Chapter 24 Rewards and Punishments
"Why, you still can't figure out why the Supreme Command transferred you from the position of Army Group Commander?"
Looking at Zhang Zizhong with a gloomy face in front of him, Dai Jiliang first poured him a cup of tea.
"Don't make blind guesses. I was the one who suggested this. Don't you know why?"
Dai Jiliang's voice suddenly became louder.
"You are the commander of the army group, not the commander of a regiment or battalion. You are going to the front line to show off. It's okay this time, but if you are surrounded by the Japanese, what will happen to the defense of Pingjing Pass?"
Looking at Zhang Zizhong who was still stubborn, Dai Jiliang reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
"I understand what you're thinking. Isn't it because I was a little close to the Japanese that people called me a traitor behind my back? If we talk about being close to the Japanese, didn't I borrow money from Xiaobizi, buy arms, and sell oil to him? Didn't people say I was a traitor?"
Zhang Zizhong's expression softened a little: "Your Excellency is concerned about me, and I appreciate it, but I don't want to be the deputy director of education at a military academy. I still want to command the troops on the front line and fight the Japanese with real guns and swords."
"I will not agree to your request."
Dai Jiliang leaned back on the sofa.
“You must reflect deeply on your mistakes.”
Seeing Zhang Zizhong's flushed face, Dai Jiliang asked back.
"Are you worried that Northwest will eat up your team, or are you worried that Liu Ziliang, who comes from the same school, will take over your team?"
These words hit the point. Zhang Zizhong's expression became stern, but he soon realized that the man in front of him was not his subordinate, nor was he his nominal superior Song Zheyuan, but a big man of the same generation as his former master Feng Yuxiang, and now the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Anti-Japanese National Defense Army, who is known as the two giants of the anti-Japanese war together with the one in the south.
Zhang Zizhong's expression softened again, but it didn't mean that he succumbed to Dai Jiliang's pressure: "Your Excellency, please forgive me for being disrespectful, but I would like to ask you why the Military and Political Committee dismissed Huang Zhensan's positions as army commander and division commander as well?"
"To correct one thing, it's not a vacancy, just a temporary resignation."
Dai Jiliang responded with a serious expression.
"From the results of the two battles in northwestern Hubei, a considerable number of our army's commanders are not adapted to modern warfare and must be trained one by one. At present, the Military Commission has instructed the Northwest Army School and the two National Defense Colleges to open a one-year rotation training course for middle and senior officers. Huang Weigang is the first cadre above the division level selected by the 12th Army Group."
Zhang Zizhong was stunned. He had not expected Dai Jiliang to explain it this way, and was speechless.
At this moment, Dai Jiliang put down the cup he had taken a sip of and said seriously: "Brother Xu Chen, I approve of your military management, but you can't be complacent. The Japanese are just the weakest among the great powers. I hope you can enrich your knowledge during your tenure as deputy dean of the Army School and prepare yourself to command more and stronger troops in the future." Zhang Zizhong stood up, put on his hat, saluted Dai Jiliang, and then turned and walked out. As soon as he came out, E Tao walked in: "Only your Excellency can tame this stubborn donkey Zhang Zizhong."
After a little flattery, E Tao said, "Brother Binnan has really taken ruthless action this time. Liu Wenhui will probably fly over as well."
"Just fly over here."
Dai Jiliang waved his hand disapprovingly.
"The battle of Sui-Zao was so tragic. If we don't investigate, how can we control the troops below? Is it possible that our principle of rewarding meritorious deeds and punishing faults is just a lie?"
"That's true, but it's fine to disband the 15th Army, but isn't it a bit too much to disband the 47th Army as well?"
Obviously E Tao still had some opinions about Zhang Binnan's decision.
"At least Leng Yindong fought hard in Hebei, Shandong and Henan, and Liu Yuanzhang will have to be accommodated."
"How can the good performance of Hebei, Shandong and Henan be related to the poor performance of Hunan, Hubei, Bashu and Sichuan?"
Dai Jiliang's attitude can be clearly detected from this rhetorical question. As a result, E Tao couldn't say anything else. However, Dai Jiliang fell into deep thought at this time.
"Brother Zhi's words also make sense. Let's give a jujube after giving a slap. The 47th Army will still be abolished. A new reserve 6th Army will be established within the 10th Corps. Liu Yuanzhang will be transferred as the deputy commander of the 10th Corps. Xia Shouxun, the former deputy commander of the 10th Corps, will be the commander of the reserve 6th Army. Peng Can, the chief of staff of the 10th Corps, will be the deputy commander. Huang Ao, the former chief of staff of the 47th Army, will be transferred there to continue to serve as the army chief of staff. As for Xiang Chuanyi, Xiang Yuren will give him a military and political committee member and let him retire. Chen Guangzao and Qing Hannan, the deputy commander of the 47th Army, will be transferred to the special class of the Army School."
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
Dai Jiliang has already set the tone, how could he possibly object?
"In addition," E Tao hadn't finished speaking when Song Cheng hurriedly pushed the door open and said, "Chairman E, I'm sorry, I just received an urgent telegram from the Hunan-Hubei-Bashu War Zone. The Chief of Staff of the 56th Army, Li Fuhe, surrendered to the enemy with three regiments."
