Chapter 1439 Ugly Undercurrent

"Our side won a complete victory in the battle to defend the stone plaque!"

"Our 150,000 soldiers in the 3rd and 5th theaters fought bravely to repel the enemy invaders!"

"Our three armed forces, land, sea and air force, work together to defeat the Japanese invaders!"

With the Chinese and foreign press conferences eagerly held by the Chinese Ministry of Military Affairs on the evening of the 24th, and the early morning of the 25th, newspapers in major cities in China publicized the victory of the Shipai defense battle on their front pages.

He praised that person with extremely flattering words, which made that person's reputation reach another peak since the victory in the Battle of Taierzhuang, just as he expected.

Naturally, that person was in a very good mood. He specifically called the Minister of Military Affairs to his official residence and decided to award the Medal of Blue Sky to the chief officers above the division level of various ministries who participated in the battle to defend Shipai.

This was a big deal, even when the Wanjialing annihilated the 106th Division during the Battle of Central China, it had never happened before.

"Tang Dao of the Si Xing Regiment is still only a colonel, but his military exploits are outstanding." Minister He thought that Tang Dao's handsome face appeared in his mind. Although he felt that it would displease him, he still put aside this disturbing question. out.

In terms of military exploits, the Si Xing Regiment firmly held the left wing of the central position of Shipai as a regiment, allowing the 11th Division to devote all its forces to the frontal battlefield. This was also the main factor in winning the victory, and the enemies blocked by the Si Xing Regiment were Two detachments plus the main force of a division bear greater pressure than the 18th Division.

More importantly, the Si Xing Regiment also successfully completed the counterattack, catching the main force of the 39th Division when the main force of the Japanese army began to retreat, and is now encircling and annihilating this Japanese army.

Being able to defend and counterattack and kill thousands of Japanese troops is something that has rarely been achieved in countless battles. Once successful, it will definitely boost the morale of the country's military and civilians. At this critical moment, Minister He also felt that it was a bit unjustifiable not to give Commander Tang a Blue Sky Medal.

"Captain Tang of the Four Elements Regiment! He is still a little too young. He is very good, but he is a young boy who is only 25 years old. Let him be among a group of old men. You let those who fight for the country... What do veterans of more than ten years think?

Our ancestors have a saying that goes like this: A tree that is as beautiful as a tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind! It is a good thing to become famous at a young age, but becoming famous at a young age may be the biggest obstacle to his future progress. It is better to let him polish his current position. When the time is right, let him return to the mountain city to be the military secretary of the minister, or my attendant. official. "The man rubbed his smooth scalp and replied with a slightly feminine accent from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The man's eyes were staring out the window, and Minister He sitting nearby couldn't see the flash in his eyes, but he sighed slightly in his heart. He knew his boss and opponent too well.

Tang Dao fought side by side with the 80th Army in the north and cooperated closely with him, which really hit his bottom line. He hurriedly transferred the Four Lines Regiment away from the North China battlefield. On the surface, it seemed to be because of the request of the commander surnamed Li of the Fifth Theater. , but in fact the main reason is related to the 80th Army.

Even when the Four Troops marched to the mountain city, that man even considered leaving the Four Troops as a garrison outside the mountain city. If the Japanese army's intention to attack Shipai Fortress had not been obvious, the two commanders Li and Chen had Requesting to send more elite troops to Shipai to participate in the battle, Tang Dao and the Four Elements Regiment are probably still waiting for military orders in the mountain city.

He was so afraid of Tang Dao, how could he be willing to award Tang Dao the Blue Sky Medal at this time?

Of course, the reason why he is so stingy and stingy with even a medal actually has a lot to do with Tang Dao himself being too good.

The war has entered its fourth year. Tang Dao led his four-line regiment to fight in the north and south. They have gone through dozens of battlefields, large and small. He already has two Blue Sky Medals and an unknown number of Baoding Medals. If there is another one, that will He is the first soldier in the entire Chinese military to have such an honor, and he has served as an army colonel for three years. Just pick any of his military achievements and he will be able to enter the ranks of generals.

The promotion to Tang Dao is just for one person. A major general is not a very important figure in the entire Chinese military system. But the key is that today's Si Xing Regiment has long been a special regiment. On the surface, the establishment is better than the ordinary 2 regiment. The infantry brigade created must be large, plus those who are not on the roster, and then transformed into a brigade, how powerful is it?

