Hirata Miyoshi's order was right. When faced with poison gas bombs, it is best to run out of the poison smoke range as soon as possible before the poisoning is deep. Staying in a narrow fortification is equivalent to waiting for death.
However, this time, the artillery in Luo Haiming's hands hit more than 10 tons of mustard gas shells in the entire First Army's inventory onto the 37th Division position.
0.2 grams of mustard gas can put a person into coma and lead to death if no treatment is available in a short period of time.
But now, 10 tons of poison gas fell and quickly covered several square kilometers of the surrounding area. The Japanese couldn't escape with just two legs. Fortunately, the 366th Brigade retreated in advance, otherwise they would have suffered.
Even Luo Haiming and the others, after firing the poison gas bombs, Luo Haiming, who originally regarded the cannons as his life, did not even want the cannons this time, and ran back with his men.
That day, the 366th Brigade did not move. It was not until the next day, that is, in the afternoon of September 6, after a burst of rain, that Liu Yu asked a platoon of soldiers to put on chemical protective suits and search for the Japanese positions.
When the soldiers of this platoon entered the Japanese position, they saw a scene they would never forget.
All over the mountains and fields are the corpses of Japanese soldiers whose necks were scratched until their flesh and blood were bruised. Their death was extremely miserable. Not only the people, but also the rats, rabbits, and even earthworms in the cracks in the ground died not far from the entrance of the cave.
The surrounding mountains for several miles fell into a dead silence. September was originally the busiest time for the cicadas. Now, let alone the cicadas, there was no chirping of other insects. The entire area was as silent as a ghostland.
When they thought that friendly troops in other places were being harmed by the same gas bombs used by the Japanese, the fear and intolerance in the hearts of these soldiers disappeared without a trace, and then they felt the pleasure of retaliating in kind.
Soon, Liu Yu received a report, saying that the entire 37th Division, except for the artillery regiment and a few troops equipped with gas masks, were all poisoned to death by mustard gas, including the 37th Division. Chang Pingtian sees good luck.
Those more than 1,000 Japanese who were lucky enough to survive also lost their will to resist and surrendered to the platoon responsible for the reconnaissance mission.
With such a great victory, Liu Yu and others were naturally very happy, but before they could be happy for long, a severely worded condemnation message was sent from Chongqing.
Early yesterday morning, after Hirata Miyoshi sent his farewell telegram, Tada Shun angrily called out to the Chongqing National Government in clear code, demanding an explanation from the principal, otherwise the Imperial Japanese Army would use poison gas bombs without restriction in future battles.
This was said as if they had any scruples when they used poison gas bombs before.
The principal also scoffed, but as a politician, of course he would not miss this opportunity. He directly sent a telegram to the border district government, the Eighth Route Army headquarters, and the 122nd Division, threatening to cancel all the 18th Group Army, New Fourth Army, etc. under our party. number, Liu Yu and other "culprits" must also be shot.
The matter began to ferment on September 5. Public opinion was controlled by the Chongqing government. Everyone pointed the finger at Liu Yu, saying that he was a disgrace and a scum of the Chinese military.
Until the morning of September 7, a joint investigation team composed of Chongqing and Yan'an, as well as more than 40 reporters from more than 10 countries, including Japan, arrived at Yangquan Airport and launched an investigation into Liu Yu and the 122nd Division.
Liu Yu was well prepared for this. He threw the previously saved telegram in the face of the person sent from Chongqing and spread his hands to express that he had nothing to do with it.
. . . . . .
"As we all know, our Eighth Route Army is short of supplies. Basically all supplies and equipment are captured. Moreover, the quality of the Eighth Route Army soldiers is relatively low and their cultural level is not high. I personally deeply regret this mistake." Press conference "Go up," Liu Yu said with a sad face.
"I am here to express my sincere apology to people from all walks of life, and solemnly promise that in the future, I will strengthen the cultural education of the troops, especially the artillerymen. I will enable them to understand Japanese characters and distinguish between poison gas bombs and conventional artillery shells, so as to avoid A similar tragedy happens again!”
That expression and tone made him look like a movie star. Those who didn't know it thought he was a big traitor. I really felt sad for the 37th Division!
When Lao Song and others saw his behavior, they wanted to despise him, but thinking about the occasion, they held back.
Then, Liu Yu said with an aggrieved face: "I think the responsibility for this incident actually lies with the Japanese army! They just used poison gas bombs on the Chinese battlefield, why should they store them? And put them with conventional artillery shells Together, it caused our artillery to mistakenly fire poison gas bombs as regular artillery shells. I think this is entirely their own fault!"
