The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 451 Bringing a saber to meet Minister He

November 1938, 11, Chaotianmen Wharf, Temporary Capital
Compared with the Chuqimen Wharf when He Wei arrived at the temporary capital that day, the regulations and facilities of Chaotianmen are more spacious and luxurious. This wharf was once one of the 17 ancient city gates of the temporary capital. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was the main hub of the water and land military transportation of the Great Xia Kingdom established by the Red Turban Army general Ming Yuzhen. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was also the place where officials at all levels welcomed the emperor and the imperial envoys. There is a proverb that "Chaotianmen, a large wharf, welcomes officials and emperors."

At this time, all kinds of personnel and materials evacuated from the front along the Yangtze River to the temporary capital often took Chaotianmen Wharf as their first stop. More than a year ago, a large number of Sichuan troops also set out from Chaotianmen Wharf to the Anti-Japanese War front, which could be regarded as the number one wharf of the temporary capital.

The wide pier at the dock and the adjacent river were not as crowded with people and densely packed ships as in the past. Early in the morning of that day, a battalion of the Military Commission's Special Service Regiment took over the defense of the dock. The soldiers of the Military Commission's Special Service Regiment, wearing brand-new uniforms, German-style steel helmets, carrying wooden-cased 20-shot and Mauser pistols, and carrying official Chinese rifles with bayonets, stood guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. A row of officers and soldiers set up layers of blockades on the dock, clearing out a large area of ​​open space while surrounding the huge dock.

The civilians, laborers, coolies, and gangsters who were forcibly driven away by the officers and soldiers of the Military Commission's Special Service Regiment and blocked outside the blockade were angry and cursed the officers and soldiers for their brutal behavior of blocking the dock, but when they saw the gleaming bayonets and the black muzzles of the Type 24 water-cooled heavy machine guns set up between the sentry blockades, no one dared to move.

The river surface in front of the pier was also cleared just like the pier. At this time, on the pier river surface which was much quieter than before, a medium-sized inland passenger ferry painted black with the blue words "Cheng'an" on the stern slowly approached the shore with a long whistle.

Behind the Cheng'an came one ferries and inland transport ships of various sizes after another. The Cheng'an transport ship, which was leading the way and about to dock, was the flagship of the fleet that transported the assault corps troops that He Wei had once boarded.

He Wei stood side by side with Colonel Chen from the Military Affairs Department on the dock, watching the Cheng'an ship slowly approaching the shore. Looking at the endless fleet behind the Cheng'an ship, they breathed a long sigh of relief.

This huge fleet was so domineering that it almost monopolized the entire Chaotianmen Wharf. Naturally, it was the assault corps' transport fleet. After He Wei arrived at the temporary capital, the assault corps also set out for the temporary capital under the command of Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling. The Military Commission urged them urgently, so Wang Yuanling had to speed up as soon as possible. According to the original advance plan, the assault corps would arrive in the temporary capital within a week after He Wei arrived.

As a result, something went wrong soon. The fleet encountered dangerous situations many times during the voyage. The most serious one was that a troop transport ship carrying officers and soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion and a transport ship carrying ammunition and equipment hit a reef when turning and almost collided with each other and sank.

When He Wei saw the telegram sent by Wang Yuanling, he broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately argued with the Military General Staff, explaining that the Yangtze River was rugged and dangerous, with many dangerous waters and reefs, which were not conducive to the fleet's full-speed march. After the Military General Staff reported this to the top leaders of the Military Commission, the Military Commission was probably afraid, so it relented and sent a telegram to the Assault Corps, telling them to put safety first and control the speed of advance on their own.

Therefore, Wang Yuanling naturally greatly reduced the speed of the fleet's advance, and the date for the troops to arrive at the secondary capital was delayed for a period of time beyond the originally planned week.

After a whistle, the Cheng'an ship slowly stopped. A gangway was extended from the deck of the Cheng'an ship. The dock workers tied the cable to the iron piles of the pier. Then, a lieutenant colonel walked down quickly, jogging in small steps and waving to He Wei.

"Colonel Chen, they're coming down, let's go over too."

He Wei said to Colonel Chen.

Colonel Chen said with a smile: "Well, I should also see how elite the assault corps that won the great victory in Yangxin is."

The lieutenant colonel who walked down from the boat was none other than Wang Yuanling, the chief of staff of the assault corps. When He Wei came up to him, Wang Yuanling also stood at attention and saluted with a little excitement, and reported to He Wei: "Captain, I have fulfilled my duty and brought all of our assault corps here!"

