Rise From Eight Hundred

The envoy came with money and medals, and did not stay in Chang'an for long. Under the escort of a cavalry regiment sent by the Second War Zone, it took only two days to reach Zhongtiao Mountain.

On the fifth day before the Lunar New Year in 1939, the Second War Zone held a grand medal awarding ceremony in Mo'nan Town, the headquarters of the 38th Army of the 4th Group Army in Zhongtiao Mountain.

The Military and Political Department chose this place from many garrisons, which naturally had a certain meaning.

The 38th Army was the infantry army that killed the most enemies on the battlefield of Zhongtiao Mountain, and the headquarters of the 38th Army was also the only headquarters among all the infantry armies of the group army that had fought bloody battles with the Japanese army.

To this day, the mountain stream less than 3 miles away from Mo'nan Town still has nearly a thousand Japanese corpses buried.

That day, in order to take pictures for the big reporters from newspapers and radio stations who came by special plane, the 38th Army also specially dug out the corpses and displayed them again.

Fortunately, the weather was very cold at that time, and the bodies of the Japanese invaders who were almost stripped naked were basically a pile of frozen meat, otherwise the smell alone could have driven away those "uncrowned kings".

However, after being exaggerated by these big reporters, the white-haired general became the hero who personally carried a Mauser pistol and led the military civilian staff to wipe out a Japanese battalion.

Although the white-haired general had no intention of taking credit, he specifically mentioned the names of meritorious officials such as Long Yan and Luo Wanjian when introducing this battle, but their ranks were too low. At this time, China needed a famous and brave general to boost morale.

Even Tang Dao sent a telegram to the white-haired general for one reason: for the overall situation of the anti-Japanese war and for the survival of the Northwest Army!

The more famous he was, the more stable the position of the Northwest Army system would be, and the more guaranteed the military funds he would obtain, and he would not be excluded and marginalized as before. Even if it was that person, he could not move them at will. The white-haired general could only helplessly become the heroic general who carried a Mauser pistol and went into battle "bare-chested" in the propaganda.

Don't tell me, once the article written by the passionate reporter came out, the various units of the former Northwest Army, which were originally unloved and had a very low sense of existence, received cordial greetings from all walks of life.

This is almost like one person leading a marginalized army, and the name of Lengwa from Shaanxi Province has really become famous throughout the country.

The special envoy named Chen is an extremely smart person. Unlike the high-ranking officials in the past, he knows that without the help of the people, not to mention that the army alone cannot defeat the Japanese, it is even difficult to stay in this place for a long time.

Therefore, the medal awarding conference presided by him was not only attended by soldiers, but also invited the prestigious gentry of various towns in the mountains and all the townspeople of Mo Nan Town to participate in advance.

The number of participants in the entire medal awarding conference reached an unprecedented number of thousands, and if the peripheral guard troops were added, it could reach tens of thousands.

In order to prevent the Japanese from using aircraft to attack and cause trouble when the news leaked out, the medal awarding conference started in the evening when it was dark, and the entire venue was surrounded by torches.

The burning flames shone on the red faces of the officers and soldiers waiting to receive the medals.

That was the color of joy and victory!

However, compared with the excited ordinary officers and soldiers, the generals sitting in the first row with golden stars on their collar badges had different expressions.

This medal awarding ceremony was a bit weird!

The 4th Army Group became the biggest winner of this battle. Not only did 5 people below the commander of the army group win the Blue Sky Medal, becoming the only one at the army level since the war began, but as many as 110 people won the Baoding Medal, and the recipients of the Yunhui Medal, the Zhongyong Medal and the Zhongqin Medal were as numerous as 836 people.

If the 4th Army Group has 70,000 participants, the ratio of medals won by the army group is almost 40 to 1, which is extremely rare in the history of wars in China and abroad.

You know, except for those senior officers at the regiment, brigade, division and army levels, the ordinary officers and soldiers who won the medals will basically be promoted to one level of military rank, which means that military expenditures will increase again.

Why did that person suddenly treat the Northwest Army so well? This is unscientific!

But it is so unscientific. After the Fourth Army was awarded medals, the special envoy handed over the two-month military expenses of 1.74 million French francs allocated by the Ministry of Military Affairs to the Fourth Army, and an additional reward of 500,000 French francs.

