Chapter 170: Eastern Suburbs Military Camp

Since Chen Xiuwen and Huang Wei took the convoy of Gu Zhutong, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone, the night before yesterday, and they did not bring any of the entourage guards, the Ministry of Military Affairs specially sent an adjutant and a car to Chen Xiuwen for temporary use.

On the way to the Eastern Suburb Barracks, Chen Xiuwen asked Adjutant Chen of the Military Affairs Department about the situation of the 109th Division of the 49th Army of the Northeast Army, whose number had been cancelled. It turned out that after the 49th Army was transferred from Henan to the Songhu battlefield at the end of May, it was under the command of the Left Corps. The 109th Division, which belonged to the 109th Division, was deployed in Jiangqiao and Jiwangmiao areas. After breaking through the Suzhou River defense line, the Neon Army made a command error, and the Jiangqiao and Jiwangmiao defense line of the 109th Division were broken by the Neon Army in less than two days, completely disrupting the subordinates of the Left Corps. For this reason, Chairman Jiangjiang personally ordered the cancellation of the 109th Division, and Zhao Yi, the former Lieutenant General of the 109th Division, was dismissed and investigated.

Chen Xiuwen also learned from Adjutant Chen that the so-called Eastern Suburb barracks were actually a shelter for defeated soldiers. In addition to most of the remaining soldiers waiting to be assigned by the former 109th Division, there were also some scattered soldiers who survived from the battlefield but could not find their own troops, with a total of about three or four thousand people.

Chen Xiuwen couldn't help but ask strangely: "Are not many troops short of soldiers now? Why are no one asking for these soldiers?"

Adjutant Chen smiled bitterly and said, "The 109th Division cannot stop the attack of a brigade of the Neon Army in less than two days. Who dares to take such soldiers? The other veterans who retreated were all veterans. Therefore, most of the troops would rather have new recruits without combat experience than to have such veterans without combat effectiveness. After two days, the Military Affairs Department will be ready to disperse them to the front-line combat troops. This ghost place, alas! Chief Chen, you will know after you go over and see it." Adjutant Chen sighed and shook his head.

Chen Xiuwen nodded silently and did not ask further. He understood what Adjutant Chen meant that the defeated soldiers in the Eastern Suburbs would be a group of cannon fodder in the future. However, in his opinion, there were no unqualified soldiers, only unqualified commanders. Soldiers, Xiong, Xiong, Xiong. Let’s talk about the Northeast army. Although they did not fire a single shot and retreated to the pass. However, the initiator was Mr. Zhang, who was eating, drinking, and gambling. He had nothing to do with these ordinary soldiers. They only knew to obey the command of the superior. Besides, their parents, wife and children were both slaves in the Northeast. Chen Xiuwen didn’t believe that they would have no combat power when facing the Japanese. They must have dreamed that they would have no combat power when facing the Japanese. They must have dreamed that they would fight back to their hometown in Northeast China and drive away the Japanese devils and their families to reunite with their families.

The Eastern Suburb barracks finally arrived. Chen Xiuwen, who walked out of the car, couldn't help but be stunned when he looked at the large barracks in front of him. A dilapidated scene, and rows of barracks can be described as ruins. There are either no doors or windows. Some even have skylights on the roof. The fences surrounded by barbed wire and wooden stakes are considered a range defined by the barracks. There are no sentries standing guard at the gate. Looking inside, more than a dozen houses are surrounded by a large playground about three football fields, with hundreds of tents placed on it. Waste paper is flying everywhere on the playground, blood-stained bandages are thrown everywhere, and there are black sewage all over the ground. Everything makes Chen Xiuwen feel very familiar. This is the scene of the African refugee camp that encountered war in later film and television dramas.

"General Chen, this is the Eastern Suburb Barracks. It is said that during the Tianping Heavenly Kingdom period, this was the Jiangnan camp of the Qing army. Later, it became the military camp of the Jiangsu governor. However, it was abandoned later. This time, there were many troops withdrawn from the front line, so they could only be arranged here temporarily. The Military Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Military Affairs will send food every three days. The seriously injured were sent to the hospital. The hospital's beds should not have enough beds, and they could only receive some medicine to recover from the wounds. In addition, these defeated soldiers did not have a penny of military pay before they were redistributed." Adjutant Chen frowned and introduced to Chen Xiuwen.

