Chapter 300 Invitation Letter from Friendly Forces
An Yi, Yin Jinan, and Hu Jialin followed Shen Fengdao to the backyard of the division headquarters. From a distance, they saw Li Meisheng, a young doctor, kneeling down and crying in front of a temporary incense table. On the incense table was a tablet that seemed to have just been written. A plate of fruit and three small wine glasses were neatly arranged in front of a square sandalwood box, and the weak flames of a pair of white candles swayed in the wind.
The brothers looked at each other for a moment and came gently behind Xiao Langzhong. An Yi saw clearly what was written on the tablet and knew that Xiao Langzhong was paying homage to his father, so he stepped forward and took out nine sticks of incense and lit it close to the flame.
The young man with a white cloth wrapped around his head clearly saw that it was An Yi and the others. He quickly knelt to the left, knelt upright and bowed deeply to salute.
An Yi, Yin Jinan, and Hu Jialin lit incense, knelt down on one leg, kowtowed respectfully to the tablet three times, and then inserted incense. The young man kowtowed to the three officers one by one to express his gratitude, and his forehead made a thumping sound on the ground. , Hearing An Yi's heart filled with emotion, he quickly stepped forward to help him up and told him to express his condolences.
The young doctor nodded, and when he saw Shen Fengdao being the last to offer incense to his father, he quickly stepped forward and knelt down:
"Disciple thanks Master for his great kindness. I will definitely follow Master in this life to repay Master's kindness!"
Shen Fengdao hesitated for a moment, then calmly put in the nine-stick incense, slowly turned to the young doctor and gently helped him up: "Mei Sheng, it's inappropriate for you to call me master. We can learn from each other in terms of medical skills. There is no need to call me master. I don’t want you to follow me all your life. You and I are like brothers. When I was seriously injured, didn’t I accept your care and treatment? You shouldn’t be so open-minded."
"No! If the master hadn't traveled thousands of miles to get the head of his enemy, I don't know how long in this life I would be able to avenge the death of my father. Even if I work hard all my life, I still can't repay the kindness of the master. I beg the master to accept him as a disciple. !" The young man struggled and knelt down again.
An Yi on the side shook his head, and Huzi stepped forward to open the sandalwood box and saw a huge head placed upright in the box. The whole head was cushioned by a thick layer of antiseptic lime and a handful of unknown dead herbs. , his eyes were still wide open and his face had not changed color. He couldn't help but admire Shen Fengdao's method of cutting off the head and bringing it here from Changde, Hunan.
An Yi did not comment on the young doctor's apprenticeship and Shen Fengdao's rejection. Instead, he walked to the incense table, took a look at the fat head in the box, squatted down, picked up a stack of paper money, slowly spread it out, and burned each one. stand up.
Yin Jinan added wine to the three small cups for the memorial ceremony, and squatted beside An Yi to hand out paper money together. Huzi soon joined in, and no one interfered with the affairs of Shen Fengdao and Xiao Langzhong.
In the end, Shen Fengdao couldn't defeat the stubborn young doctor, and finally agreed to accept this disciple who was already quite skilled in traditional Chinese medicine. However, Shen Fengdao told the young doctor very clearly: It is okay to teach him medical skills, but he will never teach him martial arts. .Unexpectedly, the young man immediately knelt down, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times in front of his father's memorial tablet to complete the apprenticeship ceremony, and respectfully called him master, not caring whether Shen Fengdao did not teach him martial arts.
After burying the head and removing the incense table, the ceremony was over. The young man's pale face finally had a look of relief. The hatred he had felt day and night for more than a year seemed to have dissipated. After the great feud was over, he There is no longer a heavy psychological burden, and having a skilled master means that the wandering prodigal has a relative, and is no longer depressed and lonely.
The young man was grateful to Shen Fengdao, An Yi, and Yin Jinan and Hu Hu, brothers who had deep affection and trust in him. Therefore, from the moment he lit the memorial incense candle, he knew how to repay his kindness, and his mind was full of loyalty, filial piety, etiquette, and righteousness. Li Meisheng made an important decision in his life - to live with these teachers and brothers for the rest of his life, to follow them all his life and never leave them!
An Yi and Hu Hu chatted while walking back to the division headquarters. Chen Zhibiao, the commander of the Second Regiment who had just returned to the station in the morning, was sitting in the hall, chatting relaxedly with Zhan Huanqi and others. An Yi knew that he must have something to do when he came, so he walked to sit next to him Xia looked at the commander of his subordinates who didn't talk much but was very brave with a smile.
Chen Zhibiao quickly stood up and saluted, took out an invitation from his pocket, and handed it to An Yi with both hands: "Master, this is from Commander Hu Zongduo of the Second Division of the Seventh Army stationed next to us, who personally asked his subordinates to deliver it to him. Commander Hu Master, please go to his residence, Dahu Town, for a banquet at noon tomorrow."
"Oh? Chief Hu is so elegant that he personally rushed to your regiment headquarters to deliver the letter?" An Yi asked with a smile after reading the invitation.
