Rise From Eight Hundred

Tang Dao waited until a week later when the Japanese army transported the last batch of equipment of an infantry regiment to the war zone before leaving Linfen City.

There was a small episode in this. When Tang Dao accompanied Brigade Commander Geng and the infantry battalion to receive the equipment, they were surprised to find that the Japanese army's baggage convoy was loaded with not only guns, but also mortar shells and various machine rifle bullets.

This moved Tang Tuanzuo on the spot. He almost had tears in his eyes and said to Shimizu Hideshiro who came with the car to see Fujiwara Sen's physical condition: "Chief of Staff Okabe is too polite. Please express my sincere greetings to him on my behalf. I wish him to stay in the position of Chief of Staff. If there is a chance to negotiate again in the future, I promise to prepare high-quality green tea for him."

Shimizu Hideshiro almost fainted at Tang Dao's face. If it were the past, he would probably shout "Baga! Baga!" again, but this time he forcibly held back his anger.

A typical case of being unable to talk and unable to win, what else can you do but bear it?

Shimizu Hideshiro, who was so angry that his head was dizzy, finally waited until Tang Dao left before rushing to find trouble with the left captain of the baggage brigade.

After all, the Japanese are not stupid. The agreement signed by Okabe Saburo included the equipment of an infantry brigade and an infantry regiment, but never mentioned that ammunition was also brought. Who brought the guns and ammunition together?

This is indeed a subjective mistake made by the Japanese General Staff. They ignored a characteristic of their own nation.

Almost all Japanese individual tactics are basically made from the same mold, because they all have the same thing, the Japanese Infantry Drill Manual, which even stipulates how many centimeters a side roll should be turned over, and the safety needs to be turned off when fighting with bayonets.

Although it also reflects the subtlety of the Japanese nation, it more reflects the stereotype of its nation. Everything is strictly in accordance with the regulations and will never exceed the scope of the regulations. Everyone is like a mechanical part, absolutely obeying orders.

Including their tactics in the Southeast Shanxi Campaign, the reason why the 772nd Regiment was able to withstand the fierce attack of the 2nd Mixed Brigade, which was eager to escape, was also because the front-line Japanese army had some rigid infantry tactics. After the artillery bombardment, the infantry attacked. If the infantry could not attack, they bombarded. If they still could not attack, they began to flank. There was almost no other flexibility.

If it was placed on the plain, this set of tactics would naturally be fine. The Japanese army repeatedly defeated the Chinese army without artillery cover.

However, in the mountainous area, there was a waist-deep river across the battlefield. They still used this set of tactics, especially when the 772nd Regiment had built enough trenches and anti-artillery holes. Then they were stubborn, right?

When Yamamoto, who arrived later, redesigned new tactics, the four-line regiment followed closely behind and also chased after them. Under the attack from both sides, the 2nd Mixed Brigade completely lost its vitality.

It can be said that the reason why Changle Village won a great victory was that the Chinese commanders were united and determined and used tactics skillfully, and secondly, it was the result of the rigid tactics used by the front-line commanders of the Japanese army.

This rigidity is not only on the battlefield, but also in executing the military orders of the Japanese Army General Staff.

The military order issued by the Japanese North China Front Army General Staff was to load all the light and heavy weapons and equipment seized from the 39th Independent Brigade in Pingbei City, except for the mountain artillery, and then transport them to Yuancheng.

The Japanese army had its own independent military industry, and used its own Japanese equipment from top to bottom. No matter how advanced the weapons and equipment seized from China were, they were basically placed in warehouses or distributed to the "Imperial Army" that had completely surrendered to them.

The Japanese baggage soldiers who received the military order did not know what the upper level was going to use these weapons for. The staff officers who were threatened by the Chinese and had to exchange weapons and equipment were naturally not obliged to explain the purpose to the warehouse, and the baggage soldiers did not have the courage to ask whether the transported equipment included ammunition.

So, the Japanese baggage soldiers loaded the ammunition as equipment.

Of course, the senior officers of the Japanese General Staff would not go to check one by one. In this way, not only the equipment, but also the matching ammunition were delivered in such a mess.

