sjar Chapter 1176 Brother Tang
Chapter 1176 Brother Tang
How could a country like Japan possibly have enough bombs? They had to squeeze out every last one. After bombing for several days, they discovered that the field airfields hadn't changed much; it seemed no fighter jets were coming.
At this point, they realized they had been tricked, but you can't just dig out the bombs you dropped earlier, can you? The field airfield on the ground didn't have many facilities to begin with, and it wouldn't be worth much money if it was bombed, not even enough to cover the cost of the bombs.
Upon hearing this at headquarters, Li Shaoyi couldn't help but laugh. He spent nearly two or three days touring the 72nd Army headquarters. Although he hadn't uttered a single word there, the chief of staff had managed to keep it perfectly organized.
"Report."
Li Shaoyi had just returned from the underground office when he heard a familiar voice at the door. It should be Tang Guoping, the commander of the First Army.
"Brother Tang..."
Among the brothers, Tang Guoping was the oldest, so Li Shaoyi used that title when no one else was around. However, the two brothers hadn't seen each other for almost a year, and their eyes welled up with tears as they met again.
Li Shaoyi had aged considerably since they parted, his once handsome face now bearing the marks of time. Tang Guoping, on the other hand, had been doing quite well lately, staying near the northern border, and the Russians dared not cause any trouble, so he had little to worry about. If there was anything bothering him, it was that while the fighting in the south was raging, his army had no opportunity to advance south.
Li Shaoyi had explained this to him many times. "If your army were to march south, just think about the consequences. We went through so much trouble back then to reclaim the grasslands."
If it weren't for your army watching over the north, those wolves certainly wouldn't have left the grasslands to us. All our previous efforts would have been wasted, and we'd have to fight a second, or even a third, war, which might not even be easier than the first.
"Sit down and talk. I should have sent you back to headquarters a long time ago, but as you know, there are some things I can't do. Now that I'm back from Hankou, I have a lot to say."
Li Shaoyi and Tang Guoping were both sitting on the sofa, not at their desks. This indicated that their meeting was between friends, not a typical superior-subordinate work report. Tang Guoping had rushed back this time not only to report to Li Shaoyi but also to try and comfort him, as the incident in Hankou had deeply upset Li Shaoyi.
"General, as long as we have a clear conscience, that's enough. When it comes to killing Japanese devils, no army in the country can compare to us. We're quite a force to be reckoned with among the Japanese. Those guys in Hankou are always plotting against us; they're nothing but a bunch of scoundrels. Isn't this even better now? You're no longer in the same room as them. From now on, we can do whatever we want without worrying about them."
When talking about the officials in Hankou, Tang Guoping shared the same thoughts as others. "We don't need their help, we don't ask them for anything. Everything we have is our own achievement. And now they want to control us? That's ridiculous!"
“Your idea is plausible, but I called you here for another reason. We can’t completely sever ties with the Nationalist government, especially given the backdrop of the War of Resistance. I’ve thought about it, and the liaison office still needs to be maintained, and we need someone with more influence there.”
When Li Shaoyi said this, Tang Guoping immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Within the entire 72nd Army Group, Li Shaoyi certainly wouldn't go back to waste time arguing with those people, but to find someone more influential, it would either be Chief of Staff Cui, or possibly himself. Sending anyone else might make those guys in Shancheng think we were just fooling around.
"General, this is not fair. I was just scolding them for you, and now you want to send me there. I do want to go to the south, but I want to fight in the south, not go to the mountain city to argue with those guys. You know I'm not one of those people. If I have to argue with them every day, I might as well go back to the north and guard the grasslands."
Tang Guoping was basically certain that Li Shaoyi would adjust his job upon his return, but he hadn't expected it to be this kind of adjustment. If he had known this outcome beforehand, he could have simply fired a few shells at the Russian army camp on the other side and stirred up some trouble in the border region, instead of making it seem peaceful on their side.
"Brother Tang, listen to me. I know you don't want to go, but given the current situation of the War of Resistance, my unauthorized return from Hankou has already had an irreversible impact on the national war effort. Some people in various places have begun to disloyalize themselves from the central government, which is good for the Japanese, but not good for us at all. Therefore, I must announce that an office will be re-established in Shancheng, and you will be appointed as its director. In addition, the Nationalist government has also agreed to grant you the rank of lieutenant general and place you in the Military Commission."
This time, because of Li Shaoyi's departure, the Nationalist government truly felt his power. They all felt like they were teetering on the edge. Local warlords were no longer polite; after all, if even someone as meritorious as Li Shaoyi could be so easily manipulated, what were they to them?
We still have some troops at hand, so you won't do anything to us. But what if we lose our troops one day? Wouldn't you then devour us all? In the end, we wouldn't even know what you're planning. This is the last thing any local warlord wants to see.
"If you've already made up your mind, then I'll obey orders. That would be a great honor for my family. However, I have a suggestion regarding the situation in the north. After I leave, it would be best not to set up two separate command structures for the First and Second Armies. I think it would be better to have Koyama command both, to avoid any problems."
Tang Guoping finally made this suggestion to Li Shaoyi: both armies are in the hands of one person?