Chapter 59: The Military Affairs Commission's Open Conspiracy

If you thought the Military Affairs Commission only bestowed favors upon the 2nd Provisional Division, you would be entirely mistaken. While handing out perceived benefits, they were simultaneously executing a series of calculated moves.

First, they demanded a comprehensive troop inspection. If any large-scale discrepancies were found regarding personnel or equipment, the consequences would be severe: either the unit would be officially demoted, or its commanding officers would face disciplinary action. Under the current state of the National Revolutionary Army, virtually every unit had irregularities. While ghost soldiers could be temporarily masked by pressing local vagrants into service, missing weaponry was far harder to conceal. Even without illicit arms trafficking, normal attrition took a heavy toll. For instance, rifles suffered losses due to inadequate soldier maintenance that far exceeded actual combat attrition rates—and here, we are referring to genuine combat losses.

The inspection scope did not stop there. Training conditions, physical health, reserve supplies, and numerous other metrics were all subjected to strict evaluation. Any deviation below the Nationalist standards gave them ample justification to intervene.

Second, they upgraded the 2nd Provisional Division to a Class B division. A former Class C division was established with a complement of 3,000 men, whereas the new Class B division officially required 6,000 troops. This effectively doubled the size of the unit overnight. In a desolate, impoverished backwater like Qifeng County, sustaining even 600 men was a grueling struggle, let alone six thousand.

As for requesting additional funds? Unfortunately, military appropriations had already been disbursed, and the division had already signed off on them. Moreover, to ensure the logistical support of the 2nd Provisional Division, the Military Affairs Commission had graciously granted them administrative control over an entire county to sustain their forces. Among the countless units in the Nationalist Army, very few enjoyed such a privileged arrangement.

They suggested that personnel and supplies be raised independently; after all, the authority had been delegated to them, and whether they could manage it successfully was entirely their own concern. Of course, weapons and ammunition could be provided in modest quantities—though strictly limited. The division could not simply request whatever it desired, nor could it submit such requisitions frequently.

Finally, citing the population shortage in Qifeng County, the commission ordered the Second War Area to compel refugees within the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's controlled zones to migrate to Qifeng County, setting a minimum quota of 20,000 people. With winter fast approaching, what would happen when 20,000 souls were crammed into Qifeng County? Would they freeze and starve to death? Would they instigate massive conflicts with the 2nd Provisional Division? Or would the 2nd Provisional Division be forced to launch preemptive military operations against the Eighth Route Army bases simply to carve out a surviving chance for the civilians? Regardless of the outcome, the Military Affairs Commission stood to gain entirely without loss.

Because the commission occupied the moral high ground of righteousness, refusal was virtually impossible. Though it appeared to be merely 20,000 refugees, they represented a massive sociopolitical bloc. If the 2nd Provisional Division barred their entry, future recruitment would become nearly impossible. After all, the population of exiled refugees from the Northeast was immense. If they claimed to be the Northeast Army, sworn to resist Japan to the death, yet refused to protect their own displaced countrymen, what kind of resistance were they even fighting?

Other Northeast Army units could afford to lose face without suffering catastrophic consequences, but Wang Yue’s 2nd Provisional Division could not. A significant portion of the division’s rank and file consisted of exiled students and patriotic youth. While these individuals were easily inspired, they were also fiercely idealistic. Any mishandling could easily trigger internal turmoil within the ranks. Conversely, attempting to purge these youthful soldiers would inevitably shake the confidence of the rest. After all, the so-called 2nd Provisional Division possessed virtually no deeply loyal, entrenched core. According to Gu Yufei’s intelligence, Wang Yue’s loyal direct subordinates numbered barely a hundred people; expanding from that small base to several thousand troops in just a few months meant stability was entirely out of the question.

The underlying intent was crystal clear: they meant to starve the 2nd Provisional Division out of existence, yet the division was left entirely powerless and forced to comply.

