sovbooks Chapter 261: Troop Departure, Meeting with Xiao Shanling, and Upgrading the Equipment Level of the 1
Chapter 261: Troop Departure, Meeting with Xiao Shanling, and Upgrading the Equipment Level of the 1
"Requirements? What requirements?"
Commander He asked, his eyes filled with curiosity and his eyebrows slightly raised.
He originally thought that Li Jianghe would want the autonomy to command, or things like fuel, ammunition, and military supplies.
Those are the most practical things on the battlefield, and they are what every general would ask for.
When Li Jianghe opened his mouth, he actually asked for an entire army unit.
This is quite a rare thing, Commander He thought to himself.
"I need a unit to operate in conjunction with my department."
Li Jianghe's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, like nails hammered into a wooden board.
"Oh? Which unit?"
Commander He asked with some surprise, his mind already considering various possibilities.
"The 11th Army under Xiao Shan's command. I want this unit to operate in coordination with my own forces."
Li Jianghe paused, as if giving the other person time to process, and then added:
"At the same time, I also need autonomy in command on the battlefield."
When those words were spoken, the operations room fell silent for a moment, as if the air itself had frozen.
Li Jianghe wanted this army not to expand his own strength, but because he knew that Xiao Shanling was fierce enough to fight to the death.
Moreover, in the National Revolutionary Army's order of battle, Xiao Shanling's 11th Army, although belonging to the Central Army, was a temporary, miscellaneous unit.
This can be seen from the fact that the 11th Army still needed Li Jianghe's 3rd Column to provide supplies.
Life was tough for the ragtag army; they were like wives without a home to return to, constantly suffering mistreatment.
If you were to ask for elite troops from the Central Army, that would definitely not work; the principal would not agree, and Commander He could not make the decision either.
However, the 11th Army was a bargaining chip, like a small stone that you wouldn't feel bad about throwing away.
As expected, Commander He only hesitated for a moment before nodding:
"Both of these requests are fine. But I'd like to ask, why the 11th Army?"
His gaze held a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny.
In fact, according to the principal and Commander He's previous assumptions, even if Li Jianghe wanted people, he would probably want some elite troops.
For example, the Fifth Army and the Eighteenth Army were the real tough nuts to crack.
The 11th Army was a ragtag army that had been formed for less than half a year. It was not even fully equipped with weapons and equipment, so its combat effectiveness was naturally questionable.
Expecting this unit to play a significant role on the battlefield is asking too much, like expecting a duck to catch an eagle.
Li Jianghe then spoke, his voice as calm as still water:
"It's nothing, just some of my old friends are in there. And they already showed an extremely strong will to resist when they were in Nanjing."
Commander He then realized what was happening, and the confusion on his face was replaced by relief:
"I see. Xiao Shanling of the 11th Army, along with Hua Pinzhang and Zhu Chi, are indeed all outstanding."
After saying that, he asked Li Jianghe, "Any other requests?"
Li Jianghe pondered for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, as if he were calculating.
"We still need more fuel. Also, we need to get all of Long Wenzhang's troops, who were previously deployed to the Yangtze River region, back to their posts."
Commander He smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of appreciation:
"It won't be a problem for Long Wenzhang's troops to rejoin them."
He paused, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a troubled expression.
"As for fuel, to be honest, the logistics department doesn't have much either. I can only promise you five thousand barrels; I simply can't come up with any more than that."
Five thousand barrels—not a lot, not a little, just the right amount, like a small, perfectly sized pancake to fill your stomach.
"No problem, that's enough."
Li Jianghe didn't expect to get much anyway.
Five thousand barrels of fuel is not a small amount, although it won't last more than a few days even if it's used in armored vehicles and trucks.
But it's better than nothing. With this oil, his tank can travel hundreds of miles more and kill hundreds more Japanese soldiers.
After all these details were finalized, Commander He left in a hurry.
His figure disappeared through the doorway, his footsteps fading into the distance, like a pebble falling into water, the ripples slowly spreading out.
