Rise From Eight Hundred

The supplies that the Sichuan Army's new regiment had stored in the small town had already been picked up by the baggage troops sent by the Si Xing Regiment.

After the Japanese army launched the "New Year's Day Offensive", two train companies happened to cross the Yellow River and entered the Zhongtiao Mountains. Zhuang Shisan, who personally led the army, had already received Tang Dao's military order and would not return to southeastern Shanxi for the time being. Instead, he would directly transport supplies to the thirty-year-old army. Zhao Shoushan, commander of the Eighth Army, is stationed here.

This time, in addition to its own equipment, the new regiment of the Sichuan Army also had rations and horse feed for more than 4,000 people for seven days, which were supplemented by the logistics department of the 28th Division before departure. It was basically a light vehicle.

Thanks to the strictness of the Tang regiment during the march, the recruits who were used to carrying heavy loads felt unprecedentedly relaxed at this moment. The entire army arrived at the opposite side of Pinglu County in Shanxi Province, 350 kilometers away from Tongguan, only at dusk on the fifth day.

The average daily marching speed reaches an astonishing 70 kilometers. Not to mention combat effectiveness, this pair of iron feet alone is already amazing.

The sky was already very dark, and Tang Dao stood on the bank of the Yellow River like a sculpture, quietly looking at the towering mountains on the other side of the river, which was where the 4th Group Army of the 2nd Theater was stationed.

Behind him stood Zhuang Shisan and Long Yan, and on the river bank there were people shouting and shouting. With the help of local boatmen, the Sichuan troops were crossing the river in batches in platoon units.

Tang Dao had already contacted Zhuang Shisan yesterday and informed him that he would arrive with the Sichuan Army today.

Zhuang Shisan coordinated with a major general and brigade commander sent by the 38th Army for one day, and raised a total of more than 10 wooden boats and more than 30 sheepskin rafts for Tang Dao and more than 4,000 Sichuan troops to cross the river.

Although the ship is somewhat crude, it is the maximum transport capacity that can be raised in the vicinity in one day.

Because we chose to cross the river at night, there would be no chance of an incoming attack from the sun, and the mother of the Yellow River was kind enough to give us face. The river was calm and the risk factor was extremely low.

Just as Director Zhuang Da who came to greet Tang Dao said: "You have to be in the group, even the Yellow River will obey you. As soon as you arrived, the mighty river did not even break the waves, unlike when I crossed the river with supplies that day and the waves rolled. , even though my face didn’t change when I was on the boat, I didn’t know how much I recited Amitabha in my heart!”

Although this is somewhat flattering, it is also true. The location of Zhuangshi's Sandu River is further upstream, where Commander Sun of the 4th Group Army personally ordered the three counties on both sides of the Yellow River to be responsible for transporting ships.

Part of the reputation of the Si Xing Regiment was taken up by the hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain and various materials transported by the baggage force.

At this moment of large-scale Japanese attack, what is most precious?

In addition to personnel, firearms and ammunition, there is undoubtedly food. After all, no one knows how long this battle will last. Whether the military rations stored in the station can be used until the end of the battle is what the commander must ensure.

The boats were numerous and big enough, but the mother of the Yellow River was not so generous. The weather was extremely bad those two days, especially to prevent Japanese planes from attacking, so we had to cross the river at night in a stormy and snowy night.

Even with the most experienced local boatmen at the helm, two ships were overturned by wind and waves, resulting in the loss of thousands of kilograms of food, ten pack horses, and six people, including a second lieutenant platoon leader.

Under such water conditions and temperatures, almost no one would have a chance to survive after falling into the water. The remains of the six people were not discovered by the masses on the river beach more than 30 miles downstream until Tang Dao generated electricity yesterday.

The second lieutenant Tang Dao was also unfamiliar, but those who could become officers were undoubtedly veterans.

Due to its own fundamental problems, the Si Xing Regiment had a situation of fewer regular officers and more soldiers when it was first established. To deal with this problem, Tang Dao had to use the simplest and crudest promotion system for meritorious service. Those who were already officers were not counted. After the establishment of the Si Xing Regiment, After joining the regiment, without military merit, even if you are a top student at Jinling University, you are not qualified to become an officer.

The rough guys may be brave in battles and good soldiers, but they may not necessarily be good commanders. Then leave these to Ye Chenghuan's teaching brigade.

The teaching brigade has established four-level crash training courses: sergeant, second lieutenant, lieutenant, and captain. Each training course lasts one month. In the past six months, it has covered almost all front-line troops of the Fourth Army Regiment, which means that all squad leaders, Platoon commanders and company commanders all entered the training class and studied for at least a month.

