The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 452 Meeting with the Minister

With a creaky sound, the door of the office of He Jingzhi, the Minister of Military Affairs of the National Government, was slowly pushed open. An adjutant walked out first, nodded warmly to He Wei, who was standing solemnly at the door, and said, "Captain He, please come in."

He Wei nodded to the adjutant and was led into the office. However, as soon as He Wei entered the office, he bumped into someone who was walking out quickly and greeted him in a gentle voice, "Is that He Wei? Is that He Wei from the Assault Corps?"

As soon as He Wei heard the Mandarin with a Guizhou accent, he knew that the man was Minister He. He Wei did not expect Minister He to take the initiative to greet him. It was really a bit like Cao Mengde welcoming Ziyuan barefoot.

The fact that Minister He took the initiative to show such an attitude shows that his position has been raised to a higher level after the great victory in Yangxin.

He Wei hurried forward, stood at attention and saluted, "I am He Wei, the student, for coming here and disturbing you!"

Minister He walked forward and looked at He Wei, who was standing at attention, with his eyes wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He Wei, who was standing solemnly, showed a look of satisfaction on his face, just like an elder looking at his own nephew. He Wei was not surprised by this.

Minister He followed the path of a mentor and a loving elder in the National Army. He did not have his own basic troops, but he was able to enjoy a very high prestige in the army with his dual identities as an instructor at the Guizhou Military Academy and the chief tactical instructor during the early days of the Whampoa Military Academy, as well as his image as a good guy.

And He Wei's current behavior is exactly his usual style.

When He Wei met Minister He this time, he also changed his address. In the past, when he met Minister He, he often called himself a senior official. This time, he called himself a student, also thinking of continuing to develop a teacher-student relationship with Minister He. Although Minister He's identity as the chief tactical instructor of the Whampoa Military Academy was a position when Whampoa was first established, it was a bit different from He Wei, a junior Whampoa student of the 11th class of Whampoa.

But Minister He was, after all, a prominent figure when the Whampoa Military Academy was founded, so there was nothing wrong with He Wei claiming to be a student.

Minister He nodded, and was obviously very satisfied with He Wei's claim to be a student. He said: "You have been reporting good news frequently on the front line. The great victory in Yangxin is truly a shot in the arm for the soldiers and civilians in our country's war of resistance. I have read the battle report you submitted, which says that you personally led the troops to fight the Japanese army hand-to-hand and were injured. You are truly a role model for my Whampoa students. But now you are also the number one commander of a force of several thousand people. Don't take risks like this in the future. Commander, commander, you should stay in the command position!"

"I thought you were seriously injured, but today I see that you look much stronger and more powerful. Well, don't be so reckless in the future when you fight. If anything goes wrong with you, it will be a loss for the national army and the country."

Minister He was right. He Wei was indeed injured in the attack on the Hata Detachment, but his injuries were not fatal. Moreover, he had recovered from the rest during this period and the extravagant eating and drinking at the expense of the Military Affairs Department in the temporary capital. He looked energetic and powerful again. At the end, Minister He spoke in a tone of reproach mixed with care.

He Wei was also slightly moved after hearing this. Minister He always treated his students and subordinates with the friendship between teachers and students and a relatively gentle and caring attitude. It was not entirely a deliberate means of controlling his subordinates, and it was not fake.

In fact, this was also determined by his own character. If it was all an act, he would definitely not be known as being particularly easy to talk to in the entire national army and even in the military and political system. He would not have been given the nickname of Granny He and the common respect and love of many officers of all kinds and factions from the regular troops to the miscellaneous troops.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Jing."

He Wei saluted again, and then Minister He's eyes fell on the saber in He Wei's right hand. Seeing this, He Wei immediately presented the saber with both hands: "Report to the Minister, this is the saber of Major General Shigekazu Hata, the commander of the Hata Reinforced Brigade of the Japanese Army Hata Detachment who was killed by our troops. I hereby present it to the Minister."

Minister He took the saber without saying a word, and drew it out skillfully. He examined the blade, handle, scabbard, and sword casing one by one. Minister He was very familiar with the Japanese sabers, combat swords, and various Japanese samurai swords.

