The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 324 Lieutenant Colonel Commands Major General
After He Wei showed his identity and was verified, the security troops of the Ninth Division on the riverside immediately led He Wei on foot to the headquarters of the Eleventh Army Corps located in the Tianjia Town Fortress.

While walking on the road from Jiangtan to Tianjia Town Fortress, He Wei also felt the completely different differences between Tianjia Town Fortress and Banbishan Fortress.

The altitude of the Tianjia Town Fortress is lower than that of the Banbishan Fortress, but the scale of the fortress position is far greater than the solitary hilltop of Banbi Mountain. As He Wei walked on the road, he could see the large reinforced concrete structure of the Tianjia Town Fortress. .

Behind the fortress, there are hills, mountains and lake network areas. It can be said that the terrain is difficult, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After passing through layers of sentries, multiple field positions covered with barbed wire, bunkers and civil structure fortifications, and rows of infantry guard posts, He Wei successfully entered the Tianjia Town Fortress, and finally came to the Tianjia Town Fortress under the leadership of a major officer. The Eleventh Army Command Post is located in the permanent fortifications at the core of Tianjia Town Fortress.

The Eleventh Army Command Post is located in the core part of the Tianjia Town Fortress. They are all permanent standard fortifications with reinforced cement concrete structures. The design drawings and plans are all from the hands of German consultants hired by the Nationalist Government with heavy investment. The construction was personally supervised by the city fortification team of the General Staff Headquarters, which can be regarded as a model fortification.

All necessary equipment and facilities are available in the command post, including ventilation facilities, lighting facilities, anti-virus facilities, observation facilities, water storage facilities, etc. The overall condition is very good.

After He Wei was led into the command post, he saw that although the command post was located in a fortification that was not exposed to the sun, it had all kinds of facilities. The passages inside were wide and the lights were as bright as day. There were horizontal and vertical signs everywhere on the ceiling of the command post. Crosses are made of strong steel bars as thick as a finger, and all the details reflect the excellent construction of the fortifications here. The only flaw is the moisture caused by the moisture of the river in the fortifications.

Walking all the way through the command post, the major officer introduced He Wei into a suite in the command post and said: "Sir, we have arrived. Our Army Commander Li is in the war room in front. It is not convenient to see guests now." , Please bear with me, you can take a rest here first, I will inform the chief of staff."

"Commander Lee is busy with military affairs, as he should be, and brothers can do as they please."

He Wei nodded and watched the major salute and then leave in a hurry. Then the orderlies brought tea, cigarettes, biscuits, cans and other food into the house. The cigarettes were Hardman's fine soft-packed cigarettes, and the cans also had various kinds of pork, mutton, and fruits. Although he has not yet met Li Yannian, the commander of the Eleventh Army Corps, it can be seen from the details that this commander Li, who graduated from the first phase of Huangpu, is also a person who values ​​pomp and enjoyment.

However, He Wei was not in the mood to eat or drink at all at this time. The food was of course cheaper than the messenger Tao Heiwa. After Tao Heiwa happily took the food to the inner room to fill the five internal organs temple, He Wei was thinking about meeting him later. Li Yannian knew what to say and what to say.

Now that the defense and mission of the Assault Corps have been roughly determined, what He Wei can seek at the moment is to strengthen the assigned firepower more powerfully, and to have it in his hands to ensure a reliable command relationship.

In terms of assigned firepower, the Assault Corps has been reinforced by a 150mm heavy howitzer battalion and a 75mm anti-aircraft gun battery from the Eleventh Army. It is unrealistic to want more Army field artillery reinforcements. He Wei only If you can get the idea of ​​​​defeating the naval guns on the naval warship that sank in the river, you can find a way to get Li Yannian to order the artillery equipment on the Xianning ship to be strengthened to the half-mountain position.

As for the issue of command relationship, He Wei suddenly felt that it was a bit tricky when he thought about it. Now he has figured out the command relationship and specific situation of the National Army troops on the South Bank. The troops on the South Bank are theoretically under the command of the Eleventh Army. But there is no unified command system.

It would be fine in peacetime, but in wartime, the Eleventh Army headquarters located in Tianjia Town on the north bank is separated from the south bank by a river. Wartime command will definitely be inconvenient.

Moreover, the troops on the south bank are not unified. Due to factional differences, the 18th Division of the 54th Civil Engineering Army guarding Fuchikou and the 82nd Division of the Guizhou Army System can not implement the command orders of the 11th Army. I'm afraid there's a big question mark on how much it will be implemented.

