The Dragon Boat Festival posed a problem for Li Zhongren. Most of the troops in the fifth theater were concentrated in northern Jiangsu and Shandong.
For example, the 3rd Army has three corps under its jurisdiction (12th Army, Commander Sun Tongxuan; 55th Army, Commander Cao Fulin; 56th Army, Commander Gu Liangmin), all of which are stationed in Shandong.
Although the unit is well-trained and well-equipped, its ability to obey orders and fight to the death is a big question.
What's more, the 3rd Army was originally Han Fuju's subordinate. All three armies obeyed him alone. Even if it was Li Zhongren's order, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to mobilize any of his soldiers.
Except for the 3rd Army, most of the other armies are also stationed in northern Jiangsu.
The 57th Army, commander Miao Hanliu, has 2 divisions under its jurisdiction and is stationed in northern Jiangsu.
The 89th Army, commander Han Deqin, has two divisions and is also stationed in northern Jiangsu.
The 51st Army, part of the Northeast Army, is commanded by Yu Xuezhong. It has two divisions under its jurisdiction. It was originally stationed in Qingdao and was later transferred to the southern section of Jinpu to replace the 31st Army in defending Ningyuan and Mingguang Line.
The 3rd Army Corps, commander Pang Bingxun, has 1 army stationed in Dangshan.
Although the 22nd Army, Deng Xihou's unit, is a unit that dares to fight tough battles, just because it dares to fight does not mean that it can fight.
Because the Sichuan Army is notoriously poorly equipped, these people sent to the battlefield will most likely be cannon fodder.
However, since a war is imminent, why not equip the Sichuan army with weapons and equipment?
The reason is simple, because the 22nd Army, like other units, is a miscellaneous army.
Therefore, in terms of weapons, ammunition, uniforms, food and wages, the Central Army received unlimited supplements, while the miscellaneous army was deducted.
Take the 22nd Army as an example. After arriving in Xuzhou, they repeatedly requested to replenish weapons and equipment, but it was only one army and only received 250 rifles, and this was an exception.
So how can such an army fight? They are simply a group of old, weak and disabled soldiers.
What's more, the 22nd Army is resting in Xuzhou, and it seems that water far away cannot quench the thirst nearby.
But even so, Li Zhongren still sent a telegram to Duanwu, saying that he would dispatch two regiments from a mixed brigade of the 125th Division of the Sichuan Army to Bengbu for reinforcements.
When Dragon Boat Festival saw this news, he frowned slightly. The Sichuan army fought bravely, but its equipment was too poor. It relied entirely on the word "brave" to fight the Japanese.
But precisely because of this, the Sichuan army suffered heavy casualties in almost every battle.
Of course, this is not important. What is important is that it will take the Sichuan army 12 hours at the earliest to arrive in Bengbu, and within these 12 hours, there are too many variables.
What's more, can the little devil give them these 12 hours?
Moreover, there is still no news about a regiment dispatched by Commander Yu. Of course, Duanwu definitely didn't know that the radio station of this regiment of the 51st Army was broken.
But not all troops are as rich as the Dragon Boat Festival. The radio stations can be used casually and given away if they are no longer used.
Although the Northeast Army is stronger than the Sichuan Army, it has not made a sound for several months. What's more, something like the Xi'an Incident happened again. Even if the chairman has something, he probably won't give it to the Northeast Army.
Therefore, the Northeast Army has not been doing well in the past few years. Commander Yu even took his wife's jewelry and sold it to buy cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers.
Of course, the Sichuan army was not so lucky. They were still wearing straw sandals when they came.
So Dragon Boat Festival seemed to suddenly have one of its own troops left.
Lao Abacus was hunched aside waiting for Dragon Boat Festival's order, but Dragon Boat Festival didn't say anything for a long while.
Because at this time, he seemed to be trapped in a strange circle. No matter how he planned it, he had little chance of winning.
First, he didn't know how many enemies he had now, and how many Japs had infiltrated through what method.
Secondly, he could not contact the regiment of the Northeastern Army. The two regiments of the Sichuan Army will not be able to arrive in the Bengbu area until around 8 o'clock tomorrow morning at the earliest, and if they want to fight, they have to get some weapons for the other party back in the Dragon Boat Festival.
"Let's get weapons."
Duan Wu finally nodded, feeling that this might be a breakthrough. Otherwise, he wouldn't know where to hit the little devil now. And since the opponent's ambush has already arrived, we might as well attack him all at once, get some equipment for the Sichuan army first, and then attack Bengbu.
Of course, there is one more thing to do during the Dragon Boat Festival. Just find the Northeastern Army. Although they could not contact the regiment of the Northeast Army for the time being, they had an agreed-upon location.
Duanwu called Lao Abacus over and asked him to take two soldiers on horseback to meet up with the Northeast Army at the agreed point, and told them to stay nearby and not move. Because next, the Dragon Boat Festival needs people, and the more people, the better.
Lao Abacus had been with Duanwu for a long time, and Duanwu only needed to explain a few words to him to know the regiment's intention, so he nodded, led two cavalrymen and walked from the east, bypassing this mountain road to find the regiment of the Northeast Army.
Duanwu didn't know what the organization of this regiment was. Commander Yu only told Duanwu that the leader of this regiment was named Wang Tong. It is a regiment under the 114th Division.
However, Duanwu only contacted the other party once. After confirming the meeting place, he could no longer be contacted.
Duanwu also asked Commander Yu later, and Commander Yu also said that he had temporarily lost contact.
But Commander Yu was not too worried. After all, it was the strength of a regiment. Even if there was a fight with the Japanese, the entire army would not be wiped out. What's more, he knows best the broken radio stations of his 51st Army, which have a very high failure rate. He didn't even dare to talk about some confidential things on the radio.
Duanwu felt the same way. If the Japs infiltrated, they should be blinded. As for Wang Tong's group, the Japs couldn't find it so easily unless it was an encounter. The two sides met unexpectedly.
But according to the configuration of Wang Tong's regiment, it should not be possible for the entire army to be annihilated. Therefore, it is possible that, as Commander Yu said, Wang Tong's radio station is broken.
Therefore, Wang Tong's regiment will be put aside for the Dragon Boat Festival for the time being. He wants to get some weapons for the Sichuan army and come back.
As for how to do it, it's simple. The little devils are nearby. As long as they dare to chase them, the weapons will be there. What's more, Chen Shusheng still has weapons and equipment there. Although there are not many, there will definitely be no problem in equipping a battalion of the Sichuan Army.
Moreover, Duanwu also saved a company of German equipment. At that time, he was keeping it to replace the damaged equipment. After all, fighting is all about consumption.
War consumes not only bullets, but also the guns in the hands of soldiers.
Guns will wear out as bullets are constantly discharged, and this is also the service life of each gun.
Of course, few guns can last forever, because the battlefield environment is complex, and it is common for firearms to not be maintained during wars, resulting in accelerated wear and tear, and even irreparable failures.
Therefore, Dragon Boat Festival must leave some automatic weapons in case of emergency.
But unexpectedly, the Japs came so quickly, and the Sichuan Army's equipment was poor. Duanwu could only use these weapons to finance the Sichuan Army brothers.
However, the Sichuan Army has two regiments. Even if the equipment of a battalion is pieced together, it will only be a drop in the bucket. Therefore, during the Dragon Boat Festival, we need to get some more weapons and equipment to arm the Sichuan Army. Only then can we have a way to recapture Bengbu and take the initiative in this battle! .....
