Chapter 2: Type B Teacher

  Lingling Ancient City, with a history of over 2,000 years, is the second ancient city in Hunan Province after Changsha. It was the location of the Red Army's Long March and the Xiangjiang Battle "Pursuit and Annihilation" Frontline Commander-in-Chief.

  The commander-in-chief of the army, Xue Yue, was in a very good mood at this moment. Originally, the Red Army broke through the western part of the Xiangjiang River and shattered the plan to annihilate the Central Red Army on the eastern bank of the Xiangjiang River. Xue Yue was furious and scolded Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi for retreating from the battlefield, smashing several teapots in the process. Although the telegram had repeatedly pushed the responsibility for failing to eliminate the Central Red Army onto Li and Bai's heads, it was still unknown how the chairman would view the situation. However, just now, he received a reply from the central government, which expressed great joy at the Red Army's entry into Guizhou, believing that the central army could take advantage of the situation to enter Guizhou, which was even better than the original plan to use troops to capture Guizhou. The encrypted telegram ordered Xue Yue to quickly follow up and seize the opportunity to overthrow Wang Jialie, the governor of Guizhou Province...

  Learning of the "Dragon's Great Joy", the big stone in his heart was put down, and Xue Yue began to feel complacent: thinking back to when he became the deputy commander-in-chief of the third route army of the northern expedition against bandits in October 1923, every battle was a victory, and he rose step by step. Sweeping like a broken bamboo, they took down Shaoyuan, Shanggang, Shouhuashan, Xingguo, Gulonggang, and Shicheng, their military strength pointing directly at the Red Capital of Ruijin, finally forcing the Central Red Army to begin the Long March...

  Just as they were about to convene the military meeting for the Western Expedition, Xue Yue suddenly remembered something and asked his aide: "Are those mourning sons still wailing outside?"

  "Back to headquarters, they're still... it's been three days already, what a joke..."

  "Go and invite Tan Xiao in." Xue Yue was delighted today.

  Tan Xiao led a procession of nearly six hundred people (including seventy-one professional mourners invited from nearby), carrying the coffin of the old man, three days ago, against the military advance route, wailing to the Lingling camp. The whole team was dressed in mourning attire, almost everyone was injured and heavily bereaved, holding up the couplets and slogans that Tan Xiao had seen in the funeral procession of a triad leader in later films, which attracted attention.

  The price was high, and the seventy-first professional filial piety level played out thoroughly. Unexpectedly, they cried bitterly for three days and three nights in front of the camp, and shouted slogans for three days and three nights: demanding punishment for corrupt and cowardly troops who failed to fight, demanding that the commander-in-chief rectify and reorganize the security brigade, and demanding to go to the front line to avenge their father... At that time, it was during a tense period on the front line, and Xue Yue's mood was also agitated. He didn't bother with them, only sending a deputy officer to understand the situation and make some persuasions. Seeing that Tan Xiao couldn't persuade them, he simply ignored them.

  Today, Xue Yue was delighted to see the representative of the "Iron Blood and Steel Corps" which claimed to have resisted the Red Army's attack head-on, with the division commander killed in battle and only less than 600 wounded soldiers remaining out of more than 5,000 people.

  Tan Xiao was carried into Xue Yue's command center, with a bandage on his head, faintly showing dark red, barely managing to salute Xue Yue: "Commander of the Baolingbao Security Third Regiment, Huangpu Ninth Class student Tan Xiao salutes the Commander-in-Chief!"

  Xue Yue, in a relaxed mood, didn't show his usual arrogance and said calmly: "How's your injury? ... You demand severe punishment for the troops that failed to fight, whose troops are they?"

  "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, there are two troops. One is the garrison of the whole province, my unit fought a desperate battle outside the city for half a day without seeing any response from inside the city. The other is the Fourth Army Group, which has not arrived in time, resulting in the death of our highest commander and only one-tenth of the army remaining..."

