Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 337, Section 335: Matters concerning the Provisional 7th Division and the New Recruit Division, and cooperation with the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army.

The plan to replace soldiers with weapons continues.

With the exchange of 8000 guns completed, the new recruit division was formed.

After distributing 8000 guns, the Sichuan Army happily headed to Xi'an, then crossed the Yellow River and marched towards the Taiyuan war zone.

Fang Wen did not bring the new recruit division with him.

As the head of a multinational airline and the commander of the Taishan Independent Regiment, he knew very well that leading an 8000-strong force was no easy task.

To effectively lead this group of soldiers, thorough preparation is essential.

To this end, he transferred half of the officers at the platoon level and above from the Third Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment. These officers would all be promoted one or two levels upon arrival.

This transfer order sent half of the officers of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, who had just arrived in Taiyuan, to Baoji by seaplane.

After they arrived, Fang Wen held a special meeting with the officers of the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment.

Inside the Baoji military station, at the former headquarters of the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army, Wu Yingzong and his officers reported to Fang Wen.

"Commander, as you requested, 26 officers of platoon level and above from the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment have been transferred and are all in place."

Fang Wen nodded: "The reason I sent you here is because of the Provisional 7th Division of the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army. This division will fight alongside the Independent Regiment in the future, and you will become officers of various ranks in the Provisional 7th Division."

Chaos erupted in the room; the usually disciplined officers were no longer able to remain calm.

Apart from Wu Yingzong, the other officers had no idea why they were here, and never expected to be transferred to manage a division.

Faced with this situation, Fang Wen raised his hand and, after the discussion subsided, continued, "I still need to explain the specifics to you. Our Independent Regiment has its own combat model, and air-ground coordination has already been tested in Dezhou. However, we lack manpower for coordinated operations. The Independent Regiment's actions alone cannot play a decisive role on a large battlefield. Therefore, I reached an agreement with the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army to exchange arms for 8000 of their soldiers to form the Provisional 7th Division."

After a pause, Fang Wen continued:
"But this unit is composed entirely of new recruits from Sichuan who came out of Sichuan to fight against the Japanese. They are young and lack military training. In order to ensure coordination when fighting in conjunction with the Independent Regiment, I specifically requested that the Independent Regiment temporarily take over the management of the Provisional 7th Division. That's why you were transferred here."

Fang Wen recounted the cause and effect of the matter in a calm tone, and although he had simplified it, the officers could still sense the complexity of it.

Regardless, the Provisional 7th Division with 8000 soldiers has been established, and these officers will be promoted from platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander to battalion commander, regimental commander, and brigade commander.

During the meeting, Fang Wen announced their new military ranks one by one.

He then solemnly said, "I know you are finding it difficult to adapt, and even feel that you are not up to the task. I have some suggestions that should be able to help you."

The officers were immediately delighted; their fears were indeed true.

It wasn't that they were afraid of not being able to control the new recruits, but rather that they didn't know how to manage a larger number of soldiers. After all, during their training in Yangon, they were used to grassroots management at the company and platoon level, and only Wu Yingzong had some experience in managing large groups.

The officers then received on-site training.

Fang Wen gave the opening remarks for the training session.

"Because the situation in the north could deteriorate at any time, we don't have much time for training. Therefore, I don't have high expectations for the Provisional 7th Division; I don't expect you to reach the level of an independent regiment. However, some basic requirements must be met. 1. Treat new recruits with a people-oriented approach. Punishment is acceptable for substandard training, but personal grudges are absolutely unacceptable. If such actions are discovered, the recruit will be dismissed from their post and severely punished. 2. The Provisional 7th Division has its own military regulations, which you need to learn, abide by, and implement to ensure discipline is upheld throughout the division. Okay, now Fang Shouxin from Taishan Aviation and his colleagues will conduct the training."

The officers sat upright, looking at Fang Shouxin and the administrative staff who walked onto the stage.

These are two different groups of people, yet they never expected to intersect here in this way today.

Although the officers had never been trained before, the staff in the administration department, who were skilled in employee training, still explained the training content to the officers as Fang Wen requested.

In addition to the military regulations of the Provisional 7th Division, there were also incentive mechanisms specifically designed to enhance effectiveness.

This is a new measure that even the Independent Regiment did not have.

In order to enable soldiers with no military training experience to achieve the training effect as quickly as possible, only such intense methods can ignite their fighting spirit.

The officers were stunned. They hadn't expected to train in this way and didn't know if it would be effective.

The day after the officers' training session, officers of all ranks in the Provisional 7th Division began to take up their posts.

Eight thousand soldiers and junior officers assembled at the military post drill ground, which was a huge, chaotic, and spectacular sight.

These undisciplined soldiers were standing in groups based on their hometowns, scattered and disorganized.

To quiet them down, you have to speak louder.

The loudspeakers installed in the drill ground emitted high-pitched sounds.

"Quiet."

