Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 220 Set off!

After settling Nosaka Sanzo in, Zhao Fangyuan immediately returned to the army camp as instructed by Wang Feng.

"report!"

"Enter!"

Wang Feng looked up from his seat and saw Zhao Fangyuan walking towards him.

"Sir!"

Wang Feng handed over a list: "This is the result of my discussion with the Japanese Communist Party representative. We will provide them with military and political assistance. We will send a batch of rifles and bullets first, which are necessary supplies for their armed resistance."

Zhao Fangyuan took the list and glanced at it:
"Five thousand Type 38 rifles and two hundred thousand Arisaka bullets?"

"Sir, this quantity is too much; it exceeds our reserve limit."

The thought of sending so many supplies to the Japanese, even the Japanese Communists, made him feel a pang of heartache.

Wang Feng: "Then let's go and gather the money, borrow from friendly forces. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Let's use the Japanese to fight the Japanese. If this plan works, at least tens of thousands of our people can be spared from the ravages of war."

"Remember, bullets are cheap, but human lives are at stake!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

"I'll get started on making the arrangements right away!"

Wang Feng nodded: "Time is of the essence. We need to send this batch of supplies out as soon as possible. I'm afraid Wuhan won't be able to wait."

Zhao Fangyuan: "Understood, please rest assured, sir, I can pledge my loyalty!"

June 13th.

With everything settled, Nosaka Sanzo, after resting in Changzhi, canceled his planned visit to Yan'an and chose to head straight back home, transiting through Beijing and Tianjin to return to the Japanese mainland to plan his armed seizure of power.

Wang Feng was not idle either. After the Battle of Lanfeng, he had only been resting in Changzhi for less than half a month when the authorities in Chongqing called him repeatedly to urge him to come to the Central Military Academy to take up his post as soon as possible.

It seemed that the other side also knew that this director of academic affairs was just a part-time job for Wang Feng and would not stay for long, so the tone and wording in the telegram urging him to take up the post were quite tactful.

Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future!

If it were someone else, and the appointment letter had been issued for so long without any further action or them taking office, there would probably have been a huge uproar.

----------

into the night.

Heavy rain poured down, thick brown clouds hung in the sky, and strong winds whipped up waves on the Yellow River, crashing against the riverbanks.

Zhang Hu rode a tall horse, its hooves sinking deep into the mud. Every step forward seemed to require an immense amount of strength.

He rode quickly to the jeep:
"Sir, the rain is too heavy, and the road ahead is impassable. Should we let the brothers rest here for a bit?"

Wang Feng sat in the carriage and looked ahead. Dark clouds rising from the east were spewing out cold air and drifting along the Yellow River, making the sky frighteningly gloomy.

"What the hell kind of weather is this?"

"Rest where you are and take good care of your supplies."

Zhang Hu reined in his horse: "Yes!"

He then spurred his horse to the side and relayed the order down the chain of command.

Wang Feng closed the car window and glanced at his watch—14:23.

Twenty hours into our journey to the mountain city.

When Chiang Kai-shek transferred himself to the Central Military Academy, he also transferred the First Column there, temporarily placing it under the operational command of the Capital Garrison. Although Wang Feng did not understand the significance of this move, it was beneficial to him no matter how you looked at it.

why not?

The operational role of the First Column within the garrison is now completely covered by the Fourth Column.

In terms of mobility, the Fourth Column is indeed not as good as the First Column at this stage, but that may not be the case after it has rested and replenished. After all, the Fourth Column is a motorized unit, while the First Column is a pure infantry unit.

No matter how fast your legs are, they can't outrun a car wheel.

Combat capability.
Currently, the vertical formation is still superior, and in terms of attribute bonuses, it will likely remain so in the future.

Guards
These four words popped into Wang Feng's mind, and then he couldn't stop thinking about them.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is true.

With nothing else to do, Wang Feng brought up the system panel.

After the Second Battle of Changzhi, the experience points on the system panel increased significantly, and the number of unlockable technology options also increased.

"Artillery technology!"

The first thing Wang Feng clicked on was the Army Technology panel, and his attention was immediately drawn to the heavy artillery technology displayed there.

Although tanks will become the mainstream of land warfare in the near future.

Artillery was the main weapon in World War I.

Tanks, on the other hand, were the brightest new stars on the battlefields of World War II.

But Wang Feng did not think so.

Everything should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Generally speaking, tanks are very powerful, but in the present day, they are not as powerful as a top-down view combined with long-range large-caliber artillery.

This is the real answer for the current version!

The effect of this combination directly replaced the previous satellite positioning + precision guidance.

