Anti-Japanese War: When I get promoted, the system will explode with soldiers

It took a full five or six hours. By the time all the infantry division commanders had left, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. There were only a few scattered artillery shots from the Japanese positions, so it seemed that the fighting had indeed stopped midway.

"Chief of Staff, you haven't had dinner yet. Are you planning to talk to me about something?"

Li Shaoyi stood at the window looking at the Japanese positions in the distance. After finding nothing unusual, he turned around and was about to go eat when Chief of Staff Zhang came in from the doorway carrying a few side dishes.

Li Shaoyi knew quite a bit about Chief of Staff Zhang. He was one of the people the old man in Nanjing trusted most. Before Li Shaoyi came, he had served as the commander of the Pujiang War Zone, but unfortunately, he had fought a terrible war.

Of course, we can't blame the chief of staff. It's mainly because the command structure at all levels is too bloated, the coordination between the various armies is not good, and the enemy is strong while we are weak. It's already not easy to achieve this result.

"Commander, what are you saying? My job is to assist you, but weren't some things done during the day a bit too much? Changing the organizational structure so casually, the people in the Ministry of Military Affairs won't be happy. The whole of Nanjing already has a lot of opinions about you. They don't dare to act recklessly now that we're fighting a war, but there will be a lot of trouble after the war is over."

As Chief of Staff Zhang placed the side dishes on the table, he earnestly explained that Li Shaoyi's decision to reduce two infantry divisions into infantry brigades during the day was no small matter.

"I thought it was something serious. Reorganizing units on the battlefield is a normal thing, isn't it? As far as I know, when other ragtag armies wiped out their own men, the Ministry of Military Affairs simply wiped them out of their ranks. And that was the unit where the heroes were stationed. Haven't they done this kind of thing countless times?"

Li Shaoyi said irritably, "In fact, the internal strife has never stopped. Don't be fooled by the nice words of the Nanjing National Government, such as treating everyone equally, but on the battlefield, we should work together to fight the enemy."

However, the Nanjing National Government had done this kind of thing more than once or twice. When the Central Army suffered losses, they would do their best to replenish it, and even expand it because of its merits.

But the local warlords' armies were different. They didn't back down on the battlefield either. They risked their lives, fighting the Japanese army three times in and out. In the end, they decimated their own forces and were hoping for reinforcements from the central government. But then an order came down from above, saying that their army was not suitable for the current battlefield situation and emptied their ranks.

Chief of Staff Zhang also looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, he had offered advice on the things Li Shaoyi mentioned back in Nanjing, and he was a key member of the Central Army. Now that such a thing had happened on the battlefield, Chief of Staff Zhang could not escape responsibility.

"Look at what I'm saying, I'm not targeting you personally."

Seeing Chief of Staff Zhang's embarrassed expression, Li Shaoyi immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. In terms of his performance on the battlefield, Chief of Staff Zhang was very suitable for the position.

The fact that Li Shaoyi, a war zone commander from the north, was able to quickly become one with the commanders of various units is largely thanks to his chief of staff.

"I'm not a petty person. Besides, I was indeed a participant in the various policies that the National Revolutionary Army formulated in the past. It wasn't until I got to the battlefield that I realized I had let down the heroes."

After downing a glass of wine, the chief of staff did indeed look somewhat saddened. You don't know how these heroes sacrificed themselves until you get to the Huangpu River. Once you arrive, you'll know that countless heroes give their lives every day to protect this land.

“Those people in Jinling are calculating my mistakes every day, but they miscalculated one thing, and I’m not afraid to say it to your face: the morale of the army and the people.”

After a drink, Li Shaoyi began to speak the truth. After all, he had felt the patriotic enthusiasm of many people at the Pujiang War Zone Command. These people could be used. In Li Shaoyi's mind, the Japanese were only the current enemy. In the future, our army would go to the world and compete with other countries for real interests in many regions.

Therefore, all the capable people in the theater command, including the chief of staff in front of him, are among those Li Shaoyi is trying to poach.

If Li Shaoyi had mentioned other chiefs of staff, they wouldn't have been surprised, but now that he was talking about the morale of the army and the people, the chiefs of staff immediately became wary. This wasn't something a local warlord should be saying; it had reached the level of the highest national leadership.

"I didn't hear anything. All I know is that I am the chief of staff of this theater, assisting you in completing various tasks. That's what I'm supposed to do at this stage. As for the other things, I don't know anything about them."

Chief of Staff Zhang chuckled and poured Li Shaoyi a drink. He indicated that he didn't intend to continue the discussion on this topic, warning that walls have ears. Even though this was Huangpu, within the war zone headquarters, who knows how many people could directly call the relevant departments in Nanjing.

"Our country has led the world for five thousand years, and it has only fallen behind in the last few decades. But our country still has all kinds of patriots who will not let this country continue to decline. The war against Japan is only the theme for the next year or two, and it will soon shift to other places. For our men, expanding our territory is the highest praise. When the Chief of Staff embarked on this path, it was probably not just for his own luxurious life. Does the young Chief of Staff, who was once full of vigor and ambition, still remember?"

As Li Shaoyi spoke, he took out a photograph, which was taken when Chief of Staff Zhang attended the Baoding Military Academy.

When Chief of Staff Zhang saw this photo, even after all these years of ups and downs, he was slightly excited. Just as Li Shaoyi said, he was a passionate young man back then, running around trying to find a way to save the country.

"This wine is really strong today. I feel dizzy after just one glass. Fortunately, the Japanese won't launch an attack today, so I can finally go back and get a good night's sleep."

After a silence of about a minute, Chief of Staff Zhang finished his glass of wine, then refilled Li Shaoyi's glass, put away the photos on the table, picked up his coat, and silently left the command room of the Pujiang War Zone Headquarters.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped out the door. Who wouldn't want to do something for the country and its people, and leave a lasting legacy?