Chapter 37: The Whole Army is Victorious When the General is Victorious (Part 2)

  Tan Xiao arrived, and he was a newcomer to this group of leaders. Although they were all well-known to each other, especially He Shaozhou, who had even visited Chiang Kai-shek in person at night to help Tan Xiao get out of trouble; but it was the first time they met face-to-face.

  Everyone had just settled in when Guderian arrived. In fact, it was Tan Xiao's intention to have someone inform him that several National Army generals had come to discuss military matters with Tan Xiao and that Guderian could join in. Guderian was of course overjoyed. Over the past few days, he had fully exercised his imagination, filling in the gaps in Tan Xiao's proposed blitzkrieg tactics until they were almost perfect, and was looking for an opportunity to exchange ideas with Tan Xiao. Unfortunately, Tan Xiao was too busy, which made him suffocate. Now, upon hearing of this opportunity to show off in front of everyone and also ask Tan Xiao questions in person, he was naturally over the moon!

  Goodrian appeared in a very serious manner, standing at the door and reporting in Chinese before entering the reception room with Tang Xiao's permission. He also gave Tang Xiao a standard military salute! His demeanor showed utmost respect for Tang Xiao, which was somewhat unexpected by the National Army generals present: after all, the head of the German advisory group was highly respected in China, and even He Yingqin would consult him on important matters. The Germans had limited reception time for Chinese generals, and they wouldn't wait if it was over! When did a German become so humble in front of a Chinese general? Everyone was shocked to learn that he was actually the Director-General of Armored Troops: although Seeckt held a high position, he was still an idle personnel in Germany. The German who showed utmost respect for Tang Xiao was actually the incumbent Director-General of Armored Troops! In today's China, tanks were scarce, and armored troops were just a small configuration of infantry. However, people like Gui Yongqing, who had studied in Germany, Sun Liren, who had studied in the US, and He Shaowei, who had studied in Japan, knew that major military powers around the world were vigorously developing their tank forces. Now, no one dared to underestimate Tang Xiao again.

  Today, Guderian came to discuss the issue of paratrooper tank configuration, which is a problem of blitzkrieg coordination troops. Airborne tanks are a brand new concept for Guderian - although reasonable, but there has never been a precedent in the world. So when it comes to this tactic, Guderian thought about it for a long time and made some plans, which were brought out to study with Tan Xiao. Tan Xiao also deliberately showed off, lightly explaining to Guderian in front of everyone, the various conditions he proposed that needed to be considered far exceeded what Guderian had proposed, rich and thorough. When he himself answered how to solve these problems, Guderian was impressed, continuing to play his role as a fan of Tan Xiao. The several Chinese National Army generals were all dumbfounded and petrified on the spot: Tan Xiao was actually the mentor of the Germans! His explanations made it sound like those arguments had already happened and were inevitable results!

  What Tan Xiaosu described about the tactics of tank clusters, if the audience he was explaining to were Chinese, it can almost be certain that he had studied Western military materials diligently by himself; this is not surprising. But now the tactics he explained are almost every detail unheard of by the German generals present, and the audience he was explaining to are actually the Germans who claim to have the world's number one army, which is a bit sensational. Sun Liren also came into contact with some discussions about tank usage during his studies in the United States, and now he clearly feels that those American tank masters do not even have the qualifications to mention Tan Xiaosu's shoes!

  Many famous generals have been hailed as military geniuses, but now everyone has discovered that these geniuses are all idiots in front of Tan Xiao, who is self-taught and can combine all current military elements organically through his imagination, constantly deriving more advanced tactics. No wonder the chairman trusts him so much, no wonder he was able to become a general in less than half a year without going through any major wars!

  After finishing the discussion on tank tactics with Goodrian, Tan Xiao finally led everyone into the second segment with their boundless surprise and admiration for him: visiting the military camp.

  Now, when the First Division is receiving Chiang Kai-shek at the military camp, there have been many changes. The most intuitive thing is that various anti-Japanese propaganda materials are filled throughout the base - even those targets and dummies used for soldiers to practice shooting and bayonet training have all become Japanese soldier images! All the propaganda boards depict Japanese military uniforms and insignia. As long as you're not a fool, if you live here for half a month and encounter the Japanese army, anyone can accurately distinguish every person's position in the entire army, even down to each person's minor role in battle! And on many of the wall posters are photos with captions of Japanese soldiers committing arson, murder, looting, and rape in Northeast China. The First Division's training base is a base for anti-Japanese ideological education and self-strengthening!

