Chapter Nine, The War of Resistance, Gains and Losses

--- "On the Issue of Troop Reinforcement in the Early Stages of the War of Resistance" 6 · 1 Lanzhou Army Command College 6 · 112 / 08 / 1957 Although the special envoy from the Northwest had already arrived in Guiyang, both sides showed no signs of reaching an agreement.

And once again, it is declared that Geng Bozhao, also known as Geng Jinwen, a native of Anlu, Hubei Province, who served as a senior advisor to the former National Revolutionary Army General Headquarters, telecommunications supervisor of Hubei Province, senator of the Military Council of the National Government, lieutenant general in the Military Affairs Office, and a member of the "Suppression General" Party and Government Committee of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui, is appointed as the Chairman of Hubei Province

The conscription of able-bodied men has certainly stirred up public grievances, but the issue lies not only in the unreasonable nature of the conscription policy and its distortion and abuse by local authorities, but also in whether proper training is provided to the new recruits after enlistment

Do you want to stay

According to the confidentiality regulations of the Northwest, Dai Jiliu could choose not to respond. However, the other party was the son of Li Guo and also the deputy battalion commander of the vice commander’s office, so he would eventually find out. As he hurriedly followed the intelligence officer into the room, he remarked, "The Japanese army has occupied Hongtong, and the gateway to Linfen is wide open; the complete fall of Shanxi is imminent."

In the context of various units at the front line being in urgent need of reinforcements, the Southern National Government had no time to train the new recruits before sending them to the battlefield. When these recruits, who had not received even the slightest necessary military training, hurriedly appeared on the battlefield, the combat effectiveness of the units that incorporated these new soldiers was naturally predictable

Ultimately, the implementation of this progressive decree was not realized. In the northwest, due to three years of severe drought and the deployment of troops to Mongolia and Xinjiang, the conscription system was only officially implemented after the mid-1930s. As a result, after the outbreak of war between China and Japan, the replenishment of reserve troops on the Chinese side could not keep pace with the casualties sustained at the front.

Before Li Shuqing could finish speaking, a staff officer from the intelligence department suddenly rushed out of the room and whispered a few words to Dai Jiliu. Upon hearing this, Dai's expression changed immediately, prompting Li Shuqing to casually ask: "What major event has occurred now?"

This also led to a considerable degree of dissatisfaction and suspicion among the Northeast Army, the Shandong Army, the Sichuan Army, and the Yang Hucheng's Henan Army, which were affiliated with the peripheral armed forces in the Northwest. It also resulted in these peripheral troops privately resorting to the practice of "drafting strong men" from the South to supplement their losses, thereby causing a reduction in their combat effectiveness in areas where they were beyond the reach of the Northwest.

If you want to withdraw, then withdraw

Dai Jiliu, leaning against the crooked-neck willow tree, was munching on a cornmeal bun while chatting with Li Shuqing, who had just been promoted to deputy commander of the guard battalion.

Since the time of the Xianfeng era, notable ministers such as Hu Li and others organized local militias to suppress the Baishangdi religion. From that period until nearly seventy or eighty years after the establishment of the National Government in Nanjing, various military forces in China, including the initial Xiang Army and Huai Army, as well as later formations such as the Wuwei Army, standing armies, and new armies, and even the Beiyang Army and regional warlords in the Republic of China, fundamentally relied on a conscription system to expand their military strength.

Under the strong mediation of external forces, both parties had no choice but to sit down for negotiations once again. After a series of deceitful bargaining, countless lies and promises, as well as insincere concessions, Lanzhou and Guiyang, who had no real intention of engaging in a civil war under such a critical situation, ultimately decided to temporarily cease hostilities and reach a truce, despite the looming threat posed by the Japanese army, which had already occupied a significant portion of the territory.

The two personnel cases involving the appointment of Zhu Tinghu, a professor at Central University who previously served as a member of the Anhui Provincial Government and the Director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Education, as well as a member of the Guizhou Provincial Government and the Director of the Guizhou Geological Survey, as the acting governor of Anhui Province are illegal

On February 10, through meticulous scheduling, the Xiang-E-Ba-Shu Health War Zone and the Ji-Lu-Yu War Zone mobilized the forces of approximately seven divisions, including those led by Leng Yindong, Shang Zhen, and Liu Heding, to forcibly annex more than 30,000 remnants of the Jiang-Gui army that had retreated from Wuhan to Zhongxiang, Yicheng, and Suizhao.

