with corresponding ferocity.   Around noon, Wang Yaowu climbed to the rooftop of a farmhouse and studied the Japanese battle line through his field glasses. What he saw was encouraging: a breach had appeared in the enemy's formation to the north of Chunhua Mountain — a gap that, if exploited quickly, could roll up the Japanese flank. He ordered Li Hanqing, the infantry commander of the 51st Division, to take two regiments and execute an outflanking maneuver through that gap, striking the Japanese from the side. An hour later, Li Hanqing's movement succeeded. The Japanese forces were thrown into disarray, breaking rearward in a rout. For one brief hour, it seemed as though the 74th Army might achieve a decisive success. Then the Japanese 4th Division arrived. It swept in from behind Li Hanqing's flanking force, surrounding his two regiments before they could extract themselves. In the desperate fighting of the breakout attempt, Li Hanqing was shot and killed.   In the afternoon, with two of its regiments lost to encirclement and its flanking stroke reversed, the 57th Division found itself holding off two full Japanese divisions alone. The fighting continued — artillery, rifle fire, close assaults — until nightfall dimmed the battlefield. The division had suffered over 3,000 casualties, and more than half of all commanders below battalion level had been killed or wounded. Division Commander Yu Chengwan conferred with Wang Yaowu over the field telephone, and together they decided to withdraw the troops to prepared positions to hold through the night.   Meanwhile, on the same 27th of September, Liao Lingqi's 58th Division at Chunhua Mountain was subjected to a separate and equally devastating assault by the Japanese 6th Division, reinforced by elements of the 3rd Division. The positions at Chunhua Mountain were compact and clustered — ideal targets for concentrated aerial bombardment. The Japanese bombers came in two waves, and after both had passed, the hastily constructed earthen fortifications were almost entirely destroyed. Across what had been the defensive line, limbs and broken bodies could be seen among the wreckage. The entire division had suffered devastating casualties.   Beginning at nine o'clock in the morning, tens of thousands of Japanese troops launched successive offensive waves, methodically dividing the defensive line into sections and breaking through each one in turn. The defenders engaged the Japanese in hand-to-hand combat at position after position, gunfire and the shouts of bayonet fighters filling the smoke-thickened air. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Chunhua Mountain defense line collapsed. The surviving soldiers attempted to break out in small groups, but many were intercepted and cut down by Japanese forces waiting along the escape routes.   Wang Yaowu was seething. He directed the battle from wherever he could find a usable vantage point, issuing orders in rapid succession — one moment ordering the 51st Division to send reinforcements to Chunhua Mountain, the next directing the army's directly subordinate regiments to absorb the shattered remnants of the 58th Division, then ordering the 57th Division to block Japanese forces from reinforcing the encirclement. He was everywhere at once, doing the work of a staff of twenty, improvising responses to crises that unfolded faster than any plan could accommodate. And as he directed, the same thought played and replayed: wasn't the Ninth War Zone just feeding them to the wolves? They had jumped into the enemy's encirclement without any initiative, while the enemy could attack from whatever direction they chose. He had nowhere to vent his frustration on the battlefield, only able to fend for himself. While directing the battle, he cursed under his breath: "What kind of hell is this?!"   As dusk fell over the chaos, the gunfire gradually subsided. The Japanese as a rule did not launch night attacks — a pattern the Chinese had come to rely upon for the brief respite it offered. Li Tianxia, commander of the 51st Division, concentrated his troops from the flanks toward the center to consolidate a defensible perimeter. The 57th Division, adjacent to the 51st and badly diminished by the day's fighting, did the same. Both divisions settled into their positions, and the exhausted soldiers lay down fully clothed, weapons in hand, and tried to rest. At midnight, the battlefield exploded.   Fierce gunfire roused the soldiers from whatever shallow sleep they had found. Two elite regiments of the Japanese 6th Division had broken through the gap that had opened between the positions of the 51st and 57th Divisions — a gap created by both units pulling inward — and were driving directly toward the headquarters of the 74th Army. In Wang Yaowu's many years of battlefield experience, this was the only instance he ever encountered of a large Japanese force launching a major attack at night.   The knowledge of terrain displayed by the attacking Japanese regiments was so precise, the route to army headquarters so accurately selected, that it raised immediate suspicions of an intelligence compromise — an inside source who had provided the attackers with maps and positions. Whatever the explanation, the effect was devastating. The headquarters' directly subordinate regiment and guard battalion were outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed. They fought where they could, but the Japanese pushed through them.   The guard platoon leader, a man who had served at Wang Yaowu's side through numerous campaigns, gathered several of his best soldiers and formed a close escort. He led Wang Yaowu into the darkness as the Japanese closed around the headquarters compound. More than a hundred Japanese soldiers gave chase — moving through the dark with a sureness of foot that seemed almost preternatural, as if they had developed night vision. The platoon leader recognized that Wang Yaowu could not outrun a hundred men. He shouted to the general and the remaining escort: "Go quickly!" Then he and a single machine gunner turned and stayed behind. Wang Yaowu ran. A few minutes later, the machine gunner was killed. Shortly after that, the platoon leader was shot through the leg and fell to the ground. He was captured.   Wang Yaowu threw himself into the grass beside a drainage ditch and lay still as Japanese soldiers searched the ground around him, their voices close enough to touch. From his hiding place, he heard his platoon leader — the man who had been at his side day and night, who had chosen to stay behind so that his general might live — cursing the Japanese soldiers from the ground where he lay captured and wounded. Then a Japanese officer drew his sword. The cursing stopped. The Japanese soldiers moved on. The gunfire subsided. Wang Yaowu lay in the grass in the dark and did not move until he was certain they were gone. When he crawled out of the bushes, he looked up at the stars, found the direction of Liuyang, and began walking in the darkness with the few guards who had stayed close. He walked until dawn.   Since joining the army, Wang Yaowu had never allowed himself to think about fear of death. He had spent too many years on battlefields, seen too much death and bloodshed, to entertain it as a personal concern. This time, however, he was in tears. Not from sadness, and not from fear. From something harder to name and harder to bear: frustration — the frustration of a capable commander who had been committed to battle by a higher command that neither understood the ground nor provided him the support to fight on it, and who had watched good men die for orders that made no tactical sense.   In the aftermath of the battle, Wang Yaowu's grief was compounded by something beyond the ordinary losses of combat. The 27th alone had cost the 57th Division nearly half its strength, and the 58th Division had been essentially wiped out as a fighting formation. Of his three powerful divisions, only the 51st remained relatively intact. In war, such losses, however painful, are comprehensible. What happened next was not. Liao Lingqi, the commander of the 58th Division — one of the three officers Wang Yaowu had called his "tigers" — did not remain with his shattered troops to regroup and reorganize them. Instead, after the division's collapse, he slipped away from the battlefield with only his personal guards, changed into civilian clothes, and boarded a train bound for his hometown of Qiyang in southern Hunan to visit his family.   By unhappy chance, a senior staff officer from the Ninth War Zone was aboard the same train. He recognized Liao Lingqi and watched, saying nothing, as the division commander traveled south in civilian dress while his men lay dead on Chunhua Mountain. Upon arriving in Hengyang, the officer went directly to report the incident to General Xue Yue. Xue Yue instructed the Military Law Supervision Department to investigate and referred the case to the Military Commission's Military Law Enforcement Directorate on charges of desertion in the face of the enemy. At that point, in that situation, there was nothing Wang Yaowu could say. He had no words left. He had given everything he had to the battle, and this was what greeted him at the end of it.   The elite 74th Army, with its heroic spirit and its unbroken record, had captured the imagination of the Chinese nation and the hearts of countless young men. When soldiers of the 74th Army returned to their hometowns on leave, they wore their elite status openly, and the prestige of the unit was such that families sought them as sons-in-law. Young men who enlisted and were not selected for the 74th Army were known to weep. What a fine unit. But this time, the trap had been perfectly laid, and the intelligence had been mastered. Anami had looked at his opponent's hole cards and played accordingly. He had concentrated overwhelming force, moved with coordination and speed, and exploited the confusion generated by contradictory orders from the Ninth War Zone Command. The Chinese elite had fought with courage and skill that earned the admiration of their enemies. They had simply been outgeneraled at the operational level.   The Second Battle of Changsha, Phase Three, had cost China two of its finest armies. The 10th Army had departed Hengyang over 30,000 strong and returned barely 2,000. The 74th Army had suffered a crushing defeat from which it would require months to rebuild. Wang Yaowu had walked alone through the dark to Liuyang. Li Yutang had stood in the autumn wind at a schoolyard and looked at what remained of the men who had written their determination in blood.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Phase Three of the second battle of Changsha showed Anami Korechika using intelligence and planning to blunt China's elite forces as Chiang Kai-shek reluctantly deployed the "Iron Army" 74th and the 10th. Intercepted communications enable encirclement and heavy losses. Li Yutang's merit and experience shape resistance, yet Japanese strategy dominates from the outset through coordinated advances.

TRACKLIST : 6th Borough Project - The deal Gastek, L.D.F. & Dmitri SFC - Iremember (Gary Romalis Electronix remix) Sean Biddle - Come on home (Toka remix) Alton Miller - Last one 1st (Life Recorder remix) D'Julz - Celestial DJ Swella - Letting you know Tuccillo - By myself Lauhaus & Mario Franca - For real (Augusto Gagliardi remix) Los Bastoneros - Minibump Bread&Butter - Talking heads Daniel Meister - Vogue Retrofract - Patience (BiG AL remix)

In this episode we turn to the most recent major market shock in our series: the COVID-19 Crash of February and March 2020—a global event unlike any before it, where a non-financial crisis, a deadly virus, brought the world economy to its knees in weeks.This is the story of how an emerging infectious disease, first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, escalated into a pandemic that caused the fastest stock-market crash in history.

Cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough on mRNA Persistence, Nattokinase, and the Fight Over COVID-19 Treatment" Six years after standing before the US Senate and calling out the pandemic response in real time, Dr. Peter McCullough returns with new evidence on where the spike protein came from, how long it persists in the body after infection or vaccination, and what's being done to break it down. This episode traces the science from a 2015 gain-of-function paper to a patient still showing circulating spike protein 3.6 years after vaccination. Get Dr. McCullough's free spike protein guide: myfreespikeguide.com Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Peter McCullough, a physician trained in internal medicine, cardiology, and epidemiology, and one of the most published and most censored voices of the COVID-19 pandemic. He authored the first multi-drug treatment protocol for COVID-19, testified before the US Senate in 2020 and again in 2025, and has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature on vaccine safety, spike protein biology, and early treatment. His book Courage to Face COVID-19 and his most recent New York Times bestseller, Vaccines, Mythology, Ideology and Reality, examine the history and science behind vaccine policy. Dave and Dr. McCullough trace the origins of the spike protein back to 2015 and 2016 research papers describing a lab-created, SARS-like coronavirus explicitly labeled "poised for human emergence," and discuss the funding, institutions, and researchers involved. They break down why synthetic mRNA vaccines resist the body's normal RNA breakdown process, what a patient case revealed about spike protein circulating 3.6 years after vaccination, and how nattokinase, a natural enzyme, has shown the ability to break the spike protein down. They also cover the suppression campaigns against ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, the wartime propaganda origins of terms like "misinformation" and "anti-vaxxer," and what Dr. McCullough says he would do differently if he ran HHS. The conversation closes with new research on cognitive superagers, the small percentage of people who reach 100 with intact memory and health. You'll Learn: Why 2015 and 2016 research papers described a lab-created coronavirus as "poised for human emergence" years before the pandemic Why synthetic mRNA in COVID-19 vaccines resists the body's natural RNA breakdown process What one patient's case revealed about spike protein still circulating 3.6 years after vaccination How nattokinase, a natural enzyme, has been shown to break down the spike protein Why the FDA and FTC targeted ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and companies selling nasal sprays during the pandemic The wartime propaganda origins of terms like "misinformation," "disinformation," and "anti-vaxxer" What Dr. McCullough says he would do first if he were running HHS What research on cognitive superagers reveals about the small number of people who reach 100 with intact health Thank you to our sponsors! - TrueDark | Visit truedark.com and use code DAVEASPREY15 (discount applies to all frames except Aegis) - ZenBud | Dave's Nervous System Biohack. Visit zenbud.health and use code DAVE15 at checkout for a discount. - Qualia | Go to qualialife.com/ASPREY for 50% off, and use code ASPREY for an additional 15% off. - ENERGYbits | If you want a simpler, smarter way to support your body… this is it. Head to ENERGYbits.com and use code ASPREY for 20% off your order. Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights inhealth, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. Keywords: spike protein detox, how long does spike protein last in your body, nattokinase spike protein, mRNA vaccine side effects, is the spike protein still in my blood, gain of function research explained, where did COVID come from, Wuhan lab leak evidence, ivermectin banned, why was hydroxychloroquine banned, vaccine injury compensation act, mRNA vaccine shedding, spike protein detox protocol, how to live to 100, cognitive superagers, Peter McCullough, Dave Asprey Resources: • Learn More About Dr. McCullough's Work At: https://www.twc.health/pages/focal-points • Get My 2026 Clean Nicotine Roadmap | Enroll for free at https://daveasprey.com/2026-clean-nicotine-roadmap/ • Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today. • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15? • My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off) • Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off) • Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com • Dave Asprey's New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated • Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/ • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com Timestamps: 00:00 – Trailer 00:43 – Intro 02:10 – 2020 Public Health Failures 05:07 – Vaccine History & Mythology 07:19 – Vaccine Hesitancy as Disease 13:12 – Masks & Lockdown Absurdity 18:03 – War on Hydroxychloroquine 23:56 – Ivermectin Suppression 28:58 – FTC Misinformation Crackdown 31:18 – Propaganda Terms Explained 39:55 – McCullough's Confidence & Career 43:08 – Spike Protein Origins 57:10 – Nattokinase & Spike Clearance 58:50 – mRNA Persistence in Body 1:11:50 – Fixing the System 1:17:32 – Political Divisiveness 1:22:41 – Secrets to Longevity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The McCullough Report with Dr. Peter McCullough – Dr. Peter McCullough examines pandemic treatment failures, disputed death counts, vaccine safety concerns, myocarditis, spike protein persistence, media messaging, and the Wuhan lab-origin controversy. He argues that early intervention saves lives, transparency remains absent, institutions fail the public, and self-reliance offers the strongest path forward for navigating future...

The McCullough Report with Dr. Peter McCullough – Dr. Peter McCullough examines pandemic treatment failures, disputed death counts, vaccine safety concerns, myocarditis, spike protein persistence, media messaging, and the Wuhan lab-origin controversy. He argues that early intervention saves lives, transparency remains absent, institutions fail the public, and self-reliance offers the strongest path forward for navigating future...

Un rapport de Reporters sans frontières, publié le 8 juillet, montre comment la menace sur la sécurité nationale d'un État est souvent invoquée pour poursuivre, voire pour emprisonner des journalistes. Selon RSF, c'est même une « arme contre le journalisme ». Alors qu'on l'appelle « menace contre la sécurité nationale », « apologie du terrorisme », ou lutte contre « l'espionnage », il s'agit toujours d'incriminer un journaliste, de le poursuivre et parfois de le jeter en prison comme Jimmy Lai à Hong Kong, voire de le condamner à mort comme Turki-Al-Jasser en Arabie saoudite. C'est dans les pays totalitaires qu'on trouve le plus de poursuites et d'arrestations arbitraires. On pense à la Chine où Zhang Zhan a déjà purgé une peine de quatre ans d'emprisonnement pour être allée à Wuhan documenter la crise du Covid. Elle se trouve encore derrière les barreaux dans un pays considéré comme la plus grande prison au monde de journalistes. Mais il faut également citer la Russie, où un site indépendant sur la Crimée vient d'être mis sur les listes des agents de l'étranger, ou l'Iran où plus d'une centaine de journalistes ont déjà été arrêtés. Les pays totalitaires ne sont pas les seuls à invoquer l'intérêt national C'est en effet le cas dans des pays en guerre comme Israël, où on ne compte plus les journalistes palestiniens en détention après avoir été arrêtés à Gaza et en Cisjordanie. On y constate aussi une restriction de l'accès à l'information. Mais les prétextes peuvent être des sujets sur la corruption ou des groupes armés en Amérique latine, la santé publique en Tanzanie ou l'environnement en Inde. Au Niger, c'est la publication d'un document « susceptible de troubler l'ordre public » qui vaut à six journalistes d'être poursuivis, dont trois sont emprisonnés. En Algérie, c'est le journaliste français Christophe Gleizes qui a déjà purgé un an de détention après avoir été condamné à sept ans d'emprisonnement. Les démocraties occidentales sont également évoquées par RSF En effet, notamment les États-Unis qui poursuivent Julian Assange pour espionnage et dont deux journalistes du Wall Street Journal et du Washington Post sont appelés à comparaître pour des fuites touchant à la sécurité nationale. Au Royaume-Uni, de nouvelles sanctions visent depuis 2023 les journalistes qui collaborent avec des lanceurs d'alerte. Quant à la France, elle est aussi mentionnée pour Ariane Lavrilleux, cette enquêtrice de Disclose dont la cour d'appel vient d'annuler le non-lieu, ouvrant la voie à une nouvelle instruction alors qu'elle avait réussi à faire valoir que ses révélations sur une opération militaire secrète de la France en Égypte étaient d'intérêt public. Elle défend le secret des sources face au secret défense. C'est finalement toujours au nom de la sécurité nationale qu'on en vient à en criminaliser l'information.

Prof. Paul Goddard is a retired medical doctor, professor and radiologist. He is an expert in magnetic resonance imaging or MRI and was a past president of the British Magnetic Resonance Radiologists Association. For over two decades Dr. Goddard has been critiquing and battling -- in his words -- the managerial dictatorship that has overtaken academia and the British healthcare system. Before retiring he was a whistleblower on the corruption of the UK's department of Health's hospital rankings.  Based on his own investigative research, he predicted in 2017 a forthcoming pandemic of a novel coronavirus strain. At the outset of the Covid-19 in 2020, he warned the SARS virus originated in the Wuhan laboratory in China and attributed it to gain of function research. Dr. Goddard has published four books including "Pandemic", and more recently the "Death of Science" and "Profiteering from Doom: Just Follow the Money" along with British oncologist Dr. Angus Dalgleish who listeners may have heard interviewed on this program.

Our Beijing based guest Beibei joins the show to discuss the viewpoint of Chinese people on China, the CPC and China's rise. She discusses her youth in Wuhan, moving to the USA, and her return to China. We ask her about what Chinese people think about China's rise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI Kia ora. Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news that now the Hormiz situation is settling down somewhat with oil prices easing, the global economy seems to be responding with a better outlook. First today, the widely-watched US ISM services PMI came in at a good level for June even if slightly softer than for May. Price pressures eased slightly, new business stayed at good levels even if less than for May, but employment was stronger even if it is still the weakest component. This Overall services measure has been at or about this level for seven months now is a relatively settled state. It is much more in positive territory than the S&P Global services PMI for the US. The S&P Global services June PMI for Canada is negative after a fall from May's small (but rare) expansion. Business activity weakened as new orders fell for a second straight month, with firms citing high prices and geopolitical uncertainty as key factors weighing on domestic and foreign demand. Meanwhile, the Bank of Canada's June quarter Business Outlook survey found similar views. Overall business sentiment has deteriorated after improving over the past three quarters. Sales outlooks have softened slightly, but firms' export outlooks have improved. Fewer firms said trade uncertainty and hesitancy among US customers are constraining exports, and more firms reported strong demand for commodity exports. Most firms did not report binding capacity constraints or labour shortages. Meanwhile a companion consumer survey shows inflation expectations are now over 3% there and right at the top of its target range of 1-3%. Singapore reported its May retail sales data overnight and it wasn't positive. Of course, this was during the height of the Middle East uncertainties. In China, a private bank in Wuhan with US$19 bln in assets has collapsed and been taken over by regulators. While it isn't a large institution, others are saying it won't be an isolated event among regional banks. (For comparative reference, the US FDIC has dealt with two US banks in 2026 that have failed.) And according to research by a Japanese consultancy, Chinese banks and tech companies led the world in applications for financial technology patents over the last decade, surpassing the US in a field that supports a wide range of financial services from lending and asset management to cryptocurrencies. They examined fintech-related patent filings in 118 countries and regions in the 10 years through 2025, working with Tokyo-based research firm Patent Result. The total tally reached roughly 120,000, nearly triple the number in the preceding decade. Also for May, the EU posted its producer price data, showing a rising +5.7% level from a year ago and driven by higher energy costs. But they also released May retail sales data and perhaps surprisingly, these rose on a real basis, up a creditable +1.9% from a year ago on a price-adjusted basis. In Australia, the Melbourne Institute survey of inflation expectations eased back slightly to 5.5% after the March spike that was rose again in April. But it has eased from there, and slipped again in June. Wage expectations, by comparison, have remained unchanged for the past seven months. The UST 10yr yield is now just on 4.48%, down -1 bp from this time yesterday.  The price of gold has slipped to US$4158/oz, down -US$15/oz from yesterday. Silver is now under US$62.50/oz, down -50 USc from yesterday. Oil prices are down -50 USc from yesterday at just under US$68.50/bbl in the US, while the international Brent price is now just under US$72/bbl. Hormuz transits have stayed low on renewed uncertainties with just 16 crude or product tankers exiting over the past 24 hours (0 dark with transponders off) but 20 entering for new loads (5 dark). Interestingly, Red Sea activity near Yemen has fallen to similarly low levels on added risks there. The Kiwi dollar is down -10 bps from this time yesterday at just on 57 USc. Against the Aussie we are down -30 bps at 82 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at just on 49.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 60.8 which is down -10 bps from this time yesterday. The bitcoin price starts today at US$63,554 and up +1.6% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just under +/- 2.0%. You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz. Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow. Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI Audio soundtrack opening is licensed from Shutterstock, Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI

00:00 Intro1:02 Report: China Fueling Anti-AI Data Center Sentiment to Slow US Expansion2:33 Tibetan Man Dies After Self-Immolation Outside UN Headquarters3:27 Taiwan Drill Tests Readiness for China Invasion5:17 India and Japan Deepen Indo-Pacific Security Ties Amid China Tensions6:45 Faith and Freedom at America's 250th Anniversary 12:25 Matt Ridley: Here's What They Hid in Wuhan

Tatiana Teixeira (OPEU/UFU) recebe os professores Marcos Cordeiro Pires, livre-docente da UNESP e pesquisador do INCT-INEU, e Thais Caroline Ataide Lacerda, doutora em Ciências Sociais pela UNESP, para uma análise sobre da China contemporânea. A conversa parte da experiência concreta: dezessete viagens à China, dois meses de estudo em Wuhan e Pequim, consultorias em empresas estatais chinesas no Brasil. O que emerge é um retrato da China que contraria a imagem cinzenta e autoritária projetada pelos meios de comunicação ocidentais; um país que erradicou a pobreza extrema, lidera a produção científica global e planeja seu desenvolvimento por décadas. O debate percorre a relação da academia chinesa com o Estado, o papel dos Livros Brancos na formulação da política externa, a visão de Pequim sobre a América Latina como parceira estratégica no mundo multipolar e os mitos que ainda persistem no Ocidente sobre o país. No clipping, Yasmim Reis, doutoranda pelo Programa San Tiago Dantas (UNESP/UNICAMP/PUC-SP) e pesquisadora do OPEU, traz as principais notícias dos EUA: a resposta de Marco Rubio à carta de Flávio Bolsonaro, as decisões da Suprema Corte sobre imigração e os desdobramentos do cessar-fogo entre os EUA e o Irã. Quer apoiar o Chutando a Escada? Acesse chutandoaescada.com.br/apoio Mande um café usando nossa chave PIX: perguntas@chutandoaescada.com.br Comentários, críticas, sugestões? Escreva pra gente em perguntas@chutandoaescada.com.br Participaram deste episódio: Tatiana Teixeira (OPEU/UFU), Marcos Cordeiro Pires (UNESP/INCT-INEU), Thais Caroline Ataide Lacerda (UNESP) e Yasmim Abril Monteiro Reis (OPEU/San Tiago Dantas). Inserção musical no final: @2krispii, “Make Conservatives Conservative Again”. Capa do episódio: AFP-JIJI Escute também no Spotify, no YouTube ou Apple Podcasts. Citados no episódio ALLISON, Graham. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Capítulos: 00:00 Introdução: A China de 1,4 bilhão de habitantes 03:00 Parcerias acadêmicas Brasil-China e o Instituto Confúcio na UNESP 14:00 Como a China enxerga a América Latina e os EUA 23:00 Os Livros Brancos e a integração entre academia e governo 34:00 A China como epicentro da ciência global 44:00 A rotina nas universidades chinesas 48:00 Derrubando mitos sobre a China 53:00 O futuro da disputa China-EUA 59:00 Clipping OPEU: Brasil-EUA, Suprema Corte e cessar-fogo no Oriente Médio 01:04:00 Encerramento The post A China que o ocidente não conta appeared first on Chutando a Escada.

