mtl008 Chapter 167 Finding a Good Helper
Chapter 167 Finding a Good Helper
Zhang Wenwu walked out of Liang Kejian's office with satisfaction. He needed to hurry to the station to escort the train loaded with weapons and ammunition back.
Now the train from Xuzhou to Taierzhuang can only stop on the south bank of the canal, and then the weapons and ammunition on the train are transported to the vicinity of the 102nd Division headquarters stationed on the south bank by manpower and horse-drawn carriages. When the troops just arrived in Taierzhuang, Zhang Wenwu's quartermaster department hired more than horse-drawn carriages and coachmen from the local area to be responsible for the transportation, and also organized a transport team of more than people.
While everyone was busy moving supplies, Zhang Wenwu found Lei Dong and Li Houcai. He asked Lei Dong to continue to be responsible for the normal operation of the Quartermaster Department, and Li Houcai was responsible for escorting the daily transportation trains and organizing the moving teams. He would deal with other things in Xuzhou in the next two days. At that time, he would ask the theater quartermaster department to move all the supplies needed by the troops onto the train to save Li Houcai some trouble, and asked Li Houcai to take out some of the money in the Quartermaster Department and bring it to him when he went to Xuzhou next time.
After all the supplies were moved, the medical team that had been waiting for a long time hurriedly transported the wounded to the train. After all the wounded were on the train, Zhang Wenwu also jumped onto a carriage and followed the train back to Xuzhou City.
When Zhang Wenwu arrived at Xuzhou Station, Liang Kejian was already waiting for him on the platform. When he saw the wounded soldiers being carried off the train, Liang Kejian felt a little uncomfortable. Zhang Wenwu was used to hearing the groans and wails of the wounded, so he handed Liang Kejian a cigarette, lit it for him, and whispered, "Deputy Director Liang, look at the miserable conditions of the wounded brothers in these trains. You can imagine how miserable the fighting is in front of us. The matter I'm talking about cannot be delayed."
Liang Kejian also took a puff of cigarette and nodded. The situation he saw with his own eyes was completely different from what he usually read in the war reports. After hearing what Zhang Wenwu said, he also pulled Zhang Wenwu out of the station and said as he walked: "Director Zhang, this is too difficult for you. I have arranged the warehouse you mentioned before. I will take you there now. You can place the personnel in it at any time. In addition, there is no problem with weapons and ammunition. I have also contacted them for you. I will give you a very low purchase price when the time comes."
Zhang Wenwu was very happy when he heard that Liang Kejian was very fast in doing things. He quickly completed the two tasks he asked him to do. He thanked him and said, "Thank you very much, Deputy Director Liang. You have helped us a lot."
Not long after walking out of the station, Liang Kejian brought Zhang Wenwu to a large iron gate. After showing his ID, Liang Kejian asked the two guards at the door to open the gate, and he walked in with Zhang Wenwu.
As soon as Zhang Wenwu entered the gate, he was immediately very satisfied with the place Liang Kejian had chosen for him. There was a very large playground in front of the warehouse, which could accommodate at least two to three thousand people standing here. There were three very large warehouses behind the playground, but each warehouse was now empty.
"That's great, Deputy Director Liang, this place is great and completely meets my requirements. Thank you so much." Zhang Wenwu was very satisfied with this place.
Seeing that Zhang Wenwu was satisfied with this place, Liang Kejian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "As long as Director Zhang is satisfied, that's good. In addition, Director Zhang, do you have any other needs? I will definitely do what I can for you. Although I can't go to the front line to fight the Japanese, it's no problem for me to help out in the back."
Zhang Wenwu was touched when he heard Liang Kejian's words. He really needed Liang Kejian's help, so he quickly said, "Thank you for your concern, Deputy Director Liang. Your reminder reminded me of something that I need your help with. First, can you dispatch some cooks to come here to make a fire and cook, so that when the people summoned from the hospital arrive, they can also have a hot meal. In addition, can you help me buy a batch of food, vegetables and meat so that the brothers who come here can eat better and improve their meals. Let them also feel the benefits of our Central Army, which will be very helpful for us to recruit soldiers."
When Liang Kejian heard about this, he quickly agreed. This was really no big deal for him. Zhang Wenwu quickly took out two silver dollars from his briefcase and handed them to Liang Kejian, saying that this was the purchase fee for grain, meat and vegetables. When things were almost done, he would give Liang Kejian another sum of money as a filial gift.
Liang Kejian said that there was no problem, and generously stated that it didn't matter whether the money given to him as a gift was given or not, saying that he was also a Chinese and should make a contribution to the fight against the Japanese invasion.
After Zhang Wenwu came out of the temporary warehouse, he asked Liang Kejian about the location of the hospital where the wounded soldiers of the 102nd Division were transported. Then he said goodbye to Liang Kejian and went to the hospital alone to look for Cao Huaguo.