In facing the issue of insufficient troop reinforcements to compensate for losses, the Northwest region has adopted a systematic phased and batch recruitment plan, as well as established new recruit training camps under the command of various provincial and municipal supply headquarters to implement conversion training for new soldiers, in order to prevent them from becoming cannon fodder and expendable resources once they reach the battlefield

The next day, Guiyang retaliatorily detained twenty carloads of urgently needed chemical materials and related machinery imported via the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.

Immediately thereafter, the Guiyang authorities instructed their subordinate military regions, namely the Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth, which are adjacent to the Northwest Control Area, to dispatch troops to the counties under Northwest control. The objective was to forcibly expel the officials of the National Defense Government from the counties sent by the Northwest, dismantle military facilities such as conscription stations, and arrest Northwest officers. This led to a further escalation of confrontation between the two sides

Dai Jiliu looked up at the distant white snow.

You are no different either

Those who were unwilling to see the overall situation of the War of Resistance collapse, such as Song Qingling, Zhang Naiqi, and other staunch supporters of the resistance and patriots, as well as the embassies and consulates of Britain, America, and the Soviet Union in China, which were determined to block the influx of Japanese forces into China, all took action to mediate

Apart from the brief period during the Qing Dynasty when the New Army and the early Beiyang Army imposed strict requirements on the cultural quality and military tactics knowledge of their officers and soldiers, the other times only demanded a few criteria from the troops, such as being strong and robust, and obeying commands

Under such one-sided indicator requirements, dispossessed farmers, bankrupt small industrialists, and small merchants flocked into the military. Even more alarmingly, thugs, rogue proletarians, and bandit bullies also mingled among them, resulting in a significant decline in the combat capabilities of various military factions and their external image. Consequently, the military became synonymous with a polluted cesspool and a place where the discerning inadvertently found themselves.

Li Shuqing curled his lips and said, "That's right, if the old man is willing to let go, I would apply to go to the Fenglingdu Qiaotou Fort"

According to the results of the compromise between both parties, the Guiyang side has revoked the accusations against Shang Zhen and others as rebels, restored their military designation, acknowledged the current situation of Northwest leadership, and compensated the Northwest with a condolence payment of 150,000 yuan for casualties, returned the seized materials to the Northwest, recognized the establishment of Yuzhou (Eastern Sichuan) Province by the Northwest, and incorporated the area of Northern Yunnan occupied by the Northwest into Yizhou (Western Sichuan) Province.

Have you heard? The headquarters is planning to transfer Director Li back from Shanxi, and there is also a possibility that the Deputy Director's command office may be disbanded

It is evident that the headquarters has little confidence in the situation in Shanxi

Moreover, its successful poaching of the miscellaneous troops outside the Jiang faction without facing any punishment further undermined the foundation of governance in Guiyang, thus being regarded as having secured the future of China

Li Shuqing absentmindedly responded while holding the hot enamel teacup with both hands

As a result, a situation emerged in Anhui and Hubei where three parties coexisted: the provincial government appointed by the Northwest Commission, the provincial government appointed by the Jiang faction of the National Government, and the puppet government controlled by the Japanese army

Thus, there emerged a myth that a Japanese army detachment could defeat a Chinese division, and a Japanese regiment could destroy a Chinese army, which led to a vicious cycle for the National Revolutionary Army in the south of replenishment, defeat, further replenishment, and subsequent defeat, exacerbating the heavy pressure on its own military supplies and ammunition reserves, as well as on personnel reinforcements

As for the Northwest, it has ensured its advantageous position in the three provinces of Yizhou, Yuzhou, and Xikang by challenging Guiyang, and further extracted territories from the regions of western Hunan, northern Yunnan, and western Hubei under Guiyang's administration, thereby increasing its strength

Currently, we only have the 221st Division in Shanxi, and there is no room for tough talk. Are we just holding on to boost the morale of the old west? Now that the old west has lost its spirit, how can we continue to hold on? It would be better to withdraw early. If we can defend Fenglingdu, we will; if we cannot, we will blow up the railway bridge. Even if the little devils are gods, they cannot fly over the Yellow River.

