A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

After short-term theoretical instruction to officers at all levels, the majority of the training focused on tactical training for lower-ranking officers and soldiers.

Song Hongfei's reorganization and training received strong support from Qiu Yu'an, the newly appointed chief of staff of the Training Corps. After discussing with Qiu Yu'an, they decided that the sergeant battalion and the third regiment would be the main trainers, and a large number of new recruits who had just joined the corps were also brought in to participate in the training.

The various training units and the training corps conducted joint training, with particular emphasis on realistic combat drills.

The soldiers all knew that this was valuable experience gained with blood and lives, something that could save their lives on the battlefield. Although the high-intensity pre-battle training was very tiring, no one complained.

During training breaks, local soldiers crowded around the Training Corps' Type 24 semi-automatic rifle and general-purpose machine gun, eagerly trying them out and expressing their envy.

"This gun is so beautiful! Is this the gun that Instructor Song designed?"

"A heavy machine gun is so light?!"

The officers were also deeply impressed: "This is truly a model training division. A regiment actually has an infantry artillery company, an anti-tank gun company, and a machine gun company?"

It wasn't just the weaponry; the entire training corps was equipped with German-style M35 steel helmets, suede-upholstered rubber-soled imitation German infantry combat boots, combat backpacks, satchels, raincoats, woolen blankets, gas masks, 0.75-liter canteens, and field mess kits.

His excellent uniforms caused soldiers from other units to sigh in dismay, wondering why there was such a big difference in treatment between soldiers from the same Nationalist Army.

The training corps' meals, which included vegetables, meat, and plenty of oil, were the envy of the local troops.

Troops from various regions rushed to the battlefield, often lacking clothing and food along the way, sometimes only having one meal a day. Even at their posts, they usually only ate two meals a day, one dry and one watery, consisting of radishes, green vegetables, and thin soup. Occasionally, they could eat meat, which was considered an improvement in their diet, and they were as happy as if it were New Year's Day.

The large, white, fatty pieces of meat were greasy and disliked by the soldiers of the Training Corps; nobody ate them. But to the brothers in the local troops who lacked oil and meat, it was a waste of resources—this was an extremely sought-after and scarce commodity; if you weren't quick enough, it would be gone!

The soldiers of the Training Corps were moved to tears.

The brutal Battle of Shanghai was like a giant furnace of flesh and blood, constantly devouring soldiers from both sides. Young lives were thrown into it fearlessly, only to be melted away in an instant.

Both sides suffered extremely heavy casualties. Our army had new division-level units being added almost every day, and the tens of thousands of newly added troops could be wiped out in just a few days.

Since the beginning of September, the Central Army troops that participated in the early stages of the war have experienced repeated fierce battles, and their main forces have been almost completely wiped out.

Reinforcements continued to arrive from all over the country, most of them local troops. They first underwent two weeks of training at the Nanjing Training Corps before heading to Shanghai.

Besides the Central Army, the Hunan Army deployed the most troops, with all 15 divisions mobilized without reservation, and security forces were also recruited from various counties and cities for emergency support.

At that time, there was a saying circulating among the Hunan Army: "If you die, face the sky; if you don't, you'll become an immortal!" The soldiers knew that this expedition would be a matter of life and death, and they would often encourage and comfort each other by saying, "See you in the next life!" before rushing to the battlefield without hesitation.

Among the local troops, the Sichuan Army soldiers were the worst in terms of weapons and conditions. Many soldiers were still carrying old Mauser rifles from the late Qing Dynasty, and many others had Sichuan-made Type 79 rifles. The old-fashioned rifles were considered their best equipment, and they could not guarantee a sufficient supply of bullets.

To address this, Liu Fucheng, the commander-in-chief of the Sichuan Army, specially purchased a batch of "Hanyang-made" rifles to equip the Sichuan Army fighting against the Japanese in Sichuan, but this was far from sufficient. Light and heavy machine guns were even scarcer; the better-off divisions might have a few mortars, but mountain guns were practically nonexistent.

Song Hongfei picked up an old Mauser rifle from a Sichuan soldier. The stock and handguard were covered in marks, but the rifle itself was very clean, showing that it was regularly maintained. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that the rifling was almost worn down, making it inaccurate even at a hundred meters.

Song Hongfei felt extremely heavy-hearted.