This undoubtedly stimulated the other four armies to be jealous.

The term "wage arrears" is not something that only exists in the future. In this era, wage arrears are simply normal. Even for the front-line troops, the least owed is three months, and the most owed is as high as half a year. Many officers and soldiers have not received their due military pay until they die.

This one is two months, especially at the time of the New Year, plus the bonus, from generals to the most ordinary second-class soldiers, that is not the purse is bulging, morale must be bursting?

At this time, if the Japanese dare to come again, even the most cautious army commander will probably dare to grab a gun and beat them hard.

And what's more! A lot of money is one thing, but more importantly, the signal it conveys.

The current Ministry of Military Affairs has a strict approach to the allocation of military expenditures. The annual military expenditure of a Type A division with 3 brigades and 6 regiments is about 2.83 million, which is nearly 240,000 per month on average. The annual military expenditure of a Type B division is less, but it is 230,000 per month on average. The annual expenditure of a Type C division with 2 brigades and 4 regiments is much worse, 1.99 million per year, which is just over 160,000 per month on average.

The 4th Group Army belongs to the Northwest Army. Its main force, the 17th Division of the 38th Army, originally had 2 infantry brigades and 4 infantry regiments. Even though an independent brigade was later added, it was still allocated according to the military expenditure of 1.99 million.

To put it bluntly, the intention reflected by this military expenditure is that the 4th Army will at least be treated as a Type B division in the future.

In addition, the reward of 500,000 French francs is not a small amount. Even if the French franc has depreciated now, the purchasing power of the French franc at the end of 1938 is still good. 100 French francs can buy a big cow, which is enough to buy 5,000 buffaloes.

However, the 4th Army withstood the successive attacks of the 40,000 Japanese troops in this battle. The 46th Brigade under its command also broke through Ruicheng and Yuncheng cities with surprise troops, and fought hard for seven days in Jiulongshan with a small number of enemies and crippled more than 20,000 Japanese troops, creating a miracle in military history. These are speechless, and the reward is what they deserve.

It was okay at this time. Even if there was dissatisfaction, most of them were just envy, looking forward to the name of their own army.

But the famous special envoy named Chen read out the name of a unit, and the faces of the other major army generals were not very good.

Because, the second-ranked reward has nothing to do with them.

It's not that group army, but the Four-line Regiment that was rumored to be directly under the war zone not long ago.

This stingy old man really has no face. In order to win over a colonel, he actually disregards our face? The dissatisfied generals pointed their spearheads at a certain army general standing next to the special envoy.

Since the special envoy Chen stood on the stage and announced various medals and rewards, the stingy old man's face has been gloomy most of the time. Only when he awarded medals to generals, he would try to squeeze out a smile.

It's not because the special envoy Chen took over the main role and left him, the commander of the second war zone, aside as a mascot. The special envoy represented that person, so it was naturally ranked first, and the stingy old man naturally had no opinion.

But as the various medals and rewards for the 4th Group Army began to be issued, he gradually came to his senses, especially when he heard that the name of the Four-line Regiment was ranked second, his smart head turned even more.

The counterattack was really fast, accurate and fierce!

Before the medal awarding ceremony, the special envoy surnamed Chen also mentioned it specifically. After referring to the opinions of the commander of the Second War Zone Command, the following reward decision was made.

The superiors also have to listen to the opinions from below. Whether this statement is implemented or not, it will basically be mentioned on the surface. This is also a Chinese practice.

Needless to say, no matter the ranking or any reward, it will fall on him, the commander of the war zone.

First use the 4th Army as a gun to stir up the hearts of the other army commanders!

Of course, this is just an introduction.

The Chinese ancestors said: It is not the lack of wealth that is worrying, but the inequality!

First raise the 4th Army high, so that the other commanders will be jealous, but this is still easy to say, after all, it was the 4th Army that fought with real swords and guns.

For example, when the 46th Independent Brigade was sent to Zhongtiao Mountain, there were still more than 4,300 people. When the battle of Jiulong Mountain ended, there were less than 500 people in the brigade who could still leave the battlefield, including the brigade commander, a major general, and they could not even make up the number of a whole battalion.

