On the outskirts of Kunming, the Southwest People's Army, where the Guards Division is stationed.

In the southwest of August, the heat is scorching, Kunming is a famous spring city, but the weather is very abnormal these days, as if there is a strange sound in the sky, indicating that something big will happen. The fierce screams in the air are like about to roast the earth, scattering endless waves of heat in all directions. Closer to the ground, the temperature is even higher and frightening, and you can faintly see the traces of the heat wave flashing.

The huge camp, located in the jungle, looks like a steamer, so that everyone in it is sweating profusely. The troops were running to assemble because their division commander, Zhang Shusheng, the supreme commander of the Southwest People's Army, had arrived. "One-two-one......"

Zhang Shusheng and Li Junming, deputy commander and political commissar of the Guards Division, were watching the training of the Guards Division from the sidelines.

Compared with other units, the training of the Guards Division is more rigorous, and it is practiced in winter and summer, regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter. In addition to regular training, they also have long-distance training. Either go to the primeval jungle at the junction of Yunnan and Myanmar for jungle training, or drive to Sichuan, enter the northern Sichuan Plateau, and conduct plateau training. They can be seen in high mountains, rivers and lakes, and all kinds of terrain.

The officers and men of the entire division are all composed of elite soldiers drawn from various units, and a considerable number of them are professional veterans for many years, with strong combat skills and a fierce combat style.

Their uniform is a special camouflage, which is different from the ordinary camouflage training uniform widely equipped by the Southwest People's Army, and this special camouflage is a new type of camouflage training uniform similar to digital camouflage, which has a better concealment effect in actual combat. Because the production cost is relatively high, the Southwest Army does not have extensive equipment, but only sends the most elite guards division.

"Boom ......"

With a roar, tanks drove out of the jungle and drove directly into the field camp. Because the expenses of the Southwest Army are too great, Zhang Shusheng's allocation standard for the Guards Division is higher than that of the main division, but it must also be in line with reality. Therefore, the Guards Division is currently a motorized infantry division, and the core of equipment is tanks, heavy artillery, anti-aircraft anti-aircraft guns, plus a large number of troop carriers.

This is the most pragmatic method of disposition, which is a little higher than that of the main division, but it is not to the point of waste. In terms of troops, one Guards Division can compare to the combat effectiveness of almost two main divisions.

"We must pay close attention to the training of the guards division, the current situation is not good, and we must be ready to fight a big battle and a bad battle at any time." Zhang Shusheng clenched his fists and said with some concern. It is now early August 1931, and according to the original historical trajectory, the September 18 Incident will take place next month. In fact, he also very much hoped that he had completely changed history, saying that he could not come out of the island country, and Chiang Kai-shek was quickly defeated by himself.

However, contrary to his wishes, instead of changing the established strategy because of his own rise, he strengthened the strength of the Kwantung Army. The addition of a division of the Kwantung Army shows that he is determined to invade China, and the intelligence aggregate from all sides also shows that he is planning something in full swing.

In terms of Chiang Kai-shek's Nanking political axe, the first batch of aid from the three countries was very rapid, in addition to a batch of industrial machinery, a large number of weapons and equipment, including a large number of heavy weapons, were transported to Chiang Kai-shek last year. Chiang Kai-shek, who was supported by the three countries, was favored by the Shanghai bankers and the wealthy businessmen of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and received a loan to be repaid by taxes. With money and guns, the reorganization of Nanjing's political axe was vigorously launched.

By June 1931, Chiang Kai-shek had completed the reorganization of five ace divisions and more ordinary divisions through loans, loans, foreign aid and purchase of arms. With Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Anhui, Henan and other places as the core, we should reorganize the army, strengthen training, unify the change of clothes, and raise the standard of military salaries, so as to build our own iron bucket sphere of influence.

Although Nanjing's political axe was heavily indebted as a result, Chiang Kai-shek, who was lobbied by the Three Kingdoms, also realized that if appropriate reforms were not carried out, then the peasant uprising in Guangdong might be staged elsewhere, and that the southwest was undoubtedly right to allow these peasants to survive in order to temporarily alleviate social contradictions. Ignoring opposition, he ordered the exemption of as much as 80 percent of the harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the people's lives gradually improved in the coastal areas of Nanjing, but in remote areas, it was difficult to implement policies, and the people were still in dire straits.