A life filled with curiosity can take you further than you ever imagined. I sit down with German journalist, author, entrepreneur and media expert Helmut Stapel to explore how childhood curiosity, world travel, creativity and a willingness to take risks shaped an unstoppable life. From growing up in a village of just 700 people to building an international media company, writing books, producing films and launching a global leadership initiative called The Center, Helmut shares why open-mindedness, passion and persistence matter more than fear. You will hear why he believes every idea deserves a chance, how meaningful relationships create opportunity, and why making the world better begins with each of us. I believe you will enjoy Helmut's thoughtful outlook and practical lessons on creating a life with purpose. Highlights: ·  03:05 - Early childhood curiosity becomes the foundation for a lifetime of creativity. ·  09:18 - Choosing passion over convention leads to a career that never feels like work. ·  17:33 - Building a business with almost nothing proves resourcefulness beats fear. ·  25:13 - The vision for The Center offers a new way to bring leaders together. ·  43:15 - A humorous book about the pandemic delivers a powerful lesson on questioning information. ·  54:31 - Every great achievement begins by protecting an idea instead of doubting it. About the Guest: After completing my training as a media designer, I finished my editorial traineeship at the Nordsee-Zeitung in Bremerhaven/Germany in 1997 and founded successful my media agency, “Stop press & public”, based in Bremerhaven. Through various trainings across all media sectors, I had the opportunity to build up my client base both nationally and internationally. These include contributions for the BBC as well as film work alongside the well-known producer Stratton Leopold (Mission Impossible, Captain America). My journalistic repertoire ranges from short news reports and podcasts to features in words and images. For over ten years, I have been sharing my expertise on the successful construction of narratives, stories and storylines in seminars at colleges and universities worldwide like the University of Cancún in Mexico and German Universities. The range of course content spans storytelling, digital marketing and social media strategies, journalism, photography and PR, as well as scriptwriting for novels and films. All seminars are held in English and German. As author I write fiction, travel, culture, fitness and business book. My works include the novel ‘The Day a Chinese Man Ate a Bat', lighthouse stories, the fitness guide ‘Couch Coach' and the international port book ‘Port City'. In 2024 I started my career as artist with my first internationally recognised concept series WorLds, which was curated for the exhibitions at ArtExpo Paris 2025 and the 24 International Art Fair Venice in 2026. The renowned Magazine FineArtNews published a multi-page feature about my new artistic approach in concept art. In autumn 2026 I will open my first solo exhibition in London with the aim, to let people benefit from the proceeds of my art. As part of the European Group “Speakers Excellence” I give keynote speeches at official events and charity events. With the project THE CENTER I have started together with my wife Daja a worldwide initiative, which will create a new basis of respect and a generation of leaders, with a new understanding of global interconnections in the spirit of a united humanity which takes responsibility for working together rather than against each other. The first events will be held in 2027 in Tuscany/Italy and Switzerland. Ways to connect with Helmut**:** Social Media: http://linkedin.com/in/helmut-stapel-5b3a60b6 https://stoppress.contently.com/ www.facebook.com/helmut.stapel #5000 www.instagram.com/stoppress Homepage: www.stoppress.de Article FineArtsNews: From Journalism to the Canvas of Conceptual Art - FineArtsNews About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:03 One of the biggest things holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe. Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingson, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Well, hello everyone, wherever you happen to be in the world today, I want you to feel welcome at Unstoppable Mindset, that's our podcast name, and I'm your host, Michael Hingson, or if you want, you can call me Mike Hingson. Our guest today is Helmut Steppel, who is a media person, he's an author, he's an artist, he's a lot of different things, he's an entrepreneur, he started his own company. My gosh, I'm jealous, he's done a lot of different things, and I think we're going to have a great conversation over the next hour or so. So, Helmut, I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset. We're glad you're here. Helmut Stapel  01:39 Thank you so much. Thank you so much, dear Mike, and thanks for having me. It's an honor to be here, because as your invitation popped up suddenly, I was a bit surprised about, I think oneself never looks at its own way of living or where we are in the way other people maybe do, and so thank you for having me and your podcast. Michael Hingson  02:02 Well, thank you. I think we'll, we'll have a lot of fun. We have a lot of things to talk about. I appreciate all the information that you sent me, and, and we'll, we got to keep it interesting because it's late where you are. It's after 9o'clock now in the evening over there, so we gotta, gotta make sure it, it stays interesting, so that you don't fall asleep. Helmut Stapel  02:24 Definitely, I try, I try to, I try to. Sorry, in another part of Germany, it's cold outside, it's not dark already, but it's getting to be dark, so it's bad time to say so. But I'm happy to be with you. Michael Hingson  02:39 How cold Helmut Stapel  02:41 is it 14 degrees, something like that. Should, should be more. Everybody's talking about El Nino, and looking at the guy in Mexico, showing pictures of red things. And we have some prognosis regarding summertime coming, some big heat from whatever it is at the moment. I must say it's quite normal and a bit too cold for this year of the time. Michael Hingson  03:05 Well, we'll see what happens. Well, why don't we start? I love to start this way. I ask people to start by telling me a little bit about, in your case, the early helmet growing up, and so on. Let's start with that. Helmut Stapel  03:18 Okay, we can do that question from my side, when does early helmet start, at which age? Because for me, for most fascinating is that for some reason I can remember, at least I can go back to, I think, as when I was one year old. Michael Hingson  03:35 Well, I'll let you start wherever you'd like to start, that certainly is early enough, but you, you tell us what it was like growing up, and all that, and if you remember back to one year old, that's great. Helmut Stapel  03:46 Okay, I grew up in a very, very beautiful landscape, a small village, 700 people living there, called Stuben in Germany, and what I remember is laying as a small child, not be able to walk, and just in a wagon, and staying at the blue sky, the clouds, tree leaves, sometimes people coming big faces. It was my aunt Helga would have figured out later on, and so I remember sounds of bees and hums and roses, the smell of roses. My mother loved roses about all around the houses, and as you see, in this way I grew up in a way where I got used to use all my senses, and I think that was some of the basis for all what followed up, because I started then to have a closer look at my environmental. When I was seven or eight years old in school, I wrote my first text. Later on, I became a journalist, but in this very moment, then I realized, and that, and also the grown-ups, that is maybe some kind of talent because. My first text got a one with a plus, so I think it was eight years old, and so I grew up in a very, very good surrounding. My father was a captain. He took me with his ship to Portugal, to Norway, to Russia in the summer time when we were out of school, so in this way somehow I got in touch with the world very early, very early. I was seven when I went the first time to Portugal, and so I think this was the basis for all what came afterwards till today. You know, I'm 60. Michael Hingson  05:35 What did you think of traveling, and how has that kind of shaped the way you look at life today, Helmut Stapel  05:44 and a lot of ways, and in a positive way, because to say so, I was not aware of how many prejudices I had in my head regarding society, media, whatever it is, since I met the people for real in the countries they were living in, and this is from the USA to Arabian countries to Asia, whatever it is, and suddenly all these influences came to my head regarding the fact, and also then the knowledge that we are all different, we all look different, and we come from different cultures, but at the end, we have all the same needs, and so there's no country where I have ever been to where I felt unsure. There is no country where I didn't met friends, for example, and it was always about being open-minded, and then meeting people who have been open-minded in the same way as I was, and so that's how everything developed. Michael Hingson  06:52 Do you have any countries that you haven't been to that you'd like to go to? Helmut Stapel  06:57 Yes, to turn upside down, where I have been to is from Alaska to Cape Horn, to go to then the Caribbean, the Atlantic, European countries, from Norway to South Africa, then to the Maldives, and go on to the beginning of India to say so. Australia is on my map. I was asked to go there, but then when the war with Ireland and USA popped up, that was so dangerous to go by Dubai by plane to go to Australia. So I will do this next spring, and somehow China is a bit too big for me, I would say, means that I would love to go inside the country to meet people that takes a lot of time, and travel journalism is a lot of people think travel journalism is something where you just stay for six months in the country, or whatever it is, it's different because of money and time, because it's all organized, and that means a big country like China would be great regarding culture, but it's would be a long part in before to have a closer look at where the stories and the people are, so I would be Australia and Japan, I think, and to say so the fastest thing I've ever had to do with Cape Horn, surrounding by zodiac with a dingy seriously, and I made 30,000 kilometers in six days coming from Germany, and I was on three continents and in six or seven different countries, and so this is travel journalism to say, so, Michael Hingson  08:43 wow. Well, I went to New Zealand in 2003 but I never got to Australia. But earlier this year, kind of, my, my wish was granted, and I'll be traveling to Australia later this year. Wow, to speak. It's the first time that I will have been to Australia. I've been to Japan, and I've been to South Korea. I've not been to China either. I think it would be fascinating to go if someday that will happen. I've not been to Germany, I've been to Spain. I'd love to come. Well, all I need are some speaking engagements to get me over there, so you know, if you know anybody who needs a speaker, we're always looking for opportunities to come and speak, but I Helmut Stapel  09:28 can have a closer look for that. Definitely, Michael Hingson  09:30 that would be fun. But anyway, I enjoy traveling. I appreciate that in reality we're all really the same. We may be raised in different cultures, and we think we're a lot more different than I think we really are, and in so many ways, but you, so you went, and you grew up, you went to school, then you went to university, right? Helmut Stapel  09:54 Yes, but in a way that I realized that in that I. Way, and at that time I was about worth 30 years old, because I did my A level at the evening school, while I was working at the same time, and then I figured out that I'm more the practical type of human being, I was not able to sit and to listen to someone and to analyze texts of other people, for I figured out that my brain was, as I was telling you, when I grew up and saw all these things with the sky and the clouds and whatever it was that my brain was meant to produce things by itself, and that it was full of ideas and pictures, and it all had to come out, and so in that way I stopped studying and made a, I was a volunteer, I made an apprenticeship at a newspaper, and became an editor, and so in that way I found my job 30 years ago, which I self employed now for 30 years due, and it's I'm blessed to do that, because since that time I don't work, I have spare time all the time. It's just doing something which I love. Michael Hingson  11:07 Well, and that's kind of important to do, and that that makes it so much more fun when you can do something that you love doing. It doesn't seem like a job anymore. It doesn't seem nearly so difficult to do, because you enjoy it, Helmut Stapel  11:22 definitely, definitely. Also, regarding writing novels, which I started then a few years ago, because sometimes my wife has to hold me back for sitting and writing, because I always love to do that. I do other things as well, but it's something which is really in my mind and my heart. Michael Hingson  11:47 Well, and you mentioned earlier that you and Daddy are getting into a new house. I hope she likes the house. Helmut Stapel  11:54 Definitely, it's our.. it's our.. thank you for asking. It's our dream house, because it's not too big. It's 160 square meters with a cellar and the roof and things like that, and there's enough space, and we have a fireplace, we have a garden, we will have a dog, and so it's like, like a dream came true, because it's a place which is silent, and for me the best thing is that we will have a fireplace in the working room as well, so I love to stay there in winter time, and then suggest to do my work, and she loves that, really, because she also says this is the house she was always looking for, and so we will then have our own home, and this is a dream. Also, Michael Hingson  12:36 do you have any children? Helmut Stapel  12:39 No, personally not. I grew up some children with the women I cared for for 12 or 15 years, but as it is sometimes when the when the young birds have grown up, the mother birds and the grown-up birds are leaving the nest without asking the father bird if he wants to fly with them, and so they flew away, and I stayed a bit concerned, but then I meet Daya, and so I knew where that comes from and what was the sense behind that, because since that time I'm absolutely happy, and I've never been that happy before in my life. Michael Hingson  13:20 Good for you and Daya, that'll, that's great. Well, it's exciting. I have lived in a number of homes. My wife and I got married in 1982 and then she passed away in 2022 And so we, we lived in various places, and we always figured out how to make it work. We had challenges because she was in a wheelchair her whole life, but we, we love to build houses when we could. There were, there were a couple times that we couldn't, but we love to build houses because that way we build accessibility into it, and it doesn't cost to do that. So, Helmut Stapel  13:54 yes, Michael Hingson  13:55 so we, we had a lot of fun with, with that. So, I, I, I can't complain a whole lot. It's worked out pretty well, but I'm glad you guys are getting into a house that'll be pretty exciting. That'll keep you busy, and while you're moving from one house to another, you'll probably find all sorts of treasures that you forgot you even had. Helmut Stapel  14:15 Can can be also some things in some cartoons or in wardrobes or whatever it is, all things I have books of my father as well, instance he was a captain, as I said, and some things are maybe hidden somewhere. Really keen on doing that, for example, as I have a past as a musician as well. When I was 23 I had a record contract with Sony Records, and somehow, regarding private things, this did not come out on the way I wanted it to be. It was for three or four years, but all this musician past is also in some draws line with things or songs. I, I started to compose and. Maybe I start this in our new home next to the fireplace again. There Michael Hingson  15:04 you go. Well, that'll be kind of fun, Helmut Stapel  15:07 definitely. Michael Hingson  15:08 So, when did you found, when did you start your own company? Helmut Stapel  15:12 Ah, that was almost 30 years ago, was in 1997 right? Directly after my apprenticeship as an editor, because I figured out that it's somehow my spirit to be more on my own track. This is also maybe founded because of my father being a captain, because when I was a young boy standing on the bridge, and he asked me if I like to be the captain of the ship, I was seven years old, and I was then asked to guide and to lead this big freight ship to the Biscaya near to Portugal in a stormy day, and I was this feeling of I can go everywhere, I could go everywhere, and so from this moment on, I had the feeling that the chances I create for myself are endless when I give them the chance to appear, and so this is why I decided to become self-employed. Michael Hingson  16:11 Wow, so that, well, it's kind of fun. So, do you, you've decided, though, you don't want to be a captain anymore? Helmut Stapel  16:18 Yes, I've became, I've become a sailor. I had a sailing boat, but I was not about to make this my profession to say so. Right, I'm a seaman as well. I do a lot of cruises, I write about cruises, I work for several magazines. I've just come back from the middle ocean with a nice trip, Explorer One from MSC, it's the Italian shipping company. I visited Sting, the international position, on his vineyard in Tuscany, which was quite an honor. And so there is a lot of connection to being a seafarer. I like cruising, and Michael Hingson  17:00 I've had had fun doing it, and would like to do more of it, even though it's just me now, but I, and I will, I think cruising for me is a great way to take a vacation, because I only have to unpack once, but, but more important than that, you know, unlike being in a timeshare where you, you go and visit places and drive, you know, I'm not going to drive or anything like that. So, I, I like cruising. I think that'll be kind of fun, and I'm looking forward to doing that in the next few years again. But, in the meanwhile, in the meanwhile, as I speak, I get to travel around and meet lots of different people, and that's kind of fun too. Helmut Stapel  17:40 Definitely, I think you're the same as I am regarding that the exchange with people is something which makes oneself feeling alive, because there are so many impulses and things one maybe has never been thinking about, and suddenly some ideas pop up out of this conversation, which is, which is quite great. Michael Hingson  18:06 Well, so tell me about your company that you started 30 years ago. It's been a been going a long time. Tell me about that. Helmut Stapel  18:14 My pleasure, because at it's also about thinking positive about life and not building your own barriers, because at that time I was, I was not a rich man, I'm not today as well, but I had so less money that I was not able to, at that time they were the starting time of computer, I was not able to have an old fax, so I had to ask some friends in the company if I could just creep in the, in the midday break into the office of their chef to send a fax to a company in Munich I wanted to work for, and so it was a bit adventurous, I really had not a lot of money. I found him affirming it in a two room apartment, and the financial department wanted not to give me the tax back, because I said it's not, it's not possible to live in a two room apartment, and in the same way found a firm, and I said, yeah, but I did it, I did it, and so in this way I worked on then working for radio because it did an apprenticeship as well then why I founded my firm and in this way it grew and grew and I did during the time all the work and apprenticeship and all kind of media you can imagine so I can work today for print for radio, I'm doing reportages for online, for TV, and in this way I ended up at the university at the end. Now, after 30 years, again, I think after 20, because since 10 years I work as a teacher as a lecturer at different university on German and English internationally as well. From South America to Japan, because online is a fascinating world where even there are no borderlines, and so I'm really happy that I was able to fulfill this dream, starting as I said, without fear. I always said I just try and never fail, I do it some other way. That's the point. Michael Hingson  20:24 You figure out a way to make it work, Helmut Stapel  20:27 absolutely, with the help of people. For example, that's always important that you meet people which feel some sympathy for you. That's right, just to help you, or they have some contacts. Most important is I think that the passion you feel for your work is readable, is hearable, whatever your media you work for, that people enjoy to follow you. And then the people who just are your employers say, 'Wow, we want to have more of that. So I think this is the point. How it works. So, what's the name of your company? It's Stop Press and Public, and it has a has a history behind that, because the part of Germany where I come from, as you see, my last name is Staple, S T A P E L, and we speak here flat German, which name means that staple is called Stoppel with an O instead of an A, right? And so I took the short form of Stoopel with an S T O P. It's like a stop sign you have in traffic, and so I said, okay, if I have stop, this is cool internationally seen for a marketing point, and I needed some things because I always, in the beginning, also as well thought, and I was sure that I wanted to work internationally, and so I thought that I need something which is short, which is international, and so I said I do it press, and there's something I do which is public, and then it will stop press and public, which is quite great, because I had no idea when I went the first time to the USA. I gave someone my business card. He said, "Whoa, this is the cool agency name, and say, "Why? And he said, "Yeah, regarding that, stop press as a synonym for latest news, stop the printing, stop the Michael Hingson  22:21 presses. Yeah. Helmut Stapel  22:22 Yes, I wasn't aware of that. And so there's really funny, yeah. And this is how that, how that figures out. Michael Hingson  22:30 And what do.. and what does the company do? Helmut Stapel  22:34 I do everything from all topics apart from ice hockey and soccer, because I, to say so, I could write or do some reports about that, but I have, you know, passion for this kind of sports, so I do everything apart from soccer and ice hockey, but also then I'm a photographer as well, so I do reportages all around the world regarding traveling as scientific journalists, as well. I do write for scientific magazines, which gives me a deep insight into topics I had never any idea before, which keeps my brain moving on and moving on, and also connecting different topics, which are maybe normally are not connected, and I do cultural reports as well. I do videos. I work for social media, and I develop social media and marketing companies as well, for big companies all around the wall, for example, the Q, not line England. I did some marketing, and there are others. So, everything which is connected with communication in what way ever is what I do. Michael Hingson  23:54 So, it's a marketing and communications company, which, which keeps you busy. How is it just you, or do you have other people in the company? Helmut Stapel  24:03 No, it's just me, and this is fascinating as well, because after I think 10 years, when I founded the firm, I was at a point from the mass of work, which came from all sides to me, to decide if I stay on my own or if I grew my firm, my company with some clerks regarding Dan becoming bigger, and when I was thinking about that, I had a closer look at my dog, which was a shepherd dog, a German Shepherd dog, and we were close friends, and he was my partner in triathlon, I did 10 years triathlon, and he was my running and my swimming partner as well, and so I looked at him, and at that time, at the day we wanted to go into the forest as we always did, and suddenly I was aware that if I have all this responsibility regarding all the people and getting all the work that they get their money at the. End of the month, and can feed their families, and things like that, that will be such a pressure for me and my small family as well. That I said, now, okay, I don't do that, because I will just lose my freedom, and so I decided to keep it small, and the way that I can normally live, and I'm not a poor man, but I'm not a rich man as well. But I have all the time of the world to organize myself. I can go to for a forest walk whenever I want. I can sleep midday on my couch whenever I want, and that was the point why I'm just on my own. Michael Hingson  25:38 And you can do podcast interviews whenever you want, and podcast conversations whenever you want. Helmut Stapel  25:43 Yes, definitely, Michael Hingson  25:44 that works out pretty well. Well, that's great. So, so what you have a project I think you're working on called The Center. Tell me about that. Helmut Stapel  25:54 Yes, thanks for asking, because this is something which is really on my mind and my heart, because dear Mike, as you asked before, regarding traveling the world, making experiences, meeting people over the years, it came to me and to my mind there are so many things where the world is not going in a direction where it should go just to be a good place for all the people that live on this planet, including all the nature which is on this planet, because without nature we cannot live on this planet, and so I developed the idea, and I'm working on this project, and I think in 2027 we will have the first, the first events is to found a place, which is called the center, because all the structures we were used to for decades, politically, naturally seen society, whatever it is, they are all breaking down, there are no, no, no roots anymore, and people are anxious that everything falls apart, and there's no center anymore, and so the idea was just to create a center where leading people from all kinds of areas, like it's economy, it's philosophy, it's a technical scene, it's astronomy, it's a religious whatever it is, just to take all this knowledge and all these different opinions and to make events for people which are in leading positions to create a feeling of that we are all in a network, because the earth is round, we cannot flee from here. We have to stay here, and we have to work with that. And the point is, when we all take something from the cookie plate and never give back anything on the plate, it will be empty, and if it's empty, no one is a winner, no one is a winner, and so the center is about then giving people the idea when they try to live a life where they give something, and it means not that they should give all their money, which they make to other people, it's about friendliness, it's about health, it's about clean water. It's about giving a warm word, and it's also giving more money as well. If someone's doing a good job, and so making the places where they live a better place, and the way they could do, and in this way giving more space for this message, because people have been treated better, they treat other people better, and it's like you throw a stone in the water, and small waves are coming, and just go. And this is the point. What the center is going to be about. If Speaker 1  28:54 you enjoy Unstoppable Mindset, and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you for being part of the unstoppable mindset community. Michael Hingson  29:28 Well, and when you throw a pebble into the water, the waves go out to the end, and then they come back, and, and it's a process. It's a process. You're Helmut Stapel  29:37 right, definitely. Michael Hingson  29:38 So, how far along are you with with this? You said in 2027 you think you're going to have the first event, and what, what, what