OBS Chapter 382 A Growing Craving for Officialdom!
Chapter 382 A Growing Craving for Officialdom!
Zhong Yuemin, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, his tone cautiously probing.
"Commander-in-Chief Yang... um... what do you think, should we also urgently inform the headquarters on the eastern front in Guangxi about this situation and the risks we analyzed? Remind them to pay attention to similar issues?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of several leaders in the command room immediately focused on Zhong Yuemin again, their expressions varying.
Even Commander Li frowned slightly, wondering if this kid was going a bit too far.
Upon hearing this, Commander-in-Chief Yang was taken aback for a moment, then the serious expression on his face melted away, replaced by a smile that was both amused and somewhat incredulous.
He looked Zhong Yuemin up and down again, deliberately drawing out his words.
"Heh, Battalion Commander Zhong, you're quite the 'power addict, aren't you? What's this? Commanding our 100,000-plus troops on the western front isn't enough for you. You even want to lend a hand and give some pointers to Xu Heshang's 200,000-plus troops on the eastern front?"
I, Yang, truly admire your courage!
These words were clearly sarcastic, and a suppressed chuckle immediately filled the command room; even Commander Li couldn't help but chuckle.
Zhong Yuemin was embarrassed by what he was said and could only scratch his head and laugh awkwardly, but in his heart he thought that this leader was really humorous, and could insult people without using any vulgar language.
However, he knew perfectly well that it wasn't for any power or showing off; it was purely out of a desire to save lives. Now that he was in uniform, his fellow soldiers were comrades-in-arms, and he couldn't just stand by and watch them sacrifice themselves.
The preceding analysis of the risks to the western front troops, while stemming from concern for the safety of his comrades and a sense of responsibility for the overall war situation, actually had a deeper purpose; the preceding analysis was merely a prelude.
His real, deepest purpose was to make this suggestion seem legitimate, and then pass the warning on to the Eastern Front Command!
Because he knew perfectly well that, following the original trajectory, just a few days later, the 448th Regiment of the 150th Division under the 50th Army on the eastern front would face a serious disagreement between the division headquarters and the 50th Army's resident working group regarding the retreat route.
Some members of the work group blindly emphasized "combat training," disregarding the relatively safe original withdrawal route and insisting that the 448th Regiment take a shortcut. As a result, they plunged into a carefully laid ambush by the enemy, leading to extremely heavy casualties.
This is unlike Yuan Jun's tank unit, which suffered an ambush by the enemy, resulting in the loss of dozens of soldiers and several tanks; their casualties were relatively limited.
Regardless of casualties among the 448th Regiment, during the entire Sino-Vietnamese War, a total of 239 of our soldiers were captured, with 202 of them coming from the 448th Regiment alone—a complete unit surrender.
This caused a huge sensation at the time and was widely publicized by the enemy, who used it to slander, spread rumors, and defame our army. Of course, it also had a very negative impact on our troops participating in the counterattack.
It wasn't that the soldiers of the 448th Regiment weren't brave; they put up a fierce resistance even after being surrounded. However, their flawed decisions led them into a desperate situation.
Surrender is not shameful.
Running out of ammunition and supplies, surrounded by an enemy force several times their size, with no possibility of escape, further resistance would only lead to certain death. There was simply no other way.
The responsibility for this enormous loss lies entirely with the serious command errors of the 50th Army's working group stationed at the division headquarters. It was a typical "man-made disaster" that needlessly cost the lives and dignity of many outstanding soldiers!
Since Zhong Yuemin knew that this tragedy was about to happen, how could he possibly stand idly by?
Even if his reminder seemed somewhat overstepping his authority, meddling, or even arousing suspicion, he had to find a way to stop it and do his utmost to change the fate of those soldiers.
Commander-in-Chief Yang dropped his joking expression, exchanged glances with several deputy commanders, pondered for a moment, tapped his fingers on the edge of the sand table, and finally made a decision.
"Hmm... What you said makes sense. Although the situations on the eastern and western fronts are different, the enemy's methods and our mentality do have something in common."
He then turned to the operations staff and added,
"Command Record Supplement: This analysis of the situation, along with the key points of the latest withdrawal order from our Western Front Command, shall be sent to the Eastern Front Command via encrypted telegram for their reference. They must strengthen troop control during the withdrawal phase to prevent similar situations from occurring."
"Yes!"
The operations staff officer loudly acknowledged the order and immediately turned to carry it out.
Upon hearing these words, the heaviest weight in Zhong Yuemin's heart finally lifted.
But he also understood that, given his position, this was all he could do. He couldn't very well say that the 448th Regiment of the 150th Division under the 50th Army might be in trouble, yet he, stationed on the western front, could accurately pinpoint the problems in the eastern front.
Will others believe me? They'll just think I'm mentally ill.
The rest is up to fate, and whether the leaders on the eastern front will take this warning from the western front seriously enough.
Having finished the important business, I stood at attention again and gave a solemn military salute to Commander-in-Chief Yang and Army Commander Li, among others.
"Thank you, sir. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now, so as not to take up any more of your valuable time."
Commander-in-Chief Yang smiled and waved to the people.
"Alright, you've done a great job, but you're also a bit too calculating. Don't worry about what happened in Old Street. Since you're in the western front, you're not just one of Commander Li's men, but also one of mine. I'll handle it properly."
You'd better go back to the hospital right now and take good care of yourself, or you'll develop serious health problems. Now get out of here!
Zhong Yuemin saluted again, and then, accompanied by Liu Yonghua, turned and left the command room.