"Yes, my subordinates just returned to the regiment headquarters at the station after the meeting and saw Chief Hu waiting on the platform. Our division went to Xuzhou to purchase supplies and transport the seized supplies into Xuzhou. Both land and water lines had to pass through. Since they entered Commander Hu's defense area, the brothers of the Second Division of the Seventh Army have been quite polite to my officers and soldiers of the Independent Division." Chen Zhibiao replied.
An Yi thought for a while and nodded vigorously: "Okay! Zhibiao, you can accompany me to the banquet tomorrow. Chief Hu is also an old acquaintance of ours. We even attacked Wuchang for him." As for the long ladder of the city, it seems that he is very nostalgic, and there is a legend in the army that among the generals of the Gui Army, Chief Hu Zongduo's military ability is very outstanding. Only General Li Mingrui, a fierce general of the Gui Army, can compare with him. Let's go and ask for advice. That’s fine.”
Chen Zhibiao happily agreed: "Master, if you have nothing to do, I will leave now. I have to hold a meeting when I get back to implement the spirit of the division meeting."
"Okay, you can go back. I will arrive at your regiment headquarters on time at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
An Yi stood up and sent Chen Zhibiao out of the door. When he came back, he sat down and whispered to Huzi, who was smoking: "Huzi, why do you think Chief Hu of the Seventh Army invited me to drink?"
Hu Jialin put down the document in his hand: "It's hard to say, but the two armies have been adjacent to each other for almost ten days, and it is normal for them to interact with each other. It's just that I don't understand why the two divisions of the powerful Seventh Army did not go north to Lunan. ?Aren’t General Wang Tianpei’s two divisions resting and recuperating inside and outside Xuzhou? In terms of defense, it should be said that there is absolutely no problem. What are they waiting for?”
An Yi walked to the map and carefully checked the progress of the divisions of the Third Route Army. Hu Jialin also followed. The two of them gestured for a while. An Yi suddenly asked loudly: "Huanqi, what's going on with the Third Route Army in the past two days?" ?”
"General Bai Wenwei's 33rd Army and General Ma Xiangbin's temporary 11th Army are still on the line of Peixian and Fengxian, and have not yet launched an attack on Yutai and Jinxiang. A division of General Xia Wei's Seventh Army has moved to defend Dangshan. , the rest of the departments are the same as yesterday, no movement was seen."
After Zhan Huanqi finished speaking, he saw An Yi turning to the map and added: "The radio station received a message from General Feng Yuxiang to the whole country an hour ago. He called on Wuhan and Nanjing to unite sincerely and continue to complete the great cause of the Northern Expedition."
An Yi raised half of his hand and stopped in the air, turned around slowly, and nodded slightly: "It seems that Wang Jingwei and Tang Shengzhi failed to persuade Feng Yuxiang to form an alliance with them. Wang Jingwei and others may have left Zhengzhou and returned to Wuhan.
, Otherwise, General Feng Yuxiang will definitely not attack at this time
He sent out such a high-profile telegram to the whole country. There are only two reasons why he did this. First, to tell the world that he was a revolutionary who advocated unity and was determined for the Northern Expedition. Second, it was probably General Feng Yuxiang who publicly conveyed a message to the Nanjing government.
The information is that he has not formed an alliance with Wuhan.
This news is very important, and it may indicate that Wuhan will make a series of changes... Huanqi, send a telegram to the old Nanchang base, asking them to collect a large amount of news from Wuhan starting today, especially declarations, announcements and
Publicly released news and information can be sent to us at any time.”
"Yes!" Zhan Huanqi nodded and walked towards the confidential room.
Hu Jialin asked: "Are you worried that Wuhan will give up the Northern Expedition and return to Wuhan?"
"It's very possible, otherwise General Feng Yuxiang wouldn't need to call for the continuation of the Northern Expedition. You see..."
An Yi turned to the map, raised his baton and expressed his judgment in detail: "Our First Route Army made rapid progress under the command of Commander He. After the five divisions eliminated the remaining enemies in northern Jiangsu, they immediately pressed to the east from Zhu Zhu in the west to the south of Taierzhuang.
area, fighting is ongoing with the coalition forces of Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang in three sections of the eastern front
; Two armies and one division of the Second Route Army commanded by General Bai Chongxi advanced northward along the southern and southwest roads of Taierzhuang, forcing Zhang Zongchang to retreat in large strides; Chief Li Zongren's Third Route Army steadily advanced along the east and west banks of Weishan Lake.
Playing it safe, I have been stagnant for the past two days, most likely to wait and see what happens in Henan.
It can be said that our three route armies advanced in tandem, and the strong pressure formed by the entire front made the Japanese anxious. There was no sign or any reason to think that our Nanjing army would no longer continue the Northern Expedition, or would stop the Northern Expedition. General Feng Yuxiang, a wily general,
The speculators obviously had something to say, and those who did not continue the Northern Expedition must be the Wuhan team.
If the Wuhan side is stationed in Zhengzhou, and the Kaifeng front-line troops continue to push into the north bank of the Yellow River, do you think Feng Yuxiang would be so stupid as to watch the two armies' Northern Expedition and still call for the continuation of the Northern Expedition?"
