Chapter 528: A Self-Redemptive Battle

Li Delin pondered for a moment and said, "Old Deng!"

"Is this matter really not up for negotiation?"

On the other end of the phone, Deng Xihou spoke up: "Old Li, it's not that I won't help you!"

"It's just that my 22nd Group Army really hasn't finished resting and reorganizing yet."

"Furthermore, if the 22nd Group Army of the Ninth War Zone is to be moved north to the Fifth War Zone now, it will also take some time."

"Currently, the unit closest to the Fifth War Zone is my Sichuan Army Second Route Army, the 29th Group Army."

"This group army is led by Wang Zanxu!"

Old Deng had Fan Shaozeng incorporate the remnants of the 88th Army into Wang Zanxu's 29th Group Army.

Throughout the car ride, Yu Hua chatted a lot with Wang Zanxu, and afterwards, the two of them took a special train to the Fifth War Zone.

His heart was very happy!

This Adjutant Yu was the little god of wealth of the Sichuan Army!

As soon as the two met, Wang Zanxu came up and hugged Yu Hua: "Brother Yu!"

Fan Shaozeng agreed to Deng Xihou's plan!

"That would be great!" Li Delin beamed: "Old Deng, let our Guangxi Army and the Sichuan Army work together; this time, let's strive to achieve astonishing battle results."

However, this Tang Enbo doesn't like to follow orders very much!

During the last Xuzhou Battle, Li Delin was not very satisfied with Tang Enbo.

With the help of his old superior Song Zheyuan, Zhang Zizhong returned to the army and served as the Army Commander of the 59th Army.

Zhang Zizhong was Li Delin's favorite subordinate, and he and Tang Enbo belonged to the second echelon.

Zhang Zizhong observed the neat and uniform steps of the 29th Group Army's vanguard, their spirited appearance, and the weapons the troops carried.

Inside the restaurant.

He even personally drank with a group of foreigners, and only after he had finished hosting them did he dare to leave Sichuan Province.

He had them pass it on, in order to express the Sichuan Army's hope to continue cooperating with Walter, Mark, and the others!

On the steamship!

Not to mention Zhang Zizhong, a comrade-in-arms who had eaten with him back in the old 29th Army!

Therefore, within the 33rd Group Army, Feng Zhi'an was the one who most liked to contradict Zhang Zizhong!

"Good!"

After Zhang Zizhong made contact with the vanguard of the Sichuan Army's 29th Group Army, he asked when Wang Zanxu would arrive.

"In this battle, you must not charge at the front line yourself; you must stay in the command post for me."

In the entire Fifth War Zone, Li Delin and Bai Zhuge were the undisputed first echelon;

"You mentioned just now that the 29th Group Army was crippled in the Nanchang Battle."

"You, Old Zhang, would absolutely never do the work of a 'Traitor'!"

Li Delin hung up the phone and looked at a middle-aged man beside him: "Old Zhang!"

Among them, the Army Commander of the 77th Army, Feng Zhi'an, was under Zhang Zizhong's jurisdiction.

At the train station!

Li Delin's tone also dropped a few degrees.

Speaking of this, Li Delin paused: "Wang Zanxu's 29th Group Army, although it is also a Sichuan Army unit."

"For this battle, I am transferring my adjutant to the 29th Group Army."

After Yu Hua and Deng Xihou returned to Sichuan Province, they settled all the supplies purchased from abroad.

Now he had become the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth War Zone's right-wing corps, with 150,000 men under his command!!

Zhang Zizhong's gaze looked toward the sky; the blue sky and white clouds outside were very beautiful.

"I really need them right now!"

He could tell that the morale of this army was quite good, similar to the 38th Division he had led back in the day.

However, Feng Zhi'an himself and the two main Division Commanders on the right wing, seeing that the situation was not good, disappeared without a trace.

One of the divisions of Wang Zanxu's troops had already arrived at the Fifth War Zone in advance.

