Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 218 Newly Formed Troops
Wang Feng: "If Commander Li trusts me, I have a good idea."

Li Jiayu leaned forward slightly: "I would like to hear the details!"

Wang Fengqing cleared his throat: "It's the same no matter where we fight the war, so why not..."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiayu breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already considered this possibility before the meal.

The 47th Army was in an awkward situation, almost half of which stemmed from its close ties with the garrison.

"Commander Wang, this matter is of great importance. Although I am the commander of an army, I cannot make such a hasty conclusion. Please give me some time to discuss it with my men."

Wang Feng nodded: "Of course!"

The 47th Army was a large organization with a full strength of 2.4 men. It was not as simple as just a change in organizational designation; it involved many issues.

This was a nearly "pure" Sichuan army, with most soldiers coming from rural areas of Sichuan and Chongqing. Their blood ties were very strong, and once they joined, they were inevitably broken up and mixed together. Once the ties were severed, it would have a negative impact to some extent.

It would be fine if the lower-ranking soldiers supported it.

If coercive measures are taken against the soldiers' will, it could lead to serious trouble.

This is not without precedent.

Last year, when the 22nd Group Army was transferred to Shanxi for combat, soldiers mutinied several times due to language barriers and unfamiliar food.

Li Jiayu quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much, sir!"

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After eating about half his fill, Wang Feng apologized and got up to leave the table. Accompanied by Zhao Fangyuan, he got into a jeep and drove towards the battlefield.

The end of the battle does not mean everything is over; there are still many things to deal with.

The jeep sped forward.

Enter the co-pilot.

Zhao Fangyuan turned his head: "Sir, I think the situation of the 47th Army is even more dire than we imagined!"

Wang Feng: "After being cut off from supplies for so long, it's true when you think about it."

Zhao Fangyuan scratched his head: "Sir, do you think Li Jiayu will agree?"

Wang Feng smiled and said, "What? Do you think he has any other choice?"

Judging from the attitude of the 47th Army members at the table, he had already predicted that the matter would definitely succeed. However, Li Jiayu was right when he said that he was just an army commander and could not make decisions on such important matters. He guessed that while he was away, the remaining people at the table were already discussing it enthusiastically.

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "Sir, how should the 47th Army be allocated after it is incorporated into our forces?"

Wang Feng placed his hands on his lap and tapped his knuckles lightly.

After a long pause, he said, "The 47th Army has a full strength of 2.4 men, divided into two columns, and the numbering will continue to follow the same pattern. The ninth and tenth columns will be incorporated into Yu Xuezhong's Third Field Army."

Zhao Fangyuan thought for a moment and said, "This is indeed feasible. There are only two columns, and there is really no need to set up a separate field army."

"Sir, should we add sand to it later?"

Wang Feng shook his head: "There's no need for that. It's the same principle as building a house; if you mix in too much sand, the quality will suffer!"

Since breaking blood ties comes at a great cost, let's simply preserve the "Sichuan genes" and maintain cohesion through "unified form and self-aware core".

Moreover, scattering the Sichuan soldiers would lower their morale, and their previous fearless spirit would disappear.

Do more harm than good.

Zhao Fangyuan responded, "Sir, the General Staff has compiled the battle report. Please take a look."

Wang Feng rubbed his temples: "Why don't you read it to me?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "This battle lasted for nearly half a month. Our side killed 9234 enemy soldiers and captured two Japanese regimental flags and 2312 Type 38 rifles."

Wang Feng frowned: "Why are there so few rifles?"

Zhao Fangyuan explained: "Sir, most of the Type 38 rifles left on the battlefield by the Japanese army were captured by the 47th Army and the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army. We did not compete with them for them."

Changzhi was the territory of the provincial garrison. In terms of loyalty, both of these troops came to help out. They were taking the spoils, but they had to leave some for others.

This has become an unspoken rule.

Wang Feng: "After you go back, take stock of the weapons inventory and see how many Japanese Type 38 rifles we still have."

As the First Rifle Factory grew larger and larger, its domestically produced Type 24 rifles were almost deployed throughout the entire army, and the once highly sought-after Type 38 rifles were no longer in use.

They were either melted down to provide raw materials for the production of new rifles, or they were packaged up and handed over to friendly forces in exchange for other support.

The current ammunition depot's reserves should be running low.

Zhao Fangyuan realized what was happening: "Sir, are these Type 38 rifles to be handed over to the Japanese Communist Party as military aid?"

Wang Feng nodded: "Yes, although Japan is controlled by militarism, it is essentially a fully-fledged capitalist country. Even if the Japanese Communist Party has advanced theoretical guidance, it is a path destined to fail to overthrow the current regime by force. We should just operate behind the scenes and try not to expose ourselves."

Zhao Fangyuan didn't quite understand things involving ideology.

However, they still have some knowledge of plotting coups in enemy countries.

"Sir, simply replacing weapons might not be able to hide it from the Japanese!"

Wang Feng: "You're right, we should try our best to pin the blame on the Soviet Union."

He wasn't afraid of being exposed. Even if he were discovered, what could they do? He had killed countless Japanese lieutenant generals and major generals. Currently, he had defeated as many as six or seven Japanese divisions. The Japanese had long hated him to the core. As the saying goes, when you have enough lice, you don't fear their bites.

