sjar Chapter 1099 Time to Take a Break
Chapter 1099 Time to Take a Break
Ludong Provincial Capital Airport
Li Shaoyi's plane will make a brief stop here after taking off from Pujiang, and will soon fly to the military base in the north. There's no need for Li Shaoyi to oversee things here; if Ma Leizi can't handle it himself, he can be dismissed and investigated immediately.
"Big brother."
After the plane came to a stop, Ma Leizi was already standing respectfully to the side. He knew that so much had happened and Li Shaoyi was not in a good mood, so he put away his usual manner. The brothers may joke around, but they all understood each other's feelings.
"You don't need to act like this. I know I'm in a bad mood, but I won't take it out on you. You've done a good job lately, but you should be prepared to retreat in the coming period."
Li Shaoyi had only considered the situation in Pujiang and hadn't taken Maleizi into account. Now that the troops in Pujiang have withdrawn, some will go up the Yangtze River and others will start heading north to join forces with the Second Army to attack Maleizi. This is obvious.
This was the Japanese strategy before, but the Japanese troops on the Huangpu River couldn't spare any men; their forces were essentially tied down. If they wanted to send troops north, they would have to abandon the Huangpu River, which didn't align with their strategy, so they kept delaying. Now that both the National Revolutionary Army and the 72nd Army have retreated, it's impossible to continue delaying, and the Second Army is also urging them to move north.
This is different from the previous situation. When the Second Army was first established, they boasted that Ma Leizi, an unknown soldier, was not to be feared. They believed that given two or three months, they could open up the Jinpu Railway and possibly even severely damage or annihilate the 4th Division of the 72nd Army.
Even the least knowledgeable military personnel in the Second Army probably wouldn't say this now. They've set up such a strong defensive line along the Yellow River. No matter what you try to do, you'll always be driven back. Moreover, there are small detachments of them operating in the nooks and crannies on the north bank of the Yellow River. Now, the Japanese soldiers in the north don't dare to go out alone, for fear of running into Ma Leizi's small detachments, which would be a death sentence.
"Those damned bastards in Jinling, if you ask me, we should tie them all up and shoot them one by one to go to target practice. I don't know what these guys are thinking. The Japanese didn't drive us to the brink of despair, but they did. If it weren't for our good transportation, we'd probably be trapped in the Huangpu River by now. These bastards want us all to die in the Huangpu River."
Ma Leizi said viciously.
Is this what the high command in Nanjing was thinking? Everyone understands that Li Shaoyi is gradually becoming out of control. According to these people's ideas, the National Army should retreat quickly, leaving Li Shaoyi and the Japanese to fight each other on the Huangpu River. After the fighting is over, power will basically be back.
However, Li Shaoyi wasn't stupid. Everyone thought he was reckless and wouldn't retreat so easily; he would definitely reinforce his troops from the north. He would then hold the Huangpu River without any other military support. This way, Li Shaoyi's main force would be tied down in Huangpu, freeing up the Nationalist government's resources.
Unfortunately, Li Shaoyi did not follow their script. After these people had all retreated, Li Shaoyi was powerless to reverse the situation. Even if he brought his main force, given the current nature of the Japanese, they would continue to reinforce Pujiang. Wave after wave of attrition would eventually allow the Nationalist government's treacherous scheme to succeed.
Of course, if they could truly withstand the Japanese attack, Li Shaoyi wouldn't care about losing his forces, since the army was formed for the purpose of resisting Japan. The problem was, however, that they couldn't truly stop the gap between the two countries. Li Shaoyi understood this perfectly well; such a long-standing gap couldn't be bridged by a single system, and war was far more than just a purely military affair.
So, after careful consideration, Li Shaoyi assembled a large number of vehicles from various locations. What difference would it make if you left a couple of days earlier? I have plenty of transportation here, and it's quite advanced. While you're still on the road, my men have already flown back to the base in the north. In terms of speed, you're far behind.
"Don't worry about them. None of these people have any good intentions. Some of our people are going to retreat to your territory. Don't let them go to the battlefield for the time being. These people have fought hard enough in Pujiang. Give them a long leave to rest. As long as their hometown is not in Japanese-occupied territory, give them a leave if they want to go home. For those in Japanese-occupied territory, try to help them move their families out."
Li Shaoyi's men were indeed exhausted, having been in combat for months. Although their rotation policy was relatively good, even with rotations, they faced the constant threat of being conscripted. Their nerves were constantly on edge. Now, even after retreating to the rear, there was still fighting in Ma Lei Zi. However, they needed time to rest; otherwise, the constant tension might cripple some of them, which was not what Li Shaoyi wanted. These were the most valuable assets on the battlefield.
Speaking of this, a smile still appeared on Li Shaoyi's face. This trip to Huangpu wasn't a waste; at least we brought back tens of thousands of troops. These men were the elite of their respective units, and many conscientious officers had deliberately left them behind. They had realized that the Nationalist government had once again stabbed Li Shaoyi in the back. We couldn't make decisions on major matters, but leaving a thousand or so of our men to Commander Li was no problem.
Li Shaoyi has already transported all these people back to the north. After careful screening, some impurities were removed, and the rest can be assigned to the army as platoon leaders. This is the greatest asset they have gained from the battlefield. The soldiers who follow them will be able to quickly become familiar with the real battlefield and won't be intimidated on their first time on the battlefield.
"No problem, I'll arrange for them to take leave to visit their families right away. But you also need to think more positively. Pujiang is dead, but our brothers are alive. We'll fight the Japanese no matter where we are in the future. These guys won't get the upper hand in our hands."
Seeing Li Shaoyi's smile, Ma Leizi breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Li Shaoyi might be uncomfortable about this. If that were the case, it would affect the entire 72nd Army.
However, Ma Leizi recently heard some news that the 72nd Army may be expanded again, and after this battle, it should become the 72nd Group Army...