Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 354: 8 Supplementary Troops
After Kawabe Masamitsu finished reading out the adjustment plan, Commander Hata Shunroku spoke next. He looked around and said:
“Gentlemen, after the previous phase of peripheral operations, we have roughly figured out the strategic intentions of the Chinese;
Wuhan is the political, military, economic and cultural center of the Chinese. In order to save Wuhan, the Chinese planned to mobilize millions of troops from the Fifth and Ninth War Zones to resist the attack of the Imperial Army. Chiang personally served as the commander-in-chief on the battlefield, and his intention for a decisive battle was very obvious.

This million-strong army is almost the last military force of the National Army. As long as Wuhan is occupied and the elite National Army gathered in the Yangtze River and the lower sea are annihilated, China will no longer have soldiers and places to fight. They will have no choice but to surrender. One battle will determine China!"

Everyone stood up and shouted slogans, and went through the final procedures. The higher the level of the meeting, the less solid content there was. The specific combat plans would be sent to each division;
The purpose of gathering the old Japanese together is to mobilize the commander and make his presence felt; the final battle will still have to be fought by the commanders of the various armies and divisions.

After the meeting, the Japanese offensive began to intensify, focusing on the southern front, with the 11th Army playing the leading role.

The enemy was changing, so the government naturally had to change as well, responding to each move. The millions of troops never thought of taking the initiative to attack.

In mid-July, after the Military Commission determined the Japanese offensive route, it organized the main forces of the 7th War Zone into the 9st and 1nd Corps;

The main force of the 5th War Zone was organized into the 3rd and 4th Corps, which were sent to fight the invading Japanese army separately.

Among them, the commander-in-chief of the 1st Corps, Xue Boling, led 25 divisions to take charge of the defense of the Nanxun Line and the areas on both sides, using the outer line to flank the Japanese troops advancing westward and shield Nanchang;

The commander of the 2nd Corps, Zhang Xianghua, led 33 divisions to take charge of the frontal defense of the south bank of the Yangtze River between Ruichang and Wuchang;
Sun Lianzhong, commander-in-chief of the 3rd Corps, led 8 divisions to defend the northern foothills of Dabie Mountain and the front;
Li Pinxian, commander-in-chief of the 4th Corps, led 13 divisions to deploy defenses in the area between the north bank of the Yangtze River and the southern foothills of the Dabie Mountains.

In this way, the Nationalist Army's defense line to defend Wuhan was based on the Dabie Mountains on the north bank of the Yangtze River and the Mufu Mountains and Lushan Mountains on the south bank.

With Xinyang, Luoshan, Huangchuan, Gushi, Shangcheng, Huoshan, Lu'an, Susong, Huangmei, Guangji, Ruichang, De'an and other places as strongholds, it formed an arc-shaped defense line of more than a thousand miles.

The guerrilla column where Yue Qianli was located was under the management of the Fifth War Zone Headquarters. Its garrison area was east of Xinyang, and it assisted in the defense of Xinyang.

After receiving the new order, Yue Qianli immediately led his troops south to the mountainous area east of Xinyang and waited for orders to continue their work.

This battle lasted for more than a month. The fighting on the south bank of the Yangtze River was raging, with blood flowing like a river. The guerrilla column, which was the reserve force of the Fifth War Zone, seemed to have been forgotten by the headquarters.
Yue Qianli participates in battles on the sand table every day, but he is not in a hurry. He just waits quietly. He believes that it will always be his turn to fight.

The commander of the Second Army, Prince Higashikuni Toshihiko, also had no sense of presence. In the past, the 11th Army was the only one performing. Okamura Yasuji stole the limelight. He almost dominated the front page of the Asahi Shimbun. This was something Prince Higashikuni could not tolerate. The royal family was the protagonist.

So in late August, Lieutenant General Higashikuni ordered the main force of the 8nd Army to attack westward from Hefei and other places, and began to make his presence felt.

The plan was to rush to Xinyang along the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains and then head south to Wuhan along the Pinghan Line.

The other route was to break through the Dabie Mountains and invade the Huangpi area in eastern Hubei, support the operations of the 6th Division and other units, advance into Wuhan from the northeast, and complete the strategic encirclement of Wuhan.

When the guerrilla column received the battle report, Yue Qianli, who had a keen nose for the battlefield, felt that their comfortable days were coming to an end.
When the fighting situation on the eastern foot of the Dabie Mountains became tense, General Li would not let the guerrilla column sit idle. After the Battle of Xuzhou, he knew the combat effectiveness of the guerrilla column better than anyone else.

This is the sharpest knife. If we want to defend the Huoshan-Lu'an-Fujinshan line, we must be ready to swing this knife at the enemy at any time.

At the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, General Li, General Bai and others were discussing how to deal with the Second Army's offensive. Lieutenant General Dong Jiu'er's two-pronged offensive put a lot of pressure on the Fifth War Zone;
Recently, General Li's health has not been very good, so the Military Commission sent General Bai to assist him in combat. Once General Li's health deteriorates, General Bai will take over the command of the Fifth War Zone. The combination of Bai and Li can achieve a seamless transition.

