At the foot of the mountain, more than 1,300 ragged and disorganized officers and soldiers were neatly arranged into five square formations. More than ten formal or temporary platoon leaders organized the formation and quickly returned to the formation. Forty-six heavy machine guns, sixty-seven
Light machine guns were neatly placed in front of the team. An Yi and Hu Hu stood in front of the team. Four tested company mates and instructors lined up behind them, with young faces on their faces.
It's all smoke and dust, but it can't hide their inner perseverance and pride.
The commander and the brothers of the Sixth Regiment and the Fourth Regiment came one after another with smiles on their faces and swarmed to greet him. Almost everyone saw this huge team and the many light and heavy weapons in front of the team, and they were all happy and happy for An Yi's great harvest.
Surprised.
At this moment, An Yi was as excited as his two hundred and three brothers in the first and second companies. The kindness, grievance, pride and other emotions in his heart were all mixed together, which was difficult to describe.
"Reporting to the division seat, reporting to all officers: The 1st and 2nd companies of the Engineer Battalion have basically completed the tasks assigned by the division headquarters and returned successfully. The 204 people who performed the tasks did not suffer any casualties. They have returned to the directly attached 6th and 7th mixed brigades.
The 7th and 9th Hunan-Hubei Border Defense Regiments and other scattered brothers totaled 1,143, and 32 new recruits were recruited, totaling 1,379 people. Forty-six heavy machine guns and light machine guns were seized.
There are sixty-two machine guns, four hundred and ninety-one various long and short guns, and three hundred and sixty rounds of seventy-five mountain artillery shells. After the report, please give instructions from the master!"
An Yi reported in detail with his head held high.
Liu Zhi led the officers to return the greeting happily. Looking at the more than 1,300 people in front of them, a group of officers were overjoyed and deeply ashamed. They came all the way north from Yueyang to here. The entire Second Division was under tight defense from Tang Shengzhi's ministries.
More than 800 prisoners were taken, more than 300 long and short guns were seized, and not a single light or heavy machine gun or an artillery piece was obtained. Compared with the achievements of the An Yi Department in front of me, it was really not a good feeling.
Liu She stepped forward to tidy up An Yi's collar and patted the bearded shoulder affectionately. Seeing that the sweat-stained coats of the two bearded men only had three or two buttons left on their coats, Liu She felt sad and whispered to her.
The two men ordered:
"I have already ordered the main camp to prepare dinner and enough new uniforms for the brothers. You two should lead the team back first. After eating and taking a shower, you will report slowly to the division headquarters."
"yes!"
An Yi and Hu Hu replied in unison. They saluted, turned around and issued a series of commands. More than 1,300 brothers all started to move. More than 60 people from the temporary machine gun unit led hundreds of brothers who had lost their weapons. Four people each
The team carried dozens of heavy machine guns in an orderly manner and walked into the team, marching in a mighty file under the leadership of the ministers.
The newly joined brothers all wore red ribbons. Although the expressions on their faces ranged from panic to numbness to joy, no one spoke. They all obeyed orders honestly. Among the more than ten company officers and platoon commanders,
Following the command, Liu She, Hu Shusen and others secretly sighed, wondering how An Yi made these more than a thousand veterans so obedient.
When walking across the small stone bridge, An Yi ordered loudly: "Instructor Huang Yingwu, come here... In front is the station of Master He Jian of the Eighth Army. Let the brothers raise the big flag and roar, and sing all the way without stopping until we reach our division headquarters."
As far as the main camp, let the grandchildren of the Eighth Army see the spirit of our brothers from the Second Division!"
"yes!"
Huang Yingwu strode to the middle of the team, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brothers, show off our majesty and sing with me! Get ready - there is a girl named Xiaofang in the village - sing -"
"There is a girl named Xiaofang in the village. She is good-looking and kind... La la la, la la la la... There is a girl named Xiao Fang in the village. She is good-looking and kind..."
The thunderous singing of more than a thousand people spread to all directions and echoed endlessly. The long team slowly accelerated under the surprised gaze of more than two thousand officers and soldiers of the Second Division. Every officer and soldier in the team sang with their heads held high, and they were instantly exhausted.
The officers and soldiers of the Second Division were deeply moved by the mental outlook that quickly changed with the singing.
