Since August 3, Chiang Kai-shek's various suppression troops have achieved good results. The two divisions of the Sichuan Army Liu Xiang and the Jingxiang Security Commander Fan Shisheng's troops, who were badly beaten by He Long's Red Army, chased the Red Army to
The Honghu area was heavily surrounded; the Eastern Hubei Red Army Xu Xiangxiang seized the opportunity of the leaderless right army and suddenly attacked Wang Jun
The Third Army launched a surprise attack, but Wang Jun led his troops to pretend to retreat, allowing Chen Chengyi's column to find an opportunity to capture the Luoshan and Xuanhuadian front lines in one fell swoop, forcing the Red Army to retreat hastily and causing considerable losses;
They also went to predetermined positions one after another and successfully cut off the connection between the Jiangxi and Fujian Red Army and the Jiangxi and Anhui Red Army.
Speaking of Fan Shisheng's injury, it is quite interesting. During the siege of Helong's Red Army in Qianjiang more than ten days ago, Fan Shisheng followed his usual style, commanding two brigades to follow him at a distance, and did not launch a large-scale attack. In order to paralyze the various forces
All the way to suppress the troops, to avoid being labeled as "ineffective in suppressing the Red Bandits secretly", Fan Shisheng's troops continued to shoot and fire along the way, but
No one knew where he was going. Fan Shisheng never expected that he would be plotted by a company of commandos of the Red Army. This company was hidden at the edge of the resting point on the pursuit road of Fan Shisheng's troops. When Fan Shisheng's troops arrived at the stop in the evening,
While cooking, the two regiments being pursued in the south suddenly turned around and launched a fierce attack on Fan Shisheng's forward troops, attracting Fan Shisheng's troops.
The main force spread out to expand the defense area. As a result, the assault company lurking in the dense grass on the bank of the river suddenly launched an attack. Most of them were sent to attack the empty temporary headquarters of Fan Shisheng. At one point, they attacked outside the wall of the temporary headquarters. Fan Shisheng was under his command.
Under the cover of the adjutants and guards, they retreated. When they passed the small bridge in the north of the village, a dozen hand grenades suddenly flew out of the dense grass by the river.
The bomb killed many of Fan Shisheng's guards on the spot. Fan Shisheng was injured in the head under the timely cover of the adjutant who risked his life. The strong steel helmet presented by An Yi on his head was knocked several meters away by the shrapnel, but because of this,
However, Fan Shisheng's life was saved, except for leaving a trace of blood, and there was no serious problem. By the time other units arrived, the Red Army's assault company had disappeared.
After this battle, Fan Shisheng and his generals gritted their teeth and finally used all their strength to deal with He Long's Red Army. At the same time, they spent 50,000 yuan and ordered three brigades of steel helmets from the Xiangxi Arsenal in one go.
The officers and soldiers under his command were required to wear helmets. Violators would not only have their monthly pay deducted, but also have their opium and tobacco rationing canceled.
Chiang Kai-shek was deeply satisfied with the results of various campaigns in early August, but the turbulent political undercurrents made him always on guard and gave him a headache. On August 4, hundreds of Japanese aircraft suddenly flew over the Suizhong area.
Large-scale bombings were carried out, destroying more than 30 villages and towns, killing and injuring more than 2,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians.
Zhang Xueliang, the commander of the Northeast Army and chairman of the Peking Military and Political Commission, who deeply realized that the Japanese aggression could not be stopped by any peaceful means, requested the central government for two million yuan in funds at the end of the Peking Political Conference at the end of July. He once again requested the central government
Allocate 5 million military expenditures to prepare the army for war.
Zhang Xueliang's urgent message was sent to the Nanjing central government. Wang Jingwei, the dean of political affairs, unexpectedly made a public speech: Wang Jingwei mercilessly criticized Zhang Xueliang's non-resistance policy towards Japan, which resulted in the huge and wealthy Northeast and billions of wealth falling into Japanese hands.
, now not only do they not want to make progress, nor do they have any plans or actions to regain lost ground, but they have repeatedly asked the central government for huge sums of money and asked Zhang Xueliang to resign as a thank you to the people.
In order to show his fairness and generosity, Wang Jingwei also claimed that if Zhang Xueliang could recognize his mistakes, he, Wang Jingwei, would be willing to resign from all positions inside and outside the party, and accompany Zhang Xueliang to go abroad to inspect advanced governance concepts in various countries.
Wang Jingwei's public criticism immediately triggered the deep-seated wounds in the hearts of soldiers and civilians across the country. Sun Ke, the leader of the reorganization faction, and others also quickly stood up and held a special press conference in Shanghai to criticize Zhang Xueliang verbally and writtenly, demanding that Zhang Xueliang bear the historical responsibility for the loss of Northeast China.
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People from all walks of life across the country who were already very dissatisfied with Zhang Xueliang, who abandoned Northeast China and fled to Guanhai, once again issued an angry denunciation of Zhang Xueliang and the Northeast Army. Zhang Xueliang had to hold a domestic and foreign press conference to refute the rumors and declare his determination to regain the lost ground and defend his dignity.
