Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 258 The Shocking New Chief of Staff!
Chen Ming was very pleased with the arrival of these talented individuals.

He was especially delighted when he saw that among the talents he had long wanted to meet.

Although Chen Ming had never met the new chief of staff, he had long admired him.

He had prepared a welcoming ceremony at the command post well in advance, waiting for the arrival of the personnel from headquarters to provide support.

Outside the Shuoxian command headquarters, several of the most elite units of the Independent Detachment had already deployed small units to maintain martial law, standing at attention and awaiting the arrival of the main force.

"They've arrived; they're already on the road outside."

A scout shouted loudly, announcing the arrival of the chief of staff and his entourage.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming stood up and walked out with the political commissar.

He knew from the map in his mind that the team was slowly approaching, but he was waiting in the command post.

The joy of waiting is indescribable.

As the group went outside, they indeed saw a group of cadres riding horses, carrying packs, and escorted by a cavalry.

Upon seeing the leader, Chen Ming quickly stepped forward and said with a smile:

"We've been waiting for this moment for so long, and finally our comrades have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, everyone dismounted.

The leading cadre's leather shoes were polished to a shine, his military bearing was impeccable, and his crisp military uniform paired with a leather overcoat gave him a dashing and heroic appearance.

He was of medium build but upright, with strong facial features, a serious expression between his brows, and sharp eyes like a hawk.

Who is Chen Ming's new chief of staff?
"Hello, Comrade Chen Ming!"

After dismounting, the chief of staff saluted Chen Ming.

Chen Ming returned the salute.

"We've been waiting for you to arrive at the base for a long time. I've been waiting for you to come."

"I was so anxious that I was planning to go to headquarters to reason with the boss and get you to take up your posts as soon as possible."

"We've finally been waiting for you all today. How was your journey? Did you have a safe trip?"

Chen Ming said with a smile.

"The journey was smooth and there were no unexpected situations."

"The new staff officer of the independent detachment is surnamed Liu," Chief of Staff Liu replied.

The route the team took along the way was a safe route within the base area.

The routes were all planned out, and any uncertainties along the way were eliminated.

Furthermore, with the Independent Detachment now possessing formidable strength, the Japanese dare not provoke Chen Ming, thus eliminating the only external threat.

As for bandits and robbers?

Is there any room for these people to survive in the base controlled by Chen Ming?

Even if bandits or robbers suddenly appeared, Chen Ming's main force wouldn't need to intervene; local armed forces or even militias could handle them.

Backed by the Independent Detachment, the local armed forces in the base area were also well-equipped, not much worse than the main forces of the past.

Even the militia had a certain number of rifles.

Of course, these were just the Hanyang rifles and old-fashioned rifles that the main force had replaced.

"That's fine, that's fine."

Then, Chen Ming extended his condolences to each of the cadres sent by headquarters.

When it was Zhao Gang's turn, Zhao Gang saluted Chen Ming.

"Hello, Chief!"

"Don't call me 'Chief,' it sounds too formal. Just call me Old Chen or Comrade Chen Ming from now on. I'll be unhappy if you keep calling me 'Chief.'"

After returning the greeting, Chen Ming jokingly said with a smile:
“Comrade Zhao Gang, I got you from Li Yunlong. He caused quite a stir back then, didn’t he?”

The two met at Li Yunlong and Xiuqin's wedding, and Zhao Gang even asked Chen Ming a lot of questions.

The two were not particularly close, but they were certainly not bad either; at the very least, they were revolutionary fighters with shared ideals and appreciated each other.

"Reporting to Comrade Chen Ming, Old Li was quite a troublemaker at first, even saying he wanted to go and reason with the brigade commander and the division commander."

"But after the brigade commander arrived, Old Li stopped causing trouble. When I went to headquarters, he even rode his horse to take me there."

Zhao Gang spoke up.

He felt a little awkward about calling Chen Ming "Old Chen".

After all, he had consulted Chen Ming before, and many of Chen Ming's ideas enlightened him.

Besides their comradeship, there was also a teacher-student relationship between him and Chen Ming.

Calling his teacher "Old Chen" is something Zhao Gang would never do.

Addressing someone as "comrade" is a basic political rule within the Party, and no one can find fault with it.

"Haha, I knew it. Li Yunlong always boasted that he was fearless, but after meeting the brigade commander, he turned into a good boy."

Chen Ming said with a smile.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk about it."

Led by Chen Ming, the group entered the command post of the Independent Detachment in Shuoxian County.

Now, Chen Ming has officially set up the command headquarters in Shuoxian County.

