Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 82 Organization Reform Meeting [Subscribe! ]

Early the next morning.

The Ministry of Military and Political Affairs directly bypassed the Second War Zone and conveyed the reorganization order to Huang Shaohong.

After eliminating all obstacles, the 358th Regiment officially joined the combat sequence of the North China Battle Group in Yangquan.

But the number was cancelled.
Fang Ligong was placed under house arrest and was personally detained by the captain of the guard company.

Wang Feng knew clearly that what happened at night could be big or small, or to put it nicely - the two sides had a disagreement during the reorganization of the troops.

To put it bluntly, it was a military mutiny.

At this juncture, we cannot fall out with Yan Laoxi and we must prevent the news from leaking out as much as possible.

Zhao Fangyuan and Sergei pushed the door open and walked in.

Wang Feng asked, "How is Zhang Hu doing?"

Zhao Fangyuan smiled and said, "That guy is fine. The doctor said that he will be able to return to the battlefield in another month."

Wang Feng nodded.

Fortunately, there is this field hospital, otherwise the post-war treatment of soldiers would have become a real hassle.

Zhao Fangyuan put the information in his hand on the table: "Sir, this is the roster of the original 358th Regiment soldiers. It has been counted. Please take a look."

"Regarding the reorganization of the troops, please give me your instructions, sir."

Wang Feng took a sip of hot tea and said calmly: "First, put these more than 3,000 soldiers into the reserve force, and we will talk about it later."

"Call all officers above the battalion level to hold a military meeting in half an hour. Gather on the drill ground. All personnel must be present."

"Call Zhang Hu as well."

Zhao Fangyuan: “Yes!”

After saying this, he walked out quickly.

There were only two people left in the house.

Wang Feng stood up and said, "Sergei, I have invited another instructor. He will arrive at the west gate of Yangquan City in fifteen minutes. You go and meet him now."

Sergei was a little curious: "Sir, another Soviet?"

Wang Feng shook his head: "Chinese, stop talking nonsense and go over quickly. I'll be back for the meeting soon!"

It was the tactical instructor of [Pocket Defense].

When drafting the information this time, the identity was set as Chinese.

The nationality and background of the tactical instructor are very important, and Wang Feng has already figured it out.

Although you have your own system panel, one thing you need to understand is that this is the real world.

It's not a virtual world in a game.

Everyone is a living individual, just like Sergei. Although he is an instructor of the [Human Wave Assault Doctrine], when necessary, he will also put forward some suggestions that contradict his own theory.

And in my spare time, I will learn the most advanced tactics.

Instructors from different countries and backgrounds also have great differences in military qualities.

The instructor of the [Mobile Warfare Doctrine] class is best set to be a German officer after 1936.

Similarly, instructors of the [Superior Firepower Theory] category are best set to be former Soviet or American military officers after 1936.

For instructors of the Trench Warfare category, it is best if they have a World War II background and have participated in the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun.

The main benefit of [Pocket Defense] is to increase the amount of supplies carried and reduce the penalty for non-combat supply loss.

Cavalry will not be the mainstream in the future, and no matter how great the enhancement effect is, it will be like a chicken rib.

Taking various factors into consideration, Wang Feng included background experience of participating in ultra-long-distance strategic transfers when drafting the instructor information.

An ultra-long-distance strategic transfer requires passing through many complex areas.

Snow mountains, grasslands, swamps, jungles.
The ability to reduce non-combat losses is very demanding. At the same time, because there are few supply points along the way, every time you get supplies, you must carry as much as possible.

Long-distance marches also test the troops' movement speed.

It just coincides with the buff effect of [Pocket Defense].

It's just perfect.

Sergei agreed hurriedly and ran out of the room.

After half an hour.

All the officers gathered together.

In order to successfully win over Wang Feng, Huang Shaohong tried every possible means and handled every detail very well.

After learning that the North China Battle Group was about to enter Yangquan City, he gave up the largest parade ground in the city.

As an important town in the Niangzi Pass area and the eastern gateway of Taiyuan, Yangquan has excellent military facilities.

In the past two months, Wang Feng has led his troops to many places, but has never encountered such a large conference room.

The entire North China battle group consisted of more than 10,000 people, including thirty to forty officers at the battalion level and above.

The large conference room on the school grounds is large enough to accommodate everyone easily.

Surrounded by guards, Wang Feng slowly walked into the meeting room.

Seeing someone coming in, Zhao Fangyuan turned his head and immediately said solemnly: "Everyone stand at attention!"

