Chapter 766
Kaifeng Conference Step 1 in Reshaping the Land!
"How can the army of a nation be ordered by multiple departments?"
"Regarding this matter, please feel free to express your opinions on how to make adjustments."
As soon as Chang Ruiyuan finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room became so oppressive that it was suffocating.
It was as if the sandstorm sweeping along the old course of the Yellow River outside the window had poured into the room, choking everyone's throat.
Seeing that no one spoke, Lin Wei, at Chang Ruiyuan's prompting, stepped forward to the huge battle map, pointed with his baton at the winding supply line from eastern Henan to western Shandong, and said loudly, "Gentlemen, I would like to ask a question."
"Why did a batch of 75mm mountain gun shells shipped from the Taiyuan Arsenal require four stamps, two rounds of wrangling, and take a full six days to reach the Xuzhou front?"
"How long would it take for this kind of transport under normal circumstances?"
Lin Wei turned around, his gaze sweeping sharply over the generals wearing gold star epaulets below the stage: "The command hierarchy is overlapping, the war zones are heavily fortified, the supply lines are blocked at every level, the procedures are extremely cumbersome, and the awareness of communication at all levels is almost non-existent."
"If this is the state we are going to maintain for our next counterattack, then this is the way we are going to go."
"So how do we fight this battle?"
"Given our current limited resources, is it still necessary to fight?"
Faced with Lin Wei's questioning, the audience fell into a deathly silence.
Jiang Dingwen, commander of the First War Zone, looked down at the teacup in his hand, as if trying to see the blue and white porcelain pattern on it as if it were a flower in bloom.
Li Pinxian of the Fifth War Zone squinted slightly, gripping his pen tightly, his expression inscrutable.
As for the other army group commanders, they kept their eyes down and didn't want to be the first to step forward.
Everyone knows where the problem lies.
It's about territory, but even more about power.
But who dares to speak up?
Whoever speaks up is essentially cutting off their own "flesh" to feed the central government; that person is the "sucker."
While centralized power is efficient, it also breeds other problems, and few people with power are willing to have their power taken away.
A low growl, laced with suppressed rage, abruptly shattered the awkward silence.
"No one's saying anything?"
"Are they all mute?!"
"Snapped!"
The red and blue pencils in Chang Ruiyuan's hand were slammed hard onto the table, the lead broke, and the pencil bounced and rolled to Jiang Dingwen's feet.
Everyone saw Chang Ruiyuan suddenly stand up, his thin face slightly flushed with anger.
He pointed at the group of usually imposing regional officials below the stage, his voice trembling:
“When we were dealing with Wang Zhonglian and Li Yannian just now, you were all terrified, afraid that you would be the ones to be beheaded.”
"Now that I'm asking you to discuss the problems, to talk about how to unite this disorganized group into a cohesive force, you're all acting like nothing's wrong, pretending to be deaf and dumb!"
"This is a national war!"
Chang Ruiyuan suddenly grabbed his cane and slammed it on the floor three times, the "thump-thump" sound striking everyone's hearts like a war drum.
Everyone felt a chill; when had they ever seen Chang Ruiyuan so assertive?
Even though half of those sitting below were Whampoa Military Academy students or members of the Central Army, they couldn't help but feel uneasy, worried that something bad might happen.
"Since none of you want to bring it up, then I will!"
Chang Ruiyuan took a deep breath, his gaze becoming colder and more resolute than ever before. He looked at Lin Wei beside him: "Weiwen, change the map!"
"Yes!"
At Lin Wei's wave,
Two combat staff officers, who were already on standby, quickly stepped forward and ripped down the old map on the wall, which was marked with complicated war zone boundaries.
With a "whoosh".
The old map was removed, and a brand-new, huge situation map, still smelling of ink, was displayed before everyone.
At that moment, everyone in the audience's pupils contracted sharply.
Because on that new map.
The boundaries they were familiar with—the First War Zone, the Second War Zone, the Fifth War Zone, and the Eighth War Zone—have all disappeared!
The First and Fifth War Zones were merged into the First War Zone.
The Second War Zone and the Eighth War Zone were also merged to form the new Second War Zone.
Besides.
The area under the jurisdiction of the North China Joint Command officially included parts of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, and the boundary between the area under the jurisdiction of the South China Joint Command was very clear.
This is less about merging war zones and more about building a joint strategic cluster in North China that spans both sides of the Yellow River and encompasses several provinces including Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Shanxi, and Shaanxi.
"boom!"
It was as if a bombshell had been dropped into the conference room.
The generals, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb, suddenly erupted into chaos, with the sounds of chairs scraping against the ground and gasps filling the air.
"Chairman, what brings you here?"
Jiang Dingwen could no longer sit still.
He stood up abruptly, his face pale, and pointed at the map, his voice slightly flustered: "Is this a merger of war zones?"
Everyone was shocked to see Jiang Dingwen's appearance.
I realized it instantly.
