Chapter 283: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Phase 1 Chapter 283: Haven't You Heard of the Matters of Han Fuqu and Sun Yuanl

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Commander Lu has been traveling all the way here and has come to the frontline to supervise the battle. We've prepared some modest wine to reward you—it's not excessive, not excessive."

Tang Enbo raised his wine cup, smiling broadly. "Normally, the brothers eat whatever they have—coarse rice with pickled vegetables, scallion pancakes are the norm. Today, it's because you've come……"

Lv Muzhi didn't touch his cup. He picked up a piece of trotter skin and put it in his bowl, eating as he said: "I set off from Xuzhou at noon and arrived in Zoucheng in the evening."

"In such a short time, braised sea cucumber with scallions, oil-braised large shrimp, nine-turned large intestines…… just preparing the dishes must take a lot of effort. Indeed, it's divine speed, as fast as the troops' redeployment."

The table fell silent all at once.

Guan Linzhen's wine cup paused in midair, and the others looked at their own bowls, saying nothing.

Tang Enbo's smile froze, then relaxed again. "Commander Lu is joking. These were prepared by the local gentry to comfort us. We……"

"Enough." Lv Muzhi waved his hand. "Since the dishes are ready, not eating them would be a waste. Everyone, start eating. I hate wasting grain the most."

The atmosphere relaxed a little, and everyone raised their chopsticks again.

Lv Muzhi put down his chopsticks after eating half-full, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces. "Speaking of which, we people, from Whampoa Class 1 until now, it's been over ten years."

Guan Linzhen took up the conversation: "Yes, almost fourteen years. When I first entered Whampoa, I just wanted to be a company commander, and bringing honor to my ancestors would be enough. Haha, who would have thought that now……"

"Now you're all ranked as Lieutenant Generals and serve as army commanders." Lv Muzhi finished for him.

"Not just you. Everyone here—who hasn't served the Party and State for over ten years, fighting from the Eastern Expedition to the Northern Expedition…… and now to the War of Resistance?"

Zheng Dongguo laughed. "Commander Lu is right. But if we're talking about who rose fastest, it's still you. Among us, you were the first to wear two stars, and you're the only one to wear three stars."

"Right, right!" Tang Enbo hurriedly raised his cup. "Today's meal is first to welcome Commander Lu, and second to celebrate Commander Lu's promotion! Come, everyone, raise your cups together to celebrate Commander Lu's promotion!"

Everyone at the table stood up, raised their cups, and looked toward Lv Muzhi.

But Lv Muzhi didn't move. He sat in his chair and said: "This wine, I can't drink it."

Guan Linzhen was stunned. "Commander Lu, you mean……"

"Guan Army Commander," Lv Muzhi looked at him. "Now that you're a Lieutenant General commanding an army, are you satisfied?"

"So you'd rather stay safe in the rear and not fight to the death—fewer battles mean fewer deaths, fewer deaths mean fewer casualties?"

Guan Linzhen's expression changed, and he slammed his cup heavily on the table. "Commander Lu! What do you mean by these words?"

"You can kill me, but you can't insult me! I, Guan Linzhen, have spent half my life in war. Which battle did I avoid? Which battle did I fear death in?"

Lv Muzhi countered: "Not afraid of death? Then what about Jining! The theater command ordered you to hold for five days, but you withdrew in one day. Could you not hold it? Or did you not want to hold it?"

The table fell completely silent.

Tang Enbo put down his cup and said quietly: "Commander Lu, these are all our own people here, so I'll say it directly. The retreat from Jining…… actually was the Old Man's idea."

"It's all about luring the enemy deeper anyway. We run, the devils chase. The Old Man was worried the Twenty Army Group would suffer too many losses, so he told us to fall back a bit……"

Lv Muzhi waved his hand. "The Deputy Commander-in-Chief's idea? I don't know that! Anyway, I didn't receive a telegram. I only know that I am the Deputy Theater Commander."

"What I saw in Xuzhou was you, Tang Army Group Commander, outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying the theater command. It was the Twenty Army Group having the ability but not trying their best. It was preserving strength and passively resisting the war!"

