Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 92 Cleansing Operation
The evening of July 1.

Wuxiang County Restaurant.

In the private box, a group of people were wearing long gowns and jackets. The table was filled with all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, including everything that flew in the sky, ran on the ground, and swam in the water.

As they clinked glasses and chatted, everyone began to comment on the current situation under the influence of alcohol.

One of them was drunk and threw down his chopsticks and started to talk nonsense: "Now the Japanese first occupied Shanghai and then Nanjing. I heard from outsiders that the next step will be Wuhan!"

"If Wuhan is lost, everything will be over!"

Such demoralizing words were spoken, but no one stepped forward to refute them. Everyone just lowered their heads and remained silent.

This is the current consensus.

If we can’t defend Beijing and Shanghai, how can we defend Wuhan?

Another person stood up and stepped forward to offer a glass of wine: "County Magistrate Feng, what should we do now? I'd like to trouble you to give us some pointers!"

The man called County Magistrate Feng, with a big belly and knitted brows, said: "This means we should obey the orders of the Chairman, work together and resolutely fight the war!"

The toasting man was stunned, with a flattering expression on his face: "County Magistrate Feng, please forgive me for my inconsiderateness."

After saying this, he drank the two taels of liquor in the cup.

Then he picked up the wine bottle and drank three cups in one breath.

Seeing the person in front of him act like this, County Magistrate Feng smiled.

Not only does he like drinking, he also likes to persuade others to drink.

County Magistrate Feng touched the big gold ring on his finger and said, "Everyone here is the backbone of Wuxiang County. I invited you all to gather here today because I have something important to discuss."

As he spoke, he pulled out a handwritten letter from his pocket.

County Magistrate Feng introduced: "This is a handwritten letter from General Taiyuan Xiangyue Qingji."

The envelope was passed around among the crowd, and someone asked, "Are you asking us to commit treason?"

"Yes. This."

Seeing everyone questioning, County Magistrate Feng showed a hint of displeasure on his face, and said righteously: "Nonsense, how can you say it is treason!"

"We are not surrendering to the Japanese, but listening to Mr. Wang's call and abandoning the dark and joining the light. Xiangyue Qingsi is just acting as a middleman."

"Mr. Wang and I are both Chinese. How can it be considered treason for breaking away from the Nanjing government?"

"You were all born in the Qing Dynasty, but now you are serving the Republic of China. Isn't it the same principle? It's just a change of government, but the Chinese are still Chinese!"

County Magistrate Feng's voice was extremely tempting, and everyone below looked at each other in bewilderment.

After all, everyone knows that this is an act of treason, and the so-called treason or not is just psychological comfort for themselves.

The Japanese army is advancing at the front line with great momentum and Nanjing has already fallen. How can we continue the war?
If the heavy pressure of the Japanese army was the dark clouds covering the sky, then defecting to Mr. Wang Kemin in Peiping was a ray of light shining through the clouds.

Following the Chongqing government is no different from being killed.

On the other hand, although the Peking government had to bear the stigma of being a traitor, it still had a glimmer of hope.

But once Japan occupies the entire country, there will be no such thing as a traitor. Besides, the Peking government is in need of people right now, so maybe I can get a high position.

Everyone's minds began to become active.

County Magistrate Feng looked around and couldn't help but smile: "Everyone, I'm sure you all know what kind of life we have been living since that little Wang Feng stationed his troops in Changzhi."

This sentence was the last straw that broke the camel's back in everyone's hearts.

"County Magistrate Feng, what do you think we should do?"

A landowner filled a glass of wine and stood up. "I have tolerated this little Wang Feng for a long time. During this period, I have stockpiled a hundred rifles and two or three hundred homemade guns. I am willing to wait for County Magistrate Feng to dispatch them!"

boom!
Just as he finished speaking, a gunshot was heard outside the box.

The gunshots were very close, probably nearby.

The country gentleman who had spoken so proudly just now was the first to react. He suddenly crawled under the table, trembling with fear all over.

Boom!
The door of the box room was pushed open, but before anyone came in, dense bullets were fired at it.

County Magistrate Feng was horrified: "Who are you?"

Halfway through his words, he heard a bubbling sound from his throat and then fell heavily to the ground.

Before he died, he desperately pinched his neck with his hands, trying to block the leak.

Everyone in the house fell in a pool of blood.

The person who fired the shot was a soldier from the special forces detachment.

In front of the restaurant.