After watching Commander He leave, Commander Li turned around, his gaze falling on Li Jianghe, his tone now showing more concern:
"We have received intelligence that Japanese troops are still gathering in the Jiujiang area. When your troops arrive there, the Japanese forces you will face will far exceed those of the Japanese devils on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like a stone pressing down on one's heart.
Commander Bai also looked somewhat worried, his brows furrowing into a shallow "川" shape.
"Yes. Your troops have been fighting continuously without any time to rest. Now they have to go to unfamiliar terrain and continue to fight the Japanese invaders. The risks involved are considerable."
He's right. In mountain warfare, the advantages of armored forces are greatly diminished.
Tanks couldn't drive into the deep mountains and forests, and artillery couldn't be positioned on the steep slopes.
It was a completely new battlefield, entirely different from the Huainan Plain.
Li Jianghe smiled calmly, a smile that showed neither hesitation nor bravado, but only a quiet determination.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but like a stone thrown into the center of a lake:
"If it benefits the nation, I will risk my life; how could I avoid it because of personal gain or loss? Sir and Madam, I have decided to go. It is our duty to expel the Japanese invaders."
Upon hearing this, Commander Li said nothing more.
He reached out and patted Li Jianghe on the shoulder with a light touch, like an elder encouraging a younger person.
Then he turned to Commander Bai and said:
"Take another 1,000 barrels of fuel from the Fifth War Zone warehouse to replenish the Third Column."
"yes!"
Commander Bai readily agreed and turned to make the arrangements.
Li Jianghe knew that this thousand barrels of fuel might be one of the few remaining stocks in the entire Fifth War Zone.
Thanks!
Li Jianghe accepted everything without hesitation.
At times like these, being polite is just being pretentious, and being pretentious is irresponsible towards the soldiers on the front lines.
Three days later, Li Jianghe's third column temporarily left Huainan.
The defense of that area was temporarily taken over by the Northwest Army.
A torrential downpour began.
The raindrops fell like water being poured from the sky, densely hitting the ground and splashing up sprays of water.
This is to be expected.
It was the rainy season, and during the month-long battle with the Japanese invaders, there had been almost no rain. It was as if God had specially given Li Jianghe a break from fighting.
But now, what was bound to happen has finally happened.
The heavy rain caused considerable trouble for Li Jianghe's mechanized troops during their march.
At that time in China, there were almost no paved roads.
The so-called highway, after being washed by rain and repeatedly crushed by wheels, has turned into a muddy puddle.
The entire Third Column had to slow its march, like an old ox stuck in the mud, having to catch its breath with every step.
What should have been a two-day journey took five days to finally reach Wuhan.
The mud on the wheels dried and then got wet again, eventually forming a thick crust.
The 11th Army was already waiting there.
Compared to before, the overall appearance of the 11th Army was much better, like a poor man who had just put on a decent set of clothes.
But for Li Jianghe, this was clearly not enough.
Even after being replenished, the 11th Army's firepower is still no match for that of elite Japanese troops.
Japanese divisions were equipped with a large number of mountain guns and field guns, as well as air support.
Compared to them, the 11th Army was like a child with a wooden stick standing in front of a strong man with a steel knife.
In the Eleventh Army camp, Li Jianghe walked into Xiao Shanling's command post.
The atmosphere inside the command center was quite enthusiastic.
Several old acquaintances, including Zhu Chi, Gao Zhisong, Han Xianyuan, and Hua Pinzhang, greeted Li Jianghe.
They fought side by side in Nanjing, sharing life and death, and their deep friendship goes without saying.
"Jiang He, I really didn't expect you to invite us too."
After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Shanling spoke to Li Jianghe with a touch of emotion in his voice.
To put it bluntly, the 11th Army was considered scrap, like waste material thrown into a corner, and nobody cared about them.
The fighting on the front lines is fierce, but they are sitting on the back bench, with no intention of being sent to the front lines to participate in the battle.
Hua Pinzhang is a straightforward person who never beats around the bush and speaks frankly:
"Yes, our 11th Army is truly unwanted and unloved."
When he said this, his expression was both aggrieved and funny, like a neglected child complaining.
