Age of Rebirth

In the temporary conference room of the Ninth Brigade of the Southeast Mobile Corps, Colonel Qi Guodong, the head of the Second Regiment, fell into silence after speaking. , The room was filled with light blue smoke and the sound of heavy breathing.

The brigade commander, Major General Hao Jiasheng, threw the cigarette butt burning to his lips on the ground, took a deep breath of the choking air, and said with a gloomy face: "What Qi Guodong said is the truth, and I don't evade my responsibility. The order given by the Corps to the Ninth Brigade was to seize the beachhead of the Japanese army as quickly as possible at any cost. Regarding the heavy casualties of the Second Regiment, I would like to make the following suggestions."

"Qi Guodong, the head of the Second Regiment, as the direct commander, has an unshirkable responsibility. In about an hour, the officers above the chief of staff of the whole brigade will go to the Corps Headquarters for a meeting. I will truthfully report the incident to the Corps Headquarters. I don't want to speculate on how the Corps will handle it, whether it is beheading or imprisonment, the Corps will have an opinion on how to deal with it."

"Hao Jiasheng, commander of the Ninth Brigade, knowing that the Second Regiment was massacred by the remnants of the Japanese army and relying on underground fortifications, still forced the Second Regiment to continue the assault. He was responsible for the unknown command. Regarding the other three As the brigade commander, he bears the direct command responsibility for the various degrees of casualties in the regiment, so I request the regiment department to deal with it!"

"The heads of the regiments and the chiefs of staff, settle down the troops. An hour later, follow me to the Corps Headquarters to attend a military meeting. The chief of staff is responsible for documenting the casualties and taking them to the Corps Headquarters together. All right, the meeting is over!"

Hao Jiasheng's words made the officers attending the meeting.Surprised, the four regiment leaders looked at each other in blank dismay. No one thought that the brigade commander took the responsibility on himself. Qi Guodong stood up with a "huh" and said excitedly: "Brigade commander, this is not fair to you. The casualties of the second regiment are also It will only appear after you follow the orders of the Corps. The person who is directly responsible is Qi Guodong, not you, brigade commander!"

Hao Jiasheng was suddenly furious, and shouted: "Qi Guodong, what do you want to do? Are you a hero in Liangshan? We are in trouble together? Who should be responsible for such a heavy casualty in the Ninth Brigade? It is whoever bears the brunt. It is me, the brigade commander." I'm going to be beheaded. It's not your turn yet, Qi Guodong! Don't talk about those useless things, get ready to go!"

Outside the door, the sea breeze was blowing, Ma Chaoyang stood motionless in the dark night, inside the house.He could hear the words of Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong clearly, which gave him a strong shock, and then he thought of the words of Chen Mengqiao, the commander of the first brigade of the Marine Corps.He realized that the heavy casualties of the Ninth Brigade and the Tenth Brigade were not his responsibility, but on himself. When he gave the assault order, he only wanted to take down the Japanese beachhead as soon as possible.

Ma Chaoyang admitted that he did not expect that under the bombardment of the bomber group and the intensive bombardment of dozens of large-caliber naval guns, there would be Japanese soldiers surviving. The eight regiments of the brigade are so dense that they are almost shoulder to shoulder. Qi Guodong is right. The Mokpo beach battlefield has such a large space, and more than 3 soldiers are crowded together. Two casualties.

Who is responsible?In himself, whether he is eager to win or underestimates the enemy, or is too superstitious about the bomber fleet and naval gun firepower, the commander of the guard battalion next to him, seeing that the meeting is about to adjourn, is about to walk in. He wants to inform Hao Jiasheng, the commander The officer is here.

Ma Chaoyang reached out his hand to stop him, and shook his head silently. The group quietly left the Ninth Brigade's station without disturbing any of the officers of the Ninth Brigade, and returned to the headquarters of the Corps. After Ma Chaoyang walked for [-] minutes Hao Jiasheng just received a call from Captain Li Jiaxin, the commander of the second regiment's security company. He put down the phone. Hao Jiasheng stood there for a while, with mixed feelings in his heart. He had many guesses. He didn't know why the commander didn't come in to see anyone people?

One thing is certain, according to the time reported by Li Jiaxin, the commander stood outside the room at the beginning of the meeting. At the venue, the commander must have heard what Qi Guodong said, and I don't know what the commander will do think?

When Qi Guodong was excited, his words were quite extreme. The responsibility did not lie with the brigade headquarters or the second regiment, but in front of the regiment. But after all, it was his ninth brigade, and the casualties exceeded any other troops. This is an undeniable fact. The order pointed out by the Corps was not wrong. Hao Jiasheng's heart was a little confused, so he stood by the phone in a daze, until the chief of staff urged him that it was time to go to the Corps headquarters. The jeep headed towards the headquarters of the Corps.

