Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 668 Acquired American Equipment

The Yunnan-Myanmar Highway was an important channel for the national government to transport strategic materials purchased abroad and international aid. As the Japanese army occupied Vietnam, the Yunnan-Vietnamese Railway was interrupted. Soon after the completion of the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway, it became the only transportation channel between China and the outside world. .

In December 1938, the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway began to transport. The Southwest Transportation Department was responsible for the transportation business, and then the China-Myanmar Transportation General Administration.

At the beginning, after Stilwell arrived in Changzhi City, he decisively used the US military radio station to report the information on the Japanese army's combat deployment in Southeast Asia bought from intelligence brokers. The specific effect is still unknown.

Shortly thereafter, due to the more chaotic fighting in the European battlefield, these foreigners obviously preferred to stay in China as foreign masters rather than return to China to join the war.

Therefore, most people chose to live in Shancheng, and Stilwell was appointed as a major military attache of the U.S. Army Liaison Office in Shancheng on business.

Although Stilwell and Zhou Weihan met for the first time, and the conversation was very short, the two hit it off, not to mention contacting the Eighth Route Army was a secret mission of the U.S. Liaison Office.

Americans have never put their eggs in one cage. Right now the Nationalist Government represents orthodoxy in China, and the Eighth Route Army is a dirt road, but the Americans don't mind supporting the Eighth Route Army at all, and force the Nationalist Government to be obedient.

What's more, since 1940, the Eighth Route Army has grown stronger in North China, which has obviously played a role in containing the Japanese army's strength. In the current situation where the Japanese army is aggressively attacking Southeast Asia and the Pacific region, how to contain more Japanese troops has become an important issue. The Eighth Route Army, which is far away in North China, naturally attracts the attention of the Americans.

Not long after Stilwell arrived in Shancheng, a plan for military assistance to the Eighth Route Army was put on the agenda.

In fact, Shancheng has stored a large number of American equipment, but Stilwell has been in China for many years, so of course he is aware of the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. If the Japanese army had not occupied most of China's territory, the two sides would have been fighting to the death. .

Previously, although the old man approved the proposal to let the Eighth Route Army be responsible for rescuing foreigners from various countries detained in Jinmen, the old man would never allow the Americans to choose some American equipment from the mountain city to help the Eighth Route Army. The meaning of secretly blocking.

Soon after, Stilwell went to visit Huangshan Mansion in person.

The U.S. Liaison Office has great authority in China. It not only serves as a mediator, but also has the task of training national army soldiers equipped with American equipment.

Among them, the weapons and equipment purchased by the national government with tungsten ore, tin, tung oil and other materials were arranged by itself, while the equipment of the weapons and equipment donated by the United States without compensation needed to be supervised by the personnel of the US military liaison office.

Stilwell had a long discussion with the old man, and finally Stilwell took a gendarmerie battalion from Shancheng to Spring City.

In early March 1942, somewhere in Spring City, the US military liaison office.

"Sir, here is the list of this batch of weapons and equipment!"

Stilwell took the list and scanned it briefly. The number of weapons and equipment on it surprised him: "Is the storage location safe?"

"Absolutely safe, personally guarded by the Dian army guards, and our liaison personnel are stationed in person!"

Stilwell nodded after hearing this. The terminus of the Yunnan-Burma Highway was within the sphere of influence of the Yunnan Army. With the acquiescence of the Americans, the Yunnan Army took advantage of the convenience. The practice of colluding with local warlords also made the old man very afraid, but there was nothing he could do.

It was only after Stilwell arrived in the mountain city that he heard the introduction from his colleagues in the Liaison Office.

"The handover will be carried out immediately. The military police brought by me will go north by train tomorrow morning. Kenny, you will personally escort a few soldiers with you!" Stilwell said to an American second lieutenant beside him.

"Sir, I'm worried that the journey will not be smooth, in case something happens."

"No, Jiang is a smart man. The matter of providing weapons and equipment to the Eighth Route Army has been decided long ago. He will definitely not turn against us because of this matter. He understands the truth that a small loss makes a big difference!"

"With the guards of his own military police this time, we can put an end to the thoughts of some people who covet this batch of weapons and equipment along the way!" Stilwell said, thinking that the weapons and equipment assisted this time had exceeded the number on the original list: "However, you need to seize the radio station of the gendarmerie battalion immediately on the grounds that the news cannot be leaked out. Remember, before you meet General Zhou of the Eighth Route Army, you need to be by the side of this batch of weapons and equipment at all times. The equipped compartment needs to be guarded by a special person!"