Liu She, Hu Shusen and others looked at each other in surprise for a moment. They all shook their heads and laughed. Everyone realized that An Yi was provoking He Jianshi. At the same time, they also discovered An Yi's unique way of leading troops and realized An Yi's stubbornness.
Character and charisma that cannot be replicated.
In the Chutian Pavilion in Yanglousi City, Tang Shengzhi angrily scolded He Jian in front of him: "Your two regiments of more than 7,000 people are almost twice as many as the entire second division, and you can't stop a mere 1,000 people."
"The stragglers, where do you want me to put my face?"
"Military seat, my subordinates didn't expect that boy An Yi to dare to resist. They took advantage of the convenience of being close to Shuangshan and quickly seized the commanding heights of more than 200 meters wide on the mountain. They mounted dozens of light and heavy machine guns and blocked the two sides of our division from a high position.
The regiment only had three attack routes. The subordinates were worried that the matter would cause too much trouble and unnecessary casualties, so they did not order an attack. In the military position, the subordinates believed that such a low-key approach was the best policy. Now we have one division
As an army, for the sake of future development, it is better to be patient for the time being."
Although He Jian lowered his head, his words seemed very rational and full of confidence.
Tang Shengzhi shook his head and dismissed He Jian. He drank the fragrant tea and put down the cup. He heard bursts of singing coming from the south of the city, getting closer and louder.
Surprised, Tang Shengzhi quickly walked to the window and opened the exquisite mahogany carved window to take a closer look. Four or five senior staff members, including party representative and senior counselor Liu Wendao and deputy chief of staff Zhang Yipeng, also walked quickly to the south window to look out.
"Brother Yongqing, you heard it right? This is a demonstration against me!"
Tang Shengzhi looked at the continuous stream of troops heading toward the Second Division's camp three hundred meters to the southeast, his face full of displeasure, whether he was angry or disappointed.
Liu Wendao adjusted his glasses and sighed slightly: "No wonder the military attaches so much importance to these more than a thousand stragglers. At this time, they still have such spirit and courage. The formation is not chaotic and everyone raises their heads. It is indeed a hundred battles."
Yu Sheng's elites! Under such circumstances, they still have such momentum, which is indeed beyond the ordinary troops. We have never seen such a surrender team along the way... Look, they are carrying dozens of water machine guns!"
Tang Shengzhi left the window, lightly wiped his thick upturned beard, and shook his head: "What do dozens of machine guns mean? The arms arsenal we captured and captured along the way is enough to equip a team of 60,000 people. A single piece of various artillery pieces
There are more than 300 guns. Why should I care about these dozens of machine guns? What I pity are these veterans!
Our left column faced different enemy forces than the right column led by Li Delin. What we dealt with were basically improvised local armies. Although they were large in number, they had no combat effectiveness. Only Zhang Hongluan and the eight soldiers of the former Second Division of the Hunan Army
More than a thousand people belonged to the main force of the Zhili, but the more than 8,000 people would rather die than surrender and finally broke through the siege. Not only did they cripple the besieging troops of our army's divisions and regiments, but the more than 3,000 people who broke through were also killed by Liu
Jie's Second Division was annexed first and has now been reorganized into the main regiment of the First Division of the First Army.
Another thing is that the Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army captured many prisoners this time and gained a lot. Various intelligence has confirmed that after the regiments of the Fourth Army gathered the direct ministries and surrendered to the main force, they immediately dispersed into various regiments and camps, and the strength of the Fourth Army also followed.
Doubling the size, we only need to ask for a designation from Chiang Kai-shek to organize it into two armies. Only Li Delin's Seventh Army of the Guangxi Army captured the fewest prisoners, but it also received a large amount of equipment and ammunition supplies. In comparison, we
Although the army has benefited the most, the increase in combat power is quite limited, which is very detrimental to the subsequent Northern Expedition. Without combat power, we dare not speak loudly!"
The staff nodded in agreement. Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang Yipeng was the last to leave the window and walked toward the crowd. After sitting down, he said with a sense of disappointment:
"Military seat, are we, like the Fourth Army, asking Commander-in-Chief Chiang to ask for trainee officers to come back? The grassroots officers who came out of Huangpu Military Academy are very good. I heard that the Fourth Army has benefited a lot from this! Starting from Pingjiang
Each and every battle was tough, and those at the front were all lower-level officers who were graduates of the first four batches of Huangpu, especially An Yi of the Second Division, who was praised by all the armies of the Northern Expedition. He was the one who ruined our good deeds twice, and this person was scheming.
