Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1450: That's How Steel

On April 1941, 4, 30 days after the Battle of Shipai came to an end, important officials from the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs arrived at the headquarters of the two major war zones involved in the war.

All the troops that participated in the Battle of Shipai will be rewarded according to their merits.

The 18th Army of the Third War Zone, which defended the central position of Shipai, became the biggest winner.

All officers above the rank of major general in the 18th Army were awarded medals, including 6 Blue Sky Medals alone, and the lowest level was the second-class Baoding Medal.

Among all the colonel commanders of the 11th and 18th Divisions, three were awarded the Blue Sky Medal, and the rest were awarded the Baoding Medal, the highest level that a colonel could receive.

  Even the 6th Temporary Division, which served as a reserve force, received more than 50 medals of various types!

This is the glory won by the 18th Army and a victory won at the cost of the lives of over ten thousand officers and soldiers. No praise is excessive.

  But as another meritorious unit in this battle, the 2th Regiment not only held its flank under the fierce attack of nearly 6000 Japanese troops, it also encircled more than Japanese troops and completed the "starvation war" that made the whole of Japan feel ashamed. Even if this military achievement is not as good as the th Army's first achievement, it must be second at least!

However, the Ministry of Military Affairs' awarding of military merits to the Four-Bank Regiment was simply shocking. In addition to a special allocation of 20 French francs as rewards and pensions for the fallen officers and soldiers, a large number of medals of loyalty and bravery were awarded to grassroots officers and soldiers.

In addition to receiving the insignificant fifth-level Baoding Medal, those above the rank of colonel also received a pre-admission notice for the Central Military Academy's advanced education class.

The notice also included a statement that admission was entirely voluntary, and those willing to enroll would have their military rank promoted one level. After graduating from one year of qualified study, they would enter the main infantry army and be granted a practical position corresponding to their military rank, including Tang Dao himself. That meant that as long as Tang Dao gave up control of the Four Lines Regiment, he would immediately become a general.

A lieutenant colonel-level officer like Leng Feng only needs to spend a year in the education class and come out as the head of a regiment.

It is extremely difficult to get promoted after becoming a school officer, even in wartime. For many people, studying in an education class for one year to get promoted to a higher rank is still very tempting.

As for the middle and senior officers of the Four-Line Regiment, they only need to leave the Four-Line Regiment to have a bright enough future.

  It’s just that the word ‘voluntary’ is particularly eye-catching!

That was obviously what the Ministry of Military Affairs or that person wanted to see. If someone "volunteered", then the goal of disintegrating this powerful army from within would be achieved. If no one "volunteered", it obviously meant that Tang Dao had managed the Four Lines Regiment like an iron plate, and that the Ministry of Military Affairs had lost control of the Four Lines Regiment, and the Four Lines Regiment had become a small independent kingdom.

In peacetime, the Four-Line Regiment would have been greeted with orders for all officers to be immediately transferred, but in wartime, this was clearly not in the military's interest, and the possibility of becoming cannon fodder had become inevitable.

Especially at this time when the Military and Political Department was handing out various medals to reward military merits, they actually used such a trick on the Four-Line Regiment. It was obvious that someone in Shancheng could no longer bear it.

"Oh! Tang Dao is in a difficult situation! He almost said it out loud. He would rather completely destroy the elite troops of the Four-Line Regiment than let them escape from his control. His desire for power is really too strong." The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff of the Fifth War Zone looked at Tang Dao's somewhat desolate back as he walked out of the headquarters gate from afar and sighed slightly.

The veteran warlords knew how skilled that man was. Even the cunning and treacherous King of Guangxi Province had been suppressed by him for more than ten years and dared not make any moves. Tang Dao was still too young. He was too immature to think that he could escape his control just by relying on his patriotic passion and the amazing military exploits he had accumulated through bloody battles on the battlefield.

You must know that all acts of war serve politics!

  Do you think that the Japanese launched a full-scale war of aggression against China simply because they coveted China's vast resources and territory and attempted to turn China into their colony to satisfy their expansionist ambitions?

You are totally wrong. The social contradictions and economic crisis in Japan are also one of the main reasons why Japan decided to launch the "snake swallowing elephant" war of aggression after seeing that the Chinese elephant was already extremely weak.

Before launching the war of aggression against China, Japan carried out a large amount of propaganda and agitation work at home, inciting nationalist sentiments and gradually worsening the Japanese people's views on China. Only in this way could all the people be tied to the chariot and no longer focus only on whether they could have rice balls to eat.

The Chinese also used war to integrate the internal forces and eliminate dissidents. For example, the one in Shandong Province was shot to death in the name of justice! But some people lost Nanjing and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, but they still lived a good life.

Bravery and sacrifice belong to the little people, but for the big guys sitting in high positions, if the chess piece is useful, they will use it more times, and if it is useless, they will discard it without mercy.

This is true for both China and Japan!

Now, it is finally the turn of Tang Dao, the outstanding young soldier who emerged from the Battle of Songhu. How can this not make this middle-aged soldier who has witnessed the ugliness with his own eyes sigh.

