kvmb Chapter 1138 Utter Corruption
Chapter 1138 Utter Corruption
Temporary resettlement site of the 72nd Army Group
Li Sibei had already returned to the north, but because she needed to deal with high-ranking officials, there was no suitable person available here, so she had no choice but to return by plane from the north. Three days before Li Shaoyi arrived in Hankou, Li Sibei had already prepared everything there.
"The official letter from the Nationalist government told me not to be angry, and that they had temporarily found me a place to live, saying that the conditions weren't very good. Is this what they mean by 'not very good conditions'?"
Holding the official letter from the Nationalist government in one hand and pointing to the magnificent hall before him, Li Shaoyi was at a loss for words.
Although Li Shaoyi had seen many luxurious places after his rebirth, the place he was living in now might be inferior to them in many ways. But at this moment, we are in a time of national crisis. The country has just experienced a defeat, and there is no way to stop the high-ranking officials from enjoying their lives.
The fact that the place where he, the commander of an army group, lived was so conspicuous in the whole of Hankou, while the refugees outside the city didn't even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, made Li Shaoyi feel extremely angry.
“That’s how the Party and the State have always been. According to their way of thinking, no matter what the situation, they should make the best arrangements for the lives of their superiors. Although you no longer have the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Pujiang War Zone, you are still a general of the Party and the State. So by your standards, this is the worst place among all the residences of generals.”
Li Sibei didn't feel anything was wrong with the party-state's arrangements. After all, he was considered one of the party-state's nobles, and his family members had been provided with better accommodations in Hankou than here. So he didn't feel uncomfortable. Only someone like Li Shaoyi, who rose from the bottom, would feel that something was amiss.
In the Kuomintang's military order of battle, Li Shaoyi should have been ranked last among the generals. Although he was the most capable, seniority was still a factor in some matters, so giving Li Shaoyi the worst residence among the generals was understandable.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's time to eat, let's call the people outside in and eat together. At a time like this, I can't possibly eat ten or more dishes for each person. Starting tomorrow, spread the word that I will eat the same meals as the soldiers."
Looking at the welcoming feast already laid out on the table, Li Shaoyi was somewhat speechless as he let the guards in the courtyard come in and eat with them. A dozen or so dishes filled the table, specifically for Li Shaoyi and Li Sibei to eat. If this wasteful practice continued, Li Shaoyi would probably lose his temper.
"We are currently in the material control phase, so all departments are firing in unison. If you are unwilling, I can take back some of our supplies and then we can fire on our own. Some units do the same thing; the officers distribute these things to their subordinates out of consideration for them."
Li Sibei knew that Li Shaoyi was not a wasteful person, so she offered another suggestion. The Nationalist government had its reasons for doing so: distributing more supplies to officers would allow them to reward their subordinates, given the skyrocketing prices of various goods at the time.
"Let's do it this way. Do I have anything to do these next couple of days?"
Li Shaoyi was speechless about what was going on in Hankou. He was so engrossed in his meal that he wished time would pass faster. The brothers who had come in weren't faking it; they had eaten on the ground with Li Shaoyi on the way here, so there was no reason they couldn't eat. It was just that the bowls were a bit too small; the brothers had to finish four bowls of rice in one meal.
“If you don’t want to go out and visit anyone, then there’s really nothing to do before the conference. However, we still have two regiments of troops in the southern district. If possible, I would like you to go and take a look at them. These people were withdrawn from Nanjing.”
Now that Li Shaoyi has been dismissed from his post, people are keeping their distance, and no one knows what the higher-ups' policy is towards him. So even if someone knows that Li Shaoyi has come to Hankou, they only send their adjutant to make a brief appearance; there's no talk of him paying a personal visit.
"I forgot to ask, what are the casualty figures for those two artillery regiments?"
Li Shaoyi had been sulking the whole way, completely forgetting about the two artillery regiments that had withdrawn from Nanjing. They had participated in the defense of Nanjing, but hadn't fought for long, as they used heavy artillery and were at the forefront of the retreat. The Nationalist government didn't want to lose such heavy artillery regiments.
"Their basic combat capability remains intact; however, due to a lack of fuel during the retreat, they destroyed some unnecessary supplies. Now, with replenishment from the Air Force, they are ready and wish to receive your inspection."
When Li Sibei returned from the north, he had already visited the army. Our young men had all sorts of supplies sent by the air force, making them completely different from the surrounding troops. However, they hadn't completed the mission Li Shaoyi had given them on the battlefield, so they were still a little scared, after all, Li Shaoyi's original mission for them was to defend Nanjing.
In reality, Li Shaoyi was just saying it casually. In front of so many people, was he really going to tell his men to preserve their strength? If he had said that, other units would probably have done the same.
After lunch, Li Shaoyi rested for about ten minutes before getting into his car to inspect his troops in the southern district. During the journey, an explosion occurred on the street. Had it not been for the tight security surrounding Li Shaoyi, a Japanese spy might have dared to launch a surprise attack.
Li Shaoyi had already given the order to Section Chief Gu to immediately mobilize a group of counter-espionage personnel. In the current environment of Hankou, even sleeping was impossible. Although they hadn't found him yet, they could still threaten him at any moment. He wanted the counter-espionage personnel to dig up all these flies and bury them alive.
The artillery regiment in the southern district had already received orders, and when they saw Li Shaoyi's convoy, all the personnel were already standing in front of their weapons. Judging from their morale, their combat effectiveness was undiminished; this was the artillery of the 72nd Army Group…