This clearly indicates a lack of awareness of the situation; otherwise, this behavior would be entirely different.
Now that the war zones have been abolished, is the next step to target the former war zone commanders and headquarters?
The reputation of the Inspectorate is well known to the vast majority of people.
For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if my own bottom was clean.
Chang Ruiyuan explained calmly, "It's not a merger of war zones, but a re-delineation based on the current situation, also to adapt to the new circumstances to come..."
This is not a redivision; this is clearly a weakening of the regional powers!
We must uproot them!
Although Li Pinxian didn't stand up, she was already agitated, her eyelids twitching, and she kept stealing glances at her old superior, whose face was ashen.
If they lose independent command authority.
Wouldn't that leave the hundreds of thousands of Guangxi soldiers in the Fifth War Zone like orphans, at the mercy of others?
To Li Pinxian's great surprise, even his old superior remained silent.
Even Hu Zongnan couldn't help but look at Chang Ruiyuan at this moment, his eyes filled with shock and incomprehension.
If his Eighth War Zone were merged into the Second War Zone, wouldn't that mean that Hu Zongnan would be subject to Chu Xichun's control?
Why should a disciple of the emperor listen to the opinions of these "peasants" from Shanxi?
How can this be accepted?
"Please be patient, everyone."
The war commander sat steadily in his chair.
He didn't even glance at Jiang Dingwen, but simply pulled a form from the pile of documents in front of him and casually tossed it onto the center of the table: "Ming Gong, take a look at this first."
Jiang Dingwen, panting heavily, hesitantly picked up the form.
His pupils contracted sharply after just one glance.
That was a "Statistical Table of Logistics Supply Efficiency and Cross-Regional Mobilization Losses in Various Theaters".
"The current division of war zones is based on defensive operations, on defending the territory and resisting the enemy, and on the helplessness of having to set up layers of defense."
Zhan Shuai's voice was cold and sharp, piercing through the noisy discussions: "But now, we must counterattack, we must break out!"
He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at the Longhai Railway line.
"The Longhai Railway spans the First and Fifth War Zones, and even involves the original Jicha War Zone. After the Jicha War Zone was abolished, the original operational area was transferred to the Second War Zone, which increased efficiency several times over."
"The cancellation of the Lu-Su war zone is also a matter of course; it is an inevitable trend."
"Previously, in order to defend against the Japanese offensive, the Chairman even ordered that combat troops in areas such as the Second World War Zone should not enter other war zones to fight, and were not even allowed to retreat south of the Yellow River. What was the purpose of this?"
"This is to prevent various combat units from hoarding their strength and harboring selfish motives in such a national war."
The commander paused, then slowly continued, "We have to admit that when the Japanese army held a strategic advantage and controlled the overall situation, we were passive at every turn. The establishment of war zones was necessary and advanced to a certain extent." "Similarly, can this fragmented, self-contained command system adapt to the large-scale, deep-penetration mechanized warfare that follows?"
His gaze was sharp as lightning, piercing every general present: "If you can't, then you are committing a crime against the country and being irresponsible towards the lives of the soldiers on the front lines."
Jiang Dingwen opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
The data on that report was like a series of slaps to his face, making his cheeks sting.
Faced with absolute logistical data and efficiency, and faced with the new "strategic guiding ideology".
Any justification for "territory" is weak, feeble, and utterly selfish.
"so!"
Lin Wei took over the conversation, and with his baton, he drew a huge circle on the map, encompassing the vast area north of the Yellow River and east of the Qinling Mountains.
"According to the new strategic deployment, we will break down the original administrative provincial boundaries and war zone boundaries."
"Establish the 'Northern Strategic Cluster'!"
"Unify the command and control of all attacking forces located in this area, unify the logistics supply lines, and unify the air defense fire network!"
"Effective immediately, the headquarters of each theater command will be stripped of their 'field command authority' and transformed into 'garrison command' or 'pacification headquarters,' primarily responsible for local security, troop recruitment, and logistical support, and will no longer directly command field corps in cross-regional operations!"
That cut was too ruthless, too precise.
They directly separated military and political power, and removed the elite field troops from the hands of local warlords, leaving them only to command local security forces, thus becoming proper "local officials" rather than "warlords."
"This"
Li Pinxian took a deep breath, looked at Li Zongren, then at Chang Ruiyuan, his voice tinged with a final struggle: "Chairman, such a large-scale mobilization, won't it destabilize the morale of the troops? After all, there's a lot of tension between the generals and their old commanders..."
"Lord De".
Chu Yunfei suddenly interrupted, his gaze falling on the silent Li Zongren: "Is morale low?"
I don't think so.
"The Soviet Union and the United States have pledged to provide 1.2 billion yuan in economic aid, as well as about 2 billion US dollars in weapons and technical assistance."
"Based on our estimates, including our own production capacity, we can complete the formation and reorganization of thirty combat divisions within six months."