Correspondingly, a large number of goods from the three countries began to be sold into the jurisdiction of Nanjing, but the products of the southwest became the target of the police and even the army, and the sale of southwest products was strictly prohibited, and only the products of Britain, France, Russia and other countries were allowed to be sold.

"The soldiers are holding back their energy, and they all want to fight." Li Junming, deputy commander of the Guards Division, and political commissar of the unit, said with emotion: "In peacetime, the ideological and political work of the troops is mainly aimed at liberating more compatriots and defending the homeland and the country. The mood of the officers and men was very high. ”

In 1929, during the reform of the army, the original instructor system was changed to a political commissar system. It was also in 1929 that Zhang Shusheng clearly put forward the political proposition of the southwest political axe, that is, to let more people, whether workers or farmers, rich or poor, try their best to make everyone live a better life.

Enrich the people inside, punish Di externally, and realize the great rejuvenation of China.

At the same time, in the course of their ordinary political and ideological work, the political commissars of the armed forces have repeatedly taught the officers and men that compared with the Western powers, China is still too backward, and that if a backward nation wants to achieve great rejuvenation, it needs to have a strong military force as a thick shield to unify the political power internally and declare sovereignty externally, so as to strive for the living space of the Chinese nation, which is about to be rejuvenated, to the greatest extent.

And if imperialist ambitions do not die, they will certainly not sit idly by and watch the rise of the Chinese, then war will become an important process on the road to the rise of China.

Zhang Shusheng looked at the north and said lightly: "There will be a battle, don't worry." It is still necessary to pay close attention to the ideological work of the troops, and an alternative kind of equality should be established between officers and soldiers. For some families of soldiers in difficulty, it is necessary to boldly use the military fund and give subsidies. If one person is in trouble, everyone will help, don't let the soldiers work for the nation while worrying about things at home. ”

Zhang Shusheng took the lead in advocating the establishment of the military fund, and he also took the lead in donating a large amount of money. The rest of the part is that the officers and men themselves pay out, and each person only gives a very small part, and the small amount adds up, and the military fund has become the hope of the officers and men in difficulty. Supervision is also in place, and in each unit, there is an officer and soldier committee responsible for managing the money, and the use of the fund needs to be signed off by the superiors of the parties concerned and the unit commander and political commissar.

It is true that the families of some officers and soldiers are too poor, not to mention that they are sick or something, and some families have only seven or eight brothers and sisters, and it is really too difficult to rely on the salary of one soldier. More seriously, there is a disability in the family. Even if there is a political axe subsidy, it is still tight, and at this time, the military fund can be useful.

"Don't worry, chief. Yesterday I also approved a couple of applications. Some officers and men did not want their personal affairs to be known to everyone, but the grassroots political commissars took the initiative to discover these problems and applied for subsidies for them. Li Junming reported.

"Well, the military fund will be used for the soldiers, which is the care for their families. The mother of the child is worried that when the war years come, the military fund will play a greater role. ”

At a time when the army was about to be expanded again, Zhang Shusheng did not blindly pursue the good-looking figures, but rationally expanded the army under the condition of ensuring combat effectiveness. Of course, the care for the officers and men is also strictly enforced. He knew very well that in the future, there will be many big and vicious battles, and tens of thousands of officers and men will be the group that shed the most blood and sacrificed. Only by treating these loveliest and most respectable soldiers as the backbone of the country can the soldiers use their lives and the rejuvenation of the nation be guaranteed.

—————————— location of the headquarters of the Kwantung Army.

Ishihara and his like-minded partner Seishiro Itagaki got together again, the same izakaya a year ago, and the same singing voice of the beautiful Hokkaido girl in a kimono, but the mood of the two was completely different from last year. At that time, the two careerists met the Kwantung Army, cherished each other, and were quite confidant, and they were also full of confidence in the military fortune of the Great Empire, and they were also quite optimistic about the future of the Kwantung Army.

