Liao Xingce is a veteran who has been discharged from the army and turned to work, not an ordinary veteran, but he was fought by the militia back then. In 1916, when he lived in Wangshan Yabazi, his family was surrounded by four walls, and he joined the army at the age of 15 in desperation.

At that time, the examiner of the militia said that he was a little younger, but when this kid pulled out his wife, who was holding his son, from behind his buttocks, he proved that he was not too young on the spot. The kid impressed the examiner with his simple language at that time. "What I have is strength, and being a soldier is for these two girls."

He is very fast with his hands and feet, very dexterous, he is a hunter, and he can shoot a gun. People are young and have a brute force, although they have little strength because they can't eat enough, but they have potential. In addition, he is exactly the same as everyone else, he has no food at home, and he wants to join the militia group, so that the family can not only plant the new seeds issued by the militia as soon as possible, but also give the little thing that has to drink some thin soy milk because his mother is thin and has no milk to earn some military pay to buy food.

In this way, Liao Xingce, who was poor, white, and illiterate, joined the militia and became a militia soldier who did not mean glory at that time, but meant that he was well fed and clothed.

In the army, this rural guy from Wangshan Yabazi, the speed of learning things is not as fast as others, the clumsy brain makes him unable to learn anything, a month of recruit training, all aspects of assessment, except for marksmanship and extraordinary, everything else counts down, the overall results, he actually ranked sixth from the bottom of the recruit company, only one place higher than the fifth-to-last elimination line, on the verge of elimination, even if he was lucky enough to escape, he could only go to the reserve force.

However, at this moment, there was a turning point.

When he was reprimanded by his recruit squad leader, Qu Yongpan, who was also his brother-in-law's recruit squad leader, Liao Xingce walked to the position dejectedly, and his brother-in-law punished him to stand there and reflect.

"Look at what your grades are here, the second sister still expects to live with you for the rest of her life, just like this, what do you take care of her? Go, go to the battlefield and reflect on me, see how others train. ”

The brother-in-law Qu Yongpan is not an aggressive person, but he is too worried about this brother-in-law, and he wants him and his second sister's family to live better.

Qu Yongpan himself was one of the earlier batch of enlistments, and at that time he was still an older auditor of Lishuping Primary School, which had just been opened for a year, and later he signed up for it when the militia was expanded. Compared with his brother-in-law, Qu Yongpan has no culture, and even his name was taken by Sun Changqing, the only scholar in Yang Village back then.

But this person is very motivated, at least compared to this brother-in-law, he is much more motivated. Moreover, he has been trying to change this short-sighted brother-in-law. However, due to his lack of knowledge, the sentence he used the most was actually heard from the class, "I said brother-in-law, look at your German surname, as a soldier, you should have great ambitions." The book says that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier, and I don't expect you to be a general, if you can be a small squad deputy, my sister will have a better life in this life. You also work hard, maybe in the future, I will become a general, and you will be discharged from the army and go home, and you will be wiped out. ”

However, what Qu Yongpan didn't expect was that his brother-in-law actually met his own opportunity in the position.

At that time, the machine gun squad of the militia was setting up machine guns and conducting shooting training with new equipment, and because the heavy machine guns had just been issued at that time, the soldiers were generally still quite nervous, and some of the militia soldiers would tremble when they heard the sound of dense machine guns. Sure enough, just a few shots were fired, and one of the bombers burned his hand because he was too nervous because of his carelessness.

Coincidentally, in order not to delay training, Liao Xingce, who was standing next to him and reflecting, was pulled to be a bombardier. Who knew that this would be six or seven years, until the Xundian battlefield, this Makqin heavy machine gun bomber, was shocked by a mountain shell and injured his viscera. Although his problems were not very serious at that time, he only needed to recuperate for a few years and he would be fine, but the army took into account his family's difficulties and incorporated him into the militia organization of the reserve after the Battle of Xundian.

Liao Xingce was very nimble, and was transferred to the postal department as a mail sorter, while at the same time, his brother-in-law, who wanted to make a career in the militia group, was suffering from myopia, and changed from a promising grassroots non-commissioned officer to a squad leader of the division number class. Maybe it's because of the ambition that is difficult to pay, Qu Yongpan, the head of the trumpet squad, personally blew the trumpet every time, and after years of hard training, his trumpet sound is very loud, and he has a killing atmosphere.

Over the years, although Yuzi has been getting better and better day by day, Liao Xingce always feels that something is missing. Whenever I was sorting mail, others would wonder, how could this kid be so fast and focused?

But he didn't know where he regarded this job as sorting mail, but as a string of heavy machine-gun bullets, and he had to serve them as quickly as possible.

Now that his parents are in good health, his wife is becoming more and more virtuous, and even the little guy who was still nursing when he joined the army is about to enter high school.