Since many reporters had deep prejudices against Zhang Xueliang, the questions raised at the meeting became more and more sharp, causing Zhang Xueliang to lose control and burst into tears. The day after he hastily ended the press conference, he called the whole country and resigned from the Peking Military and Political Commission and all members of the military.
Position. A large number of still
The generals of the Northeast Army who were loyal to Zhang Xueliang were furious after hearing the news, and they criticized Wang Jingwei and the Nanjing central government one after another. Some generals even publicly stated that they would no longer accept the leadership of the Nanjing central government, which suddenly made the entire situation in North China extremely chaotic.
People are panicked.
The Japanese would not let go of this opportunity. They issued public statements in Tianjin and Shanghai respectively, condemning Zhang Xueliang for supporting the anti-government forces in Manchuria and other places, lashing out at Zhang Xueliang and the Northeast Army for providing weapons and ammunition to the anti-Japanese military forces, and announcing that they would support the anti-government armed forces in Manchuria and other places at any time.
Launched war revenge against Zhang Xueliang and the Northeast Army.
The Japanese threat once again aroused the anger of the entire Chinese people, but it also frightened some generals in the Northeast Army into panic. Under tremendous pressure from all aspects, Zhang Xueliang, who was already extremely guilty, finally fell ill and called Chiang Kai-shek again to request.
Resigned from his position in Peking and as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Wang Jingwei saw that Chiang Kai-shek still did not stand up and express his position for a week, so he once again tried to force the palace to retreat. On August 7, he suddenly issued a resignation statement, and then left Nanjing and walked east to Shanghai. Wang Jingwei's result
It was so powerful that it immediately threw the Nanjing central government, which was already full of factions and was suffering from internal and external troubles, into chaos, forcing Chiang Kai-shek, Lin Sen, Ju Zheng and other Kuomintang bosses to rush out to appease and retain Nanjing.
After repeated weighings, Chiang Kai-shek finally agreed that Zhang Xueliang should resign from the Central Military Commission and the Peking Military and Political Committee. However, he did not agree with Zhang Xueliang leaving the Northeastern Army to recuperate in Europe at this critical moment. He sincerely requested Zhang Xueliang not to be discouraged by the temporary setback and to reorganize the army as soon as possible.
He came to Japan with a plan and stated that he would do everything possible to provide strong support to Zhang Xueliang and the Northeast Army in terms of military expenditure and politics.
Zhang Xueliang received three consecutive "serious and thoughtful" telegrams from Chiang Kai-shek, and finally gave up the idea of going overseas for inspection. He slowly calmed down and faced the difficult situation, and stated that he would live or die with North China. As long as he was in Peking, Japan would not be able to
Encroaching on an inch of land in North China.
Chiang Kai-shek breathed a sigh of relief. If Zhang Xueliang left the Northeastern Army and went abroad at this time, the leaderless Northeastern Army would soon be defeated by the Japanese through various means such as coercion, inducement, and military strikes. North China, which was originally relatively stable, would soon be defeated.
Falling under the iron heel of the Japanese invaders in the blink of an eye, Zhang Xueliang and the Northeast Army will certainly become criminals in history, and he, the chairman of the Military Commission, will not be able to escape their involvement.
Late at night, everything was silent. The lights were brightly lit in the office of the Chairman of the Wuhan Camp. The exhausted Chiang Kai-shek was still immersed in writing at his desk. No one around him dared to disturb him at this time. Only the confidential attendant Deng Wenru received An Yi's message.
After sending the telegram, I had to bite the bullet and come in to report: "Principal, Junior Brother An has a secret report."
Chiang Kai-shek paused, put down the pen in his hand, and asked displeasedly: "Since returning from the front line in Bengbu, he has had nothing to do. He reports to the military academy every day and teaches one or two classes. That's it. He guards the door of his den and never leaves the house."
Aren't we living a happy life without opening the door? What secret information can he have at this time?"
"Reporting to the principal, Junior Brother An's secret report stated that an urgent call was sent from the Northeast Intelligence Station in the Fourth Hall. Several generals of the Northeast Army secretly met with officials from the Japanese intelligence agency. It contains the specific time, location, participants of the secret meeting, and other details.
"Deng Wenru saw that Chiang Kai-shek had no intention of accepting the secret report, so he quickly reported it verbally.
Upon hearing this, Chiang Kai-shek's face became extremely solemn. He took the telegram and browsed it in a hurry. After reading it, he put it down gently and fell into deep thought. After a while, he raised his head and asked Deng Wenru to record the telegram and reminded Zhang Xueliang to pay attention to the matter from the side. After speaking, he was quite worried.
said:
"Logically speaking, I cannot and should not interfere in the internal affairs of the Northeastern Army, especially when all parties are constantly fighting and the situation in North China is complicated and changing day by day. However, the situation is urgent and I can't do it without reminding Han Qing.
Otherwise, if what An Yi reports says, it will not only be Han Qing’s Northeastern Army that will be damaged, but also the entire army and the entire country.”