Naturally, the Military Affairs Commission would not allow the 2nd Provisional Division and the civilians of Qifeng County to perish quite so openly, but preventing starvation would be no easy feat. At the very least, the division would have to obey orders and, much like other Northeast Army units, serve as cannon fodder for the Central Army.

Previously, the 2nd Provisional Division had petitioned the Second War Area headquarters for an allocation of winter uniforms to weather the cold season. However, the Second War Area command casually brushed them off, claiming the division’s jurisdiction had not yet been formally transferred to their command. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Military Administration stated that due to intense military operations, they could not procure sufficient winter uniforms for the division, and even if they had them, transporting them into the Taihang Mountains would be virtually impossible. Nevertheless, they generously consented to the division's request to locally procure their own uniforms and magnanimously granted the 2nd Provisional Division the sum of 18,000 legal tender notes for the purchase of winter gear.

Calculated at three legal tender notes per winter uniform, according to 1937 price standards, one might conceivably cobble something together using inferior fabric, thin cotton, and perhaps some reed catkins stuffed inside. But what time period was this? This was wartime. The legal tender was rapidly depreciating, prices were skyrocketing, and raw materials were nearly impossible to acquire. Three legal tender notes in Jiangcheng were barely enough to make a thin cotton vest. Transferred to Shanxi Province, not only did the cotton cloth have to be replaced with coarse homespun fabric, but the cotton filling inside had to be substituted entirely with reed catkins.

In the calculations of the Ministry of Military Administration, even if Wang Yue had wealth, it would not withstand such relentless exploitation. Equipping the troops for winter once would cost 100,000 legal tender notes; factoring in winter clothing for the civilians, at least 500,000 legal tender notes would be indispensable. Qifeng County was by no means a cotton-producing region; cotton was desperately scarce there. With such a massive influx of people dumped into the area, the problem of winter garments would inevitably fall squarely on the shoulders of the 2nd Provisional Division to resolve.

Yet, Wang Yue remained entirely unperturbed. Even after prolonged evacuations, Jiangcheng was far from short on supplies, and many could be acquired without spending a single coin. Alexei had recently made a trip to the Naval Ministry and returned with a massive haul of winter provisions, including 5,000 bolts of navy-blue woolen serge, 500 naval officer overcoats, 3,000 naval petty officer coats, 5,000 First Year-style naval winter service uniforms, and 10,000 imported military blankets.

These navy-blue woolen serges were fine wool fabrics imported from Europe. At the time of purchase, a single bolt cost 28 silver dollars; by now, the price had risen to 41 silver dollars per bolt, and they were exceedingly difficult to acquire. While the navy constantly complained of insufficient military budgets, they had somehow spent vast sums of military funds hoarding these very materials—something Wang Yue frankly could not comprehend.

Previously, the batch of sailor uniforms used by the navy to offset debts was crafted from this exact fabric. Even though sailor uniforms made from such imported materials were traditionally issued only for significant ceremonial occasions, the everyday uniforms worn by naval enlisted personnel were likewise fashioned from coarse woolen serge—and that, too, was imported fabric.

The naval officer overcoats were entirely tailored from imported fine wool, styled with patterns cut by master tailors who had studied in Europe, surpassing even the overcoats worn by high-ranking army generals, let alone those of Central Army generals.

The naval petty officer coats were much more practical: imported black-blue twill cotton cloth, filled with Tianzhu long-staple cotton, and stitched with double-needle mechanical sewing. Admittedly, even these cotton coats were generously padded with materials that the rustic army bumpkins could never hope to match.

The "First Year-style" winter service uniforms referred to the first year of the Xuantong Emperor's reign. While they appeared quite respectable, they truly paled in comparison to the navy's current service uniforms. The imported coarse wool was prickly against the skin, yet they had dared to issue such garments to officers—no wonder the navy was never entirely steadfast in its support! Although these First Year winter uniforms carried a faint hint of mildew, their overall quality remained quite high, likely the result of poor storage conditions after being shipped to Jiangcheng from some forgotten depot.