  The propaganda bulletin board in the camp gave Guan Linzheng a tremendous shock, he wished that his 25th Division's garrison could also have such an atmosphere! Guan Linzheng felt extremely guilty for his previous rudeness to Tan Xiao. In any case, Tan Xiao's military theoretical level, his ability to govern the army, and especially his strong hatred towards Japan, were all worthy of respect and friendship. No wonder the principal trusted him so much, Tan Fengsheng was indeed a general material!

  Sun Liren stared at the propaganda posters, his chest heaving with waves of heat: Strengthening the country and the army, driving out the Japanese invaders, isn't this the strongest desire hidden in the hearts of every hot-blooded soldier?! Now, Sun Liren began to pray in his heart, this time let him come, Tan Xiao wouldn't take away his position!

  He Shaowu also fought against the Japanese in the January 28 Incident and performed quite bravely: as a high-ranking commander, he often commanded battles on the front lines. Now these propaganda materials have brought him back to that battlefield three years ago, making it seem like he has seen his fallen comrades again, although he knows that Tan Xiao is very good at propaganda, but looking at these materials, he can't help but be moved!

  Kui Yongqing was also filled with blood boiling. He himself was a general who was too strategic and lacked courage, after returning from Germany he was called the "German General", and was quite arrogant in his daily life. Today, first being convinced by Tan Xiang's profound military theoretical skills, then immediately after being shocked and his emotions surging, seeing these propaganda materials, made him have an impulse to grab a gun and rush onto the battlefield, sacrificing himself for the country!

  After that, the special basic training and internal management level unique to the Wild One Division, which had already opened the eyes of countless visitors, once again violently impacted the hearts of the four generals. However, today's performance of a good show specially prepared for the four of them truly conquered these famous generals. It is said to be temporary because this is a long-term training project of the elite troops of the Wild One Division, and it was not intentionally done. It is said to be prepared for the four of them because they had already practiced once today, and now they are having two practices in one day, which is a standard Japan-China regular army attack and defense battle!

  The first to attack was the "Japanese army", they were required to wear full Japanese military uniforms as usual, and even the passwords on the battlefield were shouted in Japanese; As for tactics and actions, everything was strictly trained according to the Japanese infantry manual, even General Guan Linzheng, who had fought against the Japanese many times, found it difficult to distinguish this unit from the real Japanese army.

  Although the scale and simulation effect were far from that of the ambush battle against the German troops who consumed a large number of exercise bullets, the things that were supposed to be demonstrated were still fully demonstrated: the Japanese people's central breakthrough, flanking tactics; The tactics of infiltrating small units on the battlefield; The distance and rhythm of infantry-artillery coordination; The small group cooperation between soldiers was all wonderful. These attacking methods looked familiar and terrifying in the eyes of Guan Linzheng and He Shaozhou! However, they saw that the defending side was a different National Army! The defender had heavy firepower that was not inferior to or even stronger than the opponent! In coordination with those cleverly arranged firepower points and flexible machine gun transfer positions, including the extensive use of rare weapons in the National Army such as rifle grenades and directional mines, the "Japanese army" paid a very heavy price for each charge! In the end, the "Japanese" launched a "pig-style" attack because they could not succeed, and were caught by the hidden firepower of the National Army, suffering heavy casualties; while at this time, the National Army suddenly counterattacked, turning from defense to offense!

  This National Army's offensive was different from other troops: they didn't make a loud shout, after the attack horn sounded, they suddenly rushed out in an unexpected place, and the main attack point was almost all on the opponent's waist. After the "Japanese army" retreated, they didn't rush up to fight hand-to-hand, but rather drove them away! Those Japanese soldiers who were driven away were often quickly "shot dead" by a machine gun squad that quietly covered them from the side! The firepower equipment and ammunition supply of this National Army unit were too strong, and in terms of light firepower, they far surpassed the Japanese army in both quantity and rationality of equipment! Based on such equipment, various new attack and defense tactics that amazed people's ears and eyes were designed, and in this exercise, a regiment almost annihilated a Japanese battalion!

  The scene unfolding before Guan Linzheng's eyes was exhilarating! In his mind, he kept conjuring up a picture: the troops in the exercise were his 25th Division, engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese Eighth Division on the snowy plains of the Great Wall in northern China... Annihilate them! What was originally a defensive war had turned into an annihilation campaign! Almost the entire Japanese Eighth Division was annihilated! ... The thrill, the satisfaction! This was a scene that had only appeared in his dreams, but now he had the chance to make it a reality, and he would definitely seize it! He had already envisioned this possibility - a small force defeating a larger one, a weak army triumphing over a strong one! A powerful military could achieve this! The 25th Division was such a powerful army, and it would definitely become an even stronger one! ... Ah, he should gather the troops to witness this scene! Guan Linzheng had already decided to issue an order that night for the entire 25th Division to set out southward. In fact, the division had already made preparations to depart, as the order to head south was a military directive from the Ministry of Military Affairs, not a personal command from Tan Xiao. He was playing this little trick with the advance flight just to give Tan Xiao a warning, and he had been ready to set out as soon as Chiang Kai-shek's telegram arrived! From now on, however, he would strictly execute all orders from Tan Xiao that conformed to regulations!