A group of sand withers, Qingshui Xiucheng was almost mad at his compatriots.

Weapons and equipment are inanimate objects, which are the simplest transport goods, but prisoners of war are people. Not only does it take time for the Japanese army to transport them, but the receiving personnel sent by the Chinese side also need to screen and check the prisoners of war.

Even if you think about it, you know that the Japanese will definitely play tricks in it. There may be Japanese hiding in addition to traitors.

Originally, the soldiers had their own logic for checking this. They all stripped naked and weighed one by one. The scars on their bodies and the skinny bones due to long-term hunger, plus the weight on the scale, can basically determine 95% of the authenticity.

The brutality of the Japanese has long been famous in the world. The treatment of prisoners of war can be imagined. It is normal to eat 2 taels of vegetables a day. Many soldiers who were originally strong and strong from the north weigh less than 100 kilograms.

But the Japanese were really bold, perhaps they had a coping strategy in advance. The Chinese side only identified less than 100 suspects in several temporary prisoner camps outside the original city where more than 30,000 people gathered.

This is definitely not the Japanese style. There is definitely more sand in the mix. Then other methods can only be used, such as hometown accent verification, etc. These must be done, otherwise this prisoner exchange is very likely to turn into shooting oneself in the foot.

You know, the Second Theater is currently guarding the last line of defense in North China. If the line of defense is breached due to the intrusion of more than a small number of spies, then this large-scale exchange of prisoners of war will become a big joke in the history of war, Commander Yan No matter how ignorant he is of military affairs, he will never let this happen to him.

So, this all takes time.

But Tang Dao couldn't wait any longer. Lou Dehua and the others could return to the original city by airplane, but he had to sneak into HD first and then go to Jincheng on a special coal train with a speed of no more than 30 miles per hour. What's more, there were Dr. Grunov is still waiting for him!

That was a little hen that could lay golden eggs. No matter what, Tang Tuanzu wanted to trick this person into the car first. As for whether Lou Dehua would chop him with a knife in the future, that was a matter for the future.

And this week, Tang Dao was not wasting his time. He was also waiting for Gong Shaoxun's arrival.

It turned out that when Tang Dao went to Jincheng this time, he couldn't have at least 20 special forces to protect him like before, and the number of people could not exceed 4. Tang Dao thought about it carefully and chose Ming Xin and Shen Laoliu. .

In his words, Ming Xin seemed harmless to humans and animals at first glance, but Shen Laoliu's bitter and resentful face and small stature meant that he was harmful at first glance, so what?

To put it bluntly, the most eye-catching one among the three people is the 1.8-meter-tall member.

However, Tang Dao had painstakingly studied how to use makeup when his body shape could not be concealed. The so-called makeup is not to disguise oneself so that no one can detect it, but to find a suitable identity based on body shape and appearance, and to make it lifelike.

Therefore, the handsome Ming Xin became the son of a wealthy family, Tang Dao turned into a personal bodyguard, Shen Laoliu, who had more wrinkles on his face, naturally became a porter carrying a salute, and Gong Shaoxun, who came from the Four Lines Regiment's station, Then he became a housekeeper, which was typical of wealthy young men traveling during this period.

Shen Laoliu: Who is Lao Liu?

Why Gong Shaoxun stubbornly rushed over to go to Jincheng with Tang Dao and his entourage, the telegram could not explain clearly, but with Lei Xiong and Ye Chenghuan in charge of the Four Lines Regiment, Tang Dao had nothing to worry about. Since Gong Shaoxun had such a request, He must have his own reasons.

When Gong Shaoxun arrived in Linfen and met Tang Dao, his first sentence when they met was "I have a deposit in Citibank! I want to withdraw it." Tang Dao and others were confused.

Based on his understanding of his colleague Gong Shaoxun, although he can be quite stubborn at times, he is definitely not a person who abandons public service for personal reasons. He lost his troops just to get his own money?