Excluding minor injuries, the brigade lost more than 2,300 people in the battle, more than 1,400 were seriously injured, and there were 5 infantry platoons that were completely wiped out. Such a loss rate is worthy of pride on any battlefield.

Moreover, the Japanese troops who fell in front of their positions were as high as 10,000. More than half of the Japanese military rank collars and command swords that newspaper and radio reporters brought back from interviews a while ago were obtained in Jiulong Mountain.

But the real drama is here.

The second army to be organized was not any other group army, but the Four-Line Regiment.

The stingy old man just wanted to curse in his heart. As the saying goes, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind." It was clear that the person who wanted to put Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment on the cusp of the storm had bad intentions, but in the end, he, the commander of the theater, was the one who took the blame.

Not only did the other army commanders think that he wanted to win over Tang Dao, but even Tang Dao probably wanted to spit on his face from afar.

After all, the last time he acquiesced to Tang Dao leading his troops to rescue Jiulong Mountain was obvious, and everyone knew that he, the commander of the theater, was showing goodwill to Tang Dao.

Yes, no one denied the Four-Line Regiment's military exploits.

Whether it was Wangwu Mountain, Sizhou Mountain, Jiulong Mountain or Taihang Mountain battlefield, the Four-Line Regiment at least exerted the combat power of a Type A infantry division. The Japanese Kunisaki Detachment, the 21st Reserve Infantry Brigade, the 4th Division's Western Assault Detachment, the three mixed brigades, the 114th Division, the 108th Division and other units were defeated by the Four-Line Regiment.

The number of Japanese troops annihilated by the regiment is second to none among all Chinese units, but the Four-Line Regiment is an infantry regiment-level unit after all!

Your reward directly surpasses that of the major group armies. Do the generals still have face?

Fortunately, due to the long journey, the Four-Line Regiment and the 80th Group Army stationed in Taihang Mountain were absent from this grand medal awarding ceremony, otherwise Tang Tuanzuo would have to endure many arrow-like eyes at this moment.

But no matter what the other group army commanders and army commanders think, this medal and reward must be issued.

Tang Dao was awarded the Blue Sky Medal and a third-class Baoding Medal. His deputy regiment commander Lei Xiong, political director Ye Chenghuan, chief of staff Gong Shaoxun, and logistics director Zhuang Shisan were all awarded the fourth-class Baoding Medal. All other school-level officers were awarded the fifth-class Baoding Medal. Lieutenants and soldiers with military merits were awarded the 7th to 9th-class Baoding Medals.

In terms of the number of Baoding Medals, the Four-Line Regiment is actually catching up with the 4th Group Army!

That's not all. The Four-Line Regiment was organized as a special regiment and allocated 1.4 million French francs of military funds for one year. The letter of appointment of the deputy director of the Ji'nan Administrative Office with the seal of the Executive Yuan was also issued together with the rumored special funds of 200,000 French francs.

The eyes of the other generals of the army were almost red, and the stingy old man was about to cry. Even the Blue Sky Medal hanging on his chest felt unsavory.

This was not an award ceremony at all. This was completely putting him, the commander of the Second War Zone, on the fire!

Really, if he just wanted to kick that person off the stage before, now he wanted to throw shit on that person's head.

I have never seen such a bad person. Taking advantage of such a celebration, he can give him, the commander of the war zone, enough eye drops.

Of course, that person is a smart man. He used the 4th Army and the Four-Line Regiment to toss a certain war zone commander, but he was generous in rewarding several other armies that participated in the war and made meritorious contributions.

Basically, each army group was allocated 2 months of military expenses. Even the 80th Army Group was allocated 1.24 million French francs according to the original three infantry divisions with 50,000 people. In other words, the rewards were 100,000 to 300,000 French francs according to the military merits.

The grateful hearts were all remembered by that person, but the dissatisfaction was left to the stingy old man who was the commander of the theater.

This time, that person was considered to have a big bleeding. Nearly 4,000 medals of various types were issued, and military expenses and rewards were spent tens of millions. In addition, in order to let the garrisons in Zhongtiao Mountain and Taihang Mountain have a good New Year, the Shaanxi Provincial Government prepared 300,000 catties of cattle, sheep, and pork, 800,000 catties of rice and noodles, and 1 million catties of cabbage and radish, which were continuously transported to Zhongtiao Mountain through the Yellow River ferry to entertain the troops.

