ebookland Chapter 1269 No Gain Any Benefit
Chapter 1269 No Gain Any Benefit
"That's absolutely no problem. The international situation in this region is relatively safe. Even if, as the commander-in-chief said, there is a large-scale naval battle in this region in the future, our current strength is not bad. The construction of the airfield has entered the later stages. With the combined defense of the navy and air force, the Japanese Combined Fleet will not be able to gain an advantage in this region."
Manager Sun said with great confidence that he was well aware of the combined fleet's current combat capabilities. "We have a large number of land-based aircraft, plus submarines and warships in the open sea. The main force of the Japanese combined fleet is coming. While we can't defeat them, it will be difficult for them to achieve their strategic objectives, and they are very likely to suffer heavy losses."
"Then I'll hurry up and send a telegram back to the commander-in-chief, asking him to send the trainees over. Also, through your connections with overseas Chinese, try to spread the word among overseas Chinese in North America and Latin America, and see if you can find another group of passionate young people to come back. The losses in China are just too great."
After the war began in China, Commander Ding had sent several telegrams back home, with only one request: to return to China to fight the Japanese. Unfortunately, Li Shaoyi refused them all. Did he really think that going back would be enough to drive the Japanese away?
Everyone has their own responsibilities. There are people fighting the Japanese in China, but only you know the situation in Southeast Asia. You represent the 72nd Group Army here. If you were to go back, you would at most be adding another division commander, but by staying here, you can give the 72nd Group Army an additional overseas base.
Moreover, the role of this overseas base is very evident. Currently, it plays a crucial role in intercepting Japanese goods. According to our intelligence personnel, due to the shortage of raw materials in Southeast Asia, some factories in Japan have already ceased operations. Although they are extremely anxious, they are truly helpless against the 72nd Army Group in this region.
The only solution is for naval warships to come and wipe out the 72nd Group Army. But the problem is, the 72nd Group Army has been strategically positioned in the area for a long time, and they've already built airfields in some strategic locations. They're just waiting for your warships to come so they can drop bombs on them.
"Actually, there hasn't been any large-scale fighting on our side, and we don't need to maintain such a large air force. Could you perhaps...?"
Before Manager Sun could finish speaking, Commander Ding shook his head. He had said the same thing to Li Shaoyi several times, hoping Li Shaoyi would allow one of the air defense regiments to return. But unfortunately, Li Shaoyi refused outright. It was imperative to maintain over 1000 pilots here, and this was a minimum guarantee; the scale of future battles was beyond what could be imagined now.
These people are all from this era, so naturally they can't see as far ahead as Li Shaoyi. In the future, the Japanese will deploy a large number of naval and air forces in this area, so our thousands of pilots are the last steel Great Wall to stop them.
Shancheng Airport
While the pilots were being transferred to Southeast Asia, the first batch of seriously wounded soldiers here had already been sent on the plane. Li Shaoyi personally came to see them off, but many of them were still unable to get up. If they had received proper care after being sent back to Shancheng, they could have saved their lives. Unfortunately, the slow response of the Shancheng government prevented them from receiving medical treatment.
“In the past, I always thought the government was a bit slow and that there wouldn’t be any major disasters. Now it seems that our government really has a lot of problems. These people have retired from the front lines, and the people who were supposed to be in charge of them haven’t even been appointed yet. I really don’t know how this government is operating.”
Li Sibei's eyes were red. When she was transferring the 90 seriously wounded soldiers, she saw many others lying there, motionless. If they had been able to reach an agreement with the 72nd Army Group in advance, perhaps those people could have been transported back by plane.
"I also thought that everyone would be united during the War of Resistance, but we underestimated the inherent flaws of these people. They put internal strife first and protecting their own power second. As for the lives and deaths of others, they did not consider them at all. These people are not fit to be officials."
Li Shaoyi also looked deeply saddened. Many people fought desperately against the Japanese on the battlefield, but after leaving the battlefield, they didn't receive the treatment they deserved. This is something the Shancheng government should reflect upon. Unfortunately, many people now simply don't care about the lives of these ordinary people. In their view, with so many people dying, how can they possibly care for everyone?
He Dayong?
The stretchers that were carried over all had names written on them. Li Shaoyi seemed to remember this name; it belonged to a guard who had stood guard for him back in Hankou.
Because there were men from the 72nd Army Group present, the Central Army guards were all sent back. However, Li Shaoyi did give the young man a gun.
"Commander Li, do you still remember me?"
When Li Shaoyi called out, the young man smiled on the stretcher, seemingly in good spirits. However, according to the doctor, his left leg would likely need to be amputated.
When the Battle of Hankou broke out, this guy followed the Central Army to the battlefield and was shot by a Japanese Type 38 rifle. Later, although the bullet was removed, there wasn't enough anti-inflammatory medicine, causing the wound to fester. Now that he's been transported back to the rear, the only option is to amputate his leg, otherwise the festering will continue to worsen.
"Once we get to my territory, I'll pass on to those lads all the skills and courage you need to fight the Japanese. We can't let them suffer the same losses you did on the battlefield."
Li Shaoyi didn't say anything else, but let these wounded soldiers know that they were still useful and could continue to contribute to the war effort.
"Commander Li, don't worry. I may not be as good as Zhao Zilong in charging in and out of battle seven times, but I've still managed to kill three Japanese soldiers, and I even cut off the arm of one of them. I've fought two hand-to-hand battles with the Japanese, so I have some experience. I'll definitely explain it to these young men."
He Dayong said somewhat embarrassedly. Li Shaoyi saw that the plane in the distance was about to close its cabin door, so he didn't want to delay him any longer. He patted the young man on the shoulder, took some money out of his pocket, and put it in his hand. He thought that this money would come in handy later, and hoped that he would continue to work hard for the war effort in his new position.