But others might not be so lucky.

Especially the people in the enemy-occupied areas.

From the nation to the government, Japan exudes a kind of madness. If it turns its anger on the provincial garrison, it may not be able to deal with itself, but it is very likely to transfer its anger to ordinary people.

The original intention of organizing the breaching of the Yellow River dikes was to save the people from the scourge of floods and protect their lives and property. We cannot push the people into dire straits again because of this.

That would be putting the cart before the horse.

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "Understood, I'll arrange it right away!"

Since relations between Japan and the Soviet Union had always been tense, and the Soviet Union was the "big brother" of the Comintern, this matter was not difficult to handle.

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evening.

Wang Feng finally received a reply from Li Jiayu.

The result was as he expected.

Inside the command post.

Wang Feng sat in his chair, deep in thought.

Zhao Fangyuan brought over a cup of hot tea, seemingly sensing something was amiss: "Sir, is something on your mind?"

Wang Feng came to his senses: "Fang Yuan, after I finish dealing with the Japanese Communists, I'm going to Chongqing."

Zhao Fangyuan: "You mean the Chongqing government might target you?"

Wang Feng shook his head: "No, I'm not going alone. I'm going with Zhang Hu and the First Column. Putting aside whether Chiang Kai-shek would dare to have such thoughts, even if he really had ulterior motives, he would have to think twice!"

"After I leave, the affairs of the troops will be temporarily handled by you and Song Wenjie. The two of you must work together to prepare for the upcoming battle."

Zhao Fangyuan was somewhat reluctant: "Sir, Song Wenjie can handle things at home alone. I'll accompany you to Chongqing!"

Wang Feng waved his hand: "I have other plans in Changzhi. This matter is of great importance, and I can't rest easy letting Song Wenjie carry it out alone. You stay and help him."

Zhao Fangyuan asked in confusion, "Sir, what is it?"

Wang Feng glanced out the window: "Fang Yuan, do you know why our country has never achieved large-scale development?"

"This," Zhao Fangyuan frowned, "is it because of the oppression of foreign powers and internal corruption, or is it for some other reason?"

Wang Feng: "None of them are correct. The most fundamental reason still lies within the system. Bureaucratic factors may exist, but to eradicate them completely, we cannot limit our focus to bureaucrats."

"After I took over Changzhi, I joined forces with Huang Shaohong to carry out a sweeping reform. We completely replaced a group of administrative bureaucrats and repaired the system. It seems to be very effective so far, but it still doesn't meet my expectations."

Zhao Fangyuan's doubts deepened.

"Sir, Changzhi has now become one of the top heavy industrial bases in the country. Perhaps we just need to wait a little longer."

Wang Feng shook his head and didn't say anything more.

Zhao Fangyuan had never seen true prosperity, so he was naturally very satisfied with the current situation.

The prosperity he referred to was not economic prosperity, but rather the prosperity of the system, culture, and even the people's thoughts.

Wang Feng didn't mince words and stated directly: "The Qing Dynasty has been gone for 27 years, or rather, the feudal dynasty has been gone for 27 years, but the mindset of the people at the bottom of our country has not changed."

"The inherent weaknesses of the nation remain, making it impossible for them to truly organize themselves. Their reason for working is nothing more than for the most basic treatment, just like joining the army. Do you remember when Japan first attacked Beijing and Tianjin, some progressive elements in the cities had already shouted the slogan of saving the nation from peril, but the vast majority of rural people did not know what kind of country Japan was. Their initial motivation for joining the army was nothing more than to fill their stomachs."

Zhao Fangyuan nodded.

It seems that is indeed the case.

Wang Feng turned around: "Have you ever heard of Lu Xun?"

"Zhou Shuren".

Zhao Fangyuan frowned and thought for a moment: "I seem to have heard that he should be a writer."

Wang Feng: "When you have free time, you can go to the market and buy a few of his books to read. Maybe you'll understand a lot more that way."

"Let's go back to the previous topic. The people only focus on the most basic benefits and lack long-term goals and plans. They are complacent and only care about the present without looking to the future. Their survival logic is rigid, and this is the biggest problem!"

"Constrained by the remnants of feudal ideology, they are accustomed to finding a 'master' for themselves. Only by completely changing this national character can the country have the possibility of rapid development."

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, what do you need me to do?"

Wang Feng: "The economy is the foundation of everything. As you have seen, after I leave, the cooperative development of the salt lake must be implemented as soon as possible. We need to earn enough for military expenses, and Puyang and Heze must be developed as soon as possible. We can allocate a portion of our production capacity to civilian industries."

"What remains is ideology. Education is the foundation. We can't just run universities; basic education must keep up, and so must grassroots education. I've already spoken with Huang Shaohong; our administrative system can't just stay in the cities; it must penetrate into the rural areas."

“Song Wenjie alone certainly can’t handle these things. You stay and help him. As for the Chongqing matter, I have my own plans. Not only can Chiang Kai-shek not touch me, he will probably have to treat me well.”

“When the fighting in Wuhan starts, he will naturally transfer me back to the front line.”

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

"Please rest assured, sir, regarding all matters at home!"

(End of this chapter)