A soldier in cloth came over: "Squad leader, I found something!"

And handed over a blood-stained letter.

The squad leader looked down and couldn't help but sneer: "Why is it Xiangyue Qingsi again?"

The soldier was puzzled: "Sergeant, I heard that this is a high-ranking Japanese officer. Have we caught a big fish?"

The squad leader shook his head: "This is just a trick of the devils. Have you cleared the place?"

Yesterday alone, the entire special forces detachment seized no less than ten handwritten letters from Katsuki Seiji. It was obvious at first glance that they were the work of the Japanese spy agency.

Just borrowing the name of Kazuki Seiji.

The soldier nodded: "Everything inside has been cleaned up, and the militia brothers are dealing with the bodies."

Squad leader: "Next target, hurry up!"

From the night of January 1st till now, for a whole day and two nights, many similar bloody incidents have occurred throughout the Changzhi area.

Without exception, all the dead were traitors and collaborators, mainly local officials and gentry.

Those bureaucrats who still had some conscience and were determined to draw a clear line between themselves and the Japanese were arrested and detained together.

Waiting for the people's judgment!

Huang Shaohong's cooperation was also very helpful. He organized militia groups from various counties and districts to follow the special forces detachment to clean up the aftermath.

These militia groups were the armed forces he personally organized after he took office. Although they were short of weapons and equipment and even poorer than the Eighth Route Army, their main weapons were red tasseled spears and machetes, and there was not even one rifle for every ten people.

But it is still adequate for maintaining public order.

The special forces detachment operates in teams and is active in various areas of Changzhi.

In nature, it belongs to the category of spy forces, so Wang Feng was not stingy. With a wave of his hand, he cleared out all the radio inventory of the battle group.

Each team is equipped with a small microwave radio to strengthen communication between classes.

When Zhao Fangyuan learned of the decision, his eyes widened.

One team, one radio?
Then the entire special forces detachment would need fifteen radio stations.

The entire army currently has only this much inventory, which was replenished by Wei Lihuang.
With more radio stations, efficiency will naturally increase.

If we want to reduce the impact of the incident, we must cut the Gordian knot and remove all the bureaucrats involved with lightning speed.

After completing their mission, each spy team would uniformly report the list of people captured and killed. After receiving the news, Sergei, who was in the rear, would summarize the list and hand it over to Huang Shaohong.

The Administrative Office immediately made personnel adjustments to fill the vacancies.

At the same time, the First "Red Flag" Mountain Tactical Corps was divided into small units, scattered in various villages and cities in the form of detachments (company-level organizations), controlling major traffic routes and suppressing collective rebellions caused by gentry.

Gunshots rang out across Changzhi.

All parties worked closely together, and in less than three days, all officials suspected of corruption and collaborating with the enemy in Changzhi were cleared out.

Because the action took place on New Year's Day, ordinary people did not celebrate the festival, but the bureaucratic group took the opportunity to act recklessly. Some officials who were not well-informed did not even know what was happening when the gun was pointed at their heads.

A smooth transition of power was achieved at the lowest cost.

Battle Group Headquarters.

Wang Feng stood in front of the map. The cleansing operation was almost certain to succeed and there was nothing to worry about.

After pushing the follow-up affairs to Sergei, he began to worry about the situation in the Jinpu Battle.

Han Fuju ran away again
Yesterday, the Han army gave up Dawenkou, and the Japanese army continued to advance. The next step is Jining.

If this continues, the situation will be out of control.

Half an hour ago, Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, called and asked Wang Feng to lead his troops to Xuzhou to cooperate with other troops in the war zone to fight against the Japanese army.

Wang Feng gladly accepted the order.

According to the Japanese army's offensive rhythm, they will be able to start fighting with the main forces of the Fifth War Zone by late January at the latest.

But before that, Wang Feng had one more thing to deal with.

After half an hour.

Zhao Fangyuan strode over: "Sir!"

"The 386th Brigade and the 47th Army are here."

Wang Feng turned his head and shifted his gaze from the map to the door: "Hurry up and invite the person in!"

After a moment, Zhao Fangyuan brought in two people.

It was Li Jiayu, the commander of the 47th Army, and Chen, the commander of the 386th Brigade. Li Jiayu was very enthusiastic when he saw Wang Feng, and he walked forward quickly: "Commander Wang, I have heard of your name for a long time. I heard of your name when I was in Shaanxi."

