novelden Chapter 325 Conflict
Chapter 325 Conflict
Four-star General Spruance, Nimitz's former deputy and now Commandant of the Marine Corps, also rushed over. As Commandant of the Marine Corps, he feared the annihilation of the 2nd and 14th Divisions would be the end of his military career. Thinking of Yang Hong and his Marines, Spruance urgently approached Nimitz, requesting Yang Hong's support.
Lieutenant General Gao Yuxiao, the newly appointed commander of the 112th Army of the Flower Planting Family, was currently enjoying a Mediterranean sunbathing on an obscure beach in Tunisia. His appointment to the 112th Army clearly had connections. Privately, a high-ranking official informed him that his primary responsibility was to control this elite unit and eliminate the influence and control exerted by Yang Hong and his colleagues. Therefore, upon assuming office, his first act was to gradually transfer the army's key combat officers and replace them with those he had brought in. Yang Hong initially dismissed this as a simple decision. The Flower Planting Family's move from direct command to deputy chief of staff of the Allied Forces was clearly intended to remove him from direct military control. While the underlying reason was unclear, out of trust in the Flower Planting Family leadership, he decisively relinquished his military authority without hesitation.
The 112th Army wasn't the only unit directly under Yang Hong to be purged. Similarly, officers from the various armies, corps, and divisions within the former 5th Army Group also faced varying degrees of repression. Fortunately, the successors to the various units of the former 5th Army Group, Liao Yaoxiang and Kuang Zhengqi, were responsible. They apparently made no further moves, merely replacing some officers and assigning them to other units as commanders. As for Gao Yuxiao's actions, Yang Hong had taken note. Instead of assigning new positions to the transferred officers, he offered them the opportunity to return home and attend military academies. He believed that through further training, these battle-hardened officers, who had served under him through countless battles, would become future leaders of the Chinese military.
However, General Nimitz personally called and asked Yang Hong for help. Yang Hong had to rush to Tunisia in person and issue an emergency dispatch order to the 112th Army!
Gao Yuxiao, facing Yang Hong's sudden arrival, flattered him outwardly. Upon hearing Yang Hong's order for the 112th Army to immediately dispatch across the Mediterranean to support the US forces, the general immediately adopted an official tone: "Deputy Chief of Staff Yang, you are the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces. Logically, I should carry out your orders without compromise. However, as you know, since the disbanding of the 5th Army Group, the 112th Army has not been included in the Expeditionary Force, and there have been no new orders from the Flower Planting Headquarters. I have consulted the Marine Corps Command, and they have requested that our unit rest here and await orders to return home."
"General Yang, as you know, I am a pure soldier. The 112th Army is not currently part of the Allied Forces. I cannot carry out the orders of your Deputy Chief of Staff. Unless ordered by the Flower Planting Headquarters or the Marine Corps Command, I cannot arbitrarily mobilize troops to participate in the war!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hong's eyes turned green with rage. He hadn't expected that within a few months of leaving office, he wouldn't even be able to mobilize an army-level unit, a unit he had personally built. As for Gao Yuxiao's claim that the 112th Army wasn't part of the Expeditionary Force, that was sheer nonsense. At that time, the 112th Army's supplies, officers' and soldiers' allowances, and so on were still being paid by the Allies. It was unclear why the Flower Planting Family headquarters had excluded the 112th Army from the newly integrated 3rd Army Group, leading to Gao Yuxiao's bizarre statement.
Yang Hong was too lazy to argue with him and said to him, "Then immediately notify the commander of the special operations regiment directly under the original group army group to come and receive orders."
Gao Yuxiao decisively refused, "General Yang, I'm sorry, but the Special Operations Regiment is temporarily under the management of our army due to its unclear organizational structure. We cannot deploy without orders from above!"
Gao Yuxiao's actions finally infuriated Yang Hong. He slammed the table, stood up, pointed at Gao Yuxiao's nose, and angrily cursed, "Gao Yuxiao! Who the hell told you that the 112th Army wasn't part of the Expeditionary Force?! Who gave you the authority to privately withhold orders from the Special Operations Regiment, which was originally under the Army Group?!"
"You are ordered to act with all due caution. Immediately order the troops to activate urgently and order the special operations commander to rush over and receive the latest orders! Otherwise, you will bear the consequences at your own risk!"
Gao Yuxiao was also unafraid of the scalding water. He stood up and said, "General Yang, I respect you as my superior, a general of the Flower Clan, but you do not have the authority to command troops at will. You are only the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces, not the Chief of Staff of the Flower Clan. Even if you were the Chief of Staff of the Flower Clan, you must have given me a written order. The 112th Army belongs to the Flower Clan, not your army, Yang Hong! I cannot accept your ridiculous order!"
The quarrel between the two attracted a group of generals, most of whom were former subordinates of Yang Hong. Although these people were not division-level commanders, most of them were still army and division-level staff officers. They had heard that the old leader had arrived and wanted to meet him.
The deputy commander of the 112th Army was one of them. After listening to the whole story of the dispute between the two, he decisively ordered the troops to enter the first level of combat readiness, and asked the chief of staff to immediately notify the commander of the special operations regiment to come and receive the latest instructions!
Gao Yuxiao couldn't stand it anymore. Regardless of Yang Hong's presence, he pointed at the deputy commander Ma Xiaochuan and angrily yelled, "Ma Xiaochuan, what do you want to do? I'm the commander now. If you dare to disobey orders and mobilize troops without permission, I can immediately shoot you for treason!"
Then, he ordered his confidants to take control of all departments immediately. No one was allowed to move without his order. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be executed on the spot!
Yang Hong watched Gao Yuxiao's hysterical behavior and calmed down. He signaled Ma Xiaochuan and the others not to act rashly. Then, he stepped forward and slapped Gao Yuxiao hard. Then he said very calmly, "General Gao, you will soon be held accountable for your actions today!"
At this time, the special operations regiment commander had already rushed over. Due to the special nature of the special operations regiment, it was not a subordinate unit of the 112th Army, but was only temporarily under the control of the 112th Army. When Yang Hong saw him, he said nothing and ordered him to move out immediately. US military planes were already waiting at the airport. Their mission was to airdrop into the Greek mountains at all costs, meet the US military, and rescue as many people as possible!
The regimental commander chuckled, took the order, and then whispered in Yang Hong's ear: "Boss, the 112th Army's direct aviation brigade wants to act with me, and our regiment also needs their support."
Yang Hong nodded in approval without hesitation. The regimental commander quickly saluted and left. Gao Yuxiao, knowing he had no way of stopping the Special Operations Regiment, ignored the situation and instead issued orders to his trusted aides to maintain strict control of the troops. He also ordered the 112th Army's military police to detain the deputy commander.