Under the tall ginkgo tree in the backyard of the Bengbu Chengnan Military Camp General Headquarters, a round table of rosewood is placed neatly. Next to the table are four chairs of the same texture and exquisite workmanship. Several dishes of exquisite dishes are placed on the table.
, three or four military cooks came to serve the dishes with light steps.
"Come on, come on, this is Sanhua wine specially sent from Guilin by our army's logistics department. It has been cellared for twenty years. It has an elegant and delicate taste, a full and mellow body, and a long aftertaste. You must have never tasted it before."
Li Zongren personally poured wine for An Yi. When he saw An Yi standing up respectfully, he couldn't help but smile, waved his hands and said: "Sit down, don't be polite to me. The Battle of Five Rivers you initiated has benefited our Third Route Army officers."
Duo, on behalf of the soldiers, it is appropriate for me to give you a toast!"
"Thank you, sir! Thank you...ah, this wine is really fragrant, with a hint of sweet-scented osmanthus. It's delicious!" An Yi waited for Li Zongren to sit down before he dared to sit down. He held up the thin porcelain cup with both hands and took a sip, smacking his lips in a meaningful way.
said.
Bai Chongxi laughed: "It's a good wine! It's a pity that I'm a light drinker and can't have a good drink with you. Don't show up! Just be casual. Where did your confidence and pride go at the press conference last night?"
An Yi smiled sheepishly, politely toasted Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and Wang Yingyu, grabbed the exquisite white porcelain wine bottle, and diligently filled the three glasses with wine.
An Yi knew that Li Zongren had a good drinking capacity. Legend has it that the only time Li Zongren got drunk was when he was fistfighting with Guo Moruo. At that time, the division between Wuhan and Nanchang had already emerged. In order to remove Li Zongren, who had a lot of troops, he had
Famous generals with advanced military command skills joined their camp and dispatched Guo Moruo, director of the Political Department, to Anqing with a letter of appointment from the Chairman of Anhui Province. Li Li, who was stationed in Anqing,
Zongren received Guo Moruo and his entourage very warmly, and they met for a drink. As a result, they were defeated in a fist fight with Guo Moruo. He was drunk until the next morning and could not wake up. When Guo Moruo saw this, he also knew that Li Zongren would not accept the appointment of the Wuhan government, so he had to leave Anqing and return to Anqing with regret.
Wuhan. Interestingly, as soon as Guo Moruo left, Li Zongren, who was lying drunk in bed, went out to inspect the troops.
Li Zongren liked An Yi's modesty and politeness. After drinking for three times, Li Zongren asked An Yi about his hometown and whether he was getting married. An Yi gave him a brief and vague explanation, especially paying attention to the issue of marriage.
Son, you need to know
Nowadays, the bosses of various forces like to play matchmaker for their subordinates or the younger generation with related interests in order to bring them closer to each other, so An Yi truthfully told the truth that he was pursuing the daughter of Ou Yaoting, a wealthy businessman from the province and Hong Kong, which aroused everyone's excitement.
laughter.
Li Zongren no longer mentioned the matter, but told An Yi more worriedly: "Your shocking remarks last night have probably been reported today, and the impact is really hard to estimate. The only thing I can be sure of is that the Nanjing Central Government
and Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek were very unhappy. At this time, the Nanjing government had frequent exchanges with envoys from various countries, and was trying its best to seek recognition of the Nanjing government from various countries.
At this critical moment, your hostile attitude towards Japan is likely to be misunderstood by the outside world as a general understanding of the existence of our Nanjing government's military, which will put the Nanjing government's internal affairs and diplomacy into a passive situation. Therefore, I am very worried about your remarks.
Convicted and severely punished, you are now the hero of the Northern Expedition, an outstanding general emerging from the younger generation, and your influence is immeasurable!"
Seeing An Yi's disbelief, Bai Chongxi whispered: "Don't believe it, General Delin's words are correct. This morning the headquarters sent me a telegram asking whether the content reported in the newspaper was indeed from
Are you talking about An Yi? I replied that I have not seen relevant reports, and briefly compiled and reported your speech at the press conference last night, emphasizing that you have repeatedly stated that it is only your personal opinion and has nothing to do with the position of your military and government.
