Age of Rebirth

Chapter 590

At the National Defense General Mobilization Conference held in Nanjing, Yan Xishan put forward a proposal to re-divide the northern theater. From a general point of view, there was nothing wrong with it. It can be seen that Yan Xishan was carefully prepared, although all the princes knew the truth about Yan Xishan. Plan, there is no need to stand out, hold the mentality of watching the fire from the other side, and wait and see the development of the situation.

Tang Qiuli's expression was beyond their expectations. He was neither angry nor refuted. Everyone exchanged glances. They didn't know what the young Vice Chairman Tang was up to. Even Chairman Jiang guessed. Tang Qiuli couldn't understand what Tang Qiuli was thinking, only Tang Qiuli knew it well, this matter was just the beginning, Yan Xishan had no supporters, and would not rashly propose this plan.

Li Zongren stood up, and the officials from all walks of life whispered to each other. This recently famous leader of the Guizhou faction is very good at taking advantage of the situation. If he wants to speak at such a time, whether he supports Yan Xishan's proposal or opposes it. What is his intention?Li Zongren couldn't even guess what Li Zongren was thinking. Only Liu Xiang nodded secretly. In the battle of Xuzhou, the Guangxi faction and the Sichuan army fought side by side, and the victory in Xuzhou was achieved. It can be regarded as a kind of incense. Li Zongren also revealed some of his thoughts to Liu Xiang.

Compared with Yan Xishan, who was shrewd and almost greedy, Li Zongren appeared gentle and elegant. He nodded to everyone first, and then said in a calm tone: "Chairman Jiang, Vice Chairman Tang, everyone here, I agree with Brother Baichuan's proposal. In the Xuzhou war zone, we are also facing the same problem, Xuzhou is located in a corner of Jiangsu, but it is close to Shandong and Anhui provinces, and the transportation of troops and combat supplies is a long way away, and once there is a war, it will definitely delay the military aircraft.”[

"Therefore, I propose to the Military Commission that the Xuzhou theater should include the three provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui. The manpower, material resources, and financial resources of the three provinces should be dispatched in a unified manner, so as to ensure that Xuzhou, the northern barrier in the south of the Yangtze River, is lost, and to deal with the large-scale Japanese army in North China in the future. Attack and build a solid line of defense for the capital and the Songhu area." After Li Zongren finished speaking, he nodded towards everyone, bowed slightly to Chairman Jiang and Tang Qiuli on the stage, and sat down without any fireworks.

Yan Xishan stood up again and stated, "I personally agree with Chief Li's proposal. This is what a certain country says. Otherwise, the situation in North China is worrisome. Our military defense area has been artificially divided. Once the Japanese army launches an attack, the end cannot be connected. Echoing, the situation must be critical, please seriously consider the proposal of me and Germany's neighbors by the Military Council."

At this point in the meeting, the princes from all walks of life suddenly realized, and they all understood the true intentions of Yan Xishan and Li Zongren. These two people must have reached a deal in private to carve up a few pieces of fat in North China, which is really cunning. However, these fat The meat is all within the jurisdiction of Vice Chairman Tang's Yellow River Basin Theater. Will he give it up?

Generalissimo Jiang looked at Tang Qiuli again, with complicated emotions. If he said that Tang Qiuli shot Tang Enbo and dismissed the Eighth Army, he didn't have any grudges in his heart. He was talking nonsense with his eyes open. Although he said stupid things inappropriately, there was one sentence that reached Generalissimo Jiang's heart, that is, Tang Qiuli's power was growing day by day, and he was vaguely on the same level as himself.

It took him more than ten years to think hard, rack his brains, and use all kinds of political and military means to subdue his opponents one by one. On the surface, he unified the Republic of China and achieved his current position. He didn't want another Sitting on an equal footing with himself, even if a force that slightly threatens his status appears, Yan Xishan and Li Zongren's proposal is the best way to weaken Tang Qiuli's extremely expanding power, and he doesn't have to be a villain.

But he also knew that Yan Xishan and Li Zongren alone would not be able to do this to Tang Qiuli who blocked nearly a million Japanese troops in North China for Jiangnan. Once Henan and Shandong were divided into two theaters, Tang Qiuli If the Japanese take a new offensive in North China, Tang Qiuli will stand by and watch, Yan Xishan and Li Zongren will not be able to resist for a few days, and the Japanese army in North China will go south. I have to give up the Nanjing and Songhu areas. There is one way to retreat in the Wuhan area.

Therefore, Generalissimo Jiang felt extremely contradictory, and he hated the Japanese even more. If he hadn't deliberately provoked an all-out war and maintained the status quo, he wouldn't be in trouble today. In order to change his attitude, let's see how Tang Qiuli responds to this situation and which card he plays.

Yan Xishan and Li Zongren expressed their proposals, but Generalissimo Jiang made no statement. All eyes were on Tang Qiuli. This matter involved his vital interests. He is not a super person, he is not fully sure, and he dare not use a knife on Tang Qiuli, this matter is more difficult.