Instead of making Liao Xingce feel comfortable, the plain words felt more and more unaccustomed. For many years, he couldn't hear the gunshots, couldn't hear the guns, couldn't touch the heavy machine guns, couldn't touch the bullets of the heavy machine guns, and he couldn't sleep well every night.

All this stems from the words of the old chief when he was discharged from the army and changed jobs: "It is not that the troops abandon you, but that the militia needs to maintain the most elite troops, so as to maintain the strongest combat effectiveness." Commander Zhang said, you are not leaving the army, but you are only temporarily incorporated into the reserve force. One day, if the war needs you, if the militia needs you, we will notify you as soon as possible, return to the troops, return to your comrades, pick up your former steel guns, and continue to fight......"

Many officers and soldiers who were reluctant to leave the militia in those years chose to leave the army precisely because of such promises.

These people, like Liao Xingce, are counting their hands every year, year after year, they are a year older, and the militia group of that year has also become the Southwest Army, from a county and a city to the entire southwest. During this period, the southwest met the French, the British, and himself, but the order for mobilization had not yet been issued.

In the first few wars, they thought they had seen hope, but the result was disappointment. When the War of Resistance broke out, they thought that they would definitely be able to go to the battlefield again this time, but when the news of the victory on the battlefield of Jinjing came, they were still disappointed. The officers and men who are occasionally transferred to replenish the main force are only those officers and soldiers on active duty in the reserve forces, not retired soldiers.

They were disappointed, and many of them even found the local militia leaders again and again, and reported to apply for re-enlistment, but they were not very old, and the oldest was only in his thirties.

It's not that they're difficult, it's not that they covet the army's salary, it's not that they can't find a job, it's all because other squadrons in this era haven't been discharged from the army, at least in their twenties and thirties.

These officers and men who have been assigned to the reserve for various reasons have been thinking about going to the battlefield again and returning to the units where they have stayed for four or five years, even seven or eight years, or more than ten years. Years of military career are what they yearn for, not in an ordinary position, doing what others can also do.

Could it be that soldiers are no longer needed in war, and there are no more enemies in the southwest. Can't we really be a qualified soldier?

Everyone thinks so, including Liao Xingce.

"Lao Liao, Lao Liao......"

Liao Xingce was carrying a sack of letters from the mail truck when he heard Director Wang of the sub-bureau shouting loudly to himself.

"Eh, Wangju, I'm here."

Lao Liao carried the sack into the sorting room in a few steps, patted the ash on his clothes and walked out of the room, Director Wang was very good, and when his family was in difficulty in the early years, he took care of him a lot.

"Lao Liao, great news." Director Wang of the Hongqi Road Liberation Branch shouted while running, Director Wang is also a veteran, the difference is that he has a disabled right leg, and he was already a deputy company commander back then, but he had to retire due to disability, and he did not even have the opportunity to be transferred to the reserves.

"Why are you so happy, Wang." Seeing Director Wang walking fast on crutches, Liao Xingce almost couldn't help but help him, but he knew that this was Director Wang's taboo, and he never needed someone to help him with his disability.

"What's the matter? Great good thing. Look, what is this. ”

Director Wang trembled his hands and handed Liao Xingce a letter, although he did not open the letter, but just looking at the words on the envelope, he knew that it must be that incident.

"Militia Management Office of the Armed Forces Department of the Armed Forces Department of the Southwest People's Army Military Committee!!"

Just seeing a few words on the cover, Liao Xingce was shocked, and then he couldn't wait to tear open the letter, only to see that it read: Comrade Liao Xingce, second-class non-commissioned officer, congratulations on your official approval to return to active duty. Please report to the higher militia unit immediately.

"Haha...... Hahaha...... Wang Ju, I've waited for it, I've finally waited for ......"

Liao Xingce's whole body shook violently, and he jumped up three feet high frantically, looking forward to the return to active duty for many years, but he didn't expect it to come true without warning, the rank of second-level non-commissioned officer, he said that he didn't forget it night and night, because this was his reserve rank in the militia unit, and at this moment, after receiving the notification letter, he had re-become a second-level non-commissioned officer in the regular army from a second-level non-commissioned officer in the reserve.

"Alas, Lao Liao, do it well, do it well." Director Wang couldn't help but lower his head as he spoke, and secretly wiped the men's tears from the corners of his eyes, how many years, although he was also looking forward to this day, but he knew that he would always be a fantasy, because he was disabled. Liao Xingce and they worked hard and finally waited for this day.

"Wang Ju, don't worry, I'll write to you when I get to the army, and when I come back, I'll invite you to drink and talk to you about the army. Your share of enemies, count me in. Liao Xingce didn't take the fact that he was a heavy machine gun bomber in the slightest, as if he had returned to the battlefield where the guns were rumbling, fighting in a man's way.

