Chapter 8: Times change (IV)

Yan Xishan has to keep a close eye on it, but the Second World War Zone is fighting fiercely with the Japanese army in southern Shanxi, so there should not be any such thing as the 56th Army in the short term. In contrast, it is more important to eliminate the sequelae of the 56th Army Incident. Of course, this is also related to Xu Yongchang's presence and Chiang Kai-shek's problem clearly.

Gu Liangmin brought the 56th Army to the escort army. Although Chiang Kai-shek had a malformed face and was worried that he would follow the same example with the troops approaching the People's Party, the current situation in southwestern Shandong, especially the gap in garrison forces, made Chiang Kai-shek even more worried.

Although the 5th Division and the 109th Division of the Japanese Army on the north bank of the Yellow River are mainly used to prevent the guards from heading north, these two divisions are likely to cross the river to attack southwestern Shandong. If the 16th Division in Puyang is added, the pressure from the three Japanese divisions will be faced by the pressure from the Japanese army.

Although the guards, both on the south bank of the Yellow River and across the canal from southwestern Shandong, only Chiang Kai-shek deployed in southwestern Shandong were the 12th Army of the 15th Army of the Sun Tongxuan and Cao Fulin's 55th Army. Sun and Cao's two troops, together with Gu Liangmin's army, who had defected to the escort army, belonged to the Third Army under Han Fuju. After Han Fuju was detained, these officers and soldiers were already disheartened, and now there was a major event like the 56th Army's change of the junction. If the remaining Sun and Cao's two troops really fought with the Japanese army, they would probably not even need a division, and the Sun and Cao's two troops would have a defeat again.

"Jingzhi, in the southwestern Shandong, which unit is the General Staff Department going to transfer to the southwest Shandong team except Sun Tongxuan and Cao Fulin?" After thinking about it, Old Jiang asked frowned.

"Junzu, there are no other troops except the Third Army. But according to the previous plan, Sun Lianzhong's Second Army will go to southwest Shandong to change defenses in a week. Now the 56th Army has changed, so you can order Sun Lianzhong to speed up the marching and arrive there as soon as possible in case of an accident." He Yingqin replied.

He Yingqin originally wanted to transfer the Third Army to Henan for training, but the 56th Army was just ahead, but he didn't expect that Gu Liangmin led his troops to join the escort army. In this way, after the Battle of Taiyuan, he retreated to Zhengzhou and Luoyang to reorganize Sun Lianzhong's troops in southwestern Shandong to deal with defense, which seemed a bit behind.

"Well, let Sun Lianzhong speed up the marching speed." Old Jiang nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, "When something like the 56th Army occurs, Sun Tongxuan and Cao Fulin will not leave first, and let Sun Lianzhong get familiar with the situation in southwestern Shandong. In addition, let Sun Lianzhong persuade Sun and Cao and tell them that the central government will pursue Han Fuju's guilt because he retreated without fighting, and will not involve anything, so that they can rest assured."

Sun Lianzhong, Sun Tongxuan, Cao Fulin and others all came from Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army. They were already incense and incest. Letting Sun Lianzhong come forward was indeed helpful to appease the remaining headquarters of Han Fuju's Third Army. After hearing Chiang Kai-shek's arrangement, He Yingqin felt it made sense, so he nodded and responded.

In original history, after Sun Lianzhong's Second Army arrived in southern Shandong on March 22, he formed the Southern Army of the Fifth War Zone in the Fifth War Zone with other troops. Later, it played a significant role during the Taierzhuang Battle and the Xuzhou Battle. But now, the escort army occupied a large area south of the Yellow River in Shandong and east of the canal, and Taierzhuang also fell into the control of the escort army. The original Taierzhuang Battle would definitely not have happened. The Second Army led by Sun Lianzhong was transferred to southwest Shandong by He Yingqin to replace the Third Army's defense.

"Junzu, let Sun Lianzhong appease Sun Tongxuan, Cao Fulin's two troops are indeed feasible. But if the Third Army does not leave, the Second Army will arrive again, and the Southwest Shandong will be full of the Northwest Army. If someone is bewitched by Gu Liangmin, the situation in southwest Shandong will be..." Chen Cheng did not finish his words, but everyone here understood what he meant.

"There is certain reason for Cixiu's concerns, but that situation should not happen!" Xu Yongchang shook his head and said, "The Northwest Army was not a monolithic person back then, and Sun Lianzhong would never learn from Gu Liangmin! Cao Fulin and Gu Liangmin were incompatible. The 56th military change was ahead, and Cao Fulin never had the reason to join the escort army again!"