This move was intended to demonstrate the strength of the army and Chen Ming's confidence to the world and the Japanese invaders, and to give the Chinese people confidence.

This also indicates that the Independent Detachment was no longer a force hiding in the mountains, but a powerful army that dared to challenge the Japanese invaders.

For example, the Jin-Sui Army's command headquarters moved from Taiyuan to Kenanpo, and from a major city to a cluster of fortresses built against the mountainside, indicating the decline of the Jin-Sui Army.

Now, Chen Ming has moved the command headquarters from the mountains to the city, which also demonstrates the growth and expansion of the military.

It gave the people in the base areas confidence in the war of resistance.

Confidence is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it has a very powerful effect.

The new chief of staff and Zhao Gang, among others, were equally amazed by Chen Ming's boldness in setting up the command post in the city.

Shuoxian is a railway city, located near the Tongpu Railway, with convenient transportation and flat terrain.

This indicates that it is a city that is easy to attack but difficult to defend. If the Japanese army gathers a large force and takes advantage of its mobile units, they can reach Shuoxian in a short time if the attack goes smoothly.

Chen Ming's decision to establish his command headquarters in Shuoxian under these circumstances demonstrates his absolute confidence in the strength of his troops.

I believe that even if the Japanese army launches a massive attack, they will not be able to break through the Independent Detachment's defenses.

Such a spirit left the newly arrived cadres deeply impressed.

After entering the command post, Chen Ming hosted a welcome dinner for everyone, and they enjoyed a special noodle dish.

The saying goes, "Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon disembarking."

Although Shanxi cuisine is considered lowbrow and not presentable, it boasts an exceptionally rich variety of noodle dishes, enough to eat a different one every day for a month.

In November, the temperature was already very low, and everything outside was covered in a white blanket of snow.

Everyone ate the steaming hot noodles and then drank the hot soup whole; it couldn't be more comforting.

After the meal, the formal procedures began.

Although there are basically no issues with my identity, I still have to go through the proper procedures.

The new chief of staff reported to Chen Ming and Zhang Zhengze and submitted the headquarters' appointment documents.

After confirming their identities, they accepted the work instructions from Chen Ming and Zhang Zhengze.

Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze convened a meeting and formally announced the appointments of the Chief of Staff and a group of cadres, including Zhao Gang. They received classified materials such as operational documents, maps, and communication codebooks.

After finishing all that, the decisive chief of staff couldn't sit still the next day and began to visit subordinate units to understand their strength, equipment, and defensive fortifications.

Looking at the other party's performance, Chen Ming sighed inwardly, realizing that the nickname "Bai Qi" was indeed well-deserved.

So he accompanied the chief of staff on his research visits, introducing the situation of the troops to them one by one.

"Old Liu, let's go to the artillery detachment first. I bet you'll be interested in our artillery unit."

Chen Ming said with a smile.

The relationship between men can sometimes progress faster than a rocket.

In just one day, their relationship progressed rapidly.

"Great! I've been wanting to see our unit's most powerful weapon for a long time."

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff agreed without hesitation.

As a military person, who doesn't like cannons?

Moreover, as the new chief of staff of the independent detachment, it was his duty to understand the specific situation and strength of the troops.

Artillery, as a powerful support force for the troops, can play a huge role on the battlefield, which Chief of Staff Liu certainly values.

Chen Ming, along with Lao Liu and Zhao Gang, headed to the artillery detachment's base.

At this time, the artillery detachment was ready to be inspected.

The leader was Zhang Yousheng, the artillery chief of staff of the artillery detachment, who was in charge of the daily training of the artillery detachment.

Before the headquarters sent cadres, Chen Ming had been holding back the appointment of the artillery detachment commander and political commissar.

Zhang Yousheng was appointed as the chief of staff, in charge of the daily training of the artillery detachment.

As for why Zhang Yousheng wasn't directly appointed as the branch captain, it was because he wasn't suitable.

Back when it was an artillery battalion, the battalion commander didn't need to have a high level of strategic awareness; he just needed to follow orders.

However, now that the artillery units have been reorganized and become a strategic force, their military commanders can no longer be just cadres who follow orders.

Candidates need to have an artillery background and combat experience, sufficient command experience, political loyalty, and the ability to build troop cohesion.

They also need special battlefield adaptability, such as resource allocation ability and the courage to make decisions on the spot.

Zhang Yousheng lacked these qualities, after all, he was just an ordinary artilleryman who rose through the ranks step by step, and he lacked a grand strategic awareness.

At the same time, the other party was not qualified enough. Zhang Yousheng was originally an artilleryman in the National Revolutionary Army and joined the army after the War of Resistance against Japan.