kind of preparations are you making, and how is that going Helmut Stapel  29:50 from the first steps, writing an expose, getting my, and Daya is with me as well, because we like to found this together, just. Putting the first thoughts on paper, writing an expose, getting clear about what should it be about, having the first contacts, meeting people was like creating some kind of magnetic field, because suddenly when we started with that, things came by itself to us, that was fascinating regarding people offering sponsoring the website, for example, I have been to Zurich to an event where I met people I was not aware about, which fit to, for example, than the event character to other people, which one is the former director, the technical director of the NASA, the space agency, there's some kind of neurologist, we would say something, some people who work on brain artificial intelligence, whatever it is, and so I meet a lot of people since then who future researchers, whatever, who will be able, and would love to have events and a speech at the events of the center to be part of creating a horizon for all the people who come there to make sure and clear that in which position we are in the moment we look at earth in the space, because not many people are aware of that, how, how fragile this is, and so with all the knowledge and all the things like philosophy, which, as I said, we will try to implement a feeling of we have an at the people I have to do something, and in this way we are on the way. We have two places where we love to make the events. We came across that in the beginning we would think to concentrate on one place, but then we figured out it's better to have different places, just to have more atmosphere. One is in Switzerland, and the other is in Italy. And we are about to create, then, the program to make sure, as people have to pay for that. This is quite a point. We cannot do it for free, because there are some costs, but to create the program and sending invitations, making advertisements on Instagram, social media, whatever it is, and have a closer look on LinkedIn, how the feedback is, and the point is that without, as I work all my life like that, even if I write a novel or whatever it is, without setting a deadline for something, you will never reach your aim, because you say, yeah, maybe sometime someday. No, we do it in 2027 in summer, and in this way we have some time to move into a new home and our house, and in the same moment, just working with the people who already have said that they want to have a speech there, for example, we also are in touch with Laura Chaplin, which is a niece, you say, so from Charlie Chaplin. She lives in Switzerland. She, she loves to come there too, because she, she's a person who thinks that humor is an important point in life to create some kind of life feeling, and so in that way we are on the way to have then the first event in June or July 2027 and it will be in Switzerland at the Lake of Your Walsh Stetter Zie, near to Lucerne, or in Tuscany near to Lawrence Fierense, Michael Hingson  33:48 that sounds exciting. How large do you think the event will be? Helmut Stapel  33:52 We think about two events in the beginning in a year with maximum of 15 participants, maybe 10, because it will be very intensive, and it's not something to say so, which can be in Germany. We say inflation, inflation, or maybe this is the word in English. It's something that has to grow, as to say so. I have a friend. When I talked to him about that, he said that's too big. You will never, never see and realize how this will work. And I said, no, this is not the idea behind it, because someone has to start the process. All the things which can be big in history of humanity started at one point, and over if it takes centuries, I don't care. Someone has to start it, and if the idea works, it will work inside the people, which carry the idea to other people. And so we start with, I think, two events in a year, and maybe then 10 up to 15 people, max. Simon, Michael Hingson  35:01 well, so 10 to 15 people will be speaking. Is there an audience in addition to that, or it's just going to be an event with those people, and they're going to then take the message elsewhere? Helmut Stapel  35:13 No, the audience will be 10 to 15 people. Got it? Because the idea behind this, that also, because they were thinking about that every every change in society, if you look at human history, started on an unhealthy basis, which means that we're all people who were hungry, they were poor, whatever it is, and they were just fed up with the lives they were living, and said we have to change something, and this always meant war, this meant revolution, whatever it is, and at the end, most of the time, exactly those people became like the people they were talking about before, that they are the vicious people, so we thought about if we want to change something, the best thing is to talk to the people who are able, in their actual, in their current positions, to change something, which is their advantage as well. This is the concept of the center. It doesn't mean that you change when you change your mindset in this way that you lose something. No, it's about the advantage for everyone, and this is the idea behind the center. Michael Hingson  36:23 How did this come to your, to your mind? How do you, how did you create it? What, what caused you to think about doing this? Helmut Stapel  36:32 I have not really an exact idea. It was, it was a, it was a fusion of all the things I was talking about. There was one moment where suddenly all the things I mentioned in the beginning, regarding there's no center, everything is falling apart. I witnessed that, as everyone does on the TV and the radio, on social media, and when this witness, I talk to people, to friends, and also in other countries, and I figured out that this kind of anxiety creeps into the minds and souls of so many people that they got stuck in their lives, and that somehow all this beauty, which is around us, is not seen anymore, and it's just something that it's like the world is going to be getting dark, whatever it is, and we can stop that. And that was the point when that this, when I said someone has to stop that. And then I said, okay, then I'm the one, together with Daya. Michael Hingson  37:39 Well, that'll keep you and I are busy, you know, gives you, gives you something to do, and, and, and I'm sure you'll, you'll create an environment where there'll be a lot of good ideas that will come out of it, which is, of course, what it's all about, right? Helmut Stapel  37:53 Yes, yeah, definitely, because the way we treat each other is the basis for all that, regarding that we both have have an eye on each other, a closer look, that the other one feels good, just asking, do you need something, can I do something, and things like that, and that way we created a process which brings us with the positive energy forward in a very, very exciting and powerful way. Michael Hingson  38:23 Well, and that's, you know, that's always exciting, and it'll be interesting to see where, where this goes, and how the center grows, and how you can use that to influence people. We need to have more of that, I think the whole idea of helping to create and change, well, to change the world and make it a better place, there's always a good thing to do. Helmut Stapel  38:49 Yeah, I think you're definitely right, Mike. Also, then based on the idea that when we start with that in this on the small scale, it doesn't mean that not other people can do the same in other countries, you know. I registered the trademark just to, and the logo, and the and the and the sign, because it makes sense to have something which is steady, and if other people, then, for example, think that they are convinced by this idea, there's, there's nothing which is against the idea, then, that they do is in the country with the same concept as well. So, this is what we hope, that it's for example, I think there's always fascinating friend of mine, he, he's a scientist in mushrooms, and he's so keen on mushrooms, and he's telling about mushroom stories all day long, but the point is, this is the most fascinating living being, because it's under the ground, and it's just no one is seeing how it moves, and it's getting bigger and bigger, and what we eat is just what pops. Up right, and but but it's invisible, and when it comes out, everybody says I had no idea that it's that big, and I think this is the idea about sorry, the center creating a network which grows by itself and has more and more points where the idea pops up, that's the point, Michael Hingson  40:18 yeah, which, which makes sense. Tell me about some of the books that you've written, if you would. Helmut Stapel  40:25 I love to love to, because as I said, when I was eight, I wrote my first essay, which somehow astonished the teacher, and then I wrote my first poems, and short stories was 1312 or 13 years, and then I was aware of the fact that I want to become a writer. What happened was I became a writer in the way that I became a journalist, which took a lot of time, because I'm self-employed, but in the same way I was always keen on writing books, and I wrote several books, I think. Meanwhile, it's seven or eight. The first novel and short story thing, the first novel was 2024 and the short story mixed with with pictures. I'm doing pictures as well. I'm a painter as well, and so this was then 20 years ago, and so this is just the process of developing things. There's a poem book as well, it's called Lemon Land, which is quite interesting with funny poems, and as I'm interested in so many things, there are people asked me to write tourism things about lighthouses, for example. There were people, they asked me to write economic books about how a harbor works. For example, in Germany, we have one of the biggest, or some of the biggest container harbors of the world, the city where I live, Bremerhaven, for example, which is very connected to the USA. We had, I think, 6 million containers a year, and now we are somehow about 3.8 3.6 or whatever it is, and so this is some logistical thing, I wrote a fitness book as well, since I did triathlon 10 years and it was a vegetarian at that time, and so I figured out how that works, and suddenly I started to eat meat again, because then from one day to another it tastes good again for me, and so I wrote a fitness book, as well. It's called The Couch Coach, because I figured out that so many people sitting in front of the TV saying, "Ah, I would like to go to a studio, but it costs so much energy, and I would love to stay in front of my TV. And so I thought to develop a fitness program for people just laying on the couch and making sports, so it works with some, it's not a lot of weight, it's for your food and for your hands, and so within 15 or 20 minutes, you can just exercise your body from the food while you, while you eat pizza and eat Coca Cola. So I also have some diet program in the book, but you're not forced to do this, is this is not this. If you want to become a better man, just have a diet and do sport. No, a lot of people just stop them doing that, because it's exhausting. And so you can decide to change your life, but you can keep on lying on the couch, just having pizza and drinking Coke. It's just about bringing people into the mood of movement, and so I think this is the mixture. Actually, I wrote a travel guide, which maybe can now will come out this year, and it's the first travel guide one has written in this style on this planet. Honestly, there's no book like that. I'm very proud on this, and while I'm looking for someone that publishes it, I already work on my next novel with Willy, a criminal story, which plays on a lighthouse. Daya is very excited hearing the next things I have written, and so these are the writing projects I do work on. Michael Hingson  44:16 So, what's the name of the travel book? Helmut Stapel  44:19 I cannot say this is a secret, it's Michael Hingson  44:23 not out yet. So, yeah, you can't say what's the last book. Oh, go ahead. Helmut Stapel  44:28 The last book is also quite exciting, because it will be published next week on English, and will be available worldwide. It's called The Day a Chinese Ate a Bet, and so, as you can imagine, it's about Corona, and it's the very first book on a journalism basis written in a comedian style, apart from the fact that Corona was not really funny, that that takes all the things which has happened based. Based on a two year research on press releases from US government, the World Health Health Organization, whatever it is, articles, just to make an overview, what happened at what time, and who did say what, because of blaming whom, to bring some light into this chaos in a very funny way, regarding that, the theory and the rumor that Chinese eat beds are just based on one video from an influencer from Thailand who pretended to eat a bed, and so that was an ah, all Chinese eat bats, they produce corona, and so this is why it's called like the day Chinese ate a bad and the main point is the message in this book is not to believe everything people are telling you because they want to influence you and not to ask the question where's the source where's the basis for that and so yeah and it's in one day in Wuhan, a taxi driver who has all the people, there's a billionaire called Phil Bates, you can assume who I mean, and other people who are driving in this taxi one after another, and all this taxi driver gets all the stories and infos, and so he gets more confused and confused and nervous, and so it's a day in Wuhan where it pops up all the people who are connected, maybe with the with the existing of the coronavirus, and they all meet at the end in a final place to say so. And then we have the conclusion, but I won't, I won't spoil that. Oh, you don't want to do Michael Hingson  46:42 that? No, by no means. So, it'll be published in English next week, huh? Helmut Stapel  46:47 Yes, exciting! Wow, Michael Hingson  46:48 that's pretty cool. Helmut Stapel  46:51 I'm really proud on that. Michael Hingson  46:54 Well, so what publisher is publishing it, or how's that working? Helmut Stapel  47:00 I did this by myself. Okay, Helmut Stapel  47:03 yeah, with this book, for example, and have chosen the soil name Arthur Block because it was my grandpa, and I thought Arthur Block is more international than Helmut Staple. It's more, there's more speed behind it. Arthur Block, yay. And as I did my first apprenticeship as graphic designer, I decided, because I'm familiar with books and publishing with the newspaper, I have all the knowledge to publish my book by myself, and I try to, and it's working out good, because I have a lot of five star five five-star ratings on Amazon, and there are some kind of.. we have in Germany, for example, companies like Books on Demand, which then bring this with an ISBN number into all bookshops in the world, and so it was a kind of adventure. I still work on that. Regarding also, thank you for naming this in your podcast, doing some marketing on Google, and things like that. Normal, just have a closer look, how that that works. And so, with the with the travel guide, I'm in touch with Lonely Planet, which is quite known as travel guide, which young people love all around the world, and they are interested, and so looking forward if they really want to. If not, and if no one likes to, I publish it by myself again Michael Hingson  48:35 now. So, will the day the Chinese ate a bat, when that comes out in English form, will that also be available in places like Amazon? Helmut Stapel  48:45 Definitely, I figured out, and this is the exciting part of, at first I had no idea how that works with Amazon and Kindle, and whatever it is, and then I figured out, by it was incidentally, when I created this book at first in German, then I published it on Amazon, and they have an ISBN number as well. And I thought, okay, now I'm in business internationally, and a friend of mine said, okay, I like to buy your book, I go to a bookshop, and he had the title and asked for the book, and they looked into the PC and said there is no book like that, and there is no author like that, and he called me, and I said this is not possible, because I have the ISBN number here from Amazon, and then I figured out that Amazon has an own ISBN number, which doesn't pop up in the international catalogs of bookshops, you need a different ISBN number from the first three numbers, Michael Hingson  49:41 yeah. Helmut Stapel  49:42 Yes, and so I always have to use two channels, it's Amazon with Kindle and things like that, and also the normal book shops who like books on demand, as I said, with the international normal ISBN number. Michael Hingson  49:55 Will there be a an audio version of the book? Helmut Stapel  49:58 Yes, I work. That since I'm a radio moderator as well, and we have a studio at home, and we will have a really pretty studio, and on your house, I love it. I will produce the books as audio versions as well. Michael Hingson  50:13 Well, that'll be exciting. You'll have to let us know when, when the audio version, especially, comes, comes out. That'll be, Helmut Stapel  50:20 I will, Michael Hingson  50:20 that'll be easier for me to read. I mean, I can buy a print book, and I can use optical character recognition to read it, but I'm lazy. I'd rather have an audio version, and I know other people would too. So, that'll be, that'll be exciting when it, when it does come out. Helmut Stapel  50:34 I'll let you know, it's more personally somehow, if you just see the voice of than the author just reading something. Michael Hingson  50:40 Yeah, well, whether it's you reading it or someone, it'll still be good to have an audio version. Now, you have also made a movie. Tell me about the movie. Helmut Stapel  50:49 Yes, I work on that. It's not in the cinema, it's the process I'm still working on, and I'm really proud on that too. Yeah, because it's also, yeah. yeah, realizing what chance you can take to do whatever it is, and as I said, the borderlines you have are the borderlines you put by yourself, and when I figured out that I was going to go to Savannah, USA, and had the chance to have an interview with Stratton Leopold, who is the very, very well-known producer in the USA. He made movies like Mission Impossible, Star Trek. He was involved in Captain America, and things like that. I thought, when I have so many ideas in my head, I just can write two pages down and just ask him if he thinks it's a good story, and so when we had this interview, we're sitting on our own in an old cinema in Savannah, next to the ice shop he's running, he has taken that from his father, Leopold's ice cream, it's really cool because you have all the things from his movies into the ice shop, all the things from Mission Impossible, and this is really cool. And so I was asking him if you could maybe have a closer look at this two page, no, I think it was four pages, and what he thinks about the story, and he said, yeah, for sure, and was quite great a moment in my life, because in the interview he before mentioned how many people give him short things, manuscripts or text, and hope that he's doing something with that, and there, and he said there's so many things he's sorry to say that, but they are not good, and then he was reading my text, and at the end he was looking at me and was like one second, two seconds, three seconds, and then he said this is a good story, and I say, thank you. And then he asked me if he could take it home with him, just have a closer look. He asked me if I had already saved it. I said, no, I didn't. He said, just do. For example, now I'm a member of the American Writers Guild East, so that my text and my scripts are protected and I shifted all my dates behind with the travel journalism because he asked me if I can come back next day and we had a closer tour in Savannah to look for locations where we can just have this movie we were looking for people with money then for script writers and things like that but unfortunately in between, then Corona popped up, and it was then this 2021 22 and 23 in the middle, I think we started to work again on that, but unfortunately, the people who was were before able to give the money, they were gone, and so we are start, we have started from some new point, but with the same energy, and suddenly, because our movie should be named Wish, like the Wish, because it's about wishing something, and it's a mixture between the digital world and the fairy tale world and the reality, to say so, which is quite interesting, and suddenly I walked beneath a cinema in Germany, and I saw this Walt Disney movie, Wish, and I said no, impossible. So there was this title, and we had a conference as well. So we renamed the movie. I cannot tell you how it is named, but we found people with money. Again, we have a script writer, and so we're going in the next process. Then I'm going to contact different companies like Netflix, Walt Disney, and Paramount. At first, the three is enough. And we have in Germany an institution, it's called a Deutsche Film Ferderung. They give money by the state to people who create movies. I'm in touch with them. Helmut Stapel  54:45 The only point is that if you get money from the state of Germany, you have to integrate parts of Germany visual into the movie, so, and this is this is the reason why in Mission Impossible films. Tom Cruise starts from Berlin with a plane or a factory in Hamburg is going to explode, or whatever it is, because they got money from the German state for the production, and we worked on that already, and so this is the point I think. Also, 22 seven will be a very, very fascinating year for me, because we think about having the movie then on the market, it's Michael Hingson  55:27 exciting. Absolutely, well, so what, what, what would you say to someone to help them get motivated to achieve their goal, whatever that might be. Helmut Stapel  55:44 Whoa, as I also teach script writing, there's one point where we start in how this movie script starts. It always starts with an idea, and the idea is only there because you realize something, which has happened, and then you, you stuck to that, and you go on with that, and don't stop developing it till the script and the movie is done, and so it's the same in reaching your life goals. If you have an idea, maybe you have it by itself in your brain, or you are motivated by people, or you want to copy or cover whatever it is, but there are two chances, two channels to say, so you can go. The one is to demotivate yourself, because you say, 'Oh no, I don't think this is quite good. It could be better. There may be some people who might say it could be better, or they think about things what I think, and so then you lose your energy. The other channel is to realize that every everything you're thinking, everything you figure out is unique in the world and the universe, and if you just blow it away, it's gone. And this is such a waste, this is such a waste, and so just take the channel, keep the idea like a treasure, get energy, money, whatever it is, and think about that. Also, a tree is not a tree because it's grown up in 10 seconds, it starts small, and so start small, like I said, with the Savannah cinema thing with Stratton, have a closer look at my script. What do you think? And so then maybe in one and a half year, this movie will then be into the cinema, and also it doesn't matter what other things that are, if you stay to your idea, don't block yourself, and don't forbid you anything regarding thinking how something could work. Test it, as I said, and if it doesn't work, test another way. Thomas Alpha Edison, for example, before he, he was able to have electric light, I think he destroyed 1000 of the gluing, whatever, glooming, whatever, bomb, because the material wasn't right. And then he was asked by some journalist, wasn't that frustrating? And he said no, because then in this way I figured 1000 way out, how it does not work. You find 1000 Michael Hingson  58:36 things that didn't work, you don't have to worry about them anymore. Helmut Stapel  58:39 Yeah, and as I always say, even if you are going to be self-employed, looking for clients, whatever it is, if you are disappointed by yourself or by someone else, take it as a motivation. It's a motivation. It's not the end of the world, it's the start of doing something else. Michael Hingson  58:59 What do you think is the most important thing that you've ever Helmut Stapel  59:04 done. Meeting Daya, of course, I think that's Michael Hingson  59:08 a good answer. Helmut Stapel  59:09 This is one, and during my lifetime, I saved the life of seven people for real, biologically, financially, emotionally, so this is something I'm very proud on, regarding cost, cost a lot of energy to do that, but they are on their way, and they're still here, which is quite great. This is something I wrote, my first novel. Yeah, I saved my mother's life, which is quite a good thing, because she brought me to the world. This is something, and what else? Let me think, because it's such an important question. I think that this is something. Okay, and there was a day when I figured out that it's an important thing to love myself and. That I like myself, and even if there are things which are maybe not quite content with, but that I realized that I'm a worthwhile person in that way. When I give something to other people, and this way I have grown, because I don't expect people to give something to me back. If they do it, it's fine. Then I'm grateful, but in that way I can give a lot of things to other people, and this is, I think, a bit - this is a big gift. Michael Hingson  1:00:30 That's great. Well, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that? Helmut Stapel  1:00:35 It could be on my homepage, as it maybe appears. Then, after our podcast it's www stop press, what could it be.de stop press or Michael Hingson  1:00:48 de, okay, Helmut Stapel  1:00:49 or even also on on WhatsApp on my mobile phone would work because I love fast conversation and writing emails as well, yeah. Instagram would be a good idea. It's also stop press on Instagram. There are a lot of channels, but I think these are the most important. LinkedIn, for example, also Michael Hingson  1:01:12 stop press again. Helmut Stapel  1:01:14 Yes, Michael Hingson  1:01:15 okay. Well, I hope people will reach out. This has been absolutely fascinating. I have enjoyed it. I hope you have, and absolutely. And it's time for you to go to bed. It's getting late there. It's 10 o'clock. Yeah, I Helmut Stapel  1:01:27 think I will not go to bed. I asked my wife if we have an hour TV watching from the couch and having couch coach training. Well, there you go. Well, Michael Hingson  1:01:36 maybe now she can watch TV again, since we keep the internet free. But I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. If you'd like, if you'd like to talk to me, any of you, feel free to email me at speaker at Michael hinkson.com that's s p e a k e r at m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com Hopefully, you will also reach out to Helmut, love to get a review from you, so wherever you're observing the podcast, please give us a review, and if you know of anyone who ought to be a guest, we'd love it if you'd introduce us. We're always looking for people to tell their stories, but Helmut, I want to thank you again for being here. This has been absolutely wonderful. Helmut Stapel  1:02:20 Thank you so much, Mike. It was my pleasure. Comes from the heart, and it was a very, very interesting and great time. And I hope we stay in touch to start some common projects that would be wonderful. Michael Hingson  1:02:30 Let's do it. But I really thank you for being here. Helmut Stapel  1:02:34 My pleasure, Mike. Michael Hingson  1:02:38 Thank you for being here with me on Unstoppable Mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about. If you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others, I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hingson.com and download my free ebook, Blinded by Fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset. 1:03:40 Thank