I can only do this step, you have to be mentally prepared.
Don't think that you will be fine just because you are Principal Chiang's disciple. The government is in deep trouble. Even as the commander-in-chief, he has to take into account the feelings of all parties. When necessary, you will be thrown out as a sacrificed pawn."
An Yi's face turned ugly, but he did not refute. He just nodded slightly and thanked him in a low voice. After hesitating for a while, he finally calmed down. After toasting the three of them, he picked up his chopsticks and enjoyed the Guilin-style chopped pepper fish head.
After taking one bite, I loudly praised the deliciousness of this dish:
"I really didn't expect Guilin food to be so delicious. It's lighter but more delicious than our Sichuan food. This is the first time for me to eat Guilin food. Thank you, General!"
"Haha! If you really like it, you can come to my place often. Now your war zone intersects with the Second Division of our Seventh Army, and the distance between them is only tens of kilometers. At the speed of your BMW, the distance between the two
It can be reached in an hour. You can enjoy the delicious food and exchange ideas, which will be very helpful for you to improve your command level, haha... Come on, come on, eat more if you like."
Li Zongren picked up serving chopsticks and a small plate, put a piece on An Yi's plate, and slowly brought it to him. An Yi was so flattered that he didn't even dare to take it seriously. He quickly picked up the wine bottle and poured it for Li Zongren to express his gratitude. As a result, Li Zongren's colonel
The adjutant grabbed the bottle and whispered to An Yi to sit down and let him be the bartender for the generals.
Li Zongren saw that An Yi was slightly worried about the possible punishment but quickly let go. He secretly applauded An Yi's calmness and open-mindedness. After thinking about it, he immediately brought the topic to the upcoming battle of Xuzhou and said
After a few words, a major general's staff member hurriedly arrived and handed a telegram to Li Zongren. After Li Zongren read it, he waved his hand before saluting and leaving.
Li Zongren's face flushed, and he handed the message to the concerned Bai Chongxi. He turned to Chief of Staff Wang Yingyu and whispered a few words. The surprise on Wang Yingyu's face disappeared. He stood up and politely said goodbye to An Yi, saying that he had urgent military matters.
After processing, An Yi stood up quickly, shook hands politely and thanked him.
After reading the telegram, Bai Chongxi handed it to An Yi with a heavy look on his face: "This is an urgent telegram from the left-behind department of the Seventh Army in Hankou. Take a look. What you said last night finally came into effect. Japanese warships bombarded the Northern Expeditionary Army in Hankou.
The camp was bombed, killing and wounding more than a dozen soldiers. Wuhan is now in a state of turmoil and panic. It is estimated that Mr. Wang and Commander Tang Mengxiao are seeking a diplomatic solution at this moment... Alas, the ambition of the Japanese pirates is clearly revealed!"
"How is that possible... This little Japanese is really a fucking mad dog, biting everyone he sees... Also, there are so many garrisons in Wuhan, how come they don't know how to fight back? I remember that the forts such as Phoenix Mountain are fully equipped, and as long as the order is given to fire,
,The Japanese invaders would never dare to be so rampant!"
An Yi calmed down after reading the telegram and gently placed it in front of Bai Chongxi: "If it is really the subordinate who caused this result, I have a clear conscience and even thinks that this is a good thing, which will make more people recognize it."
Understanding the true face of small Japan will enable us to prepare for the upcoming war between China and Japan in all aspects earlier."
Li Zongren shook his head slightly: "An Yi, I basically agree with your judgment that the Japanese army may launch a full-scale invasion in the future, and I also believe that the day when a full-scale war between the two countries will eventually come, but I completely disagree with what you said will come soon.
This conjecture.
Judging from the current international and domestic situation, even if the Japanese have such military strength, they will never dare to risk offending the European and American powers to go to war with China without permission. The European and American powers will never allow Japan to do this because it infringes upon the rights of the world.
In the interests of most countries, they will never allow a piece of the big cake to be shared by the Japanese alone, and they will definitely impose restrictions.
