kingnovel Chapter 1218 A Tragic Retreat
Chapter 1218 A Tragic Retreat
The evacuation of all departments was already on the agenda, and everyone understood that the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Military Affairs couldn't possibly hold out until the very end. Seeing many family members among the evacuees, Liu Xiaoshan was amused.
According to the latest regulations, family members of all personnel are prohibited from evacuating by air. After all, airplanes now have strategic uses, and the families of these high-ranking officials should evacuate by car. However, the long journey of more than twenty days, especially since it is all in mountainous areas, is too much for many people to bear, and they are all asking their families to arrange a plane ticket for them.
For some mid- to low-ranking officers, arranging a plane ticket was simply beyond their capabilities. However, for high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Military Affairs, it was easy to slip their family members in, as long as they dressed like soldiers. Liu Xiaoshan saw through this but remained silent, knowing that such practices were pointless at this time.
"Sir, that was clearly a woman. According to the Ministry of Military Affairs' regulations, she can only travel by car. Should we do anything about it? What's going on here? So many people trying to pull strings."
"We specially prepared several transport planes for you," said Guan Jingmin, the garrison commander, somewhat dejectedly. "This was the result of communication between the Ministry of Military Affairs and Li Shaoyi. If it weren't for the order from our commander-in-chief, we wouldn't have had the time to prepare these transport planes for you. Don't we need them ourselves? We know very well how precious these things are right now."
"In a dark world, it's not easy to get a glimmer of light. That's the situation now. If you manage the situation right now, can you manage anything else? They've infiltrated every corner of life; selfishness is what they think about every day. Within our 72nd Group Army, you might find this kind of thing very unusual because nobody in our ranks does this. But if you expose them here, you might become the target of everyone's criticism. Because everyone here is used to this kind of life, it's useless for us to interfere. In the end, it will only affect unity. Let them do whatever they want. Anyway, the planes are lent to them; there's no point in getting worked up about it."
Liu Xiaoshan hadn't been in Hankou for very long, but in that time he had already gained a basic understanding of the local situation. His personal connections were incredibly intricate, and even the most principled issues could be expedited with the approval of higher-ups.
In the current situation, the airport security team can indeed prevent them from boarding the plane, but that's all they can do. These people will eventually find other planes, which will still affect their evacuation. Anyway, the top brass of the Party and the State think their family members are just a plane ticket, and there are hundreds of such families. They don't seem to care, so why should we meddle in their affairs?
The commander of the airport garrison regiment nodded, seemingly understanding, but he was certainly somewhat averse to this situation. Within our own army, whatever the higher-ups say goes; military equipment is for fighting, not for transporting families. Of course, our family transport is quite efficient; if you follow orders, as long as you endure a little hardship, you'll never be abandoned in Japanese-occupied territory.
"Sir, Vice Minister Wu is here."
As the two were smoking in the designated smoking area, a car pulled up in the distance. It was time for Vice Minister Wu from the Ministry of Military Affairs to make his retreat. Liu Xiaoshan stubbed out his cigarette, straightened his uniform, and went to open the car door for Vice Minister Wu. He was considered one of the better officers among the higher-ups who treated them well.
"You moved your command post to the airport because you're afraid you won't be able to evacuate at the last minute? Do you have so little confidence in our troops in various places? Even if our combat strength is not as good as yours, we can still give you time to retreat in the end."
When Vice Minister Wu heard that Liu Xiaoshan had moved the command post to the airport, he joked. While that was certainly a factor, the main reason was that it was safer there. Due to the evacuation of various departments, Hankou was already somewhat chaotic. Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, as night fell, groups of scattered individuals began looting and burglary.
Therefore, to avoid such a situation, Liu Xiaoshan brought his men to the airport. After all, there was an airport garrison there, and comprehensive defensive measures were in place. If anyone tried to loot, they would face countless machine guns.
"I'm not afraid of the Japanese attacking; I've killed quite a few Japanese in the north. The problem is that our military police withdrew first. Look at what the city has become after the military police withdrew! When you came to the airport, there were only a dozen or so guards, but now there are over a hundred people. If Hankou isn't taken care of, it will probably fall into chaos very soon. There are still many people who haven't evacuated, and then something terrible will happen."
Although Liu Xiaoshan spoke with a smile, the issue he was reporting was no small matter. Vice Minister Wu nodded with a wry smile. How could he not know what had happened in the city on his journey here? However, the military police regiments were the pride and joy of their superiors, not only formidable in combat but also well-equipped; now they had to cover the retreat of a vital shipment of supplies.
"Two military police regiments are guarding some supplies in the bank as it retreats, while another regiment is responsible for protecting the main personnel during their evacuation. What other troops are there in the city to maintain order? Take those policemen, for example; they're practically ready to strip down and loot the place themselves now. The Party and the State didn't get to this point overnight, so let's not dwell on that. When are you all leaving?"
Deputy Minister Wu clearly didn't want to talk about this. After the military police withdrew, the city's security was entirely handed over to the police headquarters. However, the police headquarters staff were simply incapable of maintaining order in the city. The first day was passable, but from the second day onwards, many police officers disappeared without a trace.
According to some rumors, some police officers, realizing they couldn't retreat, immediately shed their police uniforms. They simply submitted their resignations, and once they reached the mountain city, they could use some money to arrange things and become local police officers. If they stayed, they could just wait to be skinned alive by the Japanese.