As a result, the national army defenders on the south bank did not have a unified command structure nearby. They went their own way in peacetime and fought independently in wartime. There were intricate factional disputes among various units. Once wartime came, big things would probably happen.

The best solution to this problem is to have the Eleventh Army set up a dispatched command structure on the south bank. The upper arm will accept the control and command of the Eleventh Army on the north bank, and the lower arm will uniformly command the various units on the south bank. Only in this way can the defense on the south bank be simplified and improved. Army command system and command efficiency.

Regarding the establishment of a unified command structure, He Wei must also submit his suggestions to Li Yannian. Of course, whether Li Yannian can adopt his suggestions is another matter.

He Wei knew a lot about Li Yannian, both in his past and later generations. He was born in the first class of Huangpu. He was admitted to the first class of Huangpu Military Academy when he was 20 years old. After graduation, he participated in the Eastern Expedition and the Northern Expedition.

After the National Revolutionary Army captured Wuchang in October 1926, the 10-year-old Li Yannian was already the commander of the fifth regiment of the second division of the first army of the National Revolutionary Army. In 22, he was promoted to major general and brigade commander, and later served as the commander of the ninth division of the army.

In 1935, when the National Government comprehensively rectified and unified the awarding of military ranks in order to rectify the chaos of military ranks, Li Yannian was awarded the title of Commander of the Third District of Appeasement and Commander of the Ninth Division along with He Wei's former senior officers Li Mo'an and Hu Zongnan. He holds the rank of general and is also the first lieutenant general among Huangpu students, which can be said to be unparalleled in the limelight.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he was promoted to the commander of the Second Army, and now he serves as the commander of the Eleventh Army. He is only thirty-four years old this year and can be called a leader in Huangpu Phase I.

Although He Wei is doing well now, he may still be a low-key person in front of Li Yannian. It is really uncertain whether his requests and suggestions will be approved.

While He Wei was thinking about it, the door was suddenly pushed open, and an officer wearing a green uniform with a revolver on his waist came in. He Wei looked up and saw that the officer was wearing a With the rank of major general, he immediately stood up and saluted.

"Hello, sir!"

The major general nodded slightly, then smiled and said: "Adjutant Cao came to me just now to report that Captain He from the Assault Corps has arrived at the headquarters. You must be He Wei."

"Yes, sir."

Then, the Army Major General, who spoke with some Henan accent and some Northeastern accent, smiled and patted He Wei on the shoulder and said, "Sit down, we will talk slowly after we sit down."

After the two sat down, the major general said again: "Your reputation is not small. I have heard about your achievements in the Battle of Xinkou. You captured the Japanese regiment flag and captured the Japanese tank. In our Henanese dialect, Zhong!”

The major general then gave He Wei a thumbs up.

"This is all in the past, nothing to mention."

"Don't be humble. How many people have achieved such a record in the war of resistance so far? Hey, what happened to you back then was reported in the newspaper. I remember the newspaper said that you are from the Northeast and were born as an exiled student in the Northeast, right?"

"Yes! Sir, I am from Liaoning. After September 18, I went into exile and entered the customs. I participated in the recruitment examination of the 11th phase of Huangpu Military Academy as an exiled student from the Northeast. After being admitted, I entered the infantry section of the 11th phase of the Huangpu Military Academy."

"Well, speaking of which, we still have some connections. I have stayed in the Northeast for many years. The first time I received a complete officer training was at the Northeast Military Academy set up by Marshal Zhang in Shenyang, and our Second Army There are also many Northeastern Huangpu students like you in our troops, and most of them are young exiles from the Northeast. The quality of these cadres is also very good. "

Hearing that the major general mentioned the Northeast and seemed to have attended the Northeast Martial Arts Lecture Hall, He Wei immediately became interested. He also thought that the major who had just brought him in had said before leaving that he would report to the Chief of Staff. Could it be that this The major general is the chief of staff of the Eleventh Army Corps?

He Wei thought to himself that he was not only thinking about increasing the firepower of the navy's naval guns, but also hoping that the Eleventh Army could set up an independent dispatch command organization on the south bank. If He Wei directly reported the request to Li Yannian, he might not be able to do these two things. Will agree.

In this case, He Wei planned to establish a good relationship with the chief of staff first, let him have a good relationship with him, and then he could also help him beat the drum.

So, He Wei immediately started talking with the major general, and immediately learned that this person was indeed Li Yannian's chief of staff, named Zhao Jiaxian. Just like Li Yannian, who was the commander of the Eleventh Army and the Second Army, Zhao Jia Xiang also served as the chief of staff of the Eleventh Army and the Second Army.