Lots of luck, extraordinary luck, if only..."
"Yipeng, don't be wishful thinking. Who is An Yi? Who among the military generals doesn't know that he is Chiang Kai-shek's favorite disciple? It is said that among the more than 2,600 graduates of the fourth phase of Huangpu, he was the first to be promoted to major.
He looks easy-going and bohemian, but in fact he has an extraordinary mind, is brave and resourceful, is loyal to the old Chiang Kai-shek, and is respectful to his superiors such as Liu She and Hu Shusen. He is uncouth to his subordinates, but he eats and lives together and works hard to protect him. He is deeply supported by the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers.
At the end of last month, I had dinner with General Li Jishen and Li Renchao, Chief of the General Staff and Vice President of Whampoa Military Academy, in Guangzhou. During our chat, he smiled brightly when he talked about his student An Yi.
They all asked about An Yi, and Li Renchao told him happily with pride on his face. In his words, he regarded An Yi as his nephew, haha! It can be seen that a person like An Yi who can be appreciated by so many high-level military officials, looking at the situation,
It is difficult for each army to have only a few, and given time, they will surely be able to stand alone. Is Chiang Kai-shek willing to let go of such talented people? Let’s think about how to vigorously tap and cultivate our own talents!"
After Liu Wendao finished speaking, he smiled, picked up the exquisite gold-painted porcelain cup and tasted the fragrant tea comfortably.
Tang Shengzhi stood up and walked a few steps, turned to Liu Wendao and asked with a smile: "Brother Yongqing, how about we take some time tomorrow to visit Dongdaying?"
Liu Wendao looked at the burly Tang Shengzhi in surprise. He saw the familiar smile at the corner of his mouth and the thick upturned Germanic beard. He immediately understood what Tang Shengzhi was thinking and knew that his old friend would reveal his feelings to An Yi.
Bole's smiling face and used the only magic weapon for high-ranking officials and generous salaries.
According to the thinking of his old friend Tang Shengzhi and most of his colleagues, judging from An Yi's current status as a major battalion deputy, the young and energetic An Yi may not be able to remain unmoved if he is given the position of colonel commander or even deputy division commander.
But Liu Wendao, who had been in officialdom for a long time and had become a mature man, did not tell his true thoughts. Instead, he asked with a smile on his face as if he was surprised: "What does the military seat mean..."
Tang Shengzhi laughed: "After all, I am also the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the supreme commander of the left column. It is natural for me to take time out of my busy schedule to visit my subordinates and go deep into the grassroots to understand the situation, haha!"
The surrounding generals immediately laughed heartily, and Liu Wendao also laughed, but he did not have the confidence that everyone had that he could be captured, but he had deeper worries, and even had a premonition that he would not be able to find a talent like An Yi that could be encountered but could not be sought.
This set is basically useless, otherwise the bottomless Commander-in-Chief would not be so confident to leave such a proud protégé in a grassroots engineer battalion that is not valued by others for training. Even an outstanding person like Li Jishen would not
I deeply regret not being able to get An Yi. I am afraid that it will be even more difficult for my old friend, a revolutionary latecomer with a low reputation, to get his wish.
While Tang Shengzhi was chatting heartily with his subordinate Wen Wu, Liu She and other colleagues were also gathering together with the three beloved generals: An Yi, Hu Jialin, and Yin Jinan.
After listening to An Yi, Hu Jialin reported everything during the entire trip. Liu She and others were pleasantly surprised and spoke highly of An Yi, especially his use of tactics to defeat the Seventh Hunan-Hubei Border Defense Regiment.
, immediately asked An Yi to submit the list of meritorious personnel. The division headquarters will commend and reward each person based on his/her merit. The division commander will never ignore the merit of each brother.
After some joking, Liu She, with frequent hints from Hu Shusen, Xu Tingyao and others, finally put away his smile and solemnly explained to An Yi:
"An Yi, in view of the current actual situation of our division, we need to transfer most of the more than a thousand surrendered veterans you brought back to supplement the main force regiments, and replenish most of the captured light and heavy machine guns and all the 75 shells.
to the machine gun companies and artillery companies of each regiment. Of course, the division headquarters has not forgotten its previous commitment and allows your engineer battalion to give priority to replenishing the vacancies. In other words, your battalion's 500 establishment will be fully established first, and you will be allowed to retain from the captured troops.
