You must know that Zhou Wen's decision to get involved in the Yangtze River shipping business was not a temporary decision.
As early as when he led the mercenary group to gain a firm foothold in Shanxi, Zhou Wen had the intention to develop in Shanghai after the Great Wall War of Resistance.
He knew that the interval between the end of the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War and the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War was four years. He had to consider what the mercenary group could do during this period.
From a development perspective, it is no longer possible for the mercenary group to expand in size due to financial resources and considerations of balancing the relationship between all parties.
Not to mention anything else, if you suddenly bring out an army of tens of thousands of people, and they are all as powerful as a regiment of elite troops, not to mention the principal, Marshal Yan who seems to be as close to Zhou Wen as a family member will probably not sit down.
Can't stand it any longer.
Just kidding, there is no room for others to sleep soundly on the side of the bed, let alone a tiger sleeping there.
Didn't you see that General Shang Zheng's 32nd Army was squeezed out by the King of Shanxi through various means because its strength expanded too fast and Marshal Yan felt a potential threat?
Although Zhou Wen's troops are extremely powerful now, they only have those people. It's impossible to fight all the way to Taiyuan and drive Marshal Yan out of power with just a few thousand people, right?
The small number of people means that you have no big political ambitions. However, the combat effectiveness of the troops is extremely strong, which makes the big bosses who want to annex this force have some scruples, fearing that Zhou Wen will be killed together.
Especially through the performance of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War and the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War, the powerful and unexpected attack methods demonstrated by the mercenary group, and even the ability to take the head of an enemy general in the midst of thousands of troops, proved that the mercenary group indeed has the ability to follow
The strength of one party's big bosses is as good as the stone.
As a result, there was a situation where Zhou Wen actually brought Lishi County completely into his sphere of influence while Marshal Yan turned a blind eye.
Anyway, there are hundreds of counties in Shanxi. If I give you one, it will show that the commander-in-chief is tolerant and able to recognize people, right?
This is why the principal could tolerate Zhou Wen's efforts to win over Mr. Kong Da even after he bowed his head.
This is the situation that Zhou Wen has been pursuing and creating, a balanced situation in which both sides have scruples and are unwilling to touch the other side's red line.
Although he is a time traveler, Zhou Wen has never been arrogant enough to shoulder the burden of the war of resistance. He is very clear about his abilities and demands, which is nothing more than changing the results of some local battles and killing more little Japs.
To achieve the greatest effect, we need to rely on the country's overall anti-Japanese strength.
At the same time, Zhou Wen is also willing to do his best to help these forces.
Therefore, he has been using his own achievements and battle examples to influence and convince the big guys, including the principal and Marshal Yan, and try to avoid the mistakes they made during the war. Even if he only changes a small part, it will have a huge impact on the overall situation of the war of resistance against Japan.
These are all benefits that cannot be underestimated.
You know, in the two battles of Taiyuan and Songhu at the beginning of the war, the wrong command of these two bosses almost exhausted the most elite troops of the Jin Army and the Central Army at that time.
If some of these elites could be retained, the subsequent Taiyuan and Nanjing defense battles would not be so hasty, frustrating, or even a bit useless.
Historically, Taiyuan, a fortified city that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, only defended it for five days before being defeated. Jinling City, the capital of the Republic of China, only defended it for less than two weeks. This did not include the Japanese army's capture of Jinling.
The time outside the city. In fact, the Japanese army only attacked the city for 3 days.
In three days, a thousand-year-old ancient capital was surrendered. Moreover, due to a major mistake in command, the defenders retreated out of order and most of them stayed in the city. They were massacred by the Japanese army and suffered heavy losses.
You must know that the troops participating in the city defense battle at that time were almost all veterans who had retreated from the Battle of Songhu. Most of them did not die in the brutal fighting with the Japanese army, but were killed in the chaotic retreat.
The Japanese army surrounded the Yangtze River.
At that time, their organization was already in disarray. The soldiers could not find their officers, and the officers could not see their soldiers. In addition, they were frustrated and confused after running out of ammunition and food and being abandoned by their superiors. They had no fighting spirit and had no choice but to surrender.
It is a pity that the Japanese army, which was already red-eyed, still did not let them go and massacred all the more than 50,000 Chinese prisoners of war who had laid down their weapons on the banks of the Yangtze River.
Not to mention the brutal massacre that the Japanese beasts carried out against civilians in Jinling City.
The Jinling Massacre has become an eternal pain in the hearts of the Chinese nation.
Therefore, if Zhou Wen wants to change these tragedies in the world, he must have the trust and support of these big guys.
Now, Marshal Yan already trusts Zhou Wen, and he has begun to reorganize the army and build strategic defense lines based on Zhou Wen's suggestions.
As for the principal, it was impossible to gain complete trust, but Zhou Wen still had to maintain a good relationship with him.
In Shanxi Province, where the emperor is far away, Zhou Wen and the principal have not seen each other for several years. How can they have a good relationship?
Therefore, Zhou Wen must come to Shanghai, develop under the nose of the principal, and even get him to make money together. This is the basis for developing a good relationship.
Shared interests will greatly bring the relationship between the two parties closer, and it can let the principal know what Zhou Wen is doing at any time, which is also one of the measures to make him feel completely at ease with Zhou Wen.
Another reason is the question just mentioned about what the mercenary group has been able to do in recent years.
No matter how elite and powerful your army is, if it is just training and exercises for several years, no matter how strong the army is, it will relax. Moreover, Zhou Wen has been away from a group in Shanghai for a long time, which will inevitably reduce his influence on the army.
control and prestige.
Therefore, Zhou Wen had to take advantage of the Yangtze River escort mission to fully mobilize both the first and second regiments.
Originally, if Zhou Wen wanted to take direct control of the Second Regiment at that time, he would probably be jealous and opposed by the principal.
If you think about it, they are all elites who have been fighting against the Japanese army for several months. Who wouldn't want them? Even the principal will definitely be moved.
However, after Zhou Wen's manipulation in the name of the Party Headquarters, the principal could not openly compete with the Party Headquarters for people, and shamelessly insisted on taking them for his own use.
The problem is that although this armed force is not large in number, it is in Jinling City, in the heart of the principal, and it is not directly controlled by the principal. If you want to take it directly into your hands, then you have to ask what you want.
Why?
Therefore, Zhou Wen could only hand over the Second Regiment directly to the party headquarters for management, which made sense in all aspects.
It's a pity that the big bosses in the party are good at fighting for power and profit, but when it comes to running the army, they can't help Adou. In just half a year (after Zhou Wen withdrew from the instructor team), a team of
The heroic lion who fought many battles became a victim of the struggle for power by all parties, and was almost destroyed.