"Do you know this very well?" Chen Xiuwen turned his head and said with a smile.

"I used to be responsible for the shelter and registration of the defeated soldiers. I was just transferred to the adjutant's office two days ago and I was fortunate to be able to serve you." Adjutant Chen replied quickly. However, it was not difficult to hear his disgust for the shelter and registration of the defeated soldiers.

"Are you registered the soldiers here? " Chen Xiuwen asked.

"At first, I was going to register, but after the number of the 109th Division was cancelled, so many people rushed in, and even the officials could not be found, and the personnel who had retreated were all disrupted. So they were delayed until now, and there was no registration. "As he said that, Adjutant Chen took the courage to ask Chen Xiuwen a question he had not dared to ask along the way: "Sir Chen, you wouldn't want to recruit these defeated soldiers?"

"Have I said it?" Chen Xiuwen smiled slightly at Adjutant Chen, then waved his hand and said, "Go in and take a look."

Under the leadership of Adjutant Chen, Chen Xiuwen walked straight into the gate. A strong smell of urine came to his nose on the playground.

"Later, most of the houses here were not available, so they could only be arranged in tents on the playground. Fortunately, it is summer now and cannot be frozen. But the smell is really good," Adjutant Chen introduced to Chen Xiuwen with an apology.

A car was parked outside the gate, and a young general walked into the barracks accompanied by a major, attracting the attention of many people and gradually surrounding them. This was a group of ragged and dull people, some of whom were wearing crutches made of branches, with bandages wrapped around their feet; some were hanging an arm. The greasy long hair and beards covered their faces and their inner dignity. How could these be the soldiers who had once been on the bloody battlefield? It was clearly a group of beggars who had lost their dignity and courage!

Looking at these people, Chen Xiuwen felt sad. Most of them were not educated, but after all, they had all been on the battlefield and had worked face to face with the Japanese devils. It was not their responsibility to defeat the war.

"Are they all soldiers? How many officers are there?" Chen Xiuwen asked with his eyes swept across the faces of the group of people.

"The former officers of the 109th Division, who have some tricks, have already found their own ways. The rest are lower-level officers. They usually stay in that house with the few officers who had retreated. They are the leaders here." Adjutant Chen said, pointing to a slightly better-looking barracks on the left side of the playground.

"Let's go over and take a look." Chen Xiuwen raised his legs and walked towards the house.

"Sir Chen, Chief Chen, their group are all a group of arrogant people who are not arrogant and have no military discipline. Chief Chen, you." Adjutant Chen hurriedly caught up from behind to remind him, but before he could finish his words, he suddenly found that Chen Xiuwen had stopped and looked at him, his eyes full of anger. Adjutant Chen was shocked and could not continue to say half of his words.

Although he was mentally prepared to enter this barracks, when he saw the scene just now, a battlefield filled with smoke suddenly appeared in front of him, and the soldiers who were wailing in the Japanese shelling. These people were lucky to survive, but their situation was as close as their own soldiers, Chen Xiuwen was really worried.

Chen Xiuwen let out a long breath, and the anger in his eyes gradually calmed down. He looked carefully at the man in front of him, who should be of the same age as him, wearing a straight military uniform, the two bars and one star on the collar seal were polished, with riding boots, white gloves, and impeccable military appearance.

"Adminton Chen, have you ever been to the battlefield?" Chen Xiuwen asked as soft as possible.

"Report to Chief Chen, who graduated from the eighth class of the Central Military Academy, has been working in the Ministry of Military Affairs after graduation." Adjutant Chen immediately stood attentively and replied, "I have never fought a war."

Adjutant Chen's family is also somewhat related. His uncle holds an important position in the National Government. Although he cannot compare with Chen Xiuwen, he can still sit in the office of the Ministry of Military Affairs without affecting his promotion.

"Oh, I haven't fought a war. If you've been on the battlefield and have worked with the Japanese devils face to face, I believe you will never say what you said just now."

