12dz Chapter 379 Sending Envelopes
Chapter 379 Sending Envelopes
Fast forward to September 11, 1944, and the situation on the Western European battlefield seemed to be moving towards a brighter future.
As the highlight of the new round of strategic counterattack, Operation Market-Garden is being prepared in full swing.
John's 1st Airborne Division is ready to go. This battle-hardened unit is known as the "Red Devils". It has a strict military appearance and is known for its "wherever the parachutes fall, the heroic spirits remain."
Their goal was to airdrop to the Arnhem bridgehead in the Netherlands and capture the "Distant Bridge" that was later made into a movie.
Meanwhile, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions of the White Eagles had already begun their final parachute drills. These soldiers, while shouting "Going to Holland to pick windmills," had no idea they were about to face the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions, drawn from the Eastern Front.
Meanwhile, the ground forces were also busy. In charge of the ground advance in the "Garden" section was John Bull's famous 30th Army. Under the command of the renowned General Montgomery, this force prepared to advance northwards, directly targeting the three key bridges of Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem, in an attempt to open a high-speed route to the Hansruhe industrial area.
Montgomery had already made up his mind. If this "land highway" was successfully built, he would be ahead of Patton and be the first to step into Hans' homeland with great fanfare, thus solidifying his title as "Britain's No. 1 General" or even "the Allied Forces' No. 1 General."
Of course, Zhang Chi knew that this plan was not completed as planned due to various reasons.
According to John's post-mortem analysis, the problems were: the bridge was too far, the enemy was too numerous, the weather was too bad, the allies were uncooperative, and the intelligence was insufficient...
On the eastern front, Operation Bagration was successfully completed, and the Russians began to prepare to launch the "Baltic Coast Campaign" to completely cut off Hans' Northern Army Group from the mainland.
It seemed that Hans was doomed, and some optimistic White Eagle critics even shouted the slogan "Catch Xier before Christmas and hang this big devil."
However, Zhang Chi knew that Hans, who seemed to be in a state of decline, was actually still struggling.
On the ocean battlefield, the White Eagle Navy began preparing to attack the Palau Islands, seize the airport on Peleliu Island, and clear the flank for the subsequent attack on Luzon Island.
During this historic battle, Japanese commander Shuo Nakagawa abandoned the beachhead defenses and relied on caves and tunnels to resist. The White Eagle Marines deployed approximately 1.8 troops and eliminated 1.1 Japanese troops at the cost of 1.07 casualties.
In this battle, almost two out of every three White Eagle soldiers fell.
The lethality of the Japanese under their desperate defense initially opened the eyes of the White Eagle leaders. After the subsequent battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the White Eagle leaders were finally worried about casualties and dared not land on the Japanese main island at all.
However, at present, the main goal of the White Eagle Navy and Marshal Mai is to recapture the former colony of Luzon Island, completely break the devil's "absolute national defense circle", and prepare for the attack on the mainland.
At this time, Marshal Mai was ready to fulfill his famous statement "I shall return".
Therefore, Zhang Chi's plan of having the Anmin Army carry out an amphibious landing also received official support from the White Eagle.
"This is a scalpel," Zhang Chi told General Stevenson. "It can cut through the enemy's ribs from the flank, leaving them no time to even scream."
In this plan submitted by General Stevenson, the Marines of the Anan Army would land on the west side of the Malay Peninsula from the flank, and then launch a surprise attack to capture Singapore, control the Strait of Malacca, and perfectly divide the Japanese garrisons in Southeast Asia, making it impossible for the Japanese in Annan, Luzon, Kalimantan, Sumatra and other places to contact and support each other.
According to the plan, the landing date was finally set on September 16.
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The morning sun shone through the glass onto the corridor of the Myitkyina Military and Political Building, and also onto Secretary Liu's well-tailored gray-green cheongsam. The ironed fabric outlined her exquisite figure, and coupled with her eyebrows and eyes that had been deliberately drawn today, she was graceful and full of spring.
Although the young officers in neatly-cut uniforms in the corridor were all very disciplined, they couldn't help but glance at her a few times as they passed by, lowering their heads, pursing their lips, and secretly admiring her.
Outside Zhang Chi's office, there were more than ten people sitting on long benches lined up in a row. All of them were heroes in previous battles. Their military ranks ranged from lieutenant to colonel. The only thing they had in common was that they were young.
At this moment, they all took off their military caps and placed their hands on their knees, like students waiting for their teacher to call their names. However, no matter how well-behaved they were, they couldn't hide the vague glances they cast at Secretary Liu from the corner of their eyes.
They all knew that today's "summons" was a bit strange - the celebration banquet had already been held, the awarding ceremony was over, and Commander Zhang personally awarded the medals one by one.
Logically speaking, he had already received all the honors he deserved, so why was he summoned again today? But people with military backgrounds were always quiet about talking. As long as the order was given, they would just follow it.
Colonel Li Mingcheng, the biggest contributor to the Chittagong campaign, waited for a short while before entering the office at the call of Secretary Liu.
After just 5 minutes of chatting, Li Mingcheng was so excited that he wanted to die for Commander-in-Chief Zhang in front of him.
It's nothing, compared with some company bosses in later generations who only make chicken soup for the soul and never raise wages and make empty promises every day, Zhang Chi is really willing to give!
"Go ahead, buy yourself a nice suit. You'll have stars on your shoulders, like a general..." Zhang Chi said as he opened a drawer, took out an envelope, and said with a smile, "Dress up nicely, don't lose points. Clothes make the man, and only smart guys are liked by older girls!"
Li Mingcheng took the envelope hesitantly, weighing it. It was thick and a little hot. He immediately stood straight and saluted, "Commander-in-Chief Zhang, I, Li Mingcheng...will never fail in my mission!"
The envelope was very thick, and inside was a full stack of green banknotes. Zhang Chi had many such envelopes in his drawer. His task today was to receive this group of his "young students" (Zhang Chi was the principal of the military academy and had also given lectures) and distribute all these envelopes.
Zhang Chi smiled and patted Li Mingcheng's shoulder, who was about to cry. "Xu Ji Tailor Shop in Wenhua District in the east of the city is good. They recently hired a master tailor. You can't go wrong if you go there to order..."
"Okay, keep working hard. I'm looking forward to the day when I can add another star on your shoulder..."
Zhang Chi also knew that he had recently cleaned up a group of old hands who used connections, took backdoors, and had their hands in local affairs. Although the atmosphere had been cleaned up, a new example had to be set up to stabilize the morale of the troops. Therefore, the young heroes promoted in this round had to be well won over.
Combining kindness and severity has always been the right way.
As the foundation of its founding, the Anmin Army is now becoming increasingly powerful. According to Zhang Chi's plan, the army, navy and air force will expand to a million in size before the Japanese surrender, strive to capture the main island, and seek the qualification to station troops in the Shikoku region.
Then, with the end of the war, they will be gradually laid off and retired, and in peacetime they will return to the model of a backbone elite + skeleton division reserve.
Of course, Zhang Chi would never treat these soldiers who fought with him to conquer the world unfairly. Giving them red envelopes and special allowances were just a small matter.
But he can give it, but the people below him cannot take it.
After all, we have to guard against the past events of ancient Rome and the Tang Dynasty, such as the inheritance law of the Imperial Guard. When Zhang Chi was alive, he could rely on his prestige to intimidate the army, but what about in the future?
Combining kindness and severity is the way of a king.
Soon, Lieutenant General Li Mingcheng left the office with a moved look on his face. The next young lieutenant colonel buttoned up his clothes, straightened his military cap, stood up and entered the office.