In Taiyuan, in the office of the Office of Appeasement, Marshal Yan took the telegram just sent by his adjutant and read it over and over several times, with excitement on his face.
"Okay! Well done, Changshu didn't embarrass my old man, and the Model Brigade didn't embarrass our Jin army, hahaha..."
A staff member next to him also said with a beaming face: "Commander, I think that a press conference should be held as soon as possible to promote the achievements of our Jin army on the anti-Japanese battlefield to the elders of the province and even the whole country."
The handsome man did not reply, but walked around the room excitedly, feeling relieved in his heart.
For reasons of confidentiality, neither Zhou Wen nor Zhao Changshu revealed to the commander-in-chief their plan to annihilate the Japanese 14th Brigade, but only reported the failure of the Japanese army's first attack. It's not that Zhou Wen doesn't trust the commander-in-chief, but that he doesn't trust the many staff around the commander-in-chief.
You must know that the Marshal has been friendly to the so-called elites studying in Japan like him for decades. Who knows how many pro-Japanese and Japanese-favoring elements surround the Marshal?
However, what they don't know is that the commander-in-chief has always been unsure about the combat effectiveness of the Model Brigade. It would be an exaggeration to say that he is uneasy. It's just that he has been a commander for many years and the city is very deep, so he doesn't show anything on his mind.
As a veteran warlord in the political and military circles of the Republic of China, he and other warlords of his generation were deeply afraid of the Japanese army. It was even said that they were born with a bit of fear.
In particular, he has studied in Japan for many years and has seen the strength of Japan's industrial level and military. It is simply not something that a fragmented, fragmented and weak national power like the Republic of China can compete with.
Although the 19th Route Army fought bravely against the Japanese invaders in the Songhu Anti-Japanese War before, and the Central Army's elite annihilated thousands of enemies at the temple, Marshal Yan was quite disapproving of it.
In his view, the 19th Route Army was an iron army that had stood out after countless civil wars, and had been suppressed by Nanjing. It had basically not been supplemented by new recruits for many years, resulting in that although the size of the army was small, the entire army was not large. They are all composed of elite veterans who have spent their entire lives fighting. In terms of combat effectiveness alone, it is one of the best in the country.
Not to mention the 88th and 87th Divisions of the Central Army, which are known as the "Royal Army", and their equipment and training are among the best in the country.
This is tantamount to saying that China used its two strongest domestic armies to draw a tie with Japan's conventional forces.
What's more, Songhu is too close to Nanjing. In order to ensure the safety of the capital, Nanjing had to allocate a large amount of funds and materials to provide support. Moreover, there was supervision and protest from the Western powers with huge interests and power in Songhu, which caused the Japanese army to have scruples about the scale of the battle and the use of aircraft and heavy artillery.
The most critical reason is that the commander-in-chief has blind trust in Zhou Wen's troops. In his opinion, it is precisely because of the participation of Zhou Wen's mercenary group that the Chinese army has achieved such good results.
He knew the Jin army under his command very well. Even though he had participated in several civil wars, it was his strategizing and strength that enabled him to achieve his current status and interests, but it had nothing to do with the Jin army's combat effectiveness. relation.
In fact, he was secretly making a comparison in his mind. Among the northern armies, the most powerful one must be the hundreds of thousands of Northeastern troops who were built by Marshal Zhang and equipped with first-class equipment when he was still alive. Next is the Northwest Army, which has the worst equipment but a strong will to fight and the most bloody spirit.
Although the Jin army under his command is not bad in equipment and has the largest artillery force unmatched by other armies, its real power can only be ranked third.
But when facing the Japanese, what was the performance of the strongest Northeast Army? This has been answered in the September 18th Incident a year ago and the just-concluded Battle of Jehol.
Even if Marshal Zhang's non-resistance policy led to the loss of morale of the Northeastern Army, the performance of the so-called strongest army in northern China should not be like this. It only shows that most of the officers and soldiers of the Northeastern Army could not win against the Japanese army. Confidence, not even the courage to fight bravely.
The overall performance of the Northeastern Army is actually a microcosm of how fearful the Japanese army was by most domestic armies during this period.
The strongest armies are all that kind of cowards. How will our Jin army perform in the face of the Japanese army?
Even if they are led by the most passionate and brave commander whom he trusts most, even if they are equipped with the best weapons in the country with his undivided support, even if they have been trained by Zhou Wen's troops for several months, facing the Japanese army, for so many years Will the invincibility and low self-esteem in the minds of the Chinese people cause the officers and soldiers to disperse like the Northeast Army during the battle? Will someone lead the team to surrender directly?
These were all the worries that he had always had in his heart that he couldn't express to others.
Now it's great, the model brigade actually withstood the attack of a Japanese brigade with one battalion. What is this concept? How significant is this?
In addition to the ecstasy, the commander now also has many deeper thoughts coming to his mind.
We should make some articles based on this stock style.
Of course, a press conference must be held. This was the first time that I, a son of Shanxi Province, fought against the Japanese army and got off to a good start. If I didn’t make a big deal about it, it would be a shame for me to be called a veteran politician.
Destroying more than 600 enemies is too long-winded, so it is more appropriate to round it up to annihilate 1,000 enemies.
Secondly, of course, the good news must be reported to Nanjing quickly. Although the Peiping Branch of the Military Commission will also report it, the meaning of my old man personally generating electricity is completely different. At least I need to use this to get some funds, right?
The anti-Japanese war is a national affair, and I, the old man, cannot be asked to contribute both money and effort. This war is all about money. The recent bleeding has made me feel distressed, and it just so happens that the person in Nanjing also feels distressed and distressed.
…
Nanjing, the principal's official residence located in the Central Army School. The principal was sitting on the sofa with Director Chen in the attendant's room, discussing something. Suddenly, he saw the personal attaché, Adjutant Wang, walk in and hand over a message.
The principal took it and took a casual look at it, snorted disdainfully, handed it to Director Chen and said: "Look, this Yan Laoji, he seizes every opportunity to show off, and even wants to show off, and actually asks for 100 Tens of thousands of military expenditures, is he sleeping and dreaming before he wakes up?"
Director Chen read the telegram carefully, thought for a while and said: "Although the Jin Army Model Brigade fought bravely to achieve victory, it was ultimately under the unified deployment of the Peking Branch of the Military Commission, that is, under the unified command of you, the principal. With such a record, it would be a bit ugly for Yan Laoxi to give all the credit to himself without saying anything and directly asking for money."
"But..." Director Chen glanced at the principal's face and said after careful consideration: "Such a record on the front line, especially at a time when the situation in the north is becoming more and more critical, has gained a lot of influence on the emotions of the National Government and the people. The buffering effect may also serve as a warning to the Japanese."
