Chapter 191 Smith with a lot of heart
"Let me introduce to you, Allied Military Advisor Arthur McLuhan. The young man's name is Alger Collins. He is an ordnance engineer."
"I consider that among the troops on the front line of Nujiang, your Sichuan Army is the only one that has not arranged for allied troops to provide guidance, so I brought them here this time."
Smith introduced the two people who were traveling with him to Liao Mingyu. His old face was smiling broadly, and the wrinkles on his face were almost wrinkled together, as if he was saying: Look, I am good to you, and I want you for everything.
No wonder they looked familiar, it was the two of them. Liao Mingyu suddenly realized, and at the same time he politely greeted the two of them: "Hello, two friends, welcome to the Sichuan Army."
Arthur McLuhan, a middle-aged officer with a beard and a high hairline, just nodded lightly in response. The young armorer on the side shook hands with Liao Mingyu very enthusiastically.
But he didn't know the situation of these two people. It's a bit ridiculous to say that they are two strange flowers among the many military advisers who came to China to support.
Arthur McLuhan, a status quo maintainer, was also a straightforward person. He did not like the intrigues and mutual flattery in the officialdom, and would not go out of his way to please his superiors and colleagues. He was a rigid and strict American soldier.
Because of his personality, he has never been reused.
And the young armorer, Alger Collins, who was later nicknamed "National Assistance" by the cannon fodder of the Sichuan Army, was a natural idiot who was unwilling to go to the battlefield to kill people. He only regarded this war as a job, and had a complete attitude.
He was laughing and joking, but there was nothing formal about it.
Smith wanted to give Liao Mingyu a favor that didn't require much investment, and the unsociable Lao Mai and the terrible armorer Collins were the best choices.
They were originally one of Yu Division's military advisers, but now there is no shortage of Americans there, and Yu Xiaoqing was happy to send these two monsters out in the eyes of his colleagues.
Liao Mingyu readily accepted this point. No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still flesh. Besides, although these two people are somewhat incompatible with their companions, they are both people with real talents.
Mike Needless to say, Collins is an armorer who is very familiar with fine art and equipment, even though he has a free-spirited personality and has never been on the battlefield.
But having the two of them come to the Sichuan Legion for guidance can at least help these illiterate fools improve their use and understanding of firearms.
"Haha, that's sure. Mike and Collins will come over today, and it will be up to you, Liao, to make the arrangements later."
Colonel Smith was very happy to get rid of two burdens, and then talked about another thing:
"As far as I know, Commander Yu has achieved everything he wants. Your superiors have sent him two regiments of troops. Now the entire Yu Division's combatable soldiers have exceeded 10,000."
Liao Mingyu raised his eyebrows. This information somewhat surprised him. It seemed that Yu Xiaoqing had worked hard for this battle.
Smith continued: "Colonel Heltering of our Allied support force fully agrees with his offensive views. Now they are making final strategic arrangements and will launch a counterattack soon."
"That's a good thing. You should be happy for him. Isn't this what you always wanted?" Liao Mingyu said with a smile, as if all this had nothing to do with him.
Smith looked at him deeply, frowned and said worriedly: "Theoretically, this is a good thing, but I don't think Commander Yu's attack plan will be successful. He underestimates the terror of the Japanese.
"
"His eyes were full of the madness and arrogance of war. Although everyone at the combat meeting agreed with his plan, I don't think this war can be won with determination alone."
Smith is a very shrewd man. He has seen many officers like Yu Xiaoqing who are confident and impulsive. They think that they can defeat the enemy by seizing the advantage, but blind attacks will only plunge their troops into the abyss.
"Commander Yu's plan does not have much novelty. It is nothing more than relying on firepower and troop superiority, coupled with air support to launch an overwhelming attack on the enemy." Colonel Smith said slowly.
Liao Mingyu thought for a while: "It's very similar to how you Americans play. You rely on heavy firepower to clear the way for infantry to launch an attack, and call for air support at any time during the advance."