"I believe that as long as the division and regimental commanders below can receive their full pay, be equipped with new gear, win battles and be rewarded for their merits, and are bound by military law and regulations, there will certainly be no problems."
Clearly, the direction is very clear.
Money, yes!
There's plenty of equipment.
Honors will be bestowed generously, and no one will ever claim credit for their achievements!
There is absolutely no need to worry about logistical support.
Whoever is willing to follow orders and whoever is willing to put in genuine effort will naturally be able to obtain everything.
In this situation, will they listen to your empty words as your old superior, or will they follow the orders of the North China Joint Command?
"To ensure fairness and impartiality in the reorganization process, the Inspection Department, the Military Training Department, and the Ministry of Military Affairs will all dispatch relevant personnel to conduct supervision. If any problems arise, they will be thoroughly investigated!"
These words stripped away everyone's fig leaf, laying bare the exchange of interests on the table.
This is Yang Conspiracy.
For the vast majority of the Nationalist army, the core value was who provided the money, the guns, and the food.
Then the soldiers will listen to whomever they are commanding and follow whomever they are commanding.
Ideological and political education exists, but the vast majority of the teams do it poorly.
Only a true core and loyalist faction can achieve political building of the army.
Such teams are not the majority.
Chang Ruiyuan didn't have much money before, so he could only try to maintain a balance.
Now the US and the Soviet Union are providing mountains of gold and seas of silver.
Chang Ruiyuan was naturally happy to use this tool to send these "old brothers" who had built up their own armies to the "central government" and make them his servants.
This is not.
Seeing that the time was right, Chang Ruiyuan spoke up at the opportune moment, took out a list he had already prepared from his pocket, and gently placed it on the table.
“I have also taken into account your hard work.”
“Brother Ming, I know you’re not in good health and have long planned to come down to Henan to farm. Cao Potian reported that you sent people to buy up a lot of land at the end of 42, so I guess you no longer have any intention of becoming a commander-in-chief.”
"Chairman, I..."
Jiang Dingwen was sweating profusely and was about to speak up to defend himself.
Chang Ruiyuan showed no interest in listening to his explanation, nor did he intend to hold him accountable.
"The General Staff is planning to establish a 'Supreme Military Advisory Council' and would like you to return as its vice president, serving as an advisor to the General Staff in the rear to advise on the overall situation. What do you think?"
"Brother Delin, the war in the north is critical, and you are the deputy commander-in-chief."
"We should focus our energy on macro strategy, and leave the specific command of battles to the younger generation."
This is giving them face, and also giving them a way out.
If we don't get off these steps, we'll really fall off this platform and be smashed to pieces.
Jiang Dingwen looked at the list, then at Zhan Shuai, who was expressionless, and Chang Ruiyuan, who had a half-smile on his face.
He could certainly accept losing power, after all, he was greedy for money and lustful, but he had no interest in power.
As long as he doesn't cause trouble.
The nearly 1,000 acres of arable land in Henan are enough for his descendants to live a life of wealth.
Jiang Dingwen, his hands trembling, picked up the teacup, as if trying to hide his embarrassment: "This subordinate will certainly obey the orders of the General Headquarters."
Once the first person yielded, the rest followed naturally.
Li Pinxian looked at Commander Li and saw that although the latter's face was ashen, he finally nodded slightly. He could only grit his teeth and accept his fate.
Theaters were merged and command authority was regained.
This step, though seemingly perilous, was actually surviving unscathed in the face of absolute power and profit.
Everyone watched all this without feeling anything.
Everyone actually knows that this is just the beginning; the specific reorganization order and defense zone planning are the real focus going forward.
However, if the division and merger of war zones are not approved, their subordinates, and even the liaisons, will not know what needs to be discussed next.
"Now that the plan to merge the war zones has been approved by everyone."
The war commander stood up, walked to the map, and looked at the densely packed unit numbers. His voice became unusually calm, even with a hint of cruelty.
"Now, let's talk about specific units."
"Some units will be reorganized and their historical designations and numbers will be preserved in military history, or they may be reactivated."
"The current reforms are mainly targeting mid- to upper-ranking military officers."
"Some officers, upon reaching the required age, retire; those under the age limit are transferred to less demanding positions in central government departments."
Looking at everyone present, Lin Wei raised the next topic: "I propose that we immediately launch a 'full-scale inspection of the entire army'!"
"The joint command will dispatch an inspection team to go directly down to the regimental level to verify personnel and take inventory of equipment."
"In any unit where more than 10% of the personnel are absent, the commanding officer will be dismissed on the spot!"
"Any unit whose actual strength is less than 60% of its authorized strength shall have its designation revoked on the spot, and its personnel shall be incorporated into the main force!"
"In this reorganization, we will unify and reorganize the existing so-called miscellaneous troops, central troops, and local troops."
"Divide into Type A, Type B, and local security police forces."
"Regarding functions, we will provide further explanation accordingly." (End of this chapter)