Rise From Eight Hundred

The bloody battle of Taierzhuang ended with a Northwest Army infantry division suffering more than 65% casualties, and two Japanese detachment-level units being completely wiped out.

If the casualties of Chinese troops including those in the outer Fuji County since the beginning of the battle are counted, the casualties of Chinese soldiers in this battle alone exceeded 15,000.

However, the Japanese North China Front Army suffered more than 20,000 casualties, which was the first time that a casualty ratio of nearly 1:1 appeared on the Sino-Japanese battlefield at the level of a battle.

Not to mention that the Japanese North China Front Army Command was in a state of mourning, even the Japanese Army Headquarters was furious, and several consecutive accountability telegrams scolded the indoor shroud and senior army generals such as Itagaki Shiro and Isogai Ren.

The Asahi Shimbun, the newspaper with the largest circulation in the main island of Japan, lamented on the front page headline: "The Imperial Army suffered the biggest defeat since the war in the battlefield of northern Jiangsu in China, casting a shadow on the desire for victory in occupying the entire territory of China!"

It's not that the casualties of 20,000 people are so great. Now that the army entering China has nearly one million, the Japanese Army can afford the casualties of 20,000 people.

But no one is stupid. They know that the reason why the Imperial Army can advance triumphantly now is not only because of its strong national strength and well-equipped equipment, but also because of the morale boost brought by the victory. As the two sides grow, the morale of the Chinese military and civilians is low and they have no confidence. If the victory of this war has raised China's confidence, it is a big country with a population of nearly 500 million. Just thinking about this number can make people shudder.

The Japanese are very smart. They thought of the bad consequences of this war, but in fact, it is true.

In one battle, 20,000 Japanese invaders were wiped out. China almost spared no effort to publicize the results of this battle. From central China to southern China, from Shanxi Province to the northwest, student demonstrations broke out in major core cities in various regions such as Xiakou, Shancheng, Rongcheng, Yangcheng, and Chang'an.

However, this time, it was not to protest to the government for its poor performance, but to express support for the soldiers on the front line.

Snow-like telegrams flew to the Fifth War Zone Command, congratulating them on their great victory!

The Fifth War Zone held a special press conference for this purpose, and praised a certain principal who flew to Xuzhou to supervise the battle. The focus was on showing two generals' sabers and a row of lieutenant-level sabers seized in this battle, proving to the military and civilians across the country that there was absolutely no falsehood in this battle, and expressed the intention to award medals to the generals who had made contributions on the front line.

The reputation of a certain principal who was praised highly was about to rise, so why would he be stingy?

It is said that nearly ten medals of the rare Sunny Day Medal were prepared, setting a record since the birth of this medal.

The Sunny Day Medal was the second-ranked medal issued by China at that time. It was awarded to military personnel who had made contributions to defending the country and resisting foreign aggression. In the nine years before this, only a few dozen medals were issued, but nearly ten medals were issued in this battle.

There were so many such precious medals, not to mention the next-level Baoding Medal, Yunhui Medal and Zhongyong Medal, which were simply cabbages.

It is said that a transport plane was used just to transport these medals to the Fifth War Zone.

Of course, boxes of cash were also transported with the plane. In order to cheer up the 600,000 troops participating in the Battle of Xuzhou, the one who was stimulated by the victory of the First World War also spent a lot of money.

From the commander of the war zone who led the battle to the commanders of the various armies participating in the battle, basically everyone had a share of the Sunny Day Medal.

"The victory of this battle is really my credit! We will do our best to fight for my credit!" In the telegram sent by Commander Zhang to Tang Dao, in addition to full of thanks, he also expressed his intention to win credit for Tang Dao.

But Tang Dao didn't take it too seriously. All he wanted was to defeat more devils and let the people suffer less. Besides, he really didn't lack military merits!

What's more, from the heart, he just wanted everyone to pay attention to him. He was just a small infantry regiment commander.

'Grow up in a wretched way, don't waste time! 'This is a golden sentence in the future game, and it is very suitable for Tang Dao at this time.

But when luck comes, no one can stop it. Or, this person and that person can't live according to their own ideas.

You don't want it, but someone wants to give it to you.

