Chapter 42: The National Army Reorganization

  The next morning, the military reorganization conference presided over by Chiang Kai-shek was officially held. In addition to He Yingqin and local landlord He Jian, who had just arrived, the attending military officers included: Eleven main force division commanders of the Central Army: Huang Jie, Li Yutang, Wang Wanling, Zhou Lei, Huang Wei, Huo Quanzhang, Guan Linzheng, Song Xilian, Ruan Zhaohuang, Li Shusen, and Wang Jingjiu; As well as the commander of the Central Instruction Corps, Gui Yongqing, and the independent brigade commander Zhong Song under his name. Of course, there were also Tan Xiaohe and the six divisions of the Hunan Army that would soon be incorporated into the First Route Army, as well as the original commanders of the Tax Police Corps. There was also a batch of local troops, small-numbered units, and scattered units in the southwest that were prepared to supplement each division.

  The mood of the people at the meeting was very different. The leaders of the Central Army were all in high spirits: they had already known when they were lecturing on single-soldier formation that the basic formation of the reorganized National Army would be 13 people per squad, equipped with 7 rifles, 2 submachine guns, and 2 light machine guns! Such light weapon equipment was among the best in the world's land armies at that time! As for the practice of equipping each battalion with three squads of six snipers, it made all the leaders ecstatic! And those small unit leaders who knew their troops would be "reorganized" away were naturally disheartened...

  Today's reorganization plan for the National Army was announced by Falkenhausen: The new division is a five-regiment division, including three main combat regiments with more than 4,000 people per regiment, one heavy artillery regiment with 2,600 people equipped with various types of guns above 105mm caliber, howitzers and heavy mortars, one mountain regiment with 3,000 people, plus the division's direct subordinate logistics, reconnaissance, guard, instructor, anti-aircraft, and equipment repair units at the regimental level, a division has more than 22,000 people, which is even more than the 18,000 people in a German division!

  As for the main combat brigades, in addition to having three main combat battalions each, every brigade has its own artillery troops: equipped with 75mm mountain guns or field guns; British-made six-pounder guns or domestically produced Type 92 infantry guns or German- and American-made 37mm anti-tank guns; a battalion composed of 82mm domestically produced or 81mm French-produced mortars. Another battalion is the engineer battalion, which in addition to having pontoon troops also has a combat engineer company specializing in large-scale mine-laying and fortification demolition. The brigade's directly subordinate reconnaissance, medical, communications, anti-aircraft and other units are all fully equipped, with the exception of the medical company being smaller than those at the division level.

  At the regimental level, in addition to the three main combat battalions, there were also artillery units - a mobile artillery battalion equipped with 60mm mortars; and an anti-tank battalion equipped with various individual anti-tank weapons.

  Even the main combat troops of the first-level army restored the three-three system, but in addition to the equipment known by the majority of regimental commanders, there was an additional configuration of a heavy machine gun platoon. The infantry squadrons were generally equipped with weapons such as rifle grenades with a killing range far superior to hand grenades.

  Now each division's artillery is roughly equal to the Japanese army's, and considering that the total number of people in a Chinese division is about two-thirds of the Japanese main force's first-class division, this is extremely frightening! Although there are still problems with inconsistent equipment and gun types between divisions, within each division they have basically been unified. Now the Chinese military's light weapons, whether in terms of quantity or quality, have already surpassed Japan's overall. In comparison to the Japanese army's firepower, the closer you get to the grassroots level, the more obvious the advantage is; at the regiment and company levels, there is already an overwhelming advantage.

  However, the superiors were still skeptical about whether such equipment was planned or could be achieved. After all, it was unlikely for the impoverished and backward National Army to carry out such a large-scale reorganization of troops. But Falkenhausen quickly dispelled their doubts: after coordinating with the military logistics department, it was found that there were not enough 105mm or larger cannons in the existing equipment of the National Army, but 75mm cannons and machine guns could meet the needs of three divisions, while six-pound cannons and rifles far exceeded this number. Adding to this a batch of British rifles that arrived a few days later and the first batch of German military aid that would arrive within twenty days, all thirteen divisions in the first reorganized army, except for the First War Zone, could be fully equipped. Everyone was overjoyed and also admired the selfless spirit of the First War Zone, but they did not know that Tang Huaiyu's plan for the organization and equipment of his troops was even more ambitious! Those commanders who had only seen the ZB26 light machine gun and Bergmann submachine gun were already very satisfied. They were even willing to equip their troops with old weapons that had been repaired and allocated from various departments in order to complete their reorganization as soon as possible!

