"What do you mean by following the commander's orders?”Hong Lang was very wary of the Young Marshal. If he sold his, he couldn't count the money for him.
"What I mean is that Regiment Commander Hong can have a portion of the soldiers of the Independent Regiment follow the orders of the Major.”Zhang Lei's goal was to increase the military strength of the Young Marshal. It would be best if Hong Lang could accept their conditions.
"No, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment must not leave the battle sequence. This is our military structure and cannot be used by outsiders.”Hong Lang refused without hesitation.
There was no room for discussion. The combat strength of the Independent Regiment was not even comparable to that of the Japanese army, let alone the other Northeast armies. It could be said that they were an era apart.
Especially since Hong Lang didn't trust these people at all. If he sent his troops over, they might become cannon fodder for these people. Once the situation was critical, these warlords would sacrifice their troops to protect their own interests. How could Hong Lang accept this?
Zhang Lei was stunned after listening to him. A small regiment commander actually dared to refuse the commander's order. Zhang Lei was afraid that Hong Lang would misunderstand that he was taking it for free. He immediately explained," Regiment Commander Hong, the young marshal isn't a freeloader. As long as your troops can listen to the young marshal's commands, then you can sit in the position of the chief of Chengde City in Rehe Province. You can even be the deputy commander of the 36th Division.”
After giving so many benefits, Zhang Lei felt that Hong Lang had already taken advantage of him. A smart person would definitely accept his opinion. Who would guard the position of an independent regiment commander without a name if he could become the chief and deputy division commander?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang. There's no room for discussion on this issue.”Hong Lang said stubbornly. Other issues were easy to deal with, but when it came to commanding the army, he would not give up. To put it bluntly, as long as the military command of the independent regiment was interfered with by others, his independent regiment was very likely to be destroyed.
Zhang Lei's expression immediately became very ugly. He had always been thoughtful in the Northeast Army for so many years. How could he meet such a thorn in his side today?
"Mr. Zhang, many of our troops are local children. When we recruited them, we promised them that we would never let the army leave too far away from their hometown.”Chen Liang saw the displeasure on both sides and immediately went forward to say. "If the Young Marshal receives an order from the Nanjing government to lead the soldiers south or west, these soldiers might not leave with the Young Marshal. At that time, the Young Marshal will lose face.”
Zhang Lei could accept Chen Liang's explanation, but he still did not want to give up such a good unit.
"Regiment Commander Hong, the Young Marshal is in a very bad situation now. The Japanese outside the pass are closing in step by step, and the people in the Nanjing government are also trying to kill the Young Marshal.”Zhang Lei said emotionally," We're all from the Northeast Army. We can't just watch the young marshal go on like this. If that happens, the world that the old marshal fought so hard for will be over.”
Hong Lang's face was expressionless. He didn't think much of Zhang Lei's words. If the marshal's capital was ruined, it was all his good son's doing. He retreated without even firing a shot. Now, he wanted to use this excuse to help others. It was really ridiculous.
"Mr. Zhang, when the young marshal left the three eastern provinces, he still had at least a dozen divisions. No matter how much the Nanjing government forces the young marshal, as long as the young marshal is unwilling, the Nanjing government is useless.”Hong Lang asked with some doubt. In his opinion, as long as he had a gun in his hand, the Nanjing government and the Japanese were nothing.
"Commander Hong, you don't know. Many of the young marshal's subordinates did not receive any pay, and many soldiers had started to leave the army. Now, there were more than a dozen divisions under the young marshal's command, but only four divisions could fight. Moreover, the Nanjing government has not provided us with any weapons, and we have not undergone military training for too long. We are no longer a match for the government forces, let alone the Japanese outside the pass.”
When Hong Lang heard this explanation, he was actually somewhat speechless. He really couldn't understand what this young commander was thinking. He was afraid of a war with the Japanese, afraid of triggering a bigger conflict. However, it was precisely because of his actions that more people bled and sacrificed.
"Mr. Zhang, how about this?" Hong Lang thought for a moment and said," We can't agree to your conditions, but it's not a solution to watch the Young Marshal shrink like this. I do have a way to resolve the Young Marshal's current situation.”
"Commander Hong, do you have any ideas?" Zhang Lei was in high spirits.
"Our Independent Regiment can obey the orders of the Major on the surface, but the Major cannot send any personnel to our side. We guarantee that there will be no military pressure on the Rehe side, and the Major can focus on defending the Shanhaiguan front line.”This was the highest bargaining chip Hong Lang could offer.
" Listen to the imperial edict and not the announcement?!" This was what Zhang Lei meant. He did not expect the young man in front of him to have such a big goal in his heart. If he wanted it, it was definitely not the current territory, or even the entire Rehe. Perhaps a new marshal would be born soon.
"What's wrong? Could the Major not agree to such conditions?”Hong Lang saw that Zhang Lei was looking at him in a daze. He was afraid that the other party would have some bad ideas about him, so he immediately reminded him.
"Regiment Commander Hong, if Major agrees to such conditions, what do you want?”Zhang Lei knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. If Hong Lang was willing to give in, then the other party would also want to get what they wanted.
Hong Lang looked at the people around him and said,""We don't want anything. We just hope that the young marshal understands that we aren't a troop that he can order around. Don't think of any messy things as our fault, or else the young marshal will regret it.”
"Alright, Commander Hong, I will go back and discuss with our commander.”Zhang Lei was already the best result.
Zhang Lei left Guozhuang Village and took the car sent by Hong Lang back to Beiping. This time, he was greatly moved. Although this was only a remote village, it was not as bustling as Beiping. However, the tall factory chimneys outside the city and the neat rows of soldiers on the streets all showed the difference here.
Even the commoners who were preparing to work by the roadside had a light in their eyes that could not be seen anywhere else. Their eyes were filled with hope. Looking at the ratio of soldiers to civilians on the street, this was a completely militaristic organization. This was not what Zhang Lei cared about. As long as he could achieve his goal, Hong Lang and his independent regiment were not his concern.
Zhang Lei returned to Beiping and brought back Hong Lang's conditions. The young marshal could not help but sigh and agree to Hong Lang's conditions. He also gave Hong Lang some power.
Appointing Hong Lang as the deputy commander of the 36th Division of the Northeast Army and the commander of the independent regiment was the most the young marshal could give Hong Lang at the moment.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]