Tang Qiuli stood up with a smile, walked to the front, faced the princes from all walks of life, and said in a clear voice: "The words of the officers Yan and Li are very pertinent, and they hit the point. It can be seen that the two officers have carefully thought about it. As far as the current situation is concerned, in order to fight against the Japanese invaders, it is not an exaggeration to gather the power of the whole country, not to mention the power of several provinces. We just want to use the power of the whole country to fight the Japanese invaders to the end until the Japanese invaders are expelled. Out of the country."

The princes from all walks of life were in an uproar, dumbfounded, and Vice Chairman Tang swallowed the bitter fruit like this?Yan Xishan and Li Zongren exchanged glances, and they both could see the surprise in each other's hearts. Yan Xishan just wanted to get cheap. In contrast, Li Zongren's mood was more complicated.

Although he covets Shandong's geographical location and rich products, he also knows that Tang Qiuli is not easy to mess with. On the front line of Cangzhou, there is his army of 26. Before he came to Nanjing, he got information. The 29th Corps, with more than [-] troops, has already stationed in the coastal ports of Shandong, expressing its intention to monopolize Shandong.

However, Li Zongren is a person who refuses to give up easily. If he gets Shandong and the Guangxi family is in the Central Plains, he can also gain a foothold. He can attack, retreat and defend. It will seize the opportunity, so as long as there is a chance, Li Zongren will not give up his attempt on Shandong. It just so happened that Yan Xishan, the famous iron abacus, came to his door. Li Zongren's courage to turn his face, now, Tang Qiuli's answer made him immediately alert. Based on his understanding of the young vice chairman, he is not someone who easily admits defeat. Therefore, Li Zongren remained calm and waited for Tang Qiuli from the following.

Tang Qiuli had a panoramic view of everyone's reactions, then changed the subject and said, "However, any adjustment of strategic deployment must focus on the overall situation, starting from the July [-]th Incident last year to last November On the [-]th, when the Japanese army launched its second attack in North China, the tactics adopted by the Japanese army were all-out attacks. The front stretched for thousands of miles from Datong in Shanxi Province in the west to Dezhou in Shandong Province in the east. Any point was the target of the Japanese army’s attack. .”

He smiled and asked Yan Xishan, "Mr. Yan, you are a person who came to the battlefield in person. Did the Japanese army adopt this kind of tactics?" After several months of fighting in various parts of North China, everyone knew about several major battles. Yan Xishan could not lie, so he nodded. At the same time, I felt vaguely bad in my heart.

"If, according to Chief Yan and Chief Li's proposal, a battle line is divided into east and west, with the west under the command of Yan and the east under the command of Li, then where is the troops of our North China Independent Division? Retreat to the south bank of the Yellow River and go to the Shaanxi-Gansu border? If so, the Japanese army will gather heavy troops to attack any of your two officers' defense areas. Let me ask the two officers, which one of you can resist the invasion of millions of Japanese troops in North China? ?”

Tang Qiuli's voice was not high-pitched, and his tone was very peaceful, but such a question made Yan Xishan and Li Zongren feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, looking at each other. They knew very well in their hearts that the North China Defense, the independent division was the mainstay, and the Jin Army and the Gui Army, at most It's just beating the side drums. After a few battles, they know who fought the tough battles. If the Japanese army really invaded, they know that they are too heavy to resist. Even if they use all their money, they will at most support them. Just a few days.

Tang Qiuli's words pinched Li Zongren and Yan Xishan's veins. They agreed that a big land is good, but they lost all their capital. No matter how much land they have, the original plan of the two of them was to Occupying the territory by himself, let the troops of the independent division fight against the main force of the Japanese army.

Tang Qiuli saw that Yan Xishan and Li Zongren were correct, so he stopped being polite. The tiger did not show his power and regarded me as a sick cat, and then said: "What the two officers said just now is a lack of overall vision. The Yellow River defense line is a whole. One part is moving across the board, which is related to the strategic situation of the northern battlefield. The proposal of the two officers is to artificially split the entire theater and form a situation where each fights independently, wasting manpower, material resources, and financial resources in the theater. Chance."

"Therefore, the Yellow River defense line cannot be divided into several parts. Instead, it is necessary to implement unified military and political leadership to form the tightest whole, so as to make maximum use of all resources in the jurisdiction. Therefore, Shanxi is no longer a separate direction, Mr. Yan, Your troops should be included in the unified deployment of the Yellow River Theater Command."[

"In the Xuzhou Theater, there are troops from our Independent Division Dongzhi and Sulu Mobile Corps in the north, and the Central Army troops in the Songhu Theater in the south. After the First Army of Isoya Rensuke was wiped out, the enemy that the theater has faced has no existence. If necessary, it should be revoked, and the Guangxi Army under Chief Li's command and the coordinated Sichuan Army troops can join the Cangzhou battlefield on the northern front, and the Songhu and Hangzhou Bay battlefields on the southern front."

Tang Qiuli's words were fatal. Yan Xishan handed over the army, Li Zongren left from Xuzhou, and, under the so-called unified military and political leadership, independent divisions were deployed along the Yellow River. Into Tang Qiuli's pocket, the princes from all walks of life felt absurd. The young vice chairman Tang was too powerful. own feet.

(To be continued)