In the blink of an eye, it was the end of August 1940.
Tang Dao originally planned to return to his base around the 26th, but he reported to the Military and Political Department twice in a row, and the Military and Political Department told Tang Dao to wait.
Tang Dao was very depressed. His wife's due date of delivery was within a few days. Although he could not rush back in time to be with his wife who was about to give birth, the sooner he went back, the sooner he could see his first child. The feeling of being a father for the first time was
This was something Tang Dao had never experienced in his previous life.
But Tang Dao also knew that despite all the things he had done, as long as the Ministry of Military Affairs did not allow him to leave, he would be disrespecting military orders as long as he stepped out of the mountain city area.
If during the war, there are still generals who are not obeying the orders of the foreign emperor, the frontline commander will have to make tactical adjustments according to the actual battle situation. Everything is easy to say if the battle is won, but at this time, the big label of disrespecting military orders will be slapped down.
, then no one can protect him.
Of course Tang Dao didn't know that during the period of celebrating his victory, the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Fifth War Zone, and the Second War Zone were engaged in a rather complicated game regarding his personnel adjustments.
First, the commander of the fifth theater made a request to the Military and Political Department to mobilize the Fourth Army Regiment to fight in the fifth theater. The general commander even called the general in his own name and asked for his support on the grounds of the loss of the general.
The minister had no way of refusing.
After receiving the approval of the Ministry of Military Affairs, General Bai Xi, who served as the director of the Guangxi Provincial Operations and Commander of the Fourth War Zone, took the trouble to take the car to the Second War Zone Headquarters and Yan'an District Headquarters to express his condolences to the Tenth War Zone.
The commander meets.
It is said that the two of them stayed in that small conference room for a full 4 hours. Even the stingy old man's personal secretary Wu Meizi didn't know what the two talked about, but judging from the extremely gloomy look on her face after seeing the guests off,
, the content of the conversation between the two people undoubtedly made them unhappy.
Even if the big boss of Guangxi Province offers conditions that he cannot refuse, such as the Guangxi clique will become his allies in the future and fully support him in continuing to govern Shanxi Province, etc., this has gradually lost its influence in the national government.
The stingy old man who had the right to speak must have given me a pillow when he felt sleepy, otherwise he would have been unable to resist the pressure from that person.
However, the price he had to pay was huge. The Fifth War Zone actually had to transfer away from the Four Elements Regiment.
This was not only an irreparable loss for the North China battlefield, but also a huge blow to the stingy old man who was determined to counterattack the original city and regain his own territory.
Even the stingy old man, who has always been shrewd, could not help but weigh the two for a long time and did not give an answer immediately.
In the end, it was Wu Meizi's words that woke up the dreamer. The thoughts and conditions of Li and Bai were secondary. What was important was the attitude of the person. If he had this intention, no one could stop him.
.
The stingy old man immediately summoned his confidant generals and informed Admiral Bai, who was still waiting in the barracks, about the purpose of his visit. Naturally, the generals of the Jin Dynasty objected one after another.
They are not fools. Ever since the Si Xing Regiment came to the battlefield in North China, even though they did not have the ability to turn the tide due to their small number of troops, every attack they made was like a sharp bayonet poking into the waist of the Japanese army in North China.
Not only does it make the Japanese feel extremely painful, but it also affects the overall situation locally.
It only took two years to maintain the shaky northern defense line to a balance. Not only did the Japanese North China Front never make any further progress, it also had to deploy a large number of troops to maintain stability in the occupied areas.
Although much of the credit for this can be attributed to the 80th Army Group, which was constantly active behind enemy lines, anyone with a discerning eye cannot deny the important role played by the Four Lines Regiment.
The current requirements of the Military Commission for the Second War Zone have never said anything about counterattack or not. As long as these two important lines of defense are maintained from being breached by the Japanese army, the security of the Yellow River defense line is ensured, and the Japanese North China Front Army is not allowed to enter Shaanxi Province and avoids being attacked.
The main force in the decisive battle between South China and the Japanese army will be trapped in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.