This person's experience is also quite legendary. He was born in Jixian County, Henan Province in 1910, the year before the Republic of China. He ran away from home when he was thirteen and applied for the juvenile military school opened by Wu Peifu. From then on, he joined the army and began his military career. Years later, Feng Yuxiang and others launched a BJ coup, Wu Peifu's troops collapsed, and Wu was forced to power out of office.

After Wu Peifu left power, the juvenile military school where Zhao Jiaxian was enrolled was reorganized by the Northeast King Zhang Huzi. Zhao Jiaxian also entered the ninth period of the Northeast Military Academy to study. From then on, he entered the Fengjun system, and later won the fourth place. He graduated with good grades and participated in the subsequent Middle East Road War as a staff officer of the 20th Brigade of the Fengjun Army.

After the Huanggutun incident, he joined the Chuxichun Division of the 27th Division of the Jin Army and served as the major battalion commander. Later, he was transferred to the 32nd Army of the Jinsui Army and participated in the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War. , and was admitted to the 14th regular class of the Army University two years ago. After graduation, he was invited by Zheng Zuomin, the commander of the 9th Division of the Second Army who also studied in the special training class of the Army University, to serve as a major general in the Second Army of Li Yannian's Department. The chief of staff has now entered the system of the direct troops of the Central Military Commission.

Now that the Second Army has been expanded into the Eleventh Army, it is logical that Zhao Jiaxian also serves as the Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Army, and Zhao Jiaxian is only twenty-seven years old at this time.

Since he has worked in the Northeast Army system of the Fengzhang Group for a long time and is a graduate of the Northeast Military Academy, his military career started and prospered in the Northeast, and he worked and lived in the Northeast for a long time. Therefore, the Zhao family Xiang has a deep affection for the Northeast, so he chatted happily with He Wei, a native of Huangpu in the Northeast, and jokingly said that He Wei and he were half fellow villagers.

Seeing that there was an opportunity, He Wei also chatted with the Zhao family and used nostalgia to get closer. The two of them chatted about the customs and customs of the Northeast to various anecdotes about the Northeast Army. The conversation was very speculative, and He Wei also brought up those two things at the right time when the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After Zhao Jiaxian heard He Wei's appeal, he thought for a while and said: "It is not a big problem to dismantle the sunken warship guns to strengthen Banbishan's defensive firepower. Commander Li should agree. Currently, Tianjia Town The fortress is stationed with a naval artillery team composed of hundreds of naval officers and soldiers, and there are also many naval guns installed on the fort. "That's great," said He Wei. "As for the matter of unifying the command system on the south coast, we can do it with Zhao Shen." Sir, do you think Commander Lee will agree? Logically speaking, it is not my turn as a lieutenant colonel to take care of such matters involving the command relationship of the high command. However, after understanding the inside story of the various units on the South Bank, I deeply feel that the command system is complicated. There was confusion, so he boldly overstepped his bounds and prepared to report the matter to Army Commander Lee."

Zhao Jiaxian nodded and said: "He Wei, your idea is very good, and you are right. Although you are the commander of the army, I can see that you have the potential to be the chief of staff. Since you are a leader in the army, you can count. I am half a fellow countryman. To be honest, our Eleventh Army seems to be strong, but there are not many troops that can actually be commanded. On the north bank, the only ones who can obey the command of Army Commander Li Yannian are the Second Army. The basic force is the Ninth Division and the attached 57th Division, followed by various attached artillery units, fortress garrison units and naval artillery units. "

"You also know the situation on the south bank. The 18th Division of the 54th Army guarding Fuchikou is Chen Cheng's unit. We cannot command it at all. The 82nd Division of the Qian Army System guarding the left flank of Banbi Mountain is also the 82nd Division of the Guizhou Army. It is quite xenophobic and the local color is very strong, so excluding your troops, the only people on the south bank who obey the orders are the 385th Brigade and the artillery unit. The only people on the north and south banks who can really obey the orders of the 11th Army are There are only two divisions and one brigade and directly affiliated troops and naval artillery units. It is really a mess and it is a mess. Commander Lee is also extremely worried about this. Don't worry, I will meet Commander Lee later and I will help you. Say a few words, and besides, this matter will be of great benefit to the battle, and the commander of the army will not object if he wants to come."

As soon as Zhao Jiaxian finished speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open, and the major who had just brought He Wei in hurried in and said in a low voice: "Take your seat, you can go see the legion commander."