  Wow, one of them is Liu Jianxu's troops, the prestigious "Pursuit and Suppression Army" First Route Army, and the other is Li and Bai's Gui Army. This Tan Xiaozhen really dares to report! Xue Yue was amused in his heart: "After all, what is the situation? Whether or not to punish needs to be verified by the Military Commission. You bunch of wounded soldiers still want to go to the battlefield? Haha......" The implication is that Xue Yue means he has already seen through them, wanting to get more benefits? Don't make too many fancy moves...

  "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, a personal vendetta is not shared by heaven and earth. My Youling Ba'an Travel has always been good at recruiting soldiers, every time the Xiang Army recruits and dispatches troops, the quota is exceeded. As long as the Commander-in-Chief guarantees my unit's equipment, rations, and salary for one month, I can pull out another whole brigade!"

  "Oh! ...Can anyone just pull a group of people to the battlefield? Nonsense!" Tan Xiao's statement was beyond Xue Yue's expectations.

  "Return to the commander-in-chief! I, Zero Lingbao, attach great importance to civilian training every day. The robust young men have all participated in battles against the Red Bandit guerrilla troops. As long as they are called out, they can fight!"

  Looking at Tan Xiao's serious and indignant face, Xue Yue was surprised: it turned out that he had misjudged him, this Tan Xiao really wanted to fight! He thought for a moment and said: "Originally, you should ask Officer He about the Lingling Security Team's affairs, but since I am the frontline commander-in-chief in this battle, I can make some decisions. Let me talk to Officer He about the food and salary, see how he arranges it... As for the equipment, I'll approve some for you, let my deputy take you to get them..."

  Tan laughed to himself, feeling delighted: originally he came this time to make trouble, didn't think he would really get any substantial compensation, mainly to create momentum, let the Central News Agency reporters take some photos, report on it, and get the title of "Communist-suppressing Hero Troops", in order to preserve his own troops in the upcoming possible large-scale demobilization, and also swindle some more consolation money - after all, the consolation for over 4,000 deaths is a huge sum, didn't expect that by chance he bumped into Xue Yue who was in a great mood, and easily granted him a batch of equipment.

  "Reporting to the commander, I have prepared the list of equipment, please review it!" Tan Xiaogong had indeed done his homework and had long been ready with the list of weapons and equipment quantities. It was just a matter of opening his mouth wide like a lion.

  Xue Yue took a look: What kind of security team equipment is this? It's clearly the standard equipment of an A-type division!

  "I'm telling you, Tan Xiao, this equipment is almost as good as the Central Army's main force! Haha, not bad for a military school graduate. Sorry, no... it's just some of the equipment we captured from the bandits in this battle. If you want it, I'll arrange for my deputy officer to take you to get it this afternoon!" Looking at Tan Xiao's list, Xue Yue really wanted to burst out laughing.

  "That... want, as long as there's a gun, I want it all!" Tan Xiao said with a very serious expression.

  At this time, a deputy officer handed Xue Yue a note. Xue Yue took a look and said to Tan Xiao: "Alright, it's settled then. After lunch, I'll have my deputy take you to get your equipment. Now, the people from the Military Affairs Department want to talk to you, so go next door!"

  Ministry of War? Not so fast, you can't find out that I lied about the military situation... Tan Xiao started to sweat coldly.

  A group of five people from the Military Affairs Department arrived, with the highest military rank being a lieutenant named He Shaotang, who was a liaison officer. The other four were all from the propaganda department. After clarifying their identities, Tan Xiaodan calmed down and realized that they had come for an exclusive interview with him.