"Commander Lu!" Tang Enbo was somewhat displeased. "These words are too heavy, aren't they? As things stand, the devils are still maintaining an aggressive offensive posture. The plan to lure the enemy deeper can still be implemented smoothly."

Lv Muzhi sat down again, picked up the wine jug, poured himself a cup, but didn't drink. He just watched the wine swirling in the cup.

"I am the Deputy Theater Commander, and you are all my old classmates and old comrades-in-arms."

"But today, what do I see? I see that none of you take this Deputy Theater Commander seriously. It breaks my heart!"

"When your Twenty Army Group retreated, Li Zongren even mocked our Whampoa soldiers for being useless right in front of me. I lost face, and my heart was torn apart!"

As Lv Muzhi spoke, he clutched his chest, looking heartbroken and indignant.

Guan Linzhen slammed the table. "How dare they?! The Gui clique doesn't take our Whampoa soldiers seriously at all!"

Zheng Dongguo also expressed his stance: "Commander Lu, rest assured. In the Fifth War Zone, you are the Central Government, you are the representative of Whampoa. All our old classmates in the Twenty Army Group absolutely respect and support you!"

"Good." Lv Muzhi immediately regained his calm look, raised his eyes, and asked: "How many days do you plan to defend Zoucheng?"

Tang Enbo opened his mouth, feeling something was wrong, but before he could speak, Lv Muzhi spoke for him:

"Five days." Lv Muzhi held out a finger. "Not one day less, not one hour short."

Guan Linzhen stood up directly. He was tall, and everyone looked up to him.

"Five days then! My Fifty-Second Army's two divisions—in these five days, if Isogaya Division wants to pass through me, they'll have to step over my corpse!"

Lv Muzhi looked at him. "Guan Army Commander, is this true?"

"True!" Guan Linzhen raised the cup on the table, drank it in one gulp, then smashed the cup to pieces on the ground. "I, Guan Linzhen, keep my word. If half of it is false, let it be like this cup!"

Lv Muzhi then looked at Wang Zhonglian. "Wang Army Commander?"

Wang Zhonglian was silent for two seconds, then stood up and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Five days. If I'm short by even one day, I, Wang Zhonglian, will bring my head to you."

"Division Commander Zheng? Division Commander Zhang? Division Commander Chen? Division Commander Zhang?" Lv Muzhi called them out one by one.

Zheng Dongguo, Zhang Yaoming, Chen Daqing, Zhang Xuezhong—the four division commanders all stood up, straightening their backs:

"We swear to defend Zoucheng for five days!"

After everyone finished the wine in their cups, they followed suit and smashed their cups on the ground.

Only Tang Enbo remained seated at the table, looking at a loss.

Unexpectedly, the bond among these Whampoa Class 1 graduates was so strong that Tang Enbo now felt like an outsider!

After everyone dispersed, Tang Enbo sat down beside Lv Muzhi and asked: "What if the Old Man sends a telegram ordering me to retreat again to preserve the army?"

Lv Muzhi was not polite this time: "You won't express your determination and refuse him?! Or did you originally want to preserve your strength?"

"You might not like what I'm saying, but your troops can be replenished if lost. The opportunity to annihilate Isogaya Division is very rare."

Tang Enbo asked again: "You know the Old Man's temper too. Many Central Army troops were lost in Songhu and Jinling. He feels the pain. We should understand him."

"Twenty Army Group Commander, you show consideration for him and let the Isogaya Division escape — who will show consideration for the old common people of Shandong?"

"But..." Tang Enbo still wanted to argue, and Lv Muzhi directly covered his mouth.

"Have you not heard of the affairs of Han Fuqu and Sun Yuanlang?"

"What?" Tang Enbo's face changed greatly in alarm.

Lv Muzhi repeated once more: "Have you not heard of the affairs of Han Fuqu and Sun Yuanlang? If the Twenty Army Group does not obey the orders of the War Zone Headquarters again, then you, Twenty Army Group Commander, will meet the same end as those two!"