Hu Jialin nodded in relief: "It makes sense, it makes sense... But do you think Wuhan is willing to give up the large territory in Henan that it has worked so hard to acquire to Feng Yuxiang?"
"This is also where I feel confused. Logically speaking, no one is willing to do such stupid things, but there are two situations that have to attract our attention.
First, due to the economic blockade carried out by the European and American powers and our Nanjing side for more than three months, Wuhan's military and government ministries have doubled in size during these three months. They are already facing a serious financial crisis. From Hubei
, the prices have doubled in Hunan and the opium prices are getting higher and higher along the coast, we
We can see the effect of this economic blockade; secondly, the Sichuan warlord Yang Sen has just been driven out of western Hubei by the Wuhan army. It is difficult to guarantee that other Sichuan warlords and Guizhou warlords will not go eastward along the Yangtze River and continue to send troops to attack Wuhan and Hunan, because we
Commander-in-chief Chiang Kai-shek has plenty of money. As long as he is willing to pay him, the warlords don't care who you fight.
But what Wuhan's army lacks now is money. If the two lakes become a battlefield, they don't have any taxes. How can they support as many as 250,000 troops? Even if there is no war, it will cost more than 100,000 or 200,000 for a day.
Yuan Lai supports so many troops and officials. If the two lakes are not protected, where will they get the money? In this case, what would I do if it were you?"
An Yi's thinking becomes clearer and clearer, and his vision becomes broader.
Hu Jialin smiled sincerely and said: "After your reminder, I finally understood! Speaking of which, General Li Zongren's defense area is on the edge of the Wuhan army. He has not moved his troops these days, probably because he wants to release him.
Changes in Wuhan."
An Yi nodded: "I think so too. Judging from General Li Zongren's previous battle methods and command, he is a very cautious person. But judging from the current situation, Wuhan will not be stupid enough to attack General Li Zongren.
The troops, General Li Zongren has always maintained a very good relationship with the armies, we left the Yangtze River North
For example, General Li Zongren personally went to Jiujiang to persuade General Zhu Peide to adopt neutrality. When Ninghan split, had General Li Zongren not been resolutely anti-communist, he would never have been ostracized by Wuhan, and General Li Zongren would not have joined the Nanjing government.
, so far, General Li Zongren is still wavering and unwilling to take a stand.
The day before yesterday, after Wang Jingwei and Feng Yuxiang met, they jointly issued a statement restricting the activities of the Communist Party. This eliminated the essential differences between General Li Zongren and the Wuhan authorities. Wang Jingwei, Tang Shengzhi, Zhang Fakui and others were not representatives of workers and farmers at all.
, to put it harshly, they are all using Mr. Zhongshan’s name to unite with Russia, unite with the Communist Party, and assist
Speculative politicians and warlords who use the power of the Communist Party to achieve their own goals of rule under the banner of helping workers and peasants cannot be willing to let the Communist Party take a share of their government and military. The contradiction between the two sides will eventually be triggered.
This can be clearly seen in the sudden change of attitude of Wang Jingwei, a thoroughgoing revolutionary.
In this way, they are no different from General Li Zongren. Enemies can turn into friends in a blink of an eye, and friends can turn into enemies in a blink of an eye. We have seen this kind of thing since the Northern Expedition."
"It's scary to hear you say that. If the team around us is like this, it will be a headache!" Hu Jialin looked at An Yi worriedly.
An Yi smiled and said: "It shouldn't be so soon. Won't the principal come to Xuzhou for inspection the day after tomorrow? I'll ask him about it then. If there are any hidden dangers, we can take precautions in advance.
What I don't understand now is why General Hu Zongduo invited me to drink at this time? Strictly speaking, I have no connection with him. The first time we met was when we met him together at the gate of Wuchang City."
"Are you trying to draw you into General Li Zongren's camp like Li Zhifan did last time?" Hu Jialin asked.
An Yi answered truthfully: "I don't know, but it is possible. Of course, it is also possible that we are too concerned about it. I don't know for sure. I don't know how the incident about Adjutant Li last time was known to the principal. Fortunately, I didn't know it at all."
The principal did not pursue those thoughts.
To be honest, although General Li Zongren is a very outstanding commander, he is far from the level of a principal, at least in terms of political ability. In addition, the management methods and training methods of the troops he commands are incompatible with ours. Even if
He did it
The emperor has no use for us. He is a military commander and sent us away. But once he wants to become king and hegemon, he will definitely make enemies everywhere. With his experience, he will not be recognized by the Kuomintang at all, let alone
Not to mention the Communist Party, which has a deep hatred against him."
Hu Jialin said with a smile: "It seems that you have already figured it out, okay! You can go tomorrow to find out the news. I heard that Hu Zongduo was Commander Bai's senior brother when he was in Baoding Military Academy. Commander Bai took him there when he unified Guangxi.
He and Tao Jun, several old classmates from Hubei Province, have been invited to help. I guess he also has the trust of Chief Li Zongren, and he must know more about anything than others."
"It's just a drink. I'll be back after finishing it. You and Jinan should be more careful these two days. I'm worried that the principal will come back to our defense area on a whim. Security and defense area vigilance must be carried out in advance to make sure no mistakes are made."