"Hello, sir!"

The officers in the seats immediately stood up, turned toward the door, stood at attention and saluted, "Hello, sir!"

Everyone spoke at the same time, their voices were as loud as a bell and full of majestic momentum.

Zhang Hu had a bandage on his shoulder, making it difficult for him to move, but he still stood up and saluted with his left arm.

Wang Feng nodded slightly: "Sit down."

Having said that, the officers still stood where they were and did not take their seats until he sat down.

Zhao Fangyuan was sitting aside, and the meeting agenda had been handed to him.

Speaking of which, this is the first time that a military meeting of such scale has been held.

The main topic of this meeting is to determine the future unit numbers and organization.

Wang Feng thought about this for a long time.

Since Chiang Kai-shek has blocked the upgrade path for traditional regiments, brigades, divisions and armies, we might as well find another way.

Anyway, the North China Battle Group is a temporary organization, so you can do whatever you want with it.

Wang Feng cleared his throat and said, "It has been quite a while since our troops were reorganized in Jinzhong."

Before he finished speaking, the officers present straightened up unconsciously and listened attentively.

The theme of the meeting was organizational changes. The current organizational structure of troops below the regiment level has basically not changed, except for the expansion of battalion-level troops. It still basically follows the system of the temporary 1st Brigade.
The reason for joining the army and fighting, in addition to the original intention of defending the country, everyone wants to take this opportunity to stand out and get promoted.

This is something that is closely related to your own interests, so you must listen carefully.

Wang Feng took a sip of tea and continued, "Everyone is very clear about the current situation. We must have the ability to fight independently!"

"This independent operation is not as simple as fighting an ambush or an encounter battle."

"The effect we want to achieve is to be able to conduct a large-scale battle independently without relying on any friendly forces for assistance."

"Just like the Battle of Xinkou and the Battle of Niangziguan."

"Not only the main force, but also the subordinate combat units should have independent combat capabilities as much as possible."

"Don't do anything. When we are together, we can dominate everything, but when we are apart, we are just like mud. This is absolutely not acceptable!"

Hearing this, the officer below smiled knowingly.

We are all brothers, so there is no need to use official language during meetings. The key is to use the most understandable words to explain things clearly.

Wang Feng crossed his hands on the table and said, "After consideration by the command, we will first form three mountain tactical corps. In terms of military system, they are at the same level as the infantry brigades of the National Revolutionary Army."

"Fang Yuan, read out the list."

Zhao Fangyuan stepped forward, holding up a huge file book, and read out: "Now I will read out the specific personnel appointments. Please all stand up!"

Wow!

Everyone stood up one after another.

"The First Mountain Tactical Corps, with Zhang Hu as the Corps Commander and Wu Guangsheng as the Vice Commander, is composed of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Mountain Tactical Battalions, the Corps Headquarters' Logistics Support Battalion, the Field Emergency Brigade, and the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade.

"The following is the list of captains."

The positions of the original regimental-level officers did not change. Liu Zhijian was appointed commander of the Second Mountain Tactical Corps, and Kong Zhiyong was appointed commander of the Third Corps.

Overall, the changes are not big, except that the word "tactical" is added to the name, the battalion is changed to a battalion, the company is changed to a detachment, and the platoon is changed to a squad.

It's just a change of name.

A battalion of troops was added on the original basis.

However, officers at all levels have been promoted in terms of actual military rank and treatment.

This is just the most obvious one.

The real changes are inconspicuous, but the impact is great.

After the reorganization, the strength of a mountain tactical corps is about 5000 people.

The battlefield is wide enough, which is the maximum width that the hills and mountains can accommodate.

Any more would be counterproductive.

After being assigned a logistics support battalion and a battlefield emergency rescue battalion, the independent combat capability has been greatly improved.

Let’s continue talking about the lower-level organization.

The Mountain Tactical Brigade is a basic combat unit, equivalent to the previous mountain battalion.

The tactical corps is equivalent to a brigade. The reason why no regiment-level units are formed under it is mainly due to the consideration of overall combat mobility.

The number of people in a group should be at least between 1500 and 2000.

The tactical brigade has a full staff of 1000 people, and the squad strength has been reduced from 13 to 10 people. The remaining vacancies have been transferred to the newly formed logistics detachment.

It is equivalent to deploying a logistics company at the battalion level.

Don't worry about whether it can work right now, just build the framework first.

While ensuring combat effectiveness, reducing part of the scale can ensure that the troops can respond quickly.

In mountain warfare, heavy weapons cannot be deployed.