It cuts travel time between Xi'an and Wuhan to under three hours, and connects major tourist attractions. The railway line will help unleash freight capacity, promote rural revitalization, and foster coordinated economic development between the northwest and central regions.

Last time we spoke about the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain. On 7 May 1941, Japan launched a three-front assault on the Zhongtiao Mountains, striking multiple axes and using paratroopers to disrupt Chinese command. On the northeastern front, Wu Shimin's 98th Army scored a success at Wangcun, routing about 2,000 attackers. Elsewhere, three-pronged Japanese forces drove south toward Yuanqu with overwhelming artillery, armor, and coordinated movement. During the first night, paratroopers found the Chinese headquarters already disordered: orders were unclear and communications with most units collapsed. By 8 May, the First War Zone could no longer coordinate; armies fought alone. From mid-May into June, Japanese units swept the mountains, manning river crossings to block retreat and eliminating pockets. Surviving Chinese formations escaped or regrouped south of the Yellow River, but the three-year Zhongtiao defensive system was destroyed in about twenty days, sharply worsening Japan's strategic situation in northern China.   #208 Operation Plus: The Road to the Second Battle of Changsha Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the autumn of 1939, Japanese forces under General Yasuji Okamura launched a major offensive aimed at capturing Changsha — the gateway to China's interior and one of the most important cities still under Nationalist control. The First Battle of Changsha ended without a decisive Japanese victory. Chinese forces, anchored by the Ninth War Zone under General Xue Yue, managed to repel the advance, inflicting significant casualties and preserving the city. It was a notable achievement at a time when Japanese arms had swept across vast swathes of Chinese territory, and it reverberated through both the Chinese military establishment and the watching international community. Following the Japanese withdrawal, Chiang Kai-shek convened the Second Nanyue Military Conference to carry out a thorough assessment of the battle and to plan for the period of relative calm that would follow. The conference sought to answer several pressing questions: What had worked in the defense? Where had coordination broken down? How could the period of Japanese inactivity be used most productively? Chiang made it clear that this respite was not to be wasted. Commanders of all the major war zones were simultaneously expected to serve as governors of their respective provinces, ensuring unity of military and civilian command. Chiang himself set an example by personally assuming the governorship of Sichuan Province and focusing attention on that province's production and reconstruction efforts. The conference produced broad directives for the reconstruction of war-zone provinces and the intensification of military training. For Hunan, responsibility for implementing these directives fell on the shoulders of General Xue Yue, who had emerged from the First Battle of Changsha with greatly enhanced prestige and authority. The reason Changsha and Hunan more broadly attracted such persistent Japanese attention was geographical and logistical. The Yuehan Railway — running from Yueyang in northern Hunan down through Changsha and south toward Guangzhou — was one of the most important transportation arteries in China. Whoever controlled it could move troops, equipment, and supplies across vast distances with speed and reliability. Opening up the Yuehan line would, in Japanese strategic thinking, effectively connect their forces in Central China with those in South China, allowing for a gradual tightening of the strategic noose around Chiang Kai-shek's wartime capital at Chongqing in Sichuan Province. Hunan was therefore not merely a defensive problem for the Chinese; it was a strategic prize that Japan would inevitably seek to take. Xue Yue, whose headquarters were in Changsha, was well aware of this logic. With the First Battle of Changsha behind him and the province in need of recovery, Xue Yue turned his attention to governance. He was not content to wait passively for the next Japanese offensive. He believed that a province that was economically productive, administratively disciplined, and politically stable would provide a far more durable foundation for military resistance than one that was disorganized and demoralized. At the beginning of his tenure as effective governor of Hunan, Xue conducted a thorough survey of the province's situation and then articulated a philosophical framework for his administration in the form of a "three-character policy," consisting of three guiding principles: "Peace"  (an), "Convenience" (bian), and "Sufficiency" ( zu). In Xue's formulation, "Peace" meant that the population should be able to live, work, and conduct their daily affairs free from fear and disruption. "Convenience" meant that policies should benefit the people, the nation, and the war effort simultaneously — eliminating bureaucratic obstacles and inefficiencies. "Sufficiency" meant achieving adequate levels in all essential areas: enough soldiers, enough food, and enough wisdom in leadership. These seemingly simple principles were elaborated into extensive implementation guidelines. The announcement of this framework immediately sparked debate across Hunan's intellectual and administrative community. Veteran officials and scholars were divided. Some praised the policy as a clear and practical framework for wartime governance. Others dismissed it as hollow wordplay, offering nothing new or substantive. A minority was more sharply critical, warning that if such superficial philosophizing was all Xue could offer, the province would decay into warlordism. Undeterred by the criticism, Xue Yue built upon the three-character framework with a set of "Six Policies" for governing the people of Hunan: "Benefiting the People, Raising the People, Educating the People, Protecting the People, Managing the People, and Utilizing the People." Each of these six principles came with specific implementation targets and performance metrics, designed to be measurable rather than aspirational. This second round of policy announcements generated yet another wave of debate, but Xue pressed forward with implementation regardless. From the beginning of 1940, Xue vigorously pushed for the expansion of agricultural and industrial production across the province. His approach was comprehensive and at times uncompromising. He approved funds for the reconstruction of the Zhongshan Road National Goods Exhibition Hall in Changsha — which had been destroyed in the catastrophic Changsha Fire of 1938 — and by February 1940, 114 shops had reopened there. In March, he approved the "Eight Measures for the Construction of Sheds in Changsha," drafted by the Changsha Municipal Police Bureau, which relaxed housing regulations and helped address the severe shortage of accommodation for the city's residents, who had largely fled or been displaced during the fire and the Japanese offensive. One of the more creative initiatives of this period was the Ninth War Zone's order requiring all troops stationed in Hunan to cultivate a certain amount of farmland in their spare time, growing grain to supplement military rations. Local residents came to refer to the plots tended by soldiers as "soldier's fields" (bing tian). This policy served a dual purpose: it reduced the logistical burden of feeding the garrison forces from civilian stocks while keeping soldiers productively occupied during lulls in fighting. It also served to maintain a degree of goodwill between the military and the rural communities on which any prolonged resistance ultimately depended. One of the most consequential steps Xue Yue took to stabilize Hunan's governance was an aggressive campaign against corruption. On April 15, 1940, he ordered the execution of Tian Weizheng, the county magistrate of Changsha, and Wang Lun, the county magistrate of Xiangtan, both on charges of corruption and abuse of office. The proclamation accompanying the executions was blunt: "This serves as a warning against corruption and establishes the authority of the law in upholding discipline." The message was not lost on officials across the province. In the months that followed, a sweep of investigations led to the punishment of numerous corrupt officials and illegal businessmen. The effect on public confidence in the provincial government was significant. Citizens and soldiers alike perceived that there was now a leadership willing to hold its own accountable — a stark contrast to the corruption and self-dealing that had plagued Chinese provincial governance throughout the war. Xue was also attentive to the ideological dimension of the war effort. On May Fourth Youth Day — itself laden with nationalist significance, commemorating the great student movement of 1919 — Xue attended the provincial capital's sports meet and delivered a speech before thousands of young people entitled "Iron Youth, Iron Spirit, Sacred Labor, Sacred Survival." The speech was aimed at galvanizing the younger generation, connecting their personal futures to the fate of the nation and the resistance against Japan. That same month, in May 1940, the 110th executive meeting of the Hunan Provincial Government revised and approved the "Hunan Province County Heads Performance Evaluation Method," a document that formalized military service and support for the war effort as the primary criterion in the evaluation of local officials' political performance. Throughout 1940, the provincial government and the Ninth War Zone organized a series of training courses for officials, including courses specifically designed for guerrilla cadres, women cadres, and village chiefs — an indication that preparations for sustained, decentralized resistance were underway. Xue himself addressed the cadre training group with a speech on "The Conditions That a Well-Rounded Cadre Should Possess." By the end of 1940, after more than a year of sustained effort, Hunan had broadly recovered to the administrative and economic condition it had enjoyed before the Changsha Fire, when the reformist official Zhang Zhizhong had governed the province. Agriculture, industry, and commerce all showed measurable improvement over their wartime lows. The government's accounts for the year reflected growth across all sectors. This recovery was not merely statistical; it represented a genuine rebuilding of the province's capacity to sustain a prolonged defense. Soldiers were better fed and equipped, local officials were more disciplined, and the civilian population had a functioning, if still imperfect, relationship with the wartime state. Early in 1941, Xue Yue's reputation had grown to the point where local gentry and public figures jointly petitioned for a bustling street in Changsha to be named after his courtesy name — a mark of genuine popular esteem unusual for a military governor in wartime China. While Xue Yue was rebuilding Hunan, events at the geopolitical level were reshaping the strategic environment in ways that would directly precipitate the Second Battle of Changsha. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, formally joining the Axis powers. The pact alarmed the Western democracies and accelerated their support for China. On December 2, 1940, the United States Congress passed a bill approving a one-hundred-million-dollar loan to China. On December 10, 1940, Britain followed suit, approving a ten-million-pound loan. Both measures were explicitly understood — by all parties — as responses to Japanese expansion and Japan's recognition of Wang Jingwei's collaborationist puppet government in Nanjing. For the Japanese military leadership, these loans signaled that the international community was not prepared to accept Japan's fait accompli in China, and that the war of attrition against the Nationalist government could not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The imperative to resolve the "China Incident" — as Japanese officials euphemistically called the war — before the international situation deteriorated further became more urgent than ever. On January 16, 1941, the Japanese Army adopted the "Long-Term Operational Guidance Plan for China." The document acknowledged a painful internal contradiction: Japan could only sustain a protracted war in China, yet it simultaneously demanded a swift resolution to the conflict through strong military pressure. The plan's solution to this contradiction was to intensify operations while "taking note of the international situation" — meaning that military actions should be calibrated to avoid triggering direct American or British intervention. The plan called for large-scale offensive operations in the summer and autumn of 1941. The companion document, the "Annual Plan for Showa 16 (1941)," was more specific. It required Japanese troops stationed in China to conduct a major operation in the summer and autumn of that year with the aim of dealing a heavy blow to the main force of the "Whampoa Military Academy" — the term used by Japanese planners to describe the core of Chiang Kai-shek's professional officer corps, trained at the Whampoa (Huangpu) Military Academy and regarded as the backbone of the Nationalist army. The stated goal was to destroy the Chongqing government's will to continue resistance and thereby force a resolution to the China Incident. Xue Yue himself read translated summaries of both these documents when he traveled to Chongqing to report on his work in early 1941. He returned to Hunan in a reflective, and determined, frame of mind. For much of the period between the two Battles of Changsha, the Japanese Eleventh Army — the primary force facing Xue Yue's Ninth War Zone — had been commanded by General Yasuji Okamura, a seasoned officer with whom Xue had developed a degree of familiarity through combat. By early 1941, it became known that Okamura was to be transferred to the Military Advisory Council at Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo — a prestigious but more removed role. Xue Yue reflected on this change with a mixture of relief and characteristic self-confidence, reasoning that whoever replaced Okamura would be a new adversary to be dealt with on the battlefield, and that there was no reason to lose to him regardless. Korechika Anami received his appointment as commander of the Eleventh Army on February 15, 1941. From the first day of his appointment, he carried a detailed battle map of the three provinces facing his command — Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi — along with comprehensive intelligence files on both sides' troop dispositions and strengths. He studied these materials constantly, on trains, in waiting rooms, wherever he had a free moment. By the time he formally took up his post on March 10, 1941, he already had a clear operational vision for the coming campaign. Before reaching the front, Anami stopped in Nanjing to meet with General Hata Shunroku, the Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army. Hata had himself arrived in China in early 1941, having been summoned by the Emperor before his departure and entrusted with what the Emperor called the sacred mission of resolving the China Incident. The two men talked through the night, their conversation returning repeatedly to the planned summer-autumn offensive. Hata urged Anami to annihilate the main force of the Ninth War Zone in the area south of the Miluo River — to destroy, once and for all, the core of Chiang Kai-shek's best troops. "If this battle is fought well," Hata told him, "the entire war situation in China will undergo a huge change." Anami listened and agreed, though he had his own reasons to want the battle to go well. He had voluntarily relinquished the prominent position of Vice Minister of the Army at General Headquarters in Tokyo to take this field command — a significant personal sacrifice that reflected his deep desire for battlefield achievement. There was a personal dimension to Anami's motivations as well. His second son, a bright and lively boy to whom he was deeply attached, had died in combat in China. Anami carried a photograph of his son wherever he went, and had resolved to transform his grief into a consuming commitment to military excellence, whatever the human cost. At the Eleventh Army's headquarters in Yueyang, Anami found the war game board and operational plans that Okamura had left behind. He did not immediately begin issuing orders. Instead, for weeks he immersed himself in the problem, traveling between divisional headquarters and subordinate commands to gather ground-level perspectives, or sitting alone for hours before the great map, motionless and in deep concentration. His new chief of staff, Kinoshita Isamu, who had come from a divisional unit and was unfamiliar with his commander's temperament, could only keep silent company during these long sessions. When Anami eventually convened his headquarters personnel to explain his operational intentions, he made a pointed critique of the First Battle of Changsha. "The reason why the last battle in Changsha did not achieve great results," he said, "was that the troops were too dispersed and the main direction of attack was not highlighted, so they could not form a strong impact and lethality." He named the new operation "Operation Plus" — a deliberate contrast with what he saw as the subtracted, diluted efforts of the previous campaign. His concept was one of radical concentration: rather than dispersing the attack across multiple fronts in Hubei and Jiangxi while simultaneously advancing on Changsha, Anami proposed pulling the forces from southern Hubei and northern Jiangxi and massing them in front of northern Hunan. The effect on his staff officers when he demonstrated this redeployment on the map was electric; one of them involuntarily exclaimed aloud at the sudden clarity of the advantageous position that mass concentration would create. Anami's personality was, in the judgment of those who worked with him, fundamentally different from Okamura's. A commander's fighting style is shaped by his character, and Anami's character was defined by intensity, focus, and a willingness to commit fully. These traits would shape "Operation Plus" from conception to execution. On June 22, 1941, five and a half million German troops launched Operation Barbarossa — the largest military invasion in history — against the Soviet Union. The news reached the Japanese military establishment with a degree of surprise, since such a momentous operation should, under the terms of the Tripartite Pact, have been communicated in advance. Beyond the procedural slight, German strategists had placed themselves in the position of fighting a two-front war, something Japanese generals found strategically bewildering. The outbreak of the Soviet-German War forced a serious debate within the Japanese General Staff. One faction argued for a "northward advance" — seizing the opportunity to strike the Soviet Union from the east while its military was fully committed in the west. Another faction argued for a "southward advance" — moving into Southeast Asia and the Pacific to secure the oil and raw materials that Japan desperately needed. Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe adopted a wait-and-see compromise, authorizing secret preparations for war in the north known as Operation Kantokuen while continuing to monitor developments. Now it just so happens I released a Patreon/Youtube Members exclusive episode covering Operation Kantokuen the previous month. I highly recommend it, fascinating what if piece of history. For just a teaser I can briefly summarize it: Operation Kantokuen — officially designated "Kwantung Army Special Maneuvers" — was Japan's plan for a large-scale invasion of the Soviet Far East, developed in the summer of 1941 following Germany's launch of Operation Barbarossa. When news of the German invasion reached Tokyo, Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka and senior Kwantung Army officers argued Japan should abandon its neutrality pact with the USSR and strike in coordination with Germany. An Army-Navy compromise on June 24th allowed preparations to proceed so long as they did not interfere with Japan's concurrent southern ambitions. On July 5th, Matsuoka and Major General Shin'ichi Tanaka convinced War Minister Hideki Tojo to back a more ambitious scheme, and the two men then bypassed the War Ministry entirely, securing Emperor Hirohito's personal authorization. The plan was structured in two stages — a buildup and readiness phase followed by an offensive phase — during which the Kwantung Army would await an explicit order to attack. The Army General Staff calculated that any campaign had to conclude by mid-October before Siberian winter conditions made logistics impossible. Their ideal force requirement was 16 to 22 divisions supported by 800,000 tons of shipping, though this assumed the Soviets would first redeploy half their Far Eastern infantry and two-thirds of their armor westward against Germany. The planned order of battle ultimately settled on 24 divisions — 17 committed to the eastern front and 5 concentrated near Mutanchiang. The opening blow was designed to fall on the Primorye (Maritime Province) front. The 1st Area Army, commanding the 3rd and 20th Armies along with elements of the Korea Army, would cross the border south of Lake Khanka to shatter Soviet defensive lines and menace Vladivostok. Simultaneously, the 5th Army would strike south of Iman to cut the Trans-Siberian Railway and isolate the Maritime Province from northern reinforcements. In the north, the 4th Army would hold the Amur River line before pivoting to attack Blagoveshchensk, while two additional reinforced divisions would invade Northern Sakhalin in a land-and-sea pincer. A second phase envisioned capturing Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk, and Sovetskaya Gavan, with amphibious operations considered against Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Kamchatka itself. The operation was to be supported by a massive air assault — between 1,800 and 2,700 aircraft combining Army and Navy aviation — aimed at annihilating the Soviet Far East Air Force in the opening hours, after which Japanese air power would shift to tactical ground support and interdiction of Soviet supply lines. Armored assets included roughly 800–900 tanks, mostly Type 97 Chi-Has and Type 95 Ha-Gos. Kantokuen was also allocated chemical weapons stockpiled in Manchuria and biological agents produced by Unit 731, intended for deployment against Soviet rear areas and supply lines. Despite the scale of planning, the operation was already fatally compromised before it could be launched. Japan's industry and logistics could not sustain a two-front war while remaining bogged down in China. On August 1st, 1941, the United States enacted a total oil embargo that cut off 80% of Japan's fuel supply, and the Dutch East Indies followed. With oil reserves sufficient for only 12–18 months of peacetime consumption, a Siberian offensive that would consume an estimated one to two million barrels per month was no longer tenable. By August 9th, the Army General Staff conceded that seizing the oil-rich territories of Southeast Asia was the overriding strategic priority. The Kantokuen buildup was formally terminated, and Japan turned south — setting the course toward Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War. Now Kantokuen held some practical consequences for the China Expeditionary Army was disruptive. Serious consideration was given to redeploying units of the Eleventh Army away from their positions facing Hunan and northward toward Manchuria, in anticipation of a possible war with the Soviet Union. This threatened to derail Anami's planning entirely. The cloud of uncertainty hung over the Changsha operation for several weeks. Despite the disruption, Anami refused to let the operation be indefinitely deferred. On June 24, 1941 — just two days after Barbarossa began — he formally approved the operational guidance outline for the Changsha offensive and set a planned launch date of September 15. This was an act of deliberate institutional pressure: by formalizing the plan so quickly in the wake of Barbarossa, Anami made it harder for higher authorities to redirect his forces northward without explicitly cancelling a plan already in motion. The gamble worked. The northward deployment option was ultimately shelved, and the Eleventh Army remained in place to conduct its summer-autumn offensive. While Anami and his staff at Yueyang bent over their map of Hunan, so too did Xue Yue and his staff at Changsha. Two nearly identical colored military maps were laid out on large tables in two different command centers — one in Chinese, one in Japanese — showing the same terrain of Hunan, southern Hubei, and western Jiangxi. The Xiang River appeared on both as a green ribbon; Dongting Lake as a blue maple leaf. For those responsible for commanding the impending battle, the war game was the battle, played out in simulation before blood was shed. Xue Yue, his Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi, Chief of Staff Zhao Zili, and the intelligence and operations officers of the Ninth War Zone Command engaged in extensive map exercises throughout the summer of 1941. Wargaming pieces bearing unit designations moved across the terrain as staff officers reported troop strengths, timings, and geographic objectives. The summer heat was intense, and there was nowhere cool in Changsha; Xue and his staff worked in the heat, sweating heavily as they played out scenario after scenario. It was during these sessions that Xue came to believe he had grasped the essential shape of the Japanese plan. Reasoning from the known Japanese strategic posture and the pattern of the first battle, he concluded that the enemy would again advance roughly the same way. His counter-strategy was as follows: in northern Jiangxi and southern Hubei, the war zone would launch pincer attacks on Japanese forces that were not part of the main offensive, targeting the area north of Chongren and Xingan, east of Yichun, Wanzai, Tonggu, and Xiushui, to defeat them in detail. In northern Hunan — the main theater — the war zone would deliberately allow the Japanese to advance, luring their main force south of the Miluo River into the area north of Jinjing, Fulinpu, and Sanjieqiao, and then launch a devastating counterattack to encircle and annihilate them. After a successful counterattack, Xue imagined pursuing the broken Japanese forces all the way back to Yueyang, and beyond — even, in his more expansive moments, recapturing the great cities of Jiujiang and Wuhan, lost in 1938. This was the "lure and annihilate" strategy, and it was not merely a hope — it was the formal operational order issued to the forces of the Ninth War Zone. In August 1941, the Ninth Military Front officially assessed that Japan intended to capture Changsha and obtain supplies, and the lure-and-annihilate plan was formalized accordingly. What Xue Yue did not know — and could not know through his intelligence network alone — was that Anami's operational philosophy was fundamentally different from Okamura's. The critical assumption underlying the lure-and-annihilate plan was that the Japanese would attack in roughly the same dispersed, multi-front pattern as the first battle. Anami's "Operation Plus" invalidated this assumption entirely. By concentrating his forces in front of northern Hunan rather than dispersing them, Anami would strike with an impact Xue's cordon defenses were not designed to absorb. Xue was, unknowingly, planning to fight a replay of the first battle against an opponent who had studied that first battle as a case study in what not to do. Despite this fundamental intelligence gap, the Chinese were not without information. From mid-August 1941 onward, residents of mountain villages and riverside communities in northern Jiangxi and southern Hubei began reporting unusual nighttime activity. Faint sounds of motor engines and the footsteps of large columns moving on main roads were heard after dark. On moonlit nights, fleets of motorboats were seen moving without lights on the rivers, visible only as dark shadows on the water. The local population was puzzled and unsettled: what kind of unit was this, and what were they doing? The answer was that Anami's forces were conducting their pre-offensive assembly under cover of darkness and strict light discipline, moving four divisions totaling approximately 120,000 troops into position for the attack on Hunan. Military and civilian intelligence agents operating in these areas crouched in the bushes, enduring insect bites through long nights, watching and recording everything they witnessed. The information was relayed by human chain, passed from one agent to another across a network stretching back to Changsha, until it was collated and placed on Xue Yue's desk by staff officers from the Ninth War Zone Command's Intelligence Department. Xue studied the reports carefully, comparing them against his map. The evidence of a large Japanese build-up in northern Hunan was unambiguous. But Xue was suspicious of its implications. "Mobilize troops? All the troops are moved to northern Hunan. What about Tongcheng? What about Yueyang? Impossible! Feint? What does that mean? You want me to concentrate my troops in northern Hunan so you can attack from both sides?" His staff officers were similarly uncertain how to read the intelligence. The scale of the Japanese concentration defied the pattern of previous operations, and Xue's trained instincts — calibrated against years of dealing with Okamura — led him to doubt what his intelligence was plainly showing. He concluded, without firm evidence, that the concentration must be a feint or a deception. On August 26, 1941, Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo issued Mainland Order No. 538, which authorized the Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army to "temporarily conduct operations beyond the designated operational area in Central China during the summer and autumn." This order provided the formal imperial sanction for the Changsha offensive, lifting any remaining bureaucratic constraints on Anami's operational plan. It represented the final piece of institutional authorization, completing a chain that stretched from Anami's June 24 approval of the operational outline through Hata's advocacy at the China Expeditionary Army level to the formal imprimatur of the Imperial General Headquarters. With Mainland Order No. 538 in hand, the Eleventh Army's final preparations could proceed without ambiguity. The original planned launch date of September 15 would in practice be moved forward, with combat beginning on September 7 — itself a date chosen partly to maximize the advantage of late-summer weather conditions in the Hunan river-crossing terrain. By the time Anami's forces were assembled, the operational force was formidable. Estimating that the enemy facing them comprised fifteen divisions from the Chinese 4th, 37th, 99th, 74th, and 26th Corps, Japanese planners calculated — somewhat optimistically — that two infantry battalions would suffice to handle one enemy division. To provide a margin for error and to ensure decisive striking power, the Eleventh Army committed forty-one infantry battalions distributed across four full divisions and three specialized task forces, supported by twenty-nine artillery battalions. This represented a massive concentration of firepower and manpower along a relatively narrow axis of advance, precisely as Anami had intended. The objective was clearly stated: "to deal a major blow to the Ninth Military Front in order to thwart the enemy's plan for resistance." Japanese senior leadership reiterated at every briefing that the mission was emphatically not territorial — the army was not to occupy Changsha or secure it for long-term administration, and it was not to forage for supplies. The goal was destruction of Chinese combat power. On the Chinese side, the Ninth Military Front had not been idle. Since the Battle of Shanggao in March 1941 — a significant Chinese defensive victory in Jiangxi that had inflicted heavy casualties on Japanese forces attempting to advance into the province — the Ninth Military Front had ordered its troops to cooperate with guerrilla units operating in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border region, conducting harassment operations against Japanese logistics and communications. This cooperation served both to maintain offensive pressure and to train the irregular forces that would prove invaluable in a war of attrition. By August 1941, Xue Yue had assembled a force of thirty-five divisions organized into thirteen armies across three army groups, totaling 378,307 troops. The headquarters of the Ninth Military Front remained in Changsha. Xue had also assessed his forces' combat readiness with some confidence: in the summer of 1940, the Ninth War Zone had dispatched one corps from each army group and one division from each corps on summer offensive operations against Japanese positions, explicitly testing their readiness in real combat. Although no major victories had been achieved in those operations, the exercise confirmed that troop morale was high and that combat effectiveness had recovered to the level of the First Battle of Changsha. If anything, Xue thought, after another full year of training, they should be better. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Plus, emphasized concentrating forces and creating a decisive breakthrough rather than dispersing attacks across multiple fronts like in earlier battles. On the Chinese side, commander Xue Yue developed a "lure and annihilate" strategy, expecting the Japanese to fight like before; however, Anami's concentrated approach undermined these assumptions, making a Chinese counteroffensive far harder to execute.

