plumnovel Chapter 264 The Principal's Inspection, Li Jianghe's Military Order
Chapter 264 The Principal's Inspection, Li Jianghe's Military Order
Bullets can be replenished, but if a person loses their life on the battlefield because of poor marksmanship, there's no way to make up for it.
Li Jianghe said this more than once on the training ground of the 11th Army.
He stood at the edge of the parade ground, watching the soldiers lying in the mud, aiming, firing, ejecting the shells, and aiming again and again.
Gunshots rang out in rapid succession, like a pot of roasted beans bouncing around.
Sweat streamed down the soldiers' faces, dripping onto their rifle butts and into the dirt, but no one reached out to wipe it away.
Because they know that every drop of sweat they shed now could mean a less bloodshed on the battlefield.
Moreover, they don't have much time left to prepare.
The order to go to the front lines could be issued at any time, like a sword hanging over our heads, not knowing when it would fall.
Li Jianghe knew that he was still counting on the 11th Army to play a key role in mountain warfare.
Mountains are not like plains.
Often, all an infantryman can rely on are his two legs and his gun.
Those steep slopes, dense forests, and narrow valleys were the graveyards of chariots, but the stage for infantry.
If the overall combat effectiveness of the 11th Army cannot be improved, it may actually become a hindrance on the battlefield.
That was not the outcome Li Jianghe wanted to see.
He led the 11th Army to the front lines to fight the Japanese, not to die.
Therefore, he was willing to invest heavily and spend a lot of money to arm the 11th Army to the teeth.
From firearms to ammunition, from communication equipment to medical supplies, everything that could be provided was provided, and everything that could be replaced was replaced with new ones.
Because in Li Jianghe's dictionary, the lives of his comrades are more valuable than anything else.
Li Jianghe's troops rested in Wuhan for seven days.
Seven days is as short as a nap for an army that needs rest.
However, for the 11th Army, the improvement they gained in those seven days was enormous.
This includes not only improvements in weaponry and equipment, but also enhancements in soldiers' shooting skills and their proficiency in using new weapons.
Those soldiers who used to only know how to charge with old-fashioned rifles are now skilled at operating submachine guns and light machine guns.
Some people can even hit a target the size of a bowl from 100 meters away, their marksmanship is so accurate that it's astonishing.
Finally, and most importantly, is the improvement of communication capabilities.
Li Jianghe transferred a considerable number of communications teams into the 11th Army, deploying telephones and small radios directly to the battalion level.
This was an extremely rare configuration in the Nationalist Army.
Generally speaking, it's considered good if a radio can reach the regimental level; many units rely on messengers running themselves ragged to maintain even regimental-level communications.
Now, battalion commanders in the 11th Army can communicate directly with the division headquarters, and the issuance of orders and the transmission of intelligence are much faster.
This greatly improved the battlefield communication capabilities of the entire 11th Army.
Imagine if, in mountain warfare, the battalions and companies could communicate and coordinate in real time, their combat effectiveness would more than double.
The targeted training of the Third Column has not stopped.
The main focus was on mountain warfare, a skill that Wang Dayong's Third Motorized Infantry Detachment had accumulated to some extent when fighting the Japanese army in the Fujinshan area.
Those experiences were gained through bloodshed and are invaluable.
These experiences are now being promoted and studied throughout the army, and every soldier needs to know how to march, how to hide, and how to ambush in mountainous terrain.
The engineers focused on learning how to use various engineering vehicles to build pontoon bridges.
The South has a dense network of waterways and crisscrossing rivers. Without bridges, mechanized troops are just a bunch of lumps of iron lying idle.
The engineers practiced repeatedly in the river under the scorching sun, again and again, until they could build a pontoon bridge that could support heavy trucks in half an hour.
Finally, on this day, Li Jianghe received a telegram from the Fifth War Zone Command, saying that an officer was coming to inspect the area.
Li Jianghe thought to himself, if even Commander Li has to address someone as "Commander," then it must be Commander He or the principal himself.
Just as he had expected.
As evening approached, several military vehicles parked at the entrance, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The two people who got out of the car were the principal and Officer He.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on them, casting long shadows.
Upon seeing this, Li Jianghe was also somewhat surprised. He pretended to be quite excited and stepped forward to salute, saying:
"Chairman, we never expected you to come in person. The Third Column is flattered."
His voice carried just the right amount of enthusiasm, neither too much nor too little.
The principal smiled and shook Li Jianghe's hand, his gaze sweeping across the playground:
"Captain Li, I've long heard Jingzhi say that the Third Column is a model of discipline and a paragon of the National Army. Now that I see it for myself, it truly stands firm as a mountain, which is truly admirable."
As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on the neatly arranged weapons, equipment, and soldiers on the training ground.
The tanks were polished to a gleaming shine, their cannons all pointing eastward, like a forest forged of steel.
The tanks were polished to a gleaming shine, their cannons all pointing eastward, like a forest forged of steel.
The soldiers stood ramrod straight. Although their uniforms were a bit old, they were clean and every button was fastened neatly.
This is not just polite talk, but a heartfelt appreciation.
The principal sighed inwardly, thinking that if his million-strong army had such a military bearing, how dare the mere Japanese pirates invade China?
"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Chairman."
Li Jianghe offered a flattering remark, neither too harsh nor too blunt.
In reality, the Third Column had absolutely no connection with the principal himself, but in this kind of situation, every nice word had to be said.
The principal nodded noncommittally and followed Li Jianghe into the command post.
The command post had been cleaned in advance, the maps were hung neatly, and the lampshades had been replaced, making the light much softer.
As the map unfolded, the principal got straight to the point:
"Captain Li, enough with the small talk. Besides inspecting and extending my regards to the Third Column, I also want to hear your views on the current battle situation."
As he said this, he gave Commander He a wink.
Commander He understood immediately, and hurriedly stepped forward, picked up his baton, and began to explain the entire battle situation along the Yangtze River.
"The Japanese army has recently reinforced its troops, with at least four divisions already departing from Nanjing."
Commander He's voice was low and urgent, as if he were pouring out all the information at once.
"The Nanxun line was already struggling to hold on. Even if the Japanese army committed two more divisions, let alone four divisions, our defenses here would have completely collapsed."
His baton swept across the map, revealing several dents in the red line representing the battle line, as if they had been punched into the ground.
Li Jianghe understood what Commander He meant.
The goal was to deploy this third column to the Nanxun front, thereby changing the collapsing war situation in the entire Jiujiang region.
The principal smiled as he looked at Li Jianghe, his gaze carrying a mixture of scrutiny and expectation:
"Captain Li, if your troops were deployed, could they be equivalent to four Japanese divisions?"
These words implied that Li Jianghe was being asked to make a pledge.
After all, the situation on the front lines was urgent, and the principal had no more troops left to mobilize.
He now wishes he could send all the local security regiments in Wuhan to the battlefield.
Li Jianghe stared at the densely packed lines on the map and remained silent for a few seconds.
The markings crisscrossed like a spider web, each line representing a unit, and each mark signifying a fierce battle.
Then he raised his head, his gaze firm, his voice not loud but resounding:
"To turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice—it is my duty."