Moreover, the mountains are different from the plains. The troops cannot fight in large groups and cannot share unified logistical support.

Therefore, it is necessary to set up a logistics detachment.

From now on, the tactical corps will become the basic strategic unit.

Every time Zhao Fangyuan read a name, a voice appeared below.

"Thank you for your training, sir!"

After reading out the names of the three mountain tactical corps, Zhao Fangyuan flipped through the file book and said, "Let's start the second agenda item of the meeting."

"After consideration by the upper command, a reserve tactical corps was formed, with Chu Yunfei as the corps commander!"

Hearing his name being called, Chu Yunfei stood up in an instant: "Thank you for your cultivation, sir!"

Wang Feng nodded with satisfaction.

This is not what the reserve means.

The so-called reserve tactical corps is indeed a front-line combat unit, and all weapons are distributed in full and in standard quantities.

The reason why it is called "reserve" is mainly because Wang Feng has not yet decided on the specific type of troops.

It can be regarded as an ordinary infantry unit, with no special features but no weaknesses either.

A polygonal army.

It can also serve as a line-filling role in large-scale cluster combat.

The second reason is that Shanxi’s terrain is too complex.

There are plains, mountains, hills and plateaus.

Deploying only mountain corps would have too many limitations.

If possible in the future, the reserve tactical corps will be directly converted into a mechanized tactical corps or other corps.

Since they have always been trained according to the standards of front-line troops, they also have a lot of practical experience.

By then, the speed of adaptation will be much faster.

This is not a mistreatment of Chu Yunfei, but rather a form of training.

The meeting has basically come to an end at this point.

There is only one thing left to say.

At Wang Feng's signal, Zhao Fangyuan turned the page in his file book, looked at the words on it, and immediately became solemn and recited aloud:

"The former 1st Regiment of the North China Battle Group performed heroically in the Battle of Kashiwagi Well. Facing the Japanese air-to-ground coordinated attack, they held their ground and resisted stubbornly, refusing to give up an inch and successfully completed the blocking mission assigned by the command. They were awarded the honorary title of the First 'Red Flag' Mountain Tactical Corps!"

Zhang Hu looked up suddenly. He had just come out of a field hospital and had no prior knowledge of this.

Everyone thought the meeting was over.
He stood up and looked around, watching the officers of the second and third regiments applauding continuously, and looking at the officers of the first regiment with envy.

And a group of officers all looked at him.

Under the atmosphere, I straightened my back unconsciously.

I couldn't quite believe it.

The first honorary title in the entire army fell on me?
He tilted his head and looked at the wound on his shoulder.

Well, it should fall on me!

Several guards stepped in, and the leading soldier carried a red flag on his shoulder.

It was the red flag that Zhang Hu erected on the battlefield after the bombing that day.

The flag was cut and transformed from a simple piece of red cloth into a real military flag.

On the side close to the flagpole, the honorary number of "First 'Red Flag' Mountain Tactical Corps" is sewn.

Wang Feng stood up, took the red flag from the guard with both hands, then turned around and handed it to Zhang Hu personally.

The process of awarding the honorary title for the first time was very crude.

At least that's what Wang Feng thought.

There was no military music, no red carpet, no medals, no auditorium, and only a few dozen people watched the ceremony.

The most crucial thing is that there is no clear letter of appointment issued by the Military Commission.

But these are nothing in Zhang Hu's eyes.

There were only two things in his eyes.

Awarded the medal personally by the commander, the highest honorary title in the entire army!

Zhang Hu strode out from his seat. As his right arm was inconvenient to move, he saluted with his left arm: "Thank you, sir, for the honor!"

"The First Mountain Tactical Corps will definitely live up to the expectations of the commander!"

After saying that, he took the red flag with both hands, which symbolized the honor of the army.

Wang Feng patted his shoulder and said, "Get well soon. I'm waiting for you to fight on the battlefield!"

Zhang Hu said firmly: "Yes!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Chu Yunfei stood below, watching the awarding ceremony while secretly observing the officers present.

His former adjutant Sun Ming, now the deputy commander of the Reserve Tactical Corps, had been infected by the atmosphere at the scene and was looking at the red flag with longing.

Honor is what soldiers pursue throughout their lives.

Wrapping the body in its horse's hide is the most solemn funeral for a fallen soldier.

Rights are only temporary.

To gain fame during life and after death is what one truly desires deep in one’s heart.

Chu Yunfei finally understood that this was what the Chinese army should look like.

Not only weapons and equipment should be advanced.

