Chapter 326

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

An Bang's words reached Li Yunhang's ears. He only caught a few key words: Youth Corps Lu Commander, and his heart gave a thump.

At this moment, a messenger drenched from head to toe ran up to the lectern and whispered in a low voice: "Commander, the Youth Corps has sent someone."

Li Yunhang glared at the messenger and snapped: "Nonsense! The person is right before my eyes, why did you only come to report now?"

The messenger said aggrievedly: "They took a car, I walked, how can it be the same!"

Li Yunhang said no more, walked down from the lectern and asked: "Commander An, what did you mean just now by taking over Ma Dang Fortress?"

An Bang replied: "Exactly what it says. The core battery of Ma Dang Fortress will henceforth be garrisoned by my Youth Corps Jiang Defense Marine Corps."

Li Yunhang spread his hands: "Then what about me? I am the commander of Ma Dang Fortress."

"You remain the commander of the 16th Army, commanding your subordinate 53rd Division and 167th Division, coordinating in the Ma Dang defense battle."

Li Yunhang widened his eyes; as an army lieutenant general, he was one rank higher than the marine major general An Bang before him.

In terms of seniority, he had joined the Revolutionary Army during the War to Protect the Law, and had not missed a single war since; his seniority was extremely old.

He said with disdain: "By your meaning, this old fellow still has to take your command?"

An Bang calmly replied: "You are an old-timer, of course you need not take my command. You and I belong to the army and navy respectively, originally different sequences, and there is no question of who commands whom. We only have a common superior."

Li Yunhang questioned: "Superior? My superior is the Ninth War Zone Headquarters! The war zone commander has not ordered the core defense zone handed over to your marine corps."

"Ma Dang Fortress is now under upgraded management, directly under the Military Commission; specifically as to individuals, it is directly coordinated and commanded by Lu Commander in Wuhan."

Li Yunhang was stunned. Upgraded management?

This showed the higher-ups attached extreme importance to Ma Dang, even sending a Second-Class General to command directly.

He immediately put away his contempt and said: "I see, this is the honor of all officers and men of Ma Dang! It is not convenient to discuss in detail here, please come to my office..."

An Bang raised his hand to interrupt: "No need, let's cut the small talk. Since I have been ordered to take over Ma Dang Battery, I must first go inspect the battery. Lu Commander's telegram should have arrived; please check it."

Watching An Bang's departing back, Li Yunhang was stunned, and looked back at several senior officers under him, who also looked at a loss.

This fellow, actually giving him so little face?

After returning to the office, a brigade commander of the 53rd Division of the 16th Army said: "Look at how capable that surnamed An is; a person who is arrogant will have heaven collect on it. Our army commander is also an old veteran, isn't he?"

Li Yunhang was also very dissatisfied and said: "I have been in the army longer than that Lv Muzhi has been alive, and he actually dares to slight me like this, casually planting his own confidants on my frontline—this is too much!

Division Commander Xue, you are also from Whampoa Class 1; what do you think? What tricks is this Lu Commander playing after all?"

167th Division Commander Xue Weiying said: "Hard to say. Lu Commander is still relatively respectful toward military seniors. Perhaps you offended him somewhere?"

Li Yunhang said: "I have had no dealings with this Lu Commander at all!"

As a classmate from the same period as Lv Muzhi, Xue Weiying thought of Sun Yuanlang, who had been executed by firing squad not long ago, shrank his neck, and suddenly shivered.

Xue Weiying speculated: "We'd better be careful... even Second-Class General Han Fuqu was killed, and big shot Sun Yuanlang couldn't escape death either;

that Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, I think we should hurry and shut it down; keeping a low profile is always right..."

At this moment, a communications soldier came over and said: "Military Commission Lu Commander's telegraphic order!"

Li Yunhang hurriedly took it to read. After reading it, he tremblingly placed the telegram paper on the desk: "Good that it came, good that it came; I almost ruined a big thing!"

