boyutpedia Chapter 158 Arriving in Xuzhou
Chapter 158 Arriving in Xuzhou
Hearing Chief of Staff Xu's concerns, Commander Li also stood up from the sofa, walked to the large military map on the wall and began to ponder.
"Yan Mou, Deputy Commander Han's Third Army is now responsible for defense in the north. His five armies are resisting the Japanese troops moving south from North China. I don't think the problem is very big. After all, the Japanese army only has so many troops in North China, and they are also responsible for attacking Shanxi Province. The troops that can be transferred to the south to attack are estimated to be at most one or two divisions. The south is more complicated. The Japanese army has now completely occupied the Shanghai area and is advancing rapidly along the Yangtze River towards Nanjing. There are more Japanese troops along this way, but after such a fierce battle in Shanghai, they are about to attack Nanjing City. I estimate that after they occupy Nanjing City, they should rest and replenish for a while before taking action. I just don't know whether they will continue to attack westwards, or go north and attack our Fifth War Zone at the same time as the Japanese army in North China." Commander Li pondered for a long time and put forward his own views.
Chief of Staff Xu also walked to the map and looked at it carefully. After listening to Commander Li's analysis, he nodded and said, "Based on the current attack speed of the Japanese army, I estimate that Jinling City will soon fight with the Japanese army. In this case, the Japanese army in North China should not attack southwards before the Japanese army in the south occupies Jinling City. If the Japanese army in North China rashly attacks southwards, it will be very easy for us to concentrate our forces to surround them. In this way, we still have some time to improve our defense line."
Commander Li also nodded. He agreed with the conclusion of the analysis made by his strategic chief of staff, but in his heart he hoped that the Japanese army would rashly march south alone. In this way, he might be able to find an opportunity to severely damage the Japanese army and win a big victory to boost the confidence of the people.
"Commander Li, as for the 102nd Division, where do you plan to assign it?" Chief of Staff Xu shifted the topic back to the 102nd Division, a direct unit of the Central Army. You know, this unit is not easy to arrange. If it is sent to the front line, the Military Commission and the person above will not be willing. But if it is placed in the rear defense line, other miscellaneous units will also complain.
Commander Li smiled. He felt that with his professional and political abilities as the chief of staff, it was impossible that he had not thought about how he would arrange the tasks of the 102nd Division. So he asked back with a smile: "Brother Yan Mou, where do you think it would be more appropriate to place the 102nd Division?"
When Chief of Staff Xu saw Commander Li's expression, he understood what he meant and said with a smile, "How about placing the 102nd Division near Xuzhou City as the general reserve of the war zone? What do you think, Commander?"
Commander Li gave Chief of Staff Xu a great compliment in his heart. This arrangement was exactly the same as his own, so he immediately laughed heartily and said, "The one who understands me best is Yan Mou." Chief of Staff Xu also laughed loudly. This was the "open conspiracy" of the two of them.
The 102nd Division had been dawdling on the road for half a month, and was still halfway to Xuzhou. The theater command did not urge them, but only sent telegrams on time every day to inquire about their location. The 102nd Division also replied to every question, reporting that the troops were working hard to rush to the designated area. Although the 102nd Division obeyed the order and rushed to the Fifth Theater to report, if you really want to command this group of Central Army's direct troops, you still need some means.
The only ones who can make the 102nd Division obey orders obediently are, in order of rank, the top leaders, Commander Chen, Commander Luo, and other senior commanders from the central government. If other people want to command the 102nd Division, it is really not possible for them to command it. There is no way around it. This is a common problem of the central army.
In a county town where the 102nd Division's headquarters is stationed, Zhang Wenwu is entertaining the officers of the division headquarters for dinner at the best local restaurant. The initiator of this event is Lieutenant Colonel Liao Qian, who has been promoted to director of the Political Department. A few days ago, Zhang Wenwu joked during the march that Liao Qian had been promoted in rank and he should treat everyone to a dinner. Later, Liao Qian really treated everyone to a dinner in the small town where they were stationed before. During the dinner, Liao Qian urged Zhang Wenwu to treat them all, saying that Zhang Wenwu had been promoted in position and rank and should be treated to a big feast. So, everyone followed suit, and Zhang Wenwu generously said that it was no problem and they could choose the place. This is how today's dinner invitation happened.
"Director Zhang, come here, let me toast you a glass." Liao Qian held a cigarette in his mouth and raised a glass of wine to toast Zhang Wenwu.
When Zhang Wenwu saw Liao Qian's attitude, he quickly raised his glass and drank with him. Then he said to Liao Qian, "Director Liao, we drank a lot this afternoon. If we have to set off in the afternoon, don't delay the afternoon march."
Liao Qian finished the wine in his glass and was pouring wine into it. After hearing what Zhang Wenwu said, he said with a smile: "Director Zhang, don't worry. The troops will not move today. It's hard to say whether they will move tomorrow. Otherwise, can't I let you treat us to a meal today?"
Zhang Wenwu was shocked when he heard that. We have only marched for half a day and they have already set up camp. We don’t know if the troops will move tomorrow. How long will it take to reach Xuzhou? When he heard Liao Qian say that the troops would not move today, Zhang Wenwu poured himself a glass of wine and asked, “Director Liao, if we continue to move forward at this speed, the theater command will not blame us, right?”