You know, Gong Shaoxun served as the chief of staff of the regiment and also served as the commander of the cavalry battalion. The cavalry battalion did not play a big role in this war. That was not because the Four Lines Regiment was fighting an encirclement and annihilation war, but because the cavalry battalion played a small role in the war. However, the cavalry battalion is still far from reaching the combat power that a cavalry battalion should have. The combat power of the top cavalry battalion is only that of a cavalry company. It is currently the most unreal battalion-level combat unit in the entire Si Xing Regiment.

Purchasing, training horses, recruiting and training new cavalry and reserve cavalry are all the battalion commander Gong Shaoxun has to worry about. Coupled with the work of the chief of staff of his own regiment, the intensity of the work is no less than that of Ye Chenghuan, the director of the political department.

Ye Chenghuan was already recognized by the whole regiment as the busiest commander before the war. Political propaganda and various officer and non-commissioned officer training often meant that his working hours often exceeded fifteen hours. Obviously, it was even less necessary during the rest period after the war. Having said that, others can take a little leisure time, but he can't stop.

Otherwise, without these deputies working hard, would Tang Dao, the chief officer, have the guts to openly and openly ask for leave from the theater headquarters to recuperate, but secretly sneak into an enemy-occupied area thousands of miles away?

"I have 800,000 taels of gold in Citibank. I have thought about it. Instead of keeping it in foreign banks and waiting for my Northeast Army's so-called comeback, I might as well take it all out and contribute to the Chinese nation's war of resistance. It belongs to our Northeast Army. The power." Gong Shaoxun continued.

"How much? Chief Gong, you didn't drink before you came here!" Tang Dao was stunned for a moment, and glanced at Gong Shaoxun's face with some confusion. The face of this veteran cavalry was really dark, so dark that he couldn't even see it. Red stained by alcohol.

Then, Tang Dao saw that Gong Shaoxun's dark face turned a little rosy, and quickly said to comfort: "Of course, eighty taels of gold is not a lot, worth thousands of oceans! I didn't expect you, Chief of Staff Gong Our private wealth is quite substantial. However, our group has not yet reached the point where we need to contribute our wealth to make a living. You can withdraw the money, but keep it first. We have really reached that point that day, you Gong Da. The chief of staff can contribute more."

This was a rare 'tender' moment for Tang Dao, a straight man of steel, who was afraid of hurting the heart of the cavalry lieutenant colonel he had poached from the Northeast Army.

"Tour members, it's 800,000, not 80!" After receiving the warm comfort from a certain group member, Gong Shaoxun didn't appreciate it. Instead, he seriously confirmed the data he had mentioned before.

"Eight hundred thousand taels...gold?" Tang Da Tuanzuo, who has even seen time travel, has seen countless strange things, but in front of this exaggerated and almost terrifying golden number, his mouth suddenly turned into a hippopotamus mouth.

Mingxin, who had been influenced by the concept of "inaction and indifference" since childhood in the Taoist temple, suddenly widened his slender eyes to round eyes.

Shen Laoliu, the sixth son, not only turned into a hippopotamus mouth like one of his superiors, but also had unsatisfactory liquid flowing from the corners of his mouth.

What is the concept of eight hundred thousand taels of gold? If converted into kilograms, it would be 80,000 kilograms. If measured in tons, it would be 40 tons. If you use a Japanese army truck with a load of 1.5 tons to pull it, it would be 30 trucks smaller if it is not overloaded.

Let alone gold, even copper is worth a lot of money, and it can be used to make millions of bullets.

The Four-Line Regiment fought to the death in the battle of Shentouling, killed 1,500 Japanese soldiers in Licheng, and robbed the 108th Division of its hard-earned property for several months, which was less than 20,000 taels of gold.

Just like that, the entire Four-Line Regiment was like making a fortune, and generously rewarded the officers and soldiers who died, were injured, and made meritorious contributions.

As a result, Chief of Staff Gong said lightly: We have deposited 800,000 taels of gold in Citibank!

And, looking at that expression, he was very serious.

There are only three results: either he is crazy! Or, the three people are collectively hallucinating! Or, what he said is true.

