Chapter 10 1. Retraining direct-line troops

The Kuomintang army held on to the frontal battlefield of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression for eight years. Counting from the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7th in 1937, it experienced the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Nanjing, the Battle of Xuzhou, the Battle of Lanfeng, and the Battle of Wuhan. , Battle of Nanchang, Battle of Changsha, Battle of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, Battle of Changde and last year's Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi.Of course, there are also the Battle of Taiyuan, the Battle of Kunlun Pass, the Battle of Xinkou, the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the Battle of Zaoyi and so on.Hundreds of big battles will consume a huge amount of money on the regular army of the Kuomintang.Today, as we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, future generations should put aside previous suspicions, restore the historical appearance of the Kuomintang army's frontal battlefield, and comment on the heroic feats and bloody sacrifices of the Kuomintang soldiers on the anti-Japanese battlefield, so as to comfort their souls in heaven.In the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, they sacrificed their lives for the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation, and they are worthy of being the heroes of the Chinese nation.

Disaster-ridden China has been bullied by foreign powers for nearly a hundred years.Although Sun Yat-sen held high the banner of the Three People's Principles, overthrew imperialism and established a republic, he still did not truly unify China. The warlords resumed their wars, and internal and external troubles caused a great country to be extremely impoverished. It was nicknamed "the sick man of East Asia" by foreigners.Otherwise, how dare a small Japanese island country extend its claws of aggression to China? To be poor is to be beaten.The arrogance of Japanese militarism is very arrogant. When their army invaded, they arrogantly declared: China will be destroyed in three months.The Chinese people and the Chinese army rose up to resist.Because the national power is too weak, the spears and broadswords in his hands are no match for the Japanese planes and cannons.Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek, who was forced to lead the entire country's army and people to resist Japan, never declared war on Japan in the name of the Nationalist Government during the first four years of the War of Resistance.At the same time, he didn't give up on the challenge, and he didn't believe that Japan, a small country, could wipe out a big country with thousands of years of history and culture.Based on this understanding, Chiang Kai-shek put his hopes on external forces, one is the power of the allies in the world war, and the other is the powerful assistance of the allied big and powerful countries.

In the most difficult stage of the War of Resistance Against Japan, it was also the period when the Japanese army cut off China's transportation and supply lines in all directions. Even if there was foreign aid, it was difficult to send it to the Chinese battlefield.As mentioned above, the only way to enter the rear of China is the "Hump" route, which is a small amount of military supplies. The Chinese and American air forces lost as many as 400 to 500 large aircraft. This route is far from meeting the needs of millions of troops. Based on the weapons and military quality of the Chinese army alone, the Chinese and Japanese armies are usually fighting at a power ratio of five to one or six to one. That is to say, the Chinese army is five or six times stronger than the Japanese army. In order to draw a tie on the battlefield.For victories like the Pingxingguan Great Victory and Taierzhuang Great Victory, it is necessary to adopt the tactics of concentrating superior forces and attacking crowds to ensure the victory of the battle.

Therefore, the frontal battlefield of the Kuomintang army consumed a lot.Even Chiang Kai-shek's most cherished lineage troops could not escape the misfortune of heavy losses and casualties. For example, in the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Nanjing, and the just-passed Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi, the Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek's lineage troops suffered heavy casualties. After the most disastrous defeat in 1944, Chiang Kai-shek was eager for American military assistance, which can be said to be hopeless.He waited anxiously in Chongqing, looking forward to the most advanced American equipment and a steady stream of military supplies.

The Sino-Indian Highway was opened by the Chinese Expeditionary Force. This victory gave Chiang Kai-shek a huge surprise.He knows that the opening of this supply line will fundamentally reverse the failure of the Chinese theater, and it will have a far-reaching impact, and his own destiny will also be changed accordingly. Chiang Kai-shek saw the dawn of victory. In order to welcome the dawn of victory and let his troops perform impressively in cooperating with the Allied counterattack against Japan, Chiang Kai-shek began to train the army.In order to make the purge of the army effective, Chiang Kai-shek and the military command department first punished several generals who failed to fight or fled without authorization, so as to rectify the prestige of the army.There are already 284 regular divisions and various special forces under the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, of which 71 divisions are fully equipped.

In order to facilitate management, he established the General Command of the Chinese Army in Kunming, divided the country and the India-Myanmar region into 11 theaters, formed 4 front armies, appeasement and defense forces in several places, and troops directly under the command headquarters. Lu Han, Commander of the First Front Army, Zhang Fakui, Commander of the Second Front Army, Tang Enbo, Commander of the Third Front Army, and Wang Yaowu, Commander of the Fourth Front Army.Of the four front armies, Wang Yaowu of the Fourth Front Army and Tang Enbo of the Third Front Army were directly related to the Xiangxi Battle.These two front armies can be said to be the lifeblood of Chiang Kai-shek. Of course, there is also Du Yuming, the commander of the defense army stationed in Kunming. The New Army of the Communist Party of China, all of which are direct descendants of Chiang Kai-shek.Almost all the generals of Chiang Kai-shek's direct line of troops were born in the Whampoa Military Academy, and all of them were the favorite students of President Chiang, otherwise they would not be able to enter the direct line of troops as commanders.

After the opening of the China-India Highway, Du Yuming's defensive troops were able to get the most out of the water, and they were replaced with American equipment, fully armed from head to toe.The small lapels of the American military uniform, and the rank badges of generals and lieutenants, are very powerful. Walking on the street, all the female students of Southwest Associated University were dumbfounded.The usually high-minded and arrogant female college students, in contrast, turned into very rustic Xiangni, one or two cast their gazes over, even if they were pasted on the military uniforms, they could not be removed.

