The War of Resistance Against Japan: Special Operations Battalion Traverses Shanghai and Slaughters

Everyone sat quietly beside Long Fei, waiting for him to speak.

"There are two things that need to be decided when we call this meeting together."

"I won't waste any more time. The first thing is the issue of troop reorganization. I wonder what everyone's thoughts are."

Xu Peng, as the head of the delegation, was the first to speak.

“Our current total strength is close to 10,000. I suggest that we reorganize it into a division with four regiments, each with 2,000 men. The remaining personnel can be converted into artillery battalions, guard battalions, engineer battalions, communications platoons, etc.”

Long Fei nodded, but did not immediately express his opinion.

Chen Yiding then offered his suggestions.

"I suggest that we reorganize them into two brigades, with personnel and weapons equipment evenly distributed. This way, each brigade will be strong in combat, and we can use the brigades as units to maneuver flexibly and support each other against the Japanese."

Zhu Ci, however, had a different opinion. He said, "I agree more with Brigade Commander Chen's suggestion, but I suggest that we have a focus on personnel and weapon configuration, and that we configure one of the brigades as the strongest brigade, as our main force."

As chief of staff, Gao Hong suggested reorganizing the unit into a division-level structure, comprising three regiments of 3,000 men each, with each regiment equally equipped with heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery. The remaining 1,000 men would serve as division-level directly subordinate units, such as reconnaissance companies, guard companies, engineer companies, and communications platoons.

Although everyone expressed their own opinions, they all focused on reorganizing the existing troops based on their numbers. While each had its own merits, their ideas differed greatly from Long Fei's.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Long Fei decided to share his thoughts.

“Everyone’s points are valid, but my view is that we cannot limit ourselves to our current force of 10,000.”

“If you have 10,000 men, you form a division; if you have another 10,000, you form another division. This approach is very passive and slow.”

Everyone agreed that Long Fei's words made sense and nodded in agreement.

Liu Wei sat down next to Long Fei and asked with a smile.

"Commander, since you say so, you must have already thought it through. Stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us."

Long Fei picked up a cigarette and distributed it to everyone, then lit one for himself and continued speaking.

"My idea is actually very simple: to get it done in one step."

"One step at a time?" Zhou Weiguo asked curiously.

Long Fei nodded emphatically and affirmed, "That's right, we'll do it in one step and directly reorganize the troops into a legion."

"Legion?"

"The Dragon Flame Legion?"

"Isn't it a bit of an exaggeration to start a legion with only 12,000 troops?"

"I think the Legion sounds good. It sounds impressive, like we have hundreds of thousands of troops."

"..."

After everyone had discussed it for a while, Long Fei continued speaking.

"Once reorganized into a corps, no matter how many people the unit grows to in the future, this organizational structure will not need to be changed."

“Fifty thousand people can be called a legion, one hundred thousand people can also be called a legion, and even one million people can be called a legion.”

"The next level of a corps is a corps, below a corps is a division, below a division is a regiment, and below a regiment are battalions, companies, platoons, and squads. The organizational structure follows a three-three system."

"At present, four armies will be set up, namely the First Army to the Fourth Army."

"The First Army consists of the 261st Brigade of the 87th Division, the 1st Reserve Regiment of the 87th Division, and the 26th Division. Its designation is the First Division of the First Army. The Second and Third Divisions are temporarily vacant."

"The Second Army was composed of the 259th Brigade of the 87th Division and the 264th Brigade of the 88th Division. Its designation was the Fourth Division of the Second Army. The Fifth and Sixth Divisions were temporarily vacant."

"The Third Army is composed of the First Brigade of the Training Corps, and its designation is the Seventh Division of the Third Army. The Eighth and Ninth Divisions are temporarily vacant."

"The Fourth Army consists of the 41st Division, designated as the 10th Division of the Fourth Army. The 11th and 12th Divisions are temporarily vacant."

"The Dragon Flame Special Operations Battalion is a unit directly under the Legion, designated as the 1st Special Operations Division of the 73rd Army. The 2nd Special Operations Division and subsequent divisions are temporarily vacant."

Long Fei designated the special operations battalion as the 73rd Army to commemorate his former unit, the 73rd Group Army.

Aside from the soldiers of the special operations battalion, no one else would understand the significance of this thought.

"One advantage of this reorganization is that it makes it difficult for outsiders and the Japanese to figure out our strengths and weaknesses."

"Most importantly, if the military continues to grow and expand in the future, it can simply be incorporated into various armies, and the number of army-level units can be increased."

After Long Fei explained it in such detail, everyone suddenly realized that their perspectives were too narrow compared to his, let alone their far-sighted vision.

Chen Yiding then expressed his agreement with an admiring tone.

"I think Commander Long's suggestion is excellent, it has vision and a broad perspective, and I completely agree with it."

Zhou Weiguo also stated: "I also agree with Commander Long's point of view."

The two immediately changed their address to Long Fei as Legion Commander, making their stance and attitude crystal clear.

Next, everyone expressed their support.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Long Fei moved on to the next step, which was the personnel assignments for the legion.

"Since everyone agrees, the military organization is settled. Next, I'll talk about my thoughts on personnel assignments."

"I am deeply moved that you think highly of me, Long Fei, and are willing to join the Longyan Legion to fight the Japanese devils with me."

"I won't let you suffer any losses in terms of job appointments. I want everyone to feel that following me, Long Fei, not only makes fighting the Japanese more enjoyable, but also gives you a better chance than in the National Revolutionary Army."

"Now I will announce my personnel arrangements. If you have any different opinions, please raise them."

"Chen Yiding is the deputy corps commander and concurrently the commander of the First Army, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"Liu Yuqing is the deputy corps commander and concurrently serves as the deputy commander of the First Army, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"Zhou Weiguo, commander of the First Division, with the rank of major general."

"Zhu Ci is the deputy corps commander and concurrently the commander of the Second Army, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"Yi Anhua is the deputy corps commander and concurrently the deputy commander of the Second Army, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"Zhong Chongxin is the Chief of Staff of the Second Army, with the rank of Major General."

"Zhou Zhengqiang is the deputy corps commander and concurrently serves as the commander of the Third Army."

"Ding Zhipan, deputy corps commander, concurrently served as commander of the Fourth Army, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"Liu Wei, Political Commissar of the Army Corps, Lieutenant General."

"Xu Peng, Deputy Corps Commander, Lieutenant General."

"Gao Hong, Chief of Staff of the Army Corps, Lieutenant General."

"Ma Xu, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Corps, Major General."

"Xie Qiang is the commander of the 1st Special Operations Division of the 73rd Army, with the rank of Major General."

"Sun Haitao is the deputy commander of the 1st Special Operations Division of the 73rd Army, with the rank of major general."

"Xu Ke, Ren Huazhi, and Li Bin will temporarily serve as deputy commanders of the 1st Special Operations Division, with the rank of major general. Further adjustments will be made after the 2nd Special Operations Division and other units are established."

"As for me, Long Fei, I serve as the commander of the Dragon Flame Legion, with the rank of lieutenant general."

"These are my preliminary decisions on personnel appointments. Any differing opinions are welcome to be raised now."

Long Fei's appointment decision was very reasonable, and no one raised any objections.

So, as soon as Long Fei finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out in the hall.