In an elegant small hall at the Songhu Garrison Headquarters in Longhua, Shanghai, Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren sat opposite each other, worried about the future but full of expectations for the upcoming great changes.
After pondering for a while, Bai Chongxi said: "Since I became the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army and the former enemy, I have been fighting on the front line. I feel deeply guilty for not being able to win benefits for my brothers in the Seventh Army. Tang Shengzhi must have had ulterior motives and expanded his ambitions.
For months, he fabricated charges to kill friendly generals, annex friendly soldiers, and monopolize the two lakes to control tax sources to enrich himself. Now, even my glorious Seventh Army has been squeezed and attacked by him in this way. We can no longer take it lightly!
I think the top priority is to provide food, clothing, and pay for our tens of thousands of soldiers, and to replenish our army's firearms, ammunition, and new guns in large quantities. Otherwise, we will lose the initiative in the next step. Brother, why don't you move the main force into Anhui and send a main force to capture it?
No one dared to establish a foothold in Chuzhou, and occupied the key areas on the border between Hubei and Anhui, controlling the taxes of southern Anhui and large areas of Hefei, Anqing, and Chuzhou, ensuring the source of food and military resources while expanding the establishment, and then peeking into Nanjing to monitor Wuhan. I will also take action in time.
, taking advantage of his position to allocate weapons, ammunition and military pay in batches to provide support, and come up with the next action plan as soon as possible."
Li Zongren nodded movedly: "You know me, Jiansheng! Brother, I just wanted to talk about this plan, and now it seems that there is no need to go through any trouble. The current situation is still favorable to me, whether it is the Wuhan government or the base camp that has just been
The general headquarters that moved to Nanjing had to be wary of the prestige and attitude of our army. The only difficulty was the issue of food and pay.
Jiansheng, I heard from the top secretly that Jiang Zhongzheng has received support from the Shanghai plutocrats and Jiangsu and Zhejiang capitalists. Not only did he secretly receive a sponsorship of 7.5 million, but he also reached two interest-free loan agreements with the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce. It is said that the loan amount is as high as 1.
Fifteen million, does Jian Sheng know the reason?"
"I know a little bit that the loan agreement was only rumored but not implemented, but the 7.5 million sponsorship money was quietly transferred to Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek as early as the day after our army occupied Kunshan and cut off the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway.
, it is estimated that in the near days, each division of the First Army and the younger brother's Songhu Garrison Headquarters will receive rewards ranging from one hundred thousand to hundreds of thousands. When the time comes, the younger brother will quietly transfer it to his elder brother's account to prepare for expenses, and another three will be transferred.
More than a thousand seized firearms and 500,000 rounds of ammunition were transported to Anqing by water, and my brother only needs to send someone to receive them." Bai Chongxi replied generously.
Li Zongren, who was short of money and suffered from the torture of life, was overjoyed when he heard this. He sighed repeatedly, and his hanging heart suddenly relaxed:
"This solves my urgent need! By the way, when it comes to the very significant Battle of Kunshan, I know that it must be planned by Jian Sheng. I just don't know how the thousands of troops and heavy artillery of the Anyi Independent Regiment can pass through that place so quickly.
Can Jiansheng elaborate on the area where water networks intersect and swamps and lakes are spread?"
"Although this battle was the overall plan of my younger brother, the specific action plan was completely formulated by An Yi. His marching speed and lightning-fast thunderbolt methods are classic and far beyond my expectations. This boy is indeed a genius.
He is a military genius. Recently, newspapers across the country called him a model pioneer in the Northern Expedition in the military. I think it is not an exaggeration at all!"
Bai Chongxi finished sighing and then told Li Zongren in detail the battle report after Xu Tingyao came to report. Li Zongren was amazed and applauded.
Bai Chongxi went on to analyze: "There is an intriguing aspect in the Battle of Kunshan. That is An Yi's secret order before the war to completely annihilate the 'Tiger Company', which is famous for its speed and bravery in the north and south of the Yangtze River, instead of capturing as many prisoners as possible and selecting them as in the past."
Adaptation enriches itself. From this small difference, it is enough to see An Yi's maturity and deceit. What he wants is this invisible deterrent. In the future Northern Expedition, I am afraid that Sun Chuanfang's troops will not see his battle flag.
I was timid to fight first.
According to Xu Yuexiang's report, in the process of annihilating this enemy force, An Yi's guard company fought very shrewdly without any casualties. An Yi was overjoyed and took all the refined German weapons, cash and
All the spoils of war were awarded to the guard company under his command and the teaching company that assisted in the battle. Xu Yuexiang did not mention the amount of the reward, but judging from his younger brother's experience, each officer and soldier who participated in the battle made a profit of no less than one thousand oceans. This shows that An Yi
With his wealth and his respect and generosity towards his officers and soldiers, he was extremely good at seizing the opportunity to boost morale, making his officers and soldiers dedicated to working for him.