A disobedient tiger leads a pack of wolves, and also has friends with the Northeastern Army, the Northwest Army, the Sichuan Army, the Yunnan Army, the 80th Army and other ruthless characters with different political opinions. Whoever sits in this position would probably not be able to do it. Raising tigers will cause trouble!

However, if it were peacetime, Minister He would agree with this choice without hesitation, but what time is it now? It is a moment of survival for the entire country and nation. As the number one person in the Chinese military and government at this time, what he should do most is to unite all the forces that can be united to drive away foreign enemies with a common hatred!

"In this way, I also know that Tang Dao and the Four Elements Regiment contributed a lot to this battle. If they are not rewarded, you, the military and political minister, will not look good on your face.

Let me tell you to the Fifth War Zone that the pensions for the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment who died in this battle can be increased by 20%; captains with military merit can enjoy the salary of army majors. Majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels will all be treated accordingly; In addition, officers at or above the rank of major with military exploits in the Four Lines Regiment, according to their personal wishes, can return to the mountain city to participate in higher education classes organized by the Central Military Academy! "The feminine accent from Jiangsu and Zhejiang continued to sound.

"Okay! I will convey your message to Commander Li." Minister He nodded.

. . . . . . . . .

"Heh! That guy has a good plan! He is going to start the internal disintegration of the Four-Line Group? I don't think it's as easy as he thought." General Li, who received the telegram from the Ministry of Military Affairs, smiled and threw the telegram on his desk, his eyes full of disdain.

"Sir, do you mean the higher education class?" An army lieutenant general sitting next to him thought thoughtfully.

"The so-called higher education class is not just a banner for training middle and senior officers, but actually used to buy the hearts of various departments and enrich their own faction's army!" Commander Li said calmly.

"It's useless to just be loyal to the country and the army, you have to be loyal to him, otherwise you may not be able to be quickly promoted and reused after attending this higher education class. If Tang Dao is really willing to let his confidants go, believe it or not, several major battalion commanders will be airdropped to grab this position immediately."

"Tang Dao is just a little younger, not stupid, how could he do such a stupid thing? That..." The army lieutenant general's eyes flashed.

"The one who defeated so many elders to get to this position is not so easy to deal with. He is just killing two birds with one stone. Tang Dao is unwilling to send people, which means he just wants to have his own troops and has long had a different mind. So no special reward is a punishment for him; and if he sends people, it will be just what he wants. Sending his own capable generals into the Four Lines Regiment, even if he can't control the Four Lines Regiment, at least he can grasp the movements of the Four Lines Regiment, know what they are going to do, and the unknown secrets of Tang Dao." General Li's eyes were deep.

"Tang Dao is still too young after all, and doesn't know how to restrain his edge. He got too close to the 80th Army in North China, which eventually brought disaster. Alas! I thought that with the elite troops of the Four Lines Regiment, my Fifth War Zone would have another hand, but now this..." The Lieutenant General of the Army sighed slightly.

As a core figure of the Guangxi clique, he knew how powerful that person was. Even Li and Bai could not defeat him. Being targeted by such a person, even if Tang Dao had three heads and six arms, he would probably only waste his life at the rank of Army Colonel. He might even be caught by the all-pervasive Military Control Commission and thrown into prison one day.

"Forget it, since the Four-Line Regiment came from afar to avenge the Fifth War Zone and made us look good, I will help him once." General Li shook his head slightly. "Draft a telegram to the Military and Political Department in the name of the War Zone Staff, saying that there are still more than 6,000 Japanese invaders in the Battle of Shipai, and the Four-Line Regiment, as the main force besieging the Japanese invaders, cannot spare any manpower for the time being. When the war is relieved, the War Zone Staff will notify them to select outstanding officers to return to Shancheng for training."

"This" The Army Lieutenant General hesitated after a slight sigh.

This means that the theater command took a bullet for Tang Dao, especially since the leader of the Guangxi clique he followed had a grudge against that person. In this case, that person would be even more dissatisfied.

"Haishan, just do as I say." General Li had made up his mind. "As the saying goes, if there are too many lice, you will not be afraid of bites. He has long disliked me, so why should I be afraid of one more thing? Besides, he just suddenly liked me that day. How can he assign the 71st Army, 74th Army, and 18th Army to my theater?

