Chapter 587 The Weakest and Strongest

After reading the telegram, Wu Shaoting said without hesitation: "Notify the senators of all provinces and go to the conference room for a meeting immediately."

After saying that, he handed the telegram back to the orderly man and walked straight into the hall with great strides.

Ten minutes later, military staff officers from various southern provinces gathered in the conference room, and He Fuguang briefed the situation in Sichuan. Wu Shaoting did not explain the content of the meeting in a discussion tone, and directly marked the military operations on the map. He ordered the 27th Mixed Brigade of the Third Division in the name of the Southern Military Affairs President. The 3rd Mixed Brigade of the Fourth Division immediately launched an attack on Chengdu. He also ordered the 7th Division to set off from its garrison today, crossing Guizhou Province to enter Zunyi as a support force to support Sichuan.

The entire meeting only took an hour. After Wu Shaoting announced the end of the meeting, the senators stationed in various provinces immediately became busy. The combat plan decided by the joint military conference involved several division headquarters and provinces. We must seize the time to contact the provincial governor's office to report the news. As for whether it is feasible or not, it is not the final say of these senators stationed in various provinces. Everything must be confirmed until the provincial reply.

In the evening, Cai E returned to Wuzhou from Hezhou. Since the Southern Governor's Consultation Meeting ended, Wu Shaoting gave a priority to Cai E from Guangdong, and he was responsible for organizing the supplementary recruits of the 7th Division in Hezhou and Hechi. Although only half a month had passed, the 7th Division still had not reached a complete organization, but one of Yang Ximin's divisions was finally an old army and could act immediately after receiving the order.

Cai E came back this time to discuss with Wu Shaoting about the 7th Division's dispatch of troops.

Wu Shaoting met Cai E in the internal office of the government hall, but he had not met for more than ten days. Although Cai E was tired, his mental state seemed much better. "Heroes are not afraid of difficulties and obstacles, but they are afraid they have no place to use their skills." It seems that this sentence is most suitable for Cai E.

After sitting down, Cai E briefly described the 7th Division's training work to Wu Shaoting, and the progress was very smooth. He also thanked the Guangdong Military Government for its unilateral strong support. If nothing unexpected happens, the basic construction and training tasks of two-thirds of the recruits can be completed in the late lunar month.

"To be honest, I am really sorry to let General Songpo condescend to train troops. Alas, although the situation in the south is quite considerable, the internal complexity is still inevitable, so General Songpo needs to be more troublesome." Wu Shaoting said politely.

"President Wu's words are too obvious. Let's not talk about these gossips. I understand the situation in Sichuan. In the afternoon, I also received an order from Wuzhou. Before I rushed over from Hezhou, I specially forwarded the order to Commander Yang. It should be possible to go north within two days." Cai E said meticulously as if he was a official talk.

"Actually, there is no need to worry about the 7th Division going north. You have to wait for Guizhou to reply to the news. Otherwise, Commander Yang led his troops into Guizhou Province, I am afraid that he would not be able to receive the care of Governor Liu along the way," Wu Shaoting sighed.

Cai E understood what Wu Shaoting meant. If Liu Xianshi did not get the reply, Yang Ximin's troops would not be as simple as not being able to take care of. Even if the Guizhou Army did not pursue Yang Ximin, there would be no place to settle in Zunyi. The Joint Military Conference seemed to be the highest military authority institution in the south, but strictly speaking it was just an intermediary channel responsible for military affairs communication in various provinces.

He nodded heavily, with a feeling of helplessness on his face, and then said, "I believe that Governor Liu is a person who understands the truth and should not delay it for too long."

Wu Shaoting didn't think so in his heart. Liu Xianshi was just a nominal governor of Guizhou, but the territory of the Liu brothers in Guizhou was only in Guiyang. The situation inside Guizhou was almost the same as Sichuan. The only difference was that it was not as irritable as Sichuan. Warlords often fought. He knew very well that in Guizhou, in addition to Liu Xianshi, there were Ren Kecheng, Wang Wenhua and others. These people on the surface elected Liu Xianshi as the governor, but in fact they had their own power and were in power equally.

Ren Kecheng was the leader of Guizhou Tongzhang. Before, Song Jiaoren's *** was boycotted by Tongzhang when he developed the party and government in Guizhou. Later, external troubles were resolved, and the forces of Tongzhang gradually divided. Ren Kecheng controlled a group of political forces of old bureaucrats, and Wang Wenhua held the forces of two brigades in his hand, forming a three-legged tripod in Guizhou.

Before, Wu Shaoting was a little worried that the Unification and the Communist Party would make a move in the establishment of the government. However, after the unification and the prosperity of 1912, it had completely declined after only two years. Faced with the Progressive Party with strong power and great strength, the National People's Progressive Association was completely out of control. Even when the two parties developed party members some time ago, many people from the General Party members even saved the *** and applied to join the Progressive Party or the National People's Progressive Association.

"I hope so," he didn't plan to discuss this issue more. Guizhou should not have any problems. "The situation in Sichuan is a bit tricky, and our current plan is completely in chaos."

"It's indeed a bit sudden, but as long as we can unite in the south, the problem will not be too big. What's the situation of the Central Division in the north?" Cai E asked.