These Sichuan soldiers, carrying old-fashioned rifles and wearing straw sandals, were jokingly called "beggar soldiers." But Song Hongfei knew that their determination to resist the Japanese was no less than that of any other army! Many Sichuan soldiers left home wearing a white "death robe," used to wipe away blood while alive and to wrap themselves after death!

Song Hongfei asked the owner of the rifle, a Sichuan soldier who looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, "You're all wearing straw sandals, what will you do when it gets cold?"

The Sichuan soldier smiled broadly and calmly said, "Sir, I had already died on the battlefield by then. Since leaving Sichuan to fight against the Japanese, I didn't plan to live to see winter."

Looking into the clear eyes of the young soldier with the baby face, Song Hongfei felt a lump in his throat. He patted the soldier's shoulder and turned away, momentarily at a loss for words.

What great and lovable soldiers!

With a heart full of determination to die, they plunged into the bloody battlefield!

It was these ordinary yet extraordinary soldiers who, without hesitation, threw themselves one after another into the crucible of flesh and blood! It was they who fought with their lives against the Japanese army!

It is they who, with their flesh and blood, have upheld the backbone of our nation that has endured for five thousand years without ever falling!

Song Hongfei's eyes welled up with tears, and he felt he had to do something for them.

Song Hongfei repeatedly proposed to the highest levels of the Military Commission that, taking advantage of the training opportunity, the weapons and equipment of various units should be uniformly allocated to achieve standardization as much as possible, so that at least the situation of a division being equipped with several different caliber rifles should no longer occur.

The full-scale war broke out suddenly when China was not ready, catching us off guard. The cunning Japanese invaders had been planning for a long time and would not wait for us to be ready before launching their attack!

The arsenals of the Huaxia Ordnance Bureau were operating at full capacity, but had already reached their limit, and production capacity remained limited.

Production capacity for semi-automatic rifles and general-purpose machine guns could only meet the equipment and combat damage replenishment needs of a few of the most elite reorganized divisions. The Ordnance Department was focused on producing the Type 24 and Type 88 rifles, and in this urgent situation, it could only prioritize meeting the most basic equipment requirements.

At Song Hongfei's persistent suggestion, this person was unusually generous this time.

The elite Central Army units equipped with the Type 24 rifle reassigned their old Hanyang rifles to other Central Army units, while the other Central Army units reassigned their old rifles to units in various regions.

Although they were old equipment that had been replaced, and many of the guns had severely worn rifling, the units were finally able to achieve overall standardization through unified allocation.

The minimum requirement is that each division should be equipped with at least one 82mm mortar company with four mortars, each regiment should be equipped with at least one heavy machine gun company with six mortars, and each platoon should be equipped with at least one Czech light machine gun. Mortars and light and heavy machine guns should be replenished to complete the system.

Of course, mountain guns and anti-tank guns were impossible; even the elite troops of the Central Army were in dire need of them.

Even so, for many local troops, the equipment situation has been dramatically improved, especially in terms of logistical support, which has undergone fundamental changes, and they no longer need to worry about replenishing different types of bullets for several calibers of rifles.

Someone wants to demonstrate that they treat everyone equally.

All participating troops, whether central or local, will be the first to complete the re-equipment!

The various training units immediately began to secretly compete with each other on the training ground, and their enthusiasm for training soared dramatically!

All the local troops knew that this time it was for real, and they were about to face a bloody battle with a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival, a battle that would cost them their lives! Otherwise, that person wouldn't be so generous, spending so much to win people's hearts, as the saying goes, an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers.

This is the last day. This is the first training unit, which has completed two weeks of arduous training day and night.

The next day, they were to head to the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield.

The Ministry of Military Affairs paid them their salaries ahead of schedule and, for the first time ever, distributed supplies that had never been provided before.

In the afternoon, the soldiers, wearing their issued rubber boots and carrying braised meat in one hand, ate heartily, chatting and laughing. Of course, there was no drinking from large bowls; that was military discipline.

A reporter from the Central Daily News asked them, "Why don't you wait until you're in Shanghai to spend your newly received salary?"

The soldiers laughed and replied, "We both know the situation in Shanghai. We are determined to eat well, dress well, and fight the enemy to the death on the battlefield."

Those who heard it were all moved.

The soldiers who went to the front lines all understood that this journey might be their last.

