in2ebook Chapter 719 Willing to admit defeat
Chapter 719 Willing to admit defeat
When Peng Liang heard the word "urgent telegram", he was overjoyed, as if he had seen a long-lost brother. He trotted over and held the communicator's arm.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, my dear brother, urgent message? What do you want to say?"
"Commander, the headquarters requires us to do a good job in the defense of Jining!"
Peng Liang's face turned dark and he let go of the arm that was supporting the communicator.
"Do we need an urgent telegram to ensure the defense of Jining? Humph!"
Peng Liang turned around and prepared to leave.
"You treated me like a brother just now, why do you treat me like an enemy now? Commander, what's the second half of your sentence?"
Peng Liang paused for a moment, then turned his smiling face back again.
"Tell me quickly, what's the second half of the sentence?"
"Headquarters asked us to do a good job in Jining's defense and ensure that it is foolproof. Then the main force will prepare to march to Heze!"
Peng Liang's face turned pale with fear. He rushed to the communicator at a speed of almost ten meters per second, snatched the telegram, and analyzed it word by word.
"Oh, yes, indeed, then we will march towards Heze. Oh, come and see, yes!"
Peng Liang was afraid that he was hallucinating, so he waited for his deputy division commander and chief of staff to finish reading it, then pinched the communicator and heard a sharp scream. Only then did "Fan Jin" seem to have regained his senses and was calm and composed.
"It seems that the headquarters is very confident in our combat effectiveness and has asked us to march westward and take Heze!"
The chief of staff of the Weishanhu Independent Division glanced at the telegram and kindly reminded:
"Commander, if I read correctly, the telegram said that we should march towards Heze, but it did not ask us to attack Heze directly!"
"Huh? What do you know! Now I think the group army is threatening Kaifeng, and we are attacking Heze. Whoever reaches Heze first will be the main attacker!
Besides, the purpose of marching towards Heze was not to capture Heze, but to celebrate the Japanese' birthday?
Our Lu Province's territory must be taken back by the good men of our Qilu land!"
After Peng Liang finished speaking, he gave instructions to the leading cadre of the work team, and then summoned all cadres at the regimental level and above and the chief officers of the division's direct units to hold a meeting at the division headquarters outside the city.
Just as Peng Liang had guessed, the pre-march mobilization meeting did not go smoothly. None of the three infantry regiments were willing to stay in Jining for defense. All of them held prepared blood letters, demanding to move westward and recover Heze.
Only the commander of the artillery regiment was baring his teeth, watching the three commanders fighting for the position, with a strong atmosphere of tension.
Peng Liang's ears hurt from the noise. These group leaders brought up all the old stories in the past just to try to get a chance to move westward.
"Come on, stop arguing! Since no one wants to accept the other, let's just keep it simple and pick a method that no one can argue with!"
"What?"
"Draw lots! It all depends on luck, and everyone should leave it to fate. If anyone doesn't draw the paper ball with 'Go West' written on it and still makes a fuss, don't blame me, Peng Liang, for getting angry!
Also, don't be too proud of the infantry regiments you drew. If you fail on the battlefield, I will send you back home in a minute and replace you with ones who can fight!"
The three infantry regiment commanders had nothing to say. After all, arguing would not lead to any conclusion, so they might as well draw lots and leave it all to fate.
Peng Liang gave them some space and tore a piece of paper into three pieces of the same size. He wrote "Westward" on two pieces of paper and left the remaining piece blank.
Peng Liang saw that the three infantry regiment commanders had their eyes wide open like cows, staring at the three pieces of paper, as if they were ready to carve numbers on them with their eyes.
"Come on, turn your backs!"
The three infantry regiment commanders turned their backs reluctantly. Then Peng Liang took out three earthen bowls, covered the three pieces of paper with them, and moved them back and forth dozens of times until he himself could not remember which was which.
"You three turn around and play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets to choose first!"
The three commanders of the infantry regiments were just like the children in the village. They all took off their hats, spat on their palms, rubbed them together, and started playing rock-paper-scissors with all their strength.
After a series of shouts of "scissors, nails and hammer", the first captain went first, followed by the third captain, and the second captain went last.
"If you have no objection, let's get started!"
The leader was the most decisive. He chose a bowl in the middle, grabbed the paper ball, held it in his hand, and then rubbed it open bit by bit as if he was winning a lottery.
“Hahaha! Got it!”
The leader of a group slammed the ball of paper on the table with a heroic look, as if no one else could do it better than him.
The third captain took the first captain's hand and rubbed it repeatedly.
"What are you doing? Why haven't I seen you two so close before?"
"Hey, let's get some good luck!"
After the third captain finished speaking, he chose the bowl on the far right with a serious expression and prepared to open it.
The third commander put his hand on the earthen bowl and looked at Peng Liang's expression, observing him carefully.
"Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
"Hey, I'm just guessing based on your expression, Master!"
"Nonsense! I can't even remember which is which! Hurry up!"
At the last moment, the third captain suddenly chose the bowl on the far left.
"Hey, I still like the bowl on the left better!"
The second captain was disheartened. He obviously didn't know that the probability of drawing early or late was the same. He uncovered the earthen bowl on the far right and swiftly opened the paper ball. He was stunned when he saw it.
"bingo?"
Peng Liang took the paper ball and looked at it, and sure enough, the words "Westward" were written on it.
"Alright, the first and second regiments go back and prepare immediately. We will set off in an hour. The third regiment will be led by the deputy division commander. Cooperate with the work team to ensure the safety of Jining and Yanzhou!"
The first and second captains ran away happily, humming songs and jumping as they ran, leaving the third captain standing there feeling aggrieved and wanting to cry.
Peng Liang couldn't bear to see the miserable Third Regiment Commander.
"Are you going to cry in front of me? I tell you, you chose the paper ball yourself, so you can't blame anyone else. If you had trusted your instincts and chosen the bowl on the far right, wouldn't that have been better?"
The third captain lowered his head, like a bullied young wife.
"Commander, I can say anything, but the soldiers in our regiment are waiting for me to bring back good news! If they knew that we were staying in Jining, it would be difficult for me to persuade them!"
Peng Liang slammed the table angrily.
"It's hard but you have to do it! What? Have you learned how to bargain with me? We agreed beforehand that you will accept defeat if you gamble. If you are a man, you should do a solid job of defending Jining and Yanzhou without any problems!
If there is any trouble, I will report to the Fuli Column Headquarters, but you have to give me an explanation too!"
The third regiment commander shuddered. It had been a long time since he saw the division commander get so angry. He was so scared that he almost wet his pants.
After such a shudder, he finally woke up. Is there any room for negotiation on the order? Dream on!
"Commander, I was confused. I obeyed the order!"
After saying this, the third regiment commander saluted and prepared to march out of the command center’s door in a goose step.
"Come back! You are so stubborn. If you stay in Jining, there will be no more battles to fight? You are so stupid!"