Chapter 9: Expansion of Troops in Cangshan Town

Look at what you said, this armory is like a great treasure trove. How could a mere company commander like me dare to take it all for myself? I'm just having a bit of soup; I've left all the meat for you. There are 6,000 Type 79 rifles, 30 75mm quick-firing guns, 200 water-cooled machine guns, along with several million rounds of ammunition, 3,000 shells, and 30,000 hand grenades, plus some raw materials. There's also a smokeless powder factory on the other side that I haven't even entered. What do you think? Is that enough for you to form an army? With the support of a chief of staff uncle behind Luo Yaoguo, it's no problem to take a little. However, the bulk must still be reserved; he has done quite well in this regard.

How about coming back to Guangdong with us? My uncle is the Chief of Staff of the Northern Expedition Army, and once you return to Guangdong, we can arrange for you to work as an engineer at the Shijing Arsenal. Whatever salary you receive in Fujian, we can offer you a corresponding salary in Guangdong. " Luo Yaoguo took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued, "You have also seen these Beiyang warlords; to say the least, their conduct in battle is truly absurd. Such an army certainly has no future. Rather than following them, it would be better to return to Guangdong with us. For now, you can take a position as a lieutenant colonel staff officer in my unit. What do you think?

Luo Yaoguo shook his head with a bitter smile after listening to his uncle's words: "My foundation is too shallow, my rise has been too sudden, and there is too much luck involved. I currently have over 2,000 long rifles, more than 1,000 handguns, 101 machine guns, and 12 cannons, but there may only be three or four people who can use them. I have fewer than 300 trustworthy soldiers, and the rest are all captives from Li Houji's guard, which are fundamentally unreliable. I dare not enter the city or leave Zhongzhou Island, fearing that if I leave, the troops will fall into chaos. If my uncle can join forces with Jiang Zhongzheng, he should be able to obtain a regiment from Xu Ruwei. Jiang Zhongzheng and *Tu* *Shu* can always pull together a batch of officers, and I can promote a group from the soldiers. By combining these aspects, we can disperse and reorganize the troops, making them reliable. Moreover, this new division can be incorporated into Xu Ruwei's Second Army, which means he won't be at a disadvantage in this regard."

Thank you, Commander Qiu, for your support. I, Yao Guo, am deeply grateful and will take my leave now. " Luo Yao Guo solemnly saluted the kind-hearted man before him, then handed over the armory and left the factory with Lu Ming and Li Shun'en to proceed to the garrison on Zhongzhou Island

After the 1st Battalion of Luo Yaoguo was stationed in Cangshan Town across the Min River, the two divisions of the Northern Expedition Army, led by Huang Dawei and Li Fulin, also arrived promptly. Each unit first entered the arms factory to completely divide the weapons and ammunition, and then launched an attack on Fuzhou City. At that time, Fuzhou City was already a deserted city, devoid of soldiers and naturally lacking any defense. Consequently, the forces of Huang and Li surged into the city, beginning to seize territory and reap profits. Huang Dawei truly seemed to have forgotten about Luo Yaoguo.

The report states that Commander Qiu's troops have arrived, and Commander Qiu has requested that we hand over the military factory to them. Luo Shun, who has already been promoted to adjutant, brought the news of Qiu Hongjun's arrival.

At the same time that Huang and Li launched a surprise attack on Fuzhou, Xu Chongzhi's Second Army of the Guangdong troops also captured Shuikou. However, Xu Chongzhi's forces suffered certain losses in the battle at Shuikou. The defeated Tang Guomo retreated towards Minqing and, after several days, managed to regroup with Shi Tingyang's troops at the foot of Fuzhou, planning to counterattack. Ultimately, they were completely annihilated under the joint assault of Huang Dawei, Li Fulin, Xu Chongzhi, Wang Yongquan, and the navy. On the second day after Xu Chongzhi entered the city, Luo Yiqun quietly arrived at Cangshan Town on the opposite bank of the river.