  Giving an interview is too simple for someone who has lived through the 21st century. So, in the next half hour, amidst the flying spittle of laughter, Old Tan Dechang became a lone hero. Under the strict defense of various armies, the Xiangling Security Brigade launched a solo counterattack against the Red Army. During the counterattack, countless fighting heroes emerged from the Security Brigade: soldiers from Company X were set on fire by incendiary bombs during an ambush, but they bit their teeth and remained silent until they sacrificed themselves... The platoon leader of the assault company used his body to cover the barbed wire, allowing his comrades to trample over him to charge forward, and he died heroically... The Security Brigade suddenly split the Red Army troops apart, but due to the failure of friendly forces to arrive on time, they became deeply surrounded. In the end, under the circumstances of being out of ammunition and without support, Tan Dechang ordered the remnants to break through the encirclement, and shouted his final order: Fire at me!

  The entire interview is full of loopholes: Why did the Red Army drop incendiary bombs on its own positions? How could they set up barbed wire on their own advancing route? If the security team lost contact with the main force, how could they call for artillery support?...

  But no one would pursue the details, a war that killed tens of thousands of people, of course, took the opportunity to create a batch of heroes to establish the glorious image of the central "pursuit and suppression army", and Tan Xiao's fabricated stories happened to meet the propaganda requirements of the Military Affairs Department. Each story was so vivid, each protagonist was so flesh and blood, it was really great! The group of propagandists in the Military Affairs Department almost wanted to hug Tan Xiao and kiss him, this kid's stories solved at least a month's worth of manuscripts for them!

  Next, He Zhongwei proposed taking photos, including the unyielding and wounded soldiers of the Security Brigade's Yu Department, as well as the process of replenishment by the Military Affairs Department in the afternoon. To amplify the propaganda effect, several people made a bunch of phone calls to inquire about it in front of Tan Xiao, and finally Tan Xiao was reassured: In the afternoon, apart from the unknown amount of equipment approved by Xue Yue, at least six Czech-style light machine guns originally intended for frontline troops would be added, two 2mm mortar guns manufactured by Jinling Arsenal, and a senior official from the Military Affairs Department would come to offer condolences and distribute compensation and bonuses for the wounded. The standard for compensation was reportedly 100 yuan for each martyr or severely disabled soldier, 50 yuan for ordinary wounded soldiers, and higher standards for military officers, with an additional bonus of unknown amount.

  The grand prize is won! Tan Xiao was almost stunned by the sudden happiness: he had reported more than 4,600 soldiers killed in battle! Tens of millions! His grandma's, from his later generations' point of view, he knew that on the battlefield against Japan, miscellaneous units like theirs would not only be compensated for their casualties but basically disbanded, with the commander kicked out and the soldiers absorbed into the central army. It seems that the merit of suppressing communism is much greater than that of resisting Japan... Moreover: after this performance, it's likely that He Jian won't dare to touch this unit with its "glorious history" of suppressing communism in the future military cuts.

  After the interview, of course, it was lunchtime. The garrison of the Ba'an Army is actually located in Yangjiao Beach outside Lingling City, and it is only a mountain away from the old city. Many officers of the Ba'an Army have industries in the city, so they naturally want to entertain these pen-wielding bigwigs well.

  Then a group of people picked up a large pile of couplets, slogans, and soul flags, put on mourning clothes, and marched to the Xiangxiang Building opened by Wu Sheng with high spirits.

  At the moment of changing cups and toasting, Tan Xiao suddenly realized that He Shao-tang was quite powerful: he turned out to be the nephew of He Yingqin, the Minister of Military Administration, and had also participated in the first phase of military officer training camp, wearing the rank of Whampoa tenth phase into the Ministry of Military Administration. In terms of seniority, he is still his younger brother. It seems that apart from producing famous generals, Whampoa has also produced a lot of rubbish...

  During the meeting, Tan Xiang not only severely criticized the Guangxi Army for ignoring the overall situation and allowing the Red Army to escape through the gap between Quanzhou and Xing'an, but also expressed his extreme anger towards the warlords' hypocrisy towards the central government. He believed that the central government should impose stronger control over these warlords.