"Jiansheng, Dong Jiuer is coming with great force this time. Lu'an and Huoshan are located on the eastern foot of the Dabie Mountains. They are the key points of Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces and cannot be lost. Can Commander Sun (Lian Zhong) withstand it?"

When Li Delin was around, Bai Jiansheng would take the initiative to put himself in the position of chief of staff. When he saw General Li asking about the defense of Lu'an and Huoshan, he answered directly:
"Duke De, Sun Fanglu has been ordered to lead his troops to enter Shangcheng to fight against the invading Japanese army;
目前孙兵团下辖第77军冯治安部、第51军于学忠部、第71军宋希濂部、第30军田镇南部、第42军冯安邦部等，计13个师又1个独立旅，约10万人。

The Japanese troops attacking Lu'an were the 13th Division and the 10th Brigade of the 8th Division, plus the aviation and heavy artillery units that cooperated with them, with a total force of about 4.

The ratio of our forces to the enemy is less than 3 to 1, and Commander Sun is under great pressure to defend. "

Commander Li pondered for a moment and then said:
"10 versus 4. The force is indeed a little less. The guerrilla column east of Xinyang has been idle all the time. We need to find something for them to do. A sword will get rusty if it is left for too long."

General Bai smiled and said:
"Mr. De, the guerrilla column belongs to the Ninth War Zone. We are just in charge. If this precious sword gets chipped, I'm afraid it will be hard to explain to Ci Xiu!"

Commander Li waved his hand domineeringly and said:
"Don't worry about him. Since you lent me this knife, I will definitely use it to chop people when I'm short of weapons!
The guerrilla column was the 13th Division's nemesis. Once Yue Qianli's precious sword came out, the 13th Division should be the one with a headache.

Once the precious sword is out, it will drink the devil's blood!"

General Bai was just talking. When had he ever taken Chen Cixiu seriously? He immediately agreed and said:
"I think it's possible. With more than 2 guerrillas, it will be no problem to hold the Huoshan line. We may even be able to launch a counterattack against the Japanese and wipe out part of them."

General Bai has never been a man who is content with strict defense. Even when the Battle of Songhu was in great difficulty, he dared to order the 21st Army to launch a counterattack against the Japanese. Let alone now.

Bai and Li knew each other well. As soon as Commander Li heard this, he knew that his old partner must be planning a counterattack, so he thought for a moment and said:

"I heard that the guerrilla column suffered heavy casualties in the battle in eastern Henan, especially when they were left behind to fight against the 16th and 14th divisions. How many men and guns do they have now?"

General Bai put away his smile and said solemnly:
"It should be quite a few. His five detachments have been reduced to three detachments, each with about 5 people. The total force has been reduced to less than 3. A lot of equipment has also been damaged, but the main force is still there."

Commander Li remembered that when the guerrilla column participated in the Battle of Xuzhou, it was still 5 detachments with more than 4 people. It has only been a short time and the strength has been reduced by 6. It seems that the battle was extremely difficult. After a long silence, he said:
"A peerless national hero! Yue Qianli is a loyal and honest man, we can't always let honest people suffer losses;
In the face of national crisis, the guerrilla column has to be used as a precious sword, but we can't always let the horse run without giving it grass to eat.

If this continues, even the most skilled horse will die of exhaustion!"

General Bai agreed. It only took a few months from Xuzhou to Wuhan, and the guerrilla column's strength was reduced by nearly half. If they were not replenished, after the Battle of Wuhan, this elite Nationalist army might really be reduced to a regiment. "Jiansheng, squeeze out 8 reinforcements for Yue Qianli, two of which are militias sent from Guangxi. In addition, allocate them 2 million rounds of bullets, 100 mortar shells, 3 grenades, and 5 kilograms of food.

Tell Yue Qianli that I don't have any extra supplies here, let them ask the devils for what they need!"

General Bai was moved after hearing this. Guangxi men had always only been recruiting the Guangxi army. This was definitely the first time they were recruiting other troops. So he habitually dissuaded them:
"The two militias have 3 soldiers. It's not easy to train these 3 people in my hometown. Aren't there some Northwest Army and Sichuan Army that have been recruited?"

Commander Li waved his hand and said:

"I think Yue Qianli will become a great man sooner or later, and the guerrilla column will have great development in the future. The joining of these 3 soldiers will also expand the bloodline of the Gui army.

Not only did he do Yue Qianli a huge favor, but he also injected the blood of the Guangxi clique into the guerrilla column. In the long run, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages."

General Bai was weak in politics compared to General Li. How could he not understand politics when he reached his level? He immediately understood the deep meaning of his old partner, but he was not optimistic, nor did he object. He just said:
"The guerrilla column is the elite of the Civil Engineering Clan. Yue Qianli probably doesn't think highly of the small temple of the Guangxi Clan. Fortunately, there are only two militia groups. My Guangxi Clan can still afford it."