Stilwell tried his best to ask, Chuncheng is too far away from Tainan, too many accidents can happen along the way, and if you are not careful, you may be dropped, but what if the Americans hold them accountable?

For the Americans, weapons and equipment are easy to get, but who will be responsible for escorting them is a problem. The local warlords dare not take over this hot potato. The Gendarmerie regiment brought in a battalion.

It was only one of the reasons to prevent anyone along the way from attacking this batch of weapons and equipment. Stilwell was also afraid that the old man would jump over the wall in a hurry and leak information to the outside world, causing the military column going north to be blown up by Japanese planes.

The next day, Zhou Weihan, who was far away in Pingshun, received a telegram from Stilwell's radio station in Changzhi at that time. The content of the telegram was extremely simple, only two words, preparation.

"Ready? Gone? What does this mean?" The radiant Xing Zhiguo at the side was somewhat confused.

"Well, this is an agreement between me and Stilwell. Once the weapons and equipment are ready, a telegram will be sent. It seems that the transportation has already started, but I don't know where it came from?" Zhou Weihan frowned. Said.

"To be honest, I'm always worried that something will happen along the way. After all, the Nationalist government regards our Eighth Route Army as a thorn in its side and a thorn in its flesh. How could it allow us to grow stronger again!" Xing Zhiguo said worriedly.

"It's useless for us to be in a hurry now, and it won't have the slightest effect. I hope the Americans can speak well with the National Government!" Zhou Weihan said.

The resistance to military aid to the Eighth Route Army does not only come from within the Americans. There must be many people jumping up and down in the Nationalist government. Zhou Weihan naturally understands the tricks in this.

If weapons and equipment are not in hand for a day, Zhou Weihan's hanging heart will not come to the ground for a day.

The waiting time was destined to be long. Zhou Weihan just asked Xing Zhiguo to organize a transport team. During this period, the Eighth Route Army headquarters sent a telegram saying that the intelligence personnel lurking inside the Nationalist Government had not found anything unusual.

This batch of aid weapons and equipment is neither important nor important to the Eighth Route Army.

Judging from the number of weapons and equipment on the list reported by the Eighth Route Army, it was enough for a secondary military region like the Taiyue Military Region to have a qualitative improvement in firepower, thereby getting rid of the passive situation in the battle with the Japanese army.

However, the follow-up supplies are rootless, just like the weapons and equipment of the three divisions supported by the big brother. When the big brother was caught in the Soviet-German battlefield and had no time for others, the troops equipped with Soviet weapons in the Eighth Route Army were very important for ammunition. If you can save, you can save. This kind of thinking limits the combat effectiveness of troops to a certain extent.

Five days later, Zhou Weihan received again that the weapons and equipment had arrived in Luoyang and were preparing to cross the river. They would arrive in Changzhi tomorrow night.

Early the next morning, Zhou Weihan personally led the team to Changzhi. The Tainan Second Division dispatched part of the 281st Regiment and the car company directly under the military division. Ding Wei's Tainan First Division 279 Regiment dispatched the main force.

The rest of the troops on the front line have all entered a state of combat readiness, and Xing Zhiguo is under full control in Pingshun. If the situation changes, they will go to Changzhi for reinforcements.

The mobilization of troops from the Tainan Military Region could not be hidden from the national army in Changzhi, so Zhou Weihan was ridiculed by Fan Hanjie when he personally rushed to Changzhi City after letting the troops temporarily station at the junction of the two defense zones.

Regarding this, Zhou Weihan naturally would not show weakness, and immediately said: "Brother Fan is not jealous, is he?"

"Jealous, you're right. Let me tell you, there are guards all over my place. Just wait for me to throw a cup as an excuse to rush in and control you!" Fan Hanjie looked around the dining room, and at the same time Pointing to the outside of the house.

Of course Zhou Weihan didn't take these words seriously, but it made the monk feel like he was facing a formidable enemy, and he almost pulled out his gun.

"Brother Fan is joking, you and I are heart-to-heart brothers, you, Brother Fan, can't do anything to frame your brother for a batch of weapons and equipment!"

"Monk, don't get too excited!" Zhou Weihan glanced at the tense monk, and then said to Fan Hanjie's adjutant: "Brother, my guard must be hungry, take him to eat something meal!"

The adjutant glanced at Fan Hanjie, saw Fan Hanjie nodding, and then left with the monk.

At this time, only Zhou Weihan and Fan Hanjie were left in the room, Zhou Weihan lit a cigarette and said, "Brother Fan is really not interested in these weapons and equipment?"

