Chapter 385: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 395 Deserter

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Hesitating and fidgeting, like what kind of soldier!" the old man scolded.

The rest all stopped arguing, Lady Song standing to one side, somewhat helpless.

"Jiang Dingwen, obey orders, you shall immediately take up the post of Deputy Commander of the First War Zone, Provincial Chairman of Henan Province, concurrently serving as Commander of the E-Yu-Wan Border Area Command, your headquarters temporarily stationed at Xinyang at the north foot of the Dabie Mountains.

Prevent the Japanese Central China Expeditionary Army from detouring via Xinyang at the north foot of the Dabie Mountains to attack Wuhan southward!

Tang Enbo's Thirty-First Group Army is directly placed under your command!"

Upon hearing this, both Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo were stunned.

Tang Enbo stammered, "I... I have to go too?"

Xinyang is located at the southern border of Henan, logically belonging to Lv Muzhi's territory.

Ordering Jiang Dingwen to bring Tang Enbo's Thirty-First Group Army into Xinyang, the old man revealed his two purposes.

"First, to prevent the devils from doing like the previous Higashikuni Palace, along the corridor between the north foot of the Dabie Mountains and the Huai River, attacking from Hefei in the east to ambush Wuhan.

Second, to facilitate the subsequent eastward advance into Anhui to recover lost territory there.

When the time is ripe, Wei Yue counterattacks North China, you two advance east from Xinyang to counterattack Central China, coordinating with each other!"

The old man said all this, but had no connection with Lv Muzhi as Lady Song had said.

Meanwhile, at the Japanese North China Area Army Headquarters.

Front Army Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki stared at the map, his back to Independent Mixed 13th Brigade Commander Major General Kizawa Tadamin.

"You mean, you clung to a piece of wood, successfully crossed the Yellow River, and escaped from the clutches of the Youth Army?"

Hearing Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki's question, Major General Kizawa Tadamin lowered his head and answered, "Yes, at that time my mind was full of thoughts of preserving my useful body, to lead troops one day and counterattack back!"

Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki turned around and cursed, "Cowardly thing, the entire brigade was annihilated, Independent Mixed 13th Brigade only you, the brigade commander, ran back!"

Kizawa Tadamin felt somewhat embarrassed, keeping his head down without a word.

Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki continued cursing, "You still want to counterattack back, without troops, you counterattack back by yourself!"

Kizawa Tadamin asked, "The 21st Division and Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade... did they not successfully break out?"

Hearing this, Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki became angry, "Major General Kizawa Tadamin, if you had delayed them for half a day more at Lanfeng City, perhaps many of them could have escaped with their lives!"

"You sinner, this battle was fought into a mess, less than thirty percent of the soldiers escaped with their lives!"

"In less than a day, over fifty thousand of our soldiers were routed, most of them captured!"

"Even over fifty thousand pigs, placed on the Longhai Railway Line, the Youth Army couldn't catch them all in a month!"

Kizawa Tadamin felt ashamed and desperately explained, "The Youth Army's strength is incomparable to before; with our current strength, it is truly difficult to resist!"

"If we do not wake up and launch army reform, by this time next year, I fear there will no longer be a North China Area Army!"

Kizawa Tadamin's words made Chief of Staff of the North China Area Army Yamashita Tomoyuki greatly agree.

Actually, he himself did not want to pursue the returned Kizawa Tadamin too much.

Frontline troops were being destroyed en masse, not only were soldiers becoming scarce, but officers were also becoming scarce.

Large numbers of Japanese soldiers became prisoners of the Youth Army, which already explained a serious problem: having lost the stimulation of capturing cities and seizing territory, the bottom-level soldiers of the army began to feel disgust toward war!

This could not be solved by simply dealing with a few deserters.

The higher-ups had long since reached a conclusion regarding Kizawa Tadamin's behavior and decided to let him off.

"Your Excellency Kizawa Tadamin, you crossed the Yellow River with a piece of wood; I think you still have some ability. Now is the time to use people, and I will show you leniency, ordering you to redeem your merits through service!"

Kizawa Tadamin was overjoyed; unexpectedly, despite being a deserter, he was not subjected to military law punishment!

"Our establishment is insufficient; the Front Army has decided to gather the soldiers who escaped from Lanfeng, plus new recruits replenished from the homeland, to rebuild the 21st Division!"

"As for you, I congratulate you; you are promoted to Lieutenant General Division Commander of the 21st Division. Escaping with your life from the hands of the Youth Army, you are simply a legendary figure!"

Newspapers in the homeland have already run special reports on your deeds, encouraging young people to actively serve in the military and participate in the Holy War!"

After speaking, Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki took out a newspaper and handed it to Kizawa Tadamin.

Kizawa Tadamin felt as if in a dream; Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki changed his face too quickly!

Unfolding the newspaper with a puzzled look, he began reading.

In the domestic reports, Kizawa Tadamin was portrayed as a general of both wisdom and courage.

Leading troops to stubbornly block the Youth Army at Lanfeng City, facing the Youth Army's "atrocious" attacks, Kizawa Tadamin's Independent Mixed 13th Brigade finally fought to exhaustion.

With no other choice, Major General Kizawa Tadamin threw himself into the Yellow River to commit suicide.

Unexpectedly, the major general was favored by heaven's will and successfully drifted to the opposite bank of the Yellow River; after landing, the major general even used a rifle to shoot dead several Youth Army soldiers on the opposite bank, then collapsed from exhaustion on the north bank of the Yellow River...

The whole story was convoluted and bizarre, so much so that Kizawa Tadamin himself felt extremely ashamed, his old face turning red.

The special report also included an illustration, showing thunder rolling over the Yellow River, Youth Army soldiers on the south bank frightened out of their wits with distorted expressions, while Major General Kizawa Tadamin on the north bank looked majestic...

A deserter like me, how did I become a national hero?!

Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki patted Kizawa Tadamin's shoulder and said, "Only we few know the truth; in such difficult times, our people need heroes.

At least you are one of the few generals who escaped from the hands of the Youth Army; let you be this hero!"

Kizawa Tadamin walked out of the Front Army Headquarters in a daze; himself a deserter major general, actually promoted to a household-name lieutenant general division commander!

Only Chief of Staff Yamashita Tomoyuki sighed within the headquarters: war after war lost, the Japanese Army could only be forced to create gods; where exactly should this war go?

Xinyang, City North Airport.

Yet beside the airport runway it was very lively.

Red and green flags fluttered in the wind; under the temporary reception canopy, dozens of well-dressed figures gathered.

Most were prominent local merchants, landlords, and gentry from Xinyang and the surrounding counties and townships, several bearing titles from the chamber of commerce and the hometown association.

People gathered in twos and threes, whispering in conversation, their gazes frequently turning eagerly toward the sky.

"Listen, they're here, they're here!" Wang Baiwan, a grain shop owner dressed in a silk mandarin jacket with a jade thumb ring on his finger, pointed at the airplane in the sky and shouted happily.

"Finally they've come! These past few months, life has truly been hard."

Landlord Maodetang took up the conversation: "Who says it isn't! That Youth Army man Chen Minren has a group of military police under him, their hands reaching far too long!"

My ten-plus mou of land have been measured again and again by his soldiers.

His so-called Anti-Japanese National Salvation Public Grain is nothing but robbing the rich to feed the soldiers!