Dagu, the joint headquarters of the 39th Army Corps and the Southern Route Army.

After the first day of battle, Wei Junru and Xie Chengrui called a meeting of officers.

The officers were all puffing away, looking a little tired.

"The 4th Division in Xinkou has suffered heavy casualties recently, especially today. The army commander asked all units on the southern front to strengthen their offensive to reduce the pressure on the 4th Division!"

Xie Chengrui stood beside Wei Junru and said to the officers.

The officers of the 39th Legion nodded solemnly.

The officers of the Southern Route Army were minding their own cigarettes with various expressions on their faces. They did not look at Xie Chengrui and Wei Junru. Some of them lowered their heads, as if they were looking for ants in the cracks in the floor.

Wei Junru glanced at Xie Chengrui in shame, and a look of anger quickly appeared on his face.

"Pa bang bang..."

He slapped the tabletop of the marching table heavily, and after everyone raised their heads, he said angrily:

"Chief of Staff Xie is talking to you. Are you all dead? Why is there no response at all?

Put out all the cigarettes for me, hurry up!"

The officers put out their cigarettes reluctantly, with the expressions on their faces that they were afraid of being burned by boiling water.

Seeing Wei Junru slamming the table again, Wang Jun, commander of the new 27th Division, said:

"Chief Guard, Sir Xie, the troops have been fighting continuously for almost a week. The consumption of materials and ammunition is second to none. The casualties are increasing day by day. It is almost unbearable!"

Wang Jun was favored by both Jiang Dong and Wei Junru, and the newly formed 27th Division was a model unit for the entire Southern Route Army.

Even Wang Jun said this, so it is not difficult to guess the thoughts of other officers.

At the beginning of the decisive battle in Jinzhong, the morale of the various units was high and they advanced all the way. The Japanese army's living space was gradually compressed, and the resistance became more and more fierce. The attack was no longer smooth sailing, and a large number of casualties began to occur.

Seeing the sacrifice of entire platoons and entire companies of soldiers, the officers' minds began to undergo subtle changes.

The Fifth and Fourteenth Group Armies were formed from various miscellaneous units. For the officers in the army, the soldiers and equipment under their command were their personal capital.

They are unwilling and do not want to spend all their capital in one battle.

The two armies have cooperated many times before, and the cooperation process was quite pleasant, and they also achieved considerable results.

Some friendships were also developed between officers.

That is the deep-rooted ideological concept of preserving strength in the national army.

Several major battles caused heavy losses to the direct faction of the Central Army, and most of the elites of other factions were also lost. The threat of the Japanese invaders was no longer as strong as before, and the idea of ​​conserving strength sprouted and developed again.

The newly formed 27th Division, the 98th Army, the 22nd Division, etc. It’s not that the officers of these main force units don’t want to contribute, it’s just that in such a big environment, they have seen too many thankless efforts and were swallowed up by other units after suffering heavy losses.

In this case, their hearts gradually grew cold and they began to drift with the crowd.

When they heard Wei Junru's words and curses, these officers lowered their heads in shame.

The soldiers of the 39th Legion have strong combat effectiveness and excellent weapons and equipment. Many officers hope that the people of the 39th Legion will rush to the front. They only need to keep their own direction and ensure that the final victory will not slip away.

Strong people should take more responsibilities, which they think is natural.

Some officers even worried that the 39th Army Corps would be too powerful in the future and would annex their own troops. They hoped deep down in their hearts that this battle would consume the 39th Army Corps' strength and that the two armies would be equal in Shanxi from now on.

In short, once you encounter difficulties, all kinds of little thoughts will emerge.

These bad habits have always existed in the Nationalist Army, and they remained unchanged even when they were destroyed in 1949.

Wang Laohu's face already showed blazing anger. He stared at Wang Jun with a pair of tiger eyes,

"Deputy Commander Wang, now that you have been promoted, do you no longer have the courage to fight?

Don't forget that all the weapons and equipment of your newly formed 27th Division were provided by our Corps Commander.

The Thirty-ninth Legion even sent instructors to your unit. We treat you as our friends and will spare no effort to support you!

But now when it's time to fight, you're cowarded, don't talk about it, the casualties are heavy.

Lao Jia's 4th Division resisted the Japs' poison gas bombs at Xinkou and blocked them by 10,000 or 20,000 people. Is it hard for your 4th Division? It's said that the casualties were heavy. On the 27th, the 4th Division suffered heavy casualties.

?”

Cao Bin on the side held back the furious Wang Laohu, preventing him from rushing forward and intensifying the conflict between the two parties.

Zhang Shengqing didn't speak, he just looked at Wei Junru with a calm expression.

"well……"

Wei Junru sighed deeply,

“We have food to eat, clothing to wear, and ample supplies of ammunition. Life is getting better, but everyone is afraid of doing things. What is the reason for this?