"Jiansheng, the guerrilla column in the Ninth War Zone was the Civil Engineering Department. After being in the Fifth War Zone for a long time, it will be more or less labeled as the Guangxi Department. Moreover, there are thousands of Guangxi people. Brother Cixiu is not a broad-minded person!
Everything is possible, just consider it as a good relationship with Yue Qianli."

Li Bai and the other man couldn't help laughing after looking at each other. With the tacit understanding between them, there was no need to say more.

Admiral Bai put away his smile and said:

"Mr. De, the guerrilla column is now too far back. Should we order them to move forward?"

Admiral Li said without thinking:
"That's for sure. Immediately order them to go south to get supplies and reinforcements, then move closer to Huoshan. Stay west of Huoshan and wait for orders. Be sure to hide your whereabouts to avoid scaring off the 13th Division!"

At the guerrilla column headquarters, when Yue Qianli received the telegram from the Fifth War Zone, he was a little confused, just like General Bai. The descendants of the Guangxi clique never reinforced the troops outside the Guangxi clique, and he was a legitimate descendant of the Central Army.
Others were also surprised. They didn't know what General Li was talking about. Students from the third and fourth classes, such as Gao Zhisong, Zhu Chi, and Tian Yuanxi, had experienced the Central Plains War. They knew all about the mess between the Central Army and the Guangxi Clique, the Northwest Army, and the Shanxi Army.

Gao Zhisong said vigilantly:

"Old Yue, what does Commander Li mean?
Throwing sand in the sand? Sowing discord? Or trying to win us over?

If you dare to accept these two Guangxi militias today, General Chen and the attendant's office will know it without you having to spend the night with them. My advice is to refuse."

Others agreed, saying that they could not openly offend the leaders of the Central Army now, and it was not cost-effective to recruit 3 soldiers.

Yue Qianli said nonchalantly:
"Why not? These are 3 Guangxi wolf soldiers. Let alone 3, I would even accept 8 of them!
The guerrilla column has been reduced from 5 detachments to 3 detachments. What I lack most now is food, ammunition and reinforcements.

The emperor doesn't need hungry soldiers. Commander Li wants to send the guerrilla column to fight the devils, so it is necessary to provide reinforcements, food and ammunition!"

Duan Yulin also interrupted and said:
"I agree with Lao Yue. Whether they are the Gui army, the Northwest army or the Sichuan army, they are all reinforcements. There is nothing special about them. We accept all of them. We can't wipe out the guerrilla column and still be picky."

Gao Zhisong saw that Yue Qianli didn't care, so he didn't bother to think about it. He was also envious of the thousands of people, so he said:
"You are right, they are all national soldiers, there is nothing we dare not take.

If they have any objections, then they can recruit more soldiers from the Central Army. There are so many graduates from the Central Military Academy, so they can also give us a few hundred soldiers.”

Several people spoke loudly, but they were not worried about being overheard. It was obvious that they were cooperating with Yue Qianli in his acting.
Anyway, this matter cannot be concealed from the attendant's office, so just use complaints to convey the attitude of the guerrilla column's top leaders. The crying child gets the milk.

Afterwards, Yue Qianli asked Zheng Pingru to secretly report the incident to Boss Dai, and CC also reported it, which actually allowed the guerrilla column to take the initiative;

The purpose was to convey a message to the attendant's office and Chen Cixiu. Their lives were very difficult now. Only three were left out of the five detachments. They were short of everything and would accept supplies from anyone. Now the ball was kicked back to the attendant's office.

Yue Qianli didn't want to play these tricks, but there were serious factional struggles in the National Government Army, and he did this only to protect himself.

Sure enough, after the news reached the attendant's office, the principal was furious. He first scolded Yue Qianli for losing the integrity of the Whampoa military, and then scolded others for mistreating the meritorious soldiers, saying that loyal and brave men should not be allowed to shed blood and tears;
Finally, he ordered Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone to replenish some supplies and personnel to the guerrilla column, and at the same time awarded Yue Qianli a Blue Sky and White Sun Medal.

After this series of actions, he took the favor of General Li for supplying the guerrilla column. Anyway, he only lost a telegram and a medal, which appeased Yue Qianli.
After all, we still have to rely on the guerrilla column to fight the Japanese, but at the same time we cannot let them turn to the Guangxi clique, killing two birds with one stone.

When General Li learned about this, he just shook his head and said:

"No one is stupid enough to resort to such despicable tactics. Let him do what he wants!"

The controversy over supplies came to an end, and Yue Qianli received his third Blue Sky and White Sun Medal. After putting it on, he asked Duan Yaqin to take a handsome photo of him and posted it to the Central Daily News, really showing off.

After Duan Yaqin left, Yue Qianli said casually:
"Brothers, this medal has a deep meaning. It is to tell us that we are still in the government under the bright sun, and we must know who is the boss."

Everyone thought about it and realized that this was indeed what he meant. He was indeed a master at playing politics, but he was a little too presentable.

This was just a small episode. Yue Qianli, who had gained the benefit, immediately led the guerrilla column to secretly move south. After arriving at the designated supply point, he received the soldiers and supplies prepared for them in advance from the special envoys of the war zone, thus making a big profit.

(End of this chapter)