The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 444: Promotion for sure!

On the evening of October 1938, 10, in the Hankou waters of the Yangtze River, a medium-sized inland passenger ferry painted black with the words "Cheng'an" in blue on the stern slowly went upstream with a long whistle and the reflection of the gradually darkening sky.

On the main channel of the river, dozens of large and small ferries behind the Cheng'an ship also issued long horns in response, and signal flags and signal lights lit up one after another.

Afterwards, the entire fleet on the river began to adjust its formation and slowly accelerated forward. Clouds of gray-black smoke emerged from the chimneys of the ships, forming a thick black smoke cloud that covered the sky above the fleet.

Dozens of transport ships moving slowly on the river were of different sizes. Some were rough-looking inland civilian cargo ships, some were large and neat passenger ships, and there were also some extremely simple small steamers and motor boats.

There are dozens of ships of different sizes and models, with varying displacements and states of old and old. The only things in common are the military camouflage nets draped on the hulls and the MG34 anti-aircraft machine guns with anti-aircraft tripods lining the decks.

This huge inland transport fleet was carrying all the officers and soldiers of the assault corps, which had just completed material supply and replenishment in Hankou, weapons and equipment, as well as the spoils, equipment and prisoners captured by the assault corps in various battles.

Dozens of transport ships of all sizes were lined up under the cover of thick black smoke and the darkening sky, forming a long and mighty dragon.

Sitting on the bridge of the Cheng'an ferry, He Wei looked at the surging river with a solemn face. The cold river breeze kept blowing past, and his thoughts seemed to drift with the river breeze across the long and winding Yangtze River waterway all the way to the secondary capital full of unknowns.

A few days after assisting the friendly 9th Division in achieving a great victory by annihilating an infantry regiment of the 6th Division, He Wei led the assault corps to complete the defense handover with friendly forces. After the handover, they started the journey to move towards the temporary capital and began to retreat from the front line to the rear.

At this point, the assault corps had completed its combat mission on the front line. In the battle to defend Wuhan, He Wei led the assault corps to severely defeat the Japanese naval fleet that was going up the river, took the initiative to attack and destroy the vanguard of the Japanese Hata Detachment, and annihilated the landing Japanese Marine Corps troops. Later, they even wiped out a reinforced field brigade of the Japanese Army, and achieved the Yangxin victory that shocked the whole country.

Before leaving, they assisted friendly forces in defeating an elite Japanese field infantry regiment, and used the lives of more than 3,000 Japanese devils to bring a perfect end to the assault corps' combat mission on the front line, which can be regarded as a complete success.

However, He Wei's mood at this moment is not all relaxation and joy. To be precise, he is now feeling nervous, expectant, and confused.

The fundamental reason for the emergency relocation of the Assault Corps this time was the outrageous rumor that the Japanese airborne troops were going to attack the temporary capital. In order to pull the elite Assault Corps over as soon as possible, the Military Commission mobilized dozens of various transport ships at once, specifically for transporting the Assault Corps, at a time when the shipping capacity of inland rivers in the Yangtze River was tight and the military transportation mission was heavy.

As for the stopover, rest and material supply of the assault corps' fleet during its journey, the green light was given, and orders were issued that all ports must fully meet the assault corps' supply needs. Therefore, the movement of the assault corps' fleet along the way could not be said to be unimpeded, but it could be said to be very smooth.

Not only that, after the Military Commission learned from He Wei that a group of wounded soldiers of the Assault Corps were stranded in Wuhan, it also sent a telegram to the Wuhan Garrison Command and the hospital that was treating the wounded soldiers of the Assault Corps, demanding that Wuhan must do its best to treat and care for the wounded soldiers of the Assault Corps and not to be negligent in any way.

Originally, He Wei was particularly worried about these wounded soldiers stranded in Wuhan. Even though he had made many arrangements and even left a group of troops to look after them, the situation was far away. After the main force of the assault corps arrived in the temporary capital, if anything happened to these wounded soldiers left in Wuhan, He Wei would definitely not be able to take care of them. Therefore, He Wei was still very worried about these wounded soldiers.

