An Yi rushed to the door of the conference room of the office and was politely greeting a group of wise men from all walks of life. Shi Pufang, a confidential staff officer, drove over and reported in a low voice:
"The Sixteenth Division urgently reported that the main force of Zhang Fakui's Fourth Division suddenly retreated to Yesanguan overnight. The special team that has been monitoring the main force of the Fourth Division analyzed it and found that Zhang Fakui's main force seemed to be hesitating to go east or south."
"The Fourth Division has arrived at Yesan Pass? What is going on? Is there a telegram asking for instructions before retreating?" An Yi was shocked. Fortunately, Zhang Fakui's troops had not been transferred out of the war zone, otherwise he would be charged with arbitrarily mobilizing troops.
"No, do you want to call General Wu Shang of the 52nd Division and General Fan Xiaoquan of the Temporary 5th Division immediately to find out where they are now?" Shi Pufang asked.
An Yi nodded: "The sooner the better, call General Zhang Fakui in my name and ask, remember to be polite. In addition, inform Jinan and order the Wu Liheng Brigade stationed in Yidu to immediately enter a state of combat readiness, and order the Wu Liheng Brigade stationed in Huanghua Town to enter a state of combat readiness immediately.
The two regiments of Cheng Junhua Brigade are ready to go out at any time.
If I guess correctly, Wang Jingwei, who has returned to China with high profile in the past two days to electrify Hong Kong and establish a new central government, may have contacted his old partner Zhang Fakui... Alas! The progress of the radio technology team at our old Nanchang base is still too slow. So far,
Still haven't been able to decipher the radio contact codes of several companies..."
"My subordinates will do it now. However, what if all three divisions evacuate western Hubei and He Long's troops follow? Should we send troops to Enshi to consolidate defense?" Shi Pufang asked thoughtfully.
An Yi thought for a moment: "No! Don't go. It doesn't matter if you lose the favor. It's not our fault. If the central government and the commander-in-chief blame it, it can only be blamed on Zhang Fakui. You don't have to think so much. I have my own arrangements for other things."
, go ahead.”
"yes!"
An Yi walked up to a group of officials from the Office and representatives from all walks of life, and said apologetically that there was an urgent military situation that needed to be dealt with immediately. With a sigh of regret, he solemnly promised to the Director of Education, the Director of Construction, the Principal of the Girls' Middle School, and others that the situation would be resolved within three days.
150,000 yuan was squeezed out of the military expenses of the camp to support the expansion of the Girls' Middle School into a women's normal school and the construction of a second middle school. In addition, the engineering corps of the Garrison Command was responsible for the expansion of Xuefu Road and the construction of new drainage ditches. All costs were also borne by the camp.
.
Seeing that the purpose of the trip had been achieved, a group of old masters quickly thanked and sent each other off warmly. They looked at the car going away, shook their heads and said that General An was a really cheerful person.
Returning to the headquarters, An Yi immediately asked the munitions staff whether the ammunition and materials issued to the ministries had been shipped? Zeng Changgeng, the munitions staff, quickly replied:
"The first batch of allocated materials is being loaded on the ship and will be sent to Enshi via Qingjiang at noon. The weapons, ammunition and various materials for other divisions have also been prepared and will be within two days..."
"Okay, Chang Geng! Just leave without paying. Zhang Fakui and Wu Shang are likely to launch a mutiny. You immediately order the dock station to stop loading ships and stop all supplies from the warehouse. All ministries will also suspend the payment of military pay this month and wait for my order.
." An Yi interrupted Zeng Changgeng and gave the order directly.
"yes!"
Zeng Changgeng was extremely shocked and left quickly.
"Report!"
Operations Staff Officer Liang Zhenyu strode from the confidential room: "The General Staff Headquarters urgently sent a message to the public. Wang Jingwei, together with the party reorganization faction that broke away from the government, sent a message to the whole country. They opposed the leadership of the central government and did not recognize the legitimacy of the Nanjing government. They announced the establishment of a preparatory committee to establish a new central committee.
In Guangzhou, we were ordered to immediately monitor Zhang Fakui's 4th Division to strictly prevent the division from rebelling. In addition, in order to strengthen the defense of western Hubei, General Cao Wanshun led the new 1st Division to come all the way and will arrive in Yichang tomorrow afternoon."
"It seems that Zhang Fakui has rebelled, otherwise there would be no need to transfer the newly reorganized 1st Division to make up the numbers. The central government's current military strength is stretched..."
An Yi shook his head slightly and returned the message to Liang Zhenyu: "Where is Pu Fang?"
"Just after sending a few telegrams, Pu Fang said that he had a stomachache and went to the health team to get medicine. It's okay for my little brother to take over for him for a while." Liang Zhenyu replied.
An Yi nodded: "Have the three generals Zhang Fakui, Wu Shang, and Fan Xiaoquan called back?"
"Not yet, my subordinate will go check it out right away." Liang Zhenyu stood up and said goodbye and returned to the confidential room.