He was a graduate of the Japanese Army Academy and had studied this quite a bit. After reading it, he nodded slightly, then laughed and said, "When you first met me in Nanjing, you gave me a regimental flag and a saber. Last time in Wuhan, you asked Shao Zhou to give me a Japanese royal saber. Now you've given me a major general's saber. Every time you give me a saber, the Japanese on the front line will be in big trouble. Haha, good."

"I have nothing, so I have to live up to the Minister's hard work in cultivating me. The only thing I can give to the Minister is encouragement to kill the enemy. When I first met the Minister, I gave him a saber. Later, with the Minister's support, I was able to get to where I am today. In the future, I will continue to fight bravely and strive to give the Minister the enemy's lieutenant general's saber and general's saber, until the enemy is driven out of our country!"

He Wei said in a deep voice.

After hearing this, Minister He's face immediately broke into smiles. He applauded continuously and fiddled with the major general's sword over and over again, as if he was appreciating a work of art. He did not hide his love for the sword at all, and he was naturally full of appreciation and satisfaction for He Wei.

This young officer is talented, capable, has an impressive record, and is quite respectful to me. Every time he comes back from the front line, he will visit me, obviously regarding me as a backer and backbone. Minister He is of course very satisfied with He Wei, and is even more determined to continue to increase his efforts to cultivate and support He Wei.

He Wei looked at Minister He's genuinely happy expression and thought that he had made the right choice in giving the gift. It was of sufficient size and had a lot of meaning. It was indeed the best gift to give directly to Minister He, and Minister He obviously enjoyed it very much.

Of course, he would not just give this saber as a gift. Previously, he had used He Shaozhou to save the country in a roundabout way, and sent a saber and a batch of gold bars to Minister He's wife. This time when he arrived in the temporary capital, He Wei was planning to give Minister He some gold and silver. After finding out Minister He's residence in the temporary capital, he would find a way to send some hard currency.

Minister He played with the saber for a while, handed it to his adjutant, patted He Wei on the shoulder and told him to relax, and said, "He Wei, sit down. Serve us some tea."

The two men walked to the sofa in the office and sat down. The adjutant brought them tea, and after the polite exchanges, the two men began to talk about business.

Minister He spoke first: "You fought very well in the Yangxin victory. Before leaving, you assisted the 9th Division in defeating a Japanese regiment. In addition, I also heard about your return this time. It is said that the Japanese army is going to attack the temporary capital with airborne troops. Now most of the country's troops, especially most of the central troops, are on the front line. The troops with stronger combat effectiveness cannot be withdrawn. The Military Commission also sees that your troops can fight. After the Yangxin victory, the Japanese troops in Tianjia Town and Banbi Mountain, which your troops originally defended, will not make any major moves in a short time, so they took advantage of this opportunity to quickly pull your troops back to defend the temporary capital."

"Speaking of which, after your troops withdrew from the Banbi Mountain defense line, the first to go up was the 82nd Division of the Guizhou Army. Now Shaozhou's 103rd Division has also arrived at Banbi Mountain, preparing to deploy defenses there and have a good fight with the Japanese. Shaozhou was full of praise for the defense deployment you left behind at Banbi Mountain."

He Wei was very happy when he heard from Minister He that the 103rd Division had also arrived at Banbi Mountain. Although he had already withdrawn his troops from Banbi Mountain, it was still the defense line he had worked so hard to build. He did not want to see Banbi Mountain lost so easily. He still hoped that the defense line of Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town Fortress could continue to play a role and continue to block the Japanese army. However, He Wei was really worried about the 82nd Division that would take over the defense of the Assault Corps.

However, He Wei was very optimistic about He Shaozhou's 103rd Division. Many officers and sergeants of this division were trained by He Wei when He Shaozhou was stationed in Wuhan. The overall quality and combat effectiveness were strong, and the equipment was also very good. With this highly combat-effective division blocking Banbi Mountain, it was estimated that when the Japanese army attacked again, there would definitely be another bloody battle, and they would definitely not be able to take Banbi Mountain in a short time.

By then, Wuhan will be able to defend itself for a longer period of time, which can be regarded as an unexpected surprise for He Wei when he flapped his butterfly wings.

"With Brother Shao Zhou here, I think Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town will be safe."

After He Wei finished speaking, Minister He continued, "After returning this time, you should have met with the Military Affairs Department, right? They are in charge of the combat plan, and you, the commander of the army who shoulders the responsibility, must be involved."

