A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

At the training ground of the 2nd Armored Division of the National Defense Force, Song Hongfei was invited to observe the daily training of the armored troops.

The 2nd Armored Division specifically showcased a scene of a tank battalion and an armored grenadier battalion conducting joint exercises. On the open plain, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles roared like steel behemoths, their engines blazing and dust billowing.

As the commander issued orders via radio, the tank formation swiftly and nimbly transitioned from a marching column into a combat formation, and then practiced shifting from an offensive to a defensive formation. The tanks and armored vehicles coordinated seamlessly, rapidly forming different combat formations, fully demonstrating their high level of synergy, powerful mobility, and combat effectiveness.

The steel torrent, with its overwhelming power and imposing momentum, makes one feel as if they are on a real battlefield.

Song Hongfei was filled with emotion. The military skills and command abilities of the German generals, as well as the combat skills and professional level of the soldiers, were truly unparalleled in the world.

Song Hongfei sincerely praised, "Truly worthy of being called a powerful and awe-inspiring armored force!"

What he admired most wasn't just the advanced German tanks, but their powerful logistical support capabilities. He secretly estimated that today's exercise alone would consume an astonishing amount of fuel, enough to deplete the entire Chinese armored corps' fuel reserves for nearly a month—something China, with its impoverished state, simply couldn't afford. Song Hongfei could only smile wryly, filled with envy.

Thinking of how the martyrs could only tragically resist the enemy's planes and cannons with their own flesh and blood, Song Hongfei felt a deep sorrow that reached his soul. His ambition to fight for the rise of the nation and stand among the powerful countries had never been so strong as at this moment.

When Guderian heard Song Hongfei's praise, he showed a proud expression, but also a hint of envy, and said, "You have successfully carried out a wonderful live-fire exercise, which is an invaluable experience. Even if a unit scores full marks on the training field, no matter how impeccable its formation and training are, it is still a difficult task to achieve victory on the real battlefield."

Song Hongfei thought to himself that Guderian, as a professional soldier who upheld the temperament of the Germanic traditional officer corps, was very straightforward and honest, which he greatly admired.

He also strongly agreed with Guderian's views, after all, the training ground is different from the battlefield. On the real battlefield, there will always be too many unexpected situations and problems. A truly powerful army must be tempered by the fires of war.

Song Hongfei said, "If we combine it with self-propelled artillery, air force, engineers and other branches, as well as sufficient support and logistics forces, to form a multi-service combined arms combat force, we can unleash its maximum combat power."

Guderian and the other armored commanders looked thoughtful, and all nodded in agreement.

During this observation trip, Song Hongfei also met an acquaintance, Jianhao, the second son of the man who had been sent to the German military academy last year. Field Marshal Blomberg had been very thoughtful in inviting him to participate in the observation trip.

"Brother Hongfei!" Jianhao was extremely excited to see Song Hongfei and kept calling out to him affectionately. Over the years, Song Hongfei's various legendary deeds had spread throughout the army, and Jianhao admired him greatly, practically regarding him as an idol.

They had known each other since childhood. In their early years, when Song Hongfei went to give shooting demonstrations to the first few classes of officers at the Whampoa Military Academy, Jian Gao would always insist on going too. He was five years younger than Song Hongfei and would follow him around all day. After the demonstrations, the two would go to the Pearl River to catch fish and shrimp, climb trees to steal birds' nests, and have a great time.

Song Hongfei was pleasantly surprised to find that the little kid from back then had grown into a handsome, imposing, and heroic soldier. He excitedly punched Jian Gao in the chest and said, "Good lad, you've grown so strong all these years! How are you doing here?"

Kengo excitedly said, "I am now serving in the German mountain troops as an officer cadet."

Song Hongfei was a little curious and asked, "Why a mountain troops?"

Jianhao said, "The most important reason is that I think mountain infantry is the most arduous of all the military branches. If I can receive training in mountain troops and pass the test, then nothing will be difficult for me when I return to China."

Song Hongfei couldn't help but sigh, "Young people are so energetic, insightful, and full of expectations and aspirations for the future."

Jianhao was still very excited: "I'll first do basic infantry training in the mountain troops, and then go to the Munich Military Academy. Hongfei, I've thought it over. I want to study armored forces and mechanization in the future."

The power of idols is immense. He took Song Hongfei as his role model, and the seeds of his ideals had already sprouted in his heart.