By the way, remember to forward the original text of the military and political department's telegram to Tang Dao, and call him again in an hour, saying that you can just kill these little devils with peace of mind, and the theater will coordinate other matters with the military and political department."

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"Yes!" The lieutenant general of the army instantly understood what his boss meant.

Instead of trying to please a boss who will never like him, it is better to grab a younger brother who can fight and kill.

The Four-Line Regiment proved with its strength that their reputation in the battlefield of North China was absolutely well-deserved, and even better than that.

The Shipai Defense War was mainly led by the Third War Zone, and the Fifth War Zone was only an auxiliary. In addition, the Four-Line Regiment, which went directly to the battlefield from the mountain city, had no more than 40,000 troops, which was just a sideline.

Two infantry divisions were breached by the Japanese army on the periphery, which made the Fifth War Zone a little embarrassed, and could only pin their hopes on the Four-Line Regiment, which was directly under the war zone.

As a result, when the battle report came, even the lieutenant general chief of staff who had been in the army for 20 years couldn't help but take a few breaths of cold air.

The Four-Line Regiment had a special regiment of only 5,000 people, but the Japanese army came up with a detachment and half of the 39th Division. The 39th Division was the victim of the Fifth War Zone, and the commander of the 33rd Army Group died under their siege.

That was an enemy that five divisions couldn't stop, so how could the Four-Line Regiment escape unscathed from their attack?

What's more terrible is that the Sixing Regiment cannot retreat. Once it retreats, the 11th Division in the central position of Shipai will be surrounded by the Japanese army from several sides. Even if the strength is preserved, the loss of Shipai Fortress and the annihilation of the 11th Division are enough to cost the heads of several chief officers of the Sixing Regiment.

During those days, the lights in the Fifth War Zone Headquarters were almost never turned off, waiting for the battle report from the Sixing Regiment Headquarters. He, the lieutenant general chief of staff, only slept for two or three hours on a simple camp bed for several consecutive days, and was in a state of extreme anxiety most of the time, even though the daily battle report of the Sixing Regiment looked quite gratifying, all of which were to repel the Japanese invasion.

Not only was the Sixing Regiment a group of elite troops that the commander used all kinds of connections to transfer to the war zone, but also because they were the face of the entire Fifth War Zone.

The face lost in the defeat of the Zaoyi Battle last year needed them to use victory to redeem it.

Unexpectedly, on the 21st, the situation suddenly changed. A 7,000-man Jingu Detachment bypassed the defense line and went straight to Sifangwan, the headquarters of the Sihang Regiment, which had only one battalion. When the battle report came, not to mention the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff, even the usually deep General Li's face was full of anxiety.

If the theater headquarters was not 400 kilometers away from Shipai, the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff had reason to believe that his general commander, who had smoked five or six cigarettes, could even send the theater headquarters guard division to support.

But the Sihang Regiment gave everyone a huge surprise. In just one day, it defeated the crazy attacking Jingu Detachment and completed the encirclement.

On the night of the 22nd, General Li, who had always had a poor appetite, rarely showed off two large bowls of rice, which was indeed excessive for an old man in his fifties who was about to enter his twilight years.

However, this also shows his irrepressible joy.

The surprises were not over yet. After the main force of the Japanese army on the front battlefield began to withdraw on the 24th, the Four-Line Regiment unexpectedly cut off the retreat at an epic level, using an infantry company lurking in the mountains to resolutely block the only mountain pass where the main remnants of the 39th Division retreated.

When the Four-Line Regiment sent the tactical plan to the theater staff, the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff felt that his hair was almost standing up.

There was both shock like a stormy sea, joy like a tide, and admiration for the determination and madness of the Tang sword.

What was surprising was that a reinforced infantry company with only more than 200 troops had to block the crazy attack of more than 4,000 Japanese troops for 6 hours. This was a decision that no commander could imagine and would not make.

It was almost like sending more than 200 Chinese soldiers to die. Would anyone execute this military order like a moth to a flame?

The good news is that the 39th Division, a number that the 5th War Zone hated, has come to this day. If they were really trapped in the mountains, and it was the 5th War Zone that completed it, then the morale of the entire 200,000 troops of the 5th War Zone, especially the 33rd Army whose commander died in the battle, would be greatly boosted.

