Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 241 Great Power Game (1)

As the Japanese evacuated southern Anhui, the Battle of Wuhu was declared over, and the Japanese became much quieter after suffering a great loss;
The war on the southern front was temporarily stabilized. The victory telegram from the Shanghai-Nanjing Guerrilla Column made the whole government excited. General Chen even took the credit for this achievement to the Civil Engineering Department. He was in charge of the guerrilla column and was the commander-in-chief.

Yue Qianli's victory telegram was first sent to him, and then after his "polishing", it was reported to the Military Commission;

The entire battle was planned and commanded by General Chen and executed by Yue Qianli. Others could not say anything because they had been to southern Anhui after all, and Yue Qianli had no objection.

The principal was originally partial to General Chen, so he praised him highly and awarded him the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal and the Yue Qianli Cloud Banner Medal.
After realizing that Yue Qianli had the intention of becoming a military leader, he no longer considered promoting Yue Qianli. This kid was really good at leading troops.

A regiment dares to mobilize 4 people. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he was given a brigade organization?

But we have to give them some credit, since Soviet weapons played a big role and a lot of them were consumed in the battle;

So he waved his hand and supplemented the 88th Division with 100 "big pan machine guns", 200 million rounds of bullets, 50 yuan in legal currency as a reward, and a batch of food supplies, which were paid for by the JX Provincial Government.

The new mission given to the guerrilla column by the Military Commission was to defend Wuhu for more than a month and then go north to participate in the Battle of Xuzhou.
It is said that the commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone ordered his generals to hand over the southern front to the guerrilla column so that he could concentrate on the decisive battle with the main force of the Japanese on the northern front.

The fact that so many bigwigs are paying attention to one regiment can only mean that everyone is very pragmatic. Even the Japanese General Hata Shunroku tacitly agreed to distinguish the guerrilla column from ordinary regiments, otherwise he would suffer a loss.

With the full force of the Political Department's propaganda machine, the news of the great victory in southern Anhui soon spread across the country, both inside and outside the Great Wall.
Having killed a Japanese general (the Japanese only admitted that it was a posthumous award), and annihilated over ten thousand enemies, Yue Qianli's fame once again spread throughout the country and abroad, while the Japanese's reputation became rotten throughout the streets.

Those Western media repeatedly reprinted the articles, mocking and ridiculing the Japanese army's combat effectiveness, saying that one and a half divisions could not defeat one regiment of the Chinese, and took the opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with the Japanese's attempt to take over China alone.

Across the Ocean, Inside the White House

Franklin was smoking a cigarette happily again. Sitting opposite him was the young Brigadier General George Marshall, who was the assistant to the Army Chief of Staff and Franklin's most valued successor to the Chief of Staff.

This was his first time sitting alone across from the President, and he was somewhat nervous. When his eyes rested on the cover of Time magazine on the table, he roughly guessed the topic of the day;
Although he didn't know why the President was so interested in a group leader from the East, this did not stop him from paying more attention to him. This was an opportunity for him.

"George, what do you think?"

Franklin asked a nonsensical question, but George was not surprised, which made him very happy. Young people always need more experience, and he is now focusing on cultivating George's world view.

George thought for a moment and said:
“This young officer seemed to be doing a great job, and if I remember correctly he was the top student at West Point;
This at least proves that West Point’s education is successful, and of course it is not an exaggeration to understand it as a victory for West Point.”

In fact, George didn't know how to answer, so he spoke in a confusing manner, which is also the way civilized people should speak.

Franklin saw through George's little trick at a glance, but he did not expose it. Instead, he continued his topic and said:

"According to intelligence, the person commanding this annihilation war on the front line is another young officer, Colonel Wang Jianfei, the commander of the 88th Division's supplementary detachment. He was the second-best graduate in Colonel Yue's class, and was called Bangyan in China.

The graduation exercise was a showdown between the two of them, and it was very exciting." Now it was George's turn to drop his jaw, his expression was very exaggerated, of course it could be fake, this is also a kind of communication art.

“Mr. President, this is definitely a victory for West Point—no, it should be said that this is a victory for Eagle Sauce;
When every West Point student walks out of the school gate, responsibility, country, and honor are engraved in their bones. This is also a successful export of American values. The United States should have its own influence in the East. "

A smile finally appeared on Franklin's lips. This was the world view that the Army Chief of Staff should have. George was undoubtedly on the same wavelength as him. With more training, he would definitely be a qualified Army Chief of Staff in two years.

"George, what do you think of the war in the Far East?"

Franklin habitually tested the strategic vision of his future chief of staff, which determined his upper limit.

When George learned that Franklin was going to meet him, he did a lot of homework, including the Far East War. Although the East was a political desert, a regional war involving millions of people could not be ignored.

So after thinking about it, he said:
“Your Excellency, this is a regional war, but it will have a profound impact on the world situation;

The current international system was established based on the Treaty of Versailles, with Britain and France as the dominant powers, and Europe remains the center of world politics.

The Versailles system was established through war and force, and will inevitably end because of war;
The national strength of Britain and France is no longer sufficient to maintain the Versailles system. It is only a matter of time before it is broken. The status and strength of the United States do not match this. "

After George finished speaking, he paused and looked up at Franklin. This could be understood as a test. He wanted to know whether Franklin was interested, otherwise his long chatter would only annoy people.

Franklin smiled encouragingly and motioned for him to continue.

George was encouraged, which meant that he had made the right bet, so he continued to speak according to his own thoughts:

“The two countries that pose the greatest challenge to the Versailles system at present are Germany in Europe and Japan in the Far East;

Germany was the defeated country in the last European war. The Versailles system was like a mountain pressing on the heads of the Germans, and they were eager to overturn it.

Adolf has become the Chancellor and head of state of Germany, and is constantly challenging the bottom line of Britain and France. Once the bottom line of Britain and France is crossed, war will be inevitable. "

Franklin motioned for him to continue, and George cheered up and continued:
“It is only a matter of time before the Versailles system is broken. Whether war will break out in Europe depends on when Adolf takes control of the German Wehrmacht. Intelligence shows that they have begun to extend their hands to the army, which is also a challenge to the bottom line of Britain and France.

Considering Japan's aggressive nature, this would inevitably become a disaster for the civilized world. Once they gain control of enough resources, their navy, the third largest in the world, would surely expand significantly, with the United States being the first to be affected.

So my conclusion is that the Japanese must not be allowed to win this war, and the best outcome is that they keep fighting.”

A meaningful smile appeared on Franklin's face, and he was obviously very satisfied with this future chief of staff.

(End of this chapter)