Rise From Eight Hundred

In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of August 1940.

Tang Dao originally planned to return to the base around the 26th, but he reported to the Military and Political Department twice in a row, and the Military and Political Department told Tang Dao to wait a little longer.

Tang Dao was very depressed. His wife's due date was in these few days. Although he could not rush back to accompany his wife who was about to give birth, the sooner he returned, the sooner he could see his first child. The feeling of being a father for the first time was something Tang Dao had never experienced in his previous life.

But Tang Dao also knew that even though he had done so many things, as long as the Military and Political Department did not allow him to leave, he would be disobeying military orders as long as he stepped out of the mountain city area.

If it was during wartime, there was still an excuse that the generals were not subject to the orders of the king, and the front-line commanders had to make tactical adjustments according to the actual battle situation. Everything would be fine if the battle was won, but at this time, once the hat of disobeying military orders was put on, no one could save him.

Tang Dao certainly didn't know that during the period of celebrating the victory, the three parties of the Military and Political Department, the Fifth War Zone, and the Second War Zone had a very complicated game about his personnel adjustment.

First, the commander of the Fifth War Zone asked the Military and Political Department to transfer the Four-Line Regiment to the Fifth War Zone for combat. The commander-in-chief even called the commander in his personal name and asked for his support on the grounds of losing a general, which made it impossible for the Minister of the Military and Political Department to refuse.

After obtaining the approval of the Military and Political Department, General Bai Xi, who served as the director of the Guangxi Provincial Camp and concurrently the commander of the Fourth War Zone, took the opportunity of visiting the Tenth War Zone to take a car to the Second War Zone Command to meet with Commander Yan.

It is said that the two stayed in the small conference room for 4 hours. Even the stingy old man's personal secretary, Sister Wu, didn't know what the two talked about, but judging from her extremely gloomy face after seeing the guests off, the content of the conversation between the two was undoubtedly not very happy.

Even if the big boss of Guangxi Province offered him conditions that he could not refuse, such as the Guangxi clique would become his ally in the future and fully support him to continue to govern Shanxi Province, etc., this was definitely a pillow for the stingy old man who had gradually lost his voice in the government, otherwise he would find it difficult to withstand the pressure from that person.

However, the price he had to pay was huge, and the Fifth War Zone had to be transferred from the Four-Line Group.

This was not only an irreparable loss for the battlefield in North China, but also a huge blow to the stingy old man who was determined to counterattack Yuancheng and take back his territory.

Even the always shrewd stingy old man could not help but weigh the two for a long time and did not give an answer at that time.

In the end, it was the fifth sister who woke him up with a word. The ideas and conditions of Li and Bai were secondary. The important thing was to look at that person's attitude. If he had this intention, no one could stop him.

The stingy old man immediately summoned his trusted generals and told Bai Shangjiang, who was still waiting in the barracks, about the purpose of his next visit. Naturally, the generals of the Jin clique opposed it.

They are not fools. Since the Four-Line Regiment came to the battlefield in North China, although it has not been able to turn the tide due to its small organization and small number of troops, every attack is like a sharp bayonet, stabbing the waist of the Japanese army in North China, not only making the Japanese feel pain, but also affecting the overall situation with a local one.

In just two years, the shaky northern defense line has been maintained to the present balance. Not only has the Japanese North China Front Army never made any progress since then, but it has also had to withdraw a large number of troops to maintain stability in the occupied areas.

Although much of the credit should be attributed to the 80th Group Army, which is constantly active behind enemy lines, anyone with a discerning eye cannot deny the important role played by the Four-Line Regiment.

Now the Military Commission has never said anything about counterattack or not for the Second War Zone. It only needs to maintain these two important defense lines from being breached by the Japanese army, ensure the safety of the Yellow River defense line, prevent the Japanese North China Front Army from entering Shaanxi Province, and avoid the main force in South China and the Japanese army from falling into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.