Li Delin thought for a moment: "Old Deng!"

"You were so reckless last time; it was truly too dangerous!"

"Commander Li, you can put the 29th Group Army under my command if you like."

However, after the Pingjin Campaign, plus several other battles, the 33rd Group Army now also had major internal problems.

Yu Hua looked at Wang Zanxu: "Brother Wang."

The courage and determination of some Army Commanders and Division Commanders to fight were no longer what they used to be!

"In the previous Hundred Regiments Offensive, we caused quite a shock to the Japanese Army."

Li Delin knew a thing or two about Deng Xihou's adjutant.

Immediately, Deng Xihou and Li Delin chatted for a few more sentences.

During the last Xuzhou Battle, the Sichuan Army achieved astonishing results, and coupled with the series of battle results the Sichuan Army had achieved in the past.

The moment he returned to the army, Zhang Zizhong had already decided on his own path: a "self-redemptive" battle, until he shed his last drop of blood.

Being able to become famous in one battle in the Songhu Region shows that a commander's ability is very important.

Then wait for Wang Zanzan to arrive, and the two sides will hold a discussion!

After all, although the Sichuan Army was under his name, the 29th Group Army possessed great independent operational authority.

Later, due to the heavy losses of army and division-level officers in frontline units, the front line was in urgent need of generals who could lead troops to fight against the Japanese Army.

"I will arrange this group army under you; see if that works!?"

If I fight alongside him, can I safely entrust my back to a friendly force!

Zhang Zizhong personally led his own core unit, the 38th Division, to launch a counterattack against the Japanese Army in Hedong!

Seeing the state of the Chuan Army, Zhang Zizhong immediately thought of some problems currently appearing in his own troops!

Although he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth War Zone's right-wing corps, the combat effectiveness of many units was not very good.

The 33rd Group Army was formed from the old foundation of Song Zheyuan's former 29th Army.

"This time, you must help my 29th Group Army regain some face!"

Before leaving, Yu Hua also handed the personal letters he had written to Walter and Mark to these foreigners.

"The 22nd Group Army under your command has gone through several large-scale battles and has achieved many brilliant combat records."

"So, brother!"

"Brother Wang!"

Among them, the only one that could stand out was the 33rd Group Army under his command.

Li Delin patted Zhang Zizhong on the shoulder: "Lao Zhang, if others don't know you, how could I not know you!"

While passing through the 9th War Zone, the Commander-in-Chief of the Chuan Army's 29th Group Army, Wang Zanxu, sought out Yu Hua.

"The Chuan Army's operations will remain as they were during the last Xuzhou Battle, with us being responsible for ourselves, and the War Zone has no right to interfere."

"This Zhang Zizhong is worth our deep friendship; he is one of the few good men, and it is worth our Chuan Army putting in great effort to build a good relationship with him!"

Ever since the Chuan Army left Chuan, the generals of each group army had also been very united.

After Deng Xihou finished his call with Li Delin, he made contact with Fan Shaozeng.

For Yu Hua, the great name of Zhang Zizhong was like thunder to the ears!

Because he was the highest-ranking general among the Central Powers to die in battle in the original timeline, and also the highest-ranking Chinese general to die in battle.

Although Zhang Zizhong eventually escaped Beiping with the help of foreigners, this label of "Traitor" had already been firmly slapped onto Zhang Zizhong's head.

Speaking of this, Wang Zanxu looked at Yu Hua: "Brother, what is this Zhang Zizhong like as a person?"

Yu Hua was also observing the situation map of the Fifth War Zone; he wanted to create a detailed operational plan for the Chuan Army as much as possible!

In the old 29th Army, only the troops of Liu Ruming and Feng Zhi'an were not very good, whether in terms of combat effectiveness or military discipline.

After all, as a Group Army Commander, and also being the Commander of the Fifth War Zone's right-wing corps.