Once the Four-Hong Regiment left, the Japanese army would no longer have this serious worry, and might again target the two important defense lines of Zhongtiao Mountain and Taihang Mountain. Wouldn't the pressure on everyone be doubled again?
The vision and structure of these generals of the Jin Dynasty are still somewhat certain. After this beep, the stingy old man was also a little undecided.
"Sir, everyone, given the current situation, which one is more important, Yiling or North China?" General Yang, then deputy commander of the Second Theater Command and commander of the 6th Group Army, did not issue the order until the end.
All the generals present were silent about the question.
Although Yiling is a small city, it is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, where the Yangtze River waterway must pass. What's more terrible is that it is only a few hundred kilometers away from the mountain city, and you can go directly to the mountain city along the Yangtze River.
If the Japanese army occupied this place and used it as a bridgehead to attack the mountain city, it would not be that there was a tiger in the mountain behind the house, but that the tigers had jumped into the yard and almost broke in. This would make those in the mountain city
How can you sleep?
Sichuan Province, where the mountain city is located, is not only China's most important political, cultural, and industrial center, but also China's most important production area and exporter of civilians and soldiers.
Minister He of the Ministry of Military Affairs even mentioned it personally in a report not long ago: The recruitment of soldiers in Sichuan province accounts for about 1/5 of the country's total, regardless of quotas and actual recruitment amounts, ranking first in the country;
There are 150,000 educated young people registered to join the army, and there are more than 40,000 in Sichuan Province, ranking first in the country. Less than one in 10 people in the national anti-Japanese army is from Sichuan.
In addition to people, there is also an extremely important food item. The people of Sichuan Province would rather go hungry than pay enough for public food. As a result, from 1938 to 1939, Sichuan Province provided one-fifth of the country's food supply.
But this is just the statistics of people in this era. In fact, Sichuan Province made even more thrilling sacrifices in the coming years of the Anti-Japanese War. According to statistics, from 1941 to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the total amount of rice collected by Sichuan Province accounted for approximately the national total.
1/3.
One province aids the whole country. I am afraid this is the real origin of the saying "No army can be formed without a river" that has been spread in later generations.
Comparing the two, the war in North China is obviously not as important as the other side.
"What does Brother Xingru mean?" The stingy old man frowned, obviously grasping the meaning behind this question.
"Except that Chief Bai made this request to you, sir, on behalf of Chief Li, the Ministry of Military Affairs and Government probably didn't make any statement!" General Yang asked again unhurriedly.
"It seems that the old man from the Four Elements Group can't keep him!" After a while, the stingy old man finally let out a sigh of relief.
With his political wisdom, how could he not understand that since Admiral Bai could come, even if he did not approve of it, he would still acquiesce, but he still had a fluke in his heart, thinking that the war in North China was important and it was not appropriate to deploy the best elites in the theater.
But as his first general said this, he was finally sure that he was also waiting for his statement.
In fact, the outcome was already doomed when Admiral Bai came, but his attitude as the commander of the second theater may be what he wanted to see the most.
"Sir, we can't keep most of the people in the Fourth Army, but we still have to fight for some people and some equipment." General Yang said with a smile.
"How do you say that?" The stingy old man raised his eyebrows.
"If the Fourth Army Regiment is to be transferred, the marching route can only be to cross the Yellow River and then enter Sichuan from Shaanxi Province, or from Shaanxi Province to the fifth theater of war through the war zone. No matter which route is taken, the marching distance will exceed 2,000 kilometers.
inside.
How could they possibly take away the more than 20 heavy artillery pieces they equipped in Zishan during such a long march? I think it would be more appropriate to keep them in my second theater.
Moreover, even if the Fourth Army Regiment is transferred, as long as our Second War Zone does not apply to remove the title of deputy director of the Jinan Administrative Office that Captain Tang concurrently holds, Captain Tang will still be regarded as a member of our Second War Zone!
Some of the garrison troops that originally belonged to the Jinan Administrative Office can still stay, and our second theater also has the authority to prepare garrison regiment-level troops!" General Yang continued.
"Haha! It has to be you, brother Xingru! This trick of 'stealing a dragon and turning a phoenix' is very good." The stingy old man smiled broadly. "Since that guy wants to poach my corner, he must get me some first."
