kingnovel Chapter 1180 Very Different
Chapter 1180 Very Different
Putting everything else aside, take air defense and espionage for example. When Li Shaoyi was in Hankou, he handled these two matters perfectly and basically resolved them completely. As long as we continue to follow the framework left by Li Shaoyi, we will not suffer any more losses in these areas.
But what happened after Li Shaoyi left? Things changed. They couldn't even gather enough anti-aircraft ammunition. What kind of life did the Air Defense Command live back then? They even had plenty of coffee every afternoon. Now, forget about coffee; you'd be grateful for even a sip of hot water.
As for the Japanese spies outside, they had already been cornered by Li Shaoyi, leaving them with very little room to survive. The military police had been clearing them out in circles on the map, until only a few circles remained. But what happened after Li Shaoyi left? Did the new people taking over this task have the ability? Could they find the Japanese spies?
Although they followed Li Shaoyi's original route, the problem was that using the same route with different people resulted in different outcomes. Coupled with several days of fruitless work, the higher-ups became dissatisfied, and these men simply became passive and absentee. If you ask, the reason is that we lack sufficient weapons. Commander Li didn't mention replenishing our supplies before leaving. We'd almost exhausted our supplies recently, and with only Hanyang rifles and broken pistols, we were no match for the Japanese spies.
Anyway, where there's a will, there's a way. What was originally a promising counter-espionage case has been completely ruined by these people. Some people are heartbroken, but what can they do? They don't have much power and can't keep Li Shaoyi around. They can only watch helplessly as their previous achievements are gradually eroded, until Hankou is back to what it was at the beginning.
Liu Xiaoshan returned to a building with a sense of helplessness. This was the new office of the 72nd Group Army in Hankou; the original office had been blown up by Li Shaoyi. This was also a message to all the officials in Hankou: if I'm leaving, I won't leave you with anything.
"This used to be the railway hotel. The north building was destroyed by the Japanese bombing, leaving only this south building. I've rented two floors here as our office. In addition to your entourage, there's also an infantry battalion that's there specifically for your safety and the security of the airport and aircraft."
Regarding Liu Xiaoshan's safety, Li Shaoyi had already made arrangements with them. Wherever Liu Xiaoshan went, the city had to have an airport with our parking space. Four transport planes and four fighter jets were always here. We wouldn't need to worry about fuel or weapons; we would handle the transportation ourselves.
Liu Xiaoshan is here in place of Li Shaoyi, so everything must be done according to Li Shaoyi's standards. Even if Hankou falls in the end and Liu Xiaoshan doesn't receive any further orders to retreat, we absolutely cannot allow Liu Xiaoshan to suffer any losses here. Our planes can take off immediately and go anywhere.
Li Shaoyi made almost the same request every time he went to a major city of the Nationalist government. The incident at Hankou Airport last time had also shown them the importance of airports. Originally, they didn't want Li Shaoyi's infantry battalion to come this time, but Li Shaoyi's side was very straightforward: if they didn't agree, then forget it, they wouldn't need to meet in person anymore, they could just talk by telegram.
However, this wasn't what the Nationalist government wanted. Everyone understood that there was always a degree of goodwill between people, and many issues needed to be resolved together. The 72nd Army was currently carrying a large number of Japanese troops, and if it were to abandon its post, the current Nationalist government simply couldn't handle it. Therefore, they had no choice but to agree to Li Shaoyi's demands. Besides, Li Shaoyi's requests didn't imply any harm; his primary concern was ensuring the safety of his own people.
Of course, this also exposes the incompetence of the Nationalist government. If you could guarantee our safety, why would we need to carry our own planes everywhere we go? Don't we have to pay for that? Besides, an infantry battalion requires 1500 men. Don't we have to pay for their food, drink, and daily necessities? We take care of all of that ourselves; we haven't asked you to pay a single penny.
At a meeting of the Ministry of Military Affairs, some even proposed that all soldiers receive the same treatment. When they came from the airport, they saw this infantry battalion still eating canned food and drinking cola. Thinking about the food and drink of other people in the city, they even wanted to requisition some supplies. Of course, not to satisfy the other soldiers, but to satisfy their own selfish desires.
Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Wu immediately summoned the officers and made them publicly acknowledge their mistakes. "Why did Li Shaoyi leave in the first place? Wasn't it because of you people causing trouble? The fact that we haven't held you accountable is already a huge concession. Now that Li Shaoyi's army is coming, and all these supplies are being flown in, if you want to eat and drink their food, you'd better have a brain first."
If you don't have it, then get out of here as soon as possible. You all look shifty and don't look like members of the 72nd Group Army at all. Now you want to covet their logistics and supplies? These things are transported from thousands of miles away. If you want to eat or drink, go buy them with your own money.
After the various departments arrived in Hankou, the supply of materials decreased significantly. It's important to understand that these high-ranking officials were used to a life of luxury. Back in Nanjing and Shanghai, their lives were among the most comfortable. Now, their lives were even worse than those of an ordinary soldier in the 72nd Army Group, so naturally, some were dissatisfied.
But there was nothing they could do about their dissatisfaction. After Vice Minister Wu scolded these people, they knew they couldn't interfere recklessly anymore. If they angered Commander Liu and he went back, someone would likely get a beating. They were well aware of the situation at the front; if the 72nd Army withdrew its support, hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops would press in. Could they possibly hold them off?
So these guys could only drink cold water and eat hard biscuits every day, while thinking about the people at the airport who ate bread and sausages.
Blame it on the fact that we have absolutely no connection to the 72nd Army. Blame it on the fact that we ate too much of this stuff back then…