When Zhang Wenwu found Cao Huaguo, he was also shocked by the speed at which Cao Huaguo abducted people. In half a day, Cao Huaguo had successfully abducted more than 200 basically recovered officers and soldiers from various troops from a hospital. Zhang Wenwu was very happy and praised Cao Huaguo severely on the spot. By the way, he also inquired about what means Cao Huaguo used to get so many officers and soldiers so quickly.
It turned out that after Cao Huaguo followed the medical team to the hospital, he first found the person in charge of the hospital through the medical team and explained that he was from the 102nd Division and came to recruit soldiers who had recovered from their injuries. After obtaining the consent of the hospital person in charge, he got an office desk from inside the hospital and placed it at the entrance of the first floor of the hospital. He also put up a sign of the 102nd Division Recruiting Office, and then used a large piece of paper to write down the salary and food standards of the 102nd Division, and deliberately wrote the resettlement allowance in the most conspicuous position.
Some wounded soldiers who had basically recovered could now move freely in the hospital and in the yard outside. When they saw this recruiting office that suddenly appeared, they gathered around curiously. Cao Huaguo introduced it to everyone warmly and told everyone that whoever came would be given a resettlement allowance in cash according to their military rank, and asked everyone to go back to the ward and tell each other.
In this day and age, it is natural to be a soldier and get paid. They all join the army to fight the Japanese. The treatment of local and miscellaneous troops is definitely worse than that of the Central Army. Under the offensive of money, some officers and soldiers who have basically recovered come to sign up. For these middle and lower-level officers and soldiers, changing their allegiance and joining the Central Army is still a very good opportunity, and everyone has no resistance in their hearts.
Zhang Wenwu looked at Cao Huaguo who was busy registering the officers and soldiers who were queuing up to sign up, and felt a little relieved. He thought that he had successfully taken the first step towards leading the troops alone, but he knew that taking this step would mean that he would have to take on more responsibilities in the future.
Suddenly, Zhang Wenwu was attracted by a lieutenant who was signing up. There was an obvious scar on the officer's face, probably scratched by shrapnel from a shell. He walked to the table set up by Cao Huaguo and said clearly: "Former lieutenant staff officer of the Third Army Headquarters, Ouyang Heng, 28 years old, from Jinan, Shandong Province."
Cao Huaguo looked up at Lieutenant Ouyang Heng in front of him. When he saw the obvious scar on Ouyang Heng's face, his heart twitched. He felt that Ouyang Heng's originally handsome face was seriously damaged by this scar, and now it looked a bit scary. However, he quickly registered Lieutenant Ouyang Heng and told him that they would gather in the yard of the hospital at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning and then go to the resettlement site together.
Ouyang Heng nodded, then turned and walked towards his ward. Just after he took two steps, he heard someone behind him calling, "Lieutenant Ouyang Heng, do you have time to chat?" Ouyang Heng turned around with a little curiosity, and saw a young officer in the uniform of a lieutenant colonel of the Central Army looking at him with a smile. Obviously, it was this young officer who had called him just now.
"Of course there is time, sir. What we hospitalized soldiers have the most is leisure time." Ouyang Hengli saluted Zhang Wenwu. He knew that this person should be the person in charge of the recruitment of the 102nd Division of the Central Army, but he didn't know what the other party meant by calling him.
Zhang Wenwu also returned the salute, then said with a smile: "Then Lieutenant Ouyang Heng, how about we go around the yard? There are still many officers and soldiers queuing up to register here, it will be much quieter outside."
Ouyang Heng nodded. He had nothing to do anyway, so he followed Zhang Wenwu, squeezed out of the hospital building from the queue of soldiers, and came to the yard outside.
In the yard, Zhang Wenwu handed Ouyang Heng a cigarette, and then said as he walked: "Brother Ouyang, let me introduce myself first. I am the director of the Quartermaster Department of the 102nd Division. My name is Zhang Wenwu. I just heard Brother Ouyang say that you are a staff officer of the Third Army Headquarters. I wonder what kind of staff officer Brother Ouyang is responsible for? Which school did you graduate from? How could you get so badly injured in the headquarters?"
When Zhang Wenwu heard that Ouyang Heng was the staff officer of the Third Army Group Command, he felt that Ouyang Heng must be a man of real talent and knowledge. To be able to serve as a staff officer in the army group headquarters, it is definitely necessary to have a certain level of competence. What he needed most now was a capable staff officer. He planned to test Ouyang Heng's background. If Ouyang Heng was a training staff officer, it would be a great help to him.
"Director Zhang, I graduated from the Second Corps of the Eighth Class of the Central Military Academy. After graduation, I worked as a staff officer in the Third Army Headquarters, responsible for troop training. Some time ago, our Third Army was ordered to launch a diversionary attack on the flank of the Japanese Tenth Division. I was sent to fight in the company and was injured by a Japanese artillery shell during the battle. Later, I was sent to Xuzhou to recuperate." Ouyang Heng introduced his own affairs calmly. He did not mind Zhang Wenwu's prying into his background, and he did not have any shameful experience.
When Zhang Wenwu heard this, he realized that this was his senior, who graduated from the 10th class of the first corps. He had just entered the school when Ouyang Heng graduated. He didn't expect that life would bring them together here.