diskusbooks Chapter 1077 Two Young Generals
Chapter 1077 Two Young Generals
"What are you all doing? Get up here right now!"
Just as the two were about to fight at the headquarters entrance, after hearing Ma Leizi's words, they immediately stood at attention and began running towards the operations room on the second floor. Some of the onlookers who had been waiting to see what would happen also put away their cigarettes.
"What kind of behavior is this? A major battle is imminent. If you're so capable, go fight the Japanese. The Japanese on the other side of the river have killed countless of our people. And you still have the nerve to argue with me here? If I could find someone else, I would have locked you up in solitary confinement for two weeks. By the time I released you, the Japanese would have already been defeated."
Seeing these two scoundrels come in, Ma Leizi unleashed a torrent of abuse, which terrified them. "Demotion and pay cuts are fine, but please, don't lock us up, especially at this crucial time."
The 72nd Army is different from other armies. Other armies have seniority and such, but here, promotion is mainly based on military merit. This is also the fastest way to get promoted since the 72nd Army was established. With the Japanese devils right in front of us, it's time for the brothers to make their mark. If you get locked up in solitary confinement, you'll regret it to death when you get out.
"No, no, no, General Lei, you can decide whether to hit or scold us. We'll change our ways, okay? You just said you don't have anyone under your command. At least we're useful to him. You said you'd put us in solitary confinement for two weeks. We can't do anything, and it'll just delay your work. Shouldn't you be busy assigning tasks? I've heard that things change in an instant on the battlefield."
Xiang Hong quickly took out a cigarette, and Ma Leizi pushed it a couple of times before finally letting the kid light it.
Wang Zuye was also all smiles. To deal with these elite soldiers in the army, solitary confinement is the most effective method. These two are both waiting to kill Japanese devils and bring glory to their ancestors. If you really lock them up, they will probably be depressed to death inside, and it will become the most regrettable thing in their lives.
“Look at the two of you, you look like dogs. Come over here and keep watch. Xiang Hong, go to the west. Wang Zuye, you go to the east. The two independent mixed brigades, lead them in circles. Your reconnaissance company should buy at least ten hours. I will then send troops to surround them.”
Ma Leizi briefly explained the operational outline. The operations staff had already handed him a briefcase. Ma Leizi's explanation was rather simple, but time was of the essence, and there was no time to go into detail. Therefore, you must get to the battlefield as quickly as possible. If you have any questions, you can call or send a telegram. The main operational outline has been given to you.
The two men did some mental calculations. This was the Japanese stronghold on the north bank of the Yellow River. An independent brigade would have around 10,000 men, or even more. Their entire reconnaissance company, if all was added together, would have at most 300 to 500 men.
"Is it going to work or not? Give me a straight answer. If you two think it's not suitable, or if you don't have the ability, hurry up and give me your opinion. I have plenty of reconnaissance companies under my command. This matter doesn't necessarily have to be assigned to you."
Normally, Ma Leizi would give these two enough time to think and even let them make some requests. But now time is of the essence, and the Japanese army has already begun to move. If you continue to delay, once the Japanese find a crossing point, we will have to change our plans, which will involve tens of thousands of troops.
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
This plan is very challenging for the two of them, but at this moment, if they could stand up straight, they wouldn't be asked to do anything that wasn't challenging. Although Ma Leizi didn't say it explicitly, the implication was that we were the ace.
"If you need anything, go to the supply depot. Take everything you can carry. After crossing the river, you can also find some airdrop locations. I will arrange for transport planes to support you. Remember, take them as far away from the main force as possible. Don't worry about us not being able to find you. We are on wheels, they are on foot. The farther away from their main force you are, the more helpless their headquarters will be when they are surrounded."
Ma Leizi gave a brief explanation and then told the two not to waste any more time there. He needed to go back and give his men a pre-battle pep talk. If they could wipe out two independent brigades in one fell swoop, they would make a name for themselves on the battlefield in eastern Shandong.
As mentioned before, what we did in the provincial capital was enough to make us proud. But Ma Leizi thought that wasn't enough. Our commander-in-chief was right; we should stand tall by the number of Japanese we annihilated. We've only killed a fraction of the Japanese compared to those on the front lines. If these two independent mixed brigades were wiped out, our strength would immediately increase significantly.
Of course, after eliminating these two independent mixed brigades, the entire battle will continue to be a stalemate. The Japanese also know that it will be difficult to fight upstream and downstream, so they can only continue to think of ways to deal with this area. At that time, we will also continue to strengthen our defenses and look for opportunities to strike directly.
The fighting on the Pujiang side has been arduous enough, and troops across the country have suffered heavy casualties. We absolutely cannot allow the North China army to open up the Jinpu Railway. If their strategy succeeds, we will have to expend several times more effort to achieve victory. Ma Leizi understands this principle.
After the two reconnaissance company commanders returned, they spent three hours making all the preparations, reducing the number of large vehicles to a minimum. It was better for the brothers to ride in jeeps. Although these things had lower protection, they were fast and could carry a batch of weapons and equipment. Most importantly, they were highly mobile.
Trucks can carry a lot of stuff, but it takes them ages to turn around in the wild. Jeeps, on the other hand, just floor the gas pedal and pull the handbrake slightly, and you can drift. Not many drivers knew how to do it at first, but now most people do it, and it's something many experienced drivers have already mastered.
When they have nothing to do, these drivers burn a lot of gas on the training ground. As Ma Leizi said before, don't worry about how much gasoline you burn. You only need to worry about whether the action you practice will be useful on the battlefield. Even if you only use it once after practicing two hundred times, it will still be worth it.
How could an army trained with such conviction not be strong on the battlefield? When the two reconnaissance companies set off, they were traveling at 50 kilometers per hour from the camp, which was considered high speed in those days. Of course, no one would consider it impressive in the 21st century, but if you look at the condition of roads in that era, you'll know how fast that speed was...