Chapter 49: Ripples Rise Again

  Chen Jifang prepared written materials:

  "Divine Eagle" combat records, including comparisons of friendly and enemy forces during battles and the final number of enemies eliminated.

  "Divine Eagle" currently has a roster.

  3. The conditions for the acceptance of the revised terms: apart from the conditions opened yesterday, there are also eight high-altitude machine guns (including bullets), twelve rapid-fire cannons, nine radio stations and accessories, twenty telephones (including telephone lines), one thousand sets of gas masks, medical supplies, etc.

  4. Modified name and combat method.

  The next afternoon's formal negotiations, when Chen Jifang pushed the already prepared documents to the National Army representatives, these people were immediately stunned by what was listed on the document.

  Liu Chunquan is a soldier, he knows more clearly than others the concept of "Divine Eagle" annihilating the enemy, in several months of continuous battles against Japan, whether it's guerrilla warfare, positional warfare or siege warfare, they have achieved complete victories, with a total of nearly 1,800 enemies annihilated! The National Army at Taierzhuang may have annihilated tens of thousands of devils, but that was the result of many armies in the Fifth War Zone paying a heavy price, and yet they are still just one regiment.

  I hope they don't dare to be outrageous. Radio stations, telephones, and even medicines are no problem, Liu Chunquan can't make the decision, but he believes that the Third War Zone headquarters won't care about these materials, but this group of people actually dares to ask for high-altitude machine guns and rapid-fire cannons! It's simply crazy! The National Army has only a few elite divisions, how many divisions are equipped with high-altitude machine guns? And what is a rapid-fire cannon?

  Stunned for a long time, Liu Chunquan finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "The equipment requirements proposed by your department, I am not in charge, and I need to ask the war zone authorities for instructions. As for the number, I understand the intention of your military officers and soldiers, and I will also send a telegram to ask for instructions.

  The meeting had to be terminated, waiting for Liu Chunquan to send back all the files of "Divine Eagle" to the Third War Zone.

  The current commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone is Gu Zhutong. His war zone was mainly responsible for the battles in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and originally had nothing to do with the small troops that were supposed to be incorporated into Anhui province. If they were to be incorporated, it should have been the Fifth War Zone that did so, but the Chairman issued a strict order that his war zone must take charge and do it quickly. The Chairman was wary of the Guangxi clique, and Li Zongren had just won the Battle of Taierzhuang, and his reputation was very high at the moment. But this meant that he would have to come up with an additional 500,000 yuan and hundreds of machine guns.

  Unexpectedly, Liu Chunquan's deputy officer sent a telegram saying that the other party had proposed conditions and the matter of reorganization was still under discussion. Gu Zhutong almost spat out the tea he had just drunk.

  Still not enough? Who the hell do they think they are? The Lu Da Guidance Team or the 88th Division? Just a few peasants with guns, if it weren't for the chairman being afraid of losing to the Communist Party, I wouldn't even bother. Still not satisfied, truly more bandit-like than bandits themselves.

  Gu Zuotang's face turned iron-green as he held the telegram and inquired of the officers beside him. These officers burst out laughing upon hearing the telegram. A regiment actually dared to ask for anti-aircraft machine guns and rapid-fire cannons? Isn't this a joke?

  The old and steady Chief of Staff, Cheng Zhenghe, said to Gu Zuotang: "Commander, things are probably not that simple. Come take a look, if it were just ordinary peasant armed forces, they would only have money and guns, and at most machine guns and hand grenades. But this group has actually thought of anti-aircraft machine guns and rapid-fire cannons, which means their commander is well-versed in military affairs and very familiar with the Japanese army's way of fighting. The rapid-fire cannon is obviously meant to be used against the enemy's tanks. And what about gas masks? Guerrilla forces wouldn't need such things, which shows that this group has big ambitions and wants to engage in a full-scale battle with the enemy. As for telephones and radios, it goes without saying. Based on all the intelligence, this self-proclaimed 'Divine Eagle' unit probably never considered itself a guerrilla force from the start, everything is based on the needs of a regular army. It should be a blessing for the country to have such a unit emerge among the people. So, Commander, my opinion is that we should directly report to Chairman Chiang and ask for his instructions. After all, isn't he also the commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone? Let's just follow his orders."