He Wei patted Wang Yuanling on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Yuanling. It's all thanks to you who has been with us all the way."

Although Wang Yuanling looked a little tired, he looked radiant after seeing He Wei, the chief officer and backbone, and said with relief: "It was a close call. After all, we are the army. If we were to march on land as planned, there would be absolutely no problem. But if we board a ship and advance by water, it would be like a landlubber on a ship. Nothing can happen to us. I was also very nervous along the way, but fortunately nothing serious happened."

He Wei smiled and nodded, then pointed to Colonel Chen beside him and said, "Brother Yuan Ling, let me introduce you. This is Colonel Chen Zhen from the Military Command Department. He is specifically responsible for all contact matters after our troops arrive in the secondary capital."

"Hello, sir!"

Wang Yuanling immediately saluted Colonel Chen.

Colonel Chen returned the greeting and waved his hand, saying affectionately, "Director Wang, you don't have to be like this. I heard from Captain He that you are from the sixth class of Huangpu Military Academy, and I am also a sixth-class graduate. We are classmates of the same period, and there is no need to be like this between classmates."

"Colonel Chen, you are joking. Although we are classmates, we have different ranks. This is the military rule. I am a lieutenant colonel and you are a colonel. You are the superior, so naturally I should salute you."

Wang Yuanling looked solemn and spoke in a serious tone.

Colonel Chen shook his head again. "I was promoted faster because of the military headquarters. I am ashamed to say that I have never led troops since I left my post as company commander and was transferred to the military headquarters. But I dare not be arrogant in front of you who fought the Japanese army on the front line. Brother He is also a lieutenant colonel and graduated from the eleventh class of the Whampoa Military Academy. We are still brothers and classmates. There is no need to be like this."

Colonel Chen had worked in the rear-line agencies for a long time, and had come into contact with senior military officers. Naturally, he was very good at dealing with the human relations and social conventions, and he became closer to Wang Yuanling with just a few words.

He Wei also intended to establish a good relationship with Colonel Chen. After all, he had received a notice from the Military General Staff that Colonel Chen would be the full representative of the Military General Staff to contact He Wei on all matters concerning the Assault Corps' arrival in the temporary capital. He was considered the direct contact person between He Wei and the Assault Corps and the Military General Staff.

Now that the assault team has just arrived and has not yet established a firm foothold, it is natural for them to establish a good relationship with Chen Zhen, the plenipotentiary representative. Wang Yuanling saw He Wei's intention and was no longer restrained and relaxed.

So, the three of them exchanged pleasantries and joked, and talked about their friendship as classmates, and the atmosphere soon became harmonious. The three of them exchanged pleasantries and talked for a long time, and then there were bursts of whistles on the pier. He Wei looked over and saw several more transport ships docked on the pier.

He Wei immediately pointed forward and said to the two people beside him: "The troops are coming down soon, organize them to go ashore as soon as possible."

Colonel Chen responded, "Yes, get your troops here as soon as possible. Your unit's current scheduled station on the peak has not been decided yet, but the temporary campsite has been arranged. It is in a barracks near the suburbs of the auxiliary capital. That barracks used to be the station of two infantry regiments under the Sichuan-Kang Pacification Office. Now that the office is gone, those troops have been reorganized to join the war outside Sichuan. It is just right to accommodate your unit. I will take people to coordinate with the dock and the military headquarters. You two should organize the troops as soon as possible."

Colonel Chen then told He Wei, "I will immediately ask the dock to clear a path. Yesterday, the Military Commission has coordinated more than 200 cars and trucks to transport your troops. Captain He, you should also leave the dock as soon as possible. Once you leave the dock, we will drive directly to the base."

He Wei said solemnly: "I understand."

After saying that, Colonel Chen left with several officers. When He Wei saw Colonel Chen walking away, he pulled Wang Yuanling aside and whispered, "Brother Yuanling, you and the General Staff Office are responsible for organizing the troops' march. I have something urgent to do later. In addition, there is another important matter that I need you to do?"

Wang Yuanling asked suspiciously, "Captain, what's the matter?"

"Look, Ding Lunshi, who used to handle the arms business for my corps, is waiting outside the dock. He will go with you when you organize the troops to move to the garrison. When you arrive at the garrison and complete the transportation of the troops and all the supplies, you will immediately transfer 100 gold bars and 2,000 French francs from the corps' funds and give them to him."

