"How so? No way! Wu Rongbang's brain was buzzing, he thought of the beginning but didn't expect the end, this slap in the face came too quickly and excitingly. As a senior intellectual talent of the former Nanjing government, who has enjoyed the high-end treatment of the Nanjing government, although Wu Rongbang has a lot of dissatisfaction with the Nanjing government, even if he now has "another belonging", he still recognizes this "Chinese orthodoxy" on the whole!

But now, suddenly coming into contact with these black materials and inside stories, Wu Rongbang only feels that the three views are completely ruined and the character has collapsed, is this still the "Chinese orthodoxy" in his mind? Stunned, Wu Rongbang said stiffly: "Even so, it's a few rat, our China has a vast territory and a large population, even if the national army on the battlefield behind the enemy line is all rotten, there is still hope for the Nanjing government." ”

"Speaking of hope, please forgive me for saying that the Nanjing government has rotted to the roots, and the national army is afraid that there is no hope." Stilwell continued to sprinkle salt on his wound and mended the knife fiercely: "This time I also went to Chongqing, Guizhou and even Yunnan to inspect the recruitment process of Zhuang Ding, and the results were even more shocking. ”

Jiang Qiang raised his eyebrows and asked cooperatively, "Oh, what's shocking?" Let's be blunt! "Okay!" Stilwell nodded, gritted his teeth and said: "The officials of the local military service office are like bullies, they arrest men when they see them, and when they find someone running away, they will indiscriminately shoot them on the spot for desertion!"

Even if the strong men are caught, they will not be fed, all the way forward, some people will starve to death along the way, and it would be good if five of the ten strong men were sent to the front line to survive! The more Stilwell spoke, the more excited he became, his eyes turned red, and he said:

"You don't know that on the way from Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan to the front line, it was really starving all the way, and I really have never seen such a tragic scene! Nor have we ever seen such a corrupt and incompetent government. The Nanjing government is simply a disgrace to all mankind! ”

How many soldiers were recruited by the national army during the Anti-Japanese War? According to later statistics on conscripts and soldiers, almost all the strong men at that time were requisitioned to replenish the soldiers and build military works. Official figures say that about 14 million soldiers were conscripted for the Anti-Japanese War, but the actual situation is far more than that.

In addition to conscription, there were many more strong men who were conscripted to build military works on a voluntary basis, and there were at least 100 million of them in this part. Everyone has the responsibility to defend the land during the Anti-Japanese War, whether it is conscription in the Anti-Japanese War or the voluntary construction of military projects, there is nothing to say. However, in this process, privilege breeds corruption, and the recruitment process of the national army can be described as corrupt, dark and even outrageous.

Since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the government has begun to implement a compulsory military service system, that is, according to the armor protection system, the household registration and population are investigated, and then the men of military service age who have reached the age of 18 to 45 are registered. Every year, the chief of the security department uses a lottery method to decide who will join the army. The basic principle of the lottery is "three to draw one, five to draw two, and the only child is exempt".

However, whether a man is of the right age, whether he is healthy or not, whether he is an only child, who will be a soldier after the lottery is drawn, and so on, is almost always up to the township, the security chief, and the army recruitment officer. As a result, the lottery process is fraught with extortion, extortion, and exploitation.

District, township, and security chiefs extort and extort ordinary people, and as long as they pay money, they can be exempted from military service, and the wealthier families extort 50,000 to 500,000 legal currency, and those who are worse will also be extorted 20,000 or 30,000 legal currency. Therefore, people gritted their teeth with hatred for the township and the chief, and the common people said, "In the past, there was the governor of the county, and now there is the chief of the township", and some people said, "Lao Jiang gave birth to a son, and he was the chief of the security when he had silver."

In addition, it is not only the grassroots government that is corrupt in the conscription, but also the national army conscription officials, who are not much better, and have even worsened. When sending soldiers, they let strong men help traffic contraband, causing a large number of strong men to die, greedy for recruits' salaries and living expenses, and all kinds of evil deeds are done to the end.