From senior officers to junior soldiers, everyone must have a certain spirit.

Chu Yunfei had just joined the team less than a day ago and had little contact with the unit, so it was difficult for him to express this feeling.

But it is definitely stronger than most of the national army troops.

There are many factors that restrain the morale, including soldiers' subjective consciousness, bureaucracy, two-gun generals, corruption, and so on.

There are two reasons for this.

One is the problem that is inherited from the root. The older the unit number and the longer its history, the more serious the problem.

The bottom line is that there are too many old soldiers, and their work style has been passed on from person to person. In a pool of turbid water, there is no place for clear water to stay.

The new soldiers are full of enthusiasm, and after a while they will be infected by this atmosphere and eventually become a real soldier.

The ethos of the army has already been set, and even if all the soldiers die on the battlefield in the end, it will not make a difference.

There will be a new batch of ruffians appearing, truly ensuring that our descendants will be endless.

The second is the old-fashioned corruption among military officials.

Chu Yunfei did not clearly feel these two points in the North China Battle Group.

"No wonder they are a team that always wins. I admire them so much!"

After the awarding ceremony, the meeting process was completely completed.

Wang Feng left the venue first, and before leaving he added: "All troops should immediately gather their weapons and head to Taiyuan in four hours!"

The reorganization plan has been issued, but there are so many things to do right now that there is not enough time to reorganize it, so it can only be put aside for now.

Wait until you are completely settled.

The next plan is to get to Taiyuan as soon as possible.

We have already been delayed in Yangquan for a day and cannot go any further. The Taiyuan Arsenal is the most important part of the development plan and must not be lost.

He greeted Huang Shaohong early in the morning and was told that the train was ready and could depart at any time.

When the war broke out, all railways were designated for military use, and now there are no civilian trains running on them.

With Niangzi Pass in such a state, there are no more trains coming from Taiyuan, and the entire railway seems to have become a one-way track.

Only batches of defeated soldiers were transported to Taiyuan.

On the train platform.

Upon learning that Wang Feng was leaving, Huang Shaohong came in person to see him off.

"When you are in Taiyuan, be careful about everything."

Wang Feng nodded: "I appreciate Commander Huang's kindness, I am very grateful!"

Although I don't have a very favorable impression of these national army generals, this sentence is indeed from the heart.

There is no way, just like Wei Lihuang, what he gave was too much.

At the last moment, Huang Shaohong sent another 2,000 reservists. These were the only remaining reserve forces on the entire Niangzi Pass front line. He had been holding them tightly in his hands and would not give them to anyone.

As the train was about to depart, Wang Feng waved goodbye and said, "Deputy Commander Huang, I'm leaving now. See you again if we're lucky!"

Looking at the receding figure, Huang Shaohong couldn't help but feel emotional.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, each war zone suffered repeated defeats and no one was able to take on the responsibility.

There is an atmosphere of despair throughout the country.

It can be said that there is no other general like Wang Feng who can win battles and win battles in succession.

The allocation of reserves was the direct intention of the Chairman.

When the edifice is about to collapse, which person in power would not cherish talent?

In addition, there was another request in the telegram.

That is, to order the North China Battle Group to move to Changzhi and garrison there to resist the invasion of Japanese invaders.

Changzhi has a very special geographical location. It belongs to the southeastern region of Shanxi and borders Henan.

If Wang Feng led his troops to be stationed here, he could recover the entire Shanxi Province to the west, and participate in the battle to defend the Jinpu Line to the east.

The Japanese invaders came with great force and occupied Shanxi and North China.

The next step is Central China.

As an important transportation artery, the Jinpu Line must be the main attack route of the Japanese army.

As a transportation hub in central China, Xuzhou will definitely see a large-scale battle.

The chairman's tactical command ability is not good, but his strategic vision is still acceptable. With the guidance of his staff, he has noticed the importance of Xuzhou.

He had mentioned it to Wang Feng.

But what is puzzling is that Wang Feng insisted on returning to Taiyuan.

This confused Huang Shaohong. Since he had already drawn a clear line with Yan Laoxi, why did he still want to go into the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's lair?

Isn't this a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?

After repeated dissuasion failed, Huang Shaohong had no choice but to let him go.

The battle at Niangzi Pass was about to end, and the Nanjing government had received news.

After cleaning up this mess, he will return to Nanjing to report on his work.

After two days and one night of travel, the train finally arrived in Taiyuan.

Today, Taiyuan City has become a dangerous city.

(End of this chapter)