Zhao Jiaxian nodded, then stood up and said to He Wei: "Let's go, it's time to meet Commander Li."

Soon, He Wei entered the war room in the command post under the guidance of Zhao Jiaxian, and met the current top commander of the Chinese army in Tianjia Town and Banbishan - Lieutenant General Li Yannian, commander of the Eleventh Army Corps.

When He Wei and Zhao Jiaxian entered the war room, Li Yannian, who was wearing the Army Lieutenant General's collar badge, was looking at the map expressionlessly. Even after the two entered the war room, he remained like this, with his back turned to the two of them unmoved. .

Zhao Jiaxian waved his hand to He Wei, who stood firm in the war room. Then, Zhao Jiaxian stepped forward and whispered a few words to Li Yannian.

At this time, Li Yannian just turned back to look at He Wei, and looked at He Wei from top to bottom. He Wei met Li Yannian's gaze head on, and saw that he was tall and tall, with broad shoulders and a round waist, and a square face with a A pair of gold-rimmed glasses, with a somewhat typical appearance of Shandong people.

It's just that Li Yannian's mental state doesn't seem to be very good. He has dark circles under his eyes, a tired look on his face, and a lazy aura about him. If He Wei hadn't known his true identity, it would have been difficult to distinguish the person in front of him from him. The identity of the first echelon general among Huangpu students was connected.

"Hello, sir! The Army Commando Corps has been ordered to be assigned to the eleventh legion's combat order. Now our unit is setting up defenses on the front line of Banbi Mountain. He Wei from the staff department has been ordered to come to the legion to report!"

Li Yannian had no reaction. He glanced at He Wei a few more times and walked to the table lazily. He didn't have any military airs, just like ordinary people. He pulled a chair and sat down, then said with a groan: "coming?"

He Wei stood up at attention and said, "Yes!"

"Well, it's good to come. Just come. Sit down. If you have anything to do, sit down and talk."

Zhao Jiaxian and He Wei immediately took their seats, and then Zhao Jiaxian said: "Legion Commander, Captain He's troops have all arrived on the other side and are setting up defenses on the front line of Banbi Mountain. Captain He and the others only arrived in the morning. Now Captain He The captain rushed here in a hurry, firstly to report, and secondly because he had something important to report. "

Li Yannian nodded, rubbed his face, and sipped the tea given by the adjutant. Then he regained some energy and said with a louder voice: "Then let's talk about it. Let's talk about the situation of your army first."

Immediately, He Wei gave Li Yannian a comprehensive report on the organization and equipment of the assault force, as well as He Weilin's troop deployment and defense situation before departure.

At first, Li Yannian seemed to be quite indifferent to the Assault Corps, which was only a regiment-level combat unit. But when he learned about the firepower equipment and troop strength of the Assault Corps, Li Yannian's eyes when he looked at He Wei suddenly became very exciting, and he looked tired. And the lazy atmosphere has also dissipated by seven or eight points.

Li Yannian's voice rose a little and he said: "Captain He, your unit is well equipped and equipped. No wonder the Military Commission specially transferred you to replace half of the original garrison troops on the front line. Your regiment's infantry automatic firearms equipment can On top of most of the infantry division I have, the firepower of your artillery battalion is stronger than the artillery firepower of my entire Second Army."

"Since your corps has been assigned to our legion and is under the command of our legion, it must properly assume the garrison duty of Banbi Mountain and work together with other troops under this legion to fight with love and sincerity."

He Wei smiled slightly. Li Yannian was probably frightened by the troops who did not obey his command, so he specifically emphasized to He Wei that the Assault Corps had been assigned to the Eleventh Army Corps and was under the command of the Eleventh Army Corps. He must have wanted to Let He Wei obey his control and obey his command.

So, He Wei went on to say: "Sir, I am also a student of Huangpu. I will always bear in mind your sincere lesson. The army is the country's army, not a private army. I don't care what happens to other troops. This corps is assigned to the 11th Legion commanders must obey military orders, which is also the duty of soldiers. "

Li Yannian nodded with satisfaction, looked at Zhao Jiaxian and said, "Chief of Staff, have you seen that this is the model for me as a Huangpu man? Unlike some people who ignore military orders, disobey orders, and put personal relationships above orders. In terms of system awareness and obedience, it is far inferior to that of He Wei, a junior student from Huangpu."

