gnovel Chapter 178 The Real High-Level Meeting, Li Jianghe Invited to Attend
Chapter 178 The Real High-Level Meeting, Li Jianghe Invited to Attend
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On the Chinese battlefield, Li Jianghe's mechanized troops were destined to face many thorny problems.
The Jiangnan region has many rivers, but there are few sturdy bridges across them that can support heavy tanks. The engineering corps had to race against time to build pontoon bridges; there was no paved road surface along the entire field march.
The bumpy and muddy road conditions pose a great challenge to vehicle performance.
The German-made vehicles were already sophisticated in construction and could not withstand the bumps of long-distance raids, making them prone to various malfunctions. This made it even more necessary for engineering units to follow the troops and carry out emergency repairs and maintenance at any time.
Li Jianghe suppressed the surging excitement in his heart and made up his mind to return to the Third Column Command Post. He immediately summoned new combat squads and added new vehicles to each unit.
The medal-awarding ceremony concluded successfully, followed by a celebratory banquet. Those who were invited to the banquet were all generals who had made meritorious contributions in this battle.
To Li Jianghe's slight surprise, Chi Fengcheng was accompanied by a general in military uniform when he entered. He quickly stepped forward to introduce him:
"Jiang He, this is Commander Zhang of the 59th Army. He fought a fierce battle against the Japanese 5th Division in Linyi and has long admired your achievements."
Upon hearing that the other party was the commander of the 59th Army, Li Jianghe looked up and examined him closely. Sure enough, it was General Zhang, the general who had vowed to fight the Japanese to the death.
He also participated in the Battle of Taierzhuang, but he was always leading troops to guard the front line in Linyi, so he never had a direct encounter with Li Jianghe.
Even though he was far away in Linyi, Li Jianghe's name was well-known in the battlefield reports, and this veteran of the Northwest Army had long been thinking about befriending him.
"So it's Commander Zhang! In the Battle of Linyi, you led your troops to defeat Itagaki Seishiro's Fifth Division, causing them to flee in disarray. Jiang He has long admired you."
Li Jianghe stood with his feet together, raised his hand in a standard and crisp military salute, and then strode forward to shake hands firmly with General Zhang.
General Zhang's gaze swept over Li Jianghe from head to toe. Seeing that he had achieved such remarkable military exploits at such a young age, his eyes were full of admiration. He couldn't help but feel moved and patted Li Jianghe's arm, saying:
"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. Brother Jianghe, your future is limitless. If we are fortunate enough to fight side by side in the future, I hope we can watch over and help each other to resist the Japanese invaders together."
"Of course, Commander Zhang, don't worry."
In the Battle of Taierzhuang, our local troops were of one mind and worked together as one, their fighting strength was no less than that of the Central Army!
Li Jianghe's words instantly bridged the gap between the group.
Although these local armies belong to different factions and occasionally have disagreements, the recent victory at Taierzhuang was won by these "ragtag" troops that the Central Army looked down upon. This is a consensus in everyone's mind.
Wang Mingzhang, holding a wine glass, chimed in, his tone tinged with resentment:
"Jiang He's words are comforting! If we encounter trouble on the battlefield in the future, we can't expect any support from the Central Army. In the end, we local troops will have to stick together and take care of each other."
Several people stood around the table, chatting and getting along very well.
After the banquet ended, inside the Fifth War Zone headquarters, the principal, Commander Li, and others who had been chatting and laughing at the banquet all had a somber expression.
The dim yellow light cast dappled shadows in the room, permeating every corner with the oppressive and somber atmosphere.
"On both the northern and southern fronts, the Japanese army is pressing forward step by step and encircling the enemy layer by layer. Reinforcements are still pouring in. The troops at the front have already fought to their limit and are about to collapse."
Commander He raised his hand to rub his temples, his tone heavy, and turned to Commander Li, "I've come here today to ask if the Fifth War Zone has any specific countermeasures."
