The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 495 Quanzhou
On October 1939, 10, at the Jeonju Railway Station, a huge train consisting of dozens of passenger trains, sealed trains and cart carriages slowly entered the platform amid the roar of whistles. The friction and collision sounds of the steel wheels of the moving trains against the rails, the creaking and twisting sounds of the carriages and the sound of the whistles mixed together and continued to echo above the station.

Bang—the door of the second train carriage was pushed open, and a gust of cold, fresh and humid air instantly poured into the carriage, lifting the spirits of everyone inside.

Large clouds of water vapor released by the train's steam engine drifted with the wind, diffused over the platform, and were blown back into the carriage by the wind. Facing the incoming water vapor, He Wei, who looked a little tired, stretched himself, got off the carriage, and stepped onto the wet train platform.

Immediately afterwards, the Chief of Staff of the Assault Corps, Wang Yuanling, and a number of section chiefs and attendants from the General Staff Office also came out one after another.

After more than ten days of high-intensity marching, the Assault Corps finally arrived at its current destination - Quanzhou, Guangxi. The Military Commission attached great importance to the Assault Corps' advance towards Quanzhou. After the Assault Corps set off, it ordered the Assault Corps to advance towards Quanzhou with the highest efficiency and fastest speed.

Therefore, under the leadership of He Wei, the Assault Corps advanced almost non-stop, and the motorized mobility of the Assault Corps after being strengthened with a large number of trucks was fully demonstrated in this march. The Assault Corps' direct troops were already equipped with a large number of trucks, and with the trucks assigned to the Independent Motor Vehicles Battalion 3 of the Assault Corps, the Assault Corps' marching mobility was greatly improved, and the speed and efficiency of the advance were all maximized.

The Military Commission also actively contacted the railway department and mobilized a large number of trains to transport the assault corps. Finally, under a marching method that combined high-intensity motorized marches with railway transportation, the assault corps of nearly 8,000 officers and soldiers, more than 200 trucks, baggage, artillery, ammunition and equipment, arrived in Quanzhou fully equipped in exactly the time required by the Military Commission.

On the platform filled with smoke, He Wei looked at the train crew that stretched as far as the eye could see and said to the Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling beside him, "Have all units prepare to get off the train and send someone to the station to contact the Fifth Army."

"Yes!"

Soon, the roars of the staff officers could be heard on the platform: "Prepare to get off the train! Prepare to get off the train! No noise!"

Amid rapid commands and whistles, the doors of dozens of passenger train carriages carrying officers and soldiers of the assault corps were pushed open one after another, and the doors of the sealed carriages loaded with ammunition, food, and various clothing supplies were also opened by the guards left inside.

Some motor soldiers and artillerymen also left the passenger cars one after another and ran to the flatbed trucks carrying military trucks, motorcycles and artillery pieces from the Independent Motor Vehicle Battalion 3 within the Assault Corps. Under commands, they began to unload the vehicles and artillery pieces.

The staff on the station platform also came forward to assist and guide the officers and soldiers of the assault corps to carry out various preparations for getting off and unloading the train.

Since the news of the assault corps' arrival had already been received, the platform where the train carrying the assault corps' troops was located had been cleared in advance. Apart from the staff, there were no other people on the platform. Red cordon lines were also set up around the platform. Obviously, today's Jeonju Station would only serve the assault corps, a large army that had come from afar.

Just as He Wei and his men were patrolling the platform and coordinating and communicating with the staff on the platform, a team of soldiers quickly walked towards He Wei and others. He Wei had already received a notice that the Fifth Army had specially sent people to wait at the station. Without thinking too much, he knew that the people coming must be the receptionists of the Fifth Army.

When He Wei saw the people coming clearly, he saw that the leader was a middle-aged officer in his thirties. The rank of major general was hung on his collar badge. The special armband and chest badge on his military uniform soon confirmed He Wei's previous judgment. Both his chest badge and armband read "Return Our Homeland" and "Fifth Army of the Army".

So He Wei immediately quickened his pace and reported to the leading major general officer: "Hello, sir! He Wei, the commander of the Army Assault Corps, has been ordered to lead his troops to Quanzhou."

The leading major general immediately responded with a salute: "Huang Xiang, Chief of Staff of the Fifth Army, is here to greet you on the orders of our Army Commander Du."