Everyone here has participated in the Central Plains War, so they naturally know the grievances and entanglements in the Northwest Army that year. Han Fuju was angry with Feng Yuxiang and was attracted by Chiang Kai-shek. He first came out and Gan Tang advanced eastward, and then fought fiercely with the Yan Xishan Jinsui Army on the Shandong battlefield during the Central Plains War. As one went up and down, Yan and Feng's coalition were defeated in disgrace. Although Sun Lianzhong accepted the adaptation of Chiang Kai-shek after the war, he had no connection with Han Fuju, and there was basically no possibility of being bewitched and the situation in southwestern Shandong worsened.

However, although Chiang Kai-shek understood what Xu Yongchang said was reasonable, he was also alert to what Chen Cheng said. Both Suns and Cao Ke were from the Northwest Army. Even if there was no possibility of joining the Guards, they should beware of them joining each other to avoid any trouble in southwest Shandong.

"Chichen's analysis makes sense. However, if such a major event happened to the Third Army, it is indeed necessary to rectify it." Old Jiang pondered, "Yu Xiaohou is now the commander-in-chief of the Third Army. His 51st Army was fighting well in Linhuai Pass, so he asked him to lead his troops to Fengxian and Peixian to garrison. It can not only make up for combat losses, but also respond to the situation in southwestern Shandong in a timely manner. However, I made an appointment with Li Delin to not interfere with the combat command of the Fifth War Zone. The 51st Army will be sent to Li Delin as the recommendation of the Military Commission."

Although Chiang Kai-shek agreed with Xu Yongchang's analysis, his move to let Yu Xuezhong intervene in the situation in southwestern Shandong showed his concerns about the two Suns and one Cao. Although Yu Xuezhong was from Shandong, the 51st Army led by him came from the Northeast Army. If we go further, Yu Xuezhong was a capable general under Wu Peifu, the direct army. Whether from the direct army or the Northeast Army, Yu Xuezhong did not get along with the second Suns and one Cao who was from the Northwest Army!

Chen Cheng knew that his words had made Chiang Kai-shek seem to be moved, so he suggested: "Since the 14th Japanese Division heading south along the Pinghan Line turned to attack Tianjing Pass, Jincheng and other places in southern Jinnan, which greatly alleviated the pressure on the First War Zone, then the First War Zone could be mobilized to deploy some troops in the Dongming to Liuhe area to fill the gap between the First War Zone and the Fifth War Zone and avoid being taken advantage of by the Japanese army going south."

The first war zone undertakes combat tasks on both sides of the Pinghan Line and Henan area centered on Zhengzhou; the fifth war zone is tasked with defending Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui and other places. The west side of the Shangqiu and Boxian lines belong to the jurisdiction of the First War Zone, and to the east is the Fifth War Zone.

Chen Cheng's suggestion can indeed enhance the strength of the two war zones and be beneficial to the war of resistance, but everyone here understands that his real intention is still aimed at southwestern Shandong. In Chen Cheng's view, although the People's Party armed forces have defeated the Japanese army and become the backbone of the war of resistance, the strong combat power of the People's Army and the Guards has also become a concern for the National Government. Since the central government is now unable to pacify the number one ** armed forces in the country, we must find ways to curb its development and growth.

Chiang Kai-shek also understood Chen Cheng's meaning, and after a moment of thinking, he nodded and said, "Then call the First War Zone in the name of the General Staff, and ask Xue Yue to set up the east defense line on the East Henan Corps in the Dongming and Liuhe areas to strengthen the forces of the two war zones to prevent the Japanese army from going south! In addition, this 56th military change was actually a stir by the People's Party. The central government will issue a statement accusing the People's Party of accusing the overall situation of the War of Resistance. The relevant content will be reported tomorrow!"

In any case, Chiang Kai-shek finally developed a response strategy overnight, but the impact of the 56th military change could not be eliminated for a while. Through this incident, Chiang Kai-shek eliminated dissidents in the name of anti-Japanese war was considered to be publicly revealed by Gu Liangmin. All forces also accepted the People's Party and raised their attention to the adaptation of other armed forces. They all wanted to see what kind of treatment Li Shuchun, Gu Liangmin and others would receive. If the conditions were right, some people wanted to wait for the price.

Yan Xishan, who was commanding troops to fight the Japanese army in southern Shanxi, stood for a long time after hearing the news of the 56th Military Incident on the morning of March 16.

"Duke Yan, Gu Liangmin was bewitched by the People's Party and joined the escort army. Do we need to be careful?" Wei Lihuang, who received a secret order from Chiang Kai-shek, tentatively asked.

"Junru, I know that the People's Party and the Central Government are still in hostilities. In theory, our Second World War Zone should indeed draw a clear line with the Northwest, but we cannot! Now, except for the Northwest and Southwest, almost all other places in the country are within the scope of the Japanese army's supply. The central government is unable to provide too many supplementary materials to our war zone. If we cut off food, coal, medicine and other materials from the Northwest, we will not last long in southern Shanxi." Yan Xishan sighed and said helplessly, "Nothing else, just the northwest interrupts medical cooperation, how many more people will die in my war zone? Maintaining the relationship with the Northwest is just a vain and a last resort..."