After the crowd gradually quieted down, the loudspeaker continued.

"Everyone stay in the dormitory today and don't wander around. Someone will come over in a little while to arrange for you to join your respective companies and get to know the officers in charge. These officers will lead your training and fight against the Japanese army."

After the announcement was made repeatedly through the loudspeaker, the group dispersed and returned to their respective dormitories.

Subsequently, the officers of the Independent Regiment, accompanied by staff from the Taishan Aviation Administration Department, conducted a personnel count and confirmed jurisdiction according to the roster.

I've been busy with this all day.

The officers who had been assigned to their respective companies began their work.

They establish authority and prestige in their own way, namely through group training.

During training, these officers used their military skills to gain the trust of the new recruits, and lived and ate with them, trying their best to build a relationship with them.

These young Sichuan soldiers were all from farming families before joining the army, and they had just experienced two years of severe drought. They felt very close to the officers of the Independent Regiment after receiving their care and gradually developed an emotional bond with them.

After establishing emotional connections with officers of all levels in a short period of time, the real training began.

The officers of the Independent Regiment who took over the Provisional 7th Division implemented the incentive mechanism devised by Fang Wen.

It's actually not that complicated. It's just that the entire training process is broken down into modules, and each training step becomes an effective reward incentive mechanism.

When the soldiers realized that they would receive rewards such as extra meals or supplies after completing specific training, their enthusiasm increased significantly.

Subsequently, after they adapted to this incentive mechanism, the training intensity of each company was increased, and the incentive was upgraded to competition between companies.

Each company is mainly composed of local people, which naturally fosters a sense of community. Competition with other companies keeps them highly motivated.

Furthermore, it is said that the winning side will receive an additional military pay bonus.

This series of intense and competitive events greatly inspired the new recruits of the Provisional 7th Division to train with great enthusiasm.

In a short period of time, they learned to march in formation, developed group discipline, and completed numerous live-fire training exercises.

This effect, at the very least, allows for firing on the battlefield without causing chaos during marches.

The next training cannot be conducted in Baoji; it needs to be carried out in Taiyuan first, since they need to cooperate with the Independent Regiment in combat, and training alone will not be effective enough.

Immediately afterwards, the Provisional 7th Division set off.

This newly recruited unit, under the command of officers from the Independent Regiment, passed through Xi'an and Weinan, and crossed the Yellow River at Tongguan.

After crossing the Yellow River, the north bank is Fenglingdu, where the southernmost station of the Tongpu Railway in Shanxi Province is located.

The Provisional 7th Division boarded a troop transport train at Fenglingdu Town Railway Station, passing through Yuncheng, Linfen, Pingyao, Hongdong, and other places, finally arriving in Taiyuan. (Train on the Shanxi-Tongpu Railway during the Republic of China era)
The Provisional 7th Division arrived in Taiyuan and was stationed by Jinyang Lake, next to the Independent Regiment, in order to better coordinate training with the Independent Regiment.

It was already late October.

What is the situation in the north?

Fang Wen, who arrived in Taiyuan with the Provisional 7th Division, arranged preliminary joint training between the Provisional 7th Division and the Independent Regiment before leaving the camp and heading to the Taiyuan Garrison Command.

He arrived at the garrison headquarters, identified himself to the sentry at the door, and after the sentry reported to him, an officer came out to greet him and led him into the garrison headquarters.

Inside the garrison headquarters, Fang Wen met with the director of the Taiyuan Garrison Command Office.

The other party was very enthusiastic.

"Commander Fang, it's great to finally meet you. Commander Yan has mentioned you many times, but unfortunately he's currently commanding operations in Dai County."

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "I'm sorry, I was in Shaanxi for a while and didn't have time to visit. Thank you for taking care of the Independent Regiment in Taiyuan."

"I heard that you traded weapons for a division. That's a big deal."

"Please excuse our poor appearance. They're all green recruits, they've never even touched a gun before, they need more training before they can go to the battlefield."

"Whether they are new recruits or not, they are very adaptable. I've heard that your Independent Regiment has a unique way of fighting, and they are fortunate to be able to fight alongside you."

"I hope they can be trained well before going to the battlefield." Fang Wen paused, then asked, "How is the battle going now?"

"It was a tough fight."

The other party mentioned the recent fighting in northern Shanxi.

The Japanese army's main offensive was in the Xinkou area of ​​northern Shanxi, where they fought against the National Army for half a month.

However, the entire territory of Chahar had fallen, and Shijiazhuang had also been occupied.

Traces of Japanese troops were even discovered in the Anyang area of ​​Henan.

Fang Wen's expression turned serious as he listened to what the other person said.

According to him, most of the Central Plains region north of the Yellow River has now fallen.

Only parts of Shanxi and Henan are still persisting.

In less than 20 days, the situation had changed so drastically, which was something Fang Wen had not anticipated.