"Principal Mingjian! There is also a report from Junior Brother An here. Junior Brother An held a secret military meeting for two consecutive days. In addition to the general of the 24th Army stationed in southern Sichuan, the chief and deputy commander of the garrison force, and the chief of staff, the participants were the 44th Army of Western Hunan.
Deputy Army Commander General Zhang Cunzhuang and Commander of the 43rd Army in Western Guizhou, General Shi Zhen, both flew to Nanjing secretly, and together
Attended yesterday's military meeting, all participating generals have returned to their bases early this morning. Junior Brother An reported that the 24th Army has begun to study the Japanese army's tactics, the Kwantung Army and the various invading forces in China, and has begun to conduct targeted
Sexual training to prepare for the principal’s call at any time.” Deng Wenru presented the last telegram with both hands.
Chiang Kai-shek's eyes widened and he looked quite surprised: "A meeting? Also, the generals of three armies were involved? A few days ago, I called him and gave him a good warning, asking him to reflect on his mistakes and not to always give me
Causing trouble...why is he still in the mood to do this?"
Deng Wenru smiled and said: "Junior Brother An is becoming more and more low-key. Ever since he submitted the North China military analysis report to the principal at the end of last month, several students have known that Junior Brother An has been preparing for another possible Sino-Japanese war.
We are prepared, and now it seems that Junior Brother An has determined that there will be another war between China and Japan within a few months."
Chiang Kai-shek sighed: "Not only An Yi saw it, we all saw it, but the internal troubles are endless, why fight against the outside world? Although An Yi is smart, he just can't understand my good intentions! I asked him last time
He went to the right army to stabilize the morale of the army, but he was not good at it. As soon as he arrived at the front line, he caused everything to turn upside down. Mr. Hughes'
The British advisory group is still in Shanghai and has not returned. The impact is extremely bad. Do you think it will work if I don’t remove him from his post? Although the Right Army has won several consecutive victories, it will not last long without a commander-in-chief.
I have so many students, why don’t any of them take the lead and share my worries?"
Deng Wenru's face suddenly turned red: "Please punish the principal, the student is extremely guilty..."
"Why are you guilty? I don't blame you. What you do is different from An Yi and others. You specialize in military and party affairs, while they lead troops outside. It's different. Okay, put the message here." Chiang Kai-shek finished.
Conversations between teachers and students.
Deng Wenyi said goodbye in a low voice. When she walked out of the door, she saw Chen Lifu standing in front of him with a worried look on his face. He immediately smiled and politely stepped aside to let him go.
After Chen Lifu finished his report, he went in and closed the door. He came to Chiang Kai-shek and reported in a low voice: "Commissioner, the Investigation Bureau sent a secret report. A total of six military planes flew to Nanjing from various airports in the southwest in recent days. Investigation confirmed that there were 24 Army
More than a dozen generals arrived in Nanjing secretly, and after a secret meeting with Vice Minister An Yi, they left by plane this morning. Their subordinates believed that General An would have no objections, but they had not received any notification from General An about this matter before.
Therefore, I did not dare to neglect, and after receiving the secret report, I came directly to the committee to report."
Chiang Kai-shek nodded: "I know about this. The two telegrams in front of you are the telegrams sent by An Yi. He reported the contents of the meeting in detail and uploaded the information obtained by the Northeast Intelligence Station of the Fourth Hall led by him.
Submit it to me and you can take a look. Although An Yi does not have the title of commanding the military forces of the Southwest, he has the rights I gave him, and the Southwest has
They have performed very well from the beginning to now. They are loyal to the central government and listen to the announcement. They should not be suspicious of them rashly. Furthermore, as the deputy chief of staff, An Yi has the right to convene meetings with the chief officers of the military within the scope of his duties, as long as it is not related to military matters.
Action meetings are within the scope of his authority. If he doesn't report or says something nonsense, you can't blame him for that, understand?"
After reading An Yi's telegram, Chen Lifu secretly vented his anger and said to himself that as long as An Yi didn't want to rebel, otherwise if hundreds of thousands of troops were to cause trouble in the southwest, the whole situation would be ruined in an instant.
Even the two lakes areas were not protected, but he asked with a calm face: "Why is General An so concerned about the current situation in North China?"
Chiang Kai-shek replied rather helplessly: "This is what makes him different from ordinary people. We can only avoid his shortcomings and make use of his strengths. You will go back to Nanjing to see him tomorrow. The special task force of the Peking Party Headquarters needs the help of their fourth office. In
In North China, your operational capabilities are not as good as those heroes recruited by An Yi. If the situation deteriorates further, I plan to appoint An Yi as the special commissioner of the Military Commission and let him go to Peking to display his talents. During this period, Zhang
Han Qing took on many unjust charges for An Yi. An Yi secretly assisted the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army through the First Cavalry Division and various patriotic chambers of commerce in North China. The amount was much greater than the Northeast Army's support for the old troops scattered in the occupied areas. This is
An Yi asked me to value and cherish this place. He has spent more than five million on it, but he has never asked me for a penny. Alas... This guy, if only he was so active in suppressing bandits...