Build up the wall, otherwise if the wall falls, I won’t be the only one who will be crushed to death.”
"What? Yan Laoxi'er actually wants to keep all the 20 or so heavy artillery pieces of the Four Lines Regiment in his second theater, and also wants to add a southern Hebei garrison regiment in Zishan. This is to give me the plank road to be built in secret.
What! You are simply short-sighted and have no regard for the military strategy of the country!" Minister He of the Military and Political Department received the telegram sent back by Admiral Bai and slapped his desk hard.
The 20 or so 150-meter heavy artillery pieces purchased by the Si Xing Regiment from the United States are a hot commodity. Not to mention that the Second Theater Zone wants them, the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs wants them even more.
At least half of the reason why the company was able to be persuaded by the commander of the fifth theater was that these 20 heavy artillery pieces were transferred to the Fourth Regiment in Central China, so that they could have the opportunity to deploy these 20 heavy artillery pieces on the Central and South China defense lines.
In the end, the stingy old man was lucky, and the condition he proposed was to intercept all these heavy artillery pieces. Who would be willing to do it instead?
On the other hand, in the fifth war zone, if you have heavy artillery but not heavy artillery, you can have the best. Without it, Laki will overwhelm you. What General Li values is Tang Dao and a group of elites.
So, the three parties spent nearly ten days trying to negotiate and compromise, and finally reached a balance recognized by all three parties, and the stingy old man finally agreed to let him go.
During this period, except for Commander Xu of the Fifth War Zone who sent an army major general from the theater's Shancheng office to visit Tang Dao in person, no one from the Military and Political Department or the Second War Zone came to ask Tang Dao for his personal opinion.
Therefore, Tang Dao never expected that the time for him and the Four Elements Regiment to leave the North China battlefield would come so quickly and be caught off guard.
...........
"Report!" Tang Dao once again walked into the quiet small building and stood in front of the office that controlled the country's military and political power, reporting loudly.
This time, the colonel and director of the Military and Political Department personally greeted and led the way. However, the colonel and director did not enter the secretary's room as usual, but walked to the door and left, which made Tang Dao feel a little surprised.
"Come in!" A low command voice came from inside.
Tang Dao walked into the office, only to find that Minister He was not sitting on the chair, but standing in front of the map, and his heart skipped a beat.
"You have done a lot of work in the mountain city during this period. I have seen it all. You have done a good job!" Minister He saw Tang Dao entering the room and waved him to come to him. To Tang Dao's surprise, he started
praise.
"I just did what I, a Chinese, and a Chinese soldier should do. Sir, I have to praise you." Tang Dao, who was so wary, could easily get confused, so he answered cautiously.
"Haha! Don't be nervous. It's not a bad thing to call you here this time. On the contrary, it will be beneficial to your future." Minister He couldn't help laughing when he saw Tang Dao's serious face.
"Let me ask you first, what do you think of the current war situation across the country?" After saying that, he did not continue what he had said. Instead, he changed the topic to the war situation across the country.
"Now the war between my country and Japan has evolved from the Japanese army's main attack on my country's main defense in the past two years to a tug-of-war. It is entering the stage of the strategic policy of "accumulating small victories into big victories and exchanging space for time" proposed by our country. The situation is far better than that at the beginning of the war. The first two years were good, but my talents are sparse and my knowledge is limited. I can only see this, and I hope that my superior will understand." Tang Dao thought for a while and gave such a relatively broad answer.
"Then you, Commander Tang, are still being modest. Based on this analysis alone, whoever dares to say that you, Commander Tang, are lacking in talent and learning, would probably not be followed by Commander Yan of the Second War Zone and Commander Xu of the Fifth War Zone." Minister He smiled brightly.
said.
"Sir He called Tang Dao here today, who is it?" Tang Dao was a very smart man. He listened to his words and immediately sensed a clue. He simply didn't bother to go round and round with this person and asked directly.
"This order has been drafted by the Military and Political Department. Take a look." Minister He was not displeased at all with Tang Dao's directness. He took out a paper order from the table and handed it to Tang Dao with a warm expression.
