boyutpedia Chapter 979: Military Commendation
Chapter 979: Military Commendation
Many people were wondering before that the 72nd Army performed well in North China. After arriving at the Pujiang battlefield, although its fighting was also remarkable, it was not the same as in North China. Today everyone saw that they may have not had enough equipment before, but now that they have the equipment, they killed 8000 Japanese devils in one day.
"Extra, Extra, Central Daily News, Extra, Extra! Our heroic Pujiang First Brigade killed 8000 enemies in one day! A great victory! A great victory!"
"Report, report, a large number of shells killed two Japanese colonels!"
"The commander of the Japanese 3rd Division was dismissed!"
Instantly, newspapers appeared in large numbers on the streets of major cities across the country. Upon hearing the news of Pujiang's victory, ordinary people rushed to read the newspapers and radios to learn the real situation, as such news was not often available.
"Central Daily News reports that our heroic Pujiang 1st Brigade, led by Major General Guo Shaoqiu, killed 8000 enemies yesterday at the Pujiang Luodian position! The commanders of the Kimura and Canggu Regiments were killed, and Lieutenant General Ito Taro of the Japanese 3rd Division was dismissed..."
In some teahouses, the owner simply brought in a radio, which was a rare commodity in that era, but because of the radio, people from half the street came over. Even if they didn't drink tea, it still brought some popularity to us.
The Ministry of Military and Political Affairs also comprehensively commended the Pujiang First Brigade, but apart from a telegram of commendation, everything else was just fancy words and was of little use at all. To put it bluntly, it was all talk and no action, let alone anything practical.
It was different on Li Shaoyi's side. When the commendation order from the 72nd Army Headquarters arrived, there was no extra nonsense at the beginning. Apart from promoting some officers, it was the hard stuff that everyone had been waiting for.
All artillerymen involved in the bombardment will receive three months' salary, and the remaining soldiers will receive one month's salary.
After hearing the news, the soldiers of the First Brigade were so happy that they almost jumped for joy. Li Shaoyi also said in the explanation that as long as the Sichuan Army and other troops responsible for supporting the First Brigade of Pujiang were near the battlefield that day and provided assistance to the First Brigade, all personnel could also receive one month's salary, which would be paid by the Finance Department of the 72nd Army.
"Good heavens! This is the first time I've seen anything like this. A telegram of commendation arrived in the morning, and the money arrived in the afternoon?"
Captain Fan looked at the French currency in his hand and said with some disbelief.
The current legal tender is still very strong. It will only start to depreciate after the army withdraws from Pujiang, but it will still be useful within a year.
"I'll give it to you guys first. We haven't received it yet. We'll get it together when the mid-term payroll comes. But many of us haven't gone to collect our wages yet. It doesn't matter if it's just sitting there. It won't get lost."
Hearing what Guo Shaoqiu said, Captain Fan stuck out his tongue. He couldn't believe that such a thing could happen. Their Sichuan Army only received military pay two or three times a year, and each time was enough for two or three months. As for the rest, they were all recorded in the notebook, and it would take some time for them to be paid.
But it’s different for the 72nd Army. They will also write it down in a notebook, and as long as there is a finance department at the same level nearby, they can give it to you.
Moreover, the financial department within the 72nd Army has formed an internal bank. If you do not collect your salary, you can be provided with interest, which is of course slightly lower than the bank's interest rate.
If other soldiers' families are in urgent need of money, they can be provided with a loan of 12 to 20 months' salary depending on their income. Of course, they will also need to pay some interest, which is lower than bank interest.
This move also provided emergency relief to many soldiers. After all, they were all our own people, and the money they earned was all in the pot.
"No wonder your 72nd Army is able to win battles. Weapons and equipment are one thing, training is another, but most importantly, the money is paid on time. You say we're all men and we know we need to defend our country, but the problem is that if we only talk about defending our country, the whole family won't have enough to eat. Who would be motivated to work here?"
Captain Fan sighed helplessly. When it comes to bravery in battle, the Sichuan Army is indeed not afraid of anyone, but the problem is that while you are fighting on the front line, your wife, children and the elderly in the rear cannot even get enough food. Who wouldn't be worried about them?
"Captain Fan, I dare not say anything else. Now that you are with our 72nd Army, we will naturally pay your wages. Or as the telegram says, you will also receive any rewards we have. All soldiers killed in action will be compensated according to the standards of our 72nd Army."
When he said the latter sentence, Guo Shaoqiu's voice became a little dull, and he took out a small box from the side. This was the pension for the 79 soldiers under Captain Fan who had died since the war began.
After the soldiers of the 72nd Army died in action, they received a one-time pension.
Even if the children are not yet adults and the parents do not visit their parents for New Year's greetings, a portion of the salary will still be paid every month.
However, this regulation does not apply to the Sichuan Army. After all, we do not have a special department in Sichuan, so each soldier receives a pension of 500 yuan.
"Don't worry, Commander Guo. I, Old Fan, am not a good person, but I promise that every penny of the pension will be given to their families without missing a penny."
Captain Fan took the heavy pension and felt unhappy. These brothers had followed him out at the beginning, but when they returned, so many people were missing.
Of course, compared with other Sichuan Army troops, Captain Fan felt that his brothers were already very good.
After so many years, more than 70 talents were killed or wounded, and the rest of the troops even lost their numbers.
Moreover, the so-called compensation is only on paper, with no substantive action at all.
After this loss, the Japanese Pujiang Expeditionary Force also replaced its generals at the last minute.
Taro Ito became the deputy commander.
The commander of the 11th Division, Takahashi Tanimoto, became the commander-in-chief on the front line.
Although Taro Ito was not convinced, after seeing the big black words on the newspaper, he could only swallow his dissatisfaction.
Who could have imagined that the Pujiang First Brigade could produce so many artillery pieces and wipe out 8000 of his men in one day.
In this case, you are still allowed to continue to command the 3rd Division as Chief of Staff. This is the greatest courtesy you can show to you. If you are not even satisfied with this, then you can only go to the reserve or become a teacher in a military academy in Japan.
The first military meeting after Division Commander Takahashi took office was held in a basement in Pujiang. Just looking at the gloomy and sad looks on everyone's faces.
Even if the commander was changed, what would it do? Would it change the situation?