  Gu Zu Tong remained silent for half a day before nodding in agreement.

  "Chief of Staff, you are in charge of this matter. Be sure to send the other party's original words to the principal and let him make a decision."

  Chiang Kai-shek was then in Wuhan studying the plan to "defend Greater Wuhan" with Chen Cheng, commander of the 9th War Zone. The main force of 700,000 National Army troops at the Battle of Xuzhou almost got caught by the Japanese army, and it was fortunate that they broke through early and preserved their forces. Chiang Kai-shek finally realized that under the current situation where there is a significant gap in firepower between the two sides, concentrating heavy troops to engage in large-scale battles with the enemy in isolated cities would not work. Under the advice of domestic and foreign experts, he changed his strategy to deep defense operations around Wuhan City. The goal of the operation was no longer simply to hold onto the isolated city of Wuhan but to consume a large number of Japanese troops through defense, slow down their attack speed, and gain time for the next step in setting up comprehensive defense.

  Gu Zuotang's telegram was delivered to Chiang Kai-shek's office in the first time, when Chen Cheng and Minister of Military Administration He Yingqin were present. Chiang Kai-shek's reaction after hearing the chief of staff read out the telegram was exactly the same as Gu Zuotang's at that time.

  "Niang Xipi, this Gu Mo San is really a good-for-nothing. He can't even handle such a small matter without asking for instructions. Incompetent!"

  Seeing the Chairman get angry, Chen Cheng hastily took over the telegram and read it through once.

  The telegram first described all the battles of "Divine Eagle", then Gu Zuotang compared his own conditions with those put forward by "Divine Eagle" and requested the Military Commission to make a decision, stating that he would absolutely obey all decisions made by the Military Commission.

  Chen Cheng shook his head, no wonder the principal was angry. He couldn't even take charge of a small local militia, which was really beneath the dignity of a war zone commander. And this "Divine Eagle" special operations team, he had never heard of it before, yet they were able to achieve such exaggerated results, no wonder the principal would look at them with new eyes.

  He Yingqin took the telegram and looked at it, taking a deep breath. This seemed too unbelievable, just a guerrilla team, yet even the war zone commander had to ask for instructions. And what kind of troops were these, really daring to make such demands? Anti-aircraft machine guns, quick-firing cannons, gas masks, radio stations... did they think they were the main force? Even Chen Cheng's 18th Army didn't dare to ask for so much, and there were only three or four hundred quick-firing cannons and anti-aircraft machine guns in the whole country. He Yingqin was furious when he read this.

  "Gu Mo San is being provocative, I suggest sending an telegram immediately to the Third War Zone, canceling the plan to recruit him, and letting him fend for himself."

  Chen Cheng hastily stopped him: "No, Principal, calm down, it's not that simple for students to raise their hands."

  "Go on!" Chiang Kai-shek said with his eyes half closed and waved his hand.

  "Firstly, the achievements of this 'Divine Eagle' unit are true and reliable in my analysis. For example, when they only had one or two hundred men, their battle reports only claimed to have annihilated over 100 enemy soldiers, but actually avoided the main force of 500 Japanese troops and attacked the logistics supply point from behind. If it were some other units, their battle reports would definitely claim to have completely annihilated the Japanese army, and how they fought bravely and so on."

  Chiang Kai-shek's eyes began to open.

  "Secondly," Chen Cheng continued, "generally, troops stretch out their hands to the Central Government, and all they want is money, then guns and bullets. But this troop is different, the money and guns sent by the Third War Zone were not added to, but instead, they wanted high-angle machine guns and quick-firing cannons that were not needed, especially the quick-firing cannons, which was different from other Central Government troops. Generally, everyone wants mountain cannons and field cannons, but this 'Divine Eagle' specifically asks for high-angle machine guns and quick-firing cannons, what do they want to do?"

  "We must have planes and tanks to deal with the Japanese." Chiang Kai-shek finally interjected.

  "The principal is wise, and the students think so too. At least this shows that the commander of the troops first understands military affairs, secondly they may also be prepared to fight against the Japanese elite troops, rather than being satisfied with guerrilla warfare in the mountains. Thirdly, they specifically asked for radio stations and telephones in the war zone, which shows that they have a deeper understanding of modern warfare than ordinary people. From these points, the students think that if this army can be incorporated, it will add unexpected strength to the government's resistance against Japan, but if the Communist Party gets there first..."