He thought of Bai Yunfei. The 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, where Bai Yunfei was stationed, had crossed the Yellow River for nearly a month. What were they doing?
Therefore, Fang Wen asked, "I heard that the Eighth Route Army has also joined the war. I wonder how they are doing?"

"Well, I'm not too sure about that," the head of the headquarters office politely declined to answer.

After failing to get any further information, Fang Wen took his leave.

He returned to his post by Jinyang Lake, retrieved the telegram, switched to the contact frequency Bai Yunfei had mentioned in his last letter, and sent his greetings.

Unsure if the recipient would receive it, he sent it twice more.

In the afternoon, the Independent Regiment's telegraph operator received a reply, reporting the telegram sent on this special frequency to Fang Wen.

"Captain, the frequency of the calls you specifically instructed us to make is a coded telegram."

Fang Wen took the telegram, went back to his room alone, took out a thread book, and found the corresponding page and line number in the book according to the Morse code numbers. He then used those characters to translate the actual telegram.

[To the commander of the Independent Regiment, this is a reply to your question.]

[Our 120th and 115th Divisions actively participated in the fighting in northern Shanxi. The 115th Division captured Tuanchengkou, Laiyuan, and Weixian, threatening the enemy's rear in southern Chahar and western Hebei. The 120th Division launched an attack on the Japanese army near Xinkou, containing enemy forces.]

They were also fighting in northern Shanxi, and Fang Wen immediately took out his telegraph machine to send a message.

If there is any military cooperation, please feel free to contact me.

After waiting for a while, the telegraph machine received a reply.

[A unit of my division infiltrated north of Xinkou, disrupting the Japanese army's transport of military supplies to the front lines and ambushing Japanese convoys on multiple occasions.]

During the battle, scouts discovered a Japanese airfield at Yangmingbao, 45 kilometers north of Xinkou. Large quantities of military supplies were airlifted from this location. The airfield also housed several fighter planes and bombers, which would coordinate with the main Japanese air force in their attacks on Xinkou.

[We originally intended to send a force to attack Yangmingbao Airport, but the operation would have been even more effective if the Independent Regiment could have provided air support.]

After reading the reply, Fang Wen immediately opened the military map and used a ruler to draw the operational route map.

This air raid, which started from Xi'an and returned to Taiyuan for rest and reorganization, was exactly within the combat radius of the gunship aircraft.

Then we can arrange an air raid by an independent regiment.

Fang Wen then continued to contact the other side by telegram to confirm the details of the air raid.

Guoxian County, north of Xinkou.

In this area originally occupied by the Japanese army, the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army was actually active here, and divided its troops into multiple units to fight against the Japanese army in this area.

This unit has too many connections with Fang Wen.

Its predecessor was the Third Red Army. When it established its base in Hunan, Hubei and Sichuan, Fang Wen was also building an airport in western Hunan. Later, due to the cigarette trade and subsequent airdrops, the two sides had many contacts.

Today, after the Long March, it has become the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army. After years of fighting and the baptism of the Long March, the soldiers of the 120th Division are all battle-hardened elites.

Its willingness to fight behind enemy lines is something that ordinary troops could not do.

Meanwhile, at the temporary command post of the 1st Brigade of the 120th Division, a staff officer of the brigade, using the alias Bai Yunfei but whose real name was Shu Zhitao, reported the contents of his telegram communication with Fang Wen.

"Brigade Commander, the Taishan Independent Regiment has agreed to a joint operation and has inquired about the timing of the attack."

"I have no experience in coordinating operations with the air force. How do you calculate the time he mentioned? Is it the time when we launch our attack on Yangmingbao?"

"It seems likely that as soon as we state the specific attack time, they will launch an airstrike fifteen minutes in advance."

"Is there anything else?"

"According to Commander Fang, the Independent Regiment will send eight aircraft to participate in the air raid. Four gunboats will cooperate with ground troops to provide continuous fire suppression, while the other four fighters will be responsible for preventing enemy aircraft from taking off. The entire battle should ideally last no more than one hour."

Why can't it exceed one hour?

"He said that the Japanese army has an airfield in Tianjin, where most of their military aircraft are located. Once a battle breaks out, the garrison of Yangmingbao will definitely request support from nearby troops and Tianjin. Ground troops are slow to march, so there is no need to worry. However, Japanese warplanes will arrive within an hour of departing from Tianjin. To avoid unnecessary losses, we must keep the battle within an hour."

After listening to Shu Zhitao's explanation, the brigade commander of the 1st Brigade of the 120th Division devised a time for the attack, which would begin at 6:00 AM the next morning.

It was just dawn, but it was still sleep time, and the defenses were lax, making it the perfect time to launch an attack.

Shu Zhitao reported this situation back, and the 1st Brigade of the 120th Division immediately began preparing for the air raid the next day. In order to avoid being discovered by the Japanese army, they split into multiple action teams and went to the Yangmingbao area in small groups.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen immediately began organizing and preparing for the operation.

(End of this chapter)