"I saw it today, it's really extraordinary!"

Wang Feng smiled and said, "General Li, you are too kind. We are all here to save the nation from peril. Besides, General Li is not bad. 30 troops are marching out of Sichuan. What a magnificent spirit!"

After hearing these words, Li Jiayu couldn't help but burst into tears.

After the full-scale war of resistance broke out, Sichuan was the first to respond to the central government's call. Various warlords respected Chiang Kai-shek and obeyed the unified arrangements and deployments.

This is different from Yan Laoxi's change of flag and banner.

At present, the Japanese army has only occupied the Beijing-Shanghai area. Yuncheng, Linfen, Zhongtiao Mountain and other places in southern Shanxi are still under the control of the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

The war is far away from Sichuan.

But under the call of the provincial chairman Liu Xiang, they assembled an army of 300,000 and took the initiative to leave Sichuan to fight the war and defend their homeland.

"As long as the Japanese invaders do not withdraw from our country, the Sichuan Army will never return home!"

However, due to their poor discipline, poor equipment, poor combat effectiveness and physical fitness, they could only fight the war by relying on piles of lives and suffered humiliation and discrimination.

Even the First and Second War Zone would rather be short of soldiers and major generals than accept the Sichuan Army.

This blatant exclusion occurred not only among officers, but also frequently among lower-level soldiers.

The Sichuan Army was one of the armies with the most serious "double-gun soldiers" phenomenon. They were already malnourished, and coupled with smoking opium, the soldiers were very weak and were no match for their opponents in a one-on-one fight.

Soldiers from other local armies often took advantage of this to bully Sichuan Army soldiers.

It is common to rob supplies and spoils on the battlefield.

Forced by the situation, the Sichuan Army often had no choice but to swallow their anger.

Along the way, Wang Feng was the first general who spoke words of praise for the Sichuan Army.

"Commander Wang, don't worry. If the Japanese invaders dare to attack us, our 47th Army will be the first to rush up and chop the son of a bitch into pieces!"

Wang Feng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your good news!"

Brigade Commander Chen interrupted, "Commander Wang, if you have good news, don't forget our 386th Brigade!"

"The New 1st Regiment fought a great blocking battle in your hands last time. After returning, Li Yunlong's tail was almost up in the sky."

Wang Feng: "Of course, of course."

There is a large sand table in the office that covers all the terrain around Changzhi.

Wang Feng took up the baton and said, "On December 12, Commander Yan submitted a new battle plan to the Military Commission, preparing to launch a guerrilla war throughout the province. This morning, the Military Commission approved this battle plan."

"According to the latest operational plan, Jincheng, Yangcheng and other places including our Changzhi have been designated as the fifth administrative district."

"The 2nd Army and the 13th Army are the main combat forces. Their mission is to protect the north bank of the Yellow River and cut off traffic on the southern section of the Tongpu Road. At the same time, the 2nd Army is also responsible for destroying the roads between Pingyao and Huoxian, and between Gaoping and Quwo."

"If possible, these can all be our allies once the war escalates."

Brigade Commander Chen nodded and said: "We can launch a few raids on the Zhengtai Line to attract the main force of the Japanese army."

Wang Feng smiled and said, "That's great. If the Japanese invaders come, the 386th Brigade will conduct guerrilla warfare in the rear, and our troops and the 47th Army will meet the enemy head-on."

Among these three people, Wang Feng ranked first in terms of military rank and authority.

Moreover, General Changsheng was well-known, so Brigade Commander Chen and Li Jiayu were more willing to listen to his opinions.

While the three were conducting the sand table simulation, Song Wenjie took off his fur-collared coat at the door, stood at attention and saluted, "Sir!"

Wang Feng turned around and waved, "Come here quickly."

After hearing the order, Song Wenjie strode towards the sand table.

Wang Feng straightened up and smiled, "Let me introduce you two. This is the deputy commander of my unit, Song Wenjie."

"This is the commander of the 47th Army, Li Jiayu."

"Commander of the 386th Brigade."

After the three of them finished greeting each other, Wang Feng picked up the teacup and took a sip: "I think you two already know that the Military Commission has transferred our unit from the Second War Zone to the Fifth War Zone."

"The Japanese army will soon reach Jining. If they advance further, they will attack Xuzhou. The commander of the Fifth War Zone has sent a telegram requesting that our troops move to the Huaihai area as soon as possible."

"Song Wenjie will temporarily take over the command of the Changzhi war on my behalf."

