“旅长, who are they?”
Zhang Ji Xian, the newly appointed artillery battalion commander who was training his artillerymen, saw Liu Zheng Yang and his group come over and look around, touching things here and there.
If it weren't for Xiao Yun bringing them, he would have already ordered their arrest.
Xiao Yun clapped his hands: “Alright, everyone stop. I’ll introduce everyone!”
“This is Comrade Liu Zheng Yang, an artillery instructor from the headquarters. The rest of these comrades are artillerymen. Headquarters knows about the difficulties of our 399th Brigade, so they specifically sent them to help us!”
“They’re all our brothers in the artillery battalion from now on. Welcome!”
As soon as the words were spoken, the artillery battalion soldiers burst into warm applause, with Zhang Ji Xian, the battalion commander, clapping the loudest.
He had no choice but to obey Xiao Yun's strict orders.
Since becoming the artillery battalion commander, he had been racking his brains to train the artillerymen proficiently.
They had fired countless rounds of artillery shells, and the proficiency of the artillerymen had indeed improved significantly, but to reach a qualified standard, they still needed time.
After all, skills take time to develop. In just two or three days, although there was some improvement, it was hard to see significant results.
This made him feel anxious, and he developed several blisters in his mouth.
If he couldn't train qualified artillerymen, his position as the artillery battalion commander would be lost, and if this affected the 399th Brigade's upcoming major operation, he would be truly guilty of a thousand deaths!
Now, with this batch of experienced artillerymen sent by the headquarters, the artillery battalion would soon be combat-ready as long as they adapted to the situation!
....................
After introducing everyone to each other, Xiao Yun directly assigned roles on behalf of the brigade.
He placed Liu Zheng Yang as the deputy battalion commander of the artillery battalion, mainly responsible for daily training.
He graduated from the Artillery Department of the Military Academy, was an artillery platoon leader during the Red Army period, and later served as an artillery instructor at the headquarters. He was qualified for this position, both in terms of experience and ability.
His appointment would free Zhang Ji Xian, a practical combat-oriented artillery talent personally trained by Xiao Yun, to focus more on combat.
The rest of the people from the headquarters were mainly assigned as gunners for the four infantry guns or other grassroots cadres.
With their addition, the artillery battalion quickly became combat-ready. Whether they were truly capable, however, could only be tested on the battlefield!
With the artillery battalion gaining combat effectiveness, Xiao Yun believed that the time was ripe for his 399th Brigade to attack Suzhou City.
At his command, the commanders of the four regiments under his command and the artillery battalion commander all went to the brigade headquarters for a meeting.
..............................
In the conference room, Xiao Yun sat in the main seat, with the political commissar Wang Yan and the deputy brigade commander Liu Zhi Xuan on his left and right.
The 811th Regiment commander Chen Yun Feng, the 812th Regiment commander Liu Hu, the New First Regiment commander Li Yun Long, the Independent Regiment commander Kong Jie, and the newly appointed artillery battalion commander Zhang Ji Xian sat on the seats below.
They were all veterans who had followed Xiao Yun, and they were familiar with each other. They were currently sitting together, chatting quietly with the people beside them.
Suddenly, Xiao Yun at the head of the table cleared his throat, and the conference room instantly fell silent. His deep authority in the army was evident.
“Alright, now that everyone is here, the pre-war meeting will officially begin!”
“Old Wang, you tell everyone about our battle plan!”
“Yes, 旅长!”
At this important meeting, Wang Yan, as the deputy, naturally wouldn't call Xiao Yun "Old Xiao" as usual. He used the formal title instead.
“Comrades, I’m sure you all know that our 399th Brigade is going to attack Suzhou. Now I will announce the battle plan and arrangements for each unit.”
“The 811th Regiment will be the main attacking force, with the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment providing assistance.”
“The artillery battalion will be responsible for suppressing the enemy’s artillery fire in Suzhou City and providing artillery support for the attacking troops.”
“The 812th Regiment will be responsible for blocking any Japanese reinforcements from the surrounding counties and towns of Suzhou.”
“As for any possible reinforcements from other Japanese forces, the headquarters has already ordered the fraternal units to fully cooperate with our 399th Brigade’s actions. They will be responsible for holding them off.”
“Is everyone clear about their tasks?”
“旅长, Political Commissar, I disagree! We, the 812th Regiment, also want the main attacking mission! Let the 811th Regiment take on the blocking mission! The last time at the Niu Jiao Feng ambush, the 811th Regiment was the main attacking force!”
After hearing the battle plan, Liu Hu protested indignantly.
Chen Yun Feng of the 811th Regiment remained calm. As a veteran who had followed Xiao Yun since the Northern Expedition, he understood Xiao Yun’s unwavering personality.
As long as he had made a decision, unless there was a major oversight, there was basically no room for maneuver, unless he was approached before the announcement.
In fact, this was intentional on Xiao Yun’s part. As a purely violent organization, the army would become increasingly chaotic if orders were changed frequently, and what authority would the commander have?
It wasn’t obvious now, but it would become increasingly important in the future when he led large-scale operations.
After all, as 101 famously said, “Large-scale operations require strict military discipline!”