Three heavy machine guns and nine light machine guns. I hope you can understand the difficulties of the division headquarters and the regiments and carry out the division headquarters' orders to the letter."
"As you command!"
An Yi's decisive answer surprised Liu Zhen, Hu Shusen, Xu Tingyao, Yan Erai and the heads of each group who were full of worries. Everyone did not expect that An Yi would be so open-minded and did not say a word of bargaining as usual. Just listen to An Yi
He smiled and said: "My subordinates and others resolutely obey the orders of the division headquarters and are ready to divert troops at any time."
Jiang Dingwen looked at An Yi in surprise: "Xiao Yi, how can you think so openly this time? Why don't you take the opportunity to rip off us?"
An Yi said helplessly and sincerely: "I don't dare. Through this action, I really realized the difficulty of leading troops. With the current ability of my subordinates and others, I simply cannot lead so many brothers. What I saw along the way
Seeing a group of defeated soldiers with no clothes on and no food to eat, seeing them tremblingly emerging from the mountains, and listening to their accounts of tragic defeats and complaints to their officers, my subordinates felt heavy and moved.
many.
Along the way, I have been thinking, if one day the brothers under my leadership also fall into such a miserable situation, would I have the shame to see my brothers? Do I have the shame to meet the superior who has great trust in me? After thinking about it,
I finally understand that with my current ability, I simply cannot make so many brothers feel at ease and safe. To be honest, even leading the current battalion is very difficult for my subordinates."
This sincere truth made all the officers look at each other and finally closed their mouths.
Hu Shusen said emotionally: "Xiaoyi, you have made progress, and you have made rapid progress! We as officials are very pleased and deeply touched. Very good! You have not let us down, you have not let the principal down, we are very grateful to you."
I am very confident and hope that you will continue to work hard and achieve great results and become a role model for the younger generation of our army!"
An Yi stood up with emotion and thanked him. After that, he said sincerely: "Master, sirs, I think it would be better to mobilize the more than a thousand brothers as soon as possible. It is best to complete the triage tonight, otherwise they will be mutually exclusive after being together for a long time."
They will be reluctant to part with each other for a while, or they will bargain in groups, which is very detrimental to future management."
Liu She nodded happily: "Okay! Your suggestion is very good. The division headquarters and each regiment have the same plan. You will return immediately to make preparations. A few of us and the commanders of each regiment will arrive soon."
"yes!"
After saluting, An Yi, Hu Hu and Yin Jinan quickly walked out of the small building of the division headquarters and walked towards the south of the camp with long strides.
Huzi asked An Yi in a low voice in surprise: "Your answer just now shocked me. I didn't expect you to agree so readily. I feel so bad! What's going on?"
An Yi explained sadly as he walked: "As soon as I entered the camp, Jinan told me all the rumors he heard from Lao He of the Military Supplies Department when he went to collect clothes. As soon as I heard it, I knew that I couldn't keep people. Instead of arriving,
When we got into a fight and offended these bosses, we worked so hard to achieve great results but ended up with disgusting bad results. It would be better to knock out our teeth and swallow them in our stomachs, forcing a smile to endure it. Who told us that we are just little ones now?
Deputy battalion-level officer? It's not our turn to talk at this time! Beard, please don't show any dissatisfaction later. You are a guy with clear grudges and cold eyes. You can't hide your likes and dislikes. You have to change it in the future and be patient.
I’ll just get used to it!”
"I understand! Fuck him..."
Beard kicked up the pebbles on the ground in annoyance.
Yin Jinan hurriedly advised: "Huzi, brother is right. Rather than doing a thankless job, it's better to take a step back. Didn't you see the reactions of the teachers just now? And the group leaders were all very grateful.
As if he owes us a huge favor, what result could be better than this? To tell you the truth, Lao He, deputy director of the Munitions Department, will soon be transferred to the military headquarters. Battalion Commander Kuang has been going to the military headquarters these days.
Many of those who jumped down the string went to look for the division seat. If nothing unexpected happens, Battalion Commander Kuang is very likely to take over Lao He's position and sit upright as he wishes. The position of battalion commander of our engineer battalion will also be vacant.
