Phi-Fic Chapter 1047 Pulled Out 3 Brigades
Chapter 1047 Pulled Out 3 Brigades
Even if Li Shaoyi hadn't called, Ma Leizi could have sensed it. After all, the Ludong region was the territory of the Fifth War Zone, and he needed to give someone a heads-up when he was doing business there.
But at the same time, I felt it was pointless to go through all this trouble. All the people from your Fifth War Zone have run away. This place will soon become the Japanese occupation zone. Soon the Japanese will be in charge. You have the guts to order me around. Do you have the guts to order the Japanese around?
This is only possible because it's Li Shaoyi, the commander of the Guangxi clique. If it were anyone else who dared to point fingers here, Li Shaoyi wouldn't even need to say anything; Ma Leizi would immediately retort, "Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Do you even have the right?"
Under Li Shaoyi's instructions, Ma Leizi still managed to dial Commander Li's number.
"Reporting to Commander Li, let me first introduce myself. I am Ma Leizi, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the 72nd Army of the National Revolutionary Army. I am currently in charge of the defense of the Shandong Peninsula and concurrently serve as the Shandong Peninsula Security Commander. The area around the provincial capital is indeed not my defense zone, but the Japanese attacked my Qingzhou Garrison Brigade first. My troops were acting in self-defense. If you feel this is inappropriate, Commander Li, I will immediately order them to withdraw."
Ma Leizi is a very clever fellow, and he's no ordinary scholar.
Having been in the military for so long, I certainly know how to gain the upper hand. The Fifth War Zone just wants a reputation.
“I’ve heard that you fought the Japanese in Qingdao with great success, and that your soldiers fought bravely. I’ve received a telegram from the intelligence department praising your soldiers. I didn’t know that Li Shaoyi had someone like you under his command. You should be commended.”
Ma Leizi was good at talking, but Commander Li was even better at it. He didn't mention the matter of Ludong at all, and immediately started praising Ma Leizi. If it were anyone else, Commander Li was one of the bigwigs of the Nationalist government. To be praised by him would be a great honor.
However, Ma Leizi wasn't blinded by the praise. He knew that now that their boss had a high status, he was associated with bigwigs like Commander Li.
As the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, which is equivalent to a quarter of the mainstay of the 72nd Army, do you think I'd be fooled by such praise?
"What kind of commendation do you need? Those commendation orders are useless now. The brother units in Pujiang issue one or two every day, but they're just pieces of paper and have no effect whatsoever. If Commander Li really wants to help me, I might as well just intercept the tax revenue from the Ludong region."
Ma Leizi climbed up the ladder, leaving Commander Li speechless. "Your mouth is wide open."
The Shandong region is considered an economically developed area in China, especially Qingdao, where the annual tax revenue is substantial. This is also the area that the Nationalist government keeps a close eye on. It doesn't matter who the warlords in Shandong are in charge, but they must ensure that the tax revenue is collected.
"I can't make that decision myself, but I can bring it up for you at the next meeting in Jinling. How many troops did you send around the provincial capital of Shandong this time? I won't hide it from you, because the Third Army Group, which was originally stationed in Shandong, has been defeated, and there aren't many troops available to go and rescue them. You need to be prepared for a major battle."
After we've finished the pointless chatter, it's time to get down to business. Both of us are the kind of people who get things done. If we had encountered someone who was all talk and no action, we could have spent the whole afternoon chatting without ever getting to the point.
"Commander Li, you know the situation on my side. Most of the troops are locked up in the island city. You know the Japanese ambitions for the island city without me having to tell you. I'm afraid of their marines landing, so I have to be vigilant at all times. Our commander-in-chief keeps conscripting soldiers from the island city. Lately, my heart is bleeding. As for the provincial capital, I really can't spare any troops. I gave those two security regiments a good scolding when they went to kill them. I'm not the kind of person who doesn't kill Japanese devils, but my difficulties are there. Losing the provincial capital is a big deal, but losing the island city is also a big deal. I'm being burned alive here."
Ma Leizi immediately complained, saying that he was about to withdraw those two regiments and that they could fight however they wanted, as his situation was just an unexpected one.
The Fifth War Zone Command was stunned when they received the news. They had thought that Ma Leizi was prepared to ambush the Japanese army around the provincial capital of Shandong, but they did not expect it to be a conflict between local troops.
Thinking about it, what Ma Leizi said makes sense. The island city is crucial to the northern sea area. Once the Japanese occupy it, they can advance from east to west and form a pincer movement with the southward-moving Japanese, and the entire Shandong province will be finished.
The fact that Li Shaoyi transferred troops from Qingdao was no secret; everyone in the party and the country knew about it. Even if you thought he was lying, the sheer number of transport planes taking off from Qingdao every day couldn't be a lie!
“I know your difficulties, but you also need to consider the overall situation. You don’t have an army right now, but I know your ability to build up your forces. There are countless security regiments and garrison brigades in the entire eastern Shandong region. The regular army can be used to defend the island city, and the local army can be used to defend the provincial capital. There is no problem with that.”
By the time Commander Li got to this point, he had completely forgotten his original intention in calling them. It was to strictly require them to fight according to the procedures of the theater command. Now, he was actually begging them to fight. As for his original thoughts, they were no longer important here.
"Does Commander Li mean I'm allowed to recruit soldiers around the provincial capital?"
Ma Leizi didn't hear the other words clearly, but he did hear this one.
The Jiaodong region has a large population, but the once-booming recruitment drive has cooled down. Although people are still signing up, there are no longer thousands of applicants a day.
The situation in the provincial capital was different. The Japanese devils wreaked havoc here for a while, and countless people lost their homes. In addition, there were refugees who fled from the north. As long as Ma Leizi set up this conscription office here, tens of thousands of people could be recruited without any problem.
They'll be sent directly to the train to Qingdao. The training camp there is currently idle, so they can instantly become several reorganized divisions!
“The theater command has this authority. Newly recruited troops in each region must be approved by the theater command. I can approve your recruitment of a garrison brigade in the provincial capital area right now, but if the provincial capital is lost, then this garrison brigade will be gone.”
Commander Li also quickly applied the brakes, realizing he couldn't grant too much authority. A local garrison brigade was roughly composed of three regiments and one battalion, with a maximum of eight or nine thousand personnel...