Helpless, Zhang Zizhong could only go to Hedong in person to supervise the battle, command the troops, and ensure the war situation did not deteriorate further!

When they came into contact with generals of other units, they would also ask for Yu Hua's opinion on whether this general was worth a deep friendship.

"You don't know, brother, the first time I left Chuan, I suffered a defeat."

"What do you think?!"

"Furthermore, during the Nanchang Battle, the 29th Group Army was also crippled by the Japanese Army."

In the command headquarters of the Fifth War Zone.

"With them, my Fifth War Zone can create another campaign similar to the Taierzhuang Victory!"

This Adjutant had a hand in all of this, back when the Chuan Army's strength was not yet very strong.

Deng Xihou pondered for a moment: "Lao Li, how about this!"

When Wang Zanxu learned that his group army would be transferred to the Fifth War Zone and that Yu Hua would be his partner.

"Build a good relationship with him!"

Hearing this!

After the Japanese 13th Division occupied Zaoyang, the second line of defense established by the Fifth War Zone was in jeopardy.

Five days later!

He carefully looked at the middle-aged man in front of him; Feng Zhi'an's appearance was exactly that of a shifty-eyed person.

At this time, Yu Hua also took a steamship to head to the Fifth War Zone.

Ever since the Xuzhou Battle began, Zhang Zizhong had been fighting alongside Li Delin in the Fifth War Zone.

"Deng Xihou has transferred Wang Zanxu's 29th Group Army over."

Because Wuhan was occupied by the Japanese Army, Yu Hua changed to a car halfway to head to the Fifth War Zone!

Since the Chuan Army's 29th Group Army was operating independently, Li Delin was afraid that others would have objections if he placed it under another commander.

"In this way, the combat effectiveness of Wang Zanxu's 29th Group Army will not decline."

With Zhang Zizhong's command, the defense line in Hedong temporarily stabilized its footing, and the command post he set up was very close to the front-line positions!

"We, the Chuan Army, can guarantee that we will continue to perform as we did in the Xuzhou Battle, achieving results and heavily damaging the Japanese Army!"

Zhang Zizhong had been promoted repeatedly for his military merits, from Division Commander to Army Commander, then from Army Commander to Army Corps Commander, and then from Army Corps Commander to Group Army Commander-in-Chief.

"Good, good, good!" Wang Zanxu clapped his hands: "With those words from you, brother, I can rest easy."

This Wang Zanzan was a trusted subordinate of Liu Dashuai before, and his troops were also quite good among Liu Dashuai's forces.

After hearing this proposal from Deng Xihou, Li Delin thought for over ten seconds and then nodded in agreement.

"By the way, brother, our group army has been placed under Zhang Zizhong's command!"

"However, they have just fought the Japanese Army after all, and are not yet familiar with the Japanese Army's tactics."

"Is our Chuan Army worth a deep friendship?!"

Zhang Zizhong introduced Feng Zhi'an to Yu Hua and Wang Zanxu!

After hearing the name Feng Zhi'an, a chill flashed in Yu Hua's eyes.

"This is not glorious at all for us in the Chuan Army!"

"This time, I see that the little devils will definitely not let my Fifth War Zone off easily."

After the two sides met, Lao Zhang personally hosted a banquet at a restaurant to welcome Wang Zanxu.

He was branded with the label of "Traitor" by his countrymen!

The Guangxi Clique Troops under his command were now a grade inferior to the Chuan Army in terms of Weaponry.

"I will reorganize Fan Shaozeng's troops into the 29th Group Army."

As the Army Commander of the old 29th Army, Song Zheyuan sometimes did not even hold Feng Zhi'an in his eyes.

His command post had already entered the range of the Japanese Army's Type 41 Mountain Gun, as the supreme commander of the right-wing defense line;

With these words from Yu Hua, Wang Zanxu beamed: "That's good, this time when we fight the devils, I will have more contact with Zhang Zizhong."