Li Fuhe was originally the commander of the 5th Cavalry Division of the Northeastern Army. Because of his poor performance in the Great Wall War of Resistance, the Northwest Advisory Group recommended that he be stripped of his power to directly command troops. However, this man was quite scheming and able to endure humiliation, and he also had a good relationship with people in the Northeastern Army system.
Therefore, he was gradually promoted from division chief of staff to army chief of staff. According to what was learned later, this person had contact with Japan in 1937, but he hesitated and did not jump in because he saw that the Northwest still had the strength to compete with Japan.
Now that the war situation is gradually turning unfavorable to China, he naturally has some thoughts.
So after the Japanese army withdrew from the Sui-Zao area, he led his troops out of Sui County and reconnected with the Japanese hidden spies.
The Japanese promised him the opportunity to serve as the chairman of Hubei Province, and the position of commander of the 112th Division that he coveted was awarded to Ma Wanzhen after Li Lanchi's death.
Therefore, he felt that there was no future in the northwest and under Zhang Xueliang, so he used the two battalions of his nephew Li Ying and his old subordinate Wang Hai to force the 2nd Regiment of the 112th Division Wang Yongtai, the 3rd Regiment of the 129th Division Tang De and part of the Northwest Hubei Security Team to openly rebel in Sui County, and then went south to Anlu and Xiaogan to attack the 34th Division of the Japanese Army.
Of course, these are all things that happened later. At this moment, Dai Jiliang did not know the details yet.
"Does Zhang Hanqing know?"
Dai Jiliang's first reaction when he heard the news was revenge, revenge, but the 56th Army was not the direct line of the Northwest after all. With the army commander in front, the war zone in the middle, and Zhang Xueliang at the end, it was not easy for him to interfere.
"What remedial measures does Mou Zhongheng have?"
"Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang doesn't know yet."
In other words, the telegram was delivered to Dai Jiliang as soon as possible.
"Commander Mou reported that he had sent troops to pursue after learning about the incident, but Li Fuhe had already hidden in the Japanese army's protective circle."
"It sounds good , but it actually does nothing."
Dai Jiliang grumbled in dissatisfaction and then ordered Song Cheng.
"Report this news to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang. His troops should be dealt with first."
"yes."
Song Cheng responded, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked cautiously.
"Your Excellency, Li Fuhe's surrender to the enemy has had a great impact on us. The Northeast Army obviously does not have the power to make up for the loss. Should we arrange for the Liaison Department to take action and kill one person to warn the rest to warn those who come after him not to easily become traitors?"
A huge impact? A warning to those who come after? Dai Jiliang smiled faintly. In his previous life, China had the most traitors in the entire Second World War. This was certainly not a population issue. It was impossible to kill them all. In the final analysis, it was still necessary to start with people's worldview and values.
However, what Song Cheng said was not wrong. Although similar situations occurred in Shanxi and Hebei, Li Fuhe's surrender to Japan was the most serious one in terms of harmfulness. Not only did it cause the Hunan-Hubei-Baoshu war zone, which had just been severely damaged, to suffer further heavy losses, but with the addition of a guide, the situation in Hunan-Hubei-Baoshu will become even more difficult in the future.
"Will the Japanese not protect such a precious child?"
Dai Jiliang asked back.
"Ze Gang, how many lives do you think we should exchange for?"
Song Cheng hesitated and didn't dare to respond, so Dai Jiliang gave him some advice.
"It doesn't matter whether Li Fuhe is dead or alive, but we must find a way to get the team he took away back or destroy them. If Li Fuhe is left alone, would you still value him as a Japanese?"
Song Cheng suddenly realized and stepped back. Dai Jiliang looked at E Tao beside him and said, "Brother Zhi, where were we just talking about?"
Just as E Tao was about to answer, Dai Jiliang suddenly said, "It's important to keep things even."
E Tao raised his eyebrows. He and Dai Jiliang were old partners, so he naturally knew what he was thinking. "Your Excellency wants to purge the First Corps? This? Will Han Qing have any objection? Besides, the defense of northwestern Hubei is empty now. If the Japanese army makes a comeback, it is better to be safe."
"After appeasing Zhang Xueliang, do we have to appease Liu Wenhui? If this continues, Yang Hucheng will also ask for an explanation."
Dai Jiliang persisted.
"So this matter not only needs to be dealt with, but also needs to be dealt with more severely, so the 112th Division was disbanded."
E Tao's eyes widened. To lay off an entire division meant a real number of 12,000 people. This punishment was much more severe than just cutting off the legion in name only.
"If Han Qing is dissatisfied, let him come to me directly."
"Since your Excellency has said so, let's do it this way."
E Tao thought about it and obeyed Dai Jiliang's orders out of habit.
"As for Zhang Hanqing, if he makes trouble, Your Majesty, why don't you give him a slap in the face and a date? After all, the Second Army and the Third Corps performed well in Henan. Why not reward them with a reward?"
"Can."
Dai Jiliang nodded.
"We can commend Wang Yizhe and He Zhuguo in the name of the Military Commission, and add four 105mm heavy guns to the 11th Independent Heavy Artillery Regiment. Liu Wenhui's Independent Artillery Regiment under Xu Siping can also be supplemented with one or two companies of 75mm mountain and field guns."
"yes."
E Tao recorded it.
Dai Jiliang thought for a moment and said, "Oh, by the way, what was the point in Brother Zhi's speech when he was interrupted by Song Cheng?"
"Oh, it is this."
