Chapter 1450: That's How Hard It Is

On April 30, 1941, 25 days after the Battle of Shipai came to an end, important officials from the Ministry of Military Affairs arrived at the headquarters of the two major war zones that participated in the war.

All the units that participated in the Battle of Shipai were rewarded according to their merits.

The 18th Army of the Third War Zone, which defended the central position of Shipai, became the biggest winner.

All the major generals and above of the 18th Army were awarded medals, including 6 Blue Sky Medals, and the lowest level was the Second Class Baoding Medal.

Three of the colonel commanders of the 11th and 18th Divisions were awarded the Blue Sky Medal, and the rest were awarded the highest level of Baoding Medal that a colonel could receive.

Even the Temporary 6th Division, which was a reserve force, received more than 50 medals of various types!

This was the glory of the 18th Army, and it was a victory won at the cost of the lives of more than 10,000 officers and soldiers. No praise is too much.

However, as another meritorious unit in this battle, the Four-Line Regiment, not only held its flank under the fierce attack of nearly 20,000 Japanese troops, but also completed the encirclement of more than 6,000 Japanese troops and completed the "starvation war" that made Japan feel ashamed. Even if this military achievement is not as good as the first merit of the 18th Army, it must be second!

However, the military and political department's awarding of the Four-Line Regiment's military merits is simply shocking. In addition to the special allocation of 200,000 French francs as rewards and pensions for the sacrificed officers and soldiers, a large number of medals of loyalty and bravery were awarded to grassroots officers and soldiers.

In addition to receiving the fifth-level Baoding Medal, which is not painful, those above the level of school officers also received a pre-admission notice for the advanced education class of the Central Military Academy.

The notice also included a statement that admission is entirely voluntary, and those who are willing to enroll will be promoted by one level in military rank. After one year of qualified study and graduation, they will enter the main infantry army and be awarded a real job corresponding to the military rank, including Tang Dao himself. That means that as long as Tang Dao gives up control of the Four-Line Regiment, he will immediately step into the ranks of generals.

For a lieutenant colonel like Leng Feng, as long as he spends a year in the training class, he will be the head of a regiment.

After becoming a colonel, it is extremely difficult to get promoted, even in this wartime. For many people, it is still very tempting to go to the training class for one year to get promoted.

For the middle and senior officers of the Four Lines Regiment, they only need to leave the Four Lines Regiment to have a bright enough future.

It's just that the word "voluntary" is particularly glaring!

That is obviously what the Ministry of Military Affairs or that person wants to see. If someone "volunteers", then the purpose of disintegrating this strong army from within will be achieved. If no one "volunteers", it obviously means that Tang Dao has managed the Four Lines Regiment like an iron plate, and the Ministry of Military Affairs has lost control of the Four Lines Regiment. The Four Lines Regiment has become a small independent kingdom.

In peacetime, the Four Lines Regiment must be greeted by military orders for the officers to be transferred immediately, but in this wartime, this is obviously not in the interests of the military, so the possibility of becoming cannon fodder has become inevitable.

Especially at this time when the Ministry of Military Affairs was awarding various medals for military merits, they actually used such a trick on the Four-Line Regiment. Obviously, someone in Shancheng couldn't bear it anymore.

"Ah! Tang Dao is in trouble! He almost said it directly. He would rather completely abolish the elite troops of the Four-Line Regiment than let them escape from his control. His desire for power is really too strong." The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff of the Fifth War Zone sighed slightly as he looked at Tang Dao's somewhat bleak back as he walked out of the headquarters gate.

The old warlords knew how clever that man was. Even the cunning and treacherous King of Guangxi Province was suppressed by him for more than ten years and dared not make any changes. Tang Dao was still too young. He wanted to escape his control just by relying on his patriotic passion and the amazing military merits accumulated by fighting bloody battles on the battlefield. It was really too naive.

You know, all war actions are for political purposes!

Do you think that the Japanese launched a full-scale war of aggression against China just because they coveted China's huge resources and territory, and attempted to turn China into their colony to satisfy their expansionist ambitions?

Then you are totally wrong. The social contradictions and economic crisis in Japan were also one of the main reasons why Japan decided to launch a "snake swallowing elephant" war of aggression after seeing that China, the elephant, was already extremely weak.

Before launching the war of aggression against China, Japan carried out a lot of propaganda and agitation work in the country, inciting nationalist sentiments, which gradually worsened the Japanese people's views on China. Only in this way can all the people be tied to the chariot, and no longer just focus on whether they can have rice balls to eat.

And the Chinese one also used the war to integrate the internal and eliminate dissidents. For example, the one in Shandong Province was not suppressed by the name of righteousness and was shot to death! But some people lost Nanjing and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, but they are still living a leisurely life, right?

Bravery and sacrifice belong to the little guys, but for the big guys sitting in high positions, if the chess pieces are useful, they will be used a few more times, and if they are useless, they will be discarded without mercy.

This is true for both China and Japan!

Now, it is finally the turn of Tang Dao, the outstanding young soldier who emerged from the Battle of Songhu. How can this not make this middle-aged soldier who has seen the ugliness sigh.