Nick and Phil return, to catch up with Wuhan Open qualifying news and reflections on week one of the Championship League. There's also a round-up of the other latest snooker news, and Nick tells some tales from his trip to the United States for the World Cup. Back next week - see you then. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Chris argues that attention is being diverted away from explosive new claims surrounding COVID-19 origins and government involvement by a coordinated effort to discredit Tulsi Gabbard. He examines allegations of media distraction, questions surrounding gain-of-function research, the Wuhan lab leak debate, and the role of government agencies in shaping the public narrative during the pandemic. Chris contends that the biggest story isn't the attacks on Gabbard—it's whether the public is being discouraged from asking difficult questions about how COVID-19 began and who knew what from the start.

If the Government tells you something about health, diet, medication, etc., you should immediately turn the TV off. Search reliable sources for the real information. Government does not serve you, it serves its own purposes, and the NIH is an unconstitutional entity, benefiting bureaucrats and drug companies.

Greg Kelly Reports | June 22, 2026 - The episode opens with cautious optimism on the Iran talks, arguing that Vice President J.D. Vance and the Trump team have already secured major gains by crippling Iran's nuclear capability, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and pushing toward a broader regional ceasefire. - A key theme is Trump's negotiating style, with the show contrasting the current approach to the Obama-era Iran deal and framing the strategy as a mix of military pressure, economic leverage, and incentives designed to force long-term behavioral change. - The episode revisits Anthony Fauci as a central villain of the COVID era, using new scrutiny around Wuhan funding, gain-of-function research, vaccine pressure, and media hero worship to argue that Fauci misled the public while avoiding real accountability. - Election integrity becomes another major focus, with the show warning that California's laws on ballot harvesting, same-day registration, and universal mail ballots have normalized chaos and created a model Democrats want to export nationwide. - The episode closes on a First Amendment flashpoint, highlighting the arrest of a Christian preacher at an LGBTQ event as evidence that public institutions are increasingly willing to punish dissenting speech while claiming to defend tolerance and inclusion. The Greg Kelly Reports podcast is sponsored in part by : PARAMOUNT PLUS - Don't Miss ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"The Agency."⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ All episodes now streaming on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paramount Plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! 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The biggest cover-up in American history is officially unraveling!

The uniparty machine is in absolute panic mode!

You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for June 19, 2026. We open with Tulsi Gabbard's parting shot as Director of National Intelligence — a new batch of declassified COVID origin documents that are now sitting on an official government website, fully indexed, available for any American to read. What they show, according to Gabbard, is that Dr. Anthony Fauci worked with politicized intelligence community leadership to suppress evidence of the lab leak theory, influence intelligence assessments, and mislead the very investigators who were asking him about research he himself was funding. We note the stunning circular logic — the intelligence community went to the man who funded the Wuhan lab and asked him whether the virus came from the lab he funded. He said no. They believed him. We also ask the question that still demands an answer — why did Joe Biden issue a sweeping preemptive pardon for a man who hadn't been charged with anything? In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, first-time unemployment claims fell to 226,000, hovering near all-time lows, while gas prices dropped below $4 a gallon nationwide for the first time since the Iran conflict began — none of the economic doom the left predicted has come to pass. Then RFK Jr. announced that obesity rates in the United States have dropped for the first time in 50 years, down 2.5% since the start of Trump's second term — in a country where 48 cents of every federal tax dollar now goes to healthcare, with 90% of that spent on chronic disease. And Tulsi Gabbard's final official act was releasing files accusing Fauci of lying to Congress, lying to intelligence investigators, and covering up gain-of-function research — with Biden's preemptive pardon standing between accountability and the documents now in public view. We also cover a federal judge clearing the way for the release of hours of Biden audio recordings — conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer in which Biden allegedly disclosed classified information, and the special counsel interview that led Robert Herr to say he wouldn't prosecute because Biden was too elderly and sympathetic a figure for any jury to convict. The same man who was still the sitting president of the United States at the time. Our American Mama Terui Netterville joins the conversation on the World Cup tourists going viral across America — and she has been watching. Thousands of videos from visitors across Europe, Asia, and beyond who drove through the South, stopped at Buc-ee's and Waffle House, discovered free public restrooms and free water and air conditioning in stadiums, and posted online that everything they had been told about America was wrong. One visitor put it perfectly — if you want to hate the U.S., just listen to the media. If you want to love the U.S., just drive across it. The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-5 to place a measure on the ballot that would allow non-citizens — including those in the country illegally — to vote in local elections and school board races. We ask what citizenship means if residency is sufficient, where the line stops once you detach voting from legal status, and what the Declaration of Independence says about who gets to institute a government and for whom. In our Digging Deep segment, CNN conducted a poll asking Americans which source they trust most for political news. The number one answer was Fox News — at 5%. CNN came in second in its own survey at 2%. NPR and local news also came in at 2%. CBS was less than 1%. One man — Joe Rogan — was trusted by more people than the entire CBS News organization. We examine what this means: not just that big media is struggling, but that the organizations that used to capture 90% of the television audience in the 1950s through 1970s are now irrelevant because they stopped serving their audiences — and the audience went looking for something they could actually trust. We also cover the Mexican president pushing back on President Trump's claim that the cartels control Mexico — and we point out that any politician who speaks out against the cartels in Mexico tends to end up hanging from a bridge. We hold up Nayib Bukele's El Salvador as the model — went medieval on the gangs, jailed everyone with a gang tattoo, and turned El Salvador into the safest nation in Central America. Then it's Fake News Friday — including whether Joe Biden was left alone on stage at the Obama Presidential Library opening and had to be retrieved by Jill, whether Barack Obama played air guitar at his own library dedication, whether one of the UFC fight plotters was someone Barack Obama had allowed to remain in the country, whether SpaceX has now launched more satellites than the rest of the world combined, whether Artemis 2 got to the moon and back faster than California counted its votes, and whether GLAD says AI isn't gay enough. We also cover the immunity deal granted to Tyler Robinson's boyfriend in connection with the Charlie Kirk murder case — and explain why, while the conspiracy theories won't die regardless of what testimony emerges, the grant of immunity to a key witness should eventually put some of the internet speculation to rest. And we close with the unveiling of the new Air Force One — a 747-8 gifted to the U.S. by Qatar and extensively upgraded, featuring a dark blue bottom, red stripe, and white top with gold accents, chosen personally by President Trump. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Islamification of America is HERE, and Texas is ground zero! Muslims are now pushing Sharia law over a Denton County cemetery. Meanwhile, actor Giancarlo Esposito — who played Gus Fring on “Breaking Bad” — converts to Islam and calls for REVOLUTION in America. However, some Texans have had enough and are calling out the Islamic cult. Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard just dropped a bombshell report proving Fauci gave taxpayer funds to the Wuhan lab behind the COVID outbreak and let Americans die of COVID to push an experimental vaccine and emergency powers. But the New York Times and Washington Post are working overtime to misdirect the American public. Trump was right all along: The media is the enemy of the people. Black Americans have more rights than ever but still demand that white people not celebrate Juneteenth, go to work, and pay reparations. Violence exploded in Chicago over the “holiday” weekend, and Mayor Brandon Johnson blamed Nixon instead of those responsible while choosing to promote the protection of trans residents over black lives. Democrats will stop at nothing to make our country less safe. Seizing on President Trump's goodwill, now the Left wants to repeal the Jones Act and hand our coastal shipping over to China. But that's only going to make us even more America last. 0:00 - Sharia Law Now in Cemeteries? 20:31 - Tulsi Drops Fauci Bombshell 35:35 - Juneteenth Turns Deadly 47:05 - Democrats Push to Make America Last ► Catch up on my H-1B visa investigations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkJEwf2wliqrtNlYs9D78nmE_Gnja_PpC ► Email me at saratips@blazemedia.com if you have uncovered potential fraud in your area. ► Subscribe to my second YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SaraGonzalesTX?sub_confirmation=1 ► PREBORN Donate securely at https://www.preborn.com/sara or dial #250, keyword BABY. ►MD HEARING Shop https://www.MDHearing.com and use promo code SARA to get a pair for hearing aids for JUST $247. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/TODDStorm the theaters on July 4 and help make Young Washington the #1 movie in America. Join the Angel Guild today for $15/month and receive two free tickets to see Young Washington this Independence Day.Absolute Ministries https://AMgive.org/TODDYour gift helps people overcome addiction, find hope and purpose, and experience lasting change through a Christ-centered system of care. Together, we can support sustainable transformation that goes far beyond temporary sobriety. Alan's Soap https://AlansSoaps.com/Todd Honor John's memory and the legacy he created for Ian and Alan with Alan's Artisan Soaps “John's Favorites” bundle.  Get one bar of each of his favorites for only $28.99. Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddGet the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes. Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeEpisode Links:FLASHBACK: Media Celebrate ‘Hero' Fauci Who ‘Saved Millions of Lives' Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I'm releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr. Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements within the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus' lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024. It's time you know the truth.Dr. Scott Atlas says “Doctor” Tony Fauci said people weren't afraid enough. Two of the biggest liars in American history. Fauci and Obama2020. Scott Pelley interviews Peter Daszak, the man whose company was being funded by Fauci and who was complicit in the virus being created and leaked from the lab in Wuhan. Pelley was already convinced that the virus occurred naturally. Pelley's focus was on Trump ending funding to Daszak's companies and the "danger" it might cause. Hey Scott Pelley, look at yourself. See what a fvcking idiot you are?The Intel Community did NOT want you seeing this video!! Here's former EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak talking about his “colleagues in China” manipulating spike proteins on Covid! Someone in the IC flagged this Rumble video in an email. I wonder why….Democrats in 2024: "There is no evidence to suggest that Dr. Fauci lied about funding gain of function research in Wuhan, China.” They straight-up lied to the American people.Under oath, Tony Fauci admitted the insane 6ft rule “just sort of appeared” and he claimed it wasn't from him. In public, Tony Fauci spoke the 6ft rule as part of his evil gospel. Fauci CALLED RFK Jr. a LIAR for telling the truth about untested vaccines — then got SUED and FORCED to ADMIT RFK was RIGHT!Senator Ron Johnson: “This is a MAJOR SCANDAL! Hundreds of thousands of people are permanently disabled or lost their life because our FDA ignored the COVID injection harms.” Hundreds of thousands.   Permanently disabled.  Dead. 

Iran's Strait closure, the Fauci files, JD Vance in Switzerland, and a forfeited pride night headline today's A.M. Update. Iran announces another closure of the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, citing continued fighting in southern Lebanon, even as JD Vance meets face to face with Iranian officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian's delegation in Switzerland to hammer out the technical details of last week's memorandum of understanding. Trump tells Axios that Netanyahu owes his job to Trump's restraint and admits he has to keep him "a little bit sane," and Aaron prays for fewer casualties as the whole situation continues to look messy. Outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard releases a trove of documents showing Dr. Anthony Fauci briefed CIA officials in 2021 on Wuhan gain-of-function research weeks after denying funding it under oath, and says she believes a path to prosecution still exists despite his Biden-era pardon. Pennsylvania's York Revolution forfeits its own pride night game and throws several of its players under the bus in a public statement after they refused to wear rainbow-themed jerseys, a story Aaron says is even better than last week's Giants scripture-hat saga. JD Vance also goes deep on the abolitionist versus incrementalist divide inside the pro-life movement on Allie Beth Stuckey's podcast, and Aaron closes with the rabbit hole he fell into this weekend chasing a mysterious tower on the Iowa horizon: a Cold War-era AT&T Long Lines microwave relay station.

Razor Wire News goes full snark on “Algae Gate” at DC's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, mocking CNN/ABC's pool-store “science” while their boots-on-the-ground Hanrahan spirals into chaos. The crew pivots to media narrative warfare: Tulsi Gabbard drops documents accusing Fauci of funding Wuhan gain-of-function and shaping COVID intel, but they say it's meaningless without arrests. UK drama gets flagged: social media ID/teen bans framed as mass surveillance (with BlueSky carveout), plus Pakistani rape-gang allegations and Keir Starmer pressure. They react to leaked names tied to Peter Thiel's secretive “Dialogue” society (politicians, CEOs, actors), and track the Iran peace wobble and Israel backlash. They call the “White House UFC drone terror plot” a false-flag PSYOP, note JD Vance's View tour, and end on San Andreas megaquake talk, beer reviews, and Father's Day.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/razor-wire-news--5683729/support.www.razorwirenews.com

On her last day as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard released never-before-seen documents alleging that Anthony Fauci funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, pushed the intelligence community to bury the lab-leak origin, and lied to Congress under oath in 2024 about ever speaking with intel officials. Larry walks through the whistleblower retaliation claims, argues Fauci's auto-pen pardon could be tested in court, and connects the federal social-distancing push to the mail-in ballot surge of the 2020 election. SHOP OUR MERCH: https://store.townhallmedia.com/ BUY A LARRY MUG: https://store.townhallmedia.com/products/larry-mug Watch LARRY with Larry O'Connor LIVE — Monday-Thursday at 12PM Eastern on YouTube, Facebook, & Rumble! Find LARRY with Larry O'Connor wherever you get your podcasts! SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8F7K4fqIDmqZSIHJNhMh?si=814ce2f8478944c0&nd=1&dlsi=e799ca22e81b456f APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry/id1730596733 Become a Townhall VIP Member today and use promo code LARRY for 50% off: https://townhall.com/subscribe?tpcc=poddescription https://townhall.com/ https://rumble.com/c/c-5769468 https://www.facebook.com/townhallcom/ https://www.instagram.com/townhallmedia/ https://twitter.com/townhallcomBecome a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tulsi Gabbard hat Dokumente veröffentlicht, die Anthony Fauci mit US-Finanzierung von Gain-of-Function-Forschung in Wuhan in Verbindung bringen sollen. Sie wirft ihm vor, Laborursprünge von COVID verschleiert und den Kongress belogen zu haben. Die Vorwürfe sind bislang ungeprüft.

The next phase of U.S.–Iran talks scheduled for June 19 have been postponed, according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Negotiations had been scheduled to take place at the Bürgenstock mountaintop resort overlooking Lake Lucerne.Outgoing National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, on June 18, released documents exposing Dr. Anthony Fauci's alleged role in directing U.S. funding for “dangerous gain-of-function research” at a Wuhan lab linked to the origin of the COVID-19 virus.