In the process of conscription, some of the strong men were killed, and some were wounded; Sometimes they starved to death before they reached the camp. Entering the army is usually a death sentence – more people die on the road, in the process of conscription, in the brutal training of recruits and on long marches, than after entering the army.

According to Bai Xiude's description: "A battalion of strong men near Wuhan had to accept 40,000 strong men to be trained and enlisted, but many of them died on the way to the camp, and only 8,000 were able to survive until the end of the training. It is said that there was also a team of 1,000 strong men, and as many as 800 died due to the negligence of the training officials. "It is in this cruel abuse that many strong men die on the way to conscription before they can go to war, and millions of strong men die miserably on the way to conscription and in the recruit camp.

Under these circumstances, it is impossible to blame the recruits for their escape, as Bai Xiude said: "The Chinese people are not afraid to contribute to the country, and the people's patriotism has never diminished." It's just that they all know what the Zhuangding camp is like. ”

Liu Chengchang, who has been living a good life for a long time, was shocked when he heard this, and he really couldn't imagine that the Guotong Region would be such a dark world, and subconsciously frowned and retorted: "At most, this is the chaos of the township chief and the officials of the Military Service Department, and it shouldn't have much to do with the entire national government, right?" "Yes, now is the head of the national crisis, and the national government should not be so corrupt and incompetent!"

Wu Rongbang still clings to the last glimmer of hope, but it does not mean that he is loyal to the chairman of the NPC National Committee, but as a patriotic intellectual, he very much hopes that his country can unite and forge ahead, and he absolutely does not want to see a completely rotten government. Stilwell didn't give any face, and continued to retort without question: "That's because you haven't been to Chongqing, if you had been to Chongqing for a field trip, you would definitely not say that!" ”

Zhuang Tao frowned and said, "What's wrong with Chongqing?" "There is no problem in Chongqing, it is the Chongqing government and Chongqing officials who have the problem." Stilwell teased very mischievously, and then said with disgust, "I have always admired the worries and worries of the ancient Chinese people and the joys of the world after the world.

Whenever a national crisis is at hand, how can government officials who care about the country, and senior generals who have a sense of responsibility and mission, covet personal enjoyment at such a moment? But if you go to Chongqing, how many government officials are seriously doing things for the government? And how many high-ranking generals take the country as their own responsibility?

All I saw was drunkenness, dreams, death, and pleasures. "Wouldn't it?" "Is that really the case?" "Doesn't that mean that the national government is really hopeless?"

Stilwell's words were sonorous and powerful, and the words fell, but the aftermath still echoed in everyone's ears, and today's words really touched the soul and nerves. Wu Rongbang, Zhuang Tao and others were extremely stunned, and it would be difficult to accept this reality for a while, and now that the national crisis was in the years of the arduous War of Resistance, they never thought that the national government would be like this.

"Alas!" Jiang Qiang sighed lightly, and was very clear about this, according to historical records, the Kuomintang did begin to accelerate its corruption and collapse after the Sino-Japanese War entered the stage of stalemate. Stilwell continued in a low tone: "When I was in Chongqing, whenever it was late at night, Chongqing was really full of lights and wine, and there were songs at night.

Everywhere the mansions compete to hold balls, countless officials and generals gather together to play mahjong and gamble for money, where are people worried about the country and the people, and strive to reorganize the army for war, giving people the feeling that they are thinking about a corner of peace! Hearing this, Jiang Qiang couldn't help but chant a poem: "The smoke cage is cold, the water is cold, the moon is long, and the sand is long, and the night is close to the restaurant in Qinhuai." The merchant girl doesn't know the hatred of the country, and she still sings across the river / Courtyard flowers! ”

"General Jiang, sure enough, both civil and military, this ancient poem is really exquisite! I don't think it's the fault of those women, though! As a Huaxia expert, Stilwell can't quote scriptures, but he still has heard and dabbled in common ancient poems, but he can only be regarded as half-aware and unable to understand the essence. Stilwell gave a big thumbs up and then said:

"Well, according to my personal observation and calculation, since the Nationalist Government moved the capital to Chongqing at the end of last year, the number of dancers in Chongqing has surged more than tenfold!" "Huh? Wu Rongbang's eyes widened, this data once again refreshed his three views, and he asked, "Why has the number of dancers increased so much?" ”

"According to our side, this is called the market effect, because there is demand in the market, because those high-ranking government officials and high-ranking generals need young and beautiful dancers to accompany them for fun, and they need to numb their nerves with alcohol and beauty." Stilwell twitched his nose and said angrily, "It's sad and infuriating that those female students are also happy to be dancers.