The position of artillery detachment commander is very important. Only cadres who are absolutely loyal to the Party, have been tested, and are capable enough can hold this position.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Chen Ming did not promote Zhang Yousheng to the position of branch captain.

Zhang Yousheng understood this very well, after all, he was just a lowly soldier at the time, and it was only through his good fortune that he joined the army and rose to become the chief of staff of the artillery detachment.

Having reached this position, he already felt it was unreal; any further promotion would frighten him.

As for the position of artillery detachment commander, Chen Ming plans to recommend a new chief of staff to headquarters to concurrently hold the post.

Our new chief of staff is a master of artillery, knows how to use artillery clusters, and has served in the Soviet Army, so he is familiar with Soviet artillery.

Those who are capable should do more work.

However, Chen Ming still needs to apply for special approval from headquarters for this matter.

After all, the new chief of staff is one rank lower than the artillery detachment commander, and the duties of the chief of staff and the military commander conflict, so they cannot hold both positions in principle.

Therefore, they could only apply to headquarters for special approval to temporarily act as acting officers for a few months until a suitable artillery officer was found before relieving them of their posts.

After arriving at the artillery detachment's base, Chen Ming and his entourage began inspecting the troops' artillery.

Zhao Gang and Chief of Staff Liu stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the cannons displayed on the drill ground.

Although the size of the artillery detachment was known in advance, the data on paper and what we actually saw were two completely different things.

Just like a ton of gold might not sound like much, but when it's actually placed in front of you, seeing it might make you hold your breath for a moment.

There were over a hundred artillery pieces, more than ninety of which were field artillery pieces.

There was even a heavy artillery battalion among them.

It was so stunning that even Chen Ming, who had seen it many times, couldn't help but marvel at it.

"How about it, Lao Liu, Lao Zhao, our artillery is not bad."

"This is all earned by our troops through hard work and strength; it will be our foundation in the future."

Chen Ming puffed out his chest and said proudly.

"Indeed powerful. With so many artillery pieces, the Japanese will be the ones getting bombed from now on!"

Zhao Gang said in surprise.

Thinking that he would become the political commissar of this powerful artillery unit in the future, he was so excited that his breathing became rapid.

This is the headquarters, the important task entrusted to him by Chen Ming. Bearing this heavy responsibility, he felt the weight of the burden on his shoulders.

At the same time, he secretly resolved to do a good job in the artillery detachment and never let down the headquarters and Chen Ming's trust.

The chief of staff was equally surprised.

He knew the exact power of these cannons.

It is no exaggeration to say that the combined use of so many artillery pieces on the battlefield is far more than just cooking a pot of steel porridge.

Even if it's the city defense fortifications that the Japanese are so proud of, as long as they're not permanent fortifications, so many cannons could blow their turtle shell open.

"That's not all. Our newly established arsenal is already under construction for 76mm field gun shells, and they will be put into production soon."

"This means that we will no longer live in the days when every artillery shell we fire is one less to use."

"The 76mm field gun will become our standard firepower on the battlefield in the future."

"While we cannot produce 122mm artillery shells on our own yet, we can only rely on aid and supplies."

"But I believe that it won't be long before we can overcome its technical difficulties and produce it using the equipment provided by the Soviet army for 76mm field gun shells."

Chen Ming addressed the two of them.

"Haha, those little devils are in for a rough time now."

Chief of Staff Liu said this with rare humor.

After inspecting the artillery unit, Chen Ming kept Zhao Gang behind.

He was the political commissar of the artillery detachment. In addition to his inspection, Chen Ming personally escorted him to take up his post.

After Chen Ming and his entourage finished their inspection, Zhao Gang naturally stayed behind to oversee the work.

Meanwhile, Chen Ming and Chief of Staff Liu continued their inspection to the second location.

The second place was the arsenal.

They went to Arsenal 417, not the arsenal that was still under construction.

Factory 417 is now the production base for heavy weapons in the Fourth Military Sub-district.

Production of artillery and shells, including but not limited to rocket artillery, field artillery shells, and 82mm mortars.

It is Chen Ming's most relied-upon source of income.

As for the equipment that originally produced small weapons and explosives, Chen Ming ordered it to be transported to the new arsenal for technical integration, with each part performing its own function.

Upon arriving at the 417 Arsenal, Chen Ming led his chief of staff to inspect the rocket launchers first.

This is a powerful weapon independently developed by the arsenal without relying on external technology, so it is naturally the most suitable to be the first to be unveiled.

(End of this chapter)