  Some generals, such as Huang Wei and Huo Quanzhang, were particularly enthusiastic about this. These two generals from the Chen Cheng system arrived late and had not been exposed to many new weapon concepts, thinking that equipping German-style Maxim guns, Czech-style light machine guns, and 75mm mountain cannons was the best they could do. Therefore, under their strong demands, these two troops almost monopolized all the old mountain cannons, field cannons, and Czech-style light machine guns that various departments had adjusted in the past, including heavy machine guns made in Germany, Britain, and the Soviet Union. As for those who were more familiar with Tan Xiang, such as Gui Yongqing and Guan Linzheng, they were not in a hurry, especially Gui Yongqing, who knew that Tan Xiang had given up on modifying the ZB26 and was designing a new type of machine gun instead. He didn't believe that this gun was stronger than the ZB26 even if he died! Seeing Tan Xiang's indifference to the priority configuration of these equipment, Gui Yongqing made up his mind: whatever the First Army is equipped with, the Central Instructional Corps will be equipped with the same thing!

  Due to the British transportation advantage, their rifles could arrive in a few days. Therefore, except for the 11th and 14th Divisions which were equipped with almost all the old German-style guns, the remaining eleven divisions were all equipped with P14 as the standard rifle.

  As for the troops that each department is short of, they will be directly withdrawn from the miscellaneous troops that are currently fighting against the Red Army in the southwest and will be continuously transferred. Of course, the Yunnan and Guangxi armies are not among them. The brave Xiang soldiers of the various combat units of the Hunan army have long been coveted by the various armies, and they will be plundered before He Jian is emptied. This is also Chiang Kai-shek's intention: before Tan Xiao's Wild One Army merges, let them lose weight first, don't let the Wild One Army eat too much!

  One morning, almost all the superiors were enthusiastically haggling in an exciting and warm atmosphere, making efforts to equip their troops and replenish personnel. So when the decision to establish the First Field Army was announced, it was already lunchtime, and everyone had lost interest in the establishment of the First Field Army, rushing to the cafeteria. As a result, only the relevant personnel for the establishment of the First Field Army stayed behind for half an hour, while others went to have their meals first.

  The first branch of the Xiang Army to be dismembered was the Temporary 5th Division. Its troops were divided into two parts, with most of its elite forces being absorbed by the main combat units of the First Route Army. The remaining troops became a supplementary division responsible for training rural security teams and militia, organizing reserve forces. However, Chen Quzhen, the king of western Hunan, was appointed as the division commander, with Wu Sheng serving as deputy commander. This move was a contribution from the Old Tang faction: they put Chen Quzhen, who had already been stripped of his military power by Chiang Kai-shek, in a position where he still had some armed forces at his disposal. In return, Chen Quzhen persuaded Gu Jiaqi, the former commander of the 128th Division, to accept reorganization smoothly. (The 128th Division was actually now known as the New 34th Division; to avoid unnecessary complications, and like most units that did not need to emphasize their changes, it directly used its original number from the Anti-Japanese War era.) Gu Jiaqi became deputy commander and commander of a main combat regiment, giving up his bid for division commander. This was equivalent to swallowing the 128th Division whole, including its designation.

  As for the Eleventh Division, it was completely absorbed by Yan Xiu, and was directly incorporated into the First Division. Li Bifa of the 23rd Division, who had reservations, seemed to be determined to hold on until after the military exercise. Chen Guangzhong of the 63rd Division wanted to retain his military power and territory, but knew he couldn't fight against Yan Xiu, so he kept quiet, planning to discuss with Wu Sheng after the meeting to see if there was another compromise. However, no matter what, he didn't dare to fight against Yan Xiu, so now it has actually formed a situation where Peng Hanbai and Sun Liren are ganging up on Li Bifa two against one. The division commanders of the Second Division and Third Division in Yan Xiu's plan have already been decided.

