It is human nature to like to take advantage. It can be as small as shopping for groceries on the street and bargaining with vendors for a few cents, or as big as haggling between one government and another government. In fact, this is all a form of taking advantage.
Therefore, when Liang Zhi heard that Su Rui agreed with Hurley's words, he was slightly startled at first, and then the corners of his mouth turned up again. It seemed that he, Commander Su, was going to rip off the Americans again.
Hurley on the side saw that Suri had finally given in, and a proud smile appeared on his face. Look, even this famous general in China has to surrender to me, a colonel of the great United States of America.
.
There was a hint of arrogance and pride in Hurley's voice. He looked at Su Rui and nodded reservedly: "General Su, congratulations, you made a right choice."
"Wait!" Su Rui waved his hand, "I think you didn't fully understand what I said. I can promise you to dispatch two squadrons of aircraft to support the ninth theater, but I have conditions."
Hurley smiled disdainfully and said, "Oh? Are there any conditions? Tell me. As long as it's not too difficult, I can agree to it."
"My conditions are very simple." Su Rui said slowly: "If I remember correctly, the fuel supplies sent to Guangzhou every month include about 700,000 gallons of fuel, and our Seventh Army can be allocated
Three hundred thousand gallons, but this amount of fuel is far from enough for us, so I hope your country can increase my diesel supply by another three hundred thousand gallons every month."
When Hurley heard this, he immediately frowned. He looked at Su Rui with an unkind expression and said, "General Su, 300,000 gallons of diesel, and this is the quota every month. Are you too greedy?"
"Are you greedy?" Su Rui couldn't help laughing. He stared at Hurley with interest and said, "Colonel Hurley, is 300,000 gallons of diesel really a lot? This is just an armored division fighting a big battle.
It is just the normal amount of oil consumption required for the battle. This amount of oil is just an insignificant amount for your country, don’t you think so?”
"this……"
Hurley also began to hesitate. Suri was right. An increase of 300,000 gallons of diesel per month is too insignificant for the United States. However, the scale of aid to China had been planned long ago and was changed without authorization.
Not only is it very troublesome, but even if it needs to be changed, Hurley will owe a lot of money.
Seeing Hurley lowering his head and saying nothing, Suri was not in a hurry and lit a cigarette. She looked at him slowly. I have already laid out the conditions. Whether it will work or not depends on your reply.
At this time, Hurley was also very confused, because he applied for this military observation group from the U.S. government, and this military observation group also has a function, which is to observe the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army and then report it in time.
Make the right judgment on the part of the U.S. government.
Hurley, who has been in China for so many years, has long wanted to change the military ranks on his shoulders, but without strong merit and qualifications, this idea can only be considered.
But the Battle of Changsha gave Hurley a glimmer of hope, so in this Battle of Changsha, Hurley not only brought in a military observation group, but also personally went into battle to advise Xue Yue. It can be said that he spared no effort.
What is it for, isn't it just to make a strong mark on your own merit book?
An American colonel actually made suggestions in a decisive battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops, and finally won the victory. If he had such an event in his resume, I'm afraid the U.S. government would be embarrassed if he didn't upgrade his military rank.
.
Naturally, Suri didn't know the real reason why Hurley spent so much effort to lobby him, but he only remembered one sentence. That is, you must never do anything where you suffer a loss, so he continued: "And you also saw it,
The city of Guangzhou is currently undergoing urban reconstruction work. It needs too many things, especially steel bars and cement, which are in short supply. Do you think we should ask the U.S. government to donate another large cement plant and a steel plant to us?"
This time it was Hurley's turn to jump up, roaring and shouting: "What? You are blackmailing... naked blackmail! We don't have that much to give you?"
"Oh. Really?" Seeing Hurley's clear refusal, Suri also smiled: "Colonel Hurley, so you don't agree with what I said?"
"You..." Hurley kept breathing heavily through his nose, like a bull that was being teased.
If possible, Hurley really wanted to point at Suri's nose and yell: "Are you mistaken? I am helping you fight the Japanese."
But things in the world are so wonderful. What was originally a very simple thing becomes complicated when personal selfishness is mixed in. Hurley sat on the sofa angrily and said nothing, and Suri was also breathing leisurely.
Smoke. And Zhang Zhizhong was dumbfounded on the sidelines. Damn it, what on earth is going on? They just dispatched two squadrons to support the Changsha battle. As for such a big talk? And the supporters are from the same **.
Troops from the Ninth War Zone, did Suri go too far this time?
Zhang Zhizhong frowned and was about to speak out to mediate, but was stopped by Liang Zhi's eyes with his eyes.
After a while, Su Rui pressed the cigarette butt hard on the ashtray, and then said: "Colonel Hurley, our army is very tired now. It is when we need to recuperate. We can send two
It is already rare for the squadron's aircraft to support Changsha. At least this can offset the Japanese threat from the air. All you have to do is to write a detailed report on the increase in the amount of aid to China and the reasons for it and forward it to the U.S. government."
