Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 127: Xuzhou City
2 month 15 day.

13: 24.

The army returned triumphantly and marched into Xuzhou in a mighty procession. The people of the towns and villages along the way spontaneously welcomed them, and everywhere they passed was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns.

Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, personally arrived at the outskirts of the city to welcome the soldiers. Sitting in a jeep, he could see the army in the distance from a long distance away.

"Look! Our victorious army is back!"

Li Zongren shouted to Xu Zuyi beside him and immediately jumped out of the jeep.

With his deliberate promotion, this welcoming event was made quite grand.

Even Xu Zuyi, who was far away in Linyi, was pulled back by him.

In addition to Xuzhou's military, political and business circles, a lot of civilians were also brought here.

The recent Fifth War Zone can be described as a storm brewing.

Its transportation location is very important, but there is no strategic place to defend, and the garrison troops are all miscellaneous and local troops.

Under the covert instigation of Japanese spies, the public sentiment, which had finally been stabilized, dropped sharply again.

The puppet government in North China, which was established last year with the support of Japan, has become increasingly influential. On the contrary, the influence of the Chongqing National Government in North China has been declining.

This is a struggle hidden in the dark, in the field of national ideology!

This is a good opportunity to show the Fifth War Zone's determination and ability to fight against Japan to the people.

The army walked in slowly.

The reason why I didn't take the military train was very simple.

Recently, the activities of Japanese fighter planes in the sky over Xuzhou have become increasingly frequent.

Many important railway lines were destroyed, and repairing them was time-consuming and labor-intensive. More importantly, the Japanese army continued to bomb them after they were repaired, which ultimately wasted manpower and material resources and was not worth the cost.

Whenever he thought of this, Li Zongren would look up to the sky and sigh.

How sad!
The gap in weapons and equipment is really like a natural moat, an unbridgeable gap.

During large-scale battles, the Japanese army would also carry out sabotage operations behind enemy lines, but in a different way than the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers fought with their lives and blood, and risked being surrounded and annihilated at any time to break into the enemy's rear.

As for the Japanese army, their combat efficiency was higher than that of an Eighth Route Army regiment by sending out one plane and consuming a few bombs.

Xu Zuyi straightened his military uniform and said, "Sir, people are coming!"

Li Zongren calmed down and greeted him with a smile.

Wang Feng was riding a white horse. When he saw the person coming towards him, he immediately pulled the reins.

"stop!"

The white horse seemed to be able to sense the surrounding atmosphere and behaved very happily. After trotting a few steps in front of the crowd, it stopped steadily in place.

Xu Zuyi looked up, and under the sunlight, the image of a heroic general suddenly appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

"The spring breeze is proud of the horseshoe, I can see the Chang'an flowers in one day."

“That’s probably what it feels like, right?”

Anyone who can achieve such military feats that will go down in history would be envious.

Don't underestimate the soldiers' desire to establish meritorious service.

Miss Manli was also standing in the crowd, smiling, holding an old camera in her hand, ready to take pictures at any time.

click!
A flash of light appeared and the information was printed on the film.

In front.

Before Wang Feng dismounted, Li Zongren came to his side and said with a smile: "Wang Feng, you have worked hard these days!"

Wang Feng jumped off his horse, stood up straight, saluted with a standard military salute, and spoke in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Sir! Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission! We will completely wipe out the Japanese invaders on the southern front!"

The words were spoken loudly, and the people on both sides heard them clearly.

The already excited emotions were pushed to the extreme at this moment.

A large proportion of the people who came to watch the ceremony were young students, who immediately raised their colorful flags and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Down with Japanese imperialism!"

"Long live the Chinese nation!"

"Expel the Japanese invaders and restore China!"

"Drive them out of North China! Give us back Northeast China!"

Li Zongren couldn't suppress his smile, his mouth almost stretched to his ears: "Great! I feel relieved that there is a young talent like you in the country!"

"This is the commendation certificate issued to you by the chairman, take a look!" The guard at the side came up, holding a closable cardboard in both hands, decorated with some fancy patterns on it.

The so-called certificate of commendation is pasted on it.

Wang Feng raised his eyebrows slightly and was greatly surprised.

I didn't expect Chiang Kai-shek to act so quickly.

I'm still really curious about what he can write for me.

After the Taiyuan Arsenal incident, the relationship between the two men fell into a stalemate before they had time to warm up.

The Changzhi area was an iron plate managed by him and Song Wenjie. Before leaving, Sergei selected personnel from the army and formed a new department.

Its nature is similar to that of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Specialized in eliminating various hidden dangers internally.

Including but not limited to supervising administrative personnel, screening out Japanese spies within the jurisdiction, and eliminating all possible unstable factors.

Under this high-pressure politics of military control, no dissenting voices can be heard at all.

As far as he knew, Chiang Kai-shek had done some shameful things.

But all in vain.