Even heroic company commanders like Li Jijin, Zhao Daqiang, Cai Yongguan, and Qian Dazhu were no exception. However, most of the time was in the afternoon and evening, leaving the chief officers the whole morning to deal with troop training and other matters.

Tang Dao is well aware of the "big, black and rough" attributes of his subordinates. In order to encourage them to take the initiative to learn, he has also set up a reward mechanism. There are perfect attendance awards and awards for the top ten in the training class. Those who fail the assessment will be dismissed. When he arrived at the regiment headquarters, Tang Dao himself gave lessons and made up exams.

The reward system may not be important to veterans who are mentally determined enough. What is important is that veterans like Li Jijin are not willing to sit in front of the regimental commander and take a make-up exam. That would be a shame to grandma's house. OK?

Whether they are officers or veterans, they are all valuable assets of the Four Lines Regiment. However, the second lieutenant did not die on the battlefield against Japan, but died in the roaring Yellow River. This is undoubtedly an extremely heartbreaking thing.

When Zhao Shoushan, who had been promoted to army commander, received a telegram from Tang Dao yesterday, he specifically apologized to Tang Dao for this matter, saying that he had not taken good care of his brothers in the Si Xing Regiment.

After Tang Dao arrived today, although he did not criticize Zhuang Shisan for his poor organization with a cold face, his inner unhappiness was visible to everyone.

No, the new regiment of the Sichuan Army had already begun to cross the river on a large scale, but Tang Dao stood in the wind for a long time regardless of the cold wind.

Not only did Zhuang Shisan not dare to persuade him, even Long Yan, who was usually the most talkative, stopped talking.

Snowflakes fell on Tang Dao's hat brim and shoulders. His back was still as straight as a pine tree, but it gave people an inexplicable sense of sadness.

The officers of the Four-line Regiment thought that this was Tang Dao's mourning for his comrades who disappeared in the surging Yellow River. But in fact, they didn't know that in the past, on the other side of Tang Dao's deep and silent eyes, there was a "Yellow River Martyrdom Monument".

According to legend, there were "eight hundred cold kids jumping into the Yellow River". It is said that more than 800 student soldiers of the 177th Division of the 4th Army were forced to the edge of the Yellow River cliff by the Japanese army after running out of ammunition and food.

These more than 800 student soldiers shouted the slogan "I only want to hear the long roar of the Yellow River, and I don't want to return with my body wrapped in horsehide" and then disappeared in the rolling Yellow River.

In the following days, the locals salvaged more than 800 bodies of Shaanxi soldiers on the riverbank at the junction of Pinglu and Ruicheng, and buried them on the bank of the Yellow River.

However, there is no record of this battle in the war history between the Chinese and Japanese armies. Moreover, according to research, the 177th Division of the 96th Army did not have a new recruit regiment number, and the 4th Army Group only had one new recruit battalion, and its authenticity is questionable.

But another version is recorded in the 4th Army Group. It was that nearly a thousand civilian personnel and wounded soldiers of the 177th Division of the 96th Army were surrounded by the Japanese army on the bank of the Yellow River. One of the battalion commanders organized 400 lightly wounded soldiers to block the Japanese army and cover other personnel to cross the river. After running out of ammunition and food, more than a hundred surviving soldiers, facing the Japanese army's call for surrender, jumped into the Yellow River hand in hand without hesitation, and no one was captured and surrendered!

Afterwards, the Japanese army, angry and humiliated, threw the remains of Chinese soldiers on the river bank into the Yellow River, and they were not satisfied. They also forced nearly 100 civilians who were captured to go into the Yellow River with bayonets, causing the famous Shatankou Massacre.

This is also the reason why many of the more than 800 remains salvaged by the locals on the river beach were not wearing military uniforms.

Whether it is a legend or a reality, there is no need to worry about it. Are there not many people who have not been recorded in the history books in that war?

The monument erected here by the future China represents the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation.

This time, Tang Dao came. Even though he knew that the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain might be more difficult than in the past, he still stood here firmly.

What made Tang Dao silent for a long time may not only be the sacrifices in the present and future on this battlefield, but also the confusion in his heart.

He is no longer the little colonel with only a few hundred or two thousand people in the past. Now there are thousands of soldiers following him, as well as tens of thousands of military dependents and civilians in Dakouzidong Town. All the decisions he made are related to their fate.

By this time, the situation in North China had changed a lot. Even if Tang Dao knew the direction of history, he could no longer easily judge the strategy and tactics of the Japanese army based on history.