[Improved Artillery Upgrade I]

Upgrading old artillery has its limits; when designing urgently needed new artillery, it's essential to make good use of new hydraulic recoil devices and long barrels.

[Technology Level: IV]

[Experience Cost: 20K]

Wang Feng stroked his chin and glanced at the current balance of Army Technology Experience Reserves displayed in the upper right corner.

[30K]

"Unlock!"

There's not much to say. Artillery in our own hands is practically no different from short-range guided missiles. Our current light weapons are already saturated, more than enough to deal with the Japanese army. There's no need to waste too many resources on them.

As for armored forces.

It's not time yet.

Wang Feng thought to himself, "It would be great if the improved artillery could have a 203mm caliber heavy gun."

Am I being too ungrateful?

Wang Feng laughed and mocked himself.

I remember back then, I only had two Japanese Type 91 105mm howitzers, which I treasured like precious gems. I used them with great care, fearing that they would be attacked by Japanese bombers.

Now, not only 105mm, but also larger caliber 122mm and 155mm heavy artillery are in mass production.

I've started thinking about 203 millimeters again.

"It would be great if the range were longer."

Wang Feng yawned.

A dense patter of raindrops came from the top of the carport, making one feel drowsy.

----------

6 month 24 day.

After a long journey of more than 10 days, Wang Feng finally led his troops to the foot of the mountain city.

"The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven!"

Wang Feng felt like his backside was about to be shaken to pieces. Although Chongqing wasn't exactly the real Bashu region, he had at least had a taste of the ruggedness of the journey.

It's no wonder that after the fall of Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek wanted to establish the new capital here. Just from the terrain alone, it would be very difficult for the Japanese army to attack.

The journey involved switching between land and water routes, then between water and rail, and back to land. The arduous travel was truly exhausting.

Zhang Hu reined in his horse and galloped over:

"Sir, Chongqing is just ahead. The scouts we sent out have returned and reported that the Nationalist government has prepared a welcoming party, which will meet us five miles outside the city!"

He smiled slightly as he spoke. This is the capital city, after all!
Although Zhang Hu was a rough man, under Wang Feng's urging, he read quite a few books in his spare time and gained a good understanding of some past history.

In ancient times, it was a great honor for a foreign official to lead his troops into the capital and for all the civil and military officials to come out of the city to welcome him.

Wang Feng stepped down from the carriage and straightened his back: "Bring me my horse. It's not really suitable to travel by carriage for the rest of the journey."

Before Zhang Hu reported the situation, he had already seen the battle formation ahead from an overhead view.

Zhang Hu grinned: "Alright, I've already prepared it for the commander."

After saying that, he waved his hand behind him.

A soldier ran up quickly, holding the reins in his hand; the other end of the rope was Wang Feng's white horse.

Although I haven't ridden it for a long time, I still take good care of it every day, and it's become plump and strong with shiny fur.

The horse seemed to know what was about to happen, and it moved its legs restlessly, chewing on the iron bit in its mouth and foaming at the mouth.

Wang Feng patted the white horse, stepped into the stirrup, and held onto the saddle.

"drive!"

The white horse beneath him neighed and trotted forward a couple of steps.

"Let's go and meet these gentlemen!"

Zhang Hu smiled knowingly and spurred his horse to follow behind Wang Feng.

----------

outside the city.

The welcoming crowd was bustling and crowded, with everyone craning their necks and vying to push their way forward.

Has Commander Wang arrived?

"not yet."

"Excuse me, brother in front, please make way!"

"."

He Yingqin, then Chief of Staff of the Military Commission, stood at the front of the crowd, dressed in a full suit of dress, wearing white gloves, with his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked ahead.

Chen Cheng, commander of the Wuhan Garrison and commander of the Sixth War Zone, stood to one side:
"Jingzhi, isn't the Chairman coming today?"

He Yingqin shook his head: "The Japanese army is advancing on Wuhan, and Chiang Kai-shek is preoccupied with many matters."

Chen Cheng smiled.

With the Japanese army advancing on Wuhan, the situation was naturally extremely critical. However, after learning the news, I, as the garrison commander, personally rushed from Wuhan to the mountain city. If I said I didn't have time, probably no one would believe me.

Ultimately, it's just that they can't bring themselves to admit it.

"Chairman Chiang!"

Why bother?

Chen Cheng muttered to himself.

The order to transfer Wang Feng to the mountain city was personally issued by him, yet now he is ashamed to face the consequences and has acted in this way, which is truly unfathomable.

"Jingzhi, how long do you think Wang Feng will stay in this mountain city?"

