Chapter 4: Busy with Happiness (Part 2)

  This is all because of that idle Cheng Jiaji, who performed terribly in front of his sister and brother-in-law. As soon as he heard that his younger brother wanted to go down to lead troops, Xia Cheng's heart was delighted. She had always doted on this younger brother and naturally hoped that her useless brother could make some progress. When she first took him in, she also had the intention of cultivating him. Now that he was willing to go down to be a soldier, she was very pleased. However, this younger brother really didn't seem to have any military talent, and letting him command a thousand or so troops seemed like a joke even to his older sister, who had always been accommodating and indulgent towards him.

  "Lao Liu, if you want to make a career advancement, bringing two soldiers with you for a couple of days is also a good idea. This way, your brother-in-law can also promote you in the future. However, this battlefield is not a place to fool around. A single misgiven order can cost thousands of lives, and it's possible that even you yourself might lose your life. You've never led soldiers before, so it's better to start with a deputy position first."

  After saying these words, no matter how much Cheng Jiaji begged and even used tactics such as pretending to be pitiful or throwing a tantrum, she refused to budge. She only agreed to let him go to the lower-ranking division to take up some idle position like deputy division commander or deputy chief of staff, which was also a way for him to gain some experience.

  Cheng Jiaji looked at the woman who was most concerned about him at this moment, and always felt a strong sense of motherly love from her. Although he was not the same Cheng Jiaji as before, people's hearts are always flesh and blood, to be honest, he still appreciated Xia Chengshi's care for him.

  Under duress, he could only execute the second plan he had thought of long ago, making the most of the few trusted people he currently had. So he proposed that Wen Songyuan and Gao Shiying lead troops under his command, which didn't require much persuasion. It seemed that Miss Cheng was also worried about the safety of her precious younger brother, and having some soldiers by his side would be a good thing at least, with enough people to protect him, his life wouldn't be so easily lost on the battlefield.

  As for Chang Jing's request, Cheng Jiaji also mentioned it to his elder sister. After all, he had accepted several hundred taels of silver as a bribe from him, so he still observed this superficial etiquette. However, the enthusiasm was far less than when dealing with his own affairs. Cheng's elder sister didn't say much, only that they should discuss it with Xia Weimin before making a decision. Anyway, Cheng Jiaji wasn't very concerned about this matter, just fulfilling someone else's request out of loyalty.

  It's just that his elder sister promised to help him get a deputy position in the army, but Xia Weimin, who has always been very obedient to his wife and can be considered a model husband, this time unexpectedly refused to give in to Cheng Shi's face.

  In Xia Weimin's opinion, his younger brother-in-law really didn't have any military talent to speak of. Out of gratitude for the help he had given him in the past and for his wife's family, as well as his own affection for her, he was willing to let this incompetent younger brother-in-law continue to muddle along in a comfortable position in the military logistics department, as long as Cheng Jiaji wasn't too excessive in his private dealings. However, letting this younger brother-in-law who had never attended military school and had never been on the battlefield take command of troops was something he couldn't bring himself to do, even if it was just a minor deputy position that didn't involve any specific responsibilities.

  In the end, it was still Miss Cheng's skill in managing her husband that won out. Xia Weimin couldn't compete with his wife's abilities and agreed to let Cheng Jia go down to gain some experience, but also made a three-point agreement with Miss Cheng. First, Cheng Jia could only serve as deputy commander of a brigade and not participate in daily logistics and supplies. Second, once they went into battle against the Japanese army, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to pull Cheng Jia out of the battlefield in time, it was up to fate. Third, if there were any dangers or difficulties on the battlefield, Xia Weimin could treat Cheng Jia as his own younger brother-in-law and take care of him under his own eyes, but if anything happened in other units, don't blame him for not giving advance notice. As long as Cheng Jia agreed to these conditions, he would let him go to the troops to serve as deputy brigade commander.