At [-]:[-] in the evening, the troops of the Southeast Mobile Corps and the three brigades of the attached Marine Corps, the military meeting attended by officers above the chief of staff of the regiment, started on time. Hundreds of officers gathered a huge tent, It was crowded, and on the battlefield, there was no ostentation. No matter whether you were the brigade commander or the chief of staff of the lieutenant colonel, everyone had a canvas marching chair and sat shoulder to shoulder.

Originally, it took only one day to destroy the defense system of the Japanese army on the beachhead, annihilating more than [-] enemies, and all the troops went ashore and gained a firm foothold. Because the huge casualties of the [-]th and [-]th brigades of the main attacking force brought a little weight to everyone's hearts. These officers did not talk, laugh and talk loudly as they usually did before the meeting, and they were all silent.

Surrounded by Xu Guangqi, Chief of Staff of the Corps, and more than a dozen staff officers, Ma Chaoyang walked into the venue. The officers stood up and saluted. After returning the salute, he waved his hand and ordered the officers to sit down. There was no opening remarks, and he said straightforwardly: " The content of today's meeting mainly addresses two issues. The first issue is about the Ninth Brigade. During today's landing battle, there were heavy casualties and any issues that should be dealt with. The second issue is to discuss, Corps The new combat plan formulated by the former commander!"

Speaking of this, Ma Chaoyang paused, picked up the enamel jar to drink water, while Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong who were sitting below couldn't help trembling, especially Qi Guodong's face suddenly turned pale. Neither of them thought that the first meeting of the meeting One content is to decide on this matter. Unfortunately, the report on today's battle has not yet been submitted to the commander!

Ma Chaoyang put down his water glass, and continued: "About the first question, what I want to say is that on the battlefield, casualties are inevitable. In war, there is no one who is not dead! However, if the casualties of troops exceed the normal range, Then we have to delve into the reasons for the casualties and the way the commander directs the battle!"

"Judging from the effect of the offensive launched today, we have achieved the expected goal. We have gained a few solid footholds, which is conducive to the next offensive, but the casualties are huge, with a total of more than 92 casualties, of which , [-] people were killed in battle, and the reduction in combat personnel exceeded the strength of the two main regiments, which was equal to half a brigade, especially the ninth brigade, which suffered the heaviest casualties, who is responsible?"

Ma Chaoyang glanced around. The hearts of the officers below, Hao Jiasheng and Qi Guodong, suddenly tightened. The faces of the officers of the other regiments of the Ninth Brigade also turned pale. After all, at the general meeting of the Corps, the commander Focusing on the name of the Ninth Brigade, they felt guilty and ashamed, and felt a little embarrassed. The eyes of the other brigade officers were also focused on the Ninth Brigade officers.

General Ma Chaoyang could see the reactions of the officers. He stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, turned around abruptly, and said in a sharp voice, "If anyone is to be held accountable, I, the commander, must be held accountable first! My responsibility As follows, the survivability of the Japanese army was underestimated, and they believed too much in sea and air firepower. After the offensive began, they used too many troops and were eager for success. Therefore, in today's battle, the responsibility for the casualties of each brigade lies with the Corps, and I am the commander. Officer! It has nothing to do with the commanders at all levels below!"

There was silence at the venue, and the officers stared wide-eyed in surprise. They never thought that the commander would deal with the heavy casualties in today's battle in this way and take all the responsibility, especially the Hao family and Qi Guodong. He opened his mouth wide in surprise. Originally, the two of them were ready to receive punishment.

"Don't be surprised. Just before the meeting, I went to the station of the Ninth Brigade. Just in time, they held a combat review meeting. I am very pleased that our officers dare to tell the truth and dare to question the orders of their superiors. Qi Guodong, head of the [-]nd Regiment of the Ninth Brigade, well said, it was Qi Guodong's regiment that suffered the most casualties. The responsibilities I summarized just now were said by Qi Guodong. Therefore, I, Ma Chaoyang, take full responsibility. I will ask my teacher for punishment!"

Qi Guodong was dizzy. When he heard the commander mention his name, he got up suddenly like a conditioned reflex, and said loudly: "Here! Report to the commander, Qi Guodong, the head of the second regiment of the Ninth Brigade, listen to the instructions!"

This sudden move stunned the officers attending the meeting, and then a burst of laughter broke out, diluting the heavy atmosphere in the meeting place. Ma Chaoyang smiled and said: "Qi Guodong, sit down, as a member of the regiment Chief, you are very intelligent, and you can think of suspending the attack and adjusting tactics when the troops suffer casualties, which is not easy!"

Qi Guodong sat down in a daze. He didn't expect that the headquarters not only did not punish him for attending the meeting, but also praised him in front of so many officers. He was originally prepared to beheaded or go to jail.

Major General Hao Jiasheng, the brigade commander of the Ninth Brigade, felt that he could no longer remain silent. The commander's words pointed to something, so he stood up.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)