Zhang Zizhong even pulled Feng Zhi'an over to accompany Wang Zanxu in drinking and chatting.

Zhang Zizhong saluted Li Delin: "A soldier's duty is to obey orders."

However, no one knew that at this moment, Zhang Zizhong had some unspeakable bitterness in his heart.

In the Suizao Battle of the original timeline, the two main divisions of Zhang Zizhong's right-wing defense line were Feng Zhi'an's men.

Li Delin sincerely hoped that Deng Xihou could now dispatch the 22nd Group Army to move north!

Within the Fifth War Zone, he had an elite force in his hands, and that was Tang Enbo's 31st Group Army.

However, Li Delin still understood Zhang Zizhong as a person.

Because, in the years since the War of Resistance began, the reputation of the Chuan Army units had been quite good.

Hearing Li Delin's words, Zhang Zizhong did not speak, but instead nodded slightly.

To stabilize the defense line, Zhang Zizhong called Feng Zhi'an, hoping he would come forward to supervise the battle and command the fighting of the two main divisions.

Even the Soviet military advisors following Zhang Zizhong suggested to Zhang Zizhong that he re-establish the command post.

"I have been watching the battles all these years, haven't I?"

He sought out Wang Zanxu and explained this situation.

"Just do it according to your method!"

Seeing Li Delin agree, Deng Xihou added another sentence: "Old Li!"

His 88th Army would leave behind some backbone personnel, and after the Security Force trained in Sichuan Province left Sichuan, they would be supplemented into the 88th Army.

Learning that Wang Zanxu would only arrive in five days, Zhang Zizhong planned to take the coming days to properly organize the current situation.

After arriving at the Fifth War Zone, Zhang Zizhong could sincerely feel that Li Delin was very good to him!

His troops and the Guangxi Clique Troops had almost the same supplies, soldiers, and Weaponry, with no significant difference.

"How can I, Wang Zanxu, establish a foothold within the Chuan Army ranks?"

"And how will the elders and fellow villagers of Sichuan Province view me, this Group Army Commander?"

Due to the overwhelming voice of public opinion, Zhang Zizhong was removed from his post as Division Commander of the 38th Division by the National Government, and then he also accepted an investigation by the Military Committee.

Every time he fought so desperately, it was to wash away his reputation as a "Traitor"!

Because, during the July 7th Incident, Zhang Zizhong helped his old superior Song Zheyuan handle various affairs in Beiping and maneuvered with the Japanese Army in Beiping.

Right here!

Zhang Zizhong came, and he prepared to take a look at the Chuan Army units.

"Old Deng, what I need now are elite troops!"

"This time heading to the Fifth War Zone to fight, I will definitely think of a foolproof plan for our Chuan Army, allowing us to fight a comeback battle once again!"

"The Chuan Army moving north this time is not the 22nd Group Army."

Tang Enbo was Principal's direct subordinate force, and moreover, he was the direct subordinate among direct subordinates, with first-class equipment.

If it weren't for the fact that he had pressured Principal and was prepared to deal with him according to military law, this Tang Enbo would really be somewhat difficult to command.

"Old brother, I have finally waited for you!"

Don't let the friendly forces withdraw at that time without me knowing the situation, and let the Japanese Army surround us like dumplings!!

"The Japanese Army will launch a strong offensive against my Fifth War Zone next, and I don't have many elite troops available in my hands!"

Zhang Zizhong finally waited for Wang Zanxu!

After the two met, Wang Zanxu also introduced Yu Hua to Zhang Zizhong.

The Soviet military advisor felt that Zhang Zizhong's approach was very risky!

Because Zhang Zizhong's troops fought very stubbornly, the Japanese Army launched a fierce attack on them;

If it weren't for the absence of these two divisions, it is very likely that Zhang Zizhong would not have died for his country.

As for Feng Zhi'an, Yu Hua really did not want to see him!

(End of this chapter)