Commander Li glanced at Commander He, whose face was full of worry, and then at the principal, who sat silently in the main seat with a solemn expression, before slowly saying:
"To be frank, although our army did its best to cripple two Japanese divisions in the Battle of Taierzhuang, the losses of the various units in the Fifth War Zone were also heavy, and the number of soldiers and ammunition were in short supply."
Now, to continue fighting the Japanese army head-on and holding out to the death is probably beyond our capabilities.
His meaning couldn't be clearer: Xuzhou was already indefensible—lacking troops, ammunition, and firepower, how could it possibly contend with the well-equipped Japanese army?
After a long silence, the principal finally moved. He leaned on his cane and tapped the floor lightly, making a "tap, tap, tap" sound that broke the silence in the room.
"Germany is being too pessimistic. Doesn't the Fifth War Zone still have a powerful and capable force that can fight tough battles?"
Without needing to be explicitly stated, both Commander Li and Commander Bai tacitly understood that the unit the principal was referring to was Li Jianghe's Third Column.
"Li Jianghe's troops? They are indeed capable of fighting, with top-notch individual soldier skills and equipment. But Chairman Chiang, you naturally understand the principle that two fists cannot fight four hands."
Commander Li expressed his refusal in a tactful manner.
He had already seen through the principal's thoughts. On the surface, the other party wanted to defend Xuzhou, but in reality, he wanted to use this tough battle to wear down Li Jianghe's third column and weaken the overall strength of the Guangxi Army.
Seeing that Commander Li refused to respond, the principal maintained a gentle smile, but his tone carried an unyielding air:
"Delin, don't rush. Ultimately, we need to ask Li Jianghe himself what he thinks. I believe that we can not only fight this battle, but also win it."
Commander Li thought to himself, "The Chairman is determined to achieve his goal."
He pondered for a moment, then lightly tapped the table with his fingertips and said, "Alright, I'll have someone go and call him over."
Unexpectedly, Commander He raised his hand to stop him and said calmly, "No need to trouble yourself. I already sent someone to invite them. They should be at the door by now."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud military report rang out from outside the door: "Report!"
"Enter!"
Commander Li spoke with a gloomy expression, his gaze fixed on the doorway. Sure enough, he saw Li Jianghe, dressed in military uniform, being led in by the guards with an upright posture.
He originally planned to have Commander Bai call Li Jianghe privately, so that he could take this opportunity to give him instructions in person and prevent him from falling into the principal's trap. However, Commander He was already prepared and thwarted his plans.
As soon as Li Jianghe stepped into the command post, he felt that the atmosphere inside was strange and subtle.
The room was filled with high-ranking military officials, all of whom were looking at him.
The principal and Commander He looked at him with smiles, while Commander Li and Commander Bai, though their lips curled into faint smiles, had a hint of melancholy and worry in their eyes, as if they had something to say but were unable to speak.
Before he could even ponder the intricacies of the matter, Commander He stood up first, pointing to the huge battle map hanging on the wall and saying:
"Jiang He, come here. I'll tell you about the latest situation between the enemy and our side around Xuzhou."
After saying that, without waiting for Li Jianghe to respond, he bent down and pointed to the red and blue marks on the map, explaining in detail the situation at the front and the deployment of the Japanese army.
According to military regulations, Li Jianghe's rank was not high enough to qualify him to attend such a high-level military conference.
However, his Third Column was too brave and had repeatedly made outstanding contributions, and had long become the mainstay of the Fifth War Zone, so it was a different story.
After Commander He finished reporting the battle situation, he stepped aside. The principal slowly rose, walked to the map, glanced at the location of Xuzhou, and slowly added:
"Jianghe, do you know? Xuzhou has been the site of more than fifty large-scale battles throughout history, witnessing the rise and fall of countless dynasties. Therefore, there has always been the saying that it was vying for the Central Plains."
Today, it is the core hub of the Jinpu Railway. If it is lost, the Japanese invaders from the north and south can join forces and advance eastward without any scruples, directly threatening the safety of our territory. Therefore, this city cannot be lost.
"The Japanese army is currently advancing from both the north and south, and has already encircled Xuzhou. Should we fight or retreat? Do you have any insightful opinions?"