  The reorganized First Field Army has 13 main force divisions and one supplementary division under its jurisdiction, as well as an independent artillery brigade that originally belonged to the First Division and a mountain brigade that is about to be formed. In addition, there are various security forces that are openly or secretly affiliated with the army, bringing the total number of troops in the First Field Army to over 120,000. This far exceeds the 80,000 troops that Chiang Kai-shek originally intended for Tan Xiang to control. Of course, Tan Xiang has to pay for these troops himself, but he now controls several large mines and has a vast territory, generating significant revenue from smuggling and other sources. The annual military expenses and training costs for the 40,000 additional troops are nearly 10 million, which is barely manageable. However, if He Jian sets up obstacles in the army's reorganization and replenishment, Tan Xiang will be in trouble. Therefore, he is determined to quickly eliminate He Jian and replace him with someone who will not obstruct him as the governor of Hunan Province.

  As for the equipment of the reorganized Wild One Army, Tan Xiao could only rack his brains. After all, those military supplies from India also cost money. At first, he didn't think Chiang Kai-shek's arithmetic was so fierce, and now he realized that if it wasn't for making a profit in the P14 rifle deal, his 200 million wouldn't be enough to equip an army of 1.2 million! Fortunately, in the heavy machine gun segment, the Military Affairs Department gave him a good deal by buying all the civilian 24 Markovs, but the military expenses were just barely enough for now, and this was because the settlement price with India was low enough, otherwise they would have to pay even more. It seems that to live a good life, they had to wait until the port loan of Qinzhou Bay was approved.

  However, no matter what, the National Army's reorganization has reached this point, and he is still very happy: except for the equipment's leap forward compared to the original time and space, it is already a bird gun changing cannon, and the number of people is also more than twice the original 20 divisions at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War! As long as these main forces that have fought many battles undergo half a year of training and adjust their conventional tactics, combat awareness, etc., the combat effectiveness of these 20 National Army divisions will be stronger than the original time and space's 100 divisions! At this point, even if they still can't take the initiative and the Japanese launch a preemptive strike, it is still very confident to defend against the opponent's invasion. War is not just a simple numerical comparison, if the National Army had an outstanding performance in the early stages of the Anti-Japanese War, eliminating a large number of Japanese old soldiers, the battle would become easier to fight, and the Japanese would quickly decline. Moreover, international aid forces will increase, countries that were worried about China's surrender and did not dare to lend and provide military aid will firmly stand on China's side. In this way, China can make Japan suffer a crushing defeat with its own strength, and even really drive them all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

  After the meeting, everyone rushed to have dinner. Tan Xiao hastily found Chiang Kai-shek and told him that military expenses were strained and that equipment costs had already shown a large deficit. Chiang Kai-shek was well-prepared and had calculated that Tan Xiao's overspending would reach 150 million in a year. So, in fact, he had been waiting for Tan Xiao to speak up - sometimes taking difficulties upon oneself is not understanding the leadership and ignoring their care and concern. Chiang Kai-shek quickly promised that after the German friendship bond funds arrived, he would allocate 20 million to Tan Xiao first, wow! Chiang Kai-shek finally let Tan Xiao feel the same excitement as other generals for the first time since the meeting began.

  Chiang Kai-shek also gave Tan Xiang a big favor: those Krupp cannons and British six-pounders that came through his hands were incorporated into various armies, and the corresponding equipment costs would be deducted from Tan Xiang's purchase price at a rate of 1.5 times, which would be allocated to the Wild One Army. Chiang Kai-shek said that this was still a very cost-effective deal, and the ones who benefited were the various reorganized units; however, these funds would secretly increase the preparation costs for the Guangdong-Guangxi campaign! This made Tan Xiang fall from heaven to hell - Old Chiang was planning to turn this money into ammunition to fight Guangdong-Guangxi! His own plan to save a large amount of anti-Japanese supplies had been ruined again - unless Tan Xiang could take down Guangdong-Guangxi at an unimaginably low cost, and not let Old Chiang calculate it; Chiang Kai-shek's abacus was indeed too formidable!