After learning the identity of the visitor, He Wei was stunned. He did not expect that this major general was actually the chief of staff of the Fifth Army. He Wei continued, "Thank you, Commander Du, and Commander Huang. You have worked hard, too."

"Haha, Captain He, don't be polite. You should know that many officers of my Fifth Army are now eagerly looking forward to your assault corps, and many officers and soldiers are very dissatisfied with your unit."

Huang Xiang's words confused He Wei again. He really didn't understand what Huang Xiang meant by looking forward to it and being very dissatisfied. So He Wei continued, "Commander Huang, I really don't understand why the comrades of the Fifth Army have such an opinion of our army?"

Huang Xiang said, "Captain He, have you forgotten the recent review of the National Army by the Military Commission? Originally, our Fifth Army won first place in this review. After the review, the Military Commission not only awarded the first place to our Fifth Army, but also praised our army's performance in the review. However, after reviewing your Assault Corps, although the Military Commission still retained the first place for our Fifth Army in this review, its attitude towards our army took a 180-degree turn."

"Originally, the Military Commission highly praised the performance of our army, but after reviewing your assault corps, they immediately sent a telegram to my Fifth Army, praising the performance of your assault corps and believing that there are still many areas in the combat training of my Fifth Army that need to be strengthened. This is a roundabout way of saying that my Fifth Army is not as good as your assault corps. Many cadres of my Fifth Army are naturally dissatisfied. Even Commander Du of my Fifth Army is quite curious about the combat training level of your unit. It can be said that everyone in my army can't wait to see your unit, Commander He."

After understanding the reason, He Wei laughed heartily and said, "So it's because of this. Haha, this is also a compliment from the Military Commission. I have long been fascinated by the Fifth Army. I have long wanted to see the country's top mechanized force." Huang Xiang nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, then let's get off the car as soon as possible. In order to welcome your troops, Commander Du has specially transferred all the motor vehicle regiments directly under my Fifth Army. The cars are waiting outside, and the base and barracks are ready for you. Let's set off as soon as possible."

The assault corps' disembarkation operation was quickly launched. Three infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, the corps' direct special service company, the baggage company, the communications company, the search company, the engineering company, the anti-aircraft artillery company, the tank defense artillery company and the independent baggage battalion 3 assigned to the assault corps all got off the trains and assembled in an orderly manner at the Jeonju Railway Station. With the assistance of the Fifth Army's direct motor vehicle regiment, they advanced towards the Fifth Army's base on the outskirts of Jeonju.

When He Wei saw the Fifth Army Motor Vehicle Regiment, he had a more practical understanding of the Fifth Army's wealth and excellent equipment for the first time. According to Huang Xiang, the Fifth Army Chief of Staff who came to take over the assault team, this motor vehicle regiment of the Fifth Army has three motor vehicle battalions, each of which is equipped with more than 3000 German-made Mercedes-Benz L military trucks. There are more than military trucks in the entire regiment, which is enough to carry an infantry division of the National Army.

Thus, relying on the more than 3000 heavy-duty trucks of the Fifth Army Motor Regiment, plus the independent motor vehicle battalion assigned to the assault corps and the trucks within the assault corps itself, the more than officers and soldiers of the assault corps and all their equipment and supplies were all motorized. Not to mention that the officers and soldiers, artillery and various supplies were all loaded on trucks, even the mules and horses pulling artillery, supplies and heavy machine guns were on trucks. The entire corps was completely and thoroughly motorized. More than German-made Mercedes-Benz L trucks and German-made Opel Lightning trucks drove out of Jeonju Railway Station in a mighty manner, and drove majestically along the highway straight to the Fifth Army base on the outskirts of Jeonju.

On the way, He Wei was in the same car with the Fifth Army's Chief of Staff Huang Xiang. As Huang Xiang said, he was quite interested in the Assault Corps, and He Wei was also interested in the Fifth Army, which is currently the number one in the National Army. Therefore, the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.

Although Huang Xiang has been promoted to the rank of Major General and Chief of Staff, he is only a graduate of the 7th class of Whampoa Military Academy. Currently, most of the graduates of the 7th class of Whampoa Military Academy still have the rank of lieutenant colonel or major. Huang Xiang is the only one who has been awarded the rank of major general at such an early age.

