Chapter 291: Changing Clothes
Crossing the bustling streets, the group finally arrived at the headquarters of the Shanxi Militia.
This was a three-story concrete building transformed from the former county government office, heavily guarded outside with strict security.
As soon as they stepped through the headquarters gate, a tense and efficient wartime atmosphere hit them in the face.
In the spacious and bright hall, more than a dozen officers resembling staff officers were busy at their respective posts.
Telephone bells rang one after another, the crisp ticking of telegraph machines was incessant, staff officers were either loudly issuing orders over the phone, or quickly marking something on the huge map, or shuttling between office desks with documents in hand. The entire command center was like a high-speed precision machine in operation, everyone busy with feet not touching the ground, yet everything was orderly.
However, Battalion Commander Chen and the others’ gazes, from the moment they entered the hall, were firmly attracted by a colossal object located right in the center.
It was a massive thing much larger than an ordinary sand table model.
The entire sand table model was about six meters long and two meters wide, occupying nearly one-third of the hall’s central area.
It was placed on a waist-high wooden base, with the terrain and landforms of the entire SX Province meticulously reproduced on top.
Undulating mountains, winding rivers, scattered towns, transportation routes… everything was presented in a miniaturized form with astonishing precision. The directions of mountains and rivers, the widths of rivers, even the distribution of every forest area, were all crafted with lifelike accuracy.
More importantly, the sand table model was studded with densely packed red and blue small flags representing the troop deployments of both enemy and friendly forces.
From the styles and markings of the flags, not only were deployments of regiment-level and brigade-level units shown, but even company-level and platoon-level fire points and outpost positions were precisely marked.
The entire battlefield situation in Shanxi was clear at a glance, with clarity that was shockingly precise.
Battalion Commander Chen almost subconsciously quickened his pace toward it. He bent down, his gaze fixed dead on the sand table model, from Taiyuan to Datong, then to every corner of southern Shanxi. His eyes, which had scanned countless maps, were now filled with shock.
After a long while, he slowly straightened up, as if extracting himself from a miniaturized real world, turned his head to Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi beside him, and sincerely exclaimed:
“Good stuff! Really good stuff! I’ve been in the army for many years, commanded countless battles large and small, and have never seen a sand table model made so exquisitely and meticulously.
With this thing, the help it provides to commanders in grasping the overall battlefield situation and formulating combat plans is immense!”
Regiment Commanders Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Ding Wei, who followed closely into the headquarters, were also stunned speechless by this huge sand table model.
“My goodness, this thing…”
Li Yunlong leaned in close, extended his rough finger wanting to touch but not daring to, could only circle around the sand table model clucking in admiration, “This thing is way better than those broken maps we hang on the wall! Which is mountain, which is ravine, all crystal clear. If we’d had this thing last time when I fought the Yamazaki Battalion, I wouldn’t have had to go to so much trouble!”
Kong Jie and Ding Wei also crowded around, their faces full of admiration and envy.
Su Yaoyang spoke up to explain: “Battalion Commander Chen, everyone, this sand table model is no simple thing.
After our Chief of Staff Pi arrived in Shanxi, it took over a year. He personally led the surveying team, trekking through Shanxi’s mountains and waters, conducting on-site surveys of all terrains.
Then, using thousands of aerial photos taken by our air force reconnaissance planes, they were compared and corrected one by one, resulting in this 1:50,000 military terrain sand table model of the entire SX Province.”
At this point, Su Yaoyang even made a joke: “It can be said that this thing is Chief of Staff Pi’s heartfelt masterpiece. Normally, he treats this sand table model dearer than his own wife. If anyone dares to damage it even a little, he’ll fight them to the death!”
“Hahahahaha…”
Su Yaoyang’s half-joking, half-serious remark immediately drew loud laughter from the crowd.
The slight estrangement and tension from their first meeting were instantly diluted by the laughter, becoming relaxed and harmonious.
After the easy laughter, Su Yaoyang led everyone to the reception area on one side of the headquarters. There were several comfortable genuine leather sofas and a large coffee table.
Soon, several orderlies came in carrying trays, with steaming hot tea, coffee which was rare domestically in this era, and several large plates of steamed buns and pastries.