An Yi walked to the large map, waved his hands to push away the two staff officers, opened the thick green curtain himself, stood in front of the map and carefully observed the traffic routes in the Yesanguan area, Shen Fengdao walked to An Yi's side and whispered together Discuss and determine what Zhang Fakui wants to do next? Will Wu Shang and Zhang Fakui become one and the same?
Ten o'clock in the morning, Yesanguan Tianjingping.
Zhang Fakui, his deputy division commander Zhu Huiri, brigade commanders Xie Yingbai, Huang Zhenqiu, Wu Qiwei and more than ten deputy brigade commanders gathered under a big tree and had a heated debate on whether Zhang Fakui proposed to withdraw eastward or southward.
Xie Yingbai and Wu Qiwei advocated taking the eastern front with flat roads and short distances, on the grounds that the Sixteenth Division would never dare to do anything to their 20,000-strong army; Zhu Huiri and Huang Zhenqiu strongly opposed it, arguing that in order to avoid possible conflicts, To avoid unnecessary losses, it would be a safe move to go all the way south via Hefeng and Shimen. The four of them were arguing, each with their own reasons. The louder they became, the louder they became. More than a dozen generals watched helplessly, and no one dared to express their opinions easily. .
Zhang Fakui, who was sitting on the root of a large protruding tree, had a gloomy face. When he saw his subordinates making a lot of noise, he finally couldn't help shouting loudly: "Stop arguing! Are you being ridiculous? There are brothers on all sides, so you don't have to worry about affecting morale? Qingyun, You say it first!"
Wu Qiwei, who graduated from the sixth phase of Baoding, was the chief of staff of Huang Qixiang of the 36th Regiment of the Fourth Army. He fought side by side with An Yi in the Battle of Tingsi Bridge. He was a brave and resolute general. Although he was very polite to An Yi, he looked down upon him. Except for the independent division stationed in the Liuhe Camp in Nanjing, the other divisions of Yin Jinan's Sixteenth Division were completely out of his sight, so he expressed his thoughts very confidently:
"Military seat, brothers and sisters, more than 200,000 yuan in military salary will be distributed this month. The military seat went to a meeting four days ago to get the approval of 300,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,000 rounds of mortar shells, 200 supplementary firearms and 5,000 pairs. We didn’t even get military shoes, so why should we give up what we got?
We can march to Yichang as openly as possible, ask An Yi to get military pay and supplies, and then transfer to Yidu to go south. With An Yi's friendship with our Guangdong army, can he not give it to us? What are we afraid of? Yin Jinan's Sixteenth Division dares to attack us How about 20,000 troops?”
Zhu Huiri rolled his eyes and shook his head repeatedly. Before Zhang Fakui asked him to speak, he objected loudly: "Brother Qingyun, why are you still talking about the old almanac? An Yi is no longer the easy-to-talk little model camp commander before. ! Times have changed and things are different now. Do you think that he was promoted to lieutenant general and camp director for nothing? Although this guy is young, he is decisive and cruel. He dared to shoot his deputy commander in front of tens of thousands of soldiers. , Dare to kill an entire division of the Anhui Army without leaving a single person alive. Looking at the entire army, how many can compare to this ruthlessness?
It was no joke for the Central Military Commission to call him a smiling tiger behind his back. Now that our army suddenly left the battlefield without notifying him in advance, as the battalion director, how can he not be annoyed? Brother Zhaomin and Chief Xu and other party elders have already been in Hong Kong and
Chiang Kai-shek openly challenged us. What if Chiang Kai-shek secretly ordered him to play dirty tricks and lure us to Yichang, and then command three divisions to suddenly launch an attack?
Yes, we have 20,000 soldiers, but Yin Jinan's 16th Division alone has 32,000 soldiers. In addition, we don't count the more than 10,000 soldiers of Fan Xiaoquan's tribe who have fallen out with us, and Wu Shangjiu, who is unjust for profit.
With more than a thousand people, are we sure we can defeat them?
Our relationship with An Yi is different now. We used to be under the command of Mr. Ren. He is Mr. Ren’s student and nephew, and we have a good relationship with brother Yu Xing (also known as Huang Qixiang). But since we parted ways with Mr. Ren, our relationship has changed.
That has changed. Given the close relationship between Mr. Ren and An Yi, An Yi did not try his best to get Mr. Ren to be released, let alone us!"
Zhu Huiri made his words clear and immediately won the support of most generals. Everyone knew that his soldiers were exhausted from marching for days and were in short supply of ammunition. If they really took the risk of heading east for a fight, how could they have strong men, strong horses, and well-equipped equipment?
And the opponent of the Sixteenth Division who is waiting for work?
Zhang Fakui saw that the generals' opinions were in favor of Zhu Huiri and Huang Zhenqiu, so he no longer hesitated and decisively ordered all ministries to extinguish the remaining fires and immediately sent his troops south. More than 20,000 soldiers immediately packed their bags and marched south, including 8,000 Guangxi soldiers who had just been recruited.
The mood was completely different. After being away from home for several years, I finally returned south. The joy in my heart was beyond words. Some officers and soldiers from Guizhou who could not hide their worries couldn't help but laugh out loud. They immediately received a scolding from the officers and soldiers from Guangdong. The tough Guiji
The officers and soldiers were not to be outdone, and there was a lively exchange between the two sides. There were endless shouts and curses with local characteristics such as "Lost that mother", "Baozi", "You are a loser" and so on.