In the past, the Japanese army launched a large-scale attack on Zhongtiao Mountain in the middle of 1939, and dispatched a total of more than 30,000 troops to besiege the 4th Army. This time, it may be two 30,000.

Of course, the 17th Division, the main force of the 4th Army, is no longer the Type B division with less than 10,000 troops. Instead, it has 5 regular infantry regiments, 1 reserve regiment, 1 artillery battalion and other auxiliary arms. The division has more than 30 artillery pieces of various types, more than 150 heavy machine guns, and can be used for combat. 30,000 troops.

The 4th Army has 4 infantry divisions with a total strength of 80,000, far exceeding the 60,000 in the past.

The total strength of the Chinese army, which has gathered seven infantry armies in the hundreds of miles of defense zone in Zhongtiao Mountain, is more than 210,000. However, facing the 230,000 Japanese troops that are about to rush in, they are still not strong enough.

If Tang Dao's estimate is correct, the 4th Army stationed in the middle section of Zhongtiao Mountain will be an important breakthrough for the Japanese army.

Only by conquering this place can the Japanese army's successful battle example in the past be realized: thus tearing a gap in the defense line connected to Zhongtiao Mountain, causing the Chinese front and rear to be unable to respond, and then dividing and encircling it, and eating it one by one!

The Japanese army's westward corps was frustrated in Tongguan and could not move westward. Its main force, the Fifth Division, is very likely to turn around and attack Zhongtiao Mountain under the command of the angry Itagaki Shiro, and this may be their biggest goal.

The Fifth Division, the "Steel Army" in the mouth of the Japanese army, let's meet it and see how strong it is.

After standing in the ice and snow for half an hour, Tang Dao finally spoke: "Director Zhuang, you and Sanjiang will stay on the shore to lead the new recruits across the river. Dayu, Longyan, Mingxin, you three will follow me to cross the river in the next batch. We will go to see Commander Zhao!"

"Yes!" The few people who rarely saw Tang Dao so silent breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Mo Nan Town, Ruicheng County!

12 o'clock!

Riding on the war horses provided by the 38th Army on the opposite bank, under the escort of a cavalry squad, Tang Dao and his four men passed through many checkpoints and arrived at this mountain town.

Standing on the small road at the mountain pass and looking at the town, the town with a population of only more than a thousand was pitch black, with only a few lights on the edge of the town.

When he reached the intersection entering the town, Tang Dao was shocked to find a row of soldiers standing there. The yellow light blooming in the snowy night was the lanterns they were holding.

Seeing the cavalry stop, a soldier led the others out, and his hearty voice resounded through the wilderness: "Brother Tang, it's been a long time since we last met. I wonder if you are still as charming as ever!"

Tang Dao quickly jumped off his horse, took a few big steps and shook the hands of the smiling white-haired soldier: "Captain Zhao, this is like this, Tang Dao can't bear it."

"Haha! If you, the heroic commander who just killed Matsuura Rokuro in Wanjialing and made Itagaki Shiro look humiliated in Tongguan, say that you can't bear it, then I'm afraid no one dares to come to see me, Zhao." Zhao Shoushan couldn't help laughing.

The row of officers standing behind him also laughed.

Some of these people have higher ranks than Tang Dao, and the youngest is on the same level as Tang Dao, but few people really think that it is wrong to follow their own army commander to endure the cold and wait for Tang Dao for half an hour in the wind and snow. Most of them are veterans of the 17th Division. They are not only familiar with Tang Dao, but also know what Tang Dao has brought to the 17th Division.

Without those equipment, the 17th Division might not have survived the Jindong War, and was almost consumed in the Japanese encirclement and suppression of southeastern Shanxi.

Even if there were some who didn't think so, they were more curious than dissatisfied. For example, when Zhao Shoushan took Tang Dao to introduce him to a major general who had just joined the 17th Division, "This is my 38th Army, the 17th Division, the newly established Independent 46th Brigade, Commander Kong. He is a famous warrior in my Northwest Army. He was transferred to my unit this time. You two must get close to each other in the future."

The man standing in front of Tang Dao was a typical Northwest man with a square face, a wide mouth and a pair of unforgettable thick eyebrows. Seeing Zhao Shoushan holding Tang Dao's hand and smiling, he returned the salute and extended his hand after Tang Dao took the initiative to salute: "General, thank you for your praise. I am Kong Congzhou. I will have to ask Commander Tang for more guidance in the future."

"Kong Congzhou?" Tang Dao was stunned for a full second.