I think that within a few years, the Japanese will at most be able to stir up trouble in the three eastern provinces, Chahar, Suiyuan and other northern regions, but will not be able to carry out substantive aggression against our Central Plains, the Yangtze River Basin and other areas. The power of the League of Nations is
Gradually growing, it is particularly worth mentioning that the United States, which represents democratic forces, is getting stronger and stronger. They absolutely do not agree with the Japanese invasion of China and harm the interests of Europe and the United States in China, and will definitely try their best to restrict Japan.
Therefore, your worries will not happen within a few years. Maybe you are too pessimistic because of your patriotic heart."
The attentive Bai Chongxi saw the disappointment in An Yi's eyes, and immediately asked: "An Yi, do you still have a different view? I think General De Lin's words are very reasonable. There is absolutely no reason for Britain, France, the United States and other powers to let this go.
Ignore Japan’s aggression!”
An Yi took a deep breath and pondered for a moment without answering, but asked the question from another angle:
"Chief Li, Chief Bai, according to the information obtained by their subordinates in Nanjing, Chief Huang Shaohong is responsible for planning Guangxi's ten-year economic development plan. He has begun vigorous construction of roads in northwest Guangxi and is preparing for large-scale tungsten and tin mines.
Government mining has become a hot topic among the upper echelons of Nanjing. It is generally believed that Guangxi started early.
They all envy Guangxi's stability and good development prospects. Some people think that this is preparations made by the soldiers of the Seventh Army in the rear of Guangxi for opium smuggling. The reason is that Guangxi, a poor and mountainous area, can support a powerful military of up to 80,000 people.
Strength has always been related to the opium smuggling cooperation carried out by Guizhou and Yunnan.
However, there is something puzzling to my subordinates here, that is, Guangxi's rich mineral resources must always be exported. To export, they have to go through the Qinzhou and Lianzhou areas controlled by the Guangdong army, because Guangxi does not have the geographical advantage of the coast. If the Gui army
There was a conflict with the Guangdong army
, what should we do if our access to the sea is cut off? Furthermore, if China and Japan go to war, and the Japanese army uses its powerful navy to blockade the coast of Guangdong, what are you going to do, sir? Do you want to be like Long Yun and others in Yunnan, paying money to the French to escape from the sea?
Shipping out of Vietnam?”
Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi looked at each other. They did not expect that An Yi would ask such a question, and it hit the key points of Guangxi's economic development. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were so surprised that they had to brace themselves to face it.
Although the two of them could not answer the question of An Yi, a junior major general and commander, Li Zongren still answered very steadily while trying his best to get An Yi to join his camp:
"I really didn't expect General An to have such a unique vision for economic development. It is indeed very rare to be able to see the weaknesses of Guangxi at a glance! Yes, the question you asked is exactly what we are worried about. Due to the complexity of the garrison in Guangdong,
The Yunnan Army, the Hunan Army, and the government forces all occupied the area and were unwilling to leave, causing considerable psychological conflict among the officers and soldiers of the Guangdong Army. However, this is a problem left over from history. No local government can solve it, but it does have a great impact on our Guangxi.
Economic development and social construction are extremely unfavorable.
At present, we can only conduct trade through Wuzhou, the only port for the time being, which is a last resort. However, I can tell you responsibly that Qinzhou, an outlet that is highly valued by Mr. Zhongshan, has been included in our next development and construction
plan, this plan has also received strong support from Guangdong.
Since ancient times, the brothers of Guangdong and Guangxi have been united as one, and there is no distinction between you and me. As long as there is proper coordination, conflicts can be avoided. Of course, if it is blocked by Japanese warships, it will be uncontrollable. However, at least in
In ten years we will not have such worries, and the Japanese will not be able to invade Guangdong and Guangxi. In ten years, we will develop and grow, and we may not even have a navy by then. I am afraid that General An is too worried."
"This view of the general is what worries his subordinates the most, because the general, like our President Chiang, Wang Jingwei and other high-level officials of the Wuhan government, has not correctly treated the rapidly expanding ambitions of the Japanese. From the unscrupulous bombardment of Hankou by Japanese warships an hour ago,
You can see from the revolutionary army camp that once the Japanese go crazy, there is nothing they dare not do.