Probably realizing that the amount he said was too huge and hard to believe, Gong Shaoxun quickly explained: "To be precise, this money is not mine, but the young marshal's. He just doesn't want it, so he can only keep it with me for safekeeping."

This made Tang Dao more or less believe that there was this money.

After all, in terms of wealth, who in China can compare with the Zhang family, a large farming family that has been operating in the Northeast for more than ten years?

Although the stingy old man is also a good farmer and stingy, how can he compare with the black soil in Shanxi Province, which is poor and has bad waters, and can it be compared with the black soil that can produce oil with just a pinch of soil?

The Jinsui Army has actually developed quite well. During the Battle of Xingkou, it dragged out ten artillery regiments and 300 cannons to bombard Itagaki Shiro. If the Japanese army did not have air superiority, the 70,000-man army would never have entered Shanxi Province in their lifetime.

But what was the equipment of the Northeast Army at its peak? Before the September 18th Incident, the Northeast Army had more than 200 fighter planes of various types, 150 of which could take off and fight, and 30 Renault tanks; the navy had three fleets under its jurisdiction, namely Jiangfang, Haifang and Bohai, with a total force of 400,000 people; the three major arsenals located in Yangcheng, Fengtian and Chuncheng could produce more than 60,000 rifles, more than 1,000 light and heavy machine guns, 150 artillery pieces of various types, and hundreds of millions of rounds of guns and shells annually;

Sometimes this person is that person! No matter how hard you try, in the end you find that the ceiling of your efforts is actually just the starting point of others. This is life, and this is the reality. If you compare the stingy old man with the old Zhang family, it is the most typical example.

In fact, the deposit certificate with the seal of Citibank that Gong Shaoxun kept close to him is enough to prove its authenticity.

But if the "prodigal son" who inherited all the estate after his father's death had 800,000 taels of gold, Tang Dao would have no doubts, but it was a bit too unbelievable that such a huge sum of money should not be given to others.

"It's like this. Before 1934, I was the deputy captain of the guard of the young marshal. When the big event happened in 1936, I was ordered by the young marshal to lead the cavalry battalion under the command of General Wu..." Facing the doubtful eyes of Tang Dao and the other two, Gong Shaoxun smiled bitterly and told the secrets that he rarely told others.

It turned out that Gong Shaoxun was an orphan since he was a child and was met by Lao Zhang by chance. Because his age was not much different from his son, he took him into the mansion to become his son's book boy and playmate. When he grew up, he naturally became his son's personal guard.

In 1935, in order to promote his deputy guard captain, Zhang Shaoshuai, who was stationed in Chang'an, deliberately demoted him to the position of cavalry company commander. If it weren't for that incident, he, the closest person to the young marshal, would have been at least a colonel at this time, not just a lieutenant colonel chief of staff of the Four-Line Regiment.

As for the 800,000 taels of gold that was "disdained" by a certain young marshal, it was even more incredible, but with Gong Shaoxun's narration, it seemed to fit the character of that young marshal.

It turned out that the September 18th Incident was not originally the intention of the Japanese Army Headquarters, but was initiated by some young officers. The Northeast Army's strength at that time was at its peak. The 400,000 troops were completely overwhelming compared to the Kwantung Army, which had only tens of thousands of troops. Let alone a few months, if there was a real fight, the Kwantung Army might not be able to occupy the three northeastern provinces even in a few years.

But a scene that shocked the Japanese headquarters actually appeared. Hundreds of thousands of Northeast Army fled without a fight, and the rich three northeastern provinces were handed over to others.

Just before this incident, in order to stabilize the border situation, the young marshal had personally visited Japan and had a good chat with the Japanese emperor who was not ready for war.

The moment before, he vowed that he had no intention of invading, and the next second he occupied someone's territory, and it was the territory of a big man with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This was somewhat embarrassing for someone. Perhaps in order to win over, or perhaps for some non-existent face, the person ordered the Kwantung Army to return all the family property that had been occupied in the young marshal's mansion, including the 800,000 taels of gold.

