Following the guidance of the lieutenant, Liao Mingyu and Meng Fanglia came to the left position. There were a lot of people in the meeting room, but they didn't talk much. They were just waiting boredly for the meeting to start. Their entry became the focus of everyone's attention.
In addition to the Chinese, there are also Americans and British people mixed in, many of whom are unfamiliar faces. You don’t know me, and I haven’t met you before, so there are fewer unnecessary greetings.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Liao Mingyu glanced at the frightened Meng Fan. In this atmosphere, the boy seemed a little unsure.
Meng Fan shook his head and said nothing, trying to calm down his mood.
Can you not be nervous? There are all big guys around, and the worst person who can come here is a deputy division commander. This is the first time for him to join the ranks of the senior ranks of the national army.
Looking around, although he didn't recognize most of the people, Liao Mingyu still saw a few familiar figures in the crowd.
On the American side, Smith, an old enemy, was greeting him with a wink. Several US military officers next to him were also looking at him curiously. Representatives of the British army were also whispering in the corner, seeming to be very interested in him.
Suddenly, Liao Mingyu felt a gaze coming from the side, and turned to look. It turned out to be Yu Xiaoqing's military seat. He saw this guy sitting upright, but his brows were furrowed, as if he was enduring great pain.
Everyone here is a veteran in the military. Their long military career has inevitably made many people get into the bad habit of smoking. Most of them, including Liao Mingyu, have cigarettes in their hands. The whole conference room is filled with smoke. They don’t like tobacco and alcohol. Yu Xiaoqing could only endure the blows of a few old smokers, and the feeling was not to mention sour and refreshing.
However, as the only commander of the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force sent to fight in Myanmar, he has been in the limelight recently. He commanded the Second Army and the 71st Army and performed admirably in Myitkyina. He has received many awards and can be said to have reached the level of reached the pinnacle of life.
Next to Yu Xiaoqing sat Song Xilian, Huang Jie and other leaders of the Eleventh Army. Facing the old officer who had supported and helped him, Liao Mingyu also smiled and nodded in response.
It can be seen that even if it is just a meeting, each unit maintains its own small group and does not sit together at all.
The Western Yunnan Expeditionary Army was led by Wei Lihuang, Song Xilian and Huo Kuizhang, but the officers of the 20th Army Group and the 11th Army Group were clearly distinct, and no one in the two groups was against the other.
The army stationed in India was headed by Sun Liren, followed by representatives of the commanders of the two armies, including Liao Yaoxiang and Tang Shouzhi. Others are British and American teams, such as the British Independent Infantry Brigade, Merrill's Detachment, the US Army's Fourteenth Air Force, etc...
The wait did not last long. After a while, the door to the conference room was opened again, and Wei Lihuang strode in together with several US military officers.
"...Everyone is here. Now, the Yunnan-Myanmar war meeting has officially begun. Now, I would like to invite the Minister of Military and Political Affairs, General Chen, to give a speech to everyone."
After the simple opening remarks, Wei Lihuang retreated to the vice-chair and sat down quietly. It was obvious that he was not the protagonist of this meeting.
General Chen? Chen Cheng? Did Chiang Kai-shek help him take over in advance? Liao Mingyu was surprised. There were quite a few big guys coming this time.
It seems that Minister He from Chongqing has stepped down now, but according to the historical trend, the old turtle was eventually sent to Kunming to be responsible for the command and training of the southwestern troops. If that were the case, the situation might be even more unfavorable to him. .
"Well... Colleagues, before the meeting begins, on behalf of the head of state, I would like to congratulate you on your impressive achievements in the recent counterattack in northern Myanmar. You have defended your homeland and restored the mountains and rivers. You are the pride of the party and the country..."
Chen Cheng is worthy of the title of "little head of state" and speaks plausibly in official style, but there are some bureaucratic bugs below who like to listen to his words.
"Huo Kuizhang has made outstanding achievements in commanding among his comrades in Tengchong. He is specially awarded the Medal of the Blue Sky and White Sun... The 116th Division led by Zhao Zhenfan entered and exited three times at the foot of Laifeng Mountain and defeated more than a thousand enemies. His bravery is commendable and he is awarded..."
"Thank you, Minister Chen."
"Thank you to the head of state for your love. I will serve the Kuomintang until my death!"
…
Everyone wore a tall hat, and the officers who were named for commendation immediately stood up and stood at attention. While accepting the reward, they also made sworn promises, and the hypocrisy was exposed on the surface.
Looking at the combat meeting that had changed before it even started, Liao Mingyu shook his head and sneered. There are quite a few generals sitting here, and I don’t know how long it will take until the medals are handed out one by one.
This time Chen Cheng brought a lot of commendation orders and medals, all of which were specially arranged by Chiang Kai-shek. These things are not valuable anyway, and they can win people's hearts, so why not? As long as everyone doesn't ask him for machine guns and cannons.
Wei Lihuang leaned on the table with both hands, tapping the table repeatedly. It could be seen from his uninterested expression that he was full of helplessness at such a scene.
Some generals also felt that this was a bit out of line, but due to the status of the officer, they did not dare to speak out.
"well... doggo!"
Stilwell's face turned black with anger. He couldn't help but curse after the interpreter explained the matter clearly.
The normal battle meeting turned out to be like this. Those who didn't know it thought it was a meeting to discuss merit and rewards.
"Gentlemen! I'm here to discuss the next battle plan, not to watch each of you show each other false smiles."
Stilwell, who always had his own opinions, did not tolerate others, so he attacked angrily, and his assistant translated the original words to everyone.
After hearing this, all the generals looked at each other in embarrassment. Only Liao Mingyu was gloating in the corner and almost laughed.
"Haha... Mr. Stilwell, don't be anxious. This is all what our head of state means. If you win a battle, you must be rewarded. Otherwise, who would..."
"e on!"
Before Chen Cheng finished speaking, Stilwell interrupted rudely: "I don't understand what your head of state means, and I can't care if you want to reward your subordinates, but this is the Southeast Asia Allied Operations Planning Conference Room, for God's sake For my sake, please understand the purpose of coming here!"
Well said! Liao Mingyu couldn't help but cheer for him in his heart.
Chen Cheng touched his nose and felt a little embarrassed. Strictly speaking, he was indeed putting the cart before the horse, and the other party's identity was there. He was someone who even the Yuan capital dared to criticize, and he couldn't completely offend him. After thinking about it, he couldn't offend him completely. Had to give up:
"Okay, what you said makes sense. Let's put this matter aside for a moment. Then let's ask General Stilwell to say a few words first..."
Stilwell was not polite. Chen Cheng strode past the tactics to drink water, stood at the head of the long table and loudly said: "Gentlemen, first of all, please take a look at the battle report in your hands. Sun, tell us about the situation between us and the enemy."
Finally getting to the point, Sun Liren, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stood up, saluted, and told everyone:
"The situation is very clear now. After the Battle of Myitkyina, the Japanese army has lost more than 90% of the land in northern Myanmar. Five of their divisions have been severely damaged. The remaining enemies have retreated here, here, and here. …”
As Sun Liren spoke, he picked up the instructor's stick and pointed at the topographic map hanging on the wall.
"According to reports from forward exploration posts, the remnants of the Japanese army are currently mainly assembled in Hsipaw, Mengya and other places. However, according to intelligence, the forces of two divisions are gradually moving closer to Lashio. Their intentions are self-evident..."
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