si-mexico Chapter 1183 Different Attitudes
Chapter 1183 Different Attitudes
When Liu Xiaoshan arrived, many generals were already seated there. However, Liu Xiaoshan didn't recognize many of them. Although he had obtained the rank of general from the Nationalist government early on, he had always been guarding the country in the north, so he wasn't very familiar with these people.
Wu Zhenlei, having served as a secretary in the Ministry of Military Affairs, could name these people with his eyes closed. So, before the meeting even began, Wu Zhenlei started introducing the people around him to Liu Xiaoshan, even recounting their battlefield exploits.
Of course, some people were genuinely anti-Japanese, so their accounts of their actions included being wounded on the battlefield or leading others in desperate battles against the Japanese. But some were fake anti-Japanese; their connection to the resistance was fabricated by themselves. For example, they might claim to have set up checkpoints to intercept Japanese troops—take these stories with a grain of salt; no actual battles took place, and they were just making things up.
Liu Xiaoshan wasn't stupid; he could immediately tell who among the people present was genuinely fighting the Japanese and who was just pretending. "If someone who's experienced on the battlefield can be fooled by people like you, then what kind of battlefield am I on?" he thought.
Moreover, you can tell from what these people are saying that most of the generals who came down from the battlefield are grateful to the 72nd Army. They will not forget the kindness they received back then, and they can say it directly in front of so many people.
Those who fabricate the course of war are different. They can usually only give a general outline. If you want to talk about the details of a battle, these people probably can't. They don't even know the surrounding troops. These people themselves can let slip the truth.
Of course, Liu Xiaoshan wasn't here to expose other people's lies today, so even when he encountered these people, he spoke to them very politely. "We're here for diplomacy, not to fight a war. If you expose them in public, you'll be making enemies."
"Commander Sun, stop talking nonsense. General Liu has been living in the north all his life and has no idea about your heroic deeds on the battlefield. A dignified infantry division of over 8000 men returned with only 300 casualties. I've never seen anything like it. Even your 72nd Army's infantry division probably wouldn't dare to say that it lost 300 men after just one encounter with a Japanese division, would it?"
Of course, Liu Xiaoshan's silence didn't mean that some people here were silent. Just now, a division commander surnamed Sun was boasting about his glorious achievements on the battlefield, and immediately General Li got upset and started to undermine him from several tables away.
"Hey Li, what do you know! With your command skills, you'd just be risking your life on the battlefield. Do you think I'm like you? I'm a proper military academy graduate. You country bumpkin don't even know what combat strategy is. You can't even read a map. What kind of fight can you possibly have against the Japanese? And you have the nerve to talk back to me?"
When Commander Sun's lie was exposed in public, he was furious and began attacking the other party's background. How could General Li, a ruthless killer on the battlefield, tolerate such a thing? If it weren't for their colleagues holding them back, a full-blown brawl would have broken out immediately.
Of course, if a real fight breaks out, don't be fooled by what Commander Sun says; he'll probably end up with a black eye and a swollen face. How can someone who's actually been on the battlefield possibly fight the same way as these people in the rear?
Liu Xiaoshan had some understanding of the military and political meeting here, and he couldn't easily express his opinion on the current situation. However, his eyes couldn't hide his true feelings: those who actually went to the battlefield would receive care from the 72nd Army Group, while those who boasted and bragged could only keep their distance. They could show off elsewhere, but they shouldn't come here.
Judging from the way they're trying to break up the fight, it's clear that everyone around General Li is a veteran of the battlefield. Liu Xiaoshan walked over on his own, pulled General Li aside, and whispered a few words to him. General Li just laughed it off and fell silent.
Although Commander Sun was unconvinced, he remained silent. If he continued to cause trouble, it would be his fault. Moreover, he had been instructed that no matter what conflicts arose, they could not be directed at the 72nd Group Army. If they continued to target the 72nd Group Army, and something like what happened to Li Shaoyi occurred, no matter what powerful backers they had, they would all face a military court.
Such an order from above indicates a genuine fear of losing the 72nd Army Group. If that's the case, then we'll have to shoulder everything ourselves. Putting aside the overall situation of the war effort across the country, just consider the situation east of Hankou—can we handle it alone? It would require the combined efforts of millions of troops.
Of these millions of troops, how many are elite? How many are just going through the motions? Do you think the high command of the Nationalist government doesn't know? The troops Li Shaoyi took with him before were all elite. This time, we need Li Shaoyi to send troops again. As for which troops to send and how much territory to give Li Shaoyi, that all needs to be decided before the meeting.
Less than five minutes after the two generals finished arguing, the officer on duty at the door called out, and everyone quickly returned to their positions. Liu Xiaoshan's position was quite good; this wasn't a top-level military meeting, but rather a defense meeting for the area around Hankou, so he was the second seat to the right of Minister He.
Even at the highest military conference, Liu Xiaoshan's position was quite good, even one step ahead of Li Shaoyi's previous position. Of course, this was also to elevate the 72nd Group Army and let Liu Xiaoshan see that we had recognized our mistakes and were completely different from the last time.
Actually, according to what Liu Xiaoshan and Wu Zhenlei said, you guys are just making a huge fuss over nothing. Back when Li Shaoyi was here, you should have just appointed him as the commander of Hankou's defenses, then you wouldn't have needed to worry about anything else. The Japanese were able to take Huangpu River; can they take Hankou now?
That's simply impossible. If Li Shaoyi becomes the commander, the northern army will launch a large-scale southward offensive, and the Fourth Army will be able to hold back at least eight divisions.
If that really happens, what will the Japanese use to attack Hankou? Even if they draw all their troops from the domestic front, will we have no one left in our rear?