I don't know what that person is thinking. Tang Dao, who is thousands of miles away, received a telegram forwarded by the 22nd Army Headquarters from the Second War Zone Command, and Tang Dao was awarded a medal.

Although it is not the Sunny Day Medal, it is also the fourth-class Baoding Medal. This is the highest level of Baoding Medal that a school officer can get. Even the several regiment commanders and battalion commanders who died in the bloody battle of Taierzhuang only received this level.

It can be said that this is the limit of the medals that Tang Dao can win without participating in the war. Even several senior officials of the Fifth War Zone know that the reason why this battle was successful is that Tang Dao, who made decisive suggestions afterwards, made great contributions.

Of course, there are factors that the two army commanders and the commander worked hard for Tang Dao, but the initiative is in the hands of the Military and Political Department or simply that person.

Logically speaking, Tang Dao had already completed the transportation mission when he arrived in Jindong with the Four-Line Regiment, but he stayed there for various reasons, which was suspected of not obeying the transfer order. Even if that person would not target him on the surface, he would almost certainly be annoyed.

A person who is unhappy with you, but behaves contrary to his usual behavior, the deep meaning contained in this is thought-provoking.

Not only that, the Military and Political Department even sent a telegram to the Second War Zone Command to inform Tang Dao of the medal he won. Because Tang Dao was not in Xuzhou and could not attend the medal awarding ceremony of the Fifth War Zone Command, the Second War Zone Command was asked to issue it on his behalf, so that Tang Dao could receive it during this period.

Otherwise, Tang Dao would not have received the news that he had received the medal from the Second War Zone.

Tang Dao held the telegram in his hand, squinted his eyes and looked at the distant mountains, with a slight arc at the corner of his mouth!

These bigwigs are deep-minded, and everything they do has its own intentions and deep meanings. It really takes a lot of brain cells, no wonder all the hair is gone.

His unexpected move has three purposes. The first is to appease the Sichuan Army Group. Tang Dao is still the rising star in the army that he relies on. You see, he just gave some ideas, and I can get him the Baoding Medal, which is second only to the Sunny Day Medal;

The second is to tell Tang Dao that the top leaders love you, as long as you are honest and obedient, everything will be fine.

And the third, which is also the most important, is to tell the 80th Army that Commander Xiao Tang is my direct descendant among my direct descendants. When getting along with him, you should know your limits.

A medal that was not worth mentioning to that person, but he played with it. No wonder that person was able to suppress a group of veterans in his own party and ascend to a high position in just ten years. This means of playing political tricks is really brilliant!

It’s a pity that the person calculated the people’s hearts, but he didn’t calculate that Tang Dao was not a person of this world. His purpose of joining the army has never been to become a powerful and wealthy person. This kind of remote winning is simply useless.

He would not have expected that Tang Dao had successfully become a comrade-in-arms with the 80th Army in the true sense by relying on the battle in Jindong.

Tang Dao laughed, but he was not laughing at the person who did useless work and let him get a medal for nothing.

That thing not only represents the glory of the soldiers now, but also a kind of amulet to some extent. Unless Tang Dao surrenders to the enemy in front of the battle, otherwise, almost no one can remove him from the position of the chief officer of the Four Lines Regiment. Even that person will not slap himself in the face in front of the whole country.

Tang Dao laughed from the heart, because his comrades also made their own reactions.

Half an hour before receiving the telegram from the 22nd Army Headquarters, Tang Dao also received a telegram from the 683rd Brigade Commander.

"Director Ye of the Political Training Department of the Four-line Regiment has recovered and will report to the Four-line Regiment Headquarters soon!"

That's not all. The soon-to-be-appointed Director Ye also brought a big welcome gift to the Four-line Regiment.

Originally, Tang Dao recruited 1,200 new soldiers in Lucheng. He thought that the 769th Regiment had suffered heavy losses in this battle, and it was reasonable to give them priority to replenish troops, so he didn't mention the new soldiers at all.

Unexpectedly, Director Ye actually brought 800 of them, and they were all 800 new soldiers who had been strictly selected to report to the Four-line Regiment.

This must be a big gift!

According to Tang Dao's plan, in order to cope with the possible large-scale attack of the Japanese army, the Four-line Regiment will complete the new reorganization task within the next three months.