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Ma Dang Battery was built relying on Maguan Mountain, with three upper and lower levels, installing dozens of large-caliber shore defense cannons, coordinating with thirty thousand garrison troops to directly cut off the Yangtze River.

An Bang carefully inspected the artillerymen's duty performance and gun maintenance inside the battery.

The result satisfied him.

Many of the guns of Ma Dang Fortress were transferred from Jiangyin Fortress; those six 406mm shore defense cannons that had shown great power in Jiangyin had also been put in place. The soldiers on night duty were highly vigilant, and the maintenance of the cannons was very good.

More than half of the men in the battery were veterans transferred from Jiangyin Battery. Seeing An Bang, they were very surprised: "Commander An, you've come too?!"

An Bang smiled: "We fought the devils together in Jiangyin back then; now in Ma Dang, we fight side by side again. I brought four thousand men and horses over."

The officers and men's morale was greatly boosted; after all, old subordinates were easiest to use.

An Bang looked around and asked: "Didn't you go to the 16th Army's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University training class?"

An artillery captain answered: "The training class was only conducted within the 16th Army. They did invite us to attend, but since we are not part of their establishment, we made excuses and didn't go."

"Not only us; the Marine Corps Second Battalion garrisoned at the forward Changshan Position belongs to the navy sequence and also did not attend political study."

An Bang nodded—looking at it this way, there were still many reliable forces in the Battle of Ma Dang.

Li Yunhang then brought the officers into the battery, smiling and saying: "Commander An, my Anti-Japanese Military and Political University First Phase graduation ceremony is in two days; you must honor us with your presence."

An Bang instead asked calmly: "Army Commander Li, shouldn't you have received Lu Commander's telegraphic order?"

Li Yunhang nodded: "I have received it. Let's find a secluded place to talk."

In the end, An Bang chose to go with Li Yunhang by automobile to inspect the frontline, and the two talked along the way in the car.

In the car, Li Yunhang said with some anguish: "Good that you came in time. This Anti-Japanese Military and Political University I set up—unexpectedly it has caused such a mess!"

An Bang said: "Even Commander Xue Yue, over a hundred li away, knows you're holding a graduation ceremony. The little devils are stationed in Anqing, only seventy-plus kilometers away, yet have not launched an attack; they are probably gathering intelligence on the garrison of Ma Dang Fortress.

You want all officers above company rank to attend the graduation ceremony two days from now—could the little devils not know?

If the Japanese army takes the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, resulting in the loss of Ma Dang, I'm afraid your old general's later years will be tarnished!"

Li Yunhang's face turned half red. Thinking about it, he had indeed been getting carried away recently. He originally wanted to show off his mastery of both civil and military affairs and take the opportunity to show off his theoretical level, but instead exposed his own weakness.

He had fought battles all his life; at sixty-one years old, he had just sat in the army commander position and hadn't had time to enjoy himself. If Ma Dang Fortress tarnished his reputation, even if Vice Commander didn't kill him, he would still live with regret for the rest of his life.

An Bang said: "The graduation ceremony will still be held openly, just to deceive the devils."

Li Yunhang nodded and said: "Thank you, Central Government, for giving me this opportunity."

An Bang glanced sideways at Li Yunhang, full of white hair beside him, and said: "Originally the Ninth War Zone planned to replace the commander of the 16th Army. After all, at your age of sixty-one, you should retire."

Li Yunhang was greatly alarmed. With a great enemy before them, if he dared retire in the face of battle, others would say he feared the enemy like a tiger, greedy for life and afraid of death!

To lose one's integrity in old age is truly lamentable.

"But Lu Commander believes you still command great prestige in the Sixteenth Army, which is why he sent me here. The two of us will work together with one heart to defend Ma Dang Fortress!"

Li Yunhang placed his hand on the car window and exhaled, holding deep respect in his heart for Lu Commander, that junior far away in Wuhan.