kingnovel Chapter 1091 The Gap 1 has always been there
Chapter 1091 The Gap 1 has always been there
After Chief of Staff Zhang left, Li Shaoyi kept pondering his last few words. In fact, Li Shaoyi had been reflecting on this matter recently, wondering if he had become complacent because of the many victories he had achieved.
Although China has a system, to put it bluntly, the gap between China and Japan has always been like a chasm. Japan is able to independently build airplanes and warships, and even the world's most advanced aircraft carriers.
In contrast, our national steel production is only a fraction of theirs. We can't even manufacture some artillery pieces, and a large number of parts need to be imported. To put it bluntly, many of our arsenals are purely assembly plants, not manufacturing enterprises.
Although Li Shaoyi possessed a system and had a very strong supply chain, it was still far from enough to meet the needs of the entire country's war of resistance. Moreover, fighting a war requires more than just weapons; other aspects are equally important, especially in a protracted war.
Take the Battle of Pujiang as an example. Li Shaoyi could bring everything there to hold off the Japanese attack, but what would be the cost? It would mean losing all the gains already made, waiting for his army to fight the Japanese to the death. The Japanese would still have the strength to continue their offensive, while we would be exhausted.
"Commander, another telegram has arrived from the Ministry of Military Affairs..."
While Li Shaoyi was pondering these matters, Xia Guogui, the commander of the Independent Division, stood beside him with a grim expression, clearly indicating that there was no good news.
"Why are they rushing us? Didn't I already agree to let them withdraw these dozen or so infantry divisions? Why are they in such a hurry now? Do they expect them to fly back to Nanjing?"
Li Shaoyi said somewhat dejectedly, unsure what to say about Jinling's self-destructive actions. The recent victories had clouded their judgment; they thought they could fight the Japanese to a standstill, but the reality was far from that. The Japanese were continuing to reinforce their troops, while they were actually starting to withdraw, some even hoping for international mediation. With the war in such a state, how could anyone still harbor such illusions? What was going on in these people's minds?
"The commander-in-chief wasn't urging those infantry divisions, but rather asking us to report the casualties of our respective units. If the casualties were severe, we could return to the north for reinforcements ahead of schedule."
Commander Xia's voice trailed off, he himself could hardly believe that the telegram had come from the Ministry of Military Affairs, given the current state of the battlefield. If the 72nd Army were to return north for reinforcements, who would sustain the fighting?
Li Shaoyi snatched the telegram from his hand, and after reading its contents, he was utterly dumbfounded. There were some elites in the Nanjing Military and Political Department; he'd dealt with them before. What was wrong with these people? Had the calm of the Pujiang battlefield over the past two weeks given them a glimmer of hope?
If that's the case, then Li Shaoyi hasn't been idle for the past two weeks. He should be having his men launch continuous attacks, keeping the entire Pujiang battlefield constantly in turmoil. Right now, the fighting is fierce at Maleizi in the north, and the Japanese have figured out every possible way to cross the Yellow River, yet you're ignoring that situation. Even on the Pujiang battlefield, you're only thinking about withdrawing your elite troops for a proper reorganization, but who will support this battlefield?
"Connect me to Commander He from the Ministry of Military Affairs. I want to speak with Commander He personally."
Li Shaoyi had always avoided such behavior because having someone else relay the message could provide a buffer. But now that was no longer an option. The Nanjing Military and Political Department had been making some wrong decisions, bypassing him as commander-in-chief to contact his subordinates. This was simply too much. If they continued like this, no one would be able to win a battle.
Commander He's call went unanswered; apparently, Commander He was in a meeting. Vice Minister Wu's call went through, but Li Shaoyi really didn't know what to say to this good-natured man. He couldn't vent his anger, as Vice Minister Wu had truly helped him a lot since the start of the War of Resistance.
"These bastards always know how to get you to answer the phone. They're too scared to answer my calls, they're just afraid I'll yell at them. Why did you have to pick up the phone, old man?"
Li Shaoyi had originally intended to discuss important military and national affairs, but upon learning that the other party was Vice Minister Wu, he found himself speechless. From his humble beginnings, Vice Minister Wu had provided him with numerous conveniences; calling him his benefactor wouldn't be an exaggeration. Facing his benefactor, Li Shaoyi, he truly couldn't muster any anger.
"Let me explain. I know you've been very dissatisfied lately, but you also need to understand the difficulties the Party and the country are facing. This Battle of Shanghai has depleted all our stockpiled supplies. Now we're collecting weapons and ammunition all over the country. You need to know that the Japanese won't end things here at Shanghai. Our territory is vast, and the Principal has already proposed using space to buy time, waiting for the European and American countries to join this war..."
Hearing Vice Minister Wu's words, Li Shaoyi calmed down. He had been overly optimistic about the current situation because he possessed a system and had acquired a large number of superior weapons, so he always thought he could change everything.
It seems that hard work is useful, but some gaps cannot be bridged simply by effort. Take the current situation, for example: many people within the Nationalist government are still quite astute, though the possibility of preserving their strength cannot be ruled out.
From the day the Nationalist government was established, factional struggles never ceased. Preserving the power of the central army and weakening the power of local warlords was always the most important task for the Nationalist government.
"That makes sense, but now is not the time to retreat. We should inflict even greater damage on the Japanese and make them lose more soldiers here. That's what we should be doing now. If we start retreating now, this great situation will be lost."
Li Shaoyi said earnestly.
If we fight the enemy together and have not suffered any defeats, we can hold out for a while and inflict even more losses on the Japanese. However, if the Central Army retreats now, the 72nd Army will be left to fight alone.