"Do a good job, do a good job." Director Wang sighed and left slowly, he was happy for them, although he couldn't go back to the army, but he finally had a heart, the army had indeed not forgotten these people.

In late September, a sudden mobilization order upset the tranquility in the southwest. Retired veterans and militia joint defense members who have been trained for many years, no matter where they are, have all received an official letter from the unit notifying them to resume active duty.

As if a storm had been set off, tens of thousands of veterans began to gather together, and according to the method of mixing the active troops and retired veterans of the reserve standing, the 16 years of regularized and reserve military training in the southwest finally produced tremendous strength on this day.

Squads were quickly formed, followed by platoons, companies, and battalions...... In less than 15 days, under the condition of ensuring basic combat effectiveness, the southwest relied on a mixture of real reserve active duty troops, militia (reserve forces are divided into active duty troops, militia, and retired veterans) and retired veterans, and soon formed more than a dozen divisions.

In fact, these veterans who have retired are not old, the oldest is in their thirties, and they retired for various reasons, and were incorporated into the reserve forces or militia, or not on active duty. In this way, the regular military force of 21 divisions in the southwest, which originally consisted of 1 guards division, 6 main divisions, and 14 garrison divisions, became nearly 43 divisions.

Among them, 21 of the original standing divisions have the strongest combat effectiveness, and of the remaining 22 newly formed divisions, 8 divisions have considerable combat effectiveness, and most of them are composed of veterans who have returned to active duty and backbone officers and men of reserve active duty units who have received militarized training all year round.

In other words, these 29 divisions will be mobilized and will be used for the Northern Expedition, while the remaining 14 divisions will be converted into garrison and garrison units to undertake the tasks of defending the territory undertaken by the original garrison division, militia, and reserve forces.

A mobilization order, the military construction in the southwest, which had been prepared for many years, finally saw tremendous results.

After Liao Xingce returned to the army with the rolling flow of people, he did not meet his harsh brother-in-law again, he has been the squad leader of the main force all these years.

Liao Xingce was assigned to the 22nd Division, and this time the large-scale military reorganization, the Southwest People's Army gave up the once more complex military classification, but carried out a unified scientific organization of the entire army.

Except for the serial numbers of the seven ace divisions, including the 1st Guards Division and the 6 main divisions, the rest of the divisions were all renumbered. Of the 43 divisions, a total of 80 divisions were numbered.

"Heavy machine gun bombers? Just right, let's train with the team. ”

When Guo Fengcheng, the platoon commander of the 22nd Platoon of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Regiment of the 22nd Division, saw Liao Xingce's resume, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

In the case of the Ripper machine gun, which has been widely equipped since the southwest, when used as a light machine gun, the requirements for the bombardier are not high, but when a heavy barrel is added, it is used as a heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire and a long range, and the bombardier of the heavy machine gun team becomes very important. It can not only ensure continuous firepower, but also act as an observer, but also as a shooter, a qualified heavy machine gun ammunition provider, if you are still a veteran, it is very important for the grassroots company.

"Yes, platoon commander!"

Liao Xingce trembled and saluted, and ran to the heavy machine gun team on the spot.

The 22nd Division is one of the eight newly formed divisions with relatively effective combat effectiveness, and will serve as a combat unit for the Northern Expedition. Before the start of the Northern Expedition, there will be about a month of recovery training, which means that a month later, the new division composed of these veterans and reserve soldiers will go to the battlefield of the Northern Expedition.

The heavy machine gun team consists of five people and is responsible for a series of processes from movement to firing of the heavy machine gun, such as loading, changing the barrel, observation, etc.

"Good guy, this is something new."

Liao Xingce just glanced at it and recognized the heavy machine gun lying on the ground, which was the tearer after the C24 machine gun was finalized, although he had not been in contact with this kind of machine gun on the Xundian battlefield that year, but he had already learned that the army was equipped with such a new machine gun.

However, for some reason, thinking of the Makqin heavy machine gun that he had served for many years, Liao Xingce felt strange in his heart, and said that maybe this would be a new army and a new military career.

At the same time as the reorganization of the troops, reserve warehouses have also been opened in all major combat readiness bases in the southwest, and these permanent fortifications, which are half-buried in the mountains, are the results of the southwest's combat readiness over the past 10 years or so.

"Open Warehouse No. 2!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Guocai, the person in charge of the No. 15 Strategic Reserve Base, the officers and soldiers of the base, who had been waiting for a long time, closed the electric switch, and the huge warehouse door slowly opened. The officers and men of the logistics department, who were responsible for receiving and transporting materials and equipment, had already driven over the heavy military trucks.