Now, a telegram from the Military Commission completely helped He Wei resolve this hidden worry. With this telegram, not only would Wuhan provide good medical treatment and recuperation to this batch of wounded soldiers of the assault corps, but more importantly, the special care of the Military Commission would be enough to deter those troop commanders who had evil intentions towards this batch of wounded soldiers and wanted to forcibly swallow or take away these wounded soldiers of the assault corps, as well as the various military agencies now gathered in Wuhan from doing so.

In wartime, veterans who have combat experience and have been hospitalized due to injuries are real assets. What He Wei is worried about is that these soldiers will be targeted. Now that he has the endorsement of the Military Commission, He Wei no longer needs to worry about this.

The Military Commission gave the Assault Corps great care and extraordinary treatment. Of course, if you want to wear the crown, you must bear the weight. He Wei knew this very well. When the Assault Corps arrived at the temporary capital, the burden and tasks they had to shoulder would certainly be heavy.

However, He Wei still felt a little speechless after all the fussing over an outrageous rumor that the Japanese army was going to use paratroopers to attack the temporary capital.

If he was not a time traveler with the ability to predict the future, he would definitely not think so. Maybe he would be as anxious as an ant on a hot pan to rush to the aid of the temporary capital. However, he knew too well the current airborne combat capability of the Japanese army. The so-called airborne combat in the temporary capital of the Japanese army was destined to be an impossible battle.

The Assault Corps was heading to the temporary capital this time. He Wei was not sure about other things, but there was one thing He Wei was 100% sure of, that was the Assault Corps would never have any battle with the Japanese army.

"Captain, you didn't sleep all night last night, why don't you go to rest now?"

There was a sound of footsteps behind He Wei, and then He Wei heard the voice of Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling.

"I can't sleep. Although we are away from the front line now, we will have to perform various combat readiness tasks when we get to the auxiliary capital. The reason why the higher-ups transferred us there this time is because of those Japanese paratroopers. Besides, the auxiliary capital is the capital in wartime and the center of military, political and economic affairs. The water there is very deep. As the commander of the corps, I must plan ahead." Wang Yuanling held the railing, looked at the surging river, and said, "My corps will naturally perform combat readiness tasks and take on the responsibility of guarding the auxiliary capital when it goes to the auxiliary capital. But we haven't arrived yet, and we don't understand the specific situation there, the terrain, defense, equipment, and people's sentiments. Without knowing these things, we can't start to formulate a combat readiness plan. Everything has to be discussed when we get to the auxiliary capital. If I were you, I would be happy and excited. After all, you will be promoted soon, which is a great thing. It will be clear as day."

He Wei smiled, shook his head, and said, "Haha, the specific war preparedness plan must be discussed after we arrive at the auxiliary capital, and whether to upgrade it or not will also have to wait until we arrive at the auxiliary capital."

"It's a done deal. With the great victory in Yangxin, helping the 9th Division win a great victory is another great achievement. Now the brothers in our corps are waiting for you to be promoted to the rank of colonel. With your promotion, our corps will also rise with the tide, and the brothers will also benefit from it. Haha, we can't be careless or confused about this matter. We must mention it, we must mention it!"

Wang Yuanling seemed to be teasing He Wei, but every word he said was extremely certain, implying that He Wei's military rank would definitely be promoted.

After the great victory in Yangxin, Wang Yuanling joked that He Wei might be promoted to colonel based on this military achievement. Although He Wei had some expectations at the time, he still did not take it seriously.

After all, the speed at which his military rank was promoted was astonishingly fast, and it even seriously violated the current promotion regulations for officers of the National Army. It is no exaggeration to describe He Wei's speed of advancement as terrifying and incredible. He climbed to lieutenant colonel less than two years after graduating from Whampoa. You know, many of his classmates were still lieutenants.

It goes without saying how fast such a promotion and advancement is. Therefore, He Wei once thought that even if he won a great victory in Yangxin, it would be unlikely for the superiors to reward and commend him with a promotion in military rank. After all, it was really too late to be promoted to colonel within two years of graduating from the military academy.
He Wei estimated that his superiors would most likely reward him for his military exploits by awarding him medals, handing him out large bonuses, and expanding the assault corps.

But unexpectedly, when He Wei assisted the 9th Division in annihilating a regiment of the 6th Division, the joke between the two men turned out to be a prophecy.