Two hours later, two brigades of Wu Shang's 52nd Division and one brigade of Fan Shisheng, who fell behind the Fourth Division, retreated eastward without any scruples. The Red Army following them hesitated when they reached a fork in the road.
Although the Second Division and Fan Shisheng's troops were closer, they did not have artillery or baggage, and they took a relatively wide and flat road, so they retreated very quickly. Zhang Fakui's men left two hours early, but they carried artillery and baggage and walked again.
It's a rugged mountain road, so it's easier to catch up.
When the two regiment leaders were worrying about the direction of the pursuit, Chief of Staff Duan Dechang came on horseback surrounded by the guard company. After asking about the situation, he decisively decided to pursue Zhang Fakui's troops. He only needed to send a small team to take a detour through the mountain paths and notify Wufeng in advance.
By demolishing the wooden bridge in a cold shot, the Red Guards can drag Zhang Fakui's troops into the high mountains at the junction of Hunan and Hubei, and they will have a better chance of achieving greater results.
At 12 noon, Yichang Yiling Camp Headquarters.
An Yi received a call back from Wu Shang, and a stone finally fell to the ground in his heart. Wu Shang, who was afraid of withdrawing his troops without authorization and taking the blame, finally put away his anxiety under An Yi's repeated comfort, saying that he would strictly abide by the order and immediately withdraw the troops.
The two divisions stayed in Changyang to rest and recuperate, and they immediately set off for Yichang.
Fan Shisheng's brigade retreated to Gaojiayan under An Yi's order. Fan Shisheng also said that he would rush to Yichang immediately to attend the emergency meeting.
"Call the headquarters: Zhang Fakui's department refused to return the call and has now left without saying goodbye. They are all evacuating south to Hefeng. It can be concluded that the department has violated the order and left the post without authorization. An Yi." An Yi finally telegraphed the situation that he had verified repeatedly to the staff headquarters.
"yes!"
Shi Pufang handed the telegram to An Yi for signature, put her legs together strongly, saluted and left.
An Yi turned to Liang Zhenyu: "Zhenyu, inform Jinan and Lao Ding to closely monitor Zhang Fakui's march route and the Red Army's pursuit progress, and report any emergencies to our office at any time."
"yes!"
An Yi stood up and stretched, lit a cigarette, touched his growling belly and walked out the door. He saw Shen Fengdao and Lin Yaodong whispering under the big tree in front of the door, with strange smiles, and couldn't help but smile. Asked what was going on before.
Shen Fengdao replied in a low voice with an ambiguous expression: "Xiaojiu accidentally saw Staff Officer Shi driving to a grocery store on the main street to buy cigarettes. When he came back, he told me that it was a bit strange. The cigarettes in our headquarters are all specially supplied high-quality cigarettes. There are as many as three brands of varieties, and you can get them as soon as you finish smoking them. Who doesn’t have two packs in their pockets, so why go to the street to buy them? It’s probably because the lady selling cigarettes is pretty, and it’s not surprising that Staff Officer Shi has fallen in love with her!”
An Yi shrugged and smiled nonchalantly: "I guess I just finished smoking and left to eat."
Shen Fengdao and Xiaojiu said nothing and followed An Yi towards the backyard. Just after taking a few steps, An Yi's thoughts changed and he suddenly remembered that he heard about the CC Department's deployment of personnel everywhere at Gong Qian's house, and his heart trembled. He stopped and approached Xiaojiu, looked around, and asked in a low voice:
"When did you see Pu Fang going to buy cigarettes?"
"It was almost nine o'clock in the morning. As soon as I sent you back to the camp, I went to Ji Nan to get information. When I saw Staff Officer Shi going in to buy cigarettes, I didn't care and went directly to the headquarters of the 16th Division. I and Lao Ding visited some brothers. I drove back from the competition at about 11 o'clock, and saw Staff Shi's car parked in front of the grocery store. I felt strange, so I slowed down and took a look inside the store. The landlady smiled at Staff Shi, and she looked so handsome. It's very beautiful. I wanted to stop the car and go into the store to make a joke, but I saw a lot of people on the street and time was tight, so I came back directly. What's wrong, brother, is there something wrong?" Xiaojiu asked in confusion. .
"After nine o'clock, Liang Zhenyu said that Pu Fang had a stomachache and had gone to the health team to get medicine. Why did he appear in a grocery store? It's strange!"
An Yi shook his head, looked at the back door of the headquarters, pondered for a while, and then whispered: "Don't mention this matter again in the future, and you two must not show anything wrong. I'll leave it to Lao Ding." Come and deal with it, find out the matter before talking about it, if nothing happens, just pretend that nothing happened, and don't let Pu Fang get any misunderstanding."
"What if something happens?" Murderous intent flashed in Shen Fengdao's eyes.
An Yi replied sadly: "No matter what, this matter will be handled by me. Before my order, you two will act as if nothing happened, and you can't let Pu Fang notice anything. Do you understand?" ?”