There was no point in just waiting, so Chen Cheng started chatting with He Yingqin.

He Yingqin frowned.

The topic of Wang Feng had become an unspeakable taboo within the National Government, especially within the Military Commission.

Even private discussions would touch a nerve with Chiang Kai-shek.

"This," He Yingqin replied cautiously, "is up to the Chairman's opinion."

Chen Cheng smiled and said, "Jingzhi, why be so reserved? We both serve under the Chairman, and I would never do anything so despicable as to frame a colleague."

He Yingqin forced a smile:

"Cixiu, how dare I presume to guess the Chairman's intentions? But from what I see, you're probably getting impatient, aren't you?"

He directly posed the question to Chen Cheng.

Ever since the two met, Chen Cheng has been subtly probing the matter, and it seems he's eager for Wang Fengming to leave Shancheng immediately.

He Yingqin: "Cixiu, the Chairman has seen your achievements since you took over the Central Political Department, but recently, especially in the Wuhan Political Department, there seems to be a deep-seated corruption!"

Chen Cheng sighed when the matter was brought up.

Recently, a saying has been circulating in Wuhan: "The Eighth Route Army is brave and skillful in battle, and works diligently."

At first, he didn't think much of it.

However, after Zhou Enlai, Guo Moruo, and others moved into that gray three-story building in Hankou, he was more or less affected.

Especially Zhou.

More than a decade ago, Chen Cheng was just a lowly captain and platoon leader, while the other party was already a lieutenant general and director of the political department at the Whampoa Military Academy.

My former boss is now willing to be his deputy.

They were extremely polite when they met, addressing him as "Minister" repeatedly.

This filled him with mixed emotions.

At the same time, he was also deeply concerned about the corrupt atmosphere of power struggles within the National Revolutionary Army.

Some mediocre people, seeing someone working diligently and achieving some results, spread rumors everywhere and even report them to him, insisting that these people are "colluding with bandits".

This infuriated Chen Cheng. He had worked day and night and made considerable achievements in the war of resistance. The National Army was full of capable and experienced soldiers. Did these people think that the National Government had no capable people?
He Yingqin smiled and said, "Cixiu, your remarks at the meeting of the expanded joint military-political commemoration week were indeed biased. If this gets to the Chairman's ears, it might not be easy to handle!"

Chen Cheng's face stiffened.

What He Yingqin was referring to was the pervasive corruption within the Political Department.

Chen Cheng said bluntly: "Jingzhi, you said that in the military and political organs, all those who dare to speak and act and are proactive are related to the 'dissident party'. In the army, all officers who can fight, are not corrupt, and love their soldiers and the people are 'left-leaning'. According to this, are there no good people in our National Army?"

"This is outrageous! From now on, if anyone submits a report like this, I will investigate who they are and what they are trying to do!"

What he said at the meeting that day was exactly the same as what he is saying to He Yingqin now.

Chiang Kai-shek has already spoken with him about this matter.

Now, Chen Cheng is fearless.

He Yingqin: "Cixiu, don't get agitated. With a formidable enemy at hand, we must balance the various forces. Isn't this also what the Chairman wants?"

"Just like Wang Feng, during special periods, the Chairman could tolerate 'dissidents' doing political propaganda in Wuhan, so he could naturally tolerate such local military leaders as well."

"So, how do you plan to use this formidable general?"

The topic returned to Wang Feng, and Chen Cheng cleared his throat: "I have applied to the Chairman to transfer Wang Feng to Wuhan as the Deputy Commander of the Garrison."

He Yingqin frowned: "If I remember correctly, his garrison area also includes the Hubei region, right?"

"Moreover, a mere deputy commander of the garrison is probably not enough to satisfy this man's appetite."

Chen Cheng: "These are two different things."

The garrison district only had nominal power; to put it bluntly, it was just a place for Wang Feng to amuse himself. Other Nationalist Army units were mainly responsible for obeying orders from the war zone.

It only comes into play when a unit is forcibly incorporated, thus legitimizing the action.

He Yingqin smiled.

He had already guessed it.

No one was more eager than Chen Cheng for Wang Feng to arrive in Chongqing as soon as possible, go through the motions, and then immediately go to Wuhan to take up his post.

“Cixiu, this person is extremely unstable. Since you want to drive away the tiger, you should be careful not to be bitten by the tiger instead.”

Chen Cheng frowned.

As the two were talking, an elderly man in his eighties stepped out from the crowd.

"Generals, have the others not arrived yet?"

He Yingqin glanced back:
"Chairman Lin, it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer."

(End of this chapter)