"Not necessarily!" General Li, who had just personally encouraged Tang Dao and promised to give the Four Lines Regiment a two-month rest period, shook his head.

"This son of Tang Dao, I met him once in Xuzhou. From that time, I knew that this son was an extremely pure soldier. If he was placed as a general under my command, he would definitely be a rare general. It's a pity that he was then As a member of the Sichuan Army, there is no way I can take someone's love away from General Guo. Facts have proved that my vision is not wrong."

"But sir, you know, the more pure a soldier is, the less able he is to resist arrows from the dark." The lieutenant general and chief of staff were obviously confused about his boss's confidence in a small army colonel to deal with such stormy waves.

Are there too few pure soldiers who died in history? For example, Yue Wumu, who was called back to the capital by twelve gold medals but died in Fengbo Pavilion, was the deputy military commander of the Song Dynasty. If he touched the emperor's interests, would he have to die?

"Haha, I said he was a pure soldier, but I never said that he only focused on marching and fighting." General Li picked up the tea cup and took a sip, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.

"I have seen too many people in my life, some are brave and tenacious, some are cunning and cunning, some are swinging from one end to the other, some are ruthless and unfeeling, no matter how loyal or loyal they are. Evil, evil and good, including you and me, all want to gain something in this world by themselves, whether it is ideals, interests or rights.

But Tang Dao is a very strange person, you know? In my conference room, I actually had the feeling that everything this young man did in this world was just to kill more Japanese.

It was precisely because of this feeling that I believed in him, and that led to the great victory in Taierzhuang! "

"Sir, the Taierzhuang victory was accomplished under your careful planning. What does this have to do with his Tang Dao? At that time, he had already led the Four Corps to North China!" He had just been transferred to the Chief of Staff of the Fifth Theater for more than a year. Bit was suddenly startled.

"Yes, with Taierzhuang as the center, we would use one to two divisions to attract the Japanese invaders, and then gather our hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Xuzhou to encircle and annihilate them. This was my initial idea before the war.

But do you think the 20th Legion will listen to me? Will they follow my orders like my brother Gui Jun?

That's why I chose to trust him and reused the 67th Army and the 59th Army. These two infantry armies that had been marginalized by someone also lived up to my expectations, and this was the reason for the great victory in Taierzhuang.

Without the concerted efforts of a hundred thousand troops, how could they have annihilated the 20,000 Japanese invaders in one fell swoop? Without the two men Wu and Zhang who led their troops to a bloody battlefield at the drop of a hat, the battle at Taierzhuang would have been a draw at best. "General Li sighed slightly.

"This young man seems to have a keen eye that can see through everything."

"Tang Dao, a small regiment leader, has such a wide circle of friends. Even you, the commander, look at him differently. This shows that he is already extremely experienced in dealing with people. But he is the only one who does not bow to that person. This is really puzzling. "The lieutenant general's chief of staff frowned, and for the first time he did not agree with his immediate superior's evaluation of Tang Dao.

??????55.??????

Not to mention whether he can see through everything, his current attitude towards that person shows that he cannot see the general trend clearly. That person now has millions of soldiers, especially as the Great Patriotic War continues, China has changed from the previous two years. The one-sided losing streak gradually formed the current protracted tug-of-war. The man's reputation was growing both domestically and internationally, and no one else could threaten him. Tang Dao still firmly chose to get close to the man he hated so much. Faction, it’s weird that he doesn’t use any means.

"Of course he has his reasons for doing this. This young man not only has a sword in his name, he himself is the sharpest sword in the world.

A knife can kill people if used well, but if it is not used well, it can cut yourself. "General Li picked up the tea cup again and took a sip, but the look on his face was extremely indifferent.

"Sir, are you saying?" The lieutenant general's chief of staff was suddenly startled, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say anything no matter what.

Because, that is simply too shocking.

Sure enough, Tang Dao made his own counterattack.

"Due to the Japanese army's increasing pressure, our regiment suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Shipai. All ministers and ministers must train their troops to cope with the next round of Japanese attacks. Therefore, they cannot participate in the education class of the Central Military Academy. I hope that the officers of the Military and Political Department will choose other talents. "The message sent by the Fourth Army Regiment Headquarters to the Theater Command was simple and direct.

The lieutenant general and chief of staff took a breath!

In his mind, even if the Four Corps regiment stationed in the Jingshan area of ​​Nanzhang, Xiangyang was undergoing training and recuperation at this time, even if they did not give face to that person, they would at least send several officers from the logistics department to participate in the education class. In this way, the theater headquarters would also I can have a face-to-face explanation with the Ministry of Military Affairs.

The Tang Dao is so good, just don't give it to anyone, this is a clear sign that you don't save any face!

"He wants face. If he wants face, he won't offer such outrageous 'rewards'!" This is what Tang Dao coldly told several of his confidants at the regiment headquarters. "Don't worry that he will use rough means to deal with me, a thorn in his side. The Japanese and Americans are actually watching him. For the so-called overall situation in his mind, he has to hold back his breath first, and then slowly use his own methods. He wants to settle accounts with me, but he doesn’t know that it’s already 1941.”