What are Lu Bangban's plans for the future? Luo Yaoguo leaned back on the large sofa in the reception room of the arms factory, savoring the fine tea collected by Liu Shiyuan while discussing future prospects with Lu Ming

Chiang Kai-shek is currently enjoying the trust of the Prime Minister, and having him lead our Eastern Route to combat the bandit army might invigorate our troops Luo Yiqun was not very familiar with Chiang Kai-shek in the past, but he had heard that this person fought alongside Sun Yat-sen on the Yongfeng ship, which gave him some favorable impression of him

In the battle at Hongshan Bridge, Luo Yaoguo's supplementary battalion achieved a resounding victory! Not only did they seize 2,000 rifles, 100 machine guns, 12 cannons, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition from the armory, but they also kidnapped the Fujian governor Li Houji. With such substantial gains, Luo Yaoguo ordered Wu Ziliang to escort Li Houji and several hundred surviving members of Li's pistol team to Changzhou Island to rendezvous with Wang Bao, while he himself, along with Li Shunen's company, remained at the armory to await reinforcements and also to carry out some work for Lu Ming.

Although Chiang Kai-shek is deeply trusted by the Premier, he is merely a nominal Chief of Staff. However, he should have some people under his command, right?" Luo Yaoguo pondered for a moment and then said: "My greatest concern is that this campaign against the bandits will not completely eliminate Chen Jiongming's influence. In the future, he will inevitably make a comeback. To eradicate Chen Jiongming's power, we must first strengthen our own forces. Uncle, I believe we can choose to ally with Chiang Kai-shek. We can provide the guns while he contributes some personnel. It would be best if we could also recruit a regiment from the Guangdong Army to integrate with my troops. Based on this, we could expand into a division, which might allow us to absorb more of Chen Jiongming's forces during the campaign against the bandits.

Upon hearing that there were so many benefits, Qiu Hongjun could not help but set aside thoughts of how much advantage Luo Yaoguo had gained. His entire facial expression shifted from gloomy to bright: "Hehe, good, good, good. Fuwen has made a great contribution this time; I will definitely speak well of you in front of Commander Huang. By the way, Fuwen, what are your thoughts moving forward?"

Hearing that the big boss of the Republic of China, Jiang Zhongzheng, was coming to Fujian, Luo Yaoguo suddenly had new thoughts in his mind

The cost of just one artillery steel amounts to several tens of millions, requiring five years, and there must be someone willing to provide the technology. It seems that establishing the most basic national defense industry would be impossible without several hundred million and an additional ten years. Thinking about the war that is set to occur in 1931, Luo Yaoguo feels extremely frustrated. There is no longer ten years to spare, and China remains fragmented. It appears that this time traveler cannot change much, as he is neither trained in heavy industry nor in finance. How can he raise funds? By developing heavy industry?

Sigh, well then. Lu Ming also understood that this factory in Fujian was temporarily unable to produce anything. This Northern Expedition army was determined to fight back to Guangdong and would not stay long. It was uncertain who would take charge in Fujian in the future. Rather than waiting idly here, it would be better to serve as a lieutenant colonel staff officer, which is certainly better than doing nothing at all

"Hehe, you have quite the skills, it seems I will soon be calling you Colonel Luo." Upon meeting, the seemingly honest Qiu Hongjun asked in a teasing tone, "Is there anything left for me in this armory, brother?"

Brother Lu, let's go, someone is here to take over this armory. Luo Yaoguo stood up from the sofa, straightened his military uniform, and went with Luo Shun and Lu Ming to welcome Qiu Hongjun

A luxurious villa built by overseas Chinese in Cangshan Town now serves as the headquarters of the supplementary regiment led by Luo Yaoguo, who has self-appointed himself as its commander. Currently, the regiment comprises 1,000 soldiers, and efforts are underway to recruit more personnel. Of these 1,000 individuals, 300 were originally from the supplementary battalion, while the majority are former prisoners of war, with a small number being impoverished youths from the town. The 1,000 soldiers are now organized into four battalions, with three infantry companies expanded into infantry battalions, and an artillery battalion consisting of over 100 personnel. Luo Yaoguo also serves as the battalion commander, and the 12 units of 75mm quick-firing artillery have been incorporated into the artillery battalion. The composition of the regiment remains the same, with 300 from the original supplementary battalion, the majority being former prisoners of war, and a small number of impoverished youths from the town. The 1,000 soldiers are now divided into four battalions, with three infantry companies expanded into infantry battalions, and an artillery battalion consisting of over 100 personnel, with Luo Yaoguo concurrently serving as the battalion commander, and the 12 units of 75mm quick-firing artillery included in the artillery battalion.