"Not necessarily!" General Li, who had just personally encouraged Tang Dao and promised to give the Four-Line Regiment a two-month rest period, shook his head.

"I met Tang Dao once in Xuzhou. From that time, I knew that he was a pure soldier. If I had him as a general, he would definitely be a rare talent. It's a pity that he was a member of the Sichuan Army at that time, and I couldn't take his love away from General Guo. Facts have also proved that my vision was not wrong."

"But sir, you know, the more pure a soldier is, the less able he is to resist arrows from the dark." The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff was obviously puzzled by his boss's confidence in a small army colonel to deal with such stormy times.

  Are there not enough pure soldiers who died in history? For example, Yue Wumu, who was called back to the capital by twelve golden medals but died in Fengbo Pavilion, was the deputy commander of the Song Dynasty’s military. When he touched the interests of the emperor, shouldn’t he have died?

"Haha, I said he was a pure soldier, but I never said he only focused on marching and fighting." Admiral Li picked up the teacup, took a sip, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.

"I have met too many people in my life, some are brave and tenacious, some are cunning and treacherous, some are wavering, and some are cruel and heartless. Regardless of whether they are loyal, treacherous, vicious, good, or evil, including you and me, they all want to gain something in this world by themselves, whether it is an ideal, benefit, or power.

But Tang Dao is a very strange person, you know? In my conference room, I actually had a feeling that all this young man did in this world was to kill more Japanese.

It was because of this feeling that I believed him, and that led to the great victory of Taierzhuang!"

"Sir, the Taierzhuang victory was achieved under your careful planning. What does this have to do with his Tang Dao? At that time, he had already led the Four-Line Regiment to North China!" The man who had just been transferred to the Chief of Staff of the Fifth War Zone for more than a year was suddenly shocked.

"That's right. With Taierzhuang as the center, we would use one to two divisions to attract the Japanese invaders, and then gather hundreds of thousands of troops in Xuzhou to encircle and annihilate them. This was the idea I had initially formed before the war.

  But do you think the 20th Corps will listen to me? Will they obey my orders like my brothers in the Gui Army?

That's why I chose to trust him and made use of the 67th Army and the 59th Army. These two infantry armies that were marginalized by someone did not disappoint my expectations, which led to the victory of Taierzhuang.

Without the concerted efforts of the 2-man army, how could they have wiped out Japanese invaders in one fell swoop? Without Wu and Zhang, who followed orders and led their troops to fight bloody battles, the Battle of Taierzhuang would have been a draw at best. "General Li sighed slightly.

"This young man seems to have a keen eye that can see through everything."

"Tang Dao, a small regiment commander, has such a wide circle of friends. Even you, sir, look at him differently. This shows that he is extremely experienced in dealing with people. But he just refuses to bow to that person. This is really puzzling." The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff frowned. For the first time, he did not agree with his superior's evaluation of Tang Dao.

Not to mention whether he can see through everything, even his current attitude towards that person shows that he cannot see the general situation clearly. That person now has millions of soldiers under his command. Especially as the Patriotic War continues, China has gradually evolved from the one-sided defeats in the past two years to the current protracted tug-of-war. That person's reputation is growing both domestically and internationally, and no one else can pose a threat to him. Tang Dao actually still firmly chooses to get close to that faction he hates so much. It would be strange if that person did not take action.

“He has his reasons for doing so. This young man not only has the word ‘knife’ in his name, but he himself is the sharpest sword in the world.

A knife can kill people if used properly, but it can cut yourself if used improperly." Admiral Li picked up the teacup again and took a sip, but his expression was extremely calm.

"Sir, you mean..." The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff was shocked, but couldn't say anything because it was too shocking.

Sure enough, Tang Dao made his counterattack.

"As the Japanese army is pressing forward step by step, our regiment suffered heavy losses in the battle of Shipai. All the commanders of departments must train their troops to deal with the next round of attacks by the Japanese army. Therefore, they cannot participate in the education class of the Central Military Academy. We hope that the commanders of the military and political departments will choose other talents." The telegram sent by the headquarters of the Four-Line Regiment to the theater command was simple and direct.

  The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff took a deep breath!

In his opinion, the Four-Line Regiment, which was stationed in the Jingshan area of ​​Nanzhang, Xiangyang for training and rest, would at least send a few officers from the logistics department to participate in the education class, even if they did not give that person face. In this way, the theater command would also be able to give a formal explanation to the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs.

Tang Dao is so good that he doesn't even send anyone away. It's clear that he won't give any face at all!

"If he wants to save face, he won't offer such an outrageous 'reward'!" This is what Tang Dao told his trusted subordinates in the regiment headquarters. "Don't worry that he will use rough means to deal with me, the troublemaker. The Japanese and Americans are actually watching him. For the sake of the so-called overall situation in his mind, he has to hold back his anger first, and then use his own means to slowly settle accounts with me. But he doesn't know that it is already 1941."