  In Xia Weimin's opinion, his younger brother-in-law was either acting on impulse or looking for a place with benefits in the lower-level troops. As long as he mentioned these few things, he would retreat. However, what exceeded his expectations was that this move did not scare off Cheng Jiaji. He could only fulfill his promise and arrange a deputy commander position for Cheng Jiaji in the newly expanded troops.

  The final result was that Chang Jing became the Colonel and commander of the 174th Brigade, but most of his veteran soldiers were transferred away by Xia Weimin, leaving behind only some old and weak soldiers. Moreover, Cheng Jiaji's younger brother-in-law became his deputy, subtly restricting him. What made Chang Jing even more angry was that Cheng Jiaji's trusted subordinates Wen Songyuan and Gao Shiying had become the regimental and battalion commanders of the 174th Brigade, controlling more troops than Chang Jing himself.

  As for those original Seventh Team's old guys, he couldn't command them at all for a while, it can be said that within a few days of taking office, Chang Jing discovered that the head of this temporary 74th Brigade was not very capable. Although nominally he was the majestic brigade commander, in reality he was only playing the role of a high-ranking messenger. The only ones who would obey his orders were the brigade's guard company and another battalion led by an old subordinate he brought from the general staff department. The other troops either only listened to Cheng Jiaji's instructions or pretended to obey both his and Cheng Jiaji's commands while actually disobeying them.

  In short, the current Chang Jing, although still with a gentle and calm appearance on the surface, is actually unbearable in his bones. He's not a narrow-minded person, though he feels that he has been deceived by Cheng Jiaji, but he doesn't resent Cheng Jiaji at all, only blaming himself for underestimating others and looking down on Cheng Jiaji, who appears to be a superficial playboy like himself.

  Wu Town's Jiang Village is a large village with 500-600 households. The headquarters of the temporarily formed 174th Brigade and its directly affiliated units, as well as the headquarters of the temporarily formed 348th Regiment and one of its battalions are stationed in this village. It was not easy to accommodate 1,340 people in this village, but fortunately, many families in the village had ancestral halls, and with the addition of the village office and a small school, these soldiers were barely able to find lodging.

  After Jinan fell, the situation was extremely critical. The highest commander sent a telegram every day to urge the temporary 16th army to move northward. However, the Japanese army in the northern part of the fifth war zone did not quickly launch a large-scale southward attack. Instead, the Japanese army and the Chinese 51st army and the 11th army group fought a major battle on the Huai River. The Japanese army failed to gain any advantage on the Huai River front line, and the military situation eased.

  The Military Commission then allowed the temporary 16th army to focus on training for a period of time. After all, the Military Commission would not deploy this army that had not yet formed its combat effectiveness into hasty battles unless absolutely necessary. If they did, it would not only fail to help the situation in Xuzhou but might also become a burden on the fifth war zone.

  The highest commander was not concerned about the life or death of the temporary 16th army, but the gains and losses in Xuzhou were crucial to the overall situation. The chairman had to show unprecedented care for the temporary 16th army again, not only allowing it to rest and regroup but also directly allocating 500 new rifles, 20 light machine guns, and a batch of ammunition from Wuhan.

  The Military Commission also ordered the third war zone to allocate 13 new soldier companies with about 1,500 people to the temporary 16th army. As a result, the strength of the temporary 16th army exceeded 18,000 people, becoming a regular army.

  In the days of training in Jiang Village, Cheng Jiaji was not idle. He went down to various teams and camps every day to get along with the lower-level military officers. Although a group of professional soldiers did not think much of this parachute upper who had never fought before, they could not withstand Cheng Jiaji's lavish spending on food and drink, plus this little official really didn't have any airs and was straightforward in his temper, which also made them have some good feelings towards this little superior. Gradually, they also began to listen to what Cheng Jiaji had to say with a more selective attitude.

  On the tenth day of Zuo's seventh and fourth trip to stay in Jiang Village, Cheng Jiaji welcomed a batch of customers who brought good things to his doorstep.