Wei Lihuang looked at Yan Xishan secretly and saw that the wrinkles on the old man's face seemed to reveal bitterness. He had no choice but to consider that the supplies provided by the northwest were indeed urgently needed by the Second World War Zone, and the battlefield hospital set up in Linfen and treated a large number of wounded and sick people, he actually believed what Yan Xishan said, and he didn't know that the old man in front of him was a super actor with excellent singing and acting.

"Yan Gong's concerns make sense." Wei Lihuang also sighed, "The Japanese army is advancing, and the northwest is growing, and the central government does not have much power to take care of us. It is indeed a must for cooperation with the northwest at present. However, if something like Gu Liangmin is like, my war zone and the northwest are inevitably jealous. Yan Gong should make a statement to the central government."

Although Wei Lihuang said it tactfully, Yan Xishan, who had already cultivated to the essence, naturally understood the meaning of the words, and nodded and said, "Junru reminded me that I will send a telegram to Junzu first, and then let Yuru go to Wuhan to meet Junzu and explain it carefully."

Wei Lihuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and agreed: "This is the best, and it is better to be united in the war of resistance."

Yan Xishan had already realized from Wei Lihuang's words that his exchanges with the northwest might have aroused the suspicion of Lao Jiang. Although he was alert, he said calmly: "Then please ask Junru here first, I will arrange it with Yuru now."

After taking Liang Huazhi to find Jia Jingde, Yan Xishan ordered: "Huazhi, you go and find Chief of Staff Zhu first, then look at him everywhere, don't let someone get close to this room. I have something to discuss with the Secretary-General and the others."

Seeing Yan Xishan's serious expression and making such arrangements, Jia Jingde was also shocked and asked, "Mr. Yan, what happened?"

"I'll talk together when Lan Sun arrives." Yan Xishan shook his head, his expression seemed annoyed and hated, but more of it was helpless, and he only murmured, "Zhao Zhenzhong is not a good person, not a good person..."

Yan Xishan had smiled more than once because he took advantage of the northwest, but now he was so silly that "Zhao Zhenzhong is not a good person", which really made Jia Jingde a little confused. However, since Yan Xishan said that he had to wait for Zhu Shouguang to come and talk together, Jia Jingde was not easy to urge him, so he only persuaded: "Mr. Yan, if there is anything to do when Lan Sun comes, we will discuss it together, and there will always be a solution."

Zhu Shouguang came very quickly and asked as soon as he entered the door: "Mr. Yan, what's the matter?"

Yan Xishan looked at Liang Huazhi and several guards standing at the door. Outside the window, he knew that there was no other ears around him, so he sighed and said to Zhu and Jia, "Gu Liangmin led the 56th Army to join the escort army in Shandong. Today, Wei Junru reminded us in words to prevent the People's Party, which shows that Mr. Jiang is more cautious about us. I came to you just to discuss a solution, how to deal with the relationship with the Central Committee and the Northwest."

Shaking his head, Yan Xishan said with a complicated expression: "The northwest is not easy to take advantage, and Zhao Zhenzhong is not a good person either!"

Zhu and Jia looked at each other, not knowing where to start.

The Northwest trained Yan Xishan's troops and provided weapons and equipment and scarce supplies, which really enhanced the strength of the Shanxi-Sui Army. However, those clothes and medicines were used to get the marks such as "produced by a certain factory in Lanzhou and passed the inspection", "produced by a certain factory in Ningxia and passed the inspection", as well as the remembering of "manufactured by a certain government in the Northwest" on weapons, all indicate that Yan Xishan and the Northwest have extraordinary relationship.

Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Yan Xishan could also store relevant materials to avoid others discovering clues. However, until now, the Second World War Zone has retreated to southern Shanxi, and Chiang Kai-shek did not have enough supplies to supplement them, so Yan Xishan had to use the materials provided by the northwest to make up for the combat needs.

Yan Xishan cannot avoid collecting the marked materials sent from the northwest. It is not necessary to use them. Yan Xishan and the Jinsui Army can also think of changing the clothes and the marks on the medicines. However, the words on the weapons and equipment should not be filed out one by one with steel files? Besides, whether it is clothing, medicines, or remembering the marks on the weapons and equipment, if they are really modified or filed out, it is just that there is no silver here that is more obvious, which can only show that Yan Xishan is guilty.

First, the people in Shanxi were transferred to the northwest to resettle, and then they cooperated with the People's Army to establish a land-occupying hospital. Now, in order to fight the Japanese attack on Yan Xishan in southern Shanxi, a large amount of storage materials from the northwest were used. Combining these things, what do you think?