"Of course I am tempted, but without a stable logistics supply, rashly equipping new weapons will affect the combat effectiveness of the troops. Brother Zhou is a good fighter, you don't understand this?"

"Of course, it's just that our Eighth Route Army is used to being poor. The weapons that can be fired are good equipment. How can we dislike them? Unlike your army, which has a well-established military industry system, we can only rely on the little devils to grab it!"

What Zhou Weihan said made Fan Hanjie feel a little bored. Fan Hanjie and Zhou Weihan met many times before, trying to call him brother, but Zhou Weihan called him Commander Fan to show the boundary.

When he came here this time, Zhou Weihan changed his usual routine and called Fan Hanjie affectionately Brother Fan. How could he not let Fan Hanjie get bored? The meaning of approving weapons and equipment, Fan Hanjie might use this as an excuse to actively provoke conflicts.

Zhou Weihan's move was completely a tentative move, but comparing the two, it seemed that Zhou Weihan was inferior in terms of structure.

"Indeed, it is not easy for your Eighth Route Army, but it is developing too fast. I have always wanted to visit the Huangyadong Arsenal of your army. I wonder if there is a chance?" Fan Hanjie asked tentatively. Some of the raw materials needed had to pass through the Changzhi area. Someone from the 24th Group Army had conducted a special investigation on this, and roughly guessed the development level of the Huangyadong Arsenal.

Zhou Weihan laughed dryly, he didn't expect Fan Hanjie to be so direct, and then said: "In this matter, the Huangyadong Arsenal is not in the defense area of ​​our Tainan Military Region, brother Fan should communicate directly with the head of my Eighth Route Army headquarters! "

In fact, how could Fan Hanjie not be tempted by the American equipment provided by the Americans?

After he took control of the real power in the Changzhi area, as the chief military officer of the 24th Army, he was the chief administrative officer of the Changzhi area. Fan Hanjie, as a member of the National Government, proposed to the 1941 The army dispatched some American equipment.

It's just that at that time the old man preferred equipment similar to the 200th Division and recruited personnel from various armies to form new troops. Fan Hanjie didn't even have a drink of soup, and he didn't even have a share in the entire first theater.

On the same day, when the troops of both sides were on different levels of vigilance, Zhou Weihan insisted on holding Fan Hanjie's hand and talking, and Fan Hanjie was happy to take this opportunity to discuss the current situation around the Changzhi area with Zhou Weihan.

In the afternoon, the adjutant came to report that the transport convoy of the first war zone responsible for the transport task had arrived in the southern suburbs of Changzhi.

Zhou Weihan got up suddenly when he heard the words, and enthusiastically stepped forward to hold Fan Hanjie's hand and said, "This is the first time I've seen American-style equipment, and it's also the first time for you, right? Let's go and see it together?"

In the previous flattery, Fan Hanjie was held up high by Zhou Weihan, but at this moment Zhou Weihan actually let Zhou Weihan drag him out of the room.

Fan Hanjie's guards plus the reconnaissance company left outside the 27th Army's headquarters, a group of more than [-] people rode out of Changzhi City mightily.

Originally, this batch of weapons and equipment was to stop at Zhongtiao Mountain, but the US second lieutenant accompanying the army was afraid of having long nights and dreams, so he insisted on leaving for Changzhi immediately, so he gave up.

Zhou Weihan didn't have to wait too long, a large cloud of smoke and dust rose from the dirt road in the distance, and soon after, the truck in the lead appeared.

Xu Shi saw Zhou Weihan and others waiting here, and a Willys jeep drove over first.

"My name is Rooney. I am in charge of this transportation mission under the order of Chief Stilwell. Who is General Zhou of the Eighth Route Army?"

"I am!" Zhou Weihan stepped forward and replied.

Rooney glanced at Zhou Weihan suspiciously, as if he was afraid that someone might be pretending. After the two communicated in English, Rooney immediately took out a document from his briefcase and asked Zhou Weihan to sign it.

Although Fan Hanjie on the side had been to Japan and Germany for military inspections in his early years, he was ambiguous about English and could not understand the conversation between the two of them.

After Zhou Weihan finished dealing with the Americans, he turned his head and smiled at himself, "Brother Fan, you and I are brothers. This time the Americans gave you two jeeps. How about I give you one today?"

"what?"

Before Fan Hanjie could react, Zhou Weihan continued to say, "Let's go, let's go for a drive in this jeep!"

(End of this chapter)