"Click." The officers and soldiers of the base pushed out the first large wooden box from the inside, and with a snap of it, it revealed a black barrel.

"The storage is in good condition and meets the operational standards of the first class."

The technical officer of the logistics department came forward to inspect it before allowing him to continue to leave the warehouse.

This huge base stores nearly 500 disassembled infantry guns, although it is not the latest 31-year infantry gun, but it is also a 24-year infantry gun with the same surname. This time, when the warehouses are opened, the newly formed 20-odd divisions will be armed in all directions.

Since the armament plan in the southwest was carried out with about 40 divisions for a considerable period of time, equipment such as infantry artillery has always been stored sufficiently. This 24-year-old infantry gun, which is inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to transport, will become the main artillery force of the new division.

Compared with the cost of 105mm field guns, infantry guns are too cheap.

At the same time, other combat readiness warehouses were also being opened one by one, and one car after another, some of them were even pulled by train skins, and truckloads of Chinese-style single-shot rifles, pistols, ammunition, heavy machine guns, and artillery were distributed to the troops.

"By 15 October, with 80 percent of the reserves used, we had basically completed the armament plan for all 22 new divisions. According to the plan, we mainly equipped and supplemented the infantry with a relatively old, but still sophisticated Huaxia-style bolt rifle, and the platoon-level troops began to distribute a small number of sniper rifles and semi-automatic rifles, and in terms of supporting firepower, the C24-style machine gun was uniformly issued, and the prototype of this ripper-type machine gun is now also the world's leading level. In addition, we have allocated a considerable number of infantry guns to our troops as fire support units. However, the number of retired artillerymen is relatively small compared to other branches of the armed forces, and it may take a longer period of training. That's why we didn't issue 105mm field guns in large quantities. ”

Zhang Shusheng nodded with satisfaction, the current mainstream of the world has not yet reached such a level of equipment, if you really want to talk about the shortcomings, it should be that the recovery training time of the troops is not long enough, and the troops lack large-caliber artillery.

But this can't be helped, although an order goes down, 105mm artillery and even 120mm, 150mm heavy artillery can be pulled out of the warehouse a considerable number of batches, but, where to find so many artillery that meet the high requirements, all of a sudden 22 new divisions, this is not 22 regiments, even if it has been prepared, but as a field artillery such a technical surname of the army, there will be a shortage of people almost forever.

"Large-caliber artillery should focus on the eight divisions that will go to the front, and the excellent artillery of the old artillery and reserve units will be given priority to replenish these eight divisions. It is enough for the rest of the troops, as garrison garrisons, to be able to skillfully use infantry artillery. Zhang Shusheng said briefly, he has no opinion on other aspects, these eight divisions are typical light infantry divisions, compared with the 21 original standing divisions, the gap must be there, just to narrow step by step.

With regard to the mobilization order in the southwest, the Nanjing Nationalist Axe did not sit idly by, and quickly dispatched troops, from Chairman Chiang to important members of the party and state, all of them ran in all directions, reorganized military orders, admonished officers and men, and mobilized nearly 60 divisions in several key directions to guard against the southwestern and northern expeditions. If it weren't for the military reform over the years, it would have been a little difficult for the Kuomintang to come up with so many troops, but up to now, even if the dozen or so divisions in the Jinjing battlefield were removed, the Kuomintang would still be able to mobilize 60 or 70 divisions. Of course, it is impossible to say whether these units, which were put together by the Central Division, the reorganized First and Second Divisions, and the garrison, will have combat effectiveness.

In the face of this war that was about to spread to the entire Chinese mainland, Britain, France, and Russia rarely chose to remain silent, although they also agreed to send Chiang Kai-shek a batch of 'emergency military aid,' but ignored the Nanjing political axe's request that the three countries try to contain the Southwest People's Army as much as possible.

Whether it was the conflict for many years or the super-first-class combat effectiveness displayed by the Southwest Army on the battlefield of Tianjin, the three countries chose to wait and see in the face of this big war after deliberation.

Chiang Kai-shek was not discouraged, after receiving the last batch of foreign aid, he also began to prepare intensively, although he did not take the initiative to attack the southwest, but judging from the heavy troops deployed in all directions, once the southwest offensive was frustrated and his worries were dispelled, [***] would be very likely to drive straight in.

On November 15, 1932, a new Civil War finally broke out.

The Southwest People's Army swore in Kunming, and Zhang Shusheng, the supreme leader of the Southwest United Autonomous Political Axe, personally gave a lecture and presented the flag, representing the official beginning of a new Northern Expedition that would affect the future political direction of China.

With a strength of nearly 29 divisions, the Southwest People's Army formed four offensive clusters after leaving 5 divisions as the general reserve.

The Northern Expedition officially broke out!!

(To be continued)