Having walked two full days of mountain roads, the officers of the 386th Brigade were already hungry and exhausted.
Seeing these now, they no longer stood on ceremony. Battalion Commander Chen and Zhao Gang and others picked up teacups to savor slowly, while Li Yunlong unceremoniously grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly while eating: “Hey, this foreign stuff is pretty sweet!”
Seeing that everyone had eaten something and their spirits had recovered a bit, Su Yaoyang cleared his throat, restrained the smile on his face, put on a serious expression, and got straight to the point with Battalion Commander Chen:
“Battalion Commander Chen, we’re all soldiers, so no beating around the bush. I’ll get straight to the point.”
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over Battalion Commander Chen and Bai Chongxi.
“First, on behalf of the Shanxi Militia and Commander Bai, I express our heartfelt thanks for your army dispatching your unit to support us at this critical moment.”
He was polite first, then immediately cut to the main topic.
“Given that this is our first cooperation and the scale of troops involved this time is quite large, to ensure unified and efficient command, I believe it is necessary to form a temporary joint command team to jointly command our two sides’ participating troops.”
He extended three fingers.
“And for the members of this temporary command team, I suggest it be composed of me, Commander Bai, and you, Battalion Commander Chen—the three of us.”
At this point, he changed his tone, making it more solemn.
“Of course, some things we must say upfront, also to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings during wartime.”
His gaze fixed directly on Battalion Commander Chen, and he said sincerely, “If you believe that during combat, our command or issued combat orders might cause your unit pointless or major losses, then you may refuse to execute them.”
“In other words, you can refuse orders you deem unreasonable. At that time, we will respect your decision and dispatch other units to carry out the mission.
But confirmed orders must be executed. Battalion Commander Chen, what do you think of this proposal?”
Su Yaoyang’s proposal gave ample face to the Eighth Route Army and showed great sincerity.
Sharing command authority and granting the other side veto power was extremely rare.
Hearing this, Battalion Commander Chen fell into brief contemplation. His fingers lightly tapped the sofa armrest, weighing the pros and cons.
Su Yaoyang’s conditions were indeed very generous, almost dispelling all his prior concerns about command authority. Moments later, he raised his head, a flash of resolve in his eyes, and nodded firmly.
“Since Regiment Commander Su is so sincere, I, Chen, have no reason to refuse. I agree to this proposal!”
“Good! Battalion Commander Chen is straightforward!” Su Yaoyang’s face showed a satisfied smile.
However, just as this cooperative foundation was finalized in a harmonious atmosphere, a voice suddenly interjected.
“Old Su… Regiment Commander Su, I have one more question!”
Everyone looked toward the voice, only to see Li Yunlong wipe the cake crumbs from his mouth, stand up, his eyes wide round, staring straight at Su Yaoyang, and bellowed in his signature loud voice:
“So… how will the battlefield captures be distributed?”
As soon as these words were out, the atmosphere in the entire headquarters instantly became somewhat delicate.
Zhao Gang’s face flushed red instantly, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. He lowered his voice and scolded: “Old Li… what nonsense are you saying? Sit down quick!”
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Battalion Commander Chen’s face, but he did not immediately stop it.
Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi both froze for a moment, then their faces showed a strange yet amused expression.
Li Yunlong’s earth-shattering question instantly froze the previously harmonious atmosphere in the headquarters.
Zhao Gang’s face turned beet red, almost from the neck root to the hairline. He wished he could perform an on-the-spot vanishing act.
Battalion Commander Chen’s mouth twitched. Though he said nothing, his expression was quite embarrassed.
However, the expected displeasure did not occur. Su Yaoyang first froze, then looking at Li Yunlong in front of him with neck stiffened and a face saying “I’m just concerned about this,” he couldn’t help but burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
With his laugh, Bai Chongxi beside him also couldn’t hold back, a playful arc at the corner of his mouth.
“Hahaha, Regiment Commander Li, that’s a great question! A really straightforward one!”
Su Yaoyang waved his hand, signaling the embarrassed Zhao Gang not to be tense. He looked at Li Yunlong with interest and said loudly: “Regiment Commander Li, rest assured, I can give you a firm answer right here.