Once the Four-Line Group left, the Japanese army would lose this major threat, and they might turn their attention to the two important defense lines of Zhongtiao Mountain and Taihang Mountain again. Wouldn't the pressure on everyone double?

These Jin generals still have some vision and pattern. After all this beeping, the stingy old man was a little hesitant.

"Sir, everyone, for the current situation, is Yiling more important or North China more important?" General Yang, who was the deputy commander of the Second War Zone and the commander of the 6th Army Group, did not ask the question that silenced all the generals present until the end.

Although Yiling is a small city, it is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is a must-pass place for the Yangtze River waterway. What's more, it is only a few hundred kilometers away from the mountain city, and it can go directly to the mountain city along the Yangtze River.

If the Japanese army occupied this place and used it as a bridgehead to attack the mountain city, it would not be a tiger in the mountain behind the house, but a tiger that had jumped into the yard and was about to break into the house. How could the person in the mountain city sleep well?

Sichuan Province, where the mountain city is located, is not only the most important political, cultural and industrial center in China, but also the most important production area and export place of civilians and soldiers in China.

Minister He of the Ministry of Military Affairs mentioned in a recent report: Sichuan Province's conscription, both in quota and actual amount, accounted for about 1/5 of the national total, ranking first in the country; about 150,000 educated youth registered to join the army, and Sichuan Province alone had more than 40,000, ranking first in the country. Less than one in every 10 people in the national anti-Japanese army was from Sichuan.

In addition to people, there is also an extremely important food. The attitude of Sichuan people would rather starve than pay enough public grain, which made Sichuan provide one-fifth of the country's food in the two years from 1938 to 1939.

But this is just the statistics of people in this era. In fact, Sichuan made more thrilling sacrifices in the next few years of the War of Resistance. According to statistics, from 1941 to the victory of the War of Resistance, the total amount of rice collected in Sichuan accounted for about 1/3 of the national total.

One province aids the whole country, I am afraid this is the real origin of the saying "No Sichuan, no army" that has been passed down in later generations.

Compared with the two, the war in North China is obviously not as important as that side.

"What does Brother Xingru mean?" The stingy old man frowned, obviously grasping the meaning behind this question.

"Except that Commander Bai made this request to you on behalf of Commander Li, the Ministry of Military Affairs should not have made any statement!" General Yang asked again slowly.

"It seems that the old man of the Four-Line Regiment can't be kept!" After a long while, the stingy old man finally let out a sigh of relief.

With his political wisdom, how could he not understand that since General Bai could come, even if it was not the approval of that person, it was tacit approval, but he still had a fluke in his heart, thinking that the war in North China was important and it was not appropriate to withdraw the most elite troops in the war zone.

But with the words of his first general, he finally confirmed that that person was also waiting for his statement.

In fact, the ending was already doomed when General Bai came, but the attitude of him, the commander of the second war zone, might be what that person wanted to see most.

"Sir, we can't keep most of the people in the Four-Line Regiment, but we still have to fight for some people and some equipment." General Yang said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" The stingy old man frowned.

"If the Four-Line Regiment is to be transferred, the only route is to cross the Yellow River and then enter Sichuan from Shaanxi Province, or to report to the Fifth War Zone from Shaanxi Province through the war zone. No matter which route is taken, the marching distance will exceed 2,000 miles.

How can they take away the more than 20 heavy artillery equipped in Zishan with such a long march? I think it is better to keep them in my Second War Zone.

Moreover, even if the Four-Line Regiment is transferred, as long as my Second War Zone does not apply to remove the title of Deputy Director of the Ji'nan Administrative Office that Captain Tang concurrently holds, Captain Tang is still a member of our Second War Zone!

Some guard troops that originally belonged to the Ji'nan Administrative Office can still stay. Doesn't our Second War Zone also have the authority to prepare for the establishment of garrison regiment-level troops?" Admiral Yang continued.