  If our national army had such troops, equipment and tactical literacy three years ago, would Shanghai still be a "non-garrison zone"?! He Shaozhou's heart was also excited: If one day, he could lead such an army to fight against the Japanese again, what a wonderful thing it would be! As he watched the exercise, he asked many questions about the construction of the national army's defensive positions and the performance and usage of those new weapons. He believed that the result of this exercise was not watered down! Even if the real Japanese elite came, they could not escape the final annihilation of the exercise! For many years, the deeply buried fear of Japan in his heart was swept away today! Yes, China can definitely train an army stronger than the Japanese army. Now there is a model; In the near future, the 20 divisions that participated in this training will all become the national army that defeated Japan like the one seen today! From self-strengthening to being hit by failure after failure, slowly losing confidence, but still unwilling in his heart; Until today, he really found the answer! The feeling of turning from a slave to a general, and becoming the master, had already made He Shaozhou enter a state of excited forgetfulness: "Thank you, Tan Xiao. You let me, the Chinese army, and the Chinese people regain our confidence. One day... we will take back the dignity that our nation has lost!" This deep and strategic general actually stood in front of Tan Xiao and shouted out these exciting words, and also gave a standard and powerful military salute to General Tan!

  Salute to all the soldiers present! Every raised hand is like a raised knife, sharp and heavy, this knife will fall on the neck of the Japanese!

  Gui Yongqing has now forgotten his get-rich dream - he was also a general who participated in the Eastern Expedition and Northern Expedition! Those edges worn away by time, those ideals and ambitions tainted by fame and fortune, have all come back! Perhaps, after the excitement passes, he will sink again, but perhaps, this is what sparks him... Gui Yongqing, who has undergone countless changes and no longer looks like a soldier, seems to have been bathed in the sunlight that revives him.

  Among the crowd, Sun Liren is now the most psychologically conflicted. Before coming here, he had already positioned himself as Tan Xiao's arch-nemesis, but now, he is confused: Is Tan Xiao really his enemy?! If Tan Xiao wanted to remove him from office, why did he let him see all this?! Tan Xiao doesn't even consider him an enemy! Tan Xiao's enemy is Japan! Just for this patriotic spirit and military level, Sun Liren cannot put Tan Xiao in the position of his enemy. Perhaps it was the self-positioning of his role that gave him some reason to pick a fight, so he directly ran to the battlefield of the attack and defense exercise between the two sides, to carefully observe those fortifications and reorganize this "battle" fragment of Chinese military officers' defense, repeatedly analyzing whether the result of this exercise is reasonable. In the end, he surprisingly discovered that Tan Xiao's tactics, which emphasized firepower intensity similar to the US military tactics he had encountered while studying in the United States, were successful, and Tan Xiao's exercise troops were far superior to the US military in terms of flexible use of firepower and rational configuration!

  He's not just a theorist, he must be a master of actual combat! Sun Liren was thoroughly convinced! No matter if personal emotional factors will still exist in the future, but now Tan Xiao, if he asks him to join the Wild One Squadron, he will also agree without hesitation!

  After this afternoon's inspection of the training base, especially that Sino-Japanese battalion-level unit attack and defense battle, all four generals felt it was worth coming. Everyone was excited to have dinner at the Wild First Division's cafeteria, and now the four men were completely asking Tan Xiao for advice with a humble attitude.

  "Wild One's food is so good, did Commander Tan dig deep into his own pocket?" asked Gui Yongqing. The words had already brought out the title of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the whole army, and it was clear that he was sincerely convinced. Now, their questioning had penetrated into every detail of daily governance.

  "This is not necessary, the military expenses issued by the Military Affairs Department are sufficient, and Tan sometimes takes out a little, mainly to supplement the training ammunition costs. As for food, as long as you are willing to think about it from the perspective of the soldiers, there are still many ways to do it."

  Tan smiled and introduced: "Like in our Hunan province, there are many duck-raising teams who drive their ducks all the way to Guangdong. When they arrive, the ducks have grown up and can be sold, and then they return home. I took advantage of the southern water village's advantages and planned to spend money buying small ducks this year, distributing them to the duck-raising teams to raise, reducing their business risks and eliminating their long-term separation from home. The troops can also buy very cheap ducks!