The person who received the property of the young marshal's mansion sent by the Japanese army and lost the territory that his father had managed for more than ten years was ashamed and angry. He thought it was a humiliation of the Japanese, and immediately ordered his trusted general Wang Yizhe to throw the batch of gold into the Bohai Sea.

"This is very good, it's really a young master. If you don't want it, don't throw it into the sea! Even if you cut it into small pieces and give it to the common people, it's okay!" Shen Laoliu smacked his lips, his eyes full of regret.

If Tang Dao hadn't glared at him, he would have probably rubbed salt into Chief of Staff Gong's wound.

Losing the Northeast without firing a single shot is a shame that hundreds of thousands of Northeast Army soldiers will never be able to erase in their lifetime. There is no reason to cover it up.

Gong Shaoxun was also in a low mood when he talked about this past event, but he would not argue with the heartless Shen Laoliu. As he continued to tell, Tang Dao finally knew why this batch of gold ended up in his hands. .

Wang Yizhe was reluctant to throw such a huge amount of money into the sea, so he asked Gong Shaoxun, his personal bodyguard, to discuss it. In the end, the two decided to deposit the gold in the Western Bank in the Jincheng Concession in Gong Shaoxun's private name for future use. The Northeast Army will set aside a certain amount of funds for its comeback.

The reason why Citibank, which belongs to the United States, is simply that the interest rate offered by HSBC is too low. Citibank let the two choose them with an annual interest rate of 2.4%. After five years, the eight hundred thousand taels of gold are no longer the same amount. , at least it is eighty to tens of thousands, if converted into US dollars...

Shen Laoliu quietly asked about the exchange ratio of Tang Dao. The current market price is about 35 US dollars for one ounce of gold. Even if one tael of gold is about the same as one ounce, Shen Laoliu calculated it on his fingers for a long time and couldn't figure it out. For a specific answer, I only know that if it can be exchanged, the Four Elements Group will be prosperous.

"Are you really going to leave this fund to our Four Elements Regiment? Commander Wu and the others won't blame you?" Tang Dao was still stunned by the gold pie falling from the sky, so he asked Gong Shaoxun seriously.

"Commander Wu and the others don't know that there is such a huge sum of money, and with his love for you, sir, even if he knew it, he would never blame me, because even if he enters Jincheng and is unable to take out this fund, It's just a bunch of numbers on the account, so what's the use?" Gong Shaoxun, who had obviously gone through a long ideological struggle, shook his head and answered.

"It's better to use it first for our Fourth Army Regiment to purchase more arms, cause greater damage to the Japanese army, and also wash away the shame of our Northeastern Army losing the three Northeastern provinces."

At this point, Gong Shaoxun's dark face showed a rare cunning: "Besides, based on my understanding of you, sir, as long as you can come up with this fund, the 67th Army and other Northeastern Army affiliates will definitely not sit idly by."

"Haha! Okay, I promise you, if your brothers from the Northeast Army are in danger in the future, our four-line regiment will do our best to help. This batch of gold has really helped a lot." Tang Dao smiled.

"No, Shaoxun has already left the Northeastern Army and is a member of our Four Lines Regiment. Even if he meets those old brothers from the Northeastern Army, they are only friendly forces." Gong Shaoxun smiled and shook his head to deny Tang Dao's words of 'Brothers from the Northeastern Army'. title.

"Not much else to say. On behalf of all my brothers in the Four Lines Regiment, I would like to thank you, Chief of Staff, for your trust!" Tang Dao solemnly gave a military salute to Gong Shaoxun.

"You are serious!" After Gong Shaoxun hurriedly returned the gift, the two held their hands tightly.

The fact that the chief of staff did not put his last name in front of him already explained Tang Dao's attitude.

Chief of Staff Gong is no longer just an officer of the 67th Army who came to the Si Xing Tuan for promotion, but as he just stated, he truly belongs to the Si Xing Tuan.

That is as precious as gold to Tang Dao!

Of course, the 800,000 gold deposit gave Tang Dao and Krupp Company more confidence in their investment plans.

But the premise is, how to withdraw such a large amount of funds from Citibank in the United States? Who can say that it can be mobilized? Neither can banks.