Last time we spoke about the Hubei-Henan Campaign of 1940-1941. In November 1940, a Central Hubei operation using multiple task forces aimed to exploit Chinese dispersal, achieving only local successes and no lasting territorial gains. The Japanese then tried again in late January 1941 with a major offensive into southern Henan. Despite concentrating a large force, the campaign failed strategically. After the Henan failure, Japan attempted to regain momentum in spring 1941 by attacking western Hubei around Yichang on the Yangtze. Despite an initial barrage and rapid early gains, Japanese forces became exposed in a narrow salient. The Chinese reorganized their river defenses and launched a converging counteroffensive, driving the invaders back and ending the engagement where it began, with the Japanese suffering heavy casualties and their westward push thwarted.   #206 The Battle of Shanggao Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The year 1940 had brought a particular humiliation. In August of that year, Communist General Peng Dehuai had launched the Hundred Regiments Offensive — a massive, coordinated assault across North China that shattered Japanese rail and supply lines, embarrassed Imperial General Headquarters, and demonstrated that the Chinese were far from finished. Japan's response had been brutal, the infamous "Three Alls" campaign of reprisals across the countryside. But the damage had been done, and the attention of Imperial General Headquarters shifted northward. The autumn of 1940 had also seen the First Battle of Changsha, where the Japanese 11th Army under General Sonobe Yahachirō pushed south into Hunan Province expecting to overwhelm the Chinese defenders and finally deal a decisive blow to Chiang Kai-shek's armies. Instead, General Xue Yue — the "Tiger of Changsha" — had allowed the Japanese to advance deep into his prepared killing ground before counterattacking from multiple directions. The Japanese had been forced to retreat in disorder, and the front in Hunan and Jiangxi settled once again into sullen stalemate. It was in this atmosphere of frustrated ambition and strategic inertia that the seeds of Shanggao were sown. By February 1941, Imperial General Headquarters had decided to redeploy the 33rd Division — then garrisoned in the town of Anyi, in northwestern Jiangxi — to North China. The transfer was scheduled to begin in early April, and it made strategic sense: the north required reinforcement, and the front in Jiangxi had been quiet enough that one division could be spared. The problem was that the 33rd Division's departure would leave a gap in Japanese dispositions, and no significant offensive operation had yet been conducted to weaken the Chinese forces that would be left facing a thinned-out Japanese line. Lieutenant General Ōga Shigeru, the energetic commander of the Japanese 34th Division, saw opportunity in the window that existed before the 33rd departed. His division was concentrated around Xishan and Wanshou Palace, astride the Xiang–Gan Highway — the main road running westward through Jiangxi — and across that highway lay the town of Shanggao and the Chinese forces defending it. Ōga proposed exploiting the presence of both divisions for a coordinated strike: a sharp, limited offensive to crush Chinese field forces around Nanchang and the Jiangxi interior before the 33rd Division's train north. The 11th Army headquarters, now commanded by General Marube, endorsed a cautious concept — a "quick strike" with limited objectives. But the 34th Division's staff, energized by Ōga's ambition, had already run well ahead of this guidance. Large-scale requisitioning of coolies for logistics was underway; training exercises aimed at the specific terrain around Shanggao had been conducted; planning had progressed in far more detail than a "limited" operation warranted. This eagerness would prove to be the Japanese undoing before the first shot was fired. Chinese intelligence networks, always attentive to the movement of porters and the telltale preparations that preceded a Japanese offensive, quickly detected the scale of these preparations and reported them to General Luo Zhuoying, commander of the Chinese 19th Army Group. By the time the Japanese columns were forming up to march, Luo had already hardened his defenses and laid the groundwork for a trap. General Luo Zhuoying was not a passive commander. He served simultaneously as commander of the 19th Army Group and as Deputy Commander of the 9th War Zone — the latter post placing him directly under General Xue Yue, the victor of Changsha. Luo had spent the lull after Changsha doing what Chinese commanders across the theater had learned was essential: reorganizing, retraining, and above all improving the defensive architecture of his sector. The plan Luo devised for meeting the anticipated Japanese offensive was elegant in its simplicity and demanding in its execution. Rather than contesting the Japanese advance at the frontier, he would allow the enemy to push westward, yielding ground through three successive defensive lines while bleeding the attackers at every step. The first and second lines would slow the Japanese, exact casualties, and stretch their logistics. The third line — anchored at Shanggao itself — would be the killing ground. There, the Chinese forces would hold fast while other formations swung around the Japanese flanks and rear to close the encirclement. The Japanese, having marched deep into Chinese-held territory with their supply lines thinning and their flanks exposed, would find themselves surrounded rather than victorious. For this plan to work, each Chinese formation had to perform its role with discipline. The 70th Corps, deployed in the north along the arc from Shitou Street through Fengxin to Jing'an, would have to conduct a controlled fighting retreat — yielding ground but making the Japanese pay for it, never breaking and running. The 49th Corps would hold the southern flank and create conditions for flanking action. And the 74th Corps — General Wang Yaowu's elite formation, comprising the 51st, 57th, and 58th Divisions — would hold the final line at Shanggao and serve as the anvil upon which the Japanese advance would shatter. The 74th Corps was by 1941 one of the most battle-hardened formations in the Nationalist Army. It had fought at Shanghai in 1937, at Wuhan in 1938, and in the hills and valleys of Jiangxi through the years since. Its men knew the terrain around Shanggao. They had prepared positions in depth, studied the approaches, and rehearsed the defensive plan Luo had designed. When the Japanese came, they would be ready. Against the Chinese 70,000 — distributed across eleven divisions in four corps, with additional provincial security forces for local coverage — the Japanese would throw roughly 20,000 men: three major formations advancing in coordinated columns. The disparity in numbers was stark, but the Japanese had the advantages of offensive initiative, air superiority, and the formidable fighting quality that the Imperial Army had demonstrated throughout the war in China. The question was whether those advantages would be enough to overcome a prepared defense wielded by a commander who had invited the attack. The operational plan devised by the Japanese 11th Army called for three columns to converge simultaneously on Shanggao from north, center, and south — a classic encirclement concept that, if executed with precision, would catch the Chinese defenders in a tightening vice. In the north, the main force of the 33rd Division under Lieutenant General Sakurai Shōzō would drive westward from its bases around Anyi and Ganzhoujie, descending the Liao River valley to threaten the Chinese right flank and prevent the 70th Corps from interfering with operations in the center.In the center, Ōga's 34th Division would advance along the Xiang–Gan Highway — the direct route from Nanchang toward Shanggao — capturing the town of Gao'an along the way and pressing relentlessly westward until it reached the main defensive positions. This was the principal striking force, the column designed to crack open the Chinese defenses and seize the objective.In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade under Major General Ikeda would cross the Jin River and advance along its south bank, eventually swinging north to link up with the 34th Division and complete the encirclement of whatever Chinese forces remained in the Shanggao area. The plan was coherent on paper. But it contained a structural flaw so serious that, in retrospect, it is difficult to understand how the 11th Army's staff allowed it to proceed uncorrected. The success of any converging operation depends on synchronization — on each column hitting its objectives on schedule and maintaining communication with the others so that each can react to developments on the other prongs. Yet the 11th Army headquarters made no recorded effort to coordinate the 33rd and 34th Divisions before the battle began. There was no forward command post established to oversee the operation. General Marube remained at Hankou, hundreds of miles to the north, throughout the battle — as remote from the fighting as a Tokyo bureaucrat. Operational decisions were left entirely to the individual divisions, with no mechanism to coordinate their actions if something went wrong. Something was going to go wrong. Luo Zhuoying had seen to that. On the morning of March 15, 1941, all three Japanese columns stepped off simultaneously, advancing into the misty hills and rice paddies of northwestern Jiangxi. In the north, Sakurai's 33rd Division moved briskly from Anyi toward Fengxin. The town fell by noon, and the division pressed westward in good order. The Japanese infantry moved confidently along the Liao River valley, experienced soldiers who had fought across China and had no particular reason to expect what was coming. The Chinese 70th Corps gave ground — as it had been ordered to — but did so on its own terms, occupying and then abandoning successive pieces of high ground along both banks of the river, making the Japanese advance uncomfortable and costly. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the 33rd Division was being drawn forward into terrain that favored the defender. By March 18 and 19, the 33rd Division had pushed all the way to Guzhu'ao and Huamenlo — a considerable advance, but one that had taken the division far from its base at Anyi. And it was here, far from support and with flanks increasingly exposed, that the Chinese blocking forces closed in. Chinese infantry, who had been waiting in prepared positions in the high ground overlooking the river valley, launched coordinated counter-attacks that struck the 33rd Division from multiple directions. The fighting was fierce and costly. In two days of close combat, the division suffered more than 2,500 casualties — a grievous toll that represented a significant fraction of its effective strength. The northern column had been stopped dead. On March 19, Sakurai ordered the 33rd Division to reverse course. By March 23, after four days of painful withdrawal under pressure, it had pulled back to Anyi — the same place it had started. The northern prong of the Japanese offensive had accomplished nothing except the loss of thousands of men. In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade had a rougher start. Its initial attempt to cross the Gan-Jin river junction at noon on March 15 was repulsed by Chinese defenders, and it was only under cover of darkness that the brigade managed to force a crossing. Once across, it moved westward along the south bank of the Jin River, but progress was slow and contested. A detachment — the Gan River Detachment — ran into fierce resistance from the 26th Division of the Chinese 49th Corps on March 19. The brigade's main body meanwhile fought its way through the 51st Division of the 74th Corps, but the 107th Division and elements of the 51st managed to contain the advance at the Laichunling–Zhutoushan line. On the night of March 20, the main body of the 20th Brigade crossed the Jin River at Huifu to link up with the 34th Division — but a portion of its troops, cut off on the south bank, was destroyed by Chinese forces. The southern column was across the Jin River, but it had taken losses and was already engaged in ways its planners had not anticipated. In the center, the 34th Division fared best in the early going. Ōga's division moved westward from Xishan along the Xiang–Gan Highway on March 16, and by the 17th had captured Gao'an — a meaningful early success. The Chinese 74th Corps, executing Luo's plan faithfully, dispatched only screening forces east of the Tangpu River to slow the Japanese advance rather than contesting it decisively. The main body of the 74th Corps fell back to the third-line positions at Sixi, Guanqiao, and Tangpu, preparing the killing ground that Luo had designated. Simultaneously, the 26th Division and most of the 105th Division from the 49th Corps were shifted across the Gan River to operate south of the Jin River on the Japanese left flank, and the 72nd Corps was ordered to maneuver on a wide envelopment around Daxia and south of Ganfang. By March 20–21, the 34th Division had pressed forward to attack the Chinese positions at Sixi and Guanqiao. Ōga's men were confident — they had taken Gao'an, they were moving, and the objective of Shanggao lay within reach. But as the division pushed toward Shangjijia, it ran squarely into the 57th and 58th Divisions of the 74th Corps, fighting with a tenacity that told the Japanese plainly enough: this was where the Chinese intended to stand. The week of March 21–24 brought the battle to its crisis. The 34th Division hammered at the Chinese positions defending Shanggao itself, while on the flanks, the fighting took on a character that neither side had entirely anticipated. On March 21, General Wang Yaowu — commanding the 74th Corps from his headquarters in Shanggao — decided it was time to do more than absorb Japanese blows. He ordered General Li Tianxia to clear Japanese forces from the south bank of the Jin River and advance on Gao'an, with the aim of cutting the 34th Division's supply line and threatening its rear. It was an aggressive move, and if it had worked, it might have produced a decisive result earlier than history would record. It did not work — at least not immediately. That very evening, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade, which had been reorganizing after the chaos of the river crossing, launched a powerful offensive at dawn on the 22nd. Li Tianxia's lead elements had barely set out from Shitou Street when they collided head-on with the main force of the 20th Brigade, which had crossed back from the north bank of the Jin River. The Japanese thrust was coordinated and aggressive: one column circled wide to attack Lazhu Mountain; another swung south of Hu Family west of Shitou Street to strike Li's division in the flank and rear; and nine aircraft with four artillery pieces bombarded the Chinese positions from north to south. Li's division could not hold against this convergent assault and fell back to the high ground southwest of Shitou Street. Wang Yaowu reacted quickly. He ordered Li's main body to wheel left to face the new threat and simultaneously dispatched the Army's Field Supplementary Regiment — held in reserve near Yintang — on a forced march to Huayang to block the Japanese westward drive. This regiment, racing down roads strafed by nine enemy aircraft, covered 15 li per hour and seized Huayang and the high ground to its northeast by around seven in the morning. By nine, the 20th Brigade arrived in strength and — supported by more than ten aircraft — launched a fierce assault on the regiment's positions. The regiment's officers and men held firm, taking heavy casualties but refusing to break. Frustrated at Huayang, the 20th Brigade shifted its effort to the Kuang Family area, linking up with over a thousand men who had crossed from Baichetou to the south bank and pushing along the river toward Xiongfang in an attempt to outflank the Chinese left wing. The Supplementary Regiment sent its 1st Battalion with a mortar company to meet this threat, and the two forces met in a fierce engagement. When the Japanese reinforced their assault and deployed incendiary bombs and poison gas, Xiongfang fell by early afternoon — but Li Tianxia immediately sent two regiments from his right flank to take it back, and by midnight the position was in Chinese hands again. Shitou Street and Jigong Ridge were simultaneously recaptured. The Independent Mixed 20th Brigade now found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, fighting with the Jin River at its back and the initiative slipping away. Meanwhile, the main event was being fought in the rubble and ridgelines around Shanggao itself. From March 22 to 25, the 34th Division and whatever remnants of the 20th Brigade could contribute threw themselves repeatedly at the defensive line anchored on Stone Arch Bridge, Xia Po Bridge, Xu Lou, Pan Family Bridge, Cloud Head Mountain, and Lei Family Mountain. This was not the fluid, mobile warfare that the Japanese had envisioned but brutal, grinding attritional combat for individual strongpoints and ridgelines, with positions changing hands multiple times in a single day. The Japanese air arm was deeply involved. Ōga's division had close air support that could operate even in poor weather, and Group 3 of the Japanese Air Force hammered the Chinese positions with sustained effort. On the morning of March 24, after the 34th Division fed in more than 3,000 additional troops transferred across the Jin River, the Air Force dispatched over seventy aircraft that dropped more than 1,700 bombs, largely destroying the defensive positions of Liao Lingqi's division. The Japanese exploited the resulting chaos and twice broke through gaps in the line — but were driven out each time by Chinese counterattacks. At noon, enemy aircraft bombarded in relays and Japanese infantry broke through at Xia Po Bridge. It was at this moment that Li Hanqing, commanding the Chinese infantry defense in that sector, did what officers throughout history have done when systems fail and only personal example can stem the tide: he personally led his officer cadre in repeated counter-attacks, hand-to-hand fighting in the rubble until the Japanese were finally expelled. By this point, the 34th Division's offensive capacity was nearly spent. At the same time — and this was the critical shift that would determine the battle's outcome — General Luo Zhuoying recognized that the moment to spring the trap had arrived. The northern column had already been broken and sent reeling back toward Anyi. The southern column was pinned against the Jin River with its back to the water. The central column was bled white against the defenses of Shanggao. Luo now ordered all his armies to close in from multiple directions. On the morning of March 22, he had already begun revising his orders; by noon on the 23rd, the forces of Liu Duoquan and Li Jue had occupied Shitou Street, Guanqiao Street, and Yanggong Market, pressing on Huifu and Gaoyao. The encirclement of the 34th Division was not yet complete, but its shape was unmistakably forming. By March 25, the 34th Division knew it was in mortal danger. Surrounded on three sides, its ammunition running low and its casualty lists growing by the hour, the division urgently appealed to the 11th Army for rescue. The message that arrived in Hankou was a shock. General Marube and his staff, who had remained at their distant headquarters throughout the battle without establishing a forward command post, had not properly grasped the scale of the disaster unfolding in Jiangxi. The lack of coordination between the 33rd and 34th Divisions — the structural flaw that had been built into the operation from its conception — had allowed Luo Zhuoying to defeat each column separately, and now the central column faced annihilation. The 11th Army responded in a scramble. Chief of Staff Kinoshita was dispatched by aircraft to Nanchang with Operations Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Yamaguchi and Captain Ōne to organize a relief operation. The 33rd Division — barely recovered from its own battering in the north — was ordered to sortie immediately and fight its way to the 34th Division's relief. Sakurai organized his battered 33rd Division into three rescue columns. Infantry Brigade Commander Araki Shōji took the right column, leading Infantry Regiment 215 with one mountain artillery battalion. Infantry Regiment 214 formed the left column. The divisional commander himself led the central column with the main divisional force. On March 24 and 25, all three columns sortied from strongpoints at Niuxing, Fengxin, and other positions, attacking across the Wuqiao River and through Cunqian Street toward Tangpu and Guanqiao. The relief operation brought the battle to its most complicated moment. On the morning of March 25, the 33rd Division launched a fierce assault on the forces that Luo Zhuoying had positioned to tighten the encirclement from the north — striking Zhang Yanchuan's division at Kengkou Leng, Jiezipo, and Nancha Luo. Zhang's division, struck simultaneously from the front and rear, withdrew at dusk to near Tu Di Wang Temple, where it linked up with Tang Boyin's division. What happened next became one of the most controversial decisions of the entire battle. Zhang Yanchuan was serving as deputy army commander in the absence of Li Jue from the front. Surveying the situation — his own division under heavy pressure, the 33rd Division's relief columns pushing aggressively — Zhang concluded that the position was untenable. On his own authority, without authorization from Luo Zhuoying or any superior commander, he withdrew both his own and Tang Boyin's divisions to Fenghuang Market and Zhuangfang. The consequence was immediate and severe. The withdrawal opened a corridor through which the 33rd Division entered Guanqiao and linked up with the encircled 34th Division. An encirclement that had taken days of blood and sacrifice to construct was torn open by a single unauthorized decision. Luo Zhuoying, when he received word of Zhang's withdrawal the following morning, was furious — but he could not change what had already happened. He could only adapt. The breakout itself was an ordeal. A portion of the 34th Division that attempted to escape to the east was intercepted near Huifu by a division of the 49th Corps and lost roughly half its strength before being compelled to turn back. The main body ultimately broke out on March 27, withdrawing in march order that told its own story of disaster: headquarters, baggage, artillery, casualties, field hospital, rear guard — all moving in what the records describe as "a wretched state." On the night of March 27, Japanese troops escorting the 34th Division's field hospital — a field artillery company of the 8th Battery — were completely annihilated in a Chinese night attack. When the division reached Longtuan Xu on March 28, the stretcher-bearer column carrying the wounded stretched some seven to eight kilometers along the road. That same day, the 33rd Division's Infantry Regiment 214 finally made contact with the 34th Division's headquarters, completing what amounted to a rescue of men who had already endured their defeat. The 33rd Division's mountain artillery batteries exhausted their entire ammunition supply covering the retreat and required emergency aerial resupply drops to continue. The 34th Division limped back to its original garrison on April 2. Despite the setback caused by Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal, Luo Zhuoying did not abandon his design. Assessing his situation on the morning of March 26, he found reason for cautious optimism: Wang Yaowu's army was still making progress at Shanggao; the Japanese south of the Jin River had largely been cleared; and Sichuan Army and Northeastern Army units that had been moving to reinforce the battle had now reached the field, meaning Chinese forces retained significant numerical superiority. He resolved to execute a second encirclement. At nine in the morning of March 26, Luo issued strict orders: Zhang Yanchuan's and Tang Boyin's divisions were to immediately comply with their original orders and block the enemy near Guanqiao; Yu Chengwan's division was to attack northward via Pan Family Bridge; Liao Lingqi's and Song Yingzhong's divisions were to press toward Guanqiao with full force; Wang Kejun's division was to strike the enemy's flank and rear east of Guanqiao; Fu Yi's division was to advance south of Jiang Family Isle; and Chen Liangji's division was to swing southeast via Changpu to complete the enemy's destruction. The second ring was being drawn. On March 28, as the 34th Division's battered column trudged eastward toward survival, Wang Kejun's division advancing from Yanggong Market moved to intercept it. The Chinese occupied high ground north and south of Yanggong Market and along Mozi Ridge, and what followed was a grinding all-day battle that fixed the Japanese column at the Xiama Bei–Huxing Ridge line. Part of the 20th Brigade, moving up from Gao'an to assist the withdrawing 34th Division, was blocked near Long Tu Market. Liao Lingqi's division pursued the enemy rear guard to the Changling–Manmei high ground, where the fighting erupted with renewed intensity. At noon, part of Li Tianxia's division arrived and deployed along the Shangluoxiang–Shanyuan–Fangtounao line to harass the Japanese right flank; part of Yu Chengwan's division reached Longxing Mountain and outflanked Guanqiao Street from the south. The surviving Japanese defenders in Guanqiao withdrew into the town for a last stand, and after Liao's division pressed the assault, street fighting raged until five in the afternoon, when over 600 defenders were annihilated. Over 2,000 troops of the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade conducted a fighting withdrawal from Long Tu Market and Yanggong Market, covered by Japanese aircraft bombing to shield the 34th Division's retreat. By noon on March 30, the Japanese had abandoned both strongpoints and scattered northeastward. One group of over 600 men fled directly into the main positions of Zhang Yanchuan's division — an ironic fate, given Zhang's earlier withdrawal — and were largely annihilated. The encircling forces had been essentially dispersed, and the two pursuit columns now pressed forward under the overall direction of General Xue Yue, who had assumed personal coordination of the chase. On March 27, Luo Zhuoying — confident that victory was secured — issued a general order for a final offensive and announced substantial cash rewards to his troops: prizes offered for the capture of Japanese officers, artillery pieces, regimental colors, and other materiel. The rewards were both a practical incentive and a mark of how far the battle had tipped. By midnight on March 31, Chen Hongshi's advance column had recovered Gao'an; Wang Tiehan's division had recovered Xiangfu Guan. On April 2, the divisions of Zhang Yanchuan and Song Yingzhong recovered Fengxin; that afternoon Wang Tiehan's division took back Xishan and Wanshou Palace — the very base from which the 34th Division had launched its offensive. By April 3, the pursuing armies had reached the vicinity of Dacheng and Ganzhoujie. On April 8 and 9, the 70th Corps recovered the outpost strongpoints around Anyi before halting operations. The Japanese had retreated into their original positions and were defending from prepared terrain. The pursuit was over. The Battle of Shanggao had lasted nineteen days and nights. No battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War was ever free of the fog of competing claims, and Shanggao was no exception. On March 29, before the pursuit had even concluded, Luo Zhuoying telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek with his accounting of the victory. His numbers were dramatic: Major General Iwanaga, the Japanese infantry commander, killed; regimental commander Colonel Hamada, killed; over 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded in total. Chinese losses, Luo reported, exceeded 20,000. Ten guns, over a thousand rifles, and numerous machine guns had been captured. His superior, General Xue Yue, was skeptical. In a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek on April 5, Xue reduced Luo's numbers by twenty percent, reporting 12,520 Japanese killed or wounded and 14 prisoners captured. The discrepancy between two Chinese commanders reporting on the same battle speaks to the difficulty of battlefield accounting in any era, and suggests something of the competitive pressures that shaped how Chinese commanders reported their victories to Chongqing. The official Chinese histories, compiled after the war in the History of the War of Resistance, reported approximately 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded, 17 prisoners taken, and significant quantities of captured materiel: 6 mountain guns, 1 mortar, 24 light machine guns, 408 rifles, 24 grenade launchers, and over 111,717 rounds of various ammunition. Chinese casualties, by the same records, were 17,119 killed or wounded and 2,814 missing. Japanese records for the battle do not survive — a consequence of the wholesale destruction of Imperial Army documentation at the war's end. Contemporary scholars, working from other sources, estimate actual Japanese combat losses at approximately 5,500 killed and wounded. This is substantially lower than the Chinese claims, as was nearly always the case in the war, but represents a significant defeat by any measure: roughly a quarter of the force committed, many of them veterans impossible to replace. Chiang Kai-shek subsequently awarded the victorious Chinese units a commendation prize of 150,000 yuan — a substantial sum that marked the battle's significance in Nationalist eyes. The outcome at Shanggao was not accidental. Several interlocking factors combined to produce a Chinese victory, and each deserves consideration. The most fundamental was Luo Zhuoying's defensive plan. The decision to trade space for time — to absorb the Japanese advance through three successive defensive lines rather than contest the frontier — required both tactical confidence and a willingness to accept initial setbacks that could easily be misread as defeat. Chinese forces had to give ground, and they did. They had to suffer through the early days of Japanese advance without breaking and running, drawing the enemy forward and allowing the encirclement to take shape. That they largely succeeded in executing this plan reflects the improving quality of the Nationalist Army by 1941: better trained, better led at the operational level, and — critically — equipped with a strategic design that matched the actual balance of forces. The defeat in detail of the Japanese columns was equally important. By neutralizing the 33rd Division in the north before it could contribute to the central effort, and by pinning the 20th Brigade against the Jin River with its back to the water, Luo's forces ensured that the 34th Division faced the third-line defenses essentially alone — outnumbered, overextended, and unsupported. The Japanese operational concept had been a three-pronged convergence; what actually materialized was a single exhausted division hammering at a prepared defense while two other columns were rendered ineffective. The absence of coordination within the Japanese 11th Army was a gift that kept giving throughout the battle. No forward command post. No mechanism for the divisions to adjust their operations in response to each other's situations. No ability to recognize, in real time, that the northern column was being destroyed and redirect resources accordingly. General Marube's decision to remain at Hankou while his men died in Jiangxi was not merely an administrative failure; it was an operational catastrophe. Japanese commanders acknowledged this failing explicitly after the battle, but the acknowledgment changed nothing for the dead. Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal — the single most consequential individual decision of the battle — ultimately prevented a complete annihilation of the 34th Division rather than affecting the battle's outcome. The 34th Division escaped; but it did so in a "wretched state," having lost enormous numbers of men and equipment. It broke out, not triumphed. The encirclement Luo had constructed was torn open, but the Japanese paid dearly for the breach. The consequences of Shanggao rippled outward in ways that shaped the subsequent course of the war in central China. The transfer of the 33rd Division to North China — the original logistical rationale for the entire operation — was delayed by the division's involvement and subsequent losses at Shanggao. When it finally arrived at the Battle of Central Plains  the following month, it did so on the eve of battle with no time for preparation or orientation, entering combat under severely disadvantaged conditions. The operation that was supposed to facilitate a smooth redeployment had instead damaged one of the two units involved and delayed the other. For the Chinese 74th Corps, Shanggao had an ironic consequence. The Japanese 11th Army, following the battle, formally designated the 74th Corps as a priority target — a "standing enemy" and directed its forces to seek out and destroy it in future operations. At the First Battle of Changsha that September, the 11th Army specifically oriented its forces against the 74th Corps, a testament to the lasting impression that corps's fierce resistance at Shanggao had made on its adversaries. The compliment of being specifically targeted by the enemy was one the 74th Corps had earned in blood at Shanggao's ridgelines and shattered bridges. More broadly, the battle was widely regarded at the time, and has been regarded since, as one of the most significant Chinese tactical victories of the first four years of the War of Resistance. Its significance lay not only in the casualties inflicted — those were contested and probably inflated in the Chinese records — but in what it demonstrated. The improving tactical and operational competence of the Nationalist Army was on display. The deliberate defense, the layered withdrawal, the coordinated encirclement — these were not the operations of an army that had been fighting desperately for survival since 1937 and had learned nothing. They were the operations of an army that had studied its defeats and adapted. Shanggao did not change the strategic situation in China. The front in Jiangxi remained where it had been; the Japanese still occupied Nanchang and the major cities; Chiang Kai-shek was still in Chongqing and the war was still far from over. But it demonstrated something important: that the Chinese Army, given capable commanders, a sound plan, and the discipline to execute it, could do more than survive Japanese offensives. It could reverse them, encircle them, and pursue them back to where they came from. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In March–April 1940, Japanese forces attacked Shanggao with a limited, multi-pronged plan. Chinese troops used elastic defense and coordinated counter-moves, turning initial advantages into a trap. After intense fighting and air strikes, a coordinated encirclement and timely breakout routed the Japanese, forcing retreat despite their numbers in a costly battle.

You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for June 12, 2026. We open with a question that gets at something deeper than any single news story — what's the difference between conspiracy theory and reality? We argue the answer is evidence, and we got a lot of it this week. We connect this to a Florida governor's race story — the presumptive Democratic nominee David Jolly is arguing illegal immigrants should be granted driver's licenses for the safety of all Floridians. We walk through why this argument requires you to accept that citizenship means nothing, that legal and illegal immigration are the same thing, and that the solution to someone breaking federal law is to hand them a state credential rather than send them home. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Now, SpaceX completed its initial public offering, opening at $150 a share and closing the day up 19% at $160.95 — the largest IPO in world history, making Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire and creating 4,400 millionaire employees in a single day. Then President Trump nominated Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the permanent Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard's resignation — a pick that's already won the support of Senate Majority Leader John Thune. And the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a lower court's ban on nitrogen asphyxiation as a method of execution in Alabama, with Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma also having authorized but not yet used the method. We also cover the United States becoming India's top supplier of liquefied natural gas — a development President Trump predicted, and one we frame as more than an economic story. It's about whether the world's largest democracy depends on energy from a stable rule-of-law nation or from regimes that use energy as a geopolitical weapon. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson discuss whether a single two-week vacation or multiple three-day getaways make for better family trips — and the consensus is clear. Long weekends create harmony, give everyone a job, and end before anyone's feelings get hurt. Teri shares the trick for getting grown children to join family trips — tell them you'll cover everything and all they have to do is show up. In our Digging Deep segment, outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a bombshell report revealing that the U.S. government has secretly funded more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries — including roughly 40 in Ukraine, a war zone, storing pathogens like anthrax, Ebola, and SARS. We explain gain-of-function research — modifying viruses to make them more dangerous — and connect it to Senator Rand Paul's documented evidence that the U.S. funded this kind of research in Wuhan despite repeated denials from Dr. Fauci and Biden administration officials. We also discuss a deeply troubling story out of Carencro, Louisiana, where a father is accused of secretly giving abortion pills to his 17-year-old pregnant daughter without her knowledge, causing a medical emergency and premature delivery — and we connect it to the broader debate over telehealth abortion pill prescriptions, which the data shows send one in ten women to the emergency room. We also cover Democrats publicly calling for the demolition of the White House ballroom construction project if they regain power — and reflect on how dramatically the rhetoric around government buildings and symbolism has shifted over the decades. Then it's our 10th year of Fake News Friday — covering whether more people attended the congressional baseball game than a typical Washington Nationals game, whether SpaceX is now worth more than the entire nation of Canada, whether two children running a lemonade stand in South Boston were robbed at gunpoint, whether a Pakistani immigrant running for mayor in Texas pled guilty to over 100 counts of voter fraud, and whether Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett claimed the knife used to murder Austin Metcalf wasn't a deadly weapon. We also discuss the defacing of the National Mall with anti-Trump messaging carved into the grass — and make the point that the National Mall belongs to the American people, not to any politician or party, regardless of who's in office. And we close with the story of Margaret Kerry, the human model and inspiration for Disney's Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, who passed away this past week at age 97. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Marc Cox Morning Show closes out the week with an Hour 4 that delivers gut punch after gut punch. St. Louis County Councilman Dennis Hancock breaks down exactly what happens if Sam Page finally takes the off-ramp — and why his ego may drive him straight into a full felony trial instead. Defending Education's Rhyen Staley exposes the National PTA as a far-left political machine pushing Critical Consciousness, DEI officers, and woke ideology into your child's classroom — and it's happening in conservative school districts too. Then the biggest bombshell of the morning: a CIA whistleblower tells the Senate that Anthony Fauci intentionally covered up the COVID lab leak, changed rules to fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan, and attended a 2019 war game that played out the pandemic almost word for word before it happened. He got pardoned — but Dan Buck and Kim St. Onge aren't letting him off the hook. The Marc Cox Morning Show — four hours of truth, zero apologies. Hashtags: #MarcCoxMorningShow #DanBuck #KimStOnge #Hour4 #Fauci #CIAWhistleblower #COVIDCoverUp #LabLeak #RhyenStaley #DefendingEducation #NationalPTA #WokeSchools #DennisHancock #SamPage #StLouisCounty #IranPeaceDeal #ConservativeRadio #PatriotRadio #TGIF Hour 4 Guest List: Dennis Hancock (St. Louis County 3rd District Councilman — Sam Page felony trial, potential resignation, and county leadership succession) | Rhyen Staley (Defending Education Director of Research — National PTA's far-left political machine, Critical Consciousness, woke ideology in schools)