  As a military man, Tan Xiang inevitably discussed the possible war between China and Japan. On one hand, he severely criticized the signing of humiliating treaties such as the Tanggu Agreement, which allowed the central government to buy time. On the other hand, he expressed his utmost respect for He Yingqin's selfless spirit in shouldering the nation's shame.

  Tan Xiang also presented arguments from multiple aspects, including steel production, soldier quality, and domestic politics, to demonstrate that China had no choice but to endure. He criticized those who loudly advocated for resistance against Japan, believing that they were only seeking personal political gain at the expense of national danger. Only the calm faction represented by He Yingqin could save the country from its predicament.

  He Shaotang was taken aback by Tan Xiao's words, considering him a mastermind and a loyal follower of the He family. After the Tanggu Agreement was signed, he had never heard such "brilliant" insights about his uncle before. So, under the influence of alcohol, he insisted on making Tan Xiao his sworn brother and even introduced him to his distant cousin He Shaowei, who also became sworn brothers with Tan Xiao... Oh my! It seemed that He Shaotang had read Jin Yong's "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and knew that sworn brotherhood could be done by proxy. Tan Xiao cursed himself for not being able to develop his dark skills as well in another time and space, where he was just a small squad leader when he crossed over. On the other hand, he was quite proud of himself: people who cross over are really awesome, having only been in this time and space for a few days, they already have an army and money, and now even sworn brothers...

  In the afternoon, as a meritorious unit, they accepted replenishment and awards, just going through the motions. Tan Xiao, with a white flower-shaped spotlight on his head, personally recounted the heroic deeds of the Security Regiment to the Central News Agency and other mainstream media, and vowed to dedicate himself to the party's great cause for life. Finally, he received over 600,000 yuan in consolation prizes and took away equipment including ten light and heavy machine guns, 120 MP1 submachine guns, two mortars, 4,000 rifles, 120,000 rounds of ammunition, and 500 steel helmets.

  Xue Yue was crying and laughing, originally he only approved 500 rifles and 10,000 bullets, but after the group of people from the Military Affairs Department came, it got bigger and bigger, finally becoming a whole regiment's worth of equipment, letting Tan Xiao pick whatever he wanted from the spoils, and the Military Affairs Department even specially transported six new Czech-style light machine guns and two mortars to add to the show. He also understood that this was for propaganda purposes, and could only silently lament that Tan Xiao had gotten incredibly lucky...

  After this episode, Tan Xiao and He Shao-tang reluctantly bid each other farewell, and naturally led the team back to their base in Yangjiao Bay. Everyone was deeply impressed with Tan as the new leader of the Tan family army: previously, Tan De-chang had led them to make a fortune through petty theft, but now Tan Xiao was looting on a grand scale! Except for the twenty-nine old brothers who were still struggling to come to terms with Tan De-chang's death, everyone else was overjoyed. In the following days, a strange atmosphere appeared in the Security Command: everyone was happily preparing for a funeral...

  Four days later, Tan Xiao received a private letter from He Shao Tang, which roughly said that he had used his uncle's connections and made the greatest effort to help Tan Xiao, but still hoped for understanding in areas where he was not satisfied. Tan Xiao read it with a confused mind. After rewarding the messenger, he gathered everyone to discuss what He Shao Tang meant. However, his subordinates were also clueless and thought that He Shao Tang was eyeing the large sum of consolation money, using connections as an excuse to subtly ask for a share. As everyone was wildly guessing, a telegram from the Military Affairs Department arrived:

  Order: Tan Xiaosheng, the original commander of the 3rd Battalion of Baoling Security Brigade, was appointed as the temporary commander of the 23rd Division with the rank of senior colonel and the title of lieutenant general. The division was established on the basis of the original security brigade and participated in the Xiangjiang Blood Battle. All officers were promoted one level.

  Wow! Good luck is coming one after another. With a monthly salary of 132,000 yuan, the Xiangjiang Security Brigade has been promoted to a Central Army Class B Division!