Tang Enbo of the Third Front Army and Wang Yaowu of the Fourth Front Army were not as relaxed as Du Yuming's defenders.They are also included in the plan to replace American equipment. Before a large number of American equipment arrived, they were stationed in Guiyang and Xiangxi respectively to receive training tasks in the use of American equipment and logistics support.The American Confederate Army sent a large number of military training instructors, and each division had ten or twenty American personnel. Tang Enbo's Third Front Army has 6 armies and 18 divisions under its jurisdiction.Wang Yaowu's Fourth Front Army has 4 armies and 14 divisions, of which Li Tianxia's 100th Army has 5 divisions.All the armies and divisions took this purge training very seriously. They knew that the old man was going ruthless, so they not only sent a large number of military commanders to supervise the training work of each unit at all times, but also sent inspection teams to each unit, directly responsible to the committee.

Tang Enbo who was stationed in Guiyang did not dare to slack off in the slightest.He is like a soldier, he gets up before dawn every day, follows the army drills, and learns the use of American rifles, submachine guns, and light and heavy machine guns. He is indeed meticulous, especially in the strict management of the army.Chiang Kai-shek's kindness of not killing made him sober for a while. Throughout the War of Resistance Against Japan, he played some clever tricks, avoiding the truth and taking the light, greedy for life and afraid of death, and preserved his strength. Not only was the public outraged, but it was also unpopular among senior Kuomintang generals.

Last year when the army defeated Henan and lost more than 100,000 national troops, Chiang Kai-shek was as angry as a lion and almost killed him. If it weren't for the intercession of He Yingqin and others, how could he be where he is today!But Chiang Kai-shek is clear about one thing. His performance and painstaking efforts are all for the benefit of the party and the country, and he always wants to preserve Chiang Kai-shek's vitality. Chiang Kai-shek knew in his heart that he would not kill Tang Enbo.Although Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi have told him many times, Tang Enbo is mediocre and has a pustule.Chiang Kai-shek likes to use idiots, and handing heavy troops to Hu Zongnan and Tang Enbo is more reassuring than handing over Chen Cheng, He Yingqin, Bai Chongxi, Cheng Qian and others.This is Chiang Kai-shek's way of employing people.

Mutual restraint, mutual restraint, and even mutual suspicion and speculation, vying for power and profit, so that Chiang Kai-shek can sit back and relax.Sometimes he was afraid that the generals leading the troops would have close contacts, and hoped that there would be conflicts among Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, Li Jishen, Feng Yuxiang, Chen Yi, etc., resulting in estrangement and failure to form a unified force. After Chiang Kai-shek received a large number of foreign aid, his first consideration was his direct line troops. In terms of equipment and combat effectiveness, he had to distance himself from all kinds of miscellaneous troops.He wants to arm his direct descendants with American equipment, and initially envisages the formation of five main force corps, and on the basis of the five main force corps, he will create five main force ace armies.This can not only deal with the Japanese army, but also more effectively deal with the forces of the Communist Party and the troops of various warlords. Therefore, some people like Hu Zongnan, Tang Enbo, Du Yuming, Wang Yaowu, Liao Yaoxiang, Zhang Lingfu, Qiu Qingquan, Hu Lian, Pan Yukun and other Whampoa generals kept popping up in Chiang Kai-shek's mind. When the Army Command of the Chinese Theater was established and the troops were reorganized, Wang Yaowu was promoted to the commander of the Fourth Front Army, stationed in Xiangxi, Hunan. It is rare for Chiang Kai-shek to know people well, and Wang Yaowu is considered right by Chiang Kai-shek.Among the senior generals of the Kuomintang, Wang Yaowu is known for his diligence and studious.Born in Tai'an, Shandong, he is not only kind, but also hardworking.Because he was born in a poor family and had no conditions to read and write, he insisted on going to night school to learn culture every night, regardless of the tiredness of the day when he was working in a factory.In 1924, he was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy's third enlisted corps, and was formally promoted to the third Whampoa Military Academy's third phase in the second year, where he was assigned to the Infantry Division. He was 22 years old at the time.Eight years later, he was promoted to major general brigade commander. Wang Yaowu has never given up the habit of reading and studying during his years of military life, so he has developed a calm and thoughtful character.On the battlefield, he often outwitted the enemy. In 1934, he led the replenishment of the First Brigade and defeated the advance team of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army led by Fang Zhimin to fight against Japan. In January 1935, in Huaiyu Mountain, more than 200 officers and soldiers under Hu Tiantao, commander of the 21st Division of the 10th Army of the Red Army were captured.Due to his outstanding military exploits, he was promoted to division commander. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he asked Zhang Lingfu to come out of Nanjing Model Prison and served as the head of the 305th Regiment of the 51st Division. He participated in the Songhu Battle and the Nanjing Defense Battle together. He succeeded Yu Jishi in 1940 and was promoted to lieutenant general of the 74th Army.This 74th Army was the reorganized 74th Division during the War of Liberation, and was annihilated by Su Yu, a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, in Menglianggu, Shandong.However, Wang Yaowu was annihilated by Xu Shiyou's troops on the Jinan battlefield in Shandong, and Wang Yaowu became a prisoner. This is a later story. After Wang Yaowu received the training order from the Military Commission, he strictly governed the army, encouraged officers and soldiers to learn military skills, and used excellent skills to deal with the upcoming final battle against Japan.Because of Wang Yaowu's strict military management and strict military discipline, the 18th Army, 73rd Army, 74th Army, and 100th Army under the Fourth Front Army later became Chiang Kai-shek's ace troops.