Because the economy in the Kuomintang has been collapsing, many people are unemployed, and many have become beggars, and the income from being a dancer is enough to support a large family. In the current turbulent times when people's lives are in danger, this income is very considerable and not easy. ”

It was precisely because Stilwell saw too much corruption, incompetence and darkness of the Nationalist government that he was extremely uninterested in the Republic of China government headed by the chairman of the National People's Congress, and even completely turned his face later. "A bunch of turtle bastards! Now that the mountains and rivers are broken, how can they be so incorruptible? Take the hard-earned money of hundreds of millions of compatriots and step on the bones of thousands of soldiers to have fun! ”

Wu Rongbang was completely angry, as a high-quality intellectual, he had never scolded in person like this, and his thoughts of facing the national government in his heart were completely cut off. Zhuang Tao sighed: "No wonder the little Japanese devil can be so rampant and can occupy half of our China, it seems that in addition to the strength of the little devil, there is still a big problem inside us." ”

Chen Zhengnian snorted coldly: "Isn't this normal? Even in the past, Governor Han vigorously fought corruption, and our Shandong is not full of corrupt officials. In addition to our headquarters, I don't think there are many people in the world who can truly be selfless, enforce the law with an iron face, and truly love the people like children! "Yes! Thanks to the blessing of the Wise Divine Throne, otherwise we don't know how miserable it would have been here! ”

There is no harm if there is no comparison, Zhao Zhengbi, Wang Qiang and others couldn't help but secretly rejoice, originally they were just little people, not to mention that in this troubled world, they didn't even have the ability to let themselves and their families live in peace.

If Jiang Qiang hadn't been born, he would have created such a foundation in just two or three years, creating a paradise that could shelter from the wind and rain, and the consequences would be really unimaginable. Seeing that the room fell silent, Stilwell said in a surprising voice: "Don't be too discouraged, although there is no hope on the side of the Nationalist Government, there are still two places full of hope in the country of China.

I believe that in the future, whether China can stand up again and become a great power that attracts the attention of the world depends on these two places. Wu Rongbang turned his head to look at it and asked anxiously: "Please also ask Mr. Stilwell to speak clearly!" "Yes! As the saying goes, the bystanders are confused, and Mr. Stilwell is asked for guidance. ”

Zhuang Tao, Chen Zhengnian and others were also very cooperative, showing expressions of curiosity and curiosity. Stilwell didn't sell it, and immediately replied with a smile: "The first place is yours here, although the Shandong Group Army is only one province at present, but I have already felt the strong vitality and strong vitality, I firmly believe that this will be the engine of miracles!" ”

"What Mr. Stilwell said is very true, and so do we!" "That's a must! Under the wise leadership of the General Headquarters, our Shandong Group Army will certainly win the final victory. "The sea sails by the helmsman, and all things grow by the sun!" With us always seated, I am full of strength and my eyes are full of light. ”

Stilwell's remarks instantly made Wu Rongbang and others smile, and an American military expert could give such a high evaluation, as members of the core team, they naturally couldn't help but be happy and honored. "Ahem, ahem! Don't let the princess sell melons and boast about herself, please listen to Colonel Stilwell's continuation! "In the face of the crazy sycophants of a large room of people, even if Jiang someone's skin is thicker than the city wall, he is very embarrassed at this time.

