Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 98 Meeting with the Boss
The former Daotai Yamen of Xuzhou (in the area of ​​Datong Street in the city center of XZ in later years) was located in the core area of ​​Xuzhou City, which was convenient for commanding and dispatching various troops in combat. Therefore, the Fifth War Zone Command was set up here.

In front of the former Daotai Yamen, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, two stone lions were now surrounded by sandbags. As Su Yaoyang stepped onto the cracked stone steps and through the peeling vermilion gate, he felt a little excited at the thought of meeting the famous Guangxi clique leader.

The dozen or so guards standing at the door were dressed in blue military uniforms, the barrels of their Type 24 rifles gleaming coldly, their bayonets drawing sharp arcs in the sunlight. They stood solemnly in front of the door, watching them warily. Only after the staff officer who brought Su Yaoyang over carefully checked his identification did they let him in.

Soon, Su Yaoyang was led to a courtyard. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw more than a dozen officers who looked like staff officers busy in the front hall. Some were on the phone, some were discussing things, and several radio operators were busy sending and receiving messages. They all looked very busy.

The two men walked straight through the front yard to the command room in the back yard. Unlike the front yard, the command room in the back yard was filled with the smell of tobacco. Yellowed military maps covered the entire gray wall, and a man of medium build was writing circles on the map with a red pencil with his back to him.

"Reporting, sir!" Su Yaoyang shouted from the doorway, "Su Yaoyang, commander of the Nanjing Security Regiment, is here to report for duty. Please give me your instructions!"

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the carved window lattice onto the blue brick floor, gilding the battle map in front of Li Zongren. As he turned, three general stars immediately caught Su Yaoyang's eye, and Su Yaoyang's eyes turned to him.

Su Yaoyang's breath hitched. The moment those eyes lifted, it was as if a cold glint of a blade was being drawn. The phrase "eyes brimming with thunder" often uttered by storytellers in teahouses was now embodied in the seemingly honest face before him.

Just as Su Yaoyang felt a chill run down his spine, the commander of the more than 600,000 troops in the Fifth War Zone suddenly chuckled, his wrinkles around his eyes smoothing out. Combined with his honest face, the murderous aura from before instantly melted into spring water.

"Hahaha... So our hero who defeated the Japanese army has arrived!" Li Zongren's laughter made the atmosphere in the command post much warmer.

Su Yaoyang dared not be negligent and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Sir, you flatter me. I am just a student of Rehe Normal School. How could I dare to receive praise from a senior who has been influential for decades?"

Furthermore, it was because the younger generation failed to arrive in time a few days ago that Commander Wang Mingzhang heroically sacrificed his life; all of this was due to the fault of the department.

Although several days have passed, a trace of sadness still flashed in Li Zongren's eyes when he mentioned Division Commander Wang Mingzhang.

"Sigh... I should be the one who feels the most guilty. If I had given Zhizhong more support or let you guys leave earlier, he wouldn't have... Sigh..."

Seeing Li Zongren's dejected appearance, Su Yaoyang comforted him, "Sir... the dead are gone. The only thing we can do now is to kill more Japanese devils and avenge Commander Wang and the innocent civilians who died."

"Yes... let's not talk about this anymore." Li Zongren, as expected of a powerful figure who had dominated the world for decades, quickly composed himself.

He looked Su Yaoyang up and down again, admiring his dashing appearance in his German-style Type 35 field uniform, and nodded in satisfaction. He then pointed to the chair beside him: "Come... sit down..."

After Su Yaoyang sat down, he got straight to the point: "I called you here today for two reasons, firstly to see you, this young talent who has recently become famous in Xuzhou, and secondly to ask you some questions."

Su Yaoyang solemnly replied, "Please speak, sir!"

Li Zongren said, "To tell you the truth, a few days ago Tengxian was besieged. Zhizhong and the 122nd Division were struggling to hold on in Tengxian. I was also looking for reinforcements everywhere, but I never thought of you and the Nanjing Security Regiment. It was because I didn't know much about you that I forgot about you for a moment."

If Yan Mou (Chief of Staff Xu Zuyi) hadn't mentioned it to me a few days ago, I wouldn't even have known that there was such a unit in Gaoyou.

It wasn't until you wiped out a Japanese cavalry company, a tank company, and two artillery battalions that I realized such a formidable and battle-hardened force was hidden within my jurisdiction.

Upon hearing Li Zongren describe his troops as "capable and skilled in battle," Su Yaoyang quickly replied modestly, "Sir, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise." "What flattery?" Li Zongren laughed. "We soldiers are either good or bad. Your ability to eliminate so many Japanese troops in succession has already proven your capabilities."

Since Chongqing has placed you under the jurisdiction of the Fifth War Zone, I naturally intend to learn more about you.

"Now, could you truthfully report to me the number of personnel, organizational structure, and weaponry of your unit?"

"of course can."

Without hesitation, Su Yaoyang replied, "That's right. Our security regiment's main force consists of six infantry battalions, each with 687 men. They are equipped with Garand semi-automatic rifles, two BAR light machine guns per squad, and six American-made M1917 water-cooled machine guns and three M2 60mm mortars per company."

In addition, our regiment also has an air defense battalion and a tank company…”

Li Zongren was initially listening with a smile, but as he listened, his eyes grew wider and wider.

This guy is absolutely insane! Listen to this... is he even human?

The air defense battalion, tank company, artillery battalion logistics department, motor transport company, special service company, medical team, and all sorts of other units add up to more than 5,000 people. This is no ordinary security regiment. Such firepower is equivalent to a Class A division of the National Revolutionary Army... no... even an entire corps, right?

Su Yaoyang felt incredibly pleased to be able to show off in front of the powerful figures in the Guangxi clique, but he also knew that he should only show off a little, otherwise it would be annoying if he went too far.

He then quickly said, "Sir... it is a great honor for me to be summoned by you."

Furthermore, I dare to make a small request of you.

"Making demands?" Li Zongren was shocked but couldn't help laughing: "You should be grateful that I didn't try to rip you off, you nouveau riche. How dare you make demands of me?"

"hey-hey……"

Su Yaoyang said with a forced smile, "There's nothing I can do, my family's wealth is too meager."

"Our artillery battalion has just been established. Although we have the equipment, we lack skilled gunners. We are fortunate to have been granted an audience with you today, so we would like to request a group of gunners from you. We hope you will grant our request."

"Gunners?" Li Zongren was no ordinary man. Upon hearing Su Yaoyang's words, a glint flashed in his eyes. "Su Yaoyang... tell me the truth, how large is your artillery battalion? How many cannons does it have? What caliber are they?"

Su Yaoyang chuckled and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Not many... just two artillery companies, which were just equipped with 24 American-made M2A1 105mm howitzers."

Yes, it's the famous American-made M2A1 105mm howitzer from World War II, which is also the artillery piece that Su Yaoyang was able to convert into a few days ago after his mental strength increased.

"What……"

(End of this chapter)