In the Second Battle of Taiyuan, Jiang Dong and his troops undoubtedly performed the most brilliantly. They single-handedly annihilated three Japanese divisions. Such military exploits were astonishing to everyone, and even if they wanted to, they could not resist them at all.

Under the constant urging of the Chairman of the Generalissimo, the Military Commission’s Quanxu Office finally finalized the military merit.

On July 20, Bai Chongxi and Wang Shihe arrived in Jincheng by plane. On behalf of the Chairman and the Military Commission, they will confer titles on meritorious officers.

Because they received the news in advance, on the morning of the 20th, all system managers in southeastern Shanxi went to the auditorium to participate in the awarding and commendation meeting.

These mainly include all officers at or above the school level in the military system, all members of the Industrial Development Committee, the main leaders of the Anti-War Alliance, dozens of Chinese and foreign media reporters, and the county magistrates of counties in southeastern Shanxi...

Among these people, the number of county magistrates is the smallest, with only three.

Most of the 18 county towns were recovered in this battle. The county magistrates appointed by the Nationalist Government were killed, injured, or fled when the county towns fell. The county magistrates appointed by the Japanese were all big traitors, and Jiangdong would not recognize them at all.

Therefore, the number of county magistrates attending this conference was very small.

The military and civil affairs systems must go hand in hand. After the battle, Jiangdong has been thinking about how to fill the huge talent gap in the civil affairs system.

At 9:30 am on the 20th, Jiangdong, Xie Chengrui accompanied Bai Chongxi and Wang Shihe into the auditorium.

"Kakaka..."

The reporter friends are still as enthusiastic as ever, and all kinds of spotlights are flashing non-stop.

Since coming to Shanxi, there will be a big news every three to five days. Now the reporters in Shanxi are the treasures of their own newspapers, and their reports are related to the sales of countless newspapers.

"Vice General Bai, can you tell me in advance how the government plans to commend Jiangdong this time..."

"General Bai, what do you think about the Soviet Union and the Germans signing a treaty on your land?"

"Chief Jiang, it is rumored that you will take control of the military and political power in southeastern Shanxi. Is this true?"

…

Questions in English and Chinese kept ringing in several people's ears. Chinese and foreign reporters holding small notebooks kept rushing forward, and soldiers from the Internal Guard tried their best to stop them.

All the reporters craned their necks, their faces full of excitement and curiosity.

Bai Chongxi smiled and waved to say hello to the reporters. He kept walking and did not answer a word of the reporters' questions.

Jiang Dong also had a cheerful expression on his face. Half a step behind Bai Chongxi, he passed through the noisy group of reporters and walked into the auditorium.

How the Military Commission will commend Jiangdong and his troops has not been revealed at all before today.

Not even Jiang Dong and Xie Chengrui heard anything about it.

Such things are not common among the Military Commission and the top brass of the national army.

People from all walks of life in Shanxi and across the country are extremely concerned about this matter, and reporters are working so hard to obtain first-hand news.

But Bai Chongxi and Wang Shihe were very strict and did not reveal a word.

"stand up!!!"

Zhao Erniu roared at the top of his lungs, and the entire auditorium fell silent, and everyone stood up abruptly.

Several people from Jiangdong walked past the dense crowd and were prohibited from walking towards the rostrum.

Hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium, and everyone's eyes followed their progress.

"Please sit down!"

After several major officers took their seats, Zhao Erniu shouted to everyone again seriously.

Everyone sat down quietly, and the reporters also sat quietly in their exclusive seats.

The number of people who came to participate in the awarding and commendation meeting today obviously exceeded Bai Chongxi and Wang Shihe's expectations. Looking at the dense crowd of heads, the two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Although there were many people, Bai Chongxi and Wang Shihe did not get stage fright.

The two of them had seen many more big scenes than this, and they quickly adjusted their mood after sitting down.

Under the gaze of hundreds of pairs of curious or nervous eyes, Bai Chongxi asked Jiang Dong with a smile:

"Mr. Jiang, should we start immediately?"

Jiang Dong also looked forward to it and responded with a smile:

"Vice President Bai and Director Wang have had a long journey, so let's not say any polite words and start directly. If we finish early, you two can have a good rest..."

"Haha..." Bai Chongxi smiled and pointed at Jiangdong,

"Your beautiful words are becoming more and more eloquent."

"Vice President Bai, please!"

