Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 88 Rest and Expansion
In early March 1938, the morning in Gaoyou, Jiangsu Province, was shrouded in a damp and cold fog.

A thin layer of frost clung to the bluestone path, making a soft, crisp sound as Su Yaoyang stepped on it. He stood by the stone bridge, watching the awning boats glide across the misty river. The boatwoman's tune drifted over with the sound of the water, seemingly right beside him, yet also seemingly far away, giving him a sense of both near and far.

After being appointed as the head of the Nanjing Security Regiment by Chongqing, Su Yaoyang also received a codebook and a radio. In Chen Shijie's words, these were the identification credentials of the Nanjing Security Regiment, which were used to communicate with superiors on a daily basis.

But then another problem arose: having only the codebook and radio wasn't enough; the most crucial element—the telegraph operator—hadn't arrived, and that was the real trouble.

Looking at the thin codebook in his hand, Su Yaoyang was so angry that he almost fell out with Xu Shijie.

Huang Guantao and Li Gaoyuan, two seasoned veterans, were the most experienced. They secretly approached Xu Shixiang, slipped him two silver dollars, and finally, he agreed to send them a telegraph operator.

Indeed, human relationships and social niceties are everywhere.

After acquiring a telegraph operator, Su Yaoyang immediately sent a telegram to the Fifth War Zone Command, requesting to lead his troops to Xuzhou for rest and reorganization.

The Fifth War Zone Command responded quickly and agreed to the security regiment's request for rest, but placed the rest location in Gaoyou.

Let's go with Gaoyou then.

Su Yaoyang then led 3,000 soldiers of the security regiment and arrived in Gaoyou County after more than a week of arduous travel.

Gaoyou is located in the central part of Jiangsu Province (now under the administration of YZ City), situated along the Grand Canal, bordering Yangzhou to the south and Huai'an to the north, and is a vital water and land transportation hub in central Jiangsu.

Although the Battle of Xuzhou had already begun, the Japanese army had not yet launched a large-scale offensive into the central Jiangsu region. Gaoyou was a rear defense node and not the core battlefield of the campaign.

In view of this, the huge Gaoyou County town only had a security regiment of more than 500 people, plus more than 100 police officers in charge of maintaining order.

After Su Yaoyang led the security regiment to Gaoyou, the county magistrate and the former head of the Gaoyou County Security Regiment paid a personal visit to them immediately, adopting a very humble attitude. They even delivered a batch of grain and ten large fat pigs to the security regiment right away.

This surprised Su Yaoyang, who had already prepared himself to be looked down upon. He only found out later when he asked the two of them while they were drinking.

Although Gaoyou was not the core battlefield of the battle, no one could guarantee when a Japanese army might suddenly appear.

Once Gaoyou becomes a battlefield, their small force and limited guns wouldn't even qualify them as cannon fodder; they would be wiped out in no time.

Therefore, the county magistrate naturally went to great lengths to please this team that came to Gaoyou for rest and recuperation, hoping that if things became unavoidable one day, they would lend him a hand, or at least take him with them when they fled.

Since the other party had been so frank, Su Yaoyang didn't hesitate to show his goodwill and readily agreed to the small request.

So, in the days that followed, Su Yaoyang, Li Gaoyuan, and Huang Guantao took advantage of this rare period of leisure to make a major overhaul of the security team.

In addition to making minor adjustments to the troop strength and weaponry of the original six infantry and artillery battalions, Su Yaoyang also added a special service company directly under the regimental headquarters, a transport battalion (responsible for transporting ammunition and supplies, equipped with sixty Dodge 10-wheel trucks and more than one hundred mules and horses), a logistics department, a medical team (with more than ten newly recruited doctors and nurses), a communications company, and an anti-aircraft artillery battalion (equipped with eighteen Bofors 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns).
As the security regiment grew in size, the demand for personnel also increased, and the original size of just over three thousand people was no longer sufficient to meet their needs. To this end, Su Yaoyang not only recruited more than two thousand new soldiers in the Gaoyou County area, but also sent Huang Guantao to various hospitals in Xuzhou to spend money and win over officers and veterans who were recuperating from injuries. After more than a month of efforts, the security regiment has now expanded to more than five thousand people.

In principle, unauthorized expansion of the military is not allowed.

But now there is war, fighting everywhere, and the security force is located in the rear, so it is out of touch with the outside world.

The county magistrate of Gaoyou County and the former head of the security regiment were overjoyed to see the expansion of the security regiment, so why would they bother to report to their superiors? Thus, for the past three months, Su Yaoyang and his group have been quietly developing their business in Gaoyou County.

However, things didn't go unnoticed. Seeing batches of supplies, including tanks, trucks, and anti-aircraft guns, arriving silently at the security regiment, it would be a lie to say that Li Gaoyuan and Huang Guantao weren't surprised and worried.

But then they thought, since it has already happened, what's the use of worrying now?

Besides, if the strength of the troops is expanded and developed, it will be used to fight the Japanese. Is there a problem with that?

The regimental commander is right... It's good to be confused sometimes, why take things so seriously?

In addition, it should be mentioned that, besides the troops mentioned above, Su Yaoyang also fulfilled his promise to John by forming a tank company (with nine Chaffee tanks, three M3 half-track vehicles (troop transport/supply vehicles) and two maintenance jeeps).

Seeing that Su Yaoyang had kept his promise, John, the newly appointed tank company commander, was overjoyed. For the past two months, he had been immersed in the company, conducting intensive training. Even Su Yaoyang admired his diligence.

Just as the security regiment's training was in full swing, the scale of the Battle of Xuzhou was growing larger and larger.

In early February, the enemy in the northern section retreated without a fight due to the retreat of 100,000 troops led by Han Fuqu, the chairman of Shandong Province. This allowed the Japanese army to advance rapidly, seize most of Shandong, occupy Jinan, Tai'an, Yanzhou, Zou County, Jining, Qingdao, Mengcheng and other places, and advance directly towards Teng County and Linyi.

Tengxian and Linyi have been the two northern gateways to Xuzhou since ancient times. Tengxian, in particular, is more than 100 kilometers south of Xuzhou and guards the throat of the Tianjin-Shanghai Railway. It has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times, and it has now become a strategic point of contention between the two sides.

In order to capture Fujii County, the Japanese army dispatched the 33rd Brigade of the 10th Division, led by Isogai Rensuke, with a total strength of about 10,000 men.

The 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army, which was responsible for the defense of Tengxian County, had a total strength of only a pitiful three thousand men, and its equipment was outdated, consisting of only some Hanyang rifles and a small number of machine guns, with no heavy artillery support.

Despite the vast disparity in strength between the two sides, the 122nd Division, led by Major General Wang Mingzhang, was prepared to fight the Japanese invaders to the death with a spirit of unwavering resolve.
三月十四日，第三十三旅团长濑谷启少将指挥麾下的第10、63两个步兵联队，在一个炮兵大队（约12门75毫米野炮）和独立重炮兵大队（4门150毫米榴弹炮）以及十辆九五式坦克的掩护下，正式对藤县发起了进攻。

To prevent other Nationalist troops from supporting Tengxian, the Japanese 5th Division also launched an attack towards Linyi to contain the forces of Pang Bingxun and Zhang Zizhong.

In an instant, the area within a hundred miles centered on Teng County was engulfed in flames of war, with gunfire and artillery sounds everywhere.

On March 15, Li Zongren, who was stationed in Xuzhou, received a telegram from the 122nd Division requesting assistance.

(End of this chapter)