  No one knew what Tang Dao meant by emphasizing the year 1941. Ye Chenghuan and the others only knew that their commander was a brave man who would rather break than bend. Even when faced with the blatant suppression of China's number one man, he just shouted "Get lost!"

1941 was the most important turning point in World War II!

This year, the Japanese finally could not contain their ambitions and, in order to gain control of the vast Pacific Ocean, they stabbed the Americans in the ass.

Radio waves code-named "Tora! Tora! Tora!" flew over the Pacific Ocean, and the largest naval base of the Americans in the Pacific was bombed into ruins.

It was precisely because of this crazy move by the Japanese that the world's largest military factory entered full-power operation mode, tens of thousands of planes and tanks rolled off the production line and arrived at the battlefield, and the largest war in human history officially began.

This year, the chariots of the Germanic Empire sped across the vast plains of East Europe. The Bear People, who have the largest land area and the largest army in the world, were about to be crushed into slag by the Germanic chariots!

But perhaps only Tang Dao knows that with the arrival of winter, the extremely cold weather of dozens of degrees below zero and the ridiculously long supply lines will let the Germans know what it means that man cannot defeat nature.

And when the bear people, who have sophisticated minds and well-developed limbs, start defending one city after another, the crazy German chariots will eventually get stuck in the ice and mud, and it will be difficult to maintain their previous lightning speed.

  If a tank gets stuck in a swamp, a grenade might kill all the people on board. What's more, the Russians have an army of nearly 10 million and can even deploy another 20 million troops.

The war will enter a new stage starting from this year!

Of course, more importantly, as the wind in 1941 gradually became hotter, Tang Dao, the future little butterfly, became more clear about one thing.

The war will be over in four years!

That person's hand cannot cover the sky now, and it was even more impossible at that time. The 30th Army Group really has the strength of Army Groups.

"Just pass on the telegram from the Four-Line Regiment as it is." Admiral Li seemed to have expected Tang Dao to do this. As he spoke, he wrote the four words on the paper in one go without even raising his head.

Peace and joy!

"Come, take a look at how I write these four characters. I didn't attend Tang Dao and reporter Tan Tai's wedding, but I heard that his son Tang Shanhe will be one year old in a few months. I don't have anything else to give them, so I'll give them these characters."

"Sir, what are you doing?" The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff smiled bitterly.

He didn't expect that his boss would still be in the mood to congratulate Tang Dao, the fat boy who was still far away in North China, on his anniversary.

If he guessed correctly, once this telegram reached that person's hands, that person might smash something to vent his anger, or even take his anger out on the Fifth War Zone.

"It's okay. It's clearly written in the notice that participation is voluntary. The Four-Line Regiment did not participate due to busy military duties. It's not against military orders. There's nothing to be afraid of!" Commander Li should be quite satisfied with the four words he wrote. He called the orderly in and asked him to take them to be framed.

He looked at his chief of staff and smiled gently: "If you are still worried, then attach another telegram and say that the Japanese 11th Army wants to retaliate against our theater because of the battle of Beidou Mountain. The 40th Division located north of the Han River is ready to move. Our theater has already ordered the 67th Army and the Four-Line Regiment to actively respond."

"Yes!" The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff's face became even more bitter.

He didn't expect that his immediate superior not only did not mediate, but also seemed to be trying to put him into this powder keg.

  Tang Dao is still okay, he is just the commander of a small regiment with 5000 men, he can't make any waves even if he wants to. But this guy is a big boss of the Guangxi clique with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, he is deeply feared by that guy. His involvement will only make that guy think more, right?

Looking at the back of the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff who was leaving after receiving the order, General Li's expression was calm but his eyes became deep.

No one knows what this person is thinking.

Maybe only his old rival.

"Damn it! Li is fanning the flames. He is hoping that Tang Dao, that reckless man, will jump out and confront me, so that I can slap myself in the face. He is just standing by and watching the fun. He is really a traitor!"

In a quiet little hall in the mountain city, the thick wool carpet was covered with porcelain fragments, which showed the anger of the person who smashed the teacup at that time.

Perhaps he had already expected Tang Dao's reply, but the intervention from the Fifth War Zone Command was beyond his expectations.

He personally promoted the heroic leader Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment, but he also had a hundred ways to make Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment disappear on battlefields that often involved hundreds of thousands of troops. However, the intervention of the Fifth War Zone was completely different.

No matter how powerful he is, he cannot bypass the Fifth War Zone to eliminate the Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment, and this may even give the handle to his political opponents.

Standing next to him was Major General Dai from the Military Investigation Bureau, but he was silent.

He knew that those people were unwilling to be suppressed like this, and they were using this incident to start showing their teeth.

However, the general named Li is different from the old man who just wants to protect himself. Both his ambition and strength are enough to pose a threat to the man in front of him.

"Go! Send someone to inform the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs to agree to the military deployment of the Fifth War Zone! I hope they can make new contributions!" The feminine Jiangzhe accent finally calmed down after venting the anger.

But what kind of rage is suppressed beneath this calmness? Perhaps only this confidant who has followed him for many years knows.

(End of this chapter)