Wang Liang was responsible for hosting the conference. He said into the microphone:

"The National Revolutionary Army's Independent First Division's Awarding and Commendation Ceremony has officially begun!"

"Pa bang bang..."

Everyone was applauding with a look of anticipation on their faces.

After the applause fell behind, Wang Liang made a gesture of invitation.

"Now, I would like to ask Vice Commander Bai to read out the awards for meritorious soldiers on behalf of the Military Committee."

"Pa bang bang..." There was another burst of warm applause.

Bai Chongxi took a document from Wang Shihe and strode to the microphone.

The auditorium fell silent, and everyone gradually slowed down their breathing. How the Military Commission will commend Jiang Dong and his officers will be revealed in the next few seconds.

Bai Chongxi glanced at everyone, slowly lowered his head, and spoke Mandarin with a Guangxi accent, reaching the ears of everyone in the auditorium through the microphone.

"Order of the Military Commission of the National Government!"

Everyone, including Jiang Dong, couldn't help but sit up straight.

"In view of the excellent performance of the Independent First Division of the Nationalist Army since its formation and the needs of the country and the nation in the war of resistance, the Military Commission decided that from now on, based on the Independent First Division of the Nationalist Army, we will expand and establish the Second Independent Division of the Nationalist Army.

Thirty-nine Legion."

"boom!"

The air in the auditorium seemed to shake, and many people opened their mouths slightly.

Expanding from an independent division into a corps is a big step.

Everyone resisted the urge to whisper and continued to hold their breath.

Bai Chongxi paused and continued reading:

"Appoint Jiang Dong, the former commander of the 1st Independent Division of the Kuomintang Army, as the commander of the 39th Corps, and appoint Xie Chengrui, the former chief of staff of the 1st Independent Division of the Kuomintang Army, as the chief of staff of the 39th Corps."

Everyone in the auditorium couldn't help but look at Jiang Dong and Xie Chengrui on the podium.

Jiang Dong looked very calm, smiling and nodding to everyone.

Xie Chengrui's face felt a little hot, and his hands under the table clenched into fists involuntarily.

"After the 39th Corps is established, the main officers will be nominated by the Corps Commander and Chief of Staff and appointed by the Military Committee!"

"Yes, we must seize the time to form the legion and live up to the trust of our officers and leaders!"

Jiang Dong and Xie Chengrui stood up and saluted together.

The establishment of legions only appeared after the Anti-Japanese War. A legion has at least one army with more than 30,000 people, such as Pang Bingxun's 30th legion.

But the largest one is Hu Zongnan's 17th Army, with five armies and 200,000 men.

The army's establishment fluctuated greatly, which gave Jiangdong a lot of room to expand its army.

Hearing that the organization was like this, Jiang Dong felt relieved, at least he didn't have to quarrel with the Chairman.

The officers in the audience all looked happy. The establishment of a legion means that their military ranks will be improved and they will have more troops in their hands.

"Chiang Kai-shek is quite interesting this time!"

Many people think this way in their hearts.

Media reporters were reviewing the records, and people from the Anti-War Alliance sighed in their hearts.

"Whoa!"

Bai Chongxi turned the pages calmly. Although the crisp sound of the paper was very small, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

After Jiang Dong and Xie Chengrui sat down, Bai Chongxi glanced at everyone and spoke again:

"In order to coordinate the resources of southeastern Shanxi to better fight against the Japanese aggressors and protect our homeland, the Nationalist Government has decided to establish the Office of the Administrative Inspectorate of Southeast Shanxi based on the 18 counties in southeastern Shanxi from now on!

The commander of the 17th Army Corps, Jiangdong, will also serve as the director of the Administrative Office of Southeast Shanxi and the Security Commander of Southeast Shanxi!"

The most excited ones were undoubtedly the county magistrates in the auditorium.

They are the first civil affairs officials to follow Jiangdong. After Jiangdong takes charge of southeastern Shanxi, their status will rise.

Sitting at the Industrial Development Committee, Wang Xueqin twitched her fists, her eyes filled with excitement.

Jiangdong wears many hats, and he will definitely take care of civil affairs matters in the future.

Although there is no name as the Director of the Administrative Office, it is very likely that he has the authority of the Director of the Administrative Office.

He used to be the county magistrate at the highest level, but when the Japanese invaders came, he was temporarily appointed by the superiors to act as a facade.
Chapter completed!