Tang Dao could have avoided such a risk and waited for the Japanese army to withdraw and enjoy the fruits of victory in the Shipai Defense War, but he still did it, just to keep the main force of the 39th Division in the beautiful mountains of China.

"My troops joined the 18th Army and have successfully completed the encirclement of the Japanese Infantry 231st Regiment!" When the telegram from the Four-Line Regiment came a few hours later, the excited Lieutenant General Chief of Staff picked up the telegram and rushed to the headquarters, even forgetting to wipe away the tears flashing in the corners of his eyes due to extreme excitement, and was teased by General Li for this.

You say, is such an elite infantry regiment worth it for the war zone to offend the one who saved him? It is definitely worth it.

Even when the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff walked out of the headquarters, he was already thinking of suggesting to the commander to transfer Tang Dao to be the deputy director of the Operations Department of his staff, of course, it was a part-time job. Since that officer did not promote Tang Dao, then he would come to the theater.

The deputy director of the Operations Department of the theater staff has the right to participate in the theater's tactical suggestions. Although his military rank is not high, his actual power is not small. Even the commanders of the divisions have to greet him with a smile when they meet.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Haha! That person is really on guard against us. Now he is too lazy to even do the superficial work. He even uses such a crude trick as cutting off the firewood from the bottom of the pot." Tang Dao threw the telegram transferred from the theater headquarters to Ye Chenghuan with a look of contempt.

"Although Commander Li has his own little tricks, our regiment still has to accept this favor." Ye Chenghuan picked up the telegram and read it for a long time, his eyes full of solemnity.

"Commander Li's favor, the 4,000 heads of the 231st Regiment in this encirclement are almost enough." Tang Dao pointed to the deep mountains in front of him, his eyes full of resentment and regret.

"I thought that man was a leader of a country, so he was more or less tolerant, but now I find that I still overestimated him. I and thousands of brothers in the Four Lines Regiment are willing to sacrifice our lives for this country and nation, but he still ignores the overall situation and focuses on factional disputes. How can such a person not be defeated?"

"Captain, you mean" Ye Chenghuan's face suddenly changed.

Although Ye Chenghuan, who came from the 80th Army, did not like that person, as a Chinese, the Japanese invaders were the current number one enemy. When he heard Tang Dao say that he was defeated, he was naturally shocked.

"It was not the Japanese devils who lost, but the Chinese people." Tang Dao looked at his deputy and said meaningfully.

"Brother Ye, I can assure you that as long as we Chinese don't give up on ourselves, we can definitely realize the country we dream of. Although it still has many shortcomings and regrets, our sons and grandsons don't have to worry about filling their stomachs every day in the war, and don't have to worry about what will happen tomorrow. They will be happy."

"Of course I believe it! Isn't that what our generation is fighting for them at the cost of our lives!" Ye Chenghuan put his worries aside and grinned with a mouthful of white teeth.

"It's just that, Captain, you..."

As a comrade-in-arms who has worked with Tang Dao for nearly three years, he clearly saw anger and unwillingness in Tang Dao's eyes. He understood anger, but why was he unwilling?

"Commander Li is kind, but he has invisibly increased the fear of that person towards our regiment. Our regiment may have to keep a low profile in the next one or two years, and it will be difficult for us to do anything big." Tang Dao sighed softly and turned his head to the south.

He originally wanted to participate in the first overseas combat of Chinese soldiers in nearly a hundred years, but now it seems that the possibility is very slim.

That person would never allow an elite infantry regiment that had ties with the 80th Army and that his old rival risked offending him to protect to grow stronger again.

His telegram was more of a test of the Four-Line Regiment in the heart of General Li than a test of Tang Dao.

And that officer Li may not have failed to see the intention of that person, but from his perspective, this way of handling it was more in line with his interests.

Until now, the Four-Line Regiment was just a small boat in the undercurrent of the river. Whether it could successfully reach the other side depended on the will of God.

But, so what?

Since he came to this era, he had killed tens of thousands of brutal Japanese invaders! Tang Dao put away the regret and unwillingness in his eyes, and his fighting spirit surged again.

If someone made him unhappy, he would kill some devils to relieve his hatred! ()