After hearing what Zhang Wenwu said, Liao Qian exhaled a puff of smoke and said contemptuously: "It's okay, Commander Huang, Chief of Staff Zhao and Deputy Commander Qi are not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry? Besides, the Military Commission and the theater have not set a time for us to arrive. It just so happens that the troops have suffered too much loss, so we can replenish more personnel along the way."
Zhang Wenwu also lit a cigarette and smoked it leisurely. He also knew that although the troops had been moving at a snail's pace during this period, the number of troops had reached more than 9,000, which was almost double the number when they first set out. The troops of the 18th Army had indeed inherited Commander Chen's legacy very well, and they would recruit troops wherever they went. Another reason was that they moved at a slower pace, so that the troops would have more time to train and improve their combat effectiveness, so that when they reached the front line, they would not collapse at the first blow. If that happened, they would not be able to complete the mission and would also lose face for the Central Army.
Since they knew that the troops would stay in the county for two days, Zhang Wenwu relaxed and started eating and drinking with the officers. In the afternoon, Zhang Wenwu invited all the officers to the theater to listen to a play. Although Zhang Wenwu did not understand opera, it did not stop him from joining in the fun. After all, everyone had finally come back alive from the battlefield and needed to relax and let everyone know that they were still alive. Who knew who would be alive after the next battle?
Sure enough, the next day, the 102nd Division was still resting in the same place, while Zhang Wenwu was sitting in the operations hall of the division headquarters, looking at the latest battle report and the latest enemy and our current situation map. The Japanese army had broken through the paper-like Wufu defense line and continued to attack westward, and was about to reach Nanjing City. Now Nanjing City only had those troops that had been temporarily replenished, and their equipment and combat power could not be compared with those before the Battle of Shanghai. Zhang Wenwu knew that the battle in Nanjing City lasted only twelve days, and the defense line basically collapsed completely. After Nanjing fell, the Japanese army in North China began to rush south across the Yellow River to attack the entire Shandong Province.
Finally, after almost a month on the road, the 102nd Division finally arrived at the headquarters of the Fifth War Zone: Xuzhou City.
On the day the 102nd Division arrived, Commander Li and Chief of Staff Xu of the Fifth War Zone came to review the troops in person. When they saw the 102 officers and soldiers of the 102nd Division, they were secretly delighted. They deliberately allowed the 102nd Division to dawdle on the road so that the 102nd Division could quickly replenish its personnel on its own. After all, with the 102nd Division's identity as a central army and Commander Chen's reputation, its ability to incorporate local miscellaneous troops and expand its own strength is unmatched by anyone, and no one can take care of this matter. If the Fifth War Zone ordered various places to replenish the troops, the effect would not be as good as the nd Division's personal action. This is "a man's reputation is like a tree's shadow."
"Reporting to Commander-in-Chief Li and Chief of Staff Xu, all officers and soldiers of the 102nd Division have arrived in accordance with the order of the theater headquarters. Please give them your instructions." Division Commander Huang, together with Chief of Staff Zhao Dong and Deputy Division Commander Qi, stood at attention and saluted to report to Commander Li and Chief of Staff Xu.
Commander Li and Chief of Staff Xu also returned a military salute seriously, and then Commander Li said to the three chief officers of the 102nd Division: "Commander Huang, you have worked hard. Your unit has just fought fiercely with the Japanese invaders in Shanghai for more than two months, and your record is also awe-inspiring, which has greatly boosted the confidence of my Chinese military and civilians. Now you have come to our Fifth War Zone to participate in the war despite your fatigue. This has greatly improved the overall combat effectiveness of my Fifth War Zone. On behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the Fifth War Zone, I welcome the arrival of the 102nd Division. I hope you will continue to work hard and make new contributions to my China."
Commander Li's words were of a very high level, and he praised the 102nd Division highly. This made the three main officers of the 102nd Division feel very comfortable, as those were all their own real combat achievements. Although they were guarding the Luodian flank, that was not something that every unit could sustain.
"Commander Li, you are too kind. That was achieved through the sacrifices of officers and soldiers of the entire division. Commander Luo and Commander Chen have already told us before we came here. This time when we come to the Fifth War Zone, we must make the 18th Army famous." Commander Huang was also happy in his heart, and then he said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Commander Li also nodded with a smile, then looked at all the officers and soldiers of the 102nd Division standing in line in front of him, and asked with concern: "Division Commander Huang, the theater command has taken into account that your unit has just experienced the battle in Shanghai and urgently needs training to restore combat effectiveness. Therefore, the theater command has organized your unit into the theater's general reserve. I hope that your unit will seize the time to train the troops. When the critical moment comes, I will put you in the most important position to compete with the Japanese army."
When Commander Huang heard that his 102nd Division was the general reserve force of the war zone, he was relieved. What he lacked now was time to train the troops, so he stood at attention and saluted, saying, "I will obey the commander-in-chief's orders. I will seize the time to train the troops and live up to your expectations."