  Western-style luncheons have also become an unconventional venue: the PR gatherings of those small unit officers destined to be "filled up". Each running around among future superiors, vying for a good impression, hoping to get a better future.

  Chen Guangzhong was having a secret conversation with Wu Sheng, he knew that although Wu Sheng was not in a very prominent position in the First Army, he was actually the direct representative of Tan Xiao in many gray transactions. Chen Guangzhong's intention was that he could give up the competition for the division commander, but hoped to reserve an independent brigade number for himself and continue to rule within his original sphere of influence. In exchange, one-third of his local financial revenue would be submitted to Tan Xiao's First Army as military expenses. And his own independent brigade would be self-sufficient, without any allocation from the First Army.

  In response, Wu Sheng glossed over the matter and did not respond. Wu Sheng understood Tan Xiao's intention: Xiangxi King Chen Quzhen was reused because he had a very good relationship with the Miao people in Xiangxi, and his relationship with ethnic minorities could extend to the Sichuan-Tibet region; moreover, Chen Quzhen himself was more concerned about local governance and people's livelihood. Chen Guangzhong, on the other hand, was more greedy and harsh in plundering the locality, Tan Xiao originally had the intention of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, taking him as an example. After all, integrating troops for a long time, relying solely on appeasement, putting the original personnel together could only be considered nominal integration. To make all officers at all levels undergo reorganization and especially high-intensity training according to his requirements, it was necessary to ruthlessly eliminate one or two of them.

  The protagonist of the afternoon meeting became He Yingqin, as the main discussion was about the integration of artillery from various departments. The work of reorganizing and training 20,000 artillerymen, which had been put on hold by Chiang Kai-shek, was brought up again, with He Shaowei being the person mainly in charge.

  On the issue of funding, Tan Xiao had always used the original account's special funds for lending or other short-term transactions, and did not embezzle any. Now he has deducted his gains and handed over the entire account to He Shaozhou, which is quite appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek - others would have embezzled a portion of such a large sum, showing that Tan Xiao is truly dedicated to serving the Central Government. In return, Chiang Kai-shek also returned nearly half of the funds to Tan Xiao - this sum originally came from opium smuggling and was later seized by Chiang Kai-shek under the name of Tan Xiao's local fundraising efforts. Now the expenses of the artillery units directly under each military unit have been shifted to be borne by each military unit, and this sum only needs to cover less than half of the original planned expenses for the Central Government's independent artillery battalions. He Shaozhou has gained a large sum of money and command over 18 independent artillery battalions, with a status rivaling that of an ordinary army commander, and actual benefits far exceeding that; this is also a major expansion of the He faction's power, and a return on their support for Tan Xiao. Of course, Chairman Chiang would not let the He faction suppress the Tu Mu faction too much, so he promoted Chen Cheng to the position of Deputy Minister of Military Affairs two years ahead of schedule, even though Chen was not present at the time. Although this did not increase his power, it enhanced his ability to restrain He Yingqin.

  In the afternoon, there was another agenda about mechanized troops. Tan Xiao Yi was unusually calm and didn't make any statement: He had just given you a wild card army, so it's impossible for you to have a share in the mechanized troops. Therefore, he decided to attend as an observer.

  However, Chiang Kai-shek did not let him go: Tan Xiao was the mentor of Heinz Guderian, the German Panzer General! Moreover, the tank factory, tank research center and armored officer advanced training center selected by Germany were all located in Dong'an, and this mechanized force was inseparable from Tan Xiao.

  How to express it well? Chiang Kai-shek asked, and not answering was not an option. If the answer was too good, then who would be the head of this mechanized army? Seeing Yang Yongtai glance at himself twice as if nothing had happened, Tan Xiao knew he couldn't show off his skills anymore.

  "This mechanized force, in the end, is a mobile force that requires strict road conditions. In the complex terrain of the south, it's difficult to play to its strengths, and students think it should be trained in the north. As for the south, it can just serve as a center for technical research and production. Students' research findings on tank tactics can also be written into materials and submitted to the relevant commanding officers for reference."

