binnovel Chapter 317 Shocking News
Chapter 317 Shocking News
The New 22nd Army has retreated to Sui County in northwest Guangdong for more than ten days. This retreat can be said to be very smooth. The Japanese army, as Zhang Wenwu judged, did not launch any pursuit at all.
The stationing of more than 20,000 people of the new 22nd Army in Sui County has made the already prosperous county economy even more prosperous.
After the war, officers and soldiers took advantage of the rare holiday to hang out in groups of three or five in various restaurants, casinos and brothels in Sui County. However, the officers and soldiers still abided by discipline because the military police were patrolling and on duty in the county all the time.
As the Japanese army continued to slowly invade various parts of Guangdong Province, many civilians flocked to Sui County to escape the war. The new 22nd Army took advantage of this opportunity and set up a number of recruiting stations in various places in Sui County to make up for the losses of previous troops.
In the headquarters of the new 22nd Army, Commander Huang summoned several troop leaders. He had just received a secret telegram from Commander Chen and the theater command. He needed to quickly tell his subordinates the contents of the telegram so that everyone could be prepared.
"Commander Zhang, Chief of Staff Ouyang, come over and have a cigarette. The Chief of Staff has gone to inspect the training of the new recruits and will be back in a while." When Commander Cai of the new 210th Division saw Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng who had just entered the gate of the military headquarters, he enthusiastically called them over to smoke and chat together.
When Zhang Wenwu heard that Chief of Staff Zhao Dong had not returned yet, he walked over to the commanders of the troops with Ouyang Heng, smiling and started smoking.
"Commander Cai, you're here early. Do you know why the commander called us here this time?" After taking two puffs of his cigarette, Zhang Wenwu casually asked Commander Cai.
After hearing Zhang Wenwu's question, Division Commander Cai smiled and shook his head and said, "Brother Zhang, although I came early, I don't know the content of this meeting. However, I guess the troops will be moved to other places."
Zhang Wenwu thought that it might be true as Commander Cai said. After all, the Japanese army was gradually encroaching on the entire Guangdong Province, and there was only one unit, the New 22nd Army, in northwest Guangdong. If such a government-run unit was placed here, the higher-ups would be very worried.
According to normal deployment standards, the first-line troops are generally miscellaneous troops, which mainly serve as early warning. The second line is the powerful troops from various local areas that have combat effectiveness and can consume some of the Japanese army's combat power and morale. At the back are the government's direct troops. Such an arrangement can not only maximize the security of the last line of defense, but also minimize the casualties of the direct troops.
However, this arrangement is also likely to cause major problems between the government's direct troops and local troops.
Local troops and miscellaneous troops believed that the government was deliberately using the Japanese to deplete their own strength, and that they fought desperately only to have the government's own troops reap the benefits.
The government's regular troops were also very dissatisfied with such local factional armies and miscellaneous troops. In some places, the miscellaneous troops had poor combat effectiveness and lax military discipline. When faced with the Japanese attack, they basically collapsed at the first touch, often bringing down the entire line of defense. Moreover, these miscellaneous troops often disturbed the people, bringing a bad image to the entire army.
While a few people were smoking and chatting, Liao Qian, director of the army's political department, also walked over from the military headquarters. When a few people saw Liao Qian walking towards them, they were a little confused.
Although several people knew Director Liao Qian, when it came to friendship, except for Zhang Wenwu, the others had only dealt with him in a casual manner. After all, they were all soldiers and were a little reluctant to have a close relationship with Liao Qian, who was engaged in political work.
"Director Liao, come over and have a cigarette. You've been working hard recently." As a good friend of Liao Qian, Zhang Wenwu naturally took the initiative to greet him.
Liao Qian walked over to the group, took the cigarette Zhang Wenwu handed over, lit it and took two puffs. Zhang Wenwu saw that Liao Qian seemed to be here for a meeting, so he asked curiously, "Director Liao, are you here for a meeting too?"
"Well, the commander notified me to come to a meeting, and I don't know what it is about. You guys have had a relaxing time during this period. I'm in charge of the gendarmerie, and there are a lot of things to do every day." Liao Qian also knew what Zhang Wenwu and the others were thinking, so he directly stated that he didn't know what was going on.
When Zhang Wenwu heard that Liao Qian was also there to attend the meeting, although Liao Qian did not know the specific content of the meeting, Liao Qian's participation made him feel that this meeting was somewhat unusual.
When Chief of Staff Zhao Dong came back from outside, everyone went into the military's conference room and sat down, waiting for Commander Huang's arrival.
After Commander Huang entered the conference room, his adjutant also closed the door of the conference room and stood guard outside the door. Commander Huang looked at everyone in the conference room and said seriously, "Everyone, I called you here today because I have something very important to explain to you. Remember, no written records of the meeting are allowed, and it must not be spread out at will. Do you understand?"
Zhang Wenwu and a group of officers were shocked when they heard Commander Huang's opening remarks. It seemed that what he was going to say today was very important, so they sat up straighter and their expressions became serious.
"Everyone, just now Commander Chen and Commander He of the War Zone sent urgent telegrams to our new 22nd Army. At 8 o'clock this morning, the government official surnamed Wang and his family defected to Hanoi, Vietnam without the government's permission. It is very likely that they surrendered to the Japanese. The highest level of the government requires that all troops must do a good job of their own purge and must not be misled by the traitor Wang. They must strictly investigate the traitor Wang's accomplices and arrest anyone who dares to talk about surrender. No leniency will be shown. According to the order of Commander He of the War Zone, Sui County is now set up as a military control area, and all possible rebels can be arrested and tried." Commander Huang also explained the matter seriously.
As General Huang finished his speech, the entire conference room became eerily quiet. Except for Zhang Wenwu, everyone else was shocked beyond words by General Huang's words.
The government's number two leader actually surrendered to the Japanese. This is unbelievable. Don't you think it's better to be a human here? Why do you have to go to the Japanese and be a dog?
Is this Wang worthy of the soldiers who fought bravely on the front lines? Is he worthy of the officers and soldiers who died in the battle? Is he still a Chinese?
"Please rest assured, Commander. The new 100th Division will definitely carry out political training as required to ensure that there won't be any problems in the troops. That guy named Wang wants to be a dog, but we still have to be upright Chinese people and we will never give up until the Japanese are driven away." Zhang Wenwu was the first to stand up and said indignantly.