"Today, 5,065 officers and soldiers under Tang Dao, the commander of the independent Si Xing Regiment directly under the Second Theater Command, went to the Fifth Theater Command to listen to orders and were organized into the Security Regiment directly under the Fifth Theater Command. The name of the Four Bank Regiment was retained. Due to the consideration of the Second Theater Command,
The war zone is far away from the fifth war zone. With the approval of the Military Commission, the reporting time for the Four Troops' arrival in the fifth war zone can be extended until before the New Year!" Tang Dao read the contents of the military order softly, but his heart was in turmoil.
Although he had already expected it when Minister He specifically mentioned the Fifth War Zone just now, when the military order was actually placed in front of him, it was inevitable that he would still have a wave of emotions.
Because Tang Dao knew that the battlefields in Central and South China were more complicated than the battlefields in North China. In a sense, that was where China was currently fighting its decisive battle with the enemy.
"They all think that there is nothing to discuss with you, a small army colonel. When a military order is issued, as a soldier, you have to obey it even if you don't obey it. But I don't think so, even if you promised me last time that you will obey everything
Order from the Ministry of Military Affairs, I think it would be better for me to tell you personally. If you need an explanation, I can also pass on to you the telegram from Commander Xu Qiucai Ruoke of the Fifth Theater Zone who personally called the higher-ups." He looked at the man who had been silent for a long time.
Tang Dao, Minister He said slowly.
"No need, sir. As a soldier, Tang Dao must obey military orders resolutely! Our regiment will rush to the battlefield before the New Year." Tang Dao shook his head, put the order in his coat pocket, stood at attention and saluted.
Since the military orders have been issued and the stingy old man in the second theater has not contacted him, it is obvious that he has negotiated with the Ministry of Military Affairs and obtained what he wants. It is useless to say more.
"Haha! Aren't you curious about what promises the Fifth War Zone made to the Military Commission in order to get this elite soldier of your Si Xing Regiment, or what position it gave you as Commander Tang? I have known Commander Li for so many years, but I have never met him.
So generous." Tang Dao's attitude obviously satisfied Minister He very much. He poured a cup of tea for Tang Dao himself and asked with a smile.
"I don't know why Tang Dao was so favored by Chief Li. I thought carefully about it in fear. I'm afraid it has something to do with my elder brother Zhang. Chief Li knows that my elder brother Zhang is smart and brave, and elder brother Zhang must have been in front of Chief Li many times during his lifetime.
Give me a kind word." Tang Dao replied.
"Haha! They say that you Tang Dao is Madman Tang and the biggest thorn in the side of an army colonel. Who would have thought that you would be so humble, but you are actually very talkative. There is a reason for being a devoted minister. Commander Li firmly believes that
You will definitely be willing to come to his fifth war zone, because there are enemies there who will kill your Brother Zhang.
Commander Li has taken great pains to prepare it for you so that you can serve in the fifth theater." Minister He laughed.
"Sir, this is the biggest reason why Tang Dao happily accepted the order!" Tang Dao nodded, but the words of this shrewd military and political minister were blocked in his throat.
Although this man must be known as Commander Li, his shadow is not missing at all. Tang Dao also knows that it will be good for the future if he has a good relationship with this big boss, but his thoughts are no longer there at this time.
At this point, he has already flown back to Taihang Mountain.
An hour before he came to the Military and Political Ministry, Tantai Mingyue had already entered the delivery room to wait for delivery, and Tang Dao really didn't have much time to talk to the Military and Political Minister.
Although the military order came somewhat suddenly, Tang Dao quickly accepted it, which also meant that he could rush back to the north today.
Standing in front of the window, watching Tang Dao's leaving figure, Minister He's expression behind his gold-rimmed glasses was hard to understand.
If Tang Dao made conditions, whether it was promotion or salary, he would understand and even accept it. However, Tang Dao happily accepted the order without mentioning any conditions. This made this young soldier completely unable to see through the world.
.
If he doesn't seek fame and fortune, what does he seek? Is there such an extremely pure soldier in this world?
