ebookland Chapter 294 Fire in the Backyard
Chapter 294 Fire in the Backyard
Originally, Nanjing valued Li Shaoyi because he was useful. On the one hand, he could curb the aggressive Japanese, and on the other hand, he could hammer a nail into the average area, forcing the 29th Army to be more restrained in its actions.
Of course, both of these goals have now been achieved, and even exceeded.
The Japanese were not only contained, but basically all the devils in North China were eliminated, and the remaining devil troops were incompetent...
The 29th Army also became obedient. After seeing the powerful combat effectiveness of the 72nd Brigade, the 29th Army was indeed much more submissive to the Nanjing National Government. Otherwise, would it continue to make trouble? That was no joke.
Logically, the Nationalist government should be very happy, but now it has no chance of being happy at all. The four divisions of the Kwantung Army are about to enter Rehe. If they want to mobilize four divisions for a small Rehe, it would be sheer madness. After all, a hundred or so devils had occupied Rehe before.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that after annihilating Li Shaoyi, the original territory would definitely not be maintained, and the offensive would continue into the interior. At that time, the pressure would be on the 29th Army. Therefore, even before the Nanjing National Government said anything, the 29th Army was already unhappy.
For a long time, because the 29th Army was an anti-Japanese force, Li Shaoyi would not argue with them if there was any friction between the two sides. He would always take a step back and hope that the 29th Army would understand the situation.
But unexpectedly, the 29th Army could no longer sit still after the Japanese side merely issued a statement.
"What do these mean?"
Li Shaoyi looked at Chief of Staff Cui who came from afar. This guy brought official documents from the 29th Army.
"They're frightened by Japan's statement. They want to draw a clear line with us and force us to withdraw from Peiping and Tianjin. They also want to set up a neutral zone in the 22 counties they seized from the autonomous government."
Chief of Staff Cui was also very angry, and Li Shaoyi laughed when he heard this.
When facing the Japanese, you guys didn't dare to expand, but instead retreated step by step. I have occupied these territories, and you bastards are jealous and want to eat meat from my mouth?
Haha, you don’t have such good teeth yet.
"Chief of Staff, what do you mean?"
Li Shaoyi was going to test his chief of staff to see if he was qualified. Now he had to fight against four Japanese divisions east of Chengde, plus a garrison division of more than 30,000 people. The pressure was not small. If the 29th Army dared to cause trouble from behind, the newly born 72nd Brigade would also face considerable trouble.
"Persuade with kind words, respond with force."
The Chief of Staff had already studied these warlords in the country thoroughly. If you just show weakness to them, these people will think that you don't have much ability and may even want to take a piece of your flesh.
But as long as you show a little bit of the ruthlessness you used against the Japanese, the 29th Army will probably be scared.
"That's what I mean. The Chief of Staff should return to Peking as soon as possible and hold talks with the top brass of the 29th Army. If necessary, you can contact Nanjing to jointly exert pressure. The 29th Army doesn't have the final say over the Peking Military Commission. If that doesn't work, hold a large-scale military exercise in the Fangshan area. I'll send the Air Force there then."
Li Shaoyi said without hesitation that talking alone would not produce any results. Only by letting you see the huge strength of the 72nd Brigade could the balance between regions be restored.
My brothers risked their lives to defeat the autonomous government and only then took back 22 counties. Do you want to take flesh from me? That depends on whether you have the ability. Just standing behind me and shouting won't do.
"Will this lead to an armed conflict? The 29th Army is a giant in North China."
The chief of staff said with some concern that he had originally thought of responding with force, but only on a small scale. According to Li Shaoyi's meaning, the Air Force would be deployed in an exercise. This was by no means a small exercise and would definitely be stronger than the one in Tianjin some time ago.
"The bigger you play, the less likely they'll dare to fight you. Don't worry, Chief of Staff. Don't we already understand the 29th Army's situation? Most of their warehouses are empty, and they have many anti-Japanese fighters within their ranks. As long as we strictly abide by our previous promises and don't expand into their territory, some people will speak up for us."
The war is imminent, and the rear must not be in chaos. Negotiation alone is no longer enough, and the necessary threat of force must be made. By then, with heavy artillery and aircraft, the 29th Army will definitely not dare to act recklessly with its capabilities.
Although they are worried now, if the 72nd Brigade cannot hold on, the Japanese will cross the Great Wall and march straight in, and the whole of North China may be lost. So don’t look at them shouting loudly now, but if a fight really breaks out, these people will not dare to make trouble behind our backs. If we collapse, you will have to face the four Japanese divisions directly!
"Okay, then I'll rush back immediately. This time I brought three security groups with me, all from the counties surrounding Peking. They've all completed their training. I'll take the newly formed security groups back with me and have them train in a more stable place."
Liu Xiaoshan brought all the regular troops that could be mobilized, so the chief of staff could not provide much support. However, the three security regiments had a total of about 6,000 people, and the weapons and equipment they used were similar to those of the regular army, except that they did not have 105mm howitzers. Everything else was the same.
Moreover, their training assessment standard is 80% of that of regular troops. The original regulation was 75%. Seeing that the war was imminent, the chief of staff secretly added the 80%. Unexpectedly, these guys also passed.
When the security group in the rear heard that they could get double pay in the war zone, they couldn't sit still. They knew the casualties in the battle between the two sides, and they were unlikely to be the unlucky ones. They could just hang out here for a few months and have a good New Year when they go home.
The most important thing is that they have seen the war zone hospital in the rear. It has been empty since it was built, but the newspapers have published batches of Japanese corpses, which shows that there are not many casualties on the battlefield.
Anyone with a little bit of passion wouldn't want to go to the battlefield and fight the Japanese. This is a matter of bringing honor to the family. In some places, the family tree has a separate page for it.
So when the Chief of Staff was reorganizing the rear, some security regiment commanders came to him. The Chief of Staff was very clear about their combat effectiveness. Compared with the Japanese Class A divisions, as long as they did not panic, the Japanese would definitely be defeated in the end.
After careful consideration, we decided to bring the three groups here to give it a try. Whether they are mules or horses, they should be taken out for a walk...