Zhao Jiaxian said: "Yes, Captain He also has outstanding military exploits and is a model soldier. We just chatted for a while. Captain He is very good at both tactics, academics and training. Commander, don't look at him today. He just arrived, but he saw some problems with the south bank position as soon as he arrived. "

Li Yannian heard this and asked He Wei: "What's the problem? Can you tell me about it?"

Immediately, He Wei shared his suggestions for dismantling naval guns to increase firepower and establishing a unified command structure on the south bank.

After listening to what He Wei said, Li Yannian said: "What you mean is that you want to dismantle the cannons from the sunk naval warships and install them on the Banbishan position you are guarding, and then establish a unified command center on the south bank to command all the troops on the south bank. Commanding authority?”

He Wei nodded: "That's exactly what I mean!"

In fact, neither of these two things is too small. He Wei thought that Li Yannian would hesitate before giving him an answer. Unexpectedly, as soon as He Wei finished speaking, Li Yannian said: "What's so difficult about this? I will help with the navy matter." You coordinate. Now I am the supreme commander on the front line of Tianjia Town. The nearby naval units must also listen to my dispatch. If the navy says that the cannons can be dismantled, I will find a way to transfer these cannons to you and let those warships board them. The sailors will organize a naval artillery unit under your command."

"As for the establishment of a unified command structure, since it was you who proposed it, I will let you be the supreme commander."

Although Li Yannian said these words lightly, He Wei was shocked.

He suggested that Li Yannian set up a unified command structure on the south bank to coordinate and command several divisions and brigade-level units on the south bank, but he said that He Wei would be the supreme commander. Doesn't that mean that He Wei would command several divisions and brigade-level units in combat? !
For a moment, He Wei thought he had heard wrongly and looked at Li Yannian in surprise.

Immediately, Li Yannian seemed to see what He Wei was thinking, sneered twice, and continued: "To tell you the truth, among the troops on the south bank, the 18th Division of the 54th Army of the Civil Engineering Department and the 80th Division of the Guizhou Army I can’t command the Second Division, so only Ma Ji’s 385th Brigade can obey the dispatch.”

"I think you are knowledgeable and reliable. You have made military exploits and have good commanding skills. Although Ma Ji is a major general, he may have been working with Wu Peifu in the Beiyang Army. He is not considered one of our own in Huangpu. , it’s nothing. I’ll make a note later and let the 385th Brigade listen to your command. You will be responsible for the unified command structure you mentioned. You will unified command your troops and the 385th Brigade. As for the 18th The 82nd Division and the 82nd Division don’t listen to orders anyway. They can do whatever they want. We can’t command them, and we can’t control them.”

He Wei looked at Li Yannian in shock and thought to himself, this Li Yannian is really arrogant and daring to think and do.

He is said to be arrogant because he looks down on Ma Ji, who was once an old officer of the Beiyang Army, just because of his background, and thinks that Ma Ji is nothing.

He dared to think and do it because he actually dared to issue an order for He Wei to command the Assault Corps and the 385th Brigade. In other words, once this order was issued and took effect, Lieutenant Colonel He Wei could command Major General Ma Ji. You can also command the three infantry regiments of the 385th Brigade.

Moreover, Li Yannian had only met He Wei for a short while, and had no in-depth contact with or understanding of He Wei. Under such circumstances, he suddenly gave He Wei great operational command authority.

This is really
Then, Li Yannian said: "Anyway, the only mobile 385th Brigade that I can command on the south bank will be left to you. It will be at your disposal. I will replenish you with a batch of ammunition and supplies later, and then let the engineers from Tianjia Town Fortress The army has set up underwater telephone lines. If you have any questions, you can call me directly. "

Suppressing the shock in his heart, He Wei said: "Yes! Thank you, sir."

Li Yannian nodded, then changed the topic and said in a cold tone: "He Wei, I think you are from Huangpu and seem to be reliable, so I delegated power to you, the 18th Division and the 18th Division of the 54th Army on the South Bank I don’t care about the positions defended by the 82nd Division, but if something happens to the Banbishan position, I won’t spare you lightly. I’ll give you what I often say when leading troops in war: Every step forward is rewarded, and retreating is inevitable. Take a stab, do you understand?"

He Wei still doesn't understand. This is clearly saying that the rights that should be given will be given to you, He Wei, and the supplements that should be given will also be given to He Wei. On the contrary, if there is a problem with the Banbishan position, it will be subject to military law. Of course you, He Wei, are the one who handles it!

Immediately, He Wei stood solemnly and replied loudly: "Understood, I will definitely defend my position!"

(End of this chapter)