At 2:06, the situation worsened

  Lao Wang spent the whole day leading his own team of people to practice in the suburbs. After a week, they fired out more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Lao Wang was heartbroken, but the soldiers were barely familiar with the use of new-style weapons.

  Old Wang calculated and calculated that the money in his hands was almost not enough to spend. He thought about selling some intelligence or something again.

  On January 16, with the Japanese 13th Division moving towards Bengbu and Fengyang, the Battle of Xuzhou officially kicked off. Most officials in the headquarters were optimistic about this battle, but only Old Wang knew that the situation would change greatly in a few days.

  Xuzhou Garrison Headquarters, a man with a prisoner's haircut knocked on the door of Commander-in-Chief Li Zongren's quarters.

  Li Zongren immediately stood up and welcomed him, saying: "Jun, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

  The newcomer was Zhang Zizhong.

  Zhang Zizhong bowed his head and said to Li Zongren, "Thank you, Director Li, for saving my life. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay it."

  Li Zongren smiled and said: "Well, you don't have to thank me. Just kill more devils on the battlefield."

  Zhang Zizhong immediately expressed himself after hearing Li Zongren's words: "I, Zhang Zizhong, do not dare to forget my guilt towards the country and nation in the First War Zone. I am always thinking of dedicating myself to the country and killing the enemy. This time, I was transferred to the Fifth War Zone to come and kill the devils. Please assign tasks to me, sir."

  Li Zongren pointed to the Huai River basin on the map and said, "The enemy's southern line has now unfolded. You take your 59th Army to reinforce it. Be sure to stop the enemy on the south bank of the Huai River. Take time for the next step in the war."

  Zhang Zizhong gave a military salute to Li Zongren and said: "The task must be completed."

  Li Zhongren motioned for Zhang Zizhong to sit down and said, "There's no need to be so formal, we've finished discussing official business. Let's just chat."

  Zhang Zizhong nodded and sat down.

  Li Zongren asked: "Jun Tun, do you think Xuzhou can be defended?"

  Chang Zhi Zhong took a sip of tea and said slowly: "The Japanese have better weapons and equipment than us, and the overall quality of their soldiers is also higher. If we let the Japanese attack Xu Zhou city, their heavy artillery and aircraft would cause huge casualties for us. So I think it's better to launch mobile defensive operations at various key points around Xu Zhou."

  Li Zongren nodded and thought: Having experience is indeed having experience, and he's thinking along the same lines as me.

  "So there's no advantage at all?" Li Zongren asked with a smile, so as not to make the atmosphere of this conversation too heavy.

  "We have the assistance of anti-Japanese military and civilians, and we are determined to defend our country to the death."

  Li Zongren waved his hand and said: "What you just said can also be said in my office, Xuzhou has many ears too."

  Zhang Zizhong nodded silently.

  The two fell silent for a moment. Zhang Zizhong asked, "De Gong just saw a unit outside the city practicing, I was curious and went to take a look, at first glance thought it was a battalion. Upon closer inspection, only one row was seen. These soldiers were holding strange guns and carrying large jars. What kind of troops is this?"

  Li Zongren smiled and said: "Do you think those bullets flying all over the sky are from our Fifth War Zone troops?"

  "What's that?" Zhang Zizhong asked strangely.

  "That's the largest ear in Xuzhou City. The Military Commission's Garrison Five War Zone Special Operations Office. Only one platoon of people. Don't underestimate them, fully equipped with American gear. I heard that in the past few days, they've fired several hundred thousand rounds for training. What a waste!"

  Zhang Zizhong nodded, thinking that the poor temple in the Fifth War Zone couldn't even afford such a heavy Buddha. Some of the Sichuan troops still had single-shot rifles, old-fashioned tubes, and usually each person couldn't get more than 20 rounds of ammunition. Shooting training had disappeared due to waste of ammunition. Alas! Non-regular troops were like this.

  Lao Wang and his group are doing what at this time. Lao Wang is planning to go out and have fun. He's taking the whole team to Xu Zhou on the eve of a great war, when the country is in danger, to go out and have a picnic, as he puts it.

  The location is in Taidizhuang, Xuzhou. Old Wang asked the American to drive a US-style truck and take everyone from the whole regiment to set up camp in Taidizhuang first. He himself returned to headquarters to send out an intelligence report.

  It's been a while since the Japanese army landed in Qingdao. Han Fuqu is about to be executed too. I'll give our leaders some advance warning. Thinking of this, I pick up my pen and write: "According to today's situation from the front line, the Japanese special service agency has been frequently contacting Shandong Province Chairman Han Fuqu, with rather intimate movements."

  Old Wang ran to the Wuzhan District Telegraph Office and sent this telegram to Dai Li. On the way, Old Wang suddenly thought of a question: why didn't Dai Li assign a telegraph operator for himself? The Military Bureau should have its own communication method! Every time I send low-level encrypted telegrams from the Wuzhan District Telegraph Office, Li Zongren must have seen them too, and there is no confidentiality at all. From this point of view, the Military Bureau still doesn't trust me and dares not to hand over internal passwords to me. Secondly, in this battle, Chiang Kai-shek really let go, you want what you want, Li Zongren, I'll give it to you, as long as you can win the battle.

  By the time he got here, Old Wang had already arrived at the telegram office of the Fifth War Zone Commander. As soon as he entered the telegram office, he saw a guard in relatively tattered clothes saluting him.