With the assistance of He Wei, the 9th Division successfully wiped out a field infantry regiment of the Japanese Army. Although this result cannot be compared with the Yangxin victory won by He Wei, it can also be called a great victory.

After all, due to the gap in equipment quality between the Chinese and Japanese armies, it was very difficult for the National Army to even wipe out a complete infantry battalion of the Japanese army, let alone an infantry regiment of the elite 6th Division of the Japanese army, and they actually killed a colonel infantry regiment commander.

Although the battle fought by the 9th Division could not be compared with the great victory in Yangxin, the results achieved were also very brilliant. Li Yannian, the supreme commander of the Tianjiazhen Fortress, was extremely happy after learning about the results of the 9th Division. The commander of the 9th Division, Zheng Zuomin, was also very grateful for He Wei's assistance in the battle. In addition, he was quite honest, so when reporting the battle process to Li Yannian, he did not conceal the role played by He Wei in it.

This is indeed the case. In the battle in which the 9th Division annihilated the 13th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army, if it were not for the fire support of the Banbi Mountain Artillery Group under the command of He Wei, the 9th Division on its own would not have been able to defeat an elite field infantry regiment of the Japanese Army. At least one-third of the devils in the 13th Regiment died under the fierce artillery fire of the Banbi Mountain Artillery Group.

The 9th Division wiped out an entire regiment and won a great victory. As the supreme commander of the Tianjiazhen Fortress, Li Yannian was naturally proud of it. Moreover, the 9th Division was his basic force, his direct force and his founding force. Regardless of whether he, Li Yannian, participated in the specific command, this great victory definitely had his contribution. Therefore, He Wei helped the 9th Division win the battle, which also earned him a great deal of credit.

More importantly, Li Yannian is now at a point where he urgently needs military achievements. Although he is now the commander of the 11th Corps, this commander position is actually very empty. It is just a temporary title. His actual useful position is actually the lieutenant general commander of the Second Army of the Army.

Although his Second Army had an army number, its subordinate units only consisted of the 9th Division, which was Li Yannian's original army. It was in urgent need of expanding its strength.

And making outstanding military achievements is undoubtedly the best endorsement for the expansion of a unit. Therefore, He Wei helped the 9th Division to win this great victory, which just gave Li Yannian a great credit. It is equivalent to He Wei helping Li Yannian unintentionally, which is quite like sending timely help.

In return, when Li Yannian reported the battle results and reports to the Military Commission, he did not conceal or exaggerate the role played by He Wei in this battle, but reported it to the Military Commission truthfully according to the statement of Zheng Zuomin, commander of the 9th Division.

In addition, Li Yannian had a very good impression of He Wei, so he said a lot of good things about He Wei in the battle report. Not only did he praise He Wei highly, he also repeatedly talked about the victories that He Wei had won before the Yangxin victory in the battle report, which made He Wei show off in front of the senior leaders of the Military Commission again.

The words of Li Yannian, a lieutenant general who graduated from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy, were indeed very important. Just two days after Li Yannian reported the great victory won by the 9th Division to the Military Commission, He Wei received a telegram of commendation from the Military Commission. This telegram of commendation highly praised the role played by He Wei in the great victory won by the 9th Division, and of course, it said a lot of good things for free.

But in addition to those commendations, praises, and affirmations, the few short lines at the end of the telegram broke He Wei's previous guess about the promotion - "This member has made continuous military achievements, is honest and useful, and is worthy of praise. After he leads his troops to the secondary capital, he will be promoted. I still hope that you will order him to continue fighting and serve the country."

When He Wei saw the word "promotion" in the telegram, he knew that all his previous speculations about promotion could be put to rest. Promotion means either a promotion in military rank or a promotion in position, or both.

But this time the assault corps went to the temporary capital to undertake a combat mission, and He Wei was going to lead the troops. His position would definitely still be the chief officer of the assault corps, so there would most likely be no changes in his position. The only thing that would change would be his military rank. In other words, as Wang Yuanling said, He Wei would definitely be promoted this time.

As for the future development of the assault corps, we can only wait and see after arriving at the temporary capital.

(End of this chapter)