After several months of secret observation and analysis of every battle case of An Yi's unit, I have to be impressed by this man's commanding talent and ability to lead troops. Looking at all the generals of the First Army, no one can surpass him. This man is a great talent.
ah!"
Li Zongren stood up and walked a few steps, paused for a moment and returned to Bai Chongxi: "It is true, it is true... According to An Yi's military merit, he should have been promoted and reused long ago, but today An Yi is still a major general commander, among whom
What is the mystery?"
Bai Chongxi shook his head: "My younger brother is also deeply puzzled by this. According to what Commander-in-Chief Chiang said when he came to Longhua for an inspection a few days ago, Liu Zhi of the Second Division will be promoted to commander of the First Army. The Second Division will be transferred to the post after Deputy Commander Jiang Dingwen recovers from his injury.
The posts of East Zhejiang Garrison Commander and Deputy Division Commander have been vacant for a long time. The 22nd Division that Chen inherited still has no candidate for deputy division commander. I heard that the three of them had called Commander-in-Chief Chiang and requested that An Yi be promoted to deputy division commander of the division. But
Commander-in-Chief Chiang has not replied, and there is no news that Commander-in-Chief Jiang will expand his number in the near future.
Therefore, I can't help but wonder whether An Yi is too young and has an ambiguous political stance, which makes Commander-in-Chief Chiang Hesitant? Especially now, Xue Yue and other generals in the First Army have been shaken, and a large number of battalion commanders under the two men have begun to take to the streets.
, devoted themselves to the vigorous workers' and peasants' movement, hundreds of Huangpu officers rushed to Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek's residence in Shanghai, and repeatedly asked him why he violated Mr. Zhongshan's three policies and revolutionary propositions, forcing Commander-in-Chief Chiang to explain in various ways, which gave him a headache. I heard that
In the past few days, he had become hoarse and angry several times on the spot.
Judging from this phenomenon, the First Army, on which Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek is the foundation, has been reddened and seriously infiltrated, and is about to lose control. Therefore, Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek at this time may not give too much to the increasingly mature An Yi.
Trust me, there is no time to consider expansion."
"I understand! This is a good opportunity... Let's rush to the city together to see Commander-in-Chief. If we go late, I'm afraid he is impatient. At this time of betrayal and separation, he has to ask for help from you.
I, how could we miss such a God-given opportunity? He told me in the telegram that Ji Kuan (Huang Shaohong) and Ren Gong (Li Jishen) had secretly arrived in Shanghai, and the entire Guangdong and our base camp Guangxi were also caught in the red tide.
Ji Kuan told me in the telegram that Wei Baqun, a cowherd from Donglan County, was making revolution in several counties in western Guangxi and northwestern Guangxi, causing the county magistrate to be expelled and the grain tax to be wiped out, and the trend was getting worse.
It is impossible to take decisive measures to quell it!
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek is facing greater difficulties than us, and he must always be on guard against the strong military pressure from Wuhan Tang Shengzhi, Zhang Xianghua (Zhang Fakui) and others. It is estimated that he will soon break up and fight with each other. Without our support,
He can't move even an inch! We don't lack political prestige and military capital, nor do we lack popularity and wisdom. What we lack is just money. As long as we seize this favorable opportunity and plan properly, we may be able to achieve more than Hong Yang (the leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom).
What a great achievement!" Li Zongren said with a confident smile.
Bai Chongxi stood up with bright eyes, laughed and walked away side by side with Li Zongren.
An hour later, the two arrived at Chiang Kai-shek's secret residence by car, and were immediately introduced respectfully. When they entered the conference room on the second floor, they saw that Li Jishen and Huang Shaohong were already sitting together, chatting and laughing loudly with Commander-in-Chief Chiang.
When the three of them saw Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi coming in, they quickly stood up to greet them, becoming as affectionate as brothers.
After a while of greetings, Li Zongren sat down slowly and asked Chiang Kai-shek with a smile: "I heard your hearty laughter on the stairs just now. I wonder what happy event makes you so happy?"
Chiang Kai-shek smiled slightly, picked up the telegram on the coffee table and handed it to Li Zongren:
"Brother De Lin, please read this. This is a message requesting instructions from our Northern Expedition general An Yi. It was forwarded from the First Army Military Headquarters. Due to the overwhelming and continuous propaganda in newspapers, An Yi's Kunshan camp has been swarmed from all over the country.
They were surrounded by more than 6,000 enthusiastic young people. Among them, there were as many as 500 young women, all of whom asked to join An Yi's model camp. An Yi's hard persuasion had no effect, and he had to urgently call the Second Division and the First Army.
After the military headquarters rescued the siege, the First Army Military Department believed that it could take the opportunity to establish a Northern Expedition student corps. However, considering that An Yi's headquarters shouldered the important task of monitoring the enemies in Jiangbei at all times and could not take care of other chores, it could only send a message to request instructions.