On February 6, the Northwest announced the detention of 25,000 tons of Soviet military aid to China, primarily intended for the use of Chiang Kai-shek's army, which had entered from the Tianshan Mountains

Both parties took what they needed, resulting in a grand performance at the turn of the year that brought forth a variety of characters to the stage

Forget it, how did you advise me back then? There's no need to think about it.

On February 11, the four regiments of Chiang Kai-shek's army stationed in the western Hunan region retaliated by entering the territory of Sichuan Province as delineated in the northwest, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of military and political personnel from the northwest, leading to the shocking Sangzhi incident

Just to satisfy the craving

In the northwest, the return of mid- to high-ranking military officers detained during the annexation of the Jiang and Gui factions, as well as the delivery of confiscated military arms, is assumed to be in accordance with Guiyang's occupation of Yunnan

Such words cannot be spoken

Certainly, as long as the Northwest continues to harbor the notion of replacing the current regime, the relationship between the Northwest and the Jiang faction will inevitably remain antagonistic. Therefore, in order to assert its legitimate status, the Guizhou Nationalist Government still does not recognize the legitimacy of the governments of Hubei and Anhui provinces appointed by the Northwest.

In response to this critical manpower shortage, the Nationalist government, which led the resistance in the south, was compelled to widely adopt the extreme measure of "conscripting able-bodied men" to address the issue

Li Shuqing glanced at the other party

Although this transaction completely tarnished the reputation of the Jiang faction's central government, it ensured new territory in Yunnan through negotiations, along with the new financial resources and manpower essential for its survival. It also maintained control over the lifeline connecting the northwest with countries such as Britain, France, and the United States. More importantly, it successfully shifted the negative effects brought about by Wang Zhaoming's collaboration with Japan, and thus was regarded as having gained immediate tangible benefits

Dai Jiliu sighed

As the contradictions between the two sides intensified and a civil war was about to break out, the scheming Feng Yuxiang, Song Zheyuan, and other disillusioned military personnel, along with the pro-Japanese Wang faction infiltrators, all stepped forward to meddle and fan the flames, attempting to complicate the situation

To this end, the following day, the Northwest publicly announced the mobilization of eight divisions to the border of Yunnan and Sichuan

If the enemy were to push to the riverbank, our main artery would be right under their artillery. I believe the headquarters cannot overlook this point. Even if the deputy commander’s headquarters is withdrawn, there must still be troops left to hold the Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain.

On February 1, 1939, the Guizhou National Government established the Eastern Sichuan New Province, with Chongqing as its capital and former Commander of the Ninth Army Group, Deng Xihou, as the provincial chairman, as an illegal act to divide over sixty counties in Eastern Sichuan, Western Hubei, Western Hunan, and Northern Guizhou. In a span of five days, four decrees were consecutively issued by the National Government, successively stripping the titles of the troops led by Shang Zhen, Sun Lianzhong, and Liu Heding, who had defected to the Northwest, declaring them as rebel forces

It was precisely out of the considerations of reversing social perceptions, improving the quality of military personnel, and facilitating the expansion of one's own strength to eliminate local separatist forces, as well as the anticipation of Japan's imminent full-scale invasion of China, that the Nanjing National Government and the Northwest Front issued the "Military Service Law," which centered on conscription. However, the Nanjing government faced significant limitations due to its extremely restricted area of direct control, the inability to enforce orders outside its controlled regions, insufficient government finances, and the need to respond to frequent internal conflicts.

As a result, the time for new recruits to enter service has been significantly prolonged. Additionally, the earlier expansion of the military in the Northwest has led to a depletion of available troops in the provinces of the Northwest in the short term. Furthermore, obtaining recruits in newly controlled areas such as Sichuan, Henan, and Anhui is not as convenient as in the Northwest, where the Military Service Law has been implemented for several years. Consequently, this has resulted in an exceptionally slow replenishment rate for frontline troops