Big brother understood it when I told you in the evening. The reason why I didn't tell you was because I was worried that you wouldn't be able to hide it on your face. Do you understand?"
Huzi stopped in surprise: "His uncle, no wonder you two are so calm. It seems that I have to learn from you two, otherwise when will I be promoted..."
An Yi and Yin Jinan laughed, pulled on their beards and walked quickly to their camp: "Huzi, you have to check again and make sure that our gunnery unit is retained in full, including the 32 soldiers who enlisted in Shuanggang Village.
A new recruit, and you should quickly ask Lao Shi and his experts to pick out the best three heavy machine guns and nine light machine guns, and leave all the remaining bullets for me!"
"Understood!"
Beard replied firmly, then walked a few steps and suddenly asked: "In this case, shall we still follow the original practice of giving two oceans to each of the brothers who left?"
An Yi immediately refused: "Not this time! It's not that we feel sorry for the one or two thousand oceans, but we have to consider the feelings of the commanders and battalion commanders of each regiment. If the brothers who are separated hold two oceans and think about us every day,
Okay, do you think the commanders and battalion commanders of each regiment can be happy in their hearts? Maybe they will say that we are ambitious and will be on guard against us in the future. This kind of stupid thing of spending money to pay for an injustice must not be done! Since you are here with the teacher and a group of
We have endured it in front of the commander, so why are we doing such stupid things like taking off our pants and farting?"
"That makes sense! Why didn't I think of this level?" Huzi was filled with admiration.
Yin Jinan laughed and said: "If we both want to be so sophisticated, my eldest brother might be the leader now, haha!"
An Yi and Hu Hu laughed loudly when they heard this, and punched Yin Jinan at the same time. The pain made Yin Jinan grin and groan.
An hour later, the brothers who had been divided into the three main regiments gathered in the large open space in front of the low barracks of the engineer camp. Light and heavy machine guns were evenly placed in front of the three formations. A few cheerful people
The regiment leader asked Liu She if they had anything to say. When Liu She saw nearly a thousand prisoners, almost all of them looked at An Yi, Hu Hu and others at the door of the barracks behind with reluctance. After thinking about it, he turned to Hu Shusen beside him and whispered a few words.
Hu Shusen nodded and walked towards An Yi, asking him to say a few words of reassurance to the brothers who were about to be assigned to various regiments. An Yi looked left and right and thought for a long time before nodding and instructing Dong Yazi to bring his little black pony.
.
An Yi led the horse to the middle of the three square formations and said loudly to the puzzled brothers: "Brothers, I remember that along the way everyone doubted whether I knew the hero Zhang Chengzhu in your mind, Brother Zhang. As for me, I never knew him.
What are you trying to defend? The reason is that what you say is unfounded. After returning to the camp for dinner, some brothers recognized this little black colt and believed that I was not lying. However, many of you do not know this. Now I will lead
This horse came to tell the brothers that this horse is the son of Brother Zhang Chengzhu's beloved horse 'Sable', and 'Sable' was also together originally, but when he left Changsha, he was taken over by my man in the first division.
Brother Hu Zongnan, the group leader, took it away, and everyone will see it in the future."
There was a low exclamation from the crowd. Liu She and others were quite surprised not knowing the reason. An Yi in the audience paused and said loudly again:
"Brothers, the reason why I hurriedly led this horse out at this time is not just to prove that I, An Yi, am an honest man and have not lied to the brothers, but I have something more important to say to all the brothers, that is
: Our revolutionary army is absolutely different from other warlords. We are a new army with strict discipline, rigor and pragmatism!
All the officers here were my teachers and senior brothers when I was studying at Huangpu Military Academy. They told me from the moment I entered Huangpu that I must be honest, be strict with myself and treat others with kindness, and love my soldiers as my sons and do what I say.
, Therefore, I, An Yi, have always kept it in my heart and dare not forget it.
Here, I wish the brothers to live a comfortable and solid life in the new team, and to live a good life for the Revolutionary Army, for our brave Second Division of the First Army, and for yourself!"
Amid thunderous applause, An Yi gave a formal salute, and then pulled his horse to the stable behind the barracks, leaving thousands of brothers and a group of officials there to sigh.