I remember when we were in Zhongtiao Mountain, we didn’t have enough food and clothing, and we were always hungry and freezing. But after the leader gave the order, we all came out anyway!

In Licheng, the 98th Army single-handedly annihilated a Japanese division and achieved a great victory! At that time, the entire South Route Army was proud of it, and the leader even praised it personally."

Warrior Min's face turned red, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Wei Junru.

"The 22nd Division also fought very well in Niangziguan. There was also the newly formed 27th Division, the Third Army, and Tanabe Moritake's 41st Division. It was with your joint cooperation that they were destroyed.

The Japanese tomb is still erected in Jiexiu, and your names are engraved on the stone tablet for future generations to admire."

Wei Junru looked at the officers who were already ashamed, and his tone changed, his voice became stiff and majestic,

“You can risk everything when you are poor, but you can’t let go when you are rich. How can there be such a truth in the world!

I don’t think there’s any need to hold this meeting. I’ll give the order directly!

It is the bounden duty of soldiers to obey orders. Anyone who disobeys orders or fails to complete tasks on time will be subject to military law!"

Wei Jun swiftly snatched the folder from Xie Chengrui's hand and ordered loudly:

"The newly formed 27th Division is still the main force of the South Route Army. It will be responsible for attacking the southwest of Taiyuan tomorrow. The Japanese troops outside the city must be cleared before the sun sets. If the task cannot be completed, the division commander will go down and the deputy division commander will go up!

The Third Army, the 98th Army, the 22nd Division and other units attack Xiangyang to the west of Taiyuan and north of Taiyuan. The offensive must be fierce. Try to capture Xiangyang in one day and relieve the pressure in the direction of Xinkou!

Tomorrow I will personally go to the front line to supervise the battle, and any officers who are afraid of moving forward and trying to preserve their strength will be dismissed on the spot!"

"yes!"

The answering voice was soft and weak, unable to muster any strength.

Wei Junru slammed the document on the marching table,

"The meeting is dismissed!"

He was the first to leave angrily, and the officers of the Southern Route Army looked at each other briefly and then left one after another.

Only the officers of the 1st and 5th Divisions were left in the room.

Xie Chengrui smiled bitterly and picked up the folder,

"It was like this in those years. I didn't expect that half of the country was lost, and they didn't make any progress at all!"

Xie Chengrui was born in Huangpu and spent many years in the Central Army. He had seen many situations in which friendly forces fought against each other.

"These people can't change their minds for a while, and the situation tomorrow may not be ideal either." Wu Zhan shook his head and said,

"The ones in Xinkou are the brothers of the 39th Legion. If we want to reduce their pressure, we can only rely on ourselves.

In addition, the army commander’s orders must also be implemented. If Lao Jia’s 4th Division is allowed to fight all, we will all be sinners!”

"Fuck, why did something like this happen? Wasn't it good before?" Wang Laohu scratched his head vigorously. He really couldn't figure out what Wang Jun and others were thinking.

"It's easy to share joys and sorrows together!" There was no emotion or anger on Zhang Shengqing's face.

"They now have sufficient equipment. With one division, they can fight an army of other countries. It is the time when the spring breeze is triumphant, how dare you take risks easily!"

"But... most of the equipment is provided by Jincheng! If we don't contribute now, if we attack them without ammunition in the future, the tens of thousands of guns will become fire sticks. What's the use?"

Wang Laohu really wanted to cut open those people's heads and see clearly.

"Some people can only see immediate benefits. Forget it, let's not talk about it. As long as we annihilate the little devils in the encirclement, all problems will be solved." Xie Chengrui tried hard to get rid of the irritability in his mind.

"The Japanese army has always controlled the Zhengtai Railway line. I think they have not given up their thoughts of encircling Taiyuan. The first task tomorrow is to cut off the railway line and completely encircle the main force of the Japanese army in Taiyuan."

Xie Chengrui took a pencil and drew a circle on the map,

"This is the link for the Japanese troops to flee eastward, and it is also where they are heavily stationed. As long as this place is captured, the little devils will not be able to break through in the direction of Niangziguan."

Wang Laohu stepped forward and he could still recognize the word Xiluo on the map.

"Lao Zhang will attack Taiyuan with other troops, and leave this place to my 4th Division!

He must show those bastards what real war is!"

Xie Chengrui nodded in agreement. He had originally arranged it this way.

"The First Division and the Sixth Division will attack Taiyuan from the east tomorrow. If they enter the city one day earlier, Lao Jia's side will be liberated one day earlier!"

"yes!!!"

Several people walked out of the joint command center with deep thoughts and ugly faces.

…

Taiyuan, headquarters of the Japanese Twelfth Army.
To be continued...