  In addition, for livestock such as pigs, chickens, fish, and even grains, we adopt a way of providing seeds and collecting crops from farmers who raise and cultivate them. This way, the surrounding rural households can earn more money due to the stationed troops, and the cost of food and non-staple foods for the troops is greatly reduced. Everyone is happy; the mutually beneficial relationship and feelings between the military and civilians are also cultivated."

  Ye Yishi's approach was actually adopting some methods of later agricultural product companies, but launching them in this era was indeed astonishing. Everyone praised Tan Xiao's idea and expressed their intention to learn from it and implement it in their own territories.

  "What a pity! I don't have that many rivers and lakes in the north, really can't do anything about it! ……Guan Linzheng is good at fighting battles, but when it comes to these fancy things, he doesn't know how to be flexible."

  "That can raise sheep!" Tan Xiao suggested: "You can buy a few sheep and have them raised by farmers, wait until they give birth to lambs and then expand, the lambs will naturally be weaned before being taken away and given to new breeders, at this time the mother sheep will still produce milk, as long as you squeeze it every day, it will keep producing; the soldiers can drink nutritious sheep's milk every day..."

  Everyone was also amazed at Tan Xiao's knowledge of agriculture and animal husbandry, and after he designed the main military-civilian cooperation projects based on the environment of each unit's garrison, everyone thanked him profusely.

  "I think Tan will definitely be a great entrepreneur!" He Shaozhou said: "I estimate that in a few years, he can rank among the best in China!"

  "This goes without saying, haven't you seen how he's handled the entire German team? These ordinary business deals are a piece of cake for him." Gui Yongqing had always admired Tan Xiao most for his ability to handle the Germans.

  Everyone started with the farm work, and their speech gradually became more casual. Tan Xiao also unconsciously changed his way of addressing everyone, sometimes calling them "senior" and sometimes "brother", and the gap was eliminated in the process of chatting.

  "In fact, this so-called 'bandit suppression and military reorganization' is just the nationwide military reform that the Ministry of Military Affairs has always wanted to implement!" Tan Xiao opened the skylight and spoke bluntly: "It's just a gesture to numb Japan!"

  Gu Yongqing and He Shaozhou were aware of this, but Guan Linzheng did not know. Sun Liren was in a low position at the time and only realized it after listening. Guan Linzheng regretted notifying his troops to set out just now.

  "The intention of the Central Government and the Military Affairs Department is to reorganize and train all 20 divisions that have been reorganized in half a year into an army like the one you see today! Tan Xiao said: "If everything goes smoothly and the Sino-Japanese War has not yet started, the second batch will reorganize 40 or even more division-level troops, striving to complete the national troop reorganization before next summer. Therefore, your responsibilities are heavy, you must not alert the Japanese, but also forge a strong steel army for the country. I hope that each of you will go all out and strive to build a powerful army for the country as soon as possible!"

  Everyone present feels a strong sense of mission to strengthen the military and the country, each person is generous and enthusiastic, and they all express their willingness to work hard and dedicate themselves to the country.

  Following the trend, Tan Xiao took out his World War blueprints that he had used to deceive the Germans. This time, his focus was on how to take advantage of the situation in the World War to perfect the construction of national heavy industry and recover the lost territories and interests occupied by other powers. He said: "If our army can really achieve its goal within two years, even if we don't participate in the war at that time, but take advantage of the chaos in the world to do business as a belligerent country and recover the lost land, it is still very possible!" After finishing speaking, he looked around and saw that everyone was still stunned by his World War layout.

  There is only a thin line between genius and madness! Now everyone is convinced of this: Tan Xiao is the only true military genius they have ever seen, but he is definitely not far from being a madman!

  But now everyone is willing to believe this madman, and even follow him to complete that crazy plan! A plan that can make the country quickly intact, a plan that can make the nation rapidly strong, as a hot-blooded soldier, who doesn't want to complete it? Unintentionally, Tan Xiao suddenly created four new Tan fans among the top generals of the National Army! Tan fans like Guderian, and even more crazy! Because Tan Xiao pointed out a direction for the revival of the entire nation!

  Then, Tan Xiao's blueprint became an interesting topic, and a group of leaders began to simulate various situations around such a new situation. This global simulation that combines politics, military affairs, industry, commerce and other elements continued until dawn, and finally came to the conclusion: The Allied powers led by Germany, Japan and China may win the World War!

  My god! Have these guys also become Nazi fanatics? Tan Xiao suddenly felt that he had been completely deceived by this group of Chinese soldiers, including himself.