In order to delay the advance of our Northern Expeditionary Army, they asked the reactionary warlords Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang who had surrendered to them to block us in the Yangtze River Basin. They would interfere at all costs, using warships and garrison troops to put pressure on our Northern Expeditionary Army, and constantly
Provoke all kinds of troubles and find all kinds of excuses to attack us.
The British are also in the same group. Under the traitorous promises of Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang, the British have continued to cause incidents in the waters of the Yangtze River. However, our upper class always accepts them and goes to appease others after being beaten until their faces are swollen. They swallow their anger and complain about others.
, if this continues, it will quickly lose the support of the people, especially the support of young students and intellectuals who are a minority in the population but have great potential.
In this way, the current ideological confrontation will turn to military confrontation, which is very dangerous. If we do not attract the attention of the two officers and upper-level leaders, adjust foreign relations and make military preparations, we will allow the great powers to run rampant and do whatever they want on our soil.
, it is very likely that unexpected turmoil or division will occur in the near future... What I mean is that trouble will cause Xiaoqiang and the civil war will continue." An Yi expressed his worries seriously.
Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi looked at each other, thought for a moment, turned to An Yi, and asked in a low voice: "Are you talking about the Kuomintang and the Communist Party?"
"Yes, I am very worried. I feel very sad when I think of the day when thousands of Huangpu comrades will fight with swords and guns. Even though the Communist Party does not have an army now, the power of faith is extremely huge. As long as the Communist Party gets
With the support of the people, even if the Kuomintang has more troops and better weapons and equipment, it is useless. Moreover, it must always be on guard against imperialism to take advantage of the situation. The future of the country and the nation is worrying!
If we really get to that point, what should I do? Let the Japanese invaders make trouble, but lead my own army to fight against my brothers?" An Yi said this with a heavy look on his face.
Bai Chongxi lowered his face and said in a low voice: "These are all invisible things. Are you really overthinking it? If such a day comes, I hope you will not forget that you are a soldier and it is your bounden duty to obey orders.
You have always done a good job and are more like a pure soldier than your brothers. Although you were ostracized everywhere in the First Army, it did not affect your desire to serve the country. This is what we value most about you.
place.
I have always believed that an outstanding soldier like you should have a bigger stage instead of succumbing to a small division commander position like now. This will not only seriously affect your development, but also be a loss to the revolutionary army.
Let’s not talk about the matter at hand. Based on my understanding of the Nanjing Party Headquarters and Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek, it is very likely that you will be investigated and punished within three days. Can you stay in the army?
It's hard to say, after all, what you said last night
The impact has been too great. Although both of us can understand your feelings and see your pure heart, the Nanjing central government will not consider your good intentions, let alone your concern for the country and the people.
Heart, you have to be mentally prepared."
An Yi stood up straight in surprise: "Being fired from the army...isn't that serious?"
"Everything is possible! In order to appease the anger of the Japanese, they may do anything. The political field is much more complicated than the military, and in many cases is more dangerous and dark. I know this very well, so you have to do
Prepare for the worst, and the two of us will try our best to convince the upper management of Nanjing for you. The war is very tense now, and the Battle of Xuzhou, which is very critical for our Northern Expeditionary Army, is imminent. We don't want to see you get hit." Li Zongren is sincere.
said.
An Yi stayed for a while, picked up the glass and drank it all, shook his head and said sadly: "If the situation is really so bad, I might as well just disband and return to work, and simply go back to be a businessman and make a lot of money."
Bai Chongxi laughed: "Don't say such depressing words, are you really willing to leave the army? Are you willing to leave the model battalion and the invincible independent division that you single-handedly led? Are you willing to give up your beliefs and talents to become an ordinary businessman?"
An Yi forced a smile and sighed longly: "There is nothing you can do if you don't want to let go! In this world... Thank you for the fine wine and hospitality, sir. I will bear it in my heart. I hope you can allow me to say goodbye. I want to leave before I am dismissed.
After conquering Sixian County and Lingbi, I can do whatever you want with it!"
Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi stood up slowly, looking at the sad An Yi with concern and saying nothing. An Yi respectfully saluted and thanked him, and walked out of the military camp accompanied by Bai Chongxi.
Li Zongren, who was standing there, looked at An Yi's depressed back, with an imperceptible smile in his eyes.