"this……"
White hair suddenly broke out on Hurley's forehead. Although he did not have the right to increase the amount of aid supplies to China, as the military attache stationed in China, he had a very important right to make suggestions. He trusted the United States on this small matter.
The government usually sells him to save face. But what makes him feel uncomfortable is that if he compromises, it means that this guy will have the qualifications to bargain with him. This is really uncomfortable for the arrogant Hurley.
, when will these yellow-skinned monkeys also have the right to bargain with noble white people?
After thinking about it, Hurley felt that he couldn't get used to the other party's habit of raising prices, so he said: "General Su, I think we can still discuss the increase in the amount of 300,000 gallons of diesel you mentioned every month.
Yes, but as for the steel plant and the steelmaking plant, please forgive me that I can't do anything."
"No!" Su Rui said firmly: "These two conditions are tied. You can either agree or refuse. This is what I mean."
Seeing that Suri's attitude was so tough, Zhang Zhizhong couldn't help but become a little anxious. The current situation of the domestic war of resistance is still very tense, and support from the United States is indispensable. If Suri forces Hurley to panic, he will turn around and won't be able to leave with you.
What should I do if I play?
But Su Rui was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, holding up a tea cup and slowly sipping the tea. Although Su Rui didn't know why Hurley spared no effort to support the ninth theater, Su Rui was sure that it was
There must be some inside story that I don't know about, and if I don't rip it off now, then I won't wait until later.
Looking at the relaxed Suri, Hurley's face turned blue and red. On the one hand, he was adding a big stroke to his credit book, and on the other hand, he allowed this guy to take a blackmail until the end.
, Hurley had to secretly comfort himself in his heart, "It doesn't matter, the large cement plant and steel plant he wants are not his own anyway. They are the property of the US government, so why should he act like a villain."
Thinking of this, Hurley stared at Su Rui and asked: "General Su, if I agree to your conditions, can you immediately send planes to provide air support to the Changsha area?"
"Of course!" Suri said affirmatively: "A dive bomber squadron plus a destroyer squadron, a total of sixty fighters. They can not only bomb the Japanese army's supplies and assembly areas. They can also intercept Japanese bombers. If I estimate
If you are right, if our fighter planes are dispatched, they can at least break the Japanese army's dream of a quick victory. As long as Changsha is really turned into a quagmire and the Japanese army is held back for a month, Okamura Neiji will cry!"
"Okay!" Hurley gritted his teeth and nodded: "I promise you, but I can't guarantee 100% success. After all, I am just a military attaché in China, not the president of the United States. I hope you can understand this.
point."
Suri finally smiled: "Of course, I know this better than anyone else!"
In the end, Hurley left angrily. Zhang Zhizhong, who was following him, walked up to Su Rui and looked at Su Rui helplessly, and whispered: "You are really smart, you even dare to rip off Americans."
Knock. But this is a good blackmail." After saying that, Zhang Zhizhong walked out.
After Zhang Zhizhong left, Liang Zhi said to Su Rui curiously: "Sir, how do you know that Hurley will definitely agree to this condition?"
Su Rui did not directly answer Liang Zhi's words. Instead, he asked: "Zi Ran, you said he is an American, so why is he so keen on building bridges for us and so concerned about our battle in Changsha?"
"This..." No matter how smart Liang Zhi was, he couldn't figure out the twists and turns in Hurley's heart, so he had no choice but to shake his head and said: "Sir, I really don't know what kind of medicine is sold in this Hurley gourd.
, it stands to reason that if he, a Yankee, brought an observation group to visit the Battle of Changsha, he should look at the issue from a third party's standpoint, but now he shows that he should be more anxious than us, which shouldn't be the case!"
Su Rui pondered for a moment before saying: "This is what I'm puzzled about. Logically speaking, according to the Americans' uninterested temperament, they wouldn't be so concerned about this battle. If I hadn't been too interested in this Hurley,
Even though we have some acquaintance, I thought I had bumped into Bethune."
"Bethune? Who is Bethune?" Liang Zhi asked with a confused face.
"Ah... this... it's just a code name at this time, nothing." Su Rui then realized that she had missed the point, so she had to change the topic with a dry smile.
Su Rui finally said: "Forget it, no matter what Hurley has in mind, he hopes that Xue Yue will win in Changsha, but I also want him to know that this is China, not the United States, and our advantages are not so easy to take advantage of.
.Now Guangzhou is in dire need of development and lacks everything. We can get a little bit from the Americans, but our foundation is too weak."
Hearing this, Liang Zhi couldn't help but feel sad. In most people's eyes, General Su Rui is a majestic man with tens of thousands of troops, but who knows that his job as a commander is not easy. Others
It is said that Su Rui may be the richest person in China now. He not only resells arms and medicines, but also owns a land in Guangdong Province. His net worth is definitely huge, but how many people know that in fact, more than half of the money Su Rui earns?
After investing in reconstruction work in various places, the remaining money still needs to support the increasingly large army. There is no savings at all. During these days, he has been worried about the reconstruction work in Guangzhou. Otherwise, he would not be able to continue.
Hurley is also about to hit the autumn wind.
