The First Lesson

The first lesson took place at the central drill ground of the Qingliang Mountain camp. The equipment used for the morning assembly had long since been cleared away, leaving an empty parade ground, while garrison soldiers in khaki-yellow uniforms stood guard at the entrance. Once the trainees took their places, they finally seized the opportunity to get acquainted. Male camaraderie often formed simply over a cigarette or a few casual words about women, quickly turning into familiar calls of "brother." Meanwhile, good news arrived: the fellow whose head Zhong Yifeng had bashed open had suffered only superficial injuries. His life was not in danger, and after bandaging, he was mostly fine. The sun stood high at noon. Ming Quan and three deputy commanders had already been waiting for everyone for quite some time. The three deputy commanders were selected from the military: a company commander from the 87th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, a regimental staff officer from the 36th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, and a regimental staff officer from the Central Training Corps. Back then, this lineup could truly be called an all-star instructor cadre. The 87th and 36th were among the earliest German-trained divisions to complete reorganization, trained under German military standards. Their junior officers were mostly young Whampoa graduates, and many, like Ming Quan, had studied abroad in Germany. The Central Training Corps went without saying—it was the most elite unit handpicked by the Nationalist government from top to bottom. Its very reason for existing was to set the benchmark for building the rest of the army. Officers hailing from the Training Corps would nearly all go down in history as renowned generals in the war of resistance against Japan. The first lesson Ming Quan had prepared for them was naturally physical training. A soldier prioritized training above all, and everything hinged on physical conditioning. In charge of physical training was Captain He Zhifeng from the 87th Division. With more than seven years of service, He Zhifeng was a graduate of a Jiangwutang military academy. Rising to company commander had relied neither on seniority nor on connections, but purely on fighting his way up battle by battle. The standards he set for the staff corps were: A daily ten-kilometer march, a five-kilometer forced march, a ten-kilometer cross-country run with full pack, a five-kilometer mountain obstacle march, two hours of daily firearms and marksmanship training, and weekly tactical combat exercises. Qingliang Mountain served as an ideal training ground. Zhu Shiqing was not surprised by these standards. Back at Yanziji, he had heard Battalion Commander Wu Zhiqing describe the German army's training. If they were to strictly follow German standards, Captain He's requirements would probably have to be doubled. Most members of the staff corps were young men and were not resistant to physical training. There were no slippery old veterans here; the vast majority came from reputable families and possessed a basic sense of right and wrong. If they couldn't even get in proper physical shape, then when the Japanese devils chased after them on the battlefield later on, they wouldn't even be able to outrun them—so how the hell were they supposed to fight? Staff Officer Zhang Zhijie of the Central Training Corps came from the same school as Ming Quan, being Ming Quan's junior from the Berlin War Academy. He was primarily in charge of the staff corps' military theory curriculum. The core framework was modeled after German military academies and adapted to China's actual conditions, covering subjects such as: Tactics, weaponry, tactics and general staff work, military hygiene, military topography, surveying and cartography, campaign analysis, Auftragstaktik (mission-type tactics), and Schwerpunkt (center of gravity tactics), among others. Staff Officer Yue Xingzhi of the 36th Division was responsible for overall assessments and grading daily reports, while also leading the staff corps through sand table exercises and war games, as well as studying the current international situation and China's national conditions. As overall director, Ming Quan coordinated everything. With only three months to build the staff corps, achieving meaningful results required making tradeoffs and demanding that the trainees adapt quickly. Physical conditioning was not the primary focus for the staff corps. As long as they followed He Zhifeng's plan, after three months, even if their physical stamina couldn't match those from Whampoa, it would certainly surpass that of most regional forces. What Ming Quan truly wanted to teach the staff corps was: what exactly was a staff officer supposed to advise on? By evening, half a day of physical training had worn most of them down to a pulp. Fang Wenjian, with his martial arts background, was hardly affected. Zhu Shiqing panted heavily; years behind an office desk had indeed left his physical fitness lacking, but fortunately, he had managed to endure. Lai Tianyou was not so fortunate. Being small in stature and taking short strides, he spent the entire time chasing at the rear of the formation, exerting far more effort just to keep up. After this round of drills, his face was already turning pale. Fang Wenjian poured several gulps of water down his throat before he recovered. Song Mingyang had no issue with his fitness, but he kept twiddling his fingers, constantly chanting about how today was inauspicious for long journeys or strenuous exercise... At the easternmost end of the camp sat an indoor auditorium large enough to accommodate all the members of the staff corps. The trainees were brought here for the closing session of their first day of training. The lead instructor for the session was none other than Ming Quan. Fang Wenjian hauled Lai Tianyou with one hand and supported Zhu Shiqing with the other, the three of them swaying with the crowd as they filed into the auditorium. At the front of the auditorium, beside a podium and sound equipment, hung a massive map of China. Clad in military uniform, Ming Quan was already standing up front, quietly watching the recruits take their seats. Song Mingyang had not been affected by the intense training in the slightest. He bounded in with hops and skips, darting left and right, until he found a spot in the front row and waved his three roommates over, grinning, "Over here, over here! The feng shui here is great—it's a splendid spot!" Caught between laughter and tears, Zhu Shiqing hurried over and plopped down, huddling beside Lai Tianyou. "I imagine that after a hard day of drills, everyone must be thoroughly exhausted," Ming Quan began with a smile. "I don't intend to lecture you on dry, professional military theory tonight. I know that right now, all you want to do is collapse into bed and sleep. What could you absorb anyway? You're probably cursing me in your hearts: 'How does that son of a bitch Ming Quan find so many ways to torment people?'" At those words, quite a few chuckled below. Ming Quan cleared his throat and moved to his topic. "Tonight, over a hundred of us are gathered here to discuss a single question: If war were to break out tomorrow, how should we respond?" If war broke out tomorrow... Zhu Shiqing did not have a staff background and was not clear on the forces available nationwide, but this compelled his thoughts to turn back to the national defense projects from not long ago. Starting a war precipitously did not seem like a rational choice. Having been put in his place by Ming Quan that afternoon, Zhong Yifeng was noticeably better behaved now. Seeing that no one spoke up, he piped up: "Counter soldiers with generals, counter floods with earth!" "Indeed. Counter soldiers with generals—when the Japanese invaders attack, that is our only option. But China is vast and broad. If the Japanese army intends to invade China, they have a wide range of choices." Ming Quan raised his pointer, tracing points across the map one by one. "In the twentieth year of the Republic, the Japanese invaded the vast territory of the Northeast, and the Northeastern Army withdrew south of the Great Wall. In the twenty-first year of the Republic, the Japanese attacked Nanjing's flank at Shanghai. Later, they pressed further toward Rehe and the Great Wall line. And now, they have already extended their hands into North China." Ming Quan paused abruptly, fixing his gaze on the crowd. "Given the Nationalist government's current military reserves, waging a two-front war is completely impossible. In your opinion, should we deploy our defenses on the northern front, or the eastern front?"