"Yes, Lord Jing, in fact, I have already arrived in the temporary capital. The Military Commission urged me to leave the troops and rush to the temporary capital first. After arriving at the temporary capital, I immediately met with Director Liu and several directors of the Military Affairs Department. After that, I accepted Director Liu's task to provide the Military Affairs Department with materials on anti-airborne operations and draft a combat plan for reference. I was so busy that I just submitted the materials and plans yesterday. Today, my troops drove over again. I just went to the dock to pick up the troops. It was really a matter of pressing matters."

Minister He waved his hand and said, "Military affairs come first, combat comes first. The fact that you are allowed to take on such an important responsibility is also a recognition from the superiors. Young people should endure more hardships and work harder. There is no harm in that. In that case, does the Military Affairs Department have any specific arrangements for your department?"

Immediately, He Wei informed Minister He of the process and results of the contacts with the Military Affairs Department, as well as all the promises Liu Fei had made to the Assault Corps.

Although Liu Fei promised He Wei and the Assault Corps priority in recruitment, expansion of organization, and even the assignment of a separate division command area specifically for the Assault Corps, these matters were actually the responsibilities of Minister He's Military and Political Department, so He Wei naturally had to work with Minister He on these matters.

Minister He learned the details and did not hesitate. Instead, he said directly to He Wei, "I know what happened. The Military Command is responsible for operations, and my Military and Political Department is responsible for replenishment. According to normal operating procedures, the Military Command will complete the defense operation plan and submit the plan to the Military Commission's top leaders, as well as the application for replenishment and expansion for your assault corps. Once the Military Commission's top leaders approve it, matters such as organization, troops, and replenishment will ultimately fall to my Military and Political Department for specific review and approval."

"Well, when you go back, quickly draw up a specific expansion plan and staffing table, as well as the number and type of guns, artillery, and ammunition you need. Once you're done, hand it over to me. As long as the Military Commission's top brass gives my Military and Political Department an order to start handling your department's expansion and replenishment, I'll approve it immediately and allocate the required staffing, guns, and ammunition directly to you. You can rest assured about this.

"Recently, a large number of field artillery and light and heavy machine guns donated by the Soviet Union, as well as a large number of ammunition and equipment purchased from Europe, have arrived in China. You can choose whatever you want when the time comes. Haha, a capable army should use good weapons and equipment. This is only natural."

"Of course, you have to be aware of this expansion. I remember that your total troop strength is now roughly between a reinforced regiment and a brigade. Don't expect to eat a fat man in one bite. The number of troops after the expansion should not exceed a reinforced infantry brigade, otherwise it will be detrimental to the combat effectiveness of the troops. The most important thing is to expand a troop that can carry out targeted counterattacks based on the characteristics of the Japanese airborne troops. The quality of the soldiers is more important than the quantity. You have to be aware of this."

He Wei smiled and nodded, saying, "Students understand. I will draw up a staffing table as soon as possible and organize a capable force."

Minister He took a sip of tea, thought for a while, and frowned slightly: "The approval of guns, artillery and organization is easy to handle, but the issue of assigning a divisional district to your assault corps to replenish troops needs to be discussed carefully. Director Liu is really arrogant. Haha, a divisional district can replenish troops for a field army on the front line. If a divisional district is specially assigned to your troops now, your small assault corps will be very arrogant."

When He Wei heard Minister He mention the assignment of a divisional district to the assault corps, he thought of his own farming development plan and said, "Dear Lord, I have another idea about this matter. It is indeed a bit of a waste of talent to assign a divisional district to my assault corps to be responsible for recruiting new soldiers for my unit. In fact, if the scale is reduced, assigning a regimental district to my corps will be enough to replenish it."

"However, our troops are deployed to defend the secondary capital, which is a matter of great importance. We need to improve the recruitment of new soldiers as much as possible. However, our army's current military service system has many drawbacks, such as poor training and insufficient quality of new soldiers. Students believe that one of the main reasons for this phenomenon is the disconnection between our army's rear recruitment agencies and their corresponding recruitment units, lack of communication and contact, and inability to integrate."

"Therefore, no matter whether the recruit replenishment agency assigned to my assault corps this time is the divisional or regimental management area, I dare to hope that I can have the command and management authority over the recruit replenishment agency assigned to this corps!"

(End of this chapter)