"General Jiang, what I said is from my heart, but there is really no indiscriminate compliment!" Stilwell emphasized it very seriously, and then continued: "The other hope I think is in distant Yan'an, in the Huaxia Red Party!" "Yan'an? No way? Zhuang Tao asked with some astonishment: "The Red Party's Eighth Route Army is only a few tens of thousands of people, and the weapons and equipment are still extremely rudimentary, can they save Huaxia?" ”

Zhuang Tao nodded and agreed: "Yes, with their personnel and equipment, they can at most fight guerrilla warfare with the little devils and take a small advantage, and they don't even dare to go to the frontal battlefield, which is far inferior to our side!" "There is a red zone on the edge of their own defense zone, and Miao Dadong has naturally seen their performance and combat effectiveness over the years, so he has some prejudices.

However, Jiang Qiang has always been very friendly and generous to the red regime, so Zhuang Tao can only keep these prejudices and contempt in his heart and dare not show them. "You said tens of thousands, that was a year ago." In the face of everyone's doubts, Stilwell did not panic at all, and said eloquently, "Just two months ago, I went to Shanxi, and I once went to the base of the Eighth Route Army to investigate, and found an extremely amazing fact! ”

Wu Rongbang became interested in an instant, and hurriedly asked, "What did you find?" Stilwell replied: "Compared with two years ago, when the full-scale war of resistance was first carried out, the size of the Eighth Route Army has expanded more than tenfold, and now the entire northern Eighth Route Army is combined, and I estimate that the armed forces under its command have exceeded 400,000!" ”

Stilwell's military vision is indeed not bad, but it is not easy for an outsider to come to this conclusion. In 1937, when the Red Army was reorganized into the "Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army", the 115th Division had 15,500 people, the 120th Division had more than 14,000 people, the 129th Division had more than 13,000 people, and there were more than 45,000 people in addition to the special forces directly under the General Headquarters Special Service Corps.

When the main force crossed the Yellow River eastward, the 770th Regiment of the 129th Division was left behind, which was assigned to the command of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Left-behind Corps.

In fact, the figure of 45,000 people is not comprehensive, and the left-behind corps led by Xiao Jinguang also has six regiments without regular numbers (1st to 6th regiments) and a group of security forces. For various reasons, it was not officially incorporated into the combat sequence of the Eighth Route Army, but it was still the team led by the Eighth Route Army, so the initial strength of the Eighth Route Army should be about 50,000 people. By the end of 1937, the Eighth Route Army, which had basically gained a foothold in Shanxi, had grown to more than 80,000 people, which was equivalent to doubling its strength.

From 1938 to 1940, the Eighth Route Army was fully deployed behind enemy lines in North China and entered the first period of great development: by the end of 1938, the total strength was 1,567,000, and the main force was about 270,000 by the end of 1939, and if other armed organizations were added, it would definitely exceed 400,000. "What?" Zhuang Tao showed extremely surprised eyes and exclaimed: "It's only been two years, and the Eighth Route Army has expanded to 400,000? That's nearly twice as much! ”

In fact, at present, the Shandong Group Army has 10 full-fledged infantry divisions with 200,000 infantry, plus special operations divisions, tank armored brigades, air force units, naval units, heavy artillery brigades, intelligence offices, military police brigades, and other military units, the total number of troops is also 250,000! "There may be discrepancies in the data, but it's definitely not that bad!"

Stilwell nodded, and then emphasized: "The Eighth Route Army has not only increased its number tenfold, but the most important thing is that they are disciplined, honest, and full of unity and cohesion from top to bottom, and this is what I value them!" ”

"In the same way, I can see that your army is the same, it is strictly disciplined and united, and it is several times better than the national army in terms of mental outlook alone!" Stilwell wasted no time in offering "verbal praise" to Yang Fan, and then said in a deep voice: "It's just that the current situation of the Eighth Route Army is not optimistic, because the Japanese army has transferred a large number of troops from the front line back to North China, and is launching a brutal sweep of the various base areas they have founded. Before I left Shanxi, the Eighth Route Army had already suffered heavy losses in several base areas. ”

After entering the stage of strategic stalemate, the Japanese army was forced to stop the large-scale frontal battlefield offensive due to limited financial resources, and at this time, the guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army had become a prairie fire, and the Japanese government's strategy of fighting and feeding the war completely came to naught. Annoyed and angry, the devil changed the strategic focus to consolidate the occupied areas, sweep away the anti-Japanese forces behind enemy lines, and carried out a key clean-up of the anti-Japanese base areas in North China of the Eighth Route Army.