"Also, use the seal of our headquarters to write him a letter of appointment, appointing him as an attached member of our headquarters, and sign it for me and give it to him as well."

After He Wei finished speaking, Wang Yuanling was stunned and asked suspiciously: "Ding Lunshi, is it that fat guy?"

He Wei nodded and said, "Yes, it's him. I can't explain it in a few words. Anyway, he is no longer in the arms comprador business. He will work exclusively for me, or for my assault corps. This money is what he urgently needs to do for me. Normally, this matter should be managed by Li Youcai of the Logistics Department, but since he is not here, you have to take over temporarily. Anyway, it's just a matter of approving a sum of money. It's very quick. I'll talk to you in detail about the specific situation later."

"Okay, I understand. I'll do it as soon as the troops arrive at the station."

Although Wang Yuanling was still a little confused as to why Ding Lunshi started working for He Wei, he agreed since it was just a matter of approving a note.

This batch of money was naturally the activity funds that He Wei approved for Ding Lunshi. These days, He Wei had been discussing with Ding Lunshi the specific details of his farming plan.

He Wei wanted to set up a clothing factory, a farm, a sanatorium for wounded soldiers and other industries in the future rear base. Ding Lunshi had many connections in this area when he worked in a foreign company before, and he also had some understanding of many industries, which were exactly his areas of expertise. So, after discussing for a few days, the two of them decided on the general direction and plan with extremely high efficiency.

In short, whether it was purchasing machinery and facilities or recruiting relevant workers and talents, everything was handed over to Ding Lunshi by He Wei.

After getting the assignment, Ding Lunshi became more excited and after making a general plan, he patted his chest and promised He Wei that he would complete the assignment well. The only thing he lacked was funding.

He Wei was a man of few doubts, so he generously approved a large sum of funds for him. Considering that Ding Lunshi had reached the end of his rope and had a family and a group of subordinates to support, He Wei was very considerate and allowed him to use the money to help his family first, and then bring his family and his staff to the capital, and continue his work after everything was settled.

He Wei's concern moved Ding Lunshi, who had recently experienced all the bitterness of life and was becoming increasingly miserable, to tears. He Wei naturally encouraged him greatly and promised him a semi-official status as an attached member of the assault corps, which was like a gift to him, which would be useful for him to make contacts and do his work in the future.

He Wei was not worried that Ding Lunshi would run away with the money. If he really dared to run away, He Wei would directly find the Military Commission and issue a wanted order for him, claiming that he was a "crooked businessman who embezzled military funds and undermined the war of resistance." By then, Ding Lunshi would have no chance of living a normal life in the Kuomintang-controlled area.

At this point, He Wei's farming plan has taken the first step.

After explaining the matter of Ding Lunshi, He Wei sent someone to the Cheng'an to fetch a saber while Wang Yuanling was puzzled. Then, after He Wei handed over the task of organizing the assault team to disembark and march to the base to Wang Yuanling, he took the saber and Tao Heiwa and got into the car assigned to him by the Military Affairs Department, drove into the city and headed straight for the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs.

The saber that He Wei specifically asked for was naturally not an ordinary saber. This saber belonged to the highest commander of the Japanese Army's Hata Detachment, Major General Shigekazu Hata, who was killed by the Assault Corps in the Battle of Yangxin. It was also a specially made saber with excellent workmanship, inscriptions and decorations.

After this knife was seized by the assault corps, it became He Wei's plaything. Now he came specifically to get this saber and drove straight to the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs. Needless to say, his intention was obvious. He was definitely going to meet Minister He, and this saber was naturally a gift from He Wei to Minister He.

During these days in the temporary capital, He Wei had not been in a hurry to visit Minister He. Firstly, he must spend time thinking about what to say to Minister He and what benefits he can get from the Ministry of Military Affairs. This requires time to think and plan in advance. Secondly, he did not want to go empty-handed. He had not seen Minister He for a long time, so He Wei still wanted to bring a gift. Of course, this gift did not need to be expensive, and it was absolutely impossible to send a really valuable gift directly to the Ministry of Military Affairs.

Therefore, Hata Shigekazu's major general's saber became the best choice. What's more, He Wei had given Minister He a captured saber in Nanjing, and also gave Minister He a Japanese royal sword through He Shao in Wuhan. Now He Wei gave this Japanese major general's sword to Minister He. It can be said that it is both valuable and echoes the past. It is full of meaning. It is a great gift to give to Minister He to deepen their relationship.

(End of this chapter)