"Haha! It's you, brother Xingru! This trick of 'stealing the dragon and switching the phoenix' is played beautifully." The stingy old man smiled. "Since that person wants to steal my power, he must first get me some paving stones, otherwise when the wall collapses, it will not be just me who will be crushed to death."

"What? Old Yan actually wants to keep all the 20 heavy artillery pieces of the Four-line Regiment in his Second War Zone, and also wants to add a new Ji'nan Garrison Regiment in Zishan. Is this to give me a 'repair of the plank road in the open while secretly crossing Chencang'! It is simply short-sighted and disregards the military strategy of the whole country!" Minister He of the Military and Political Department received the telegram sent back by General Bai and slapped his desk hard.

The 20 or so 150 heavy artillery pieces that the Four-line Regiment bought from the United States are a hot commodity. Not only does the Second War Zone want them, but the Military and Political Department wants them even more.

Even the commander of the Fifth War Zone was persuaded by the commander because of these 20 or so heavy artillery pieces. Only by transferring the Four-line Regiment to Central China can we have the opportunity to deploy these 20 or so heavy artillery pieces on the defense lines of Central China and South China.

As a result, the stingy old man proposed the condition of intercepting all the heavy artillery. Who would be willing to do that?

As for the Fifth War Zone, whether it was heavy artillery or not, it would be the best if it could be had, and if it didn't, it would be the worst. General Li valued Tang Dao and his elite troops.

So, the three parties spent nearly ten days arguing and constantly negotiating and making concessions, and finally reached a balance that all three parties recognized, and the stingy old man finally agreed to release him.

During this period, except for Commander Xu of the Fifth War Zone who sent a major general of the army from the war zone's Shancheng office to visit Tang Dao in person, no one from the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Second War Zone came to ask Tang Dao for his personal opinion.

Therefore, Tang Dao never thought that the time for him and the Four-Line Regiment to leave the North China battlefield would come so quickly and so unexpectedly.

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

"Report!" Tang Dao once again walked into the quiet little building and stood in front of the door of the office that was in charge of the military and political power of the whole country, reporting loudly.

This time, the Colonel Director of the Military and Political Department personally greeted and led the way, but this Colonel Director did not enter the secretary's office as usual, but walked to the door and left, which made Tang Dao feel a little surprised.

"Come in!" A low command came from inside.

Tang Dao walked into the office, but found that Minister He was not sitting on the chair, but standing in front of the map, and his heart was slightly shocked.

"You have done a lot of work in Shancheng during this period. I have seen it all. You have done a good job!" Minister He saw Tang Dao enter the room, waved to him to come to his side, and began to praise him to Tang Dao's surprise.

"I just did what I, a Chinese, should do. Thank you for your praise, sir." Tang Dao, who was alert, would not be so easily confused, and answered very cautiously.

"Haha! Don't be nervous. It's not a bad thing to call you here this time. On the contrary, it is good for your future." Minister He saw Tang Dao's serious face and couldn't help laughing.

"Let me ask you first, what do you think of the current national war situation?" After saying that, he did not continue to talk about what he was saying, but instead turned the topic to the national war situation.

"Now the war between our country and Japan has evolved from the Japanese army's main attack and our country's main defense in the past two years to a tug-of-war. We are entering the stage of the strategic policy of "accumulating small victories into big victories, exchanging space for time" proposed by our country. The situation is much better than the first two years of the war. I am not very knowledgeable and can only see these. I hope you will forgive me." Tang Dao thought for a while and gave such a broad answer.

"Then you, Tang Tuanzuo, are still modest. Based on this analysis alone, if anyone dares to say that you, Tang Da Tuanzuo, are not very knowledgeable, Commander Yan of the Second War Zone and Commander Xu of the Fifth War Zone will probably not agree." Minister He said with a smile.

"Commander He called Tang Dao here today, is..." Tang Dao is such a smart person, listening to the words and listening to the tone, he immediately felt a clue, and simply didn't bother to beat around the bush with this person, and asked directly.