  Chiang Kai-shek suddenly stood up and said to Chen Cheng: "You are responsible for drafting a telegram, telling Gu Zhutong that the other party's conditions will be accepted, on the premise that they must obey the command of the war zone. If this cannot be done, it will be handed over to the 9th War Zone."

  Seeing Chen Cheng getting points in front of the principal, He Yingqin was not to be outdone. He also suggested to Chiang Kai-shek: "Director, intelligence shows that the Japanese army is intensifying its attack on Anhui, and the provincial capital Hefei is the first to bear the brunt. I think after agreeing to the conditions, immediately use the Third War Zone headquarters command to order the troops to participate in the defense of Hefei."

  "Principal, it's not possible," Chen Cheng thought to himself. "Isn't this just adding chaos? Just one regiment taking the field would be annihilated in a few hours, what's the point of reorganizing? Looking at the 'Divine Eagle' unit's past combat methods, neither its soldiers nor firepower are temporarily suitable for a head-on defensive battle against the enemy. If our troops, which cost a great price to assemble, are depleted as soon as they take the field, then what's the point of the Military Commission reorganizing? Is it just to add a few more cannon fodders?"

  "What's your solution?" Chiang Kai-shek asked somewhat impatiently.

  "Allow it to stay behind enemy lines, provide intelligence from the war zone, and let them play their strengths in attacking high-value targets such as airports, stations, warehouses, and even command centers. Let Dai Yunong give them a set of passwords for convenient communication and command. In fact, staying behind enemy lines has another great benefit: 'Divine Eagle' establishing a guerrilla zone behind enemy lines will inevitably squeeze the space of the New Fourth Army, effectively preventing the Communist Party from developing and growing in the Jiangsu-Anhui region."

  The last sentence hit Chiang Kai-shek's heart, and there was a National Army unit behind the enemy lines. At least the Communist Party would not be so arrogant.

  "Things are done well by Gu Mo San, everything is handled according to your wishes. I see that the Third War Zone cannot be commanded, if you want to give it, do it generously, and add 12 mortars with sufficient ammunition. The unit number is the National Revolutionary Army 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment, which will be directly under the Military Commission from now on, and future military pay and supplies will be issued directly by the Military Commission. Gu Mo San is a person who cannot be commanded."

  Chen Cheng won another game, he spared no effort to praise them, on the one hand, because he loved talent, after all, he was a soldier, on the other hand, it was reasonable to incorporate this hard-fighting force into the engineering system at the right time.

  With the instructions of the highest authorities, efficiency has increased significantly, and telegrams and materials have arrived in Hefei one after another. Gu Zhutong and his staff saw the Military Commission's telegram as if they were reading a fantasy novel. When did the old man become so generous? This is not Huangpu, nor is it the Whampoa Military Academy, nor is it Zhejiang Province. Has the old man taken the wrong medicine?

  Doubts are still doubts, but orders must be carried out. Gu Zuotang immediately wired Liu, the deputy officer negotiating in the front line, to agree to the proposed conditions, participate in the supervision of the "Divine Eagle" modification work throughout the process, and hand over material matters with Hefei. He also instructed that this matter has been made known to heaven, only success is allowed, failure is not permitted.

  With the magic sword, Liu Chunquan showed unprecedented generosity at the negotiating table, astonishing Chen Jifa and others, almost overturning the preconceived image of the Kuomintang reactionaries.

  The most surprised one was Hu Yunfeng. When he proposed this condition, it had a bit of intentional difficulty, because if the negotiations collapsed, there would be no need to join the Nationalist Party. Unexpectedly, they agreed to everything and even added twelve mortars.

  The next thing was the reorganization of troops, and the uniform of "Divine Eagle" remained unchanged, with only the Blue Sky White Sun emblem hanging on the hat badge. What Chen Jifang was most pleased about was that Chiang Kai-shek had agreed to let his own troops continue to fight behind enemy lines.

  All worries have been resolved, and what's left is to immediately take out the plan for reorganizing the troops.