The autumn wind brings rain, and the mountains and rivers tremble.

The citizens of Nanjing have also noticed that the city is increasingly feeling the pressure of war, with anti-aircraft gun positions being erected on high ground such as Zijin Mountain, Mufu Mountain, and Lion Mountain, and even in some street locations.

At night, bonfires burned fiercely in the valleys at the foot of Mufu Mountain, with sparks flying everywhere. Rows of huge pots steamed with large chunks of meat bubbling inside.

The billowing steam made everything seem even more ethereal, and the night breeze carried an aroma that made the soldiers' nostrils tingle and their stomachs churn.

The stars are like dust, this is a send-off banquet for the soldiers who are about to go to the front lines.

Boxes of cigarettes were handed out overhead, and both smokers and non-smokers laughed and scrambled to grab them.

At this moment, how could there be no wine? Jars of strong liquor were poured into the bowls in front of everyone.

A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Military Affairs stepped forward to speak, as a gesture of encouragement from the highest level. However, his long and rambling speech was probably not as moving as the meat in the pot.

But the final words of the high-ranking military official brought the atmosphere to a climax: "How magnificent! We soldiers should all have such a glorious moment in our lives! Brothers, come on! Cheers!"

After saying that, he drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp!

The soldiers cheered loudly and drank it all in one gulp!

The commanders of the Nanjing Garrison and the participating troops also stepped forward to speak one after another, and then drank the wine in their bowls in one gulp.

As the chief instructor of all the training units, Song Hongfei was certainly qualified to speak.

Looking at these fierce soldiers, Song Hongfei knew that they could only learn too little from the short period of training, and that many of them would not survive.

"Brothers! I only regret that time is too short! In such a short time, you cannot learn much! You need to prove yourselves on the battlefield! I have already held the Japanese devils accountable! It was their brazen invasion that prevented us from having more time!"

The soldiers laughed and cheered loudly.

"Brothers! This is a farewell drink, but I'd much rather it be a victory celebration drink! But what I hope for most is that one day we'll ride into the Japanese-occupied Tokyo together, swords in hand, and set up our victory celebration on that Mount Fuji! I wish you all the best in your battles! Cheers!"

"Dry!"

The soldiers were shouting, cheering, and applauding; their blood was boiling!

"How magnificent! Galloping into Tokyo with sword in hand!" Qiu Yu'an, standing to the side, looked at Song Hongfei with some surprise, his heart surging with excitement. Something within "Crazy Qiu" was beginning to awaken.

Such a night, such moonlight, such grandeur, such madness—these should be reserved for the soldiers about to go to the battlefield.

The senior officers had already moved far away.

Amidst the bonfires, the soldiers reveled and laughed.

Some soldiers hummed folk songs from their hometowns in their local accents. At first, they were humming happily, but gradually it sounded like they were shouting at the top of their lungs.

More soldiers, seemingly unwilling to be outdone, took turns singing in various accents and dialects, from south to north.

Some soldiers, shirtless, twirled and danced around the fire, performing various styles of opera, including Sichuan opera, flower drum opera, Huangmei opera, Cantonese opera, Yangko dance, and Errenzhuan.

Each displayed their talents, speaking, learning, joking, singing, laughing, shouting, and yelling. They were indeed yelling, and what they were yelling about, whether it sounded good or not, was not important; it was the passion and heroic spirit in their hearts that mattered.

Most of what we see are random, chaotic dances that resemble neither dance nor kung fu, or even street brawls.

"This is just a complete mess of demons."

In the distance, the commander of the training unit looked at his celebrating soldiers with a wry smile.

Song Hongfei was filled with fervor. In his eyes, this was a magnificent dance of death! A dance of life born from the face of death! The Chinese nation has never yielded to the war dance of any enemy!

A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Military Affairs laughed loudly: "Good! We are born to die, and we face it with laughter, anger, and curses! To be able to dance in the face of death like this is the true nature of a soldier!"

The Sichuan Army's 20th and 43rd Armies, the Northwest Army's 33rd Army, the Northeast Army's 67th Army, the Hunan Army's 70th Army, the Guangdong Army's 4th and 66th Armies, and the Guangxi Army's 7th and 48th Armies.

One after another, troops that had completed their training rushed to the front lines and threw themselves into the blood-soaked furnace of the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield, advancing wave upon wave without hesitation.