This is really a well-known name. It is not only that he will be a bright star in the future, but also

Of course, more importantly, the dusty memories suddenly surged. The 4th Army was able to successfully turn the tide in that battle that was almost doomed to fail, all thanks to the desperate efforts of the major general of the independent 46th Brigade.

"What?" The Northwest man was also stunned by Tang Dao's surprised expression.

What the hell is this? What's wrong with my name?

"No, I have heard of Brigade Commander Kong for a long time, and I am lucky to meet him! But as the saying goes, this is a meeting in person! It is often better to meet than to hear about it, and it is better not to meet than to meet." Tang Dao shook his somewhat cold big hand vigorously, and the official clichés came out of his mouth, and then he shook his head slightly with regret on his face.

This made the officers and soldiers of the 17th Division who were familiar with Tang Dao a little confused. Tang Dao, this guy! When he is serious, he is a Chinese soldier that the Japanese invaders fear, but once he is not serious, he is really not a good person.

However, he was not serious and was only with people he was familiar with. It was obvious that this Brigade Commander Kong, who had just been transferred to the 17th Division, was meeting him for the first time. Could it be that the two of them had other entanglements?

"Captain Tang is here to teach you! What is it about meeting is worse than not meeting? I am all ears!" The Army Major General's impressive thick eyebrows were raised high, and his eyes were already flashing with anger.

Even if Tang Dao was just joking, it was not appropriate at the moment when the two met for the first time, especially after a brigade commander had waited for more than half an hour in the middle of the night in the snow.

Zhao Shoushan, who was standing aside, knew Tang Dao very well. He knew that Tang Dao was definitely not a young man of his age. His seemingly casual words were actually foreshadowing for the future, and there must be a convincing enough explanation.

However, Zhao Shoushan soon realized that he was still superficial. His brother Tang really didn't stop until he said something shocking.

"Haha! Don't get me wrong, Brigade Commander Kong. What I meant was that I was still struggling on the way here, wondering whether I should fight side by side with my old comrades from the 17th Division. After all, the Japanese came here with all their strength this time, and the situation was even more critical than the battle in eastern Shanxi. Coming here to fight is actually not much different from seeking death. I, Tang Dao, haven't even married and had children yet, and haven't enjoyed the joy of life. It's really not worth it!

But I didn't expect to see Brigade Commander Kong here. I just wanted to scold myself for being so hesitant! With Brigade Commander Kong, the 38th Army will not lose this battle no matter how the Japanese fight. If I had known, I would not have exposed my inner fragility.

Really, don't think I'm bragging regardless of the occasion. Tang Dao definitely thought so just now." Tang Dao laughed.

Uh

I guess even Brigade Commander Kong himself didn't expect that Tang Dao would praise himself so much.

What? No matter how the Japanese fight, the 38th Army will not lose. This is really not bragging, but bragging, okay?

"Haven't you met Commander Xue on the battlefield of Wanjialing? Otherwise, with his temper, he would definitely sew up your mouth that likes to flatter. It doesn't matter if you try to get close to Brigade Commander Kong, but your son has almost made my face red. Why don't you say that with me, Zhao Shoushan, there is no worry in Zhongtiao Mountain!" Zhao Shoushan was also amused by Tang Dao's explanation.

"Then I'll change it?" Tang Dao immediately stood at attention with a serious face.

"Get out! If you can beat the Japanese by fooling around, your mouth is definitely qualified to be the first in our army. Even if 200,000 Japanese come, they will be defeated."

General Zhao's words are accurate enough. Tang Dao's mouth is really powerful. Didn't you see that he made the face of the Northwest man look like Guan Gong?

The officers and soldiers, including the major general of the army who was exaggeratedly flattered by Tang Tuanzuo, couldn't help laughing.

"Really? Why don't you believe me? We will win this battle because Brigade Commander Kong and I are here." Tang Dao's face was full of grievance, and the wind and snow in the sky seemed to be unable to help but shrink a little.

"Brother, brother, can't we just not mention this? The wine that the commander specially prepared for you is almost cold. I'll toast you a few glasses of wine later. Thank you for praising me so much." The straightforward Northwest man quickly begged Tang Dao for mercy.

Really, flattery is sharper than a knife, especially for a major general with a high threshold of shame.

But perhaps no one expected that what Tang Dao said was true.

On the battlefield of the upcoming Zhongtiao Mountain Campaign, the brilliance of this major general was no less than that of Tang Dao, which laid a solid foundation for his promotion to the commander of the 55th Division and the deputy commander of the 38th Army in the future.

Of course, on this snowy night, he was defeated miserably by Tang Dao's drinking capacity.

()