"The Central Third Division and the Sixth Division were both expected. It was not easy for the Beiyang Army to go south all the way. After passing Hubei, the road section was not easy, and it was not easy to walk. It happened to be the Spring Festival. The fastest-moving vanguard of the Central Third Division had just arrived in Chongqing. The remaining troops were afraid that they would not be able to settle in the middle and late in the first lunar month. If the two Central Divisions want to join the battle, they will definitely take longer." Wu Shaoting said slowly.

"In this way, the enemy troops in Sichuan now only have two divisions of Liu Cunhou and two divisions of Chen Huan. As long as Tian Songyao, Sun Zhen, Deng Xihou and other people remain unmoved, we will still have a great chance of winning by fighting and deciding quickly." Cai E said with insight.

"That's right. However, although the small forces such as Deng Xihou, Sun Zhen, and Tian Songyao are just showing off, they still have the possibility of affecting the whole body. Therefore, I hope that General Songpo can be in charge in Zunyi. It can be intimidated in terms of momentum, and in terms of human nature, it can also rely on General Songpo's reputation, which will definitely have a considerable impact." Wu Shaoting said frankly.

"Haha, Wu Rongwu respects me so much. But I still have some worries." Cai E said without changing his face.

"Please ask General Songpo to make a clear statement." Wu Shaoting asked solemnly. He knew that Cai E was very capable in strategy. Cai E would naturally use the other party's talents to participate in this war in Sichuan.

"As the war in Sichuan begins, Chengdu is only the first step. If we cannot take Chongqing, the Beiyang army will go up the river and continue to enter the hinterland of the southwest. It will inevitably be a protracted war. Sichuan is an important place to take over the north and south, but it is definitely not a place to fight the Beiyang. If it continues here, it will be unfavorable to the north and the south. Therefore, once we start this time in Sichuan, we must make plans to conquer Chongqing in one go." Cai E said very seriously.

Wu Shaoting admitted that he had not considered this far. After all, the previous plan was to start in the late lunar month, and there would be a more detailed layout later. After hearing Cai E's words, he gradually fell into deep thought. Chengdu and Chongqing were both crucial places, but taking Chengdu only means pacifying Sichuan, making Sun Zhen, Tian Songyao, Deng Xihou and others completely convinced. Only by taking Chongqing can it be considered to defeat the Beiyang Army from a frontal defeat.

However, this matter is extraordinary, and the battle between Chengdu and Chongqing cannot be regarded as the same. Liu Cunhou's troops were just a pawn, which was far worse than Chen Huan's Beiyang Army. Moreover, behind Chen Huan was the support of the entire Beiyang government, and he had the ability and confidence to expand the scale of the war and put the war into a tug-of-war.

It will only take ten days to deal with Liu Cunhou, but it will never be so simple to deal with Chen Huan. Even if Wu Shaoting has this determination, Yunnan and Guizhou will not have this confidence. Once the Yunnan Army and the Guizhou Army continue to be negative, the entire Sichuan War will be over.

When Wu Shaoting thought of this, he sighed helplessly and said, "General Songpo, your strategy is right. Taking Chongqing will be considered the complete end of the Sichuan War. But Chongqing is not as simple as Chengdu!"

Cai E nodded in agreement. There was not too much worry on his face, and he still said in an orderly manner: "Wu Rongwu's eyes are extraordinary, and he can see the difficulties of attacking Chongqing at a glance. So I think the 7th Division must be involved in the later war and become the leading force in one fell swoop. At that time, I will personally command the front line. Even if I can't take Chongqing, I will definitely fight a beautiful battle in Chongqing. As long as the morale and momentum rise, the Yunnan-Guizhou coalition is no longer the main one. I believe that Tian Songyao, Sun Zhen, Deng Xihou will never be indifferent when the general trend is in progress."

Wu Shaoting asked intently: "What do you mean is to win over local warlords in Sichuan to deal with the Beiyang Army?"

Cai E nodded and said, "That's right. Chen Huan is not from Sichuan. I have heard in the north that Sichuan people are very dissatisfied with a foreign province serving as the governor. As long as we get a momentum, Tian Songyao, Deng Xihou, Sun Zhen and others will see the hope, and they will definitely join forces with us to expel Chen Huan. After all, they also want to take the opportunity to expand their territory and power after defeating Chen Huan."

Wu Shaoting said thoughtfully: "It's not that I don't trust General Songpo, but the combat effectiveness of the 7th Division..."

Cai E immediately said: "If President Wu can support him fully, I will be sure to complete the entire establishment of the Seventh Division within one month. Of course, the support needed is not just materials and funds. I hope to mobilize appropriate grassroots officers from Guangdong Province to consolidate the infrastructure strength of the Seventh Division."

Wu Shaoting really admired Cai E. Others were eager to rule out dissidents and establish personal power. Now Cai E is doing the opposite, which only shows that Cai E is sincere in making the overall situation, not seeking personal interests. At the same time, he also felt that Cai E’s trust in himself had reached a considerable level.

"General Songpo, do you really have such confidence?" he asked solemnly.

"It depends on whether Wu Rongwu has enough courage!" Cai E smiled indifferently.

"I am not my mother-in-law. Since General Songpo spoke, I must spare no effort to support the 7th Division." Wu Shaoting made a decision without any hesitation.
Chapter completed!