Of course, compared with his relatively shallow qualifications, his age and academic qualifications are solid enough. Huang Xiang was born in 1904 and is already years old. He is considered to be one of the older students among the th batch of Whampoa Military Academy. After graduating from the th batch of Whampoa Military Academy, he was admitted to the th regular class of the Army University. After graduation, he worked in the Army University Research Institute. It was precisely because of such a solid academic qualification that Huang Xiang was valued by Du Yuming, the commander of the Fifth Army, and was recruited to serve in the Fifth Army, the top elite of the National Army.

Not long ago, he was promoted from the Director of the Fifth Army's New Recruit Training Department to the Major General Chief of Staff of the Fifth Army, which can be said to be the most prominent position.

Huang Xiang was also quite interested in He Wei, a junior from the 11th class of Whampoa Military Academy. Along the way, he kept asking He Wei about all aspects of the assault corps and He Wei's combat experience in previous battles.

It can be said that both of them can be regarded as young and successful, holding high positions at a young age and having a high military rank. But relatively speaking, He Wei is better. After all, He Wei only has a degree from the 11th class of the Whampoa Military Academy, and he was promoted to colonel all by relying on his numerous military exploits. The reason why Huang Xiang was able to be promoted so quickly was that his academic qualifications played a greater role. The first pursuit of a soldier is undoubtedly to show his martial arts skills to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, and the same is true for Huang Xiang.

Therefore, although Huang Xiang's military rank, qualifications and academic qualifications were all higher than He Wei's, He Wei's rank of colonel was earned through hard work after all. So, during the conversation between the two, it was Huang Xiang, who was older and had more qualifications and achievements, who was more enthusiastic than He Wei, and his words were full of envy for He Wei.

During their conversation, Huang Xiang also briefly explained to He Wei the current situation of the Fifth Army and a series of related matters regarding the joint establishment of the advance detachment by both parties.

The current Fifth Army can indeed be said to be strong in both men and horses. It has three infantry divisions under its structure, namely the 200th Division, the newly formed 22nd Division, and the Honor 1st Division, as well as the army's direct tank regiment, motor vehicle regiment, cavalry regiment, tank defense artillery battalion, engineering battalion, baggage battalion, communications battalion, special service battalion, fire company, anti-aircraft machine gun company, repair factory, and the First Field Supplement Regiment and the Second Field Supplement Regiment. Its total strength has reached more than people. Its strength is indeed unique in the national army and number one.

According to Huang Xiang, the Military Commission is planning to transfer a 150mm howitzer battalion and a 75mm mountain artillery battalion from independent artillery units to the Fifth Army to strengthen the Fifth Army's artillery firepower. In addition, the Military Commission is also planning to expand several of the Fifth Army's direct battalions into regimental-level units.

He Wei shed tears of envy again after learning about it. If the Fifth Army continued to expand in this way, its strength would probably be close to 60,000 or 70,000. This is truly arrogant!

The huge Fifth Army was stationed in three places. The army headquarters, a large number of army-affiliated units, and the 200th Division were stationed in Quanzhou, Guangxi, the newly formed 22nd Division was stationed in Dong'an, Hunan, and the Honor 1st Division was stationed in Lingling, Hunan. Long before the assault corps set out, the Fifth Army received an order from the Military Commission, requiring it to form an advance detachment with its 200th Division stationed in Quanzhou, a tank battalion and some of its direct units, mixed with the assault corps to enter the hinterland of Guangxi.

Its army commander Du Yuming began preparations immediately after receiving the order. It has been decided to incorporate the 200th Division of the Fifth Army and the 1st Battalion of the Tank Corps into the advance detachment. Du Yuming also welcomed the arrival of the assault corps.

Just as Huang Xiang and He Wei said when they first met, many cadres of the Fifth Army were very interested in the Assault Corps, a unit with a great reputation and which had surpassed the Fifth Army in the review. Du Yuming, commander of the Fifth Army, was among them. Therefore, after receiving the order from the Military Commission, Du Yuming had been making intensive preparations to welcome the Assault Corps. Even the temporary simple barracks prepared for the Assault Corps had been arranged, and a large amount of supplies had been prepared for the Assault Corps. They were just waiting for the Assault Corps to arrive and they would immediately organize the advance detachment.

From Huang Xiang's retelling, He Wei could actually feel that the Fifth Army, or the Fifth Army Commander Du Yuming, was extremely enthusiastic about the collaboration with the Assault Corps. With such a partner, He Wei thought that his collaboration with the Fifth Army would definitely be good.

Moreover, speaking of it, he, He, and Du Yuming did have a friendship in the past.

(End of this chapter)