In this attack on Taiyuan, all weapons, ammunition, and supplies captured in combat—our Shanxi Militia won’t take a single bullet or thread. All go to your 386th Brigade! Does that put you at ease?”
“What?”
Li Yunlong’s eyes bulged like copper bells. He could hardly believe his ears. “All… all to us? Regiment Commander Su, you’re not joking with old Li, are you?”
“I, Su, when I speak, one spit one nail!” Su Yaoyang confirmed with a smile.
“Great!”
Li Yunlong slapped his thigh, grinning from ear to ear. The previous tension and opposition vanished instantly. He plopped back onto the sofa with a thud, gave Su Yaoyang a thumbs up, face full of joy, “No problem from me, Regiment Commander Su. You’re straightforward… old Li is convinced!”
Looking at Li Yunlong beside him, smug as if he’d won a great victory, Zhao Gang despairingly covered his face with his hand, silently shifting his body aside, wanting only to be far away from this embarrassing guy.
Once Li Yunlong’s little interlude passed, Su Yaoyang’s smile did not fade. He picked up his teacup for a sip, then continued: “Now that the captures issue is settled, let’s talk about logistics and equipment, also to facilitate the upcoming unified command and communications.”
He set down the teacup and dropped another bombshell.
“For convenient communications, in a bit I’ll have someone provide each of your regiments with three radios and twenty U.S.-made walkie-talkies. My requirement isn’t high: strive to deploy your communications down to company level.”
At these words, Li Yunlong, who had just sat down, nearly jumped up again.
Battalion Commander Chen and Ding Wei’s expressions instantly froze. Communications to company level? What a concept! This was a luxurious setup they wouldn’t dare dream of!
However, before they could recover from this huge surprise, Su Yaoyang’s next words directly crashed their brains.
“Additionally, I see your weapons are a mixed bag: Hanyang-made, Chiang medium, and plenty of old flintlocks. Ammo resupply must be a big headache. So, let’s go all in at once.”
Su Yaoyang’s tone was as casual as commenting on the weather, “Starting tomorrow, we’ll uniformly re-equip the 386th Brigade.
From rifles and machine guns to mortars, all replaced with our captured Japanese Type 38 rifles and crooked-handled light machine guns standard weapons. Ammo, plenty! What do you think?”
“Boom!”
This time, the entire reception area fell completely silent.
All the Eighth Route Army officers, including Battalion Commander Chen, abruptly stood up, their faces filled with incredulous ecstasy and shock!
Li Yunlong’s mouth gaped wide enough to fit an egg. He pointed at Su Yaoyang, then at himself, stammering: “Re… re-equip? Whole brigade re-equip? And… and damn Japanese weapons?
Ammo plenty? My… my dear mother! Commissar, pinch me quick. Am I dreaming?”
Zhao Gang had completely forgotten the embarrassment. He stood there stunned, lips moving, but not a word came out.
Battalion Commander Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the stormy waves in his heart. Looking at Su Yaoyang, his voice trembled slightly: “Su… Regiment Commander Su… what you said… is all true?”
“Of course it’s true. I, Su, though I dare not claim to be upright with a promise worth a thousand gold, rarely go back on my word.”
“Good… good… On behalf of the over ten thousand officers and men of the 386th Brigade, I thank you.” Battalion Commander Chen stood up, grasped Su Yaoyang’s hand, and expressed sincere gratitude.
Su Yaoyang also said solemnly: “You’re too kind, Battalion Commander Chen. We’re walking together for a common goal. As long as we can drive the Japanese invaders out of China, what are mere supplies?”
“For the common goal!” Battalion Commander Chen also nodded solemnly.
In wartime, soldiers’ styles were concise and straightforward.
After discussing the command structure, Battalion Commander Chen and Commissar Wang left five or six staff officers and a few guards, then had Regiment Commander Li Yunlong and the other six regiment commanders leave to return to their units, striving to complete the re-equipment within two days.
Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and the others did not dare slack off, and left the headquarters one after another to return to their subunits outside the city. Earlier, Su Yaoyang had said he would order the logistics department to deliver the equipment and supplies to their units overnight. These matters all required them, the commanders, to be personally present for inspection and distribution.