Song Hongfei patted him on the shoulder and said, "Not bad! You have ambition and your own opinions! The future battlefield will be a multi-service battlefield, and only versatile commanding officers can adapt to the demands of war. You need to understand infantry, armored forces, artillery, aviation, and other branches. Once you've set your goals, you must be down-to-earth and persevere. Military academy is a place where you can continuously grow. Learn in military academy, experience on the battlefield, and do your best!"

Jianhao's young face was filled with determination and confidence as he said, "Yes, I will!"

The commander with the mustache received reports from all sides.

His expert advisory group had already suggested to him that computer technology has enormous potential and application prospects, and will be crucial to the future development of science and technology. It can be used not only for numerical calculations, but also widely applied in scientific research, engineering design, weapons and ballistics research, industrial production, and other fields, undoubtedly providing significant assistance in warfare.

The most convincing fact is that China used computers for quantitative analysis and calculation to design state-of-the-art semi-automatic rifles and general-purpose machine guns, and cracked their proud cipher machine system.

In particular, Song Hongfei's statement to the experts, "Science and technology are the primary productive forces, and the advanced productive forces represented by high technology will guide the future development of human civilization," deeply moved the leader and gave him a new understanding of this ancient Eastern nation with its glorious history and culture.

The leader fell into deep thought: "This nation has weathered 5000 years of trials and tribulations, with a long and rich history that continues to this day. In its history, it created a civilization that was a millennium ahead of the world. Is it really true that whenever this nation is in danger, outstanding figures who can turn the tide always emerge?"

The leader, with great strategic vision, immediately approved the think tank's plan without hesitation, deciding to cooperate with China in researching modern computer technology, making full use of their respective advantages and resources, sharing research results, providing each other with technical support, and jointly promoting the scientific and technological progress and development of both countries.

He certainly understood the Chinese people's intentions. Their goal was to purchase military equipment in exchange for technology, and he naturally understood the principle of hoarding rare goods and waiting for a high price.

China's purchase intentions this time include Panzer II tanks, "Hausu" series armored vehicles, and a batch of mountain guns and howitzers of various calibers.

The most important of these is the Panzer II tank. This light tank, weighing less than 10 tons and with a 20mm cannon, is only intended for training, reconnaissance, and supplementary organization in the PLA's armored forces plan. The main combat models are the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Although the PLA is also currently expanding its military capabilities, production capacity can still be increased, and selling some to China is not a big deal.

China's decision to only consider light armored vehicles was somewhat unfortunate. Leaving aside weak technology and logistical support capabilities, the poor road and bridge infrastructure in China made heavy armored vehicles practically unusable, completely dashing any hopes of equipping them with heavy armor. After careful consideration, light armored vehicles were more suitable for the national conditions, and the Panzer II tank, equipped with a 20mm cannon, was already sufficiently effective against the lightly armored vehicles of the Japanese.

Song Hongfei, who spearheaded the delegation, used all his skills to negotiate a good price, and the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement, which will be finalized once Special Envoy Con arrives.

The commander with the mustache said somewhat helplessly to Göring and Field Marshal Blomberg, "The Chinese certainly know how to do business. Who can blame them for having a unique skill that we don't possess?"

After his arrival, Special Envoy Con met with high-ranking officials, including the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Air Force, and visited military industrial enterprises such as the Krupp Arms Factory and the Junkers Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

China's strategy was to obtain Western aid and use the West to facilitate the conclusion of non-aggression and mutual assistance agreements in the Far East and the Pacific region, thereby restraining Japan's aggressive ambitions.

There were also disagreements within the Hanseatic leadership regarding relations with China and the island nation, with the most acute differences being between Propaganda Minister Goebbels and the second-in-command, Air Force Minister Göring.

Goebbels firmly supported China and advocated for intervention to mediate the conflict between China and Japan, ensuring continued commercial interests in China. More importantly, he believed the actions of the island nation would only have the opposite effect; if left unchecked, it might push China towards the Soviet Union.

Göring held a prominent position and was extremely arrogant. He always looked down on people from the East, whether they were Chinese or Japanese.

However, from a pragmatic military perspective, Göring believed that the island nation had a stronger military than China, especially considering the need to win over the island nation to contain the Soviet Union. He felt that since signing the international anti-CP agreement last year, it should be earnestly implemented.

Japan has long harbored ambitions to dominate the Far East and will never relinquish its vested interests. Tensions between China and Japan are escalating, and the situation is rapidly changing, with a high probability of conflict.

Driven by their own interests, the three kingdoms each harbored their own strategies and engaged in a complex game of strategy and tactics.

Faced with this thorny tripartite relationship, the leader and his advisors weighed the options carefully and decided to adopt a tightrope-walking policy toward the Far East, aiming to avoid offending any party and maintain a balance.