Walter Sterling sounds off on the first major COVID whistleblower hearings, raising questions about Dr. Fauci, gain-of-function research, the Wuhan lab, vaccine fallout, long COVID symptoms, censorship, school damage, and what he calls one of the biggest con jobs in modern history. Walter also dives into UFO disclosures, Ross Coulthart's reporting, Area 51, government secrecy, and why the public may finally be getting closer to the truth. Plus, Walter explores pyramid power, Nikola Tesla, ether energy, Tartaria, bricked-up windows in historic buildings, Rockefeller, Westinghouse, Edison, free energy theories, and how powerful interests may have buried technology that could have changed the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the One Hundred Regiment Offensive. During Phase Three of the One Hundred Regiment Offensive, CCP forces in the Taihang/Jizhong area emphasized strongpoint attacks and transportation warfare. Rather than trying to defeat Japanese units head-on, they used tactics such as night raids and ambushes to disrupt Japanese supply routes and communications. The underlying goal was to make Japanese logistics unstable, weakening their ability to maintain control and conduct effective operations. After CCP successes, the Japanese responded with large-scale "mopping-up" operations beginning October 6. As the Eighth Route Army continued resisting, it adopted flexible methods to counter the Japanese sweeps, especially rapid repositioning and targeted ambushes. One notable action described involves an ambush of a Japanese convoy that caused substantial enemy losses, demonstrating how disrupting enemy mobility could blunt the effectiveness of larger Japanese operations. Overall, the situation remained fluid, with both sides continually adapting their tactics in an ongoing contest for control across occupied North China.   #205 The Hubei-Henan Campaign of 1940-1941 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. By 1940, the war had settled into a grueling stalemate, with Japanese troops occupying vast swathes of central China, including parts of Hubei, but facing persistent Chinese guerrilla and conventional resistance that prevented total consolidation. In the aftermath of the Battle of Zaoyang in the summer of 1940, Japanese forces had secured the key cities of Yichang and Shashi along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Yet Chinese Nationalist troops of the Fifth War Area retained firm control over the vital territories east and west of the Xiang River. Their defensive lines formed a broad arc stretching from the southwest of Yuan'an through Jingmen, north of Zhongxiang, and the rugged foothills of the Dahong Mountains, extending northwest to Suixian. These positions straddled both banks of the Xiang River, anchored on the right by the Wudang Mountains and on the left by the Tongbai range. Working in close coordination with guerrilla detachments operating in the southeast, Chinese units repeatedly harassed the Japanese garrisons that had pushed into Yichang. The constant pressure on the enemy's flanks left the Japanese forces in Yichang and Shashi dangerously exposed and hemmed in, unable to expand or consolidate their gains. To the Japanese high command, this situation had become an intolerable thorn that demanded immediate removal.   Under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese Nationalist government faced severe strains as the war with Japan escalated. Its problems were not only military, but also political and economic. Deep ideological and territorial rivalries with the CCP meant that efforts to present a single front were constantly undermined. Although the two sides officially formed a United Front in 1937, earlier violence and competition, such as the 1927 Shanghai Massacre and the CCP's Long March of 1934 – 1935 had left distrust and strategic differences in place. As a result, Nationalist resistance was harder to coordinate than it would have been under full unity. Meanwhile, the CCP strengthened its position in northern China by expanding rural strongholds. Through land reforms and the use of guerrilla warfare, the communists were able to win local support and apply pressure to Japanese forces in ways that often did not require large, conventional armies. This strategy also drew influence and manpower away from the Nationalists' more traditional, state-centered military structure.   Economically, the Nationalists were squeezed from multiple directions. The loss of China's coastal industrial regions to Japanese occupation forced the government to rely heavily on the interior, with Chongqing becoming a key base. That geographic shift left the administration more vulnerable to shortages of critical supplies, especially raw materials, fuel, and modern weapons. On top of wartime disruption, the global Great Depression intensified fiscal and logistical difficulties, limiting how quickly and effectively the Nationalists could mobilize resources for large-scale operations. By late November 1940, these weaknesses intersected with renewed Japanese pressure. Japanese commanders were also concerned about the possibility of a major Nationalist push, particularly fears of a counteroffensive by the Thirty-first Army Group under General Tang Enbo.    Determined to break the stalemate, the Japanese launched a major offensive in late November 1940. Preparations had begun in earnest early that month. Engineers repaired and expanded highways and bridges, constructed new defensive works and airfields, and stockpiled vast quantities of rations, ammunition, steel-hulled boats, and rubber rafts in the Zhongxiang area. Five regiments were concentrated near Zhongxiang, while additional troops east and west of the Xiang River brought the total strength to more than three divisions. Along the Suixian–Xiangyang Highway, Japanese forces were reinforced to divisional strength, supported by increased artillery and tank detachments. These meticulous measures left no doubt that the enemy was ready for a large-scale operation.   By 23 November the Japanese had completed their deployments and moved into assault positions. The Japanese forces assigned to the Central Hubei Operation were placed under the overall command of Lieutenant General Waichirō Sonobe, who directed the campaign from his headquarters in Wuhan. Sonobe's 11th Army drew on a broad mix of formations, combining units from the 3rd, 4th, 15th, 17th, 39th, and 40th Divisions. The offensive backbone for the thrust into central Hubei province was reinforced by the 18th Independent Mixed Brigade, which helped supply the infantry strength needed for sustained fighting across difficult ground. In practice, this multi-division structure reflected the 11th Army's key mission in the region, acting as the main Japanese formation after the earlier Battle of Zaoyang and it emphasized coordinated divisional advances supported by attached brigades and specialized elements, including limited armored capabilities.   In terms of manpower, the Japanese force is commonly estimated at roughly 40,000 to 50,000 troops. This strength included several infantry regiments and artillery batteries, along with only limited armored elements rather than a fully armored formation. Because the operation depended on finding and exploiting opportunities quickly, it was supported by aerial reconnaissance and bombing carried out by the 3rd Air Brigade operating in central China. Infantry units formed the majority of the fighting power, while artillery was used to provide suppressive fire during advances. Air support, meanwhile, was intended to help identify and target Chinese positions—particularly along important riverine and rail corridors, where disruptions could slow resistance and complicate Chinese reinforcement or retreat.   To manage the operation across varied terrain and combat tasks, Sonobe's command used smaller combined formation often described as task forces, that could operate with some flexibility. Among them were the Kayashima Force, commanded by Major General Koichi Kayashima of the 18th Independent Mixed Brigade, consisting of the entire brigade reinforced by elements of the 40th Division. The Muragami Force, under Lieutenant General Keisaku Muragami, commander of the 39th Division, which included the full division plus supporting non-infantry units. The Hirabayashi Force, led by Lieutenant General Morito Hirabayashi of the 17th Division, formed from detachments of the 17th and 15th Divisions.The Kitana Force, commanded by Lieutenant General Kenzo Kitana of the 4th Division, incorporating portions of the 4th Division and the Kususe Armored Force. These four groups were deployed in parallel around Tangyang, Jingmen, Zhongxiang, and north of Jingshan. The Hanjima Force, commanded by Lieutenant General Fusataro Hanjima of the 3rd Division, positioned near Suixian along the Xiangyang–Hua Highway. This task-force approach helped tailor combat power to specific mission profiles—such as flanking movements, raids, or pressure on Chinese defensive lines—while keeping the overall campaign plan under a unified command.   Equipment choices also reflected the tactical environment of Hubei. The Japanese units made use of Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks for reconnaissance and for anti-infantry roles, typically best suited to the reconnaissance, pursuit, and screening functions that were available even with constrained armor numbers. For fire support, the force relied on conventional artillery, including 75mm Type 90 guns for field engagements and 105mm howitzers for heavier bombardment where stronger explosive impact was needed. Together, these assets were intended to allow Japanese formations to maneuver around Chinese positions and apply pressure in rugged landscapes where rivers, roads, and rail lines often determined the rhythm of battle.   Logistics were a decisive factor in whether the operation could sustain momentum. Sonobe's army depended heavily on existing transportation infrastructure, particularly rail lines radiating from the Wuhan hub toward forward areas such as Suizhou and Zaoyang. These routes were critical for moving ammunition, replacements, and other supplies closer to the front as the Japanese advanced. The campaign also used river transport along the Yangtze River, including motorized barges and steamers, to deliver supplies to units operating near waterways. However, reliance on these corridors came with risks: Chinese interdiction raids could disrupt shipments, forcing convoys to be escorted and increasing the time and resources required to keep the forward units supplied. Overall, this dependence on both rail and fluvial networks highlighted a central operational challenge, maintaining secure access to transportation arteries in contested territory so that the Japanese could keep fighting effectively rather than stalling as supplies dwindled.   The Central Hubei Operation was driven by an intelligence assessment that Chinese troop movements were signaling preparations for a Nationalist counteroffensive. Acting on that interpretation, the Japanese began tightening plans and positioning forces early in the final days of November 1940. On 23 November 1940, the Japanese 11th Army under Lieutenant General Waichirō Sonobe began organizing for the offensive in central Hubei. In order to conduct a coordinated advance across the Han River, the army arranged its forces into five groups, each tasked with moving in a way that supported the broader pincer-style pressure on Chinese positions. The approach also reflected lessons drawn from the earlier Zaoyang–Yichang campaign earlier in 1940, when Japanese divisions had been able to cross the Han River at multiple points, such as Dangyang, Jiukouzhen, and Shayangzhen—to help secure access toward Yichang and the Yangtze route. Logistics were built around infrastructure the Japanese had already established during prior operations. The Hankou hub supported the 11th Army through arrangements that included munitions storage, medical facilities, and transport coordination. Supplies and reinforcements were moved using truck convoys and river crossings, while forward depots—such as those at Shayangzhen northwest of Hankou—provided additional capacity, including freight handling and field hospitals. Because the area was not secure, these supply points were also guarded against threats from guerrilla activity, which could disrupt communications and threaten personnel and equipment.   Operationally, the offensive used limited artillery and air support, reflecting Japanese constraints and directives aimed at keeping the campaign short and avoiding commitments that could stretch units beyond their logistical reach. Instead of trying to grind down Chinese defenses through prolonged bombardment, the plan prioritized speed, reconnaissance, and focused disruption. Japanese intelligence preparation relied heavily on aerial reconnaissance over the Han River valley to locate Chinese positions and infer where resistance would likely concentrate. That information enabled Japanese units to coordinate select maneuvers, including converging pressure from different directions. Where river transport mattered, coordination with naval or riverine elements supported movement and resupply, with overall oversight connected to the China Expeditionary Army.   Anticipating the coming assault, the Chinese Fifth War Area headquarters acted swiftly on instructions from the National Military Council. Orders were issued to the River West Army Group (30th and 77th Corps), the Right Army Group (44th and 67th Corps), and the Central Army Group (41st and 45th Corps) to employ a flexible defensive strategy: hold key positions firmly while committing the main strength to strike the enemy's outer flanks at the decisive moment. The 59th Corps was directed to advance toward the Xiangfan area, ready to reinforce operations on either bank of the river as the situation developed.   As commander of the Fifth War Area, Li Zongren arranged the defense to meet a likely Japanese thrust along the Han River, particularly in the approaches to Wuhan and Yichang, following the wider stalemate that settled in after the 1938 fall of Wuhan. The Fifth War Area could draw on roughly 300,000 troops, though many units were understrength, and the overall readiness varied by locality. Among the formations Li Zongren placed in the most sensitive sectors was the 31st Army Group under General Tang Enbo, which Japanese planners had identified as a potential threat to Japanese intentions in the region. In keeping with the terrain and the limits on manpower, Li's defensive design relied heavily on natural barriers—most importantly the Han River itself—and on the defensibility of rugged ground. Forces were arrayed to hold or contest riverbank positions, supported by fortifications, trenches, and smaller auxiliary elements. Divisions such as the 44th were positioned with an eye toward slowing an enemy crossing and forcing the Japanese to fight for difficult approaches rather than moving rapidly. At the same time, irregular forces and prepared defensive works were used to complicate Japanese reconnaissance and to make it harder for the attacker to coordinate a clean operational flow. Strategically, Li Zongren leaned on elastic defense rather than attempting to win decisive battles at fixed lines. Regular units were supported by guerrilla-style harassment intended to strike Japanese vulnerabilities, especially supply and transportation, between forward bases and the front. Local operations, including actions coming from areas such as Xinyang, were designed to disrupt Japanese logistics in periods when the Nationalists were still managing shortages of ammunition and medical supplies. Militias in the inter-mountainous regions further reinforced this approach: instead of seeking costly frontal engagements, they concentrated on disruption, delaying movements, and making Japanese operations slower and more expensive.   At dawn on 25 November the Japanese offensive began, with columns advancing along multiple axes. On the western Xiangyang front, more than 1,000 troops from Tangyang and over 3,000 from Jingmen struck Hengdian and Yanzhimiao, shattering the positions of the Chinese 30th Corps. Simultaneously, a column moving from Zhujiafu toward Tunglinling split into several detachments and drove deep northward into Liangshuijing, Xiajiazi, and Kuaihuopu. By nightfall the River West Army Group had regrouped along the line from Hengdian through Yanzhimiao to Kuaihuopu. On 26 November the Japanese reached Xianzhu. The following day they assaulted Liuhouji and Lijiatang in a day-long battle that ended in stalemate. At dusk the 30th Corps launched a powerful counterattack; the 27th and 31st Divisions dispatched raiding parties into the enemy's rear. Unable to withstand the pressure, the Japanese fell back toward Jingmen and Zhongxiang, pursued by Chinese forces that inflicted heavy losses.   Along the Jingmen–Zhongxiang Highway the Japanese massed more than 3,000 troops to attack Changshoutian and Wangjiatian, encircling Changjiachi and Shahetian. The Chinese 149th Division withdrew in good order to the stronger Wangjiahe–Wulongguan line. On 26 November enemy strength grew to 4,000–5,000. One column advanced on Sanligang while the main body assaulted Peizhai, Wangjiahe, and Yunanmen. Fighting continued until dark without decisive result. On 27 November the main force of the 44th Corps counterattacked from Wangjiahe, converging with the 67th Corps advancing from the northwest. The coordinated assault inflicted severe casualties, yet the Japanese continued to fight stubbornly. On the Suixian front, more than 2,000 Japanese troops reached Liangshuikou on the morning of 25 November and launched a violent attack against the 123rd Division at Lishan. Two additional columns, each exceeding 1,000 men, pushed westward toward Hoyuantian and Qingmingpu; their numbers swelled steadily as darkness fell. On 26 November fierce combat raged against the 124th and 127th Divisions at Jinjishan and Qingmingpu. A separate force of 700–800 men advanced from Xihe via Langhetian to Tangjiafan. After clashing with the 41st Corps, the Japanese near Qingmingpu linked up with those at Jinjishan and moved toward Hoyuantian on 27 November. That night the detachment at Tangjiafan reached the vicinity of Huantan Zhen, confronting the 125th Division. Recognizing that the enemy had become dangerously dispersed, the War Area Command ordered its units to hold critical localities while the main forces exploited the mountainous terrain for ambushes. The tactic proved effective. Heavy fighting continued until 28 November, when the Japanese, unable to achieve their objectives, began a general withdrawal. Chinese forces west of Xiangyang immediately took up the pursuit. The enemy opposing the Right Army Group was routed and retreated along several routes. In the Suixian sector, Japanese units at Hoyuantian and Huantan Zhen were caught in converging attacks by the Central Army Group, driven back to high ground, and encircled. In a desperate attempt to relieve the trapped forces, the Japanese rushed 1,500–1,600 infantry and cavalry troops from Suixian and Yingshan through Shangshitian and Shatian in a flanking maneuver—only to be ambushed once more. Covered by aircraft and armor, the enemy withdrew toward Suixian and Xihe as Chinese troops pressed forward along the line from Chunchuan to Anchu, Lishan, and Gaocheng. By 30 November all Chinese Army Groups had restored their original positions.   The Central Hubei Operation produced uneven battlefield outcomes, particularly in reported casualties. Japanese accounts describe relatively limited losses, just 132 killed and 445 wounded attributed to advantages in air superiority, artillery, and armored support, even though the advance was complicated by difficult terrain. At the same time, Japanese forces faced persistent Chinese counterattacks along the Han River, which contributed to localized pressure and eventual withdrawal. The Japanese reported 6,439 Chinese killed  and 474 captured, but the evidence base is uncertain and the language of reporting suggests possible exaggeration or propaganda. Conversely, Chinese-era estimates reportedly placed Japanese losses at roughly 5,000 killed and 7,000–8,000 wounded, illustrating a substantial gap between competing narratives. Some alternate reconstructions suggest total Chinese casualties in the range of 20,000–30,000, depending on whether wounded and missing personnel are included. However, because wartime reporting was fragmented and inconsistent, there is no fully verifiable casualty ledger for all units involved.   Despite these tolls, the operation did not appear to achieve a decisive Chinese destruction of Japan's intended target force. The Chinese Fifth War Area, including elements associated with the 31st Army Group under Tang Enbo, suffered attrition but generally avoided annihilation. No major command-level losses are indicated in the surviving accounts, and unit formations were not described as collapsing permanently. On the material side, Japan reportedly seized rifles and supplies from positions that Chinese forces had encircled or abandoned in the short term, but overall equipment losses for either side were described as limited, consistent with the operation's restricted intensity.    Strategically, the operation offered Japan short-term tactical advantages—notably through localized envelopments and the temporary pressure of combined-arms support—but it failed to translate these gains into a sustained strategic result. The fighting also strained Japanese logistics in central China, especially given that the offensive was not followed by major reinforcements. At the same time, it exposed continuing vulnerabilities in rugged terrain where Chinese guerrilla activity and organized counteraction could offset superior firepower.   Ultimately, the Central Hubei Operation produced no net territorial gains. By the end of the week, Japanese troops had returned to positions that did not fundamentally alter control in central Hubei. Local clashes may have disturbed formations and disrupted movement temporarily, but the campaign did not create durable forward bases, did not change administrative control meaningfully, and did not permanently disrupt key supply corridors. The territorial status quo largely persisted: Chinese Fifth War Area forces maintained positions north of the Yangtze River, and there was no widespread abandonment of strongholds sufficient to indicate a strategic collapse.   In the months following the Japanese repulse in central Hubei in November 1940, enemy forces remained largely immobilized across the Jing-Xiang plains, their earlier ambitions checked by determined Chinese resistance. Seeking to regain momentum and draw Chinese strength away from other theaters, the Japanese high command prepared a massive offensive into southern Henan in late January 1941. By the end of the month they had concentrated an imposing array of seven infantry divisions, one independent cavalry brigade, three independent armored regiments, and one independent artillery regiment. In all, more than 150,000 infantrymen, over 8,000 cavalry, 550 artillery pieces, 300 tanks, and 200 armored cars stood ready. Over a hundred aircraft were massed at forward bases in Anyang, Xinxiang, Huaiyang, and Xinyang. From early January onward, ammunition and equipment had been laboriously shipped up the Yangtze and moved inland to Xinyang, while Japanese reconnaissance planes repeatedly overflew Chinese rear areas. Additional troops were concentrated in southern Henan itself.   On 20 January, as a preliminary move to pin down Chinese forces and facilitate the main effort in central Henan, the Japanese 18th Independent Mixed Brigade, together with elements of the 39th and 4th Divisions, launched a limited attack against the Chinese 29th and 33rd Army Groups. The principal assault, however, began on 24 January under the overall command of Lieutenant General Katsuichiro Enbu. The Japanese organized their southern Henan forces into three powerful columns: The Left Flank Force, built around the entire 3rd Division reinforced by the 8th Regiment of the 4th Division and the Mizuno Armored Unit, commanded by Lieutenant General Fusataro Hanjima of the 3rd Division. The Central Force, centered on the 17th Division (less one regiment) and strengthened by the 67th Regiment of the 15th Division and the Yoshimatsu Armored Unit, commanded by Lieutenant General Amaya of the 40th Division. The Right Flank Force, formed around the main body of the 40th Division, also under Lieutenant General Amaya.   In support of this main thrust, Japanese forces in northern Anhui and eastern Henan—principally the 4th Cavalry Brigade with the Hirabayashi Tank Regiment—advanced westward from Haozhou toward Woyang. The Ouda Regiment of the 21st Division pushed west from Suzhou, while the Uguchi and Kobayashi Regiments of the 35th Division, accompanied by engineer, cavalry, artillery, and tank units, moved from Kaifeng, Tongxu, and Zhuxian Zhen along the north bank of the Yellow River and through the flooded areas toward Zhengzhou. These supporting columns were intended to tie down Chinese reserves and prevent reinforcement of the southern front.   The National Military Council in Chongqing correctly assessed the enemy's intention: to drive north along the Beiping-Hankou Railway with their main strength, force a decisive battle against the Chinese field armies, and rely on the northern Anhui–eastern Henan forces to strike westward in coordination. Accordingly, the Council instructed the Fifth War Area to avoid a costly frontal engagement. Instead, a small portion of its troops would offer delaying resistance along the railway, while the main force would maneuver to the enemy's flanks and rear, severing communications and launching devastating counterattacks. In compliance, the Fifth War Area left only a single division near Xiping on the Beiping-Hankou line. The bulk of its strength—carefully concealed in depth on both sides of the enemy's expected axis of advance—remained highly mobile, ready to strike the Japanese flanks or rear the moment the enemy divided his forces or pushed toward Runan, Yancheng, or Wuyang. This elastic strategy proved decisive.   At dawn on 25 January the Japanese southern Henan forces advanced in three columns. The Left Flank Force moved along the line from Xiaolindian to Gucheng and Chashan. The Central Force struck northward from the Minggang area. The Right Flank Force crossed the Huai River between Huaijiao Zhen and Chengyang under heavy air support. Japanese planes bombed Chinese positions relentlessly. True to plan, Chinese units employed only light screening forces to harass the enemy with ambushes and flank attacks, preserving their main strength for the decisive moment.   By 26 January the Japanese had reached the line from Piyang to Gaoyi, Xingtian, and Queshan. On the 27th they pressed on to Chunshui, Shahetian, and Zhumadian. At this point Chinese mobile forces sprang into action. The 13th Corps of the 31st Army Group swung northward toward Xiangheguan, while the main body of the 85th Corps moved toward Shangcai to begin an enveloping maneuver. The 68th Corps of the 11th Army Group struck the enemy rear south of Xiangheguan; the 55th Corps advanced from Tanghe to Piyang; and the 59th Corps of the 33rd Army Group pushed toward Nanyang. On 29 January the 13th Corps attacked the Japanese Left Flank Force near Jieguanting and Xiaoshidian south of Wuyang, while the 85th Corps struck the Right Flank Force around Runan, southeast of Shangcai. The enemy's Central Force, advancing along and west of the railway, found the Chinese positions already evacuated and failed to trap any major units. The Japanese columns on the extreme flanks suffered over 3,000 casualties and lost six tanks in the fighting around Jieguanting.   By 31 January the enemy, desperate to rescue his exposed flank columns, reordered his forces. The Central Force executed turning movements on both sides: elements of the 15th Division swung right from Suiping through Shangcai to converge with troops moving north from Runan against the 85th Corps, while the main body of the 17th Division split into two columns and advanced from Suiping through Xiping toward Wuyang. Simultaneously, the main force of the 3rd Division and part of the 4th Division also converged on Wuyang, hoping to link with the 17th Division and crush the 13th Corps near Jieguanting and Xiaoshidian. Before the trap could close, however, the Chinese 13th and 85th Corps withdrew in good order to the area north of Ye Xian, between Yancheng and Shangshui, and north of the Sha River. When the Japanese broke through at Wuyang and Shangcai they found no major Chinese forces to destroy.   Meanwhile, Chinese troops from western Henan, the 59th, 55th, and 68th Corps, advanced from Tanghe, Piyang, and points north to strike the enemy rear at Wuyang. On 29 January the 84th Corps and local guerrillas in western Anhui recaptured Chengyang and continued the pursuit. The Japanese, having failed to concentrate superior strength or control the battlefield, now found themselves isolated. Their rear communications were severed, and they were under constant pressure from the 68th, 55th, and 59th Corps. After days of exhausting combat the enemy began to withdraw southward on the night of 2 February. Leaving only rear guards at Wuyang and Baoanzhai to tie down the 13th Corps, the main body of the 3rd Division moved from Fangcheng toward Nanyang and Zhenping. The 13th Corps immediately counterattacked, recaptured Baoanzhai and Wuyang, and pursued the enemy toward Fangcheng.   On the night of 2 February, as the Japanese main force approached Nanyang, the 17th Division together with elements of the 15th and 4th Divisions had already pushed south from Wuyang via Xiangheguan toward Piyang, hoping to link with forces moving east from Nanyang and trap the Chinese 68th, 55th, and 29th Corps. Fierce resistance by the 68th Corps near Xiangheguan inflicted heavy losses and forced the enemy to abandon large quantities of supplies. Further south, the 29th Corps exacted still greater casualties around Piyang. On the night of 7 February the trapped Japanese column split: part retreated along the Tanghe–Piyang highway, while the main body withdrew along the Tongbo–Xinyang highway toward Xinyang, leaving many dead behind. The Chinese 85th Corps pursued southeastward, while elements of the 13th, 29th, 55th, and 59th Corps harried the enemy toward Xinyang. By the time the fighting ended, all Chinese units had regained their original positions.   In coordination with the southern Henan offensive, the Japanese forces in northern Anhui and eastern Henan advanced westward in four columns on the morning of 25 January. The Ouda Regiment of the 21st Division struck west from Suzhou. The 4th Cavalry Brigade, reinforced by the Hirabayashi Tank Regiment, split into three routes from Bozhou to attack Woyang, Shanheji, and Shuangqiao, clashing bitterly with a Chinese cavalry division near Shizihe and Niqiuji. The Uguchi Regiment of the 35th Division advanced through the flooded areas from Tongxu and Zhuxian Zhen, while the Kobayashi Regiment moved westward along the north bank of the Yellow River near Zhengzhou. Japanese aircraft intensified their bombing of Chinese cities and front-line positions, including Zhoujiakou, Zhengzhou, Yancheng, Ye Xian, Xiangcheng, Wuyang, and Luoyang. On 29 January one enemy column reached Santaiji and suffered heavy losses under Chinese attack. Threatened on the left by forces near Huaiyang, two Chinese corps withdrew temporarily to the line from Fuyang to Taihe and Jieshou. On 5 February the Japanese captured Taihe and Jieshou, but a Chinese counterattack on the morning of 6 February regained both towns, forcing the enemy to retreat northeastward.   The Battle of Southern Henan, which opened on 25 January and concluded on 10 February after seventeen days of continuous fighting, ended in a clear Chinese victory. Japanese casualties exceeded 9,000; when the enemy withdrew from Nanyang more than 300 military vehicles were left burning on the battlefield. Large quantities of arms, ammunition, and supplies fell into Chinese hands. Chinese losses were significantly lighter. The enemy had hoped to force a decisive battle along the railway and shatter the Chinese armies of the Fifth War Area. Instead, skillful Chinese maneuver, timely flank attacks, and relentless pressure on the enemy's rear and communications had turned the Japanese offensive into a costly failure. The victory not only preserved the integrity of the central Chinese front but also demonstrated once again the effectiveness of elastic defense and mobile counteroffensive tactics against a numerically superior but overextended foe.   In the wake of their costly repulse in central Hubei the previous November and the even more humiliating defeat in Southern Henan between late January and early February 1941, the Japanese sought once more to regain the initiative in the spring of 1941. Their target was western Hubei, where Chinese forces continued to deny them freedom of movement along the middle Yangtze. The entire Japanese 13th Division garrisoned the Yichang salient. Its regiments were deployed in a defensive arc: the 65th Regiment and the 19th Artillery Regiment held positions east of the city at Longchuanpu, Tumenya, and Yaqueling; the 104th Regiment guarded the northwest approaches; and the 17th Cavalry Regiment patrolled the Yangchalu–Baishanao sector. On the west bank of the Yangtze, the 58th Regiment had constructed strong bridgehead fortifications between Chaojialing and Shangwulongkou, ready to support any renewed thrust westward.   Facing this entrenched enemy was the Chinese 26th Corps, entrusted with the critical mission of river defense on the west bank of the Yangtze opposite Yichang. The corps commander had organized his forces into three sectors. The 41st Division held the right zone, anchoring its line from Mujiatian and Tanjiataizi northward to the vicinity of Fanjiah u. The 32nd Division defended the left zone, stretching from Mujiatian through Ceyang to Xiangzikou. The 44th Division remained in corps reserve near Caojiafan, poised to reinforce either flank or exploit opportunities for counterattack.   On 6 March 1941 the Japanese struck. Having quietly reinforced their forces west of Yichang to more than three regiments, supported by cavalry and artillery, they opened the assault at 5:30 a.m. with a violent artillery barrage, followed immediately by infantry advances under cover of air strikes. Chinese security positions at Tanjiataizi and Chaojiadian were overrun. The enemy then hurled itself against the main line at Changgangling. Simultaneously, 600 to 700 Japanese troops, backed by planes and guns, assaulted Fanjiah u. After hours of bitter fighting both localities fell. On the morning of 7 March, Japanese aircraft again spearheaded the attack, enabling the capture of positions at Qianjiatai and Wujiaba. The enemy pressed on toward Qianjiachong and Yutaishan but was thrown back. Meanwhile, the force that had taken Fanjiah u clashed fiercely with the Chinese 44th Division around Taipingqiao; although the division was eventually compelled to withdraw to the eastern end of the bridge under relentless air attack, it continued to resist stubbornly. When the enemy seized Hut zeye from the direction of Fanjiah u, the 32nd Division fell back in good order to the line from Tunziqiao to Tuyanzhong, where it beat off further assaults. By this stage the Japanese had driven themselves into a dangerously narrow salient, exposed on both flanks.   Seizing the moment, the River Defense Force reorganized its lines. The 103rd Division of the 8th Corps relieved the sector from Mujiatang through Yingzishan to Chaotianguan, while the 26th Corps consolidated new positions at Yutaishan, Pijiashan, Qingshuiba, Guangongling, and Xiaopingshanba. The plan was clear: hold the enemy east of this line, then launch a converging counterstroke to destroy the invaders and restore the original front. On 8 March two guerrilla columns from the 41st Division struck at Changgangling and Fanjiayuan, while another detachment hit the enemy east of Pifengjian. More than 2,000 Japanese troops assaulted the 44th Division's positions from Gaolingpo and Dajiaobian toward Wanghuzizhong; determined resistance by the 44th Division, supported by elements of the 41st, brought the attack to a standstill. Later that day the enemy managed to penetrate the 32nd Division's line at Tianwangshi, forcing Chinese troops to fight a delaying action along the outskirts of the Shibai Fortress from Mingjiachong to Heitangou.   Dawn on 9 March brought renewed Chinese initiative. The 103rd Division occupied the line from Tutiling to Shizinao and advanced in several columns against the enemy. A portion of the 44th Division waged a grim holding action on the high ground flanking Guojiaba, suffering heavy losses but buying time for the main body to launch a powerful flank attack against the Japanese at Taipingqiao and Xianglingkou. By dusk Chinese forces had captured the enemy strongpoints at Dujiaoba and Dajiaobian along the highway, annihilating numerous enemy troops. The 32nd Division threw its main strength against the area northwest of Dajiaobian; heavy fighting raged around Wanghuzizhong into the afternoon until enemy reinforcements were driven off. The 41st Division, meanwhile, executed effective flank attacks that yielded significant gains. On 10 March the 103rd Division recaptured the high ground at Xiawulongkou and north of Tianzipo, while guerrillas of the 41st Division continued to harass the enemy through every gap in his lines. When positions at Hongshipo and Lungtanping held by the 44th Division were breached, the division withdrew to the western heights of Bomuping and faced the enemy anew.   At dawn on 11 March, after suffering severe casualties, the Japanese resorted to smoke screens and began withdrawing eastward along several routes. Chinese pursuit forces swiftly retook Xianglingkou, Guojiaba, Guangongling, Tianwangshi, and Dajiaobian. By 12 March the enemy had fallen back to a defensive line running from east of Taipingqiao to Hu z'ai and Huangnikeng. On 13 March Chinese units launched general counterattacks. Unable to withstand the pressure, the Japanese retreated to their original positions. The eight-day engagement thus ended exactly where it had begun.   The battle had been fought with only a portion of the available Chinese forces, yet it proved decisive. The Japanese, who had hoped to crack the river defenses and resume their westward drive, instead suffered 4,000 to 5,000 casualties. The swift and skillful Chinese counteroffensive not only restored the front but left the enemy shaken and apprehensive. Their design to push deeper into western Hubei was decisively thwarted, buying precious time for the broader Chinese war effort in the Yangtze theater and demonstrating once again that determined defense, timely reinforcement, and aggressive counteraction could blunt even the most carefully prepared Japanese offensive. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In November 1940, a Central Hubei Operation using five task forces attempted to exploit Chinese dispersal but achieved no territorial gains despite local successes. A larger January 1941 offensive into southern Henan deployed 150,000+ troops but again failed strategically. Despite Japanese tactical advantages and superior firepower, logistical constraints and rugged terrain favored mobile Chinese resistance. Both campaigns ended with Japanese withdrawals and restored Chinese positions, demonstrating that determined defense and timely counteraction could blunt large-scale Japanese operations.