"Ishihara-kun, how did it turn out?" Seishiro Itagaki drank in a sullen voice, and lately he had less and less interest in anything other than war, and of course, alcohol. The women I fell in love with the most in the past have not touched for a long time, and the two are brothers and sisters in this matter, lying on the woman's belly and rubbing for a long time, but they can't lift a gun at all.

Ishihara Waner added a little wine to Seishiro Itagaki and said with a smile, "Ishihara-kun didn't expect it badly, these members of the Nihokai back then, more than ten years have passed, and they have not become cowards, and they are very supportive of our actions. Both Shosa Hanaya and Captain Shin Kaneda were very supportive of our plan. The military police captain of Mukden, Mitsuya Kiyonakasa, also agreed to cooperate.

Itagaki-kun, the world will eventually be brought together in a unified system. I believe that the center of this will be decided by the struggle for supremacy between the United States, which is the representative of the West, and Samoto, who is the player of the East. Japan should quickly qualify as an Oriental player. And only the northeast of the Chinese people can meet our needs, a vast territory, huge resources, countless laborers, and just food can make the entire empire worry-free. ”

"Ishihara-kun's theory of the final war in the world, I have also read it, and I think it is true. The land of China is vast, and it should give some blood to the empire. In the future, those cowardly fellows of China will be able to survive under the wings of the Great Empire without worrying about foreign ravages. ”

"What do you think of the southwest?" Ishihara was still deeply impressed by the major of the Kwantung Army, and according to intelligence, this iron-blooded major was actually promoted. "The Chinese [***] people are not all cowards, and Qu Zhongyi, who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, is an opponent."

"Well, Qu Zhongyi behaves strangely, which is very different from the conservative and cowardly Shina people. This person will be a big trouble for us, so I deliberately contacted a few more Imperial Young Zhuang soldiers, and the forces that were originally expected to be put into use in the first batch were too thin and must be strengthened. More troops, more artillery, will be put into this operation. Itagaki Seishiro was deeply impressed by the lieutenant [***] officer who pointed a gun at him, and the strange thing was that he did not have the slightest hatred for Qu Zhongyi, but had an alternative pleasure of revenge, "For that Qu Zhongyi, I think that one person's strength can never change the backwardness of the entire China." ”

Ishihara shook his head: "I hope so!" The future of the empire will be a sacrifice of blood with these Chinese soldiers. ”

"Cheers to the Empire's long fortune!"

"Cheers!!"

"Battalion commander, last night's harvest has been counted, and it is 20,000 oceans."

Zhu Xiaoyu, deputy of the battalion, listed all the gains of the second special operations battalion last night in the booklet, and the brothers of the second battalion went out for one night and raided the nest of two landlords who committed the most heinous crimes, and gained a lot of money.

"Well, you count it, and then give it to the brigade commander and ask him to help us buy a little more submachine guns. Made in the United States, Germany, or Southwest, the key is to unify the models, in batches, and not to scatter the configuration. What we lack most now is a submachine gun. ”

In the past year, the investment of the special operations battalion has been huge, and at the beginning, General Wang Yizhe was able to continue to provide support, but later, the entire Seventh Brigade fell into a situation of tight military spending. Faced with this situation, Qu Zhongyi had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, and in ten days and a half he sent troops out for a walk, and raided the homes of the big landlords or corrupt officials who had conclusive evidence of crimes and committed heinous crimes. They may not be killed, but they are swept away with silver and gold.

In this way, the equipment of the 2nd Special Operations Battalion has become more and more sophisticated. In addition to the five combat vehicles specially approved by Zhang Xueliang, the configuration of Czech light machine guns and mortars has reached the first-class standard of the Northeast Army. Even Zhang Xueliang himself once proposed to Lieutenant General Wang Yizhe that this well-equipped and well-trained special operations battalion be transferred to his side as a pro-army. He even wanted to follow this method and train more elite soldiers, but when Zhang Shaoshuai knew the cost of such training, he silently dispelled this idea.