At this time, Liang Zhi thought of another question, "Sir, why did you just ask Hurley for 300,000 gallons of diesel? You know, there are not many places where we use diesel now."
Su Rui laughed and said with a slightly proud smile: "Zi Ran, you don't know this, of course, I want diesel for a purpose. Isn't the armored regiment going to be expanded? Since it is going to be expanded, we might as well include the tanks.
Change, this time we will change to a tank that is better than the Somoa."
"A better tank than the Somoa?" Liang Zhi opened his mouth in surprise. The Somoa tank now equipped by the armored regiment was actually a very good tank in the 1930s. Compared with the German Panzer III tank
It is not inferior, although its speed and the 47mm tank gun are somewhat unsatisfactory. But its excellent protective performance and good design still make it one of the world's outstanding tanks of this period. But now the Su
Rui actually said that all the expanded armored divisions would be re-equipped. This also surprised Liang Zhi, and he asked after a long time.
"Is it possible that the tank that needs to be replaced uses diesel fuel?"
"Of course." Su Rui glanced at Liang Zhi approvingly and said jokingly: "Otherwise, why do you think I need so much diesel oil to drink as boiling water?"
"But... but... is it safer to re-equip a small batch of troops first, and then carry out large-scale re-equipment after the troops have tried it out?"
Although Suri had made it very clear, Liang Zhi was still a little worried. After all, the Somoa tank had been in service in the army for more than a year. The armored troops reported that the soldiers were very satisfied with it, and now they suddenly wanted to replace it.
Liang Zhi couldn't help but feel a little worried, so he put forward this mature and prudent opinion.
Seeing the worried look on Liang Zhi's face, Su Rui couldn't help but smile. She patted him hard on the shoulder and said loudly, "Don't worry, Ziran, I won't make fun of the safety of the troops. I can assure you,
The tank you changed this time will definitely satisfy you!"
As the saying goes, when there is pressure, there is motivation. Driven by the promotion, Hurley burst out with great enthusiasm. He first sent a sincere telegram to President Roosevelt, explaining the importance of the Battle of Changsha, and then said
After the liberation, Guangzhou began active reconstruction work under the leadership of Su Rui. Now it is seriously lacking in cement, steel and other basic materials. To this end, he specifically requested the US government to support a steel plant and a large cement plant, and he also mentioned in passing
Due to the shortage of fuel, the Seventh Army's mechanization level is seriously insufficient. Therefore, he proposed to increase the supply of 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel to the Seventh Army starting next month and seek government approval.
Washington responded quickly, and the content was very simple and short: "Agree! Franklin Delano Roosevelt!"
The recruitment process is in full swing, and the armored regiment that has returned to Guangzhou for rest has also begun its expansion process, covering the sky at a training ground in the suburbs of Guangzhou.
Li Chenzhe led a group of officers under his command to this large playground. He looked at nearly a thousand new recruits training under the leadership of veterans. He nodded slightly and walked to a group of soldiers who were practicing assassination.
"Attention everyone, stop training and take a rest!" Upon seeing this, the recruit company commander who led the team quickly shouted an order to stop the troops. Then he ran to Su Rui, saluted and said loudly: "Reporting to the commander, the ninth company of recruits
We are conducting assassination training, sir, please give us instructions!"
Li Chenzhe returned the salute, then walked up to the recruits, looked at the curious eyes and nodded with satisfaction, and then asked loudly: "Brothers!"
"Wow!"
"Take a break!"
"Brothers, first of all, let me introduce myself. I am your senior commander Li Chenzhe. Are you very disappointed? There is no big man with a height of three feet and a waist of three feet."
"Hahaha..." The recruits all laughed.
Li Chenzhe also smiled and said with a grin: "Okay, now we all know each other. Let me ask you, you have also conducted recruit training for more than ten days, what do you think?"
Following Li Chenzhe's question, a recruit raised his hand.
"Say!" Seeing someone raising their hands, Li Chenzhe pointed to the recruit.
"Sir, what I want to ask is, aren't we an armored force? Why do we still practice assassination training? Is it possible that we still have to fight with the Japanese with bayonets on the battlefield?"
Li Chenzhe looked at the recruit and found that his face was fair and fair, with an unyielding student spirit still remaining on his face. He nodded and said noncommittally: "Soldier, if I'm not wrong, I'm here."
You were still a student before joining the army, right?"
"Yes, sir, he turns out to be my student at John's University in Guangzhou."
"Oh, you are still a young scholar." Li Chenzhe smiled faintly: "The fact that you gave up your writing and joined the army shows that you still have passion in your bones, but there are some things that you have not understood." Li Chenzhe began to speak.
ps: I went to bed after taking medicine last night. I woke up this morning still feeling dizzy. I checked my body temperature and found that it was still a low fever. I continued to take medicine and went to sleep. I got up in the afternoon and wrote some more with all my strength. It is now 20 at night.
03:00, okay, A Ding admits that people are getting old and their health is really bad. This is just one chapter for the time being. Sorry again! (To be continued.)
ps: Thank you Pastor Huanhuan, the fallen flowers in the light rain, the party command gun and other tubes for the reward!