No one knows what Tang Dao means by focusing on 1941 at this time. Ye Chenghuan and others only know that their regimental commander is a hero who would rather break than bend. Even in the face of the suppression of Chi Guoguo, the number one man in China, he is just He yelled 'Get out of here!'

1941 was the most important turning point in World War II!

This year, the Japanese finally couldn't hold back their ambitions. In order to gain control of the vast Pacific Ocean, they stabbed the Americans in the ass.

The radio waves codenamed "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" flew over the Pacific Ocean, and the largest naval base of the Americans in the Pacific Ocean was bombed into a mess.

It was also because of this crazy move by the Japanese that the world's largest military factory entered full-power operation mode, tens of thousands of aircraft and tanks came out of the production line and arrived at the battlefield, and the largest war in human history officially began.

This year, the chariots of the German Empire sped across the vast plains of East Europe. The bears with the largest land area and the largest army in the world were about to be crushed into slag by the German chariots!

But perhaps only Tang Dao knew that with the arrival of winter, the extremely cold weather of dozens of degrees below zero and the outrageously long supply lines would let the Germans know what it means that man cannot defeat nature.

When the Mao Bears, who have a sophisticated mind and well-developed limbs, start defending one city after another, the crazy German tanks will eventually fall into the ice and mud, and it will be difficult to maintain the previous lightning speed.

When the tank falls into the swamp, a grenade may kill everyone on the tank, not to mention the Mao Bears who have nearly 10 million troops and can even invest another 20 million troops?

Starting from this year, the war will enter a new stage!

Of course, more importantly, as the wind in 1941 gradually gets hotter, Tang Dao, the future little butterfly, knows one thing more clearly.

The war will end in four years!

That person's hand is not covering the sky now, and it can't be covered at that time. The 80th Army really has the strength of 30 army groups.

"Just pass on the telegram of the Four-Line Regiment intact." General Li seemed to have expected Tang Dao to do this. While speaking, he wrote four words on the paper without raising his head.

Peace and joy!

"Come, take a look at how I write these four characters. I didn't catch up with Tang Dao and reporter Tan Tai's wedding. I heard that his son Tang Shanhe will be one year old in a few months. I don't have anything else to give him, so I gave him two characters."

"Sir, what are you doing?" The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff smiled bitterly.

He didn't expect that his boss would still be in the mood to congratulate Tang Dao, the fat boy who was still far away in North China, on his anniversary.

If he guessed correctly, once this telegram reached that person, he might smash something to vent his anger, and even vent his anger on the Fifth War Zone.

"It's okay. It's clearly written in the notice that they participated voluntarily. The Four-Line Regiment didn't participate because of their busy military affairs, and they didn't violate military orders. What's there to be afraid of!" Commander Li should be quite satisfied with the four characters he wrote, and called the orderly to come in and let him frame them.

He looked at his chief of staff and smiled gently: "If you are still worried, then attach another telegram saying that the Japanese 11th Army wants to retaliate against our war zone because of the battle of Beidou Mountain. The 40th Division located north of the Han River is ready to move. Our war zone has already ordered the 67th Army and the Four-line Regiment to actively respond."

"Yes!" The face of the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff was even more bitter.

He did not expect that his immediate superior not only did not mediate, but also had the intention of putting himself into this powder keg.

Tang Dao is easy to say, but he is just a small regiment commander of 5,000 people. Even if he wants to make a big splash, he can't make any waves. But this is a big boss of the Guangxi clique with hundreds of thousands of troops. He is deeply feared by that person. His participation will make that person think more, right?

Looking at the back of the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff who took the order and left, General Li's face was calm, but his eyes became deep.

No one knows what this person is thinking.

Perhaps only his old opponent.

"Damn it! Li is fanning the flames. He wants Tang Dao, the reckless man, to come out and fight me, so that I can slap myself in the face. He is watching the fun from the side. He is really a traitor!"

In a quiet little hall in Shancheng, the thick wool carpet is covered with porcelain fragments, which shows the anger of the teacup smasher at that time.

Perhaps Tang Dao's reply message was already expected by him, but the intervention of the Fifth War Zone Command was beyond his expectation.

He personally promoted Tang Dao, the heroic commander, and the Four-Line Regiment, but he also had a hundred ways to make Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment disappear on the battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops were deployed at any time, but the intervention of the Fifth War Zone was completely different.

No matter how powerful he was, he could not bypass the Fifth War Zone to get rid of Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment, and even his political opponents would fall into the hands of this.

Standing next to him was Major General Dai of the Military Investigation Bureau, who was silent as a cicada.

He knew that those people were unwilling to be suppressed like this, and they started to show their teeth by taking advantage of this incident.

And the general surnamed Li was different from the old man who just wanted to protect himself. He was ambitious and powerful enough to pose a threat to the man in front of him.

"Go! Tell someone to notify the Military and Political Department to agree to the military deployment of the Fifth War Zone! I hope they can make new contributions!" The feminine Jiangzhe accent finally calmed down after venting his anger.

But what kind of rage was suppressed under this calmness, perhaps only this confidant who had followed him for many years knew.