Wang Yizhe shirked Zhang Xueliang's order on the grounds that he was powerful and feared that it would be unfavorable to the Northeast, which also caused Zhang Xueliang to be dissatisfied to a certain extent. The matter of promoting Qu Zhongyi to the head of the regiment was also shelved.

General Wang Yizhe understands people and knows the results of Qu Zhongyi's training, and he also has a good understanding of the threat of the Kwantung Army. Therefore, he not only blocked Zhang Shaoshuai's order, but also turned a blind eye to his overt and covert behavior of raising military funds.

It can be said that one of Qu Zhongyi's battalions at this time, in terms of training and equipment, exceeded the Kwantung Army with the same number at present. It's just that in terms of artillery, Qu Zhongyi's battalion suffered.

Qu Zhongyi returned to the battalion commander's office and called the leader of the reconnaissance team who was in charge of reconnaissance. "What have you been doing lately?"

"At present, it is said that my Kwantung Army has reached the establishment of three divisions, especially the tank troops, which seem to have been strengthened. The devil of the Reading Force Garrison has been moving frequently recently, and it seems that there is something big about it. The Scout Squad Leader reported truthfully.

"Well, this piece of fart is bigger, just the two of us. We are guarding against ourselves, and we are saying that we are not dealing with us. Sooner or later, there will be a war, and we will have to see the high and low. Qu Zhong said hatefully.

"Battalion commander, don't worry, our Beida battalion has nearly 10,000 guns, and the weapons and equipment are not bad, as long as General Wang is in the camp, unless I use the division, it will be a sneak attack, and I won't be able to eat us."

Qu Zhongyi shook his head, "If history relies on various assumptions or ifs, then there won't be so many regretful things happening, I hope everything goes well." ”

Although Qu Zhongyi also believes that as long as Wang Yizhe is still in the Beida camp for one day, the camp will be safe, but he has received many years of modern military education, and he knows one thing very well, war is always full of accidents and inevitability. If it is said that a war between China and China is inevitable sooner or later, then what will be the accident of this war? Will it be the defeat of the Northeast Army?

He didn't dare to think about it, he just wanted to do his own thing and do his best to achieve his set goals. He immediately summoned Zhu Xiaoyu and asked him to pay attention to doing a good job in the ideological work of the troops, inculcate the idea of fighting a war, and immediately recall the soldiers who were on sick leave or went out.

He felt a sense of oppression, as if he was suffocating before a storm, and he had a feeling that his whole body was crushed to death. His intuition told him that something big would happen, and as a soldier, the so-called big thing was war.

Qu Zhongyi guessed correctly, just a week later, he had just finished checking the soldiers' dormitory and was about to go back to rest, when he suddenly heard a violent explosion in the distance. At first, he thought it was the sound of cannons, but then, in an instant, he realized that the direction from which the explosion was coming was the Wicker Lake Railway.

"Assemble, Assemble urgently!!"

It was almost the natural instinct of a soldier, and this big explosion was like a thunderbolt exploding in Qu Zhongyi's mind, and in just an instant, he understood one thing: Xiao Yueben estimated that he would repeat the old trick and do what they were best at shouting to catch thieves.

Fifteen minutes later, the scouts who had gone to reconnoiter galloped back, fell off their horses, and shouted: "Battalion commander, I say that my railway has been bombed, and a large number of Kwantung Army and garrisons are heading for the northern camp!! ”

"Damn, I really did it." Qu Zhongyi snapped and smashed the ceramic teacup in his hand, and scolded: "Quick, blow the assembly number, and gather urgently for Lao Tzu!" Zhu Yuyu, you immediately contact General Wang and ask him to return to Beidaying and preside over military affairs!! ”

Coincidentally, it was at this moment that General Wang Yizhe was not in Beidaying, but went to the city to see Rong Zhen, the commander of the Northeast Frontier Defense.

At 9:05 p.m. on September 17, 1931, he blew up a section of the Wicker Lake Railway, slandered the Northeast Army for sabotaging the railway, and launched a fierce surprise attack on the North Camp of the Northeast Army with the cooperation of artillery and chariots!!

The September 17 Incident, which shocked China and the rest of the world, took place, and the war of aggression against China opened a new prelude.

(To be continued)