The McCullough Report with Dr. Peter McCullough – Dr. Peter McCullough warns COVID vaccine cardiac harms are being ignored, citing myocarditis, troponin elevations, sudden deaths, athlete arrests, VAERS reports, and unreleased Wuhan lab files. He challenges official narratives, questions media silence, and argues evidence points to a vast public health failure demanding accountability now across America and transparency...

The McCullough Report with Dr. Peter McCullough – Dr. Peter McCullough warns COVID vaccine cardiac harms are being ignored, citing myocarditis, troponin elevations, sudden deaths, athlete arrests, VAERS reports, and unreleased Wuhan lab files. He challenges official narratives, questions media silence, and argues evidence points to a vast public health failure demanding accountability now across America and transparency...

-Rob celebrates Friday by predicting the possible collapse of Cuba, the liberation of Iran, and the total humiliation of Democrats — all before the first commercial break. -Rob unleashes on the COVID establishment, accusing Fauci, the media, and the federal government of hiding the Wuhan lab truth while Americans were busy arguing over masks, hydroxychloroquine, and whether standing six feet apart at Applebee's would save civilization. -Newsmax Hotline guest Christian Toto joins the show to celebrate the downfall of woke late-night television, roast Stephen Colbert's final season meltdown, discuss Gina Carano's comeback fight against Ronda Rousey, debate Pete Davidson's controversial Charlie Kirk joke, and welcome America's apparent return to acknowledging that attractive movie stars are, in fact, attractive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Project Out Loud – When career bureaucrats with lifetime tenure answer to nobody, the choices of voters matter less, and the power of a permanent managerial class grows. Big tech, big pharma, big agriculture, and the defense contractors can feed that class with resources and influence. The result is a culture that protects its own. Whistleblowers pay a price for speaking out. Records are redacted or...

1. Government Fraud Crackdown (Trump/Vance Initiative) The administration is prioritizing eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs. A federal fraud task force claims: 186,000+ deceased individuals are still receiving SNAP (food stamp) benefits via identity fraud. 400,000+ people are allegedly receiving duplicate benefits (“double dipping”). Its a taxpayer protection effort with stronger enforcement expected. 2. Policy Actions and Consequences Threats to withhold Medicaid funding from states that fail to investigate fraud. Proposal for stronger penalties (e.g., jail, loss of benefits), though current deterrence is described as weak. Politically positioned as a major accountability push tied to reducing government spending. 3. Hospice and Healthcare Fraud Allegations Major focus on California (Los Angeles): Claim: a disproportionate number of hospices located there (about one-third nationwide). Allegation: up to half may be fraudulent. Actions taken: 800 hospices suspended, cutting off ~$1.4 billion in payments. Nationwide moratorium on new hospice and home health care licenses. Rationale: Fraud operations allegedly relocate to other states when cracked down locally. 4. Political Divide Republican perspective: Fraud crackdown is necessary and widely supported by voters. Seen as long-overdue accountability. Democratic criticism: Concerns about overreach, rushed investigations, and harm to legitimate services. Public sentiment (per the document): Broad agreement that fraud should be eliminated regardless of party. 5. CIA Whistleblower Allegations (COVID Origins) A whistleblower claims: CIA scientists initially favored a lab-leak theory for COVID-19. The official position shifted to “inconclusive/neutral.” Accusation: Anthony Fauci influenced intelligence discussions and expert selection. His involvement may have shaped the narrative away from the lab-leak conclusion. Evidence cited: Meetings and communications in 2020–2021. Internal disagreements within intelligence agencies. 6. Conflict of Interest Concerns Raised in questioning: Fauci allegedly had connections to Wuhan-related research funding. Concern he may not have been an objective contributor. Whistleblower suggests: Influence was indirect but significant, through shaping expert input. 7. Hearing Controversy No Democrats attended the Senate hearing with the whistleblower. Avoidance of scrutiny or accountability. Used to reinforce a broader narrative of political bias or cover-up. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump arrives in Beijing for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, as both leaders face economic pressure at home and major disputes over trade, Taiwan, AI, Iran, and energy. A CIA officer testifies under subpoena, accusing intelligence officials of downplaying evidence that COVID-19 began with a lab incident in Wuhan and alleging Dr. Anthony Fauci improperly influenced the government's origins review. A new AtlasIntel poll scrambles the early 2028 race, showing Marco Rubio leading Republicans and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez narrowly leading Democrats, despite both trailing in most broader polling averages. A new book claims to reveal the backstory behind the viral moment when French First Lady Brigitte Macron appeared to shove President Emmanuel Macron's face.   Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com   ARMRA: go to https://tryarmra.com/MEGYNto get 30% off your first subscription order Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

- Trump's China trip is framed as a high-stakes power play, with the argument that only a dealmaker can walk into Beijing, bring business heavyweights, and try to squeeze results out of a hostile rival. - Fauci's COVID cover-up gets dragged back into the spotlight as a CIA whistleblower details how the lab-leak story was buried and the public was lied to from the start. - Rand Paul keeps hammering the same brutal point: taxpayer money helps fund dangerous Wuhan research, civil liberties get shredded, millions die, and the central figure still walks free. - Gavin Newsom's California is portrayed as moral and political lunacy, with death row inmates allegedly using state-issued tablets for porn, explicit messages, and even the grooming of minors. - The broader theme is relentless: from Karen Bass to Patty Murray to Ayanna Pressley, Democrats keep reacting to failure with delusion, excuses, and policies that look disconnected from basic reality. Today's podcast is sponsored by : CHAPTER - If you're turning 65 or already on Medicare, call Chapter at 27-MEDICARE for the plan that suits you best. QUINCE CLOTHING - Refresh your wardrobe with Quince.  Go to http://Quince.com/GERRY for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:             • Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • TRUTH Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • GETTR: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Telegram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • BlueSky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Parler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Dutch couple goes "bird watching" at a landfill in Argentina. Days later, they board a cruise ship — and a Hantavirus outbreak that hadn't surfaced in years suddenly spreads across the passengers. Now Americans from that ship are quarantined in landlocked Nebraska, Moderna's stock has jumped 7.5% on a Hantavirus vaccine they were already developing, and the WHO wants $300 million back from the United States. Does any of this actually add up? Lance Wallnau breaks down the Hantavirus story the mainstream headlines won't touch — what's real, what's suspicious, and what every Christian needs to know before the next pandemic playbook gets rolled out. Bird watching at a landfill? Seriously?   In this episode:   The Argentina landfill detail that government investigators will only speak about anonymously Why Moderna's stock jumped 7.5% on a Hantavirus vaccine BEFORE the outbreak hit headlines The Wuhan wet-market parallel hiding inside the Patagonia origin story Why the WHO wants $300 million back from the U.S. — and why Trump is saying no What Dr. Peter McCullough is recommending Americans keep on hand right now The prophetic prayer over the outbreak — and why Lance believes this one dissipates A Dr. Ben Carson exclusive on the 1963 communist memo that predicted today's headlines America's 250th anniversary, the rededication on the 17th, and why young men are returning to faith in droves   This is the briefing the WHO doesn't want you watching — and the one every believer needs before the next news cycle hits.   Podcast Episode 2118: The Hantavirus 'Bird Watching' Story Nobody Actually Believes | don't miss this! Listen to more episodes of the Lance Wallnau Show at lancewallnau.com/podcast  

0:30 - COVID whistleblower 14:14 - Josh Hawley back and forth with Erdman over Wuhan lab statements 35:51 - The "Tragic 20's" 56:43 - Former foreign correspondent for BBC Channel 4 News and NBC, Ian Williams: China’s theft of American AI tech is becoming more brazen. Ian is also the author of Vampire State. The rise and fall of the Chinese Economy 01:13:11 - Pratt calls into TMZ after hit piece claiming he doesn't live in trailer 01:33:05 - Senior writer at National Review, Noah Rothman, discusses his new book Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America - available Tuesday 5/19 01:51:25 - Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, Samuel Moyn, on the The Old Guard and his new book Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth—and What to Do About It - available June 16 02:12:27 - Tim Stearns, president and founder of TJ Stearns in Arlington Heights, discusses the balancing act between investment risk and FOMO as the market reaches new highs. For more on TJ Stearns tjstearns.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Walter Sterling dives into UFO disclosure, CIA power struggles, JFK assassination theories, and the growing fight over government secrets. Walter speaks with Dave Scott of Spaced Out Radio about newly released UFO files, Japan releasing its own files, reports of CIA monitoring tied to UAP investigations, and the alleged raid on Tulsi Gabbard's office involving JFK, MK Ultra, and UFO-related documents. Walter also explores theories surrounding the JFK assassination, the CIA's role in withholding files, the Wuhan lab, Josh Hawley's questioning on COVID origins, and why Americans are no longer satisfied with the official story. Plus, listener calls, Florida Stories, Goop layoffs, and concerns over New York Thruway welcome centers closing overnight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hidden Lightness with Jimmy Hinton – “He lied to Congress about NIH funding dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan and engaged in the worst cover-up in modern medical history. The American people want Fauci behind bars,” explains Rand Paul. That statement reflects the frustration of millions of Americans who feel they were misled during the darkest days of the pandemic...

This should be the biggest story in American today. Tulsi Gabbard finds the Wuhan lab was just one of ... 120 biolabs illegally run by the USA? (Please subscribe & share.) Sources: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/05/11/dni-tulsi-gabbard-investigating-120-foreign-biolabs-funding-by-u-s-government-more-than-40-are-located-in-ukraine/#more-283333 https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/us-news/dni-tulsi-gabbard-probes-us-funding-to-more-than-120-biolabs-abroad/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=nypost https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-10651957/Russia-claims-Hunter-Biden-secretly-funding-bioweapons-labs-Ukraine.html

“On May 11th, the statute of limitations expires on the possibility of indicting Anthony Fauci for denying under oath that he funded gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses in Wuhan,” writes Senator Rand Paul. Dr. Scott Atlas—former Special Advisor to the President—is demanding accountability before time runs out. “[They] presided over the worst fiasco in public health history,” says Dr. Scott Atlas. “The malfeasance was the 2020 gross ignorance of Fauci, Birx & Redfield about known lockdown harms, basic biology, & data when they pushed lockdowns, pseudoscience masks, etc. THEIR policy killed & destroyed millions.” Dr. Atlas discusses the final countdown to indict Dr. Fauci and how “America's left has a sickness – they cannot tolerate individual freedom and choice.” Renowned legal scholar and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley breaks down the coordinated political attacks on the Supreme Court and his new book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” Dr. Scott Atlas, MD is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow in health policy at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. From August through November 2020, he served as Special Advisor to the President and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He is the author of A Plague Upon Our House: My Fight at the Trump White House to Stop COVID from Destroying America. Follow at https://x.com/ScottAtlas_IT Jonathan Turley is a law professor, columnist, television analyst, and litigator. Since 1998, he has held the Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School. He is the author of The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage and Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution. Follow at https://x.com/JonathanTurley 「 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 」 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• FATTY15 – The future of essential fatty acids is here! Strengthen your cells against age-related breakdown with Fatty15. Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit Subscription at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/fatty15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • PALEOVALLEY - "Paleovalley has a wide variety of extraordinary products that are both healthful and delicious,” says Dr. Drew. "I am a huge fan of this brand and know you'll love it too!” Get 15% off your first order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/paleovalley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • THE WELLNESS COMPANY - Counteract harmful spike proteins with TWC's Signature Series Spike Support Formula containing nattokinase and selenium. Learn more about TWC's supplements at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twc.health/drew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 「 ABOUT THE SHOW 」 This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Executive Producers • Kaleb Nation - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kalebnation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Susan Pinsky - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/firstladyoflove⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Content Producer • Emily Barsh - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/emilytvproducer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hosted By • Dr. Drew Pinsky - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/drdrew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

- The episode opens with a full-throttle demand to charge Anthony Fauci before the deadline expires, framing him as the central architect of the COVID lies, lockdown damage, and public distrust that still lingers. - Fauci's wet-market story gets ripped apart again, with the Wuhan lab, gain-of-function funding, and years of evasive testimony treated as an obvious scandal hiding in plain sight. - A new split inside the right takes center stage as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly are accused of drifting into soft-focus defenses of Islam while downplaying the scale and pattern of Islamist violence. - Barack Obama's media reemergence is cast as pure hypocrisy, with his complaints about weaponized government and presidential overreach treated as laughable given what was done to Trump. - Spencer Pratt becomes the surprise chaos candidate in Los Angeles, hammering homelessness, illegal voting, and Democratic failure with a bluntness the rest of the field cannot match. Today's podcast is sponsored by : CHAPTER - If you're turning 65 or already on Medicare, call Chapter at 27-MEDICARE for the plan that suits you best. BOLL & BRANCH - Upgrade your sleep with Boll & Branch! Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://BollAndBranch.com/GERRY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:             • Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Rumble: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • TRUTH Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • GETTR: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠             • Telegram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠              • BlueSky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠            • Parler: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices