In the early and mid-Republic of China, when it came to which army had the worst reputation and the worst combat effectiveness, the Sichuan Army ranked second, and no one dared to rank first.
How would you describe the Sichuan Army?
Four words: rabble!
During the Republic of China, warlords fought endlessly, and the land of Bashu became particularly strange.
Warlords in other places have already fought inter-provincial wars, but Sichuan is still fighting protracted wars, and has been controlled by warlords from other provinces several times.
From 1912 to 1934, after more than 400 major and minor wars, the Sichuan warlords' melee lasted for 22 years without stopping. It seemed like they were playing a Sichuan mahjong game called a bloody battle to the end. They also seemed to be cultivating poison.
A bunch of poisonous insects are thrown into the Gu plate in the Sichuan Basin. Whoever can fight to the end will be the real Gu King.
Liu Xiang is the King of Gu, the King of Bashu!
Let's take a look at Liu Xiang's growth history. He graduated from the military academy crash course and became a trainee officer, platoon leader, detachment officer, battalion commander, regiment commander, acting brigade commander, brigade commander, division commander, corps commander, and commander-in-chief of the Sichuan Army. His every story
Every promotion has witnessed one or several civil wars, and one has to rely on military exploits to advance upward.
In the melee of warlords in Sichuan, political alignment is often useless, and survival depends entirely on the troops under his command. Liu Xiang actually made the wrong alignment several times, but he had soldiers, guns, money, and food, and the winner must also use him.
The strangest thing is that the warlords in Sichuan Province fight to the death. But when they face warlords from other provinces, they often unite as one, and the bitter enemies can form a happy alliance. After the warlords from other provinces are driven out of Sichuan, we will continue to fight.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this tradition of unanimous foreign aggression that when Japan fully invaded China, the beggar-like Sichuan Army suddenly burst out with incredible power and shocked everyone's attention.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Xiang, the king of Bashu, once said the following words:
"In the War of Resistance, Sichuan can send 300,000 troops, provide 5 million strong men, and provide tens of thousands of shi of food!"
"The national war of resistance has been launched, and the people of Sichuan have a more important responsibility than other provinces!"
"In the past, we fought a civil war for many years, and our face was not very honorable. Today, we are serving our country, how can we remain at peace in the rear?"
"We will fight to the end and remain unswerving, that is, the enemy troops will not withdraw from the country for a day, and the Sichuan army will never return home!"
During the Anti-Japanese War, Sichuan provided 40% of the country's military resources and 50% of its money and food. One out of every five soldiers who died on the anti-Japanese battlefield was a Sichuanese. The Sichuan Army had the lowest number of prisoners among the local armies of all provinces.
Less than 1% of the total number of prisoners. The proportion of Sichuan soldiers killed in battle was as high as one-third. Often after a large battle, the Sichuan army, from generals to soldiers, died on the battlefield without retreating or surrendering.
Among the six lieutenant generals who came out of Sichuan to fight the war, four died heroically for their country. The first batch of more than 400 regiment-level officers who came out of Sichuan, without exception, all died on the anti-Japanese front line.
Therefore, during the eight years of the War of Resistance, there was a saying: No army can be formed without a river!
…
Zhou Hexuan met the famous Bashu King Liu Xiang in the Liu Mansion in Liziba.
Liu Xiang is not tall, has good facial features, and has a shaved head. He is gloomy and restrained, unsmiling, and exudes a reckless air; but he speaks clearly and rigorously, and he has the air of a scholar.
"Master Fu, this is my good brother Mr. Zhou Hexuan Zhou," Fan Haer gave a thumbs up, "Brother Zhou is a great scholar. He drinks more ink than I drink rice soup. He is the seat of Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek."
Guest of honor!"
"Hi, I have long admired you. Hello, Mr. Zhou!" Liu Xiang shook hands with Zhou Hexuan warmly, with a smile on his stern and serious face.
Zhou Hexuan said: "Commander Liu, I have long admired your name. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Liu Xiang waited for the servant to finish serving tea, then said: "Shao Zeng (Fan Haer) has already told me, what kind of factory do you plan to open in Chongqing?"
Zhou Hexuan pointed to the enamel fruit plate on the coffee table and said: "The enamel factory is the most advanced enamel factory in Asia. The complete set of semi-automatic assembly lines imported from the United States is not only available in China, but also in Japan. As long as the power supply is sufficient, the enamel factory I run will produce
The efficiency is more than 20 times that of Japanese factories, and the cost is only three-fifths of Japanese products. In the past few years, China's enamel market was monopolized by Japanese products. It has been slightly better in the past two years, but domestic products are still not as good as Japanese products. I can do it
The enamel factory is trying to save the country through industry, and its goal is to drive all Japanese enamel products out of China, and if possible, compete with Japanese products for the market throughout Asia."
"Hey, that's well said, thank you!" Fan Haer praised.
Liu Xiang was stunned and couldn't help but ask: "The production efficiency is really 20 times that of Japanese factories?"
"Yes, but the power consumption is relatively large. I wonder if the power plant in Chongqing can provide sufficient power?" Zhou Hexuan said.
Liu Xiang thought for a while and said: "Mr. Zhou, I welcome you with both hands to open a factory in Chongqing. But to be honest, Chongqing currently only has one power plant, and a generator unit was burned down two years ago. Until now,
They have not been repaired, and the power supply is still relatively tight. I am preparing to build a new power plant, and the address has been selected, just over Daxigou. However, I am afraid it will take a few years before the Daxigou Power Plant is put into operation."
"Is Daxigou Power Plant thermal power or hydropower?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
"Thermal power." Liu Xiang replied.
Zhou Hexuan wondered: "How many years does it take to build a thermal power plant? One and a half years is enough!"
Liu Xiang spread his hands and said, "We need talents but we don't have them. We need equipment but we don't have equipment. How do you think we can build it in a year and a half? Sichuan is not like the coastal areas. Engineering professionals are hard to find, and it's hard to hire them from outside.
"
Zhou Hexuan suddenly laughed: "Commander Liu, don't worry, all the talents and equipment to build the thermal power plant will be provided by me!"
"Brother Zhou, do you have a way?" Liu Xiang even changed his title.
Zhou Hexuan said: "I bought the equipment directly from the United States and hired Americans as engineers for the thermal power plant."
Liu Xiang wondered: "It's very expensive to hire foreign devils. I'm short on money."
"It's not expensive. The United States is experiencing an economic crisis, and both equipment and talents are very cheap." Zhou Hexuan explained.
Liu Xiang didn't understand what an economic crisis was and was dubious about it, but thinking that Zhou Hexuan didn't need to lie to him, he agreed. He rolled his eyes and said: "Since Brother Zhou has a way in the United States, can you help me introduce someone to him?"
To set up the production equipment of an arsenal? I am planning to build an arsenal in Chongqing."
It is funny to say that Liu Xiang, the most powerful warlord in Sichuan, does not even have his own arsenal so far.
Zhou Hexuan did not give a direct affirmative answer, but only said: "I can ask in half a year, how many of those obsolete firearms production lines can still be introduced."
"It doesn't matter if it is outdated, as long as it can produce guns and cannons." Liu Xiang said quickly.
Not to mention the current Sichuan Army, even the weapons and equipment of the Sichuan Army that came out of Sichuan to fight against Japan are so lagging behind. The weapons in the hands of many soldiers are falling apart very quickly. They are tied up with hemp ropes for fixation, and the rifling is almost worn.
No, it’s no different from burning a fire stick.
how to say?
Due to the long transportation distance and lack of financial resources, most of the weapons in the hands of the Sichuan army were second-hand goods used by warlords in other provinces. There are even many guns from the new army of the Qing Dynasty, which are still in use to this day.
There are all kinds of sleeves.
Hearing that Zhou Hexuan was able to acquire an American firearms production line, Liu Xiang, who showed no emotion at all, couldn't help but laugh with joy. He enthusiastically took Zhou Hexuan's hand and said: "Brother Zhou, you are my timely rain.
.By the way, I have formed a new air force and there will be an exercise in the next two days. Let’s go and see it together.”
Sichuan’s Air Force…
Zhou Hexuan suddenly thought of those "warships" on the river and couldn't imagine what Liu Xiang's air force would look like.