Jiang Qiang nodded and said: "I also admire this very much, being able to carry out the struggle behind enemy lines in the occupied area, and continue to grow and develop, this is not something that anyone can do!" "What Jiang Qiang said is all psychological, he starts from scratch surrounded by enemies, and he must beware of the sweep and encirclement of devils at all times, just thinking about it makes me feel a headache!" But I'm sure they'll get through it, and they'll get stronger in the future! Stilwell was confident, and added:

"I will report the results of my visit to the White House and the Pentagon truthfully when I return to China for a debriefing on my work. I am sure that Mr. President, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will carefully consider whether or not to aid the Red Party! "In the original history, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the US government actively supported the Kuomintang government economically, politically, and militarily, so that it could continue the war of resistance and strengthen its control over the Kuomintang government. However, due to the rapid development of the Chinese people's revolutionary forces in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the military, political, and economic crisis in the areas ruled by the Kuomintang became increasingly serious, which made the US Government very worried.

On January 29, 1942, at the request of the Chairman of the National People's Congress, the United States appointed Lieutenant General Stilwell to China as Chief of Staff of the China Theater Command. There were serious differences and conflicts between the chairman and Stilwell on how to view the issue of the Red Party and its armed forces and how to compete for military command. This conflict was mainly manifested in politics and military strategy, as well as related to whether to equip the Red Party army and control the concession materials, and thus led to the intensification of the contradictions between Chiang and Shi.

In October 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt transferred Stilwell back home. "I'm afraid it's going to be difficult!" Hearing this, Jiang Qiang kept shaking his head. Because he knew that there was an irreconcilable fundamental contradiction between the Red Party and the United States, and this fundamental contradiction was that the Red Party did not recognize all the unequal treaties signed with the Western powers since the Opium War! Even during the Beiyang years, the Red Party did not recognize the loans of the Beiyang warlords as collateral for customs duties and salt taxes, but this was never allowed by the United States. After a few more small talks, Stilwell suddenly changed his words and said, "General Jiang, although you say that the situation here is very good, no matter how good the situation is, it will be next to the sea after all.

And Japan has the third most powerful navy in the world and the first in Asia. Although the Japanese side has not launched a devastating blow to you at the moment, there is no room for others to snore on the side of the couch. I don't think such a stable situation will last. General Jiang, you are a smart person, you should understand what I mean, right? "Thank you for the kind reminder, I've always been ready for this day." Jiang Qiang smiled indifferently, as steady as an old dog.

If the Japanese devils came to destroy themselves at any cost a year ago, it would really be a catastrophe, and even if they ran out of money, they would eventually be in a catastrophe. But now, Jiang Qiang is really not afraid that the devils will concentrate their forces to make trouble, and now there are as many as 230,000 elite regular troops armed to the teeth alone. Coupled with the bonus of defensive combat power, even if the devil comes to an army of 400,000, don't want to get a bargain.

What's more, there are still a large number of military forces at all levels, such as reserve forces and police forces, and the population of the defense area has exceeded 20 million, and there are all kinds of weapons, equipment, and all kinds of materials, and even if they continue to fight at high intensity for a year or two, they can completely afford to consume them. On the other hand, the Japanese devils have no way to play a war of attrition with such a high intensity as themselves, their biggest advantage is in the navy, and now the heavy batteries of the coastal defense line are one after another, and the fleet of the little devils does not want to bombard coastal cities with naval guns, let alone forcibly land and break through from the coastline.

Stilwell read Jiang Qiang's confident smile, and his pupils shrank slightly: "Buy cakes, General Jiang, you don't really think that you can resist the full attack of the Japanese army alone, do you?" ”