"Baga!" A reporter was so angry that he stood up and cursed, "You are talking nonsense. Our special ammunition is not put together with the conventional artillery shells at all. You are sophistry!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at the Japanese reporter.
The reporter was stunned for a moment, turned pale immediately, and said angrily: "Baga! Our Imperial Japanese Army has no special ammunition at all. You are slandering!"
"Oh? Really?" Liu Yu smiled and asked the Japanese reporter, "But according to the artillerymen of the 37th Division we captured, the artillery wing of the 37th Division is equipped with about 2 basic poison gas bombs. Since you said no, then I will throw all the captured artillery shells of the 37th Division at the head of the 20th Division or the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade later."
The little Japanese reporter was clearly on top, and he cursed with red eyes: "Baga, you are violating the Geneva Convention. If you do this, aren't you afraid of retaliation from the imperial army?"
"Didn't you say that there are no poisonous gas bombs in it? Does it violate the convention to use conventional artillery shells?" Liu Yu's expression became even more aggrieved, making everyone present chuckle.
"I......"
"Ha ha ha ha......"
Seeing the little devil's embarrassment, reporters from other countries present finally couldn't help it and started laughing.
After the scene resumed, an American reporter stood up and asked in English: "General Liu, I am a reporter from the Washington Post of the United States. I would like to ask if you knew that the artillery shells in the Japanese warehouse in Taiyuan City were poisonous gas bombs. Will they be ordered to hit the Japanese troops?"
Liu Yu replied without hesitation: "Of course not. I am a human being, not an animal. How could I give such a crazy order?"
Liu Yu is not a fool. Faced with this kind of situation, he knows what to say and what not to say.
At this time, the reporter from the British Times' eyes lit up, stood up and asked: "General Liu, do you mean to say that the Japanese commanders are all beasts?"
Liu Yu shook his head repeatedly.
Just when the Japanese reporter breathed a sigh of relief and the reporters from other countries felt a little regretful, Liu Yu asked: "Can they also be considered beasts? Don't insult the noble term beast, okay? Just like dogs, they are also beasts. , but how loyal and cute it is! Another example is pigs, cows, sheep and other animals, how innocent and kind they are! So please don’t use Japanese to insult our noble animals, thank you!”
"hiss......"
Everyone took a breath. They didn't expect Liu Yu's mouth to be so vicious, but reporters from other countries present were excited.
After digging to the point of breaking out, I won’t have to worry about selling the manuscript I wrote!
The Japanese reporter was furious. He stood up and wanted to curse back, but was overtaken by the Associated Press reporter.
"General Liu, now that you have regained the Jinzhong Basin and blocked the passage of the Japanese 20th Division from the south to the north, will you launch a annihilation campaign against the 20th Division in the next step, and then completely regain the entire southern Shanxi?" the reporter asked.
Liu Yu smiled and said in an official tone: "I'm sorry, it's really not convenient for me to answer this question. You also know the reason: it's a military secret."
The Associated Press reporter was not disappointed. Instead, he said very earnestly: "We very much hope that you can regain southern Shanxi. In that case, the trade between us can be smoother!"
"I also hope that this day will come soon, but it depends on whether Chongqing is willing to provide help. If the National Army troops in the first theater can go north to support, I believe it will not be a problem to annihilate the 20th Division." Liu Yu responded with a smile.
At this time, the Japanese reporter finally had a chance to interject and sneered: "Impossible. The 20th Division is our permanent division, and its combat effectiveness cannot be compared to that of the 37th Division. Even if the entire First Theater plus the Eighth Route Army is included, we can't even hope to defeat it." 20th Division!”
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, you Japanese brats are invincible in the world. Even the whole universe combined cannot beat you. After all, you have Uchiha Motors, and you even have Ao-U Man and Super Saiyan." Liu Yu perfunctory him. Then he looked at the other reporters and said, "Next question."
The Japanese reporter was choked and speechless, and then he was confused by the jokes that came out behind Liu Yu, thinking about what the hell Uchiha Madara, Bumpman, and Super Saiyan were.
At this time, the German reporter over there saw that the kid was stunned, and immediately stood up, seizing the opportunity to ask a question: "General Liu, I would like to ask if your 666 Pharmaceutical Company can transfer an additional sales agency right?"
It was really hard for Liu Yu to answer this question. If he had refused openly, it would still be the same thing to offend people. The main reason would be that it would make people think that the so-called "Three Six" pharmaceutical company is actually his industry.
Otherwise, what right does Liu Yu have to refuse directly?
It would be even more ridiculous to agree directly. What is an agent? It was directly connected to the head office. The identity Liu Yu told them now was "the agent of 666 Pharmaceutical Company in China."