I guess Chiang Kai-shek must be so angry that his teeth are itching.

Not only is there nothing we can do to him, but we have to use him. If we want to get rid of him, who knows who will be stabbed by this knife in the end.

Under the strong supervision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dai Li's spies could not infiltrate at all.

Wang Feng took the certificate with a smile and looked it up and down.

really!

As expected, the whole article is full of repetitive words and has little nutritional value.

To sum it up in one sentence, everything is for the Party and the country!
Even though he was worried in his heart, this was a public occasion and he still had to give face to the supreme commander. Wang Feng pretended to be respectful on the surface and turned around to hand it to his guard.

Li Zongren patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go! Get in the car first!"

"The soldiers' tents are ready, there is no need to worry."

Surrounded by a group of officers from the Fifth War Zone, Wang Feng followed Li Zongren in a jeep.

Xu Zuyi was forced into another car.

"Back to the city!"

At Li Zongren's command, the vehicle started slowly and turned towards Xuzhou city.

In the car.

Li Zongren looked out the window and said slowly: "General Wang has been very popular recently. At this age, he is really enviable!"

Wang Feng shook his head subconsciously: "You are too kind, sir."

"We were able to achieve such a result because of the bullets fired by my brothers one by one. It is not my own achievement alone."

Li Zongren waved his hand and said, "Don't be so modest. If there were more generals like you, the war would be much easier."

"The Chairman attaches great importance to this great victory in Huaibei."

"At the national defense meeting held yesterday, the chairman made it clear that the Xuzhou battlefield will become another major decisive battle site after Beijing and Shanghai."

"We hastily dispatched Tang Enbo's corps stationed in Henan, whose supplementary training had not yet been completed, and Sun Lianzhong's group to rush to our aid overnight."

"In this way, the defense strength of our Fifth War Zone will be greatly increased!"

Wang Feng was a little surprised.

As far as he could remember, these two troops were transferred to the Fifth War Zone in mid-March when Linyi and Tengxian were in emergency.

It's only mid-February.

It came so hastily that it is difficult to judge whether it is good or bad.

If we fall behind due to lack of training, it will probably only backfire.

Wang Feng: "Sir, when will these two troops arrive?"

Li Zongren thought for a moment and said, "Probably in ten days."

Ten days
Wang Feng seemed to be thinking about something.

This speed is not slow. Tang Enbo's army has five divisions, which is equivalent to the 59th Army and the 31st Army in their heyday. As for Sun Lianzhong's army, the size is not much different.

However, this unit suffered heavy losses in a bloody battle with the 20th Division of the Japanese Army at Niangzi Pass. It is unknown whether it can be replenished in such a short time.

Seeing Wang Feng remained silent, Li Zongren said, "For this great victory in Huaibei, the Military Commission has not given any substantial rewards except for a commendation order. I hope you can understand this."

He was also a warlord before, and he and Chiang Kai-shek could not get along.

They also scoffed at many of the Nationalist government's practices.

Especially on domestic affairs and the Beijing-Shanghai issue.

The New Guangxi Clique had been operating in Guangdong and Guangxi for many years, and had a complete system of various arsenals and skilled technical management personnel.

With the good intention of jointly planning the overall situation of the War of Resistance, he and Bai Chongxi decided to hand over the arsenal to the central government for overall management.

But the result was that after the central government took over, it replaced all the administrative staff within the arsenal. The people sent in were all good-for-nothings, turning the originally orderly arsenal into a dismal mess.

But for the sake of national unity, we must fight against Japan together.

He could only grit his teeth and swallow it.

During the Beijing-Shanghai War, after signs of defeat appeared, he advocated an orderly retreat and resistance at every step.

However, Chiang Kai-shek firmly disagreed, and in the end, before the British and American mediation could take place, a large number of elite Kuomintang troops died.

Especially those young men from Guangxi who died on the battlefield.

Li Zongren endured all of this.

As a result, now Wang Feng led his troops to annihilate two Type A divisions of the Japanese Army in the Huaibei area.

Despite such tremendous achievements, Chiang Kai-shek was hesitant about rewarding him because of the groundless reputation of being a member of the "newcomer faction".

I'm really afraid that it will chill the soldiers' hearts!
Wang Feng waved his hand, not caring at all: "Commander Li, you are too serious. We are all working for the overall situation of the war. How can we be so obsessed with personal honor?"

Hearing this reply, Li Zongren smiled and said, "But not long ago, I proposed to the Ministry of Military Affairs to form a new corps, and it was clearly approved."

The meaning of this statement was very clear, and Wang Feng instantly became alert.

He has no shortage of fame and gain.

What will truly be remembered by future generations is real achievements.

In the past, people only knew Chiang Kai-shek, but who had heard of Lin Sen?

Now the only thing that can impress him is the army.

Li Zongren took out a document and handed it over, saying, "The Ministry of Military Affairs has approved the formation of a new corps, which you will be in charge of. In addition to your original troops, there will also be Zhang and Yu's troops."