To put it bluntly, it is to expand the army. The current three infantry battalions alone can no longer meet the needs of larger-scale operations.

The current Four-Line Regiment, if it is a defensive battle, can resist a Japanese infantry brigade, but what if the Japanese come with a division?

The current situation in eastern Shanxi has not changed, but the battle of Xuzhou has been dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese North China Front Army because of the future Little Butterfly's secret ideas. In addition, there are still more than 500,000 troops in Xuzhou, and the Japanese army has almost no hope of a quick victory.

If the Japanese North China Front Army wants to save face, it is very likely to make a fuss in the direction of eastern Shanxi, either quickly occupying the entire major city of Shanxi Province and extending the front line to the west; or, it will attack the mountainous areas. If the Chinese troops hiding in the mountains that threaten the transportation lines at all times are not dealt with, the Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters will definitely not be at ease, especially after the inevitable attack next month.

Although there are still 921st Division and an infantry division of the 22nd Army in the Taihang Mountains, the total Chinese force is nearly 40,000. If the Japanese army wants to fight in the mountains, it will need at least two or three divisions. It may not have such determination, but Tang Dao cannot rely on the safety of the entire Dakouzi Cave on the decisions of friendly forces and the Japanese army itself.

If you want to protect yourself, you must be strong enough.

The current 3,000 people are too few, so expand it to 5,000.

China has no industry and no financial resources, but the most lacking is land area and population. Tang Dao originally thought that as long as he gave enough military pay, he had just won a great victory. If he raised his arm and called, wouldn’t he gather followers?

Facts have proved that he still lacks some understanding of this era.

First of all, China has a large population, but it also depends on the place. Shanxi Province is not a populous province. The population is mostly concentrated in southern and northwestern Shanxi. Mountainous areas like eastern Shanxi really don’t have many people.

The entire population of Dakouzi Cave, where the Sihang Group is stationed, is only 10,000, and it is distributed in the vast mountains.

Secondly, the Four-Line Regiment is not the Eighty-Group Army. They are still wearing the skin of the principal. The people in the mountains have long been scared by the guys wearing the same military uniforms. No matter how much military pay they say they will give, it will be useless if they don't pay it when the time comes, right? How dare they join such an army so easily?

After the Four-Line Regiment arrived, it took nearly a week to recruit 400 new soldiers. They were all young and strong men who helped the army transport supplies and stretchers because they were paid. They have a certain understanding of the Four-Line Regiment. The rest are still waiting and watching.

At least, the Four-Line Regiment's wish to recruit more than 2,000 new soldiers from the local area in the short term cannot be achieved.

This is because the people who retreated from Licheng have hundreds of young people joining the army because they need to eat, otherwise the Four-Line Regiment's plan to recruit new soldiers will not be completed even halfway.

Speaking of this, Tang Dao really admired the 921st Division. How did they expand the army from less than 10,000 to 25,000 in less than half a year?

Tang Dao was not born in this dark age, and even if he lived two lives, he was not born in the countryside. He could not deeply understand the farmers' desire for land.

Land represents food, and food means that the whole family can have enough food.

The fear of hunger of Chinese farmers at that time was deep in their bones.

It can be said that the 800 selected recruits brought by Director Ye who was about to report were too important for the Four-Line Regiment, which was bound to expand its army.

Tang Dao understood what the 683rd Brigade meant by selection. It was not about physical fitness, but the background of the recruits was checked and issued. That was their strong point, which almost eliminated the possibility of spies among the recruits, which greatly reduced the workload of the Four-Line Regiment.

For Tang Dao, what made him even happier was the attitude of the 80th Army Group towards his winning of the Baoding Medal.

Without any telegram from the leader, Director Ye and 800 new recruits quickly set off to report, which was their attitude.

Continuing to trust is one aspect, but more importantly, they believe that Tang Dao also trusts them.

If Tang Dao does not trust them, it will reject 800 new recruits.

The new recruits who have stayed in the 683 Brigade for ten days have obviously been cleansed in their minds. If they were replaced by any other faction army, they would have concerns.

But Brigade Commander Cheng did not negotiate with Tang Dao in advance, but directly gave the result, that is, he believed that Tang Dao would never use such a perspective to doubt the already extremely close friendly forces.