Just now Mr. Ren said that Brother De Lin’s wife organized a women’s team for the Northern Expedition. The effect was remarkable, so An Yi can be considered to let An Yi go and set up a women’s rescue team. Let’s see what happens.
What effect will it produce? But Brother Ji Kuan said that if An Yi’s independent group really sets up a women’s rescue team, I’m afraid the treatment room will be overcrowded, haha!”
Li Zongren's heart moved, and he smiled and said: "Commander-in-Chief, I think it is completely possible to form a Northern Expedition Youth Corps. Its political influence alone is difficult to estimate. If the An Yi regiment has heavy responsibilities on its shoulders and cannot take care of this matter, we can form a team.
After that, he went directly to Nanjing for reorganization and training. However, as a result, the An Yi regiment was still unable to concentrate on preparing for war. Countless passionate young people would continue to flock here and follow them wholeheartedly, especially since its Kunshan station was right between the bustling Soviet Union and Shanghai.
The distance between the two places is only tens of kilometers from Kunshan, and you can go back and forth in one day. I am afraid that our young general who is both wise and courageous and full of ingenuity will also be exhausted by this, haha!"
"Yes! This problem is quite difficult. An Yi, who has repeatedly achieved military exploits, and the invincible model camp have now become a banner of the Northern Expeditionary Army and a model for young people across the country to aspire to and learn from. How to use this hard-won honor?
It will be very important to maintain this. I originally planned to complete the replenishment of the Anyi Regiment in a week's time and order it to go to Changzhou to maintain a confrontation with the Sun Army on the north bank and exert strong psychological pressure on the enemy forces on the north bank. Now it seems that I have to move forward.
"Chiang Kai-shek obviously had a plan.
The wily Li Jishen thought for a while and suggested: "With the strong combat effectiveness and prestigious reputation of An Yi's unit, it seems a pity to place it in Changzhou. If possible, I would prefer to see An Yi's unit go to a place where the situation is more complicated and the pressure is higher.
Opposite the large Zhenjiang is Yangzhou, where Sun Chuanfang's former enemy headquarters was located. If the enemy saw An Yi's troops stationed in Zhenjiang, which made their expression change, the psychological pressure would probably be even greater.
One of the important reasons why I suggest this is that based on my analysis of An Yi's performance in several battles, this little guy fights almost as fast as thunder and leaves no trace. It is difficult to judge his strength before the battle.
The intention and attack direction, the troops can attack and defend, the will is firm, the combat power is strong and the fighting style is unique, which is very troublesome. Therefore, if you use this chess piece well, it will be as effective as one or two divisions!"
Bai Chongxi immediately agreed with Li Jishen's view: "Ren Gong is very ingenious, and his subordinates also suggested that An Yi's troops be transferred to the most difficult front-line garrison in Zhenjiang. Judging from the current strength of An Yi's troops, which is up to more than 6,000 soldiers, their combat effectiveness is no less than
A main division, let me say something that shouldn't be said. The subordinates believe that if the deduction is based on the current combat effectiveness and weapons and equipment, no division in the army can get the slightest advantage from An Yi's subordinates, let alone the fact that it has been
An Yi's troops were so frightened that Sun Chuanfang's troops dispersed.
Secondly, the situation of the divisions of the First Army stationed around Suzhou and Shanghai is quite complicated. In the chaos and confusion, there is no faith and cohesion at all. Only the regiments of the Second Division of Liu Jingfu can still maintain minimum military discipline and combat effectiveness. If
It would be worrying to let An Yi, who has become a model for the military and the banner of the Northern Expedition, stay on the front line in Kunshan and be surrounded by various groups with complex and restless identities all day long.
Instead of doing this, it is better to hang this sharp sword in front of the enemy's formation, which will not only maximize its effect, but also avoid possible political influence, thereby maintaining the purity it has always had, and also making An Yi
Our officers and men are always being tempered by the flames of war."
Chiang Kai-shek felt justified, nodded frequently, and happily accepted the suggestions of Li Jishen and Bai Chongxi. He immediately ordered Chen Lifu, the confidential secretary on the side, to draft a telegram to directly transfer An Yi's troops to Zhenjiang for garrison.
The division was transferred to Kunshan and An Yi was given the power to deal with the situation on an ad hoc basis.
Chiang Kai-shek did not even realize that after such mobilization, the distance between An Yi's department and Li Zongren's department suddenly narrowed several times, almost forming a corner of each other, which initially achieved the first goal of Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren.
After Chiang Kai-shek issued this order, he immediately held closed-door discussions with the four giants of Guangdong and Guangxi. A series of decisions that profoundly affected China's destiny and historical direction were made one after another against this dark and mysterious background. A bloody storm swept across China.