"This is the order that the Ministry of Military Affairs has prepared. Take a look." Minister He was not displeased with Tang Dao's directness. He took out a transfer order from the table and handed it to Tang Dao with a warm face.

"Today, Tang Dao, the leader of the independent Four-Line Regiment directly under the Second War Zone, and 5,065 officers and soldiers under him go to the Fifth War Zone Headquarters to listen to orders and organize them into the Fifth War Zone's direct security regiment. The name of the Four-Line Regiment is retained. Considering that the Second War Zone is far away from the Fifth War Zone, with the approval of the Military Commission, the reporting time of the Four-Line Regiment to the Fifth War Zone can be extended to before the New Year!" Tang Dao read the content of the military order softly, but his heart was turbulent.

Although he had expected it when Minister He specifically mentioned the Fifth War Zone just now, when the military order was really placed in front of him, it was inevitable that there was a wave of emotional fluctuations.

Because Tang Dao knew that the battlefields in Central China and South China were more complicated than those in North China. In a sense, that was the battlefield where China was currently fighting the enemy.

"They all think that there is nothing to discuss with a little colonel like you. As a soldier, you have to obey the military order. But I don't think so. Even though you promised me last time that you would obey the orders of the Military and Political Department, I think it's better for me to tell you in person. If you need an explanation, I can also tell you the telegram that Commander Xu of the Fifth War Zone personally called the upper level to recruit talents." Looking at Tang Dao who was silent for a long time, Minister He said slowly.

"No need, sir, as a soldier, Tang Dao will naturally obey the military order! My regiment must rush to the battlefield before the New Year." Tang Dao shook his head, put the transfer order into his jacket pocket, and saluted.

Since the military order has been issued, and the stingy old man in the Second War Zone has not contacted him, it is obvious that he has negotiated with the Military and Political Department and got what he wanted. It is useless to say more.

"Haha! Aren't you curious about what promises the Fifth War Zone made to the Military Commission in order to get your elite troops of the Four Lines Regiment, or what position it gave you, Commander Tang? I have known Commander Li for so many years, but I have never seen him so generous." Tang Dao's attitude obviously satisfied Minister He, who personally poured a cup of tea for Tang Dao and asked with a smile.

"I don't know why Tang Dao is so favored by Commander Li. I am afraid that it has something to do with my brother Zhang. Commander Li knows that my brother Zhang is wise and brave, and Brother Zhang must have said a lot of good things to me in front of Commander Li when he was alive." Tang Dao replied.

"Haha! Everyone says that you, Tang Dao, are crazy Tang, the biggest troublemaker at the level of Army Colonel, but I never thought that you would be so humble and talkative. There is a reason for being a loyal minister. Commander Li is very sure that you will be willing to come to his Fifth War Zone because there are enemies who killed your brother Zhang there.

And Commander Li has painstakingly prepared for you to serve in the Fifth War Zone," Minister He laughed.

"Commander He, this is also the biggest reason why Tang Dao gladly accepted the order!" Tang Dao nodded, but the words of the shrewd Minister of Military Affairs were stuck in his throat.

Although this man always referred to Commander Li, his own shadow was not missing at all. Tang Dao also knew that it would be good for the future if he had a good relationship with this big man, but his mind was no longer on this, but had already flown back to Taihang Mountain.

An hour before he came to the Ministry of Military Affairs, Tan Tai Mingyue had entered the delivery room to wait for delivery, and Tang Dao really didn't have much time to talk to the Minister of Military Affairs.

Although the military order came a little suddenly, Tang Dao accepted it quickly, which also meant that he could rush back to the north today.

Standing in front of the window, watching Tang Dao's back, Minister He's expression behind the gold-rimmed glasses was difficult to understand.

If Tang Dao put forward conditions, whether it was promotion or treatment, he could understand and even accept it, but Tang Dao accepted the order without any conditions, which made this person who had seen the world completely unable to see through this young soldier.

If he doesn't seek fame or fortune, what does he seek? Is there such a pure soldier in this world?

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