Adjutant Chen didn't quite understand at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he seemed to realize something, his face suddenly turned red, and he lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Chief Chen, I understand what you mean."

"Well, just understand. Let's go." Chen Xiuwen nodded slightly and said calmly.

When he walked to the door of the barracks, Adjutant Chen pushed open the door in front of Shen Xiuwen. A smell of sweat, feet, and even bloody smell mixed together. Chen Xiuwen couldn't help but frown, and he didn't know how the people inside could stay.

"Standing at attention." Adjutant Chen stood at the door and shouted a doctrine.

Although Adjutant Chen shouted the order very loudly, there was no response in the house. Some of the dozen people in the house were lying on the bed in a daze, some were sitting around the ground and fiddling with something, and some were shirtless and focused on catching lice.

They seemed to have not heard the shouts of Adjutant Chen just now, but some people still turned their eyes to the door and stared at Adjutant Chen with expressionless expression.

"Standing at attention." Adjutant Chen glanced at Chen Xiuwen who was walking into the house with his eyes, and shouted again with an awkward look on his face.

"I said to Chief Chen, which one are you singing today?" Finally, a man in his twenties, wearing a tattered lieutenant uniform stood up from the ground.

At this time, Chen Xiuwen happened to walk into the house. When the officer, who had a joking look, saw the shining little Venus on Chen Xiuwen's head, he was stunned. He subconsciously stood at attention, raised his right hand to salute, and stuttered: "Sir, sir."

Hearing the strange voice of the officer, the people inside the room also noticed a young major general coming in from outside. Just like the officer's reaction just now, they couldn't help but stand up. Several officers who were originally catching lice quickly put the ragged military uniforms in their hands on them.

Adjutant Chen at the door finally breathed a sigh of relief, cleared his throat, and tried his best to squeeze out a smile on his face and said, "Brothers, this commander of the Honorary First Division, named by the Commissioner, is here to visit everyone." As he said that, he clapped his applause.

"Pa, Pa" two people followed and clapped, but when they found that the others in the room did not clappe, and the eyes looking at Chen Xiuwen gradually changed from surprise to contempt at the beginning, the two people realized that Chief Chen was too young. They stopped immediately.

"Sir Chen, this" Adjutant Chen walked up and was about to explain a few words. Chen Xiuwen waved his hand and interrupted him.

Looking around, Chen Xiuwen simply ignored the contempt in the eyes of these officers and smiled slightly, "When I saw the commander, I knew how to salute him. Finally, it was a bit different from the beggars outside."

Hearing Chen Xiuwen's words with obvious contempt and insultingness, the officers' faces suddenly showed resentment, and the lieutenant who had walked up earlier took a step forward to refute. At this time, a voice came from inside: "Staff Officer Chen, are you going to send your brothers to be cannon fodder? Don't pretend to do this, first pay the three months of military pay owed to your brothers."

Following the sound, Chen Xiuwen looked inside and saw a man inside that had not stood up at all. He was still lying on a dirty bunk with his feet raised, looking at the roof, and not even glanced at the door. Hearing the man speak, the lieutenant closed his mouth reluctantly, glared at Chen Xiuwen angrily, and retreated. It was obvious that this man was quite prestige in this room.

"Captain Chen, this person is Yuan Hua, he is a former commander of the 109th Division. He has the highest military rank here and the head here." Adjutant Chen whispered in Shen Xiuwen's ear.

Chen Xiuwen nodded and said to Yuan Hua lying on the bunk in a more disdainful tone than before: "What? He retreated from the Northeast to the Pass without a single shot, and threw his parents and family members into the Northeast as slaves of the country. A division could not even stop a brigade of the Japanese. If I had been hanging a rope, there would have been someone here who was arrogant and stinking airs."

"What did you say? If you have a kind of thing, say it again."

"If you have the will, you go up and fuck the Japanese. Don't talk sarcastic here. Don't think you are the commander, so we won't dare to beat you."

"Do you think we are willing to retreat to the pass? It's not because of the orders of you superiors."

Chen Xiuwen's vicious words immediately angered most of the officers of the former 109th Division from Northeast China in the house, and they all surrounded him indignantly.
Chapter completed!