newbobooks Chapter 299 Teaching
Chapter 299 Teaching
That evening, Tang Weiguo hosted a grand banquet for the division commander and his entourage.
"Thank you all for your hard work over the next two weeks!" I'll drink this in one gulp. Tang Weiguo, at the dinner table, downed his drink in one go to his division commander and the others.
"We are here to serve the emperor, so please rest assured, Commander Tang, we will teach you properly." After saying this, the division commander led everyone in drinking the wine in one gulp.
"Thank you everyone, come on, sit down and have some food." Tang Weiguo said, urging everyone to eat.
In order to influence what happened the next day, everyone simply drank a little bit of baijiu (Chinese liquor) as a token gesture.
The banquet ended quickly amidst the clinking of glasses.
The division commander and his entourage were arranged by Tang Weiguo to rest in a specially prepared room, which was not far from Tang Weiguo's residence.
In the evening, the brigade commander came to the division commander's room for a chat.
"Commander, this Wolong Upper Brigade headquarters is truly extraordinary."
"I can see that the outer defenses of the entire Wolong Mountain are very well arranged, with various firing points distributed in a cross pattern. I've only seen this kind of defensive layout at the National Government."
"Yes, Commander, if the Japanese dare to attack here head-on, they'll really knock out a few of their teeth."
"Moreover, I'm afraid that Wolong Mountain is not as simple as it seems on the surface."
"Oh, I wonder what the division commander discovered."
“Based on the buildings visible on Wolong Mountain, they cannot accommodate so many people. I speculate that they must have underground fortifications.”
"Given Tang Weiguo's work ethic, it's impossible that he would only build simple underground fortifications. I suspect he must have transformed Wolong Mountain into an underground fortress."
"Do they have that much manpower and resources?"
"Xiao Chen, don't forget, the Independent Brigade paid a large amount of gold."
"The batch of gold that Li Yunfei handed over has already shocked people in northern Shaanxi."
"With that batch of gold, the overall situation of our Eighth Route Army has improved somewhat."
"The Independent Brigade has captured so much gold that it is more than enough to build a large fortress."
“If that’s the case, we will have to reassess the actual combat capabilities of the independent brigade,” the brigade commander said solemnly.
"Given the current strength of the Independent Brigade, by holding the Wolong Mountain position, I believe they are confident they can tie down at least one division of Japanese troops," the division commander continued to speculate.
"So many?" Brigade Commander Chen asked, somewhat shocked.
"Commander, if the Independent Brigade can tie down a division of Japanese troops, the overall situation of the War of Resistance in Shanxi will change significantly, and at least the survival situation of our Eighth Route Army will be much better."
"That's right. When we get back this time, I'm going to report to the leaders in northern Shaanxi. Our Eighth Route Army needs to re-evaluate this unit."
"Xiao Chen, what do you think is the biggest need for independent travel right now?"
"Military officer?"
“That’s right, otherwise Commander Tang wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to organize this training course.”
"Commander, what should we do then? Send a permanent instructor?"
"That's one way, but it's too slow to take effect. If we could support a group of junior and mid-level military officers, it would greatly improve the combat effectiveness of the independent brigade."
"Support military cadres?"
Would the Independent Brigade agree?
Based on Li Yunfei's long-term interactions with the Independent Brigade, I judge that the Independent Brigade is still close to us.
“If the cadres we are supporting were to leave us, I think Commander Tang would most likely accept it.”
"To break away from us?" The brigade commander was shocked by the division commander's audacious idea.
If we support a group of cadres, it will have three benefits for us.
"First, it can deepen our relationship and give us a powerful ally in northern Shaanxi, preventing us from fighting alone."
"Secondly, with this group of cadres here, there won't be much conflict between us and the Independent Brigade, and we won't have to worry about the Independent Brigade betraying us."
"Thirdly, and very importantly, it greatly enhances the combat effectiveness of the independent brigade, making it more attractive to the Japanese and tying down more of them. This is a chance for our Eighth Route Army to catch its breath."
"Commander, will the people in northern Shaanxi agree to this?"
“I will report this matter to them personally.”
“I’ll go too.” The brigade commander gave the division commander a firm look.
"it is good."
The next morning, the newly renovated classroom welcomed its first batch of students.
All commanding officers of the Independent Brigade are in place.
"Today, our Independent Brigade is fortunate to have invited our friendly forces' Division Commander Liu and Brigade Commander Chen to give us a two-week training course."
"During these two weeks, I hope everyone will follow the instructors and learn diligently."
"Yes," the students below the stage replied in unison.
"Alright, now let's welcome Commander Liu to speak to everyone."
A round of enthusiastic applause followed.
After the applause subsided, Commander Liu stepped onto the stage and addressed the audience.
"Good morning, fellow trainees. I am here to give a lecture at the invitation of Brigade Commander Tang."
"What I want to say here is that I am not here to give lectures, but to exchange ideas with everyone with the idea of mutual learning."
"Before I came here, I learned that everyone had fought against the Japanese invaders in the Wolong Mountain area and had few defeats."
"Here, I also want to learn from everyone how to fight the Japanese invaders."
“There’s a sentence from the university I attended that I remember very well.”
"That's what the statement says."
"All tactics must be adapted to the specific historical period. If new weapons emerge, the organization and command methods of the army must also change accordingly."
Therefore, our strategies for fighting the Japanese invaders also need to be constantly updated.
"On this point, we would like to discuss combat tactics with everyone." As he spoke, Commander Liu's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Tang Weiguo.
"I've rambled on a bit, now I'll get to the lecture content."
"If there's anything I said that's incorrect, please point it out."
"In my many years of military service, I have condensed my combat thinking into five words."
"That is, the Five Elements that I often talk about."
"What are the Five Elements? They are the mission, our situation, the enemy's situation, time, and terrain."
"The mission is the objective of the operation. To achieve this objective, we need to understand the enemy's intelligence and anticipate their tactics in advance."
"Then we examine our own situation: are we capable of fighting, and are we capable of winning?"
"In addition, the timing and location of the operation must also be considered."
"In every battle, I analyze my strategy for leading troops from these five aspects."
"In the days to come, I will focus on these five aspects and explain them to you in detail."
On the stage, Commander Liu quoted extensively from classical texts and spoke eloquently.
The trainees took notes attentively in the audience.
The only sounds in the classroom were Commander Liu's lecture and the rustling of students taking notes.