"Very fat!"

Wang Feng looked at the document in his hand.

This transfer order really pleased him.

The Zhang and Yu units are both brother units that have fought side by side, so this saves them the time of running-in.

The name is simple - the New First Legion.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the loophole that Chiang Kai-shek secretly opened for himself.

Even as a representative of the bourgeoisie, he has to pay attention to the opinions of the lower classes.

Now the Huaibei victory is almost being touted by outside media as the greatest victory in history.

Although there are many exaggerations, the momentum of public opinion has been mobilized.

Ordinary people are not historians and do not have the energy to study whether this is the greatest victory in ancient and modern times.

They only know that at this critical moment, the more capable the general is at fighting, the more likely he is to protect them and keep them alive and safe.

As for the officers, their minds were even more active.

Even if you command such a great victory, you will not receive any reward.

There must be a reason for that.

Was he from the local army? Or was it because of something else?
Once such ideological tendencies appear in the army, there will probably be more and more generals like Han Fuju who flee.

The central government doesn’t even treat them as human beings, so why are they still risking their lives?

Especially when the puppet government in North China was rampant.

It is true that Chiang Kai-shek wanted to consume the miscellaneous troops, but he also hoped that their deaths would be of some value.

The defensiveness still hasn't subsided.

The organization of the North China Battle Group remains unchanged, and the newly formed First Corps is also a temporary organization.

Wang Feng accepted it calmly.

That’s good, temporary staffing doesn’t have so many restrictions.

There was no need for the Chongqing government to allocate military pay, as industry in Changzhi was booming and the size of the army had not yet exceeded its carrying capacity.

He had to let his brothers know.

Who pays the military pay and pensions we receive?

Wang Feng folded the document and said, "Thank you very much for your cultivation, Chief Li!"

Li Zongren waved his hand: "It's just a small effort, no problem!"

The convoy moved forward quickly, with Sergei leading a group of guards and following on horseback behind.

Soon they entered the city of Xuzhou.

As soon as he got off the car, he was pulled in front of a group of reporters.

Faced with so many cameras below and reporters' questions that were so chaotic that they couldn't hear anything, Wang Feng was overwhelmed.

Not as good as Miss Manley's interview.
After saying a few polite words, he called Zhao Fangyuan to the stage and hurriedly left.

There will also be a celebratory reception in the evening.

It was called a celebration party, but in fact it was just a group of officers with nothing to do in the city taking this opportunity to curry favor with the powerful.

The Fifth War Zone was so short of troops that real officers would have already led their troops to various places to fight against the Japanese invaders.

Even staff officers without military power stay in the headquarters to handle military affairs.

How can we have the leisure and elegance when facing a powerful enemy?

When Wang Feng finished everything and returned to his residence, it was already 11 o'clock in the evening.

Zhao Fangyuan came in like an orderly, carrying a basin of water for washing: "Sir, I put it here for you."

Wang Feng nodded. He didn't drink much at the celebration party, so he wasn't drunk at all now.

"What's the situation in Changzhi? Have you received any telegrams?"

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: "The situation in the rear is currently stable. There are no major battles on the front line, but there are constant small frictions, with both sides winning and losing."

"It's the Eighth Route Army that's very active."

Wang Feng was in a good mood, so he picked up a towel and wiped his face casually: "What's going on?"

"Tell me more about it?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, do you still remember the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army that fought alongside us in Baimujing?"

Wang Feng nodded.

of course I remember!

Li Yunlong’s troops!
Seeing that his superior still remembered, Zhao Fangyuan continued, "Two days ago, this unit was carrying out a mission to destroy the railway line behind the Japanese army, but was surrounded by the Japanese army and suffered heavy losses. Half of the entire regiment was destroyed."

Wang Feng was shocked.

The entire regiment lost half of its troops, which was a serious loss.

It’s also difficult for Li Yunlong.

The Japanese army today is very different from the Japanese army 40 years ago. It is at its peak. Even though the 108th Division is a Type B unit, its combat capability is quite strong.

The Eighth Route Army, on the other hand, had not yet gained a firm foothold in the base area behind enemy lines and had been suffering from hunger and cold, and lacking guns and ammunition.

Most of the soldiers wore only single clothes during the winter.

Besides, Li Yunlong was born a farmer, and his main strategy in commanding operations was to take risky moves and achieve victory by surprise.

Since the word "risk" is involved, it means high risk and high return.

Victory and defeat are common in the military. Even a strong man like Napoleon could suffer a Waterloo.

Wang Feng thought for a moment and asked, "How many weapons are left after the rear troops change their equipment?"

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: "Sir, I really don't know."

Wang Feng: "Tell Song Wenjie to send the retired batch of rifles to the Sichuan Army brothers and the 386th Brigade."

"No matter what, Changzhi is our rear base, so we have done our best to be a good host!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)