Luo Yaoguo does not have much trust in the current troops under his command, as there are too many prisoners from Li Houji's faction within this unit. A moment of carelessness could lead to a mutiny, which would be disastrous. If he could recruit a regiment from the Guangdong Army to mix in and then expand, it would be more reliable, as at least there would be no risk of a mutiny.

Commander Qiu, will my supplementary battalion not be entering Fuzhou this time? Is it possible to go to Cangshan Town to eliminate the remaining enemies? Luo Yaoguo felt that Qiu Hongjun had the demeanor of an elder, so he directly expressed his desire to be stationed in Cangshan Town

"Alright, I understand your meaning. I will give you an order right away. Your supplementary troops will temporarily relocate to Cangshan Town." Qiu Hongjun smiled slightly: "You can rest assured, Assistant Wen. As long as Commander Huang does not inquire, I will definitely not bring you up. You must seize the time, for Commander Huang is quite astute."

Luo Yiqun, with his hands behind his back, looked at the more than 1,000 spirited soldiers and nodded with satisfaction: "Fu Wen, you have done very well this time, especially in capturing Li Houji. I have already met him, and he is willing to pay 3 million for his redemption. With this 3 million, we will have a solid chance in our campaign against the bandits. In a few days, Jiang Zhongzheng will arrive in Fuzhou to take up the position of Chief of Staff for the Eastern Route Anti-bandit Army. Uncle can finally put down this burden. I have already discussed with Xu Ruwei and Huang Dawei, and I will serve as the Chief of Staff of the Second Army and concurrently as the Commander of the 15th Brigade. Your supplementary regiment can be expanded into the 15th Brigade; you will first serve as the Deputy Commander and Brigade Commander. Once we achieve victory against the bandits, I will find a way to promote you to the position."

Well then, I will go and speak with Jiang Zhongzheng and Xu Ruwei to see if we can bring in Wei Lihuang's supplementary regiment. You two can disband and reorganize the supplementary regiments, and then add a batch of officers, and the troops will be reliable. However, as for the position of division commander, I fear it will have to be given to Jiang Zhongzheng." Luo Yiqun was reluctant to part with the position of brigade commander, but seeing his nephew's insistence, he had no choice, as he fundamentally lacked the ability to lead troops.

I estimate that if someone is willing to provide the complete set of technology, along with several tens of millions in funding, it could still be accomplished in as little as 5 years. Lu Ming furrowed his brow and calculated in his mind for a long time before finally giving a rough estimate of the time.

"Uncle, do you think our team is doing well?" Luo Yaoguo, who has self-appointed himself as the leader, now appears to be full of ambition and eager to achieve something significant

I plan to return to Shanghai first, and then..." Lu Ming sighed softly, and then where to go? He studied heavy industry; where in China is there heavy industry available to work in?

The two individuals then began discussing issues related to heavy industry. Lu Ming, who graduated in metallurgy, would have no problem managing an ordinary steel mill. However, when it comes to producing military-grade steel, particularly for artillery barrels, he is not up to the task. According to Lu Ming, a conventional Martin furnace used for general steelmaking is simply inadequate for producing artillery barrel steel; an electric arc furnace, large-tonnage extrusion presses, heat treatment equipment, and many other critical devices are required. These are extremely difficult to procure, and there are numerous specialized processes and formulas that cannot be mastered overnight. To produce artillery barrel steel, a conventional Martin furnace used for general steelmaking is simply inadequate; an electric arc furnace, large-tonnage extrusion presses, heat treatment equipment, and many other critical devices are required. These are extremely difficult to procure, and there are numerous specialized processes and formulas that cannot be mastered overnight.

Is that so? Luo Yiqun is quite interested in expanding a division, but still has some reservations: "Fuwen, are you not afraid that your troops will be absorbed by Jiang Zhongzheng if you cooperate with him? He has been wanting to establish an army for years."