"Yes, but we have proven something on the Pacific islands that relying on this offensive method cannot completely destroy the Japanese defense force. Our boys still suffered heavy casualties."
"This Nantianmen is not much worse than the fortresses on the small islands. It is even stronger in some aspects. Moreover, the heavy firepower that Master Yu is proud of seems to me to be just children's play. They
There are not even artillery pieces above 150 mm."
Smith showed a lot of disdain when he said this. So what if there are more than 10,000 people? What about the preparation of fine art equipment? These things are nothing but ordinary in his eyes.
He knows the Japanese very well. Although he doesn't know the specific situation of Nantianmen, it is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface.
You must know that the fourth-class people in the Pacific also have large-caliber naval guns, and aircraft can support them anytime and anywhere throughout the day. Isn't it still extremely difficult to fight?
According to Yu Xiaoqing's strategy, ten thousand people would probably be thrown into it. As a logistics liaison officer, he would not be able to leave and would have to continue to waste time in this hellish place.
But now many people are willing to believe in Yu Xiaoqing, believing that his offensive deployment is foolproof and that with such careful planning and firepower, he will definitely achieve final victory. They just have too little and one-sided understanding of the Japanese.
In order for him to retire as soon as possible and enjoy his old age in peace, and also to prevent those weapons from being wasted in vain, Smith began to look for other bargaining chips.
"Commander Liao, I think you must have some special method to conquer Nantianmen?" Smith looked at him expectantly. This was another purpose of coming to the Sichuan Army today.
Smith could never see through this young officer with a confident smile on his face, but for some reason, he believed that Liao Mingyu could definitely fight this battle.
"Mr. Smith, you are joking. I don't have any special measures. I can only do my best and obey fate. However, I will inform the allies of the plan before attacking. After all, I also need your air support."
Liao Mingyu would definitely not tell him the truth. His ambiguous answer made Smith confused and made him even more curious.
Bu Xin tried a few words again, but Liao Mingyu refused to let go. He only chatted with him about the offensive dynamics and key issues of this battle, without mentioning a word about his preparation plan.
This result made Smith a little frustrated, but during the casual chat, Liao Mingyu's strategically clear thinking and overall view really impressed him.
This is much clearer than that fiery-minded Mr. Yu. Although I didn't get the answer I wanted, at least I felt a little confident.
"In this case, I won't say more. If you have any other needs for equipment, you can mention it to me. I will try my best to arrange it. I just hope that Commander Liao will not let me down." Smith said sincerely.
"Haha, you don't need to tell me that I can do it. After all, that land belongs to our country!" Liao Mingyu said categorically.
Smith, who had just stood up to leave, slapped his forehead in annoyance and said to Liao Mingyu embarrassedly:
"Sorry, I almost forgot the most important thing. We will hold a pre-war deployment meeting at the Yu Division headquarters in three days. Commanders from several parties will participate. I hope you can also attend this meeting."
Is a war meeting going to be held so soon? Yu Xiaoqing is getting more and more anxious, but Young Master Yu doesn't seem to have invited him, probably because he is afraid of undermining him.
Liao Mingyu thought for a moment and agreed immediately: "Yes, I will go."
After Smith left with his adjutant, Mike, who had been standing silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, still in Chinese: "Don't trust this old scoundrel too much."
"Oh? Which aspect are you talking about?" Liao Mingyu asked unexpectedly.
Of course he knew Smith's little thoughts. Although this old guy acted like he cared about their success or failure and casualties, he actually only cared about whether he could complete the mission.
Surprisingly, Master Mai was so frank that he could scold his immediate boss in front of outsiders when they first met.
"I just don't want you to be used as a weapon by that old bastard, because what you need is unity." Mike said coldly, referring to his relationship with Yu Xiaoqing. This businessman-like Smith made him very uncomfortable.
Chapter completed!