Li Jianghe smiled, a smile that carried both sincerity and seriousness:
"Back in Nanjing, so many Nationalist commanders fled, but none of you did. I don't want to entrust my back to people who might run away from the battlefield at any moment."
That's a very honest statement, like a brick being slammed onto the table.
The group exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
The laughter echoed in the command post, drowning out the sound of rain outside the window and also easing the gloom of the past few days.
After laughing, Li Jianghe composed himself and said to Xiao Shanling:
"Brother Xiao, there are no outsiders here. I'd like to inquire about the current situation of the Eleventh Army."
His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Xiao Shanling's face.
After hearing this, Xiao Shanling didn't treat Li Jianghe as an outsider and said directly:
"Don't laugh at me, Jianghe, but our entire 11th Army only has around 12,000 men. It's called an army, but it's really just a division."
Upon hearing these words, Li Jianghe was somewhat surprised, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"How come there are only 12,000 people left?"
Xiao Shanling sighed helplessly, his sigh filled with grievance and resentment:
"What can we do? The troops at the front are short of men, so we've drawn them from my 11th Army, and they're all combat personnel. We still have more than 12,000 men left, which is quite an achievement."
He paused, then added, "If this continues a few more times, I, the army commander, will be left with no troops."
After listening, Li Jianghe finally understood.
No wonder Commander He agreed so readily; the 11th Army only has a little over 10,000 men.
This is hardly an army; it's more like the structure of a division with an army label on top.
"How many guns and cannons? What about ammunition?"
Li Jianghe asked again, his gaze steady and focused.
Xiao Shanling answered each question one by one, as if he were opening a family account book and calculating each item.
There was no shortage of guns; one for each person and even more to spare.
There were about 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, which averaged out to more than 100 rounds per soldier.
Within the Nationalist army, this was considered quite wealthy, like a penniless man suddenly having a few bills in his pocket.
The most crucial element was the artillery.
Originally, Xiao Shanling had an artillery regiment, with ten mortars, plus twenty infantry guns and mountain guns.
Although there weren't many cannons, they were enough to make a show of force.
However, this unit was transferred away shortly after the start of the battle on the front lines.
Then, the entire army was wiped out in Tianjia Town, and not a single cannon was saved.
Those thirty cannons vanished without a sound, like sand thrown into a river.
"Even machine guns have been moved away quite a bit."
Xiao Shanling's voice grew softer and softer, tinged with guilt.
"The machine guns and grenade launchers we have combined are less than half of what you initially supplied us."
At this point, Xiao Shanling was filled with grievances, and his expression was somewhat ashamed.
After all, those weapons and ammunition were supplied to them by Li Jianghe, like valuable gifts from a friend.
He felt guilty for not protecting it properly and letting someone else take it from him.
Li Jianghe then offered words of comfort, his voice as calm as a gentle breeze:
"It's alright, it can be used to fight the Japanese devils too."
He thought to himself, as long as it wasn't resold to bandits by the logistics department, that would be fine.
Such things have happened before; arms trafficking and embezzlement were commonplace within the Nationalist army.
Thinking of this, he spoke frankly:
"Gentlemen, if that's the case, then the 11th Army is currently severely lacking in both firepower and manpower."
His gaze swept over the crowd, as if to confirm whether they could accept what he was about to say.
"Regarding troop strength, I still have some reinforcements that I can give to you."
As Li Jianghe spoke, he noticed that Xiao Shanling and the others all had a hint of excitement on their faces.
The excitement was written all over his face, like parched land waiting for rain.
"I...I really don't know how to thank you enough."
Xiao Shanling's voice trembled slightly. He didn't want to say those polite words because they really wanted these weapons and equipment.
Hua Pinzhang leaned closer and asked with a grin:
"Commander Li, could you give us a hint? How much weaponry and equipment can you provide?"
His eyes shone like a child seeing a candy shop.
Li Jianghe didn't hide anything and said frankly:
"You don't lack rifles either, so we'll directly supplement you with thirty Japanese mountain guns and field guns, as well as twenty anti-tank guns, to help you form a temporary artillery regiment. The artillery will be drawn from our Third Column."
He paused, as if he were doing some accounting, or perhaps giving everyone time to process what he had to say.
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