  Old Wang took a look at the guard's waist and saw that he was wearing a Type 54 pistol holster. He compared it to his own M1911, which he had just received from the American military attaché, and thought to himself: "This is the kind of equipment their guards are issued? How shabby." Just then, the sound of arguing voices came from the telegraph room. The young guard wanted to go in, but was blocked by the sentry at the door.

  They were about to draw their guns at each other. Old Wang intervened and stopped both sides, as the guards in the telegraph room were familiar with him due to his frequent visits to send military reports. Moreover, since he was from the Military Intelligence Bureau, everyone was a bit afraid of him. So, Old Wang's face still had some influence here.

  Old Wang said to Little Guard: "I'll go in and take a look. It's okay."

  Old Wang saw a middle-aged military officer with a thick face arguing with the telegrapher as soon as he entered the house. Old Wang listened carefully and found that the officer wanted to send a telegram, but was refused by the telegraph office because he didn't give them any benefits.

  The officer spoke with a Sichuan accent, and Old Wang suddenly remembered who he was. He took a few steps forward, extending his hand: "Isn't this Commander Wang of the 112th Division?"

  This man is Wang Mingchang, the commander of the 112th Division of the KMT Army. He was the anti-Japanese hero who held out alone in Teng County during the Battle of Xuzhou, and at the cost of his entire army being wiped out, delayed the Japanese 10th Division for three days.

  Wang Mingchang obviously didn't know Old Wang. Although Old Wang was now a Military Commission person, the soldiers below still didn't want to take off their 88th Division uniforms, so Old Wang had made a set of 88th Army company commander's uniform.

  Wang Mingzhang took one look at Old Wang, who was wearing the Central Army's elite corps uniform. Although he was only a squad leader, he didn't dare to be careless. He walked forward, shook hands and said: "We've met before."

  Old Wang smiled and said: "No no, I just asked for Master Wang's great name."

  Wang Mingzhang's face suddenly turned red upon hearing this. Old Wang thought to himself, "This Sichuan guy is really straightforward", and remembered that he also had a classmate from Sichuan in his previous university life. They are all people who speak their minds without reserve.

  Old Wang pulled out Master Wang and asked: "You want to send a telegram."

  Wang Mingzhang blazed with anger and said: "Every time I come out of Sichuan, I run into people like you. Even Officer Li wouldn't speak to us like that."

  Old Wang's heart was clear. He patted Master Wang's shoulder and said, "As the saying goes, 'Yan Wang is good at fighting, but small ghosts are hard to entangle.' What do you want to say? Tell me. I still have some face here."

  Wang Mingzhang thought for a moment that he couldn't go find Li Zongren because of this small matter either! He could only sigh and hand the telegram to Old Wang.

  Old Wang is now wealthy and influential, so he sent someone to deliver the silver yuan. He soon came out with a receipt for the delivery and handed it over to Wang Mingtang, saying: "These people are all powerful, Brother Wang doesn't need to worry about it."

  Wang Mingzhang sighed and walked out. Old Wang followed him out as well.

  "Wang Mingzhang asked outside the door: 'Haven't even asked your name yet?'"

  Lao Wang thought for a moment and said, "My name is Wang Xiangjun. You can call me Lao Wang. I'm the current deputy captain of the 88th Division."

  Wang Mingzhang immediately sensed the problem, they say the Central Army is well-equipped, but he had never heard that the Central Army's military rank was so high! A platoon leader is already a junior colonel. What kind of platoon is this?

  Just then an American-made truck stopped in front of the war zone commander's department and explained Wang Mingzhang's confusion.

  The old American waved his hand from the driver's room and shouted: "Old Wang, where are you going?"

  Xie Shuangwang jumped down from the car with a carbine slung over his shoulder and said, "Old Wang, Deng Lianzhang asked me to come pick you up."

  Wang Mingzhang looked at the soldier's unfamiliar weapon, neat uniform and thick steel helmet and understood that this was no ordinary unit. It must be the guard of honor for the big shot arriving in Xuzhou. As for what kind of unit the 88th Division was, he was clear about it - it was the most elite among the Central Army's elite units. It did not belong to Hu Zongnan's faction, nor Chen Cheng's local faction, and was independent of Tang Enbo's 20th Army Group. It had evolved from Chiang Kai-shek's garrison troops.

  Old Wang looked at Sai's strange expression and said: "Where is your flamethrower? Why have you switched to a carbine?"

  Sai Shuangwang explained: "Oh, that's it. You haven't been there for a long time and everyone is hungry. There's nothing to eat either. Nurse Lin spent money to buy a pig in Tai'erzhuang. Lao Hei said my flamethrower is useful and he's using it to roast the pig."

  Old Wang almost fainted when he heard this, thinking: "These good-for-nothing women have nothing better to do than buy pigs! I bought you weapons to kill Japanese devils, not to look at barbecue stalls."

  Old Wang looked at the big American and said: "Why didn't you stop them?"

  The old American patted Old Wang's shoulder and said, "Wang, don't worry. Our US equipment can adjust firepower. It won't burn people. We US military often do this. Use it to open a barbecue party."

  Old Wang is so angry! I thought your American values are really hard to understand. You just don't get why I'm not happy at all.

  Old Wang waved at Master Wang and flew onto the truck to stop this crazy barbecue party.

  ’)