Li Jiayu was a little surprised. He had originally thought that he could fight side by side with Wang Feng once and use real combat results to wash away the shame for the Sichuan Army.

Unexpectedly, the person who actually commanded the battle was Wang Feng's adjutant.
Brigade Commander Chen had a calm expression.

He had heard from Li Yunlong a long time ago that all the generals under Wang Feng's command were very capable.

At that time, he thought that the sun was rising from the west.

What kind of personality does Li Yunlong have!

No one is as great as him. It is harder than climbing to heaven to hear a word of praise from this guy.

Since Song Wenjie could become Wang Feng's adjutant, his military ability should be good.

After dealing with the commander issue, Wang Feng continued to deploy the battle.

The mission of the 386th Brigade has been determined. It is up to the Eighth Route Army to decide where and how to fight the guerrilla warfare.

The North China Battle Group and the 47th Army need to make detailed deployments.

This time when he went to Xuzhou, Wang Feng planned to take two tactical corps with him.

They are Zhang Hu's First "Red Flag" Mountain Tactical Corps and Chu Yunfei's First Reserve Tactical Corps.

Although Huaihai is a plain area that stretches as far as the eye can see, a hill of 200 meters is considered high.

But Wang Feng believed that the Mountain Tactical Corps, especially Zhang Hu's troops, still had a role to play.

Currently, the training progress of the 80st Red Flag Tactical Corps has reached [Initial Training: %].

According to the gaming experience in the previous life, the experience bonus brought by actual combat is several times that of drill training.

This is also true.

The battlefield is the best training ground.

When the level of this troop reaches [Well-Trained], it will be able to enjoy the bonus effects brought by the new national policy.

Although national focuses are not mutually exclusive, a unit can only benefit from one type of bonus.

The 1st 'Red Flag' Mountain Tactical Corps is the most elite force at present.

According to Wang Feng's idea, the buff of [More Versatile Mountain Infantry] would be added to this unit.

After the construction of the air force is completed, it may be possible to build it into something like the 10th Mountain Division of the US Army, with the ability to conduct all-weather raids.

Wang Feng picked up his baton and pointed to a certain point on the sand table: "Our Second Mountain Corps is stationed here."

"Please trouble the 47th Army to guard the outer mountain pass and wait for an opportunity to destroy the roads from Dongyang Pass to Jincheng and from Qincheng to Changzhi."

Li Jiayu nodded.

The command plan sounds really good. It does not require the 47th Army to be used as cannon fodder just because of its Sichuan Army identity.

After everything was finalized, Wang Feng put down his baton and said, "Everyone, Changzhi is located at a strategic point. Its importance needs no further explanation. The 14th Army, the 6th Army, the 2nd Army and other units in southern Shanxi are all fighting the Japanese invaders to the bitter end."

"We can't fall behind either. I hope everyone can unite and fight against the Japanese invaders together!"

Brigade Commander Chen nodded: "Okay!"

"Unite as one and fight against the Japanese invaders!"

Li Jiayu seemed even more excited: "Beat those damn Japanese devils!"

On January 5, the Japanese army entered Jining and continued to advance along the Jinpu Railway.

Li Zongren was stationed in Xuzhou. When he heard the news that Han Fuju had fled without a fight, he became furious and immediately ordered his troops to retreat along the Jinpu Line and defend the strategic locations.

But what was unexpected was.

Han Fuju was completely frightened by the Japanese army after abandoning cities one after another. He ignored the orders of the commander-in-chief of the war zone and led his two armies without authorization, abandoned the Jinpu Railway and retreated directly to western Shandong.

Not even telling Li Zongren.

As a result, the front of the Jinpu Road was opened. Li Zongren hurriedly dispatched troops to defend it. It took a lot of effort to slow down the Japanese army's pace of moving south.

When Wang Feng led his troops to Xuzhou, it was already January 10th.

Before he could even enter the city, he received a military order.

It was a telegram from the war zone sent by the Central Command.

Looking at the telegram handed over by Zhao Fangyuan, Wang Feng frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Suddenly, officers above the division level in the First and Fifth War Zones were allowed to leave their positions without permission and go to Guide to participate in military meetings."

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head.

Li Zongren has already issued detailed instructions to each department on the specific strategic deployment.

Holding a military meeting at this time, and with the order from the Central Command, I'm afraid there must be some hidden meaning!

(End of this chapter)