Tang Dao naturally would not let them down, and directly called back to express welcome and gratitude!

The spirit of the Four Lines Regiment has long been condensed and formed in various brutal battles. All the soldiers in the regiment fight for the country, which does not conflict with those dreams.

Moreover, in order to welcome his upcoming partner, Tang Dao also prepared a big gift for him.

"To be honest, I personally have some thoughts about my secondment to the Four-line Regiment as the director of the Political Training Department, because I have been a military commander for a long time and am good at commanding troops in combat. I am not good at ideological and political work, but military orders are like mountains, and as a soldier, I can only execute them.

As for Commander Tang, who has never met me but asked for me by name, I am even more dissatisfied and curious.

I have imagined several ways to meet my future partner, but I never thought that I would receive such courtesy, which even made me feel a little ashamed of my previous dissatisfaction."

This is a passage written by General Ye Chenghuan in his war memoirs.

In order to welcome his partner, Tang Dao, who was very busy, personally took Lei Xiong, Gong Shaoxun, Zhuang Shisan, and the two infantry battalion commanders Guo Shouzhi and Leng Feng, as well as the guard company, to the mountain pass 20 miles away from the regiment headquarters to greet him.

That is all the top leaders of the Four-line Regiment at present, without missing a single one.

You know, even if Tang Dao returned, these officers only went out to greet him for a few miles.

But this is just a courtesy. At the welcoming meeting held by the regiment, which all company commanders were required to attend, Tang Dao announced for the first time the responsibilities of the newly established political training department. The political training department will be responsible for the personnel, training, and security of the entire army.

As the director of the political training department, Director Ye will also serve as the battalion commander and captain of the upcoming special service battalion and teaching brigade.

As soon as this appointment was announced, there was an uproar.

Whether it is training or security, it is already the top priority of the Four-Line Regiment. To be able to add personnel, that means that anyone in the regiment who wants to be promoted, whether it is position, rank, or salary level, must be signed and agreed by the newly arrived Director Ye.

It would be fine if he just held great power, but in the end, they were still planning to build an upgraded special service battalion and teaching brigade, and simply let this person be the chief officer.

The special service battalion sounds like it was promoted from the special service company, but these days through the meetings of the regiment, many company commanders know that the current special service battalion is incredible.

The special squadron will be changed to a reconnaissance company and assigned to the special service battalion. The original medical team will also be changed to a field hospital, which will be organized at the company level and will have two reinforced guard platoons under it. The engineer platoon will be changed to an engineer company. The communication platoon will be changed to a communication company. A resident security company will also be established.

There is no need to announce the organization. The number of people in the battalion will never be less than 800.

The teaching brigade is responsible for teaching grassroots officers. The military regulations of the regiment have basically been released. In the future, those who want to be promoted from sergeant squad leaders to lieutenants must train in the teaching brigade for one month. This basically shows that all grassroots backbones will accept the guidance of the future brigade leader.

Now he has power and soldiers. His status in the regiment is catching up with Lei Xiong, who has always followed Tang Dao, and is higher than Gong Shaoxun and Zhuang Shisan.

However, none of the two lieutenant colonels whose status has been reduced by one looked unhappy. It can be seen that before this, Tang Dao had done all the work and paved all the way for this army colonel who became the third in command as soon as he arrived.

That's not all. Tang Dao announced at the welcome party that medals will be awarded to all officers and soldiers who have made military achievements tomorrow.

That was something the whole regiment had been waiting for for a long time.

The medals had been prepared several days ago, and the meritorious personnel had been reviewed long ago. But they waited until now to award them, obviously waiting for the arrival of the director of Yeda.

This kind of courtesy is the ultimate!

Compared with the astonished eyes of the officers of the Four Lines Regiment, Ye Chenghuan, who was originally a little dissatisfied or nervous about coming to the Four Lines Regiment, was also stunned.

If he and Tang Dao did not look so different, he would have suspected for a moment that they were lost brothers.

Otherwise, why would Tang Dao treat him like this? Just to get closer to the 80th Army? That's really unnecessary.

Perhaps only Tang Dao himself knows.

This star who never rose deserves to be treated like this!