These foreigners want agency rights, who should they contact?
Connect with the system?
What's the fuss about?
Therefore, he had no choice but to reply: "I cannot give a clear answer to this question for the time being. I need to ask the head office whether it is willing to open up new markets. I believe that they will be willing if the production capacity is sufficient."
However, as soon as he said this, other reporters at the scene became excited, and then stood up and expressed that they also wanted to buy this agency right.
It's a pity that although countries have found ways to purify penicillin despite investing a lot of costs, the output is pitifully small. The main reason is that the strains they studied are all original Penicillium strains. One extraction only costs 2 units per ml, and the cost is much more expensive than the one sold by Liu Yu.
What Liu Yu sells is 20,000 units per milliliter!
If they follow their current purification method and want to reach 20,000 units per milliliter, the cost of obtaining a penicillin injection will be at least US$4,000, which is 80 times the current price of Liu Yu!
The financial backers behind the experts who studied penicillin all thought: This research is nonsense!
It's better to buy ready-made ones directly from Liu Yu!
There was originally a press conference about the gas bombs, but the German reporters made such a fuss that the entire building tilted.
Faced with the terrifying huge profits from penicillin, no one could calm down. In line with the principle of "If I can't get it, you can't get it," the reporters present were so noisy that even Liu Yu couldn't get in. Talk.
Then the topic gradually evolved into mutual criticism. The British accused Germany of not practicing martial ethics, annexing Hungary, invading the Czech Republic, and now attacking Poland. The Germans also accused the UK of bloody suppression of local uprisings in India and South Africa, and being unworthy of a son of man. ; The French people's hearts burst out, and they strongly condemned the Ukrainian famine caused by the Soviets (which Liu Yu secretly promoted); the Soviets complained about French opportunism and usury everywhere, and cursed them to go bankrupt sooner or later...
In the end, this group of foreigners started a martial arts riot. If Liu Yu hadn't transferred the security camp to control the situation, they would have almost demolished the conference room.
. . . . . .
The press conference turned into a farce, and the foreign reporters went back bruised and bruised one by one.
The Japanese reporters also suffered a disaster. When reporters from other major powers were fighting, they were still laughing and watching the fun. But after the security battalion rushed in, the reporters from other countries all calmly stopped and gave advice. Japanese reporter? Knocked down with one punch...
No matter if you take action or not?
The reporters have left, but the people from the investigation team are still there. Although Liu Yu also gave evidence so that the people in Chongqing can't do anything to him, who is the principal? If he can't kill you, he will be disgusted. Send it directly. Order to revoke Liu Yu's position and military rank.
In order to calm public opinion, our party also gave Liu Yu a major demerit. Lao Song, Wu Hongbo, Peng Xuefeng, Lao Wang, Xu Liqing, Lao Gao, Brother Yunlong and others were also given demerits, warnings, and notices of criticism. Wait for punishment.
The reason for the punishment was partly due to the gas bomb incident. Of course, the most important reason was because Liu Yu and other cadres mobilized troops to actively fight the enemy without asking for instructions, resulting in heavy casualties in the unit.
The telegram from Yan'an was also very harsh. It also said that if the victory had not been brilliant, all of them would have been dismissed from their posts and imprisoned. No one could escape. Anyway, a drop of cold sweat dropped from Lao Song's forehead.
Of course, I don’t know whether this punishment was recorded in the Political Department.
On the contrary, Luo Haiming was not punished by the party. Instead, he was given a commendation, saying that he carried out the orders thoroughly, and the bombing effect was outstanding. The 37th Division was smoked to death in one bombardment... Well, this was not the case. That's roughly what it meant anyway. .
On the contrary, Chongqing demanded that Luo Haiming and several other artillery commanders involved in the gas bomb incident be escorted to Chongqing for trial, and Liu Yu was asked to prevaricate by saying, "They accidentally fired the gas bomb and were accidentally injured, and they are being treated." passed.
As for the revocation of Liu Yu's position and military rank, he didn't care at all, as long as the 122nd Division's designation remained.
Speaking of which, Chiang Kai-shek may not have dared to withdraw the 122nd Division. Let’s not talk about the achievements of the previous 122nd Division. Let’s just say that after this reconstruction, Liu Yu led the 122nd Division to regain such a large area of occupied areas and annihilated 2 Japanese divisions. If the principal dares to do something stupid like withdrawing from the group, Li Zongren and He Yingqin will probably laugh out of their dreams.
Liu Yu himself was happy to have his leisure time. He formally appointed Peng Xuefeng as the commander of the 122nd Division, and at the same time proposed a plan to reorganize the troops of the Shanxi-Hebei Border Military Region.
