In fact, there was another telegram in the principal's hand that made his head hurt a little. The Taiyuan Appeasement Office also sent a telegram calling for war that afternoon. The signature was of course Marshal Yan, whom the principal had been wary of.
The content of the telegram is very simple. It is that 200,000 Jin troops under Yan in Shanxi are already waiting for the day. They can leave Shanxi and rush to the Songhu anti-Japanese front line only for an order from the central government. They must not tolerate yesterday's tragedy in the Northeast and do it again today. Shanghai reenactment and more.
The content of the telegram implicitly condemned the principal's inaction during the September 18th Incident, which meant that if you did not resist Japan, then I would have no choice but to step forward.
How dare the principal let Marshal Yan out of Shanxi at this time of internal and external difficulties, but it would not be appropriate to refuse directly. If the newspaper reported it, it would be detrimental to his reputation.
And don’t look at what the king of Shanxi said nicely. He rushed to the Songhu front line at the first order from the central government. If you really agree with him to send out the army, a second telegram asking for money and military expenses will soon follow. Hum... Yan Is Lao Chi’s nickname for nothing? The 200,000 Jin army's military expenditures can't be sold for that much even if I sell my blood.
Now seeing several big guys from the Provincial Party Headquarters talking eloquently, the principal suddenly had an idea. He took out his pen and added two more words to the words "Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army of the Central Party Headquarters" on the approval document of the Central Party Headquarters. After the words became "Central Party Headquarters Shanxi Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army", he then signed his name.
This move can be said to kill two birds with one stone. It not only gives face to the Central Party Committee, but also blocks the mouth of the general. Look, your Shanxi army has been agreed to go to the Songhu front line. I have given you both face and face, so you don’t want it. No more fuss.
Therefore, at about 8 pm on February 2, telegrams from the Central Party Headquarters and the Military Commission were sent to the Shanxi Provincial Party Headquarters and the Taiyuan Appeasement Office, which meant that Shanxi’s request to send troops was agreed to, and the Shanxi Provincial Party Headquarters Security Office The "Central Party Headquarters Shanxi Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army" was organized mainly by the troops under its jurisdiction, with a total number of no more than 1,300 people. It was reorganized before February 4, and set off on a special train from Taiyuan in the early morning of February 5, striving to arrive on February 10 It recently arrived at the Songhu front line and was placed under the command of the 19th Route Army General Headquarters.
Zhou Wen was overjoyed when he received the telegram. Although the name "Central Party Headquarters Shanxi Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army" was a bit confusing, at least his wish came true.
The news was conveyed to the whole army, and all the officers and soldiers were in high spirits, especially those officers like Meng Yuting and others who had stayed in the Soviet Union. When it finally came time to fight the war and serve the country, they tried their best to organize, mobilize, plan, etc., and basically Zhou Wen didn't need to worry, it only took one day to prepare.
It was originally decided to board the train and set off on February 4th, and the equipment and supplies had been loaded on the train. However, an unexpected incident delayed Zhou Wen's departure for a whole day.
It turns out that the Shanxi Marshal came to talk to Zhou Wen. Why? If the commander wants to send more troops to Zhou Wen, they must be from the Jin army. The reason is that since the Volunteer Army also represents Shanxi, Shanxi is also obliged to send troops. There are not many, just a battalion of about 500 people, and it is also a guard battalion beside the commander. If you don't agree, you won't be allowed to leave.
This incident made Zhou Wen dumbfounded. Of course he understood the commander's mood. No matter what the commander's intentions were, it was not a bad thing to be willing to send troops to the front line to fight against Japan. However, Zhou Wen would not agree to join an unfamiliar force before the battle. Let’s not talk about whether others will obey management and command. Now the mercenary group has developed certain tactics after many drills. Routine and tacit cooperation, increasing the number of troops now is not a good thing, but it is prone to unexpected situations.
If you send a guard battalion, I can't justify it without using it. That means you and the Jin army are looking down on you. What should I do if it doesn't work? Can you still kill your old guard battalion commander? The so-called tasteless thing is absolutely unacceptable.
But Zhou Wen's reason for refusing is also very reasonable. The Military Commission has given an establishment of 1,300 people. All kinds of logistics supplies on the way out and on the battlefield are prepared according to the share of 1,300 people. Now I have 1,228 people. You I can't break up my army and give up the quota.
There is another thing. Although your guard battalion is the elite of the Jin army, its combat effectiveness is still far behind that of my second detachment. People will die in war. When the time comes, hundreds of people will be handed over to me. Not a single one will be killed. There are only a few dozen people left when we come back. It’s hard for me to explain, right? This was verified by the marshal's attitude as he looked at Zhao Changshu, who was laughing beside him but refused to say anything openly.
The most important thing is, what kind of person do you think you are in the eyes of that principal? Don’t you have such a clear idea in your heart? If you still send troops to stir up trouble at this time, you won't be afraid that they will detain your entire battalion when they arrive in Nanjing.
In this way, Zhou Wen patiently talked with the commander for a long time, and then the commander gave up angrily, and finally forced Zhou Wen to have a heavy mortar platoon.
"The old man doesn't have many troops, just a heavy mortar platoon with less than 50 people. This doesn't exceed your 1,300-man establishment, right? Anyway, there will always be a place for our Jin army on the Songhu battlefield this time."
Zhou Wen knew that the commander-in-chief had a precious heavy artillery regiment, which was all large-caliber artillery. Except for a few imported products, most of them were produced by the Taiyuan Arsenal. Among them was a heavy mortar battalion, equipped with 12 Menjin manufactures 150mm caliber mortars.
Speaking of this mortar, it is actually a 16-year-old new 150mm heavy mortar made by Taiyuan Arsenal, imitated by Shenyang Arsenal. The barrel weighs 210kg, plus two wheels of 21kg, and a base of 80kg. The total It weighed more than 300 kilograms, and the projectile weighed 19 kilograms. It was fired by a pull method. It was considered a relatively advanced heavy mortar at the time. The only drawback was that the accuracy was a little worse, and the range was shorter. Only 2.8 kilometers. If a projectile charge is added, it can be increased to 3.5 kilometers, but the damage to the barrel is a bit large.
Zhou Wen did not refuse this heavy mortar platoon, and he did not dare to refuse anymore. Moreover, the commander gave Zhou Wen a platoon of two 150mm heavy mortars. On the one hand, he wanted to declare to all parties the presence of the Jin army on the anti-Japanese front line. On the other hand, he also gave Zhou Wen a strong support. Zhou Wen wanted to appreciate this kindness. of.
In fact, this kind of heavy artillery does not add much to the tactics of the mercenary group, because it is too bulky and inconvenient to move. Once the position is exposed, it is easy to be counterattacked by the enemy. And the range is too short, far less effective than the six 75mm Schneider infantry guns in the mountain artillery battery.
But the 150mm caliber of this gun is enough to make other troops salivate. The 19-kilogram shell will make a big crater on the ground, not to mention the power of the explosion. Ordinary buildings cannot withstand one shot. Yes, it can be said to be a powerful weapon in critical battles, but the mercenary group is engaged in raids and critical battles? You think too much.