Although the amount allocated to each army was not much, it was also extremely rare for the armies that had not seen meat for a few times in the past six months.

Especially in such a mountain, not to mention French currency, even the dollar is not useful, and you can't buy anything with money. In fact, these supplies are more practical to hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers than any medals, rewards and pensions.

As the telegram was transmitted to the various armies, there was jubilation on the defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, which was more than 100 miles long.

Except for Commander Yan, whose face was dark all night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dakouzidong Town in Taihang Mountain!

Although there was no fighting or training, it was also busy and hot.

The Four-line Regiment had several major things to do during this period.

1. Tang Tuanzuo was finally going to end his happy single life! And Tan Tai Mingyue's family came from afar, so this ceremony must be grand.

In the words of Deputy Regiment Commander Lei Xiong, in order to save face for the commander, this matter is the top priority at the moment, and the whole regiment must be mobilized.

Second, in order to boost morale, the Dakouzidong Town garrison and the entire regiment will hold a New Year party, and invite all friendly generals to attend the ceremony.

Of course, this is also because Tang Tuanzuo's wedding is held there, so it's just right to hold it together.

Third, this is what Tang Tuanzuo thinks is the most important. The Four-line Regiment will also hold a medal awarding ceremony.

However, the medals awarded are not from the Ministry of Military Affairs. The medals brought by the special envoy will be distributed according to the list after the New Year, and everyone will not be short of them.

Compared with the medals of the Ministry of Military Affairs, at least the people in the Four-line Regiment are more looking forward to the military medals customized by the military factory in their own regiment.

After fighting the Japanese invaders for a whole year in 1938, the Four-line Regiment Political Department, which is responsible for identifying military merits, medal design, and the implementation of the military merit system, is more experienced than before.

The military merits were divided into four levels: ‘Special Merit’, ‘First-class Merit’, ‘Second-class Merit’, and ‘Third-class Merit’. As the financial resources of the Four-line Group became more and more abundant, copper and iron materials were no longer used. All military medals were decorated with gold and silver as the base, jade, crystal, agate and other gems.

Rare things like agate and jade were valuable when they were bought. When the Four-line Group snatched them from the Japanese and wanted to cash them out, they found that the only person in the Second War Zone who had the financial resources to swallow up the internal inventory of the Four-line Group was the stingy old man.

You can imagine how low the stingy old man would push the price. Zhuang Shisan, who was in charge of logistics, only asked the Jin Province Bank for a price symbolically. The price was only one-fifth of the market price, which made Zhuang Shisan curse for two days.

We don’t lack this little money. Tang Dao simply ordered the Political Department to find someone to design and cut these gems that may be valuable in the future and inlay them on the military medals.

No matter how valuable it is in the future, it will belong to these meritorious officials and must not fall into the hands of those evil capitalists.

For example, the "Special War Merit" medal is basically a piece of pure gold made of a tiger head, which is the size of an egg. It uses 93 grams of pure gold, symbolizing the year 39, and the tiger's eyes are inlaid with two green emeralds.

According to Li Jiujin, compared with these two emeralds that are only the size of mung beans, 93 grams of gold is nothing.

The "First Class War Merit" medal is a bear head, with 80 grams of gold as the base and 13 grams of silver as the supplement, and the bear's eye is the equally precious red jade.

The "Second Class War Merit" medal is a wolf head, with 60 grams of gold as the base and 33 grams of silver as the supplement, and the wolf's eye is a red agate of one level lower.

The "Third Class War Merit" medal is an eagle head, with 50 grams of gold as the base and 43 grams of silver as the supplement, and the eagle's eye is a red crystal.

In addition, the headquarters of the Four-Line Regiment also issued an order that if the holders of the military medals issued in the first three times wish to upgrade to new models, they can hand in the old ones, and the new models will be issued after they are produced.

From the perspective of value, the newly produced military medals to celebrate the victory of the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign and the New Year are obviously much higher, but many people did not replace them.

In their opinion, the commemorative significance of these military medals is far greater than the so-called value. Looking at the military medals, they will not forget those brothers who once fought side by side and are still in the front. It is not only a commemoration, but also carries more memories of the war.