The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 298 The Prelude to the Brotherhood Breakup

In July 1945, a series of reforms took place in the country, improving government institutions and shifting public life from wartime to peaceful development. Given that the war against German fascism was still ongoing, the military reforms were particularly noteworthy.

First, the wartime Supreme Command was abolished, restoring the nation to normalcy. The military system was further reformed, with the establishment of trans-regional military regions, which exercised direct jurisdiction over the various branches of the military within their jurisdiction. The army, navy, and air force, as well as major headquarters, including the political and logistics departments, were redefined. At the same time, it was made clear that military personnel would not participate in politics.

Second, as the European battlefield of World War II was still going on, the expeditionary force would continue to be retained, but its organization would be further changed. An expeditionary force headquarters would be set up, which would be under the jurisdiction of several army groups. Among them, the First and Second Army Groups would fight in the Eastern Front, and the Third Army Group and the newly formed Fifth Army Group would fight in the Middle East and the future West.

The most eye-catching appointments were the army group commanders and the forward headquarters commanders, all of whom were young and strong, all of whom had been tempered in the flames of war. Among them, Huang Wei and other generals were given important positions, and the troops under their command were further strengthened.

杨洪也接到新的任命，负责组建第五集团军群，包括海军陆战队第1集团军112军和第3集团军，还有陆军的第18集团军、第77集团军和新组建的第13集团军。

Yang Hong's replacement as Commander-in-Chief in Japan was General Xue Y, a renowned anti-Japanese general. He also assumed command of the Marine Corps, while the Chief of Staff was a renowned Northern Expedition General, freshly transferred from the First Army Group's Chief of Staff. Cai Yong, as expected, was appointed Deputy Commander and Commander of the 113th Army, stationed in Liuqi. This meant that Cai Yong was no longer involved in Japanese affairs. The Chinese Navy reorganized the Marine Corps, dismantling the Army Groups and subdividing them into the 112th, 113th, 22nd, 47th, and newly incorporated 55th and 59th Armies. Given that the 112th, 22nd, and 47th Armies were incorporated into the Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps effectively temporarily controlled the 113th, 55th, and 59th Armies. Rumors suggest that only three Marine Corps will remain, meaning the 112th, 22nd, and 47th Armies will either be disbanded or incorporated into new units after the war.

Xue Y, the future deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy, knew some inside information. The 55th and 59th Armies would be disbanded after the war and merged to form the 3rd Marine Corps; the 22nd Army and the 47th Army would be merged to form the 2nd Marine Corps, and the 112th Army would be reorganized into the 1st Army. As for the whereabouts of the 113th Army, Xue Y and others were also confused.

Regarding the Air Force, the Commander-in-Chief was also instructed that the 8th Army, currently fighting in the Soviet Union, would be reorganized into the 8th Airborne Corps after the war, directly under the command of the Air Force. This meant that the unit, developed from the 200th Division, would ultimately be assigned to the Air Force. Thus, the three main divisions of the Expeditionary Force's first Burma expedition—the New 22nd, New 38th, and 200th Divisions—would all leave a legacy and become the primary special operations forces of the Chinese Navy and Air Force.

With the approval, the Nine King Kongs finally had the opportunity to reunite. The catalyst was the establishment of the Chinese Autonomous Region in North Kalimantan. By this time, Luo Bing had officially separated from the Flower Planting Family, relinquishing his citizenship and military status, and became the Provisional Chairman of the Lan Fang Chinese Autonomous Region. Lan Fang's territory corresponded to most of East Malaysia in a different time and space. Luo Bing signed an agreement with the British government, temporarily placing the Lan Fang Autonomous Region under British colonial jurisdiction, pending a full referendum three years later to determine its fate.

At this point, due to World War II, national awakening had begun in these regions, especially among the island peoples once exploited by the Japanese as a pretext for independence. Civilian armed groups, large and small, emerged everywhere. This was particularly true in the East Indies, where the Netherlands was still under German rule. These areas were temporarily occupied by China, the US, and Britain, and had accepted the Japanese surrender. Due to the European battlefield, the forces deployed by each side were limited, and the remote areas were in a state of anarchy. Chinese guerrilla forces, supported by Huang Wei and others, also emerged like mushrooms. While protecting the interests of Chinese and overseas Chinese throughout the region, they also occupied uninhabited island areas. Supported by these forces, fearing the consequences of the chaos, Chinese and overseas Chinese began to move in and gather, laying a solid foundation for the eventual establishment of a Chinese autonomous region. The establishment of the Lan Fang Autonomous Region, in particular, set the East Indies ablaze with activity.

Huang Wei and his men arrived at Sandakan, the temporary capital of the Lan Fang Autonomous Region, in a menacing manner, clearly intent on exacting justice. This was also the foreshadowing of their carefully planned split. As expected, among the Nine Vajra, Qin Shi, Pu Zhengsong, Wang Congwu, and Liu Molong expressed ambivalence regarding Luo Bing's betrayal of his country.

Wang Congwu was easy to talk about. He had clearly returned to his ancestral home, changed his nationality to Korean, and withdrawn from the Flower-Bearing Army. He was currently preparing to establish the Kingdom of Korea. The Great H Kingdom, which had already defected to the United States, was actively recruiting puppet troops from the former Japanese colonial period and was also preparing to establish the Great H Republic. Not to be outdone, a group of Korean Bolsheviks, supported by the "left," also occupied a region and planned to establish a Democratic Korea. Other countries had already seen that this was a sign of an agreement between China, the United States, and the Soviet Union to divide Korea. However, Britain's absence was particularly puzzling.

Back to the premise, the nine kings held a secret meeting after the establishment of the Lan Fang Provisional Government. Sources reported that after the meeting, the nine people split into two small groups and left. Moreover, Huang Wei and others did not even attend the welcome banquet that night.

Soon after, Pu Zhengsong, dismissed from his post as commander of the 3rd Army Group by the Chinese Communist Party, angrily resigned and disappeared. Subsequently, Qin Shi, commanding the 166th Army, resigned due to a transfer order requiring him to withdraw from West Malaysia. The 166th Army was subsequently disbanded by the Chinese Communist Party's Ministry of National Defense. Suddenly, Liu Xiao and Tang Xuesi emerged, recruited the overseas Chinese elements of the 166th Army, and formed the Donglai Democratic People's Armed Forces. This was recognized by the British colonial government and reorganized into the Malay National Guard. Thus, a small group that had made significant contributions to the Chinese Communist Party and even Southeast Asia during World War II was officially disbanded. On the surface, the Chinese Communist Party had eliminated another highly motivated military clique. Although this group had never participated in national politics, its rapid rise and military exploits posed a formidable threat to any faction.