  Tan Xiao saw Chiang Kai-shek nodding frequently, knowing that he was in agreement, and suggested: "Students suggest that this mechanized force can first be tested in three troops, namely the Central Training Corps and the 1st and 25th Divisions. The former is the representative of the national army, while the latter two have geographical conditions and defensive situations that require it."

  Tan Xiao laughed at this, which was also a case of giving peaches and receiving plums: apart from Hu Zongnan's one division, who was originally one of Chiang Kai-shek's mechanized troops in history, the other two were his own closest old Huangpu.

  Because this time Germany will provide a large number of tanks, it is possible to establish a battalion-sized tank combat team in three or more troops at one time. This military work conference listed this as a separate agenda item.

  Chiang Kai-shek was delighted to see Tan Xiang's suggestion, which did not recommend the First Route Army at all, but instead strongly recommended the Northern Troops and the Instructional Corps. In his heart, he was more pleased, like Hu Zongnan's division, which was originally in his planned equipped troops. So he fully adopted Tan Xiang's suggestion. This made Guan Linzheng so happy that he wanted to jump up!

  Guan Linzheng, who had fought many battles with the Japanese along the Great Wall, was eager to get his hands on tanks. He had personally seen how a dozen or so Japanese tanks could tear through the National Army's defenses, and he had always been thinking about how to counter them. Later, at the training base of the Wild One Division, he received technical support from Tan Xiao, and he was overjoyed that his unit would be one of the first in the National Army to be equipped with tanks. The happiness was indescribable, and he felt even more grateful for Tan Xiao's friendship.

  Chiang Kai-shek had been hesitant about whether to equip the First Army with tanks, because Tan Xing's strength was growing too rapidly. However, since he would be shouldering the main force of the war against Guangdong and Guangxi in half a year, he felt there was no reason not to strengthen the First Army. After observing Tan Xing's handling of all matters for two days, he finally decided to trust him completely. Therefore, the mechanization of the National Army's troops was finalized: The Central Training Corps, 1st Division, 25th Division and the First Army would be equipped with tanks in the first batch, with each unit receiving thirty tanks. The funding for their equipment and training would also be allocated directly by the Military Affairs Department, specifically for this purpose.

  The agenda for the first day has come to an end. Tan Xiao's role in today's meeting has made all the generals aware of his position in Chiang Kai-shek's heart. Except for a few people who are particularly jealous, those wall grasses have all risen with envy. As for the original batch of generals who were convinced by him, they are all happy for him. However, he does not know that at this time, there is already a group of people paying attention to him: He Yingqin, Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie and others have discussed and plan to pull him into the Blue Shirt Society!

  After the meeting, these high-ranking Blue Shirt Society members intercepted Tan Xiao.

  The Blue Shirts Society, founded by He Yingqin, was composed of a theorist Liu Jianqun and the rest were young hot-blooded youths from Huangpu. They were strict in discipline and firm in their attitude towards Japan, hoping to emulate Germany and build China into a united and disciplined big army camp. When Gui Yongqing and other Blue Shirts Society cadres first came into contact with Tan Xiang's "New World Grand Blueprint", they already had the feeling of G?ring meeting Hitler! So, after discussion, they had already listed Tan Xiang as a candidate for future leader of the Blue Shirts Society! This is also why so many old Huangpu people could quickly accept Tan Xiang.

  After careful consideration, they decided to formally develop Tan Xiao into the Blue Shirt Society with great solemnity. Today, they are going to have a detailed discussion with Tan Xiao, lead him in and entrust him with important tasks immediately. The people who came included Gui Yongqing, who arrived early, as well as He Zhonghan, Liu Jianqun, Dai Li, Kang Ze, and Deng Wenji, who all rushed over specially. Additionally, Hu Zongnan, who was far away in the north, also sent a telegram expressing his stance.

  Tan Xiao saw the crowd and understood their intentions, then he was stunned!

  Joining the Blue Shirts Society and becoming its leader is the fastest way to control the Whampoa Clique, and it also means establishing a solid relationship with the future Military-Intelligence Bureau... However, in history, the Blue Shirts Society was later disbanded by Chiang Kai-shek, and people like He Zhonghan and Deng Wenying were implicated. Should I join or not? Can I change the fate of the Blue Shirts Society?

  Tan Xiao once again stood at the crossroads of choice!