Now not only the Central Army in the Second World War Zone said that Yan Xishan had "suburbated to the enemy", but even the Jinsui Army tacitly believed that Chief Yan was preparing to take off the Chongqing brand and change it to the Northwest brand, so he didn't know when this "big event" would be decided.

Yan Xishan originally thought that except for the weapons provided by the northwest, only equipped with the Jinsui Army, the other food, medicine and other supplies provided by the northwest benefited the entire World War II zone. Those rumors were just rumors, and he was considered calm and had a clear conscience. But who knew that when Gu Liangmin first joined the Guards in Shandong, Chiang Kai-shek first paid attention to himself!

After hearing what Yan Xishan said, Jia Jingde pondered for a while before speaking: "Donald Yan, now the Japanese army is attacking southern Jin, Chairman Jiang will definitely not make things difficult for Gong Yan at this time, that would destroy the Great Wall. However, once the Japanese army fails to attack and the situation eases, Gong Yan must be careful. In fact, it is easy to solve this problem. It is just a matter of taking a team. It depends on whether Gong Yan chooses the ** party or the Kuomintang. Of course, Gong Yan can also get along with everyone now, keep a certain distance from the People's Party and Chairman Jiang, and wait until the situation is clear in the future before making a choice. However, the later the choice, the more difficult it will be to pay attention to it in the future."

Yan Xishan was silent for a while before he said in a low voice: "I have to choose to take a team again... It is easy to pay attention to making early choices, but the risk is too great. Now it is the War of Resistance. We are now standing on the side of the National Government and can still think of maintaining certain cooperation with the National Government. If we defect to the National Government now, we will definitely be in hostility with the National Government. The Central Army in southern Shanxi is even more of a concern. There is a Japanese attack outside and a Central Army inside, and the Central Army will not be stable inside. There will be a few days of defense in southern Shanxi."

Since the late Qing Dynasty, Yan Xishan has chosen to take sides many times, including both right and wrong. The right include joining the revolutionary party, participating in the Xinhai period, joining the Nanjing government, and the wrong include supporting Yuan Shikai to proclaim himself emperor and launching the Central Plains War. Among these many take sides, Yan Xishan can always choose a favorable opportunity to expand the right interests and reduce the wrong losses. The tricks include not making a first bird.

What's more, it is the national war of resistance. Before the Japanese were driven out of China, there would be no comprehensive conflict between the People's Party and the National Government. This provides Yan Xishan with a great opportunity to wait and see and analyze the final choice. Through his performance in the War of Resistance, he was able to analyze which one between the People's Party and the National Government has more advantages and more investment value.

"What Yan Gong said is that now is not a good time to choose." Zhu Shouguang nodded and agreed, "The People's Party's armed combat power is amazing, and its future prospects should be good, but they also provoked the Soviet Union, Britain, Japan, and the National Government at the same time. The road ahead is difficult to make too many enemies. Although the National Government has lost its troops and territory, it still has considerable strength. In addition, it is still not to be underestimated. We should wait a few years to see who will win in the future!"

"Since that's the case, we must try to eliminate Chairman Jiang's suspicion of us and make him believe that our cooperation with the Northwest is just a temporary solution to obtain materials for the War of Resistance. At the same time, we must also handle the relationship with the People's Party well, and at least maintain the current level of cooperation." Jia Jingde suggested.

"Yuru, I am going to call the Central Committee to express our attitude towards the 56th Military Rebellion first, and then you will go to Wuhan on behalf of me to explain our last resort to the Chairman." After Yan Xishan finished speaking to Jia Jingde, he said to Zhu Shouguang, "In the future, the materials, weapons, equipment and medicines from the northwest will be controlled by Lansun, and other food and clothing will be handled by the War Zone Logistics Department. This will also show our attitude to the Central Committee."

Zhu and Jia nodded in response.

...

Unlike Lao Jiang and Yan Xishan, Lao Mao, who was in northern Shaanxi, saw further after learning about the 56th Military Incident. At the meeting, Lao Mao said: "The 56th Military Incident is a sign! This shows that the People's Party's armed forces have moved from a simple stage of self-development to a new era of absorbing external forces to rapidly expanding themselves. In the future domestic situation, what we have to deal with is not only the Japanese offensive and the obstruction of the Kuomintang, but also the relationship with the People's Party. From the current perspective, we can conclude that the People's Party will be a more difficult opponent than the Kuomintang..."

For Zhao Zhenzhong, Gu Liangmin led his army to surrender was just the result of the dual effects of Chiang Kai-shek's forced and the attractiveness of the People's Party. Just as the season has arrived and the melons are ripe. His attention is more on the trends of the Japanese army in North China and Central China. As for Chiang Kai-shek's accusations, Northwest Radio issued a comment from the General Political Department of the People's Army to refute it.

!#


Chapter completed!