Chapter 209: North China is in crisis (10)

"Master's seat, it's better to go back to the master's mansion to rest first." After hearing the two of them talking about it, Chen Yi, who was driving, turned his head and asked.

Chen Xiuwen pondered for a moment and said, "It's better to go to the military headquarters to report first."

Since the Rong 1st Division was incorporated into the 72nd Army, Chen Xiuwen has become the second largest figure in the 72nd Army. The adjutant dared not neglect and hurried to report.

"Report, Chen Xiuwen, the commander of the Rongyi Division, came to report." Walking into the military commander's office, in addition to the commander Sun Yuanliang, Chief of Staff Chen Sunong was also there. There was also a huge map of North China on the desk.

"Liberation, I thought you would have two or three days to arrive, but I didn't expect you to come back so soon." Sun Yuanliang greeted him with a smile: "You are here just right. The Chief of Staff and I are studying the situation in North China. Come and have a look."

Chief of Staff Chen Sunong graduated from the third phase of Huangpu and was an old subordinate of Zhang Zhizhong. When Chen Xiuwen was the battalion commander of the 88th Division, he was already the deputy brigade commander of the 262nd Brigade. Although he was not Chen Xiuwen's direct commander, due to Zhang Zhizhong's relationship, the relationship between the two was also quite good.

"Luan Recovery, come and take a look. Just now, I and the military officers deduced the current situation of the enemy and us, and you also come and advise the staff." Chen Sunong waved to Chen Xiuwen, who was smiling and greeting him.

"The principal has ordered the establishment of the Shijiazhuang camp, with the Minister of Military Order Xu Yongchang as the director, and the Director of Quanxue, Chief Lin Wei as the Chief of Staff. He has ordered the two divisions of the 26th Route Army commanded by General Sun Lianzhong to go to Baoding to concentrate, and then to Liulihe; the 40th Army Pang Bingxun's troops headed to Shijiazhuang, entered Cang County, and were under the control of Song Zheyuan; and the 91st Division of the 53rd Army Wanfulin Division was transferred to Baoding to concentrate, and deployed defenses to Gu'an, Yongqing and Xiong County, and Gao Guizi's troops of the 84th Division were transferred to Datong and Huailai. The Japanese's North China garrison troops were only one brigade, and even if they were added to the two Kantong Army brigades in the Rehe area, they wanted to take Pingjin, which was a fool." Chen Sunong said with a little smugness.

Chen Xiuwen looked at the offensive situation between the enemy and us that Chen Sunong had already identified on the map. As Chen Sunong said, the forces of the Neon Army in North China, in addition to the North China garrison troops under the city of Peking, there are two brigades of the Kwantung Army distributed in Rehe, with a total of less than 30,000. There are nearly 100,000 troops in Pingjin, Hebei and Chahar area, and the total strength of these troops is no less than 200,000. Although they are all miscellaneous troops, most of these troops have participated in the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War, and their combat effectiveness is not weak, and it is still more than enough to block the Neon Army's attack. However, Chen Xiuwen remembers that after the Lugou Bridge Incident in history, the Pingjin area was soon lost, and the Neon Army attacked in three ways along the Pinghan Line, the Jinpu Road and the Pingsui Line, and the Chinese national team was defeated.

What exactly is the reason why the Chinese national team was defeated so much? When the Battle of Songhu broke out early and Nanjing and Shanghai were all lost, will there still be a historical defeat? Chen Xiuwen looked at the map while quickly calculating in his mind.

Suddenly, Chen Xiuwen realized that in the Battle of Songhu and the subsequent Battle of Nanjing, the main forces participating in the battle were basically the Central Army. However, in North China, the central government still cannot control it, and the troops transferred were all miscellaneous troops of different factions. This unified command was a problem. But the most important thing was whether Song Zheyuan was determined to fight the war to the end? The result of the Battle of Songhu and Nanjing was already in front of him. Seven hundred thousand could not defeat the Neon Army 300,000, and even Shanghai and Nanjing were lost. Did Song Zheyuan have the courage to take out all his wealth and fight with the Japanese, or would he choose to cooperate with the Japanese for his own selfish interests?

Sun Yuanliang was far less optimistic than Chen Sunong. He looked at Chen Xiuwen, who was frowning and taking the exam for a long time, and said, "Liberation, in terms of military strength, it is obvious that the Neon Army cannot take advantage of anything at all. Do you need to watch it for so long? Tell me what you think."

"Once the war expands, the Neon Army in the Kwantung Army and the Korean Army in the northeast can reinforce the pass at any time. Moreover, there are Japanese troops stationed in Tianjin and Qingdao now, and Japan's reinforcements are also likely to land in these two places. If not done well, it will turn into a war like the Battle of Songhu. Besides, the situation changes rapidly, it is really hard to say." Chen Xiuwen thought about it for a while and sighed.

"The main task of the Kwantung Army in the Northeast is to prevent the Soviet Union in the north. It is impossible to send too many troops to reinforce the battlefield in North China. As for the Korean army, their strength is limited, so it would be good to draw out a division. Now, nearly 300,000 troops of nine divisions are now restrained by me on the front line of central China, and there are few troops in the country. Even if they withdraw reinforcements from the country, our Central Army and other southern troops can also go north to reinforce immediately. Besides, there are Yan Xishan in Shanxi and Han Fuju in Shandong, and their troops can also reinforce at any time. North China is not the Songhu area. Even if the Neon Army wants to occupy North China, even if it sends 300,000 troops like central China, I don't think it will succeed." Chen Sunong said with dissatisfaction.

Chen Xiuwen did not argue, but just smiled bitterly. North China was different from Central China after all. Although the National Government nominally unified the whole country, various warlords were entrenched in North China. Even if the military subordinates of the central government were concise, how many could they be implemented?

Sun Yuanliang obviously heard the subtext of Chen Xiuwen's words that "the situation changes rapidly", and shook his head with a wry smile: "Shulong, don't estimate the situation too optimistic. Not to mention whether these troops can implement the orders to the end without a discount, it is still a question whether Song Mingxuan has the courage to give a try with the Japanese."

Chen Sunong was stunned and hurriedly said, "Now there are all voices of anti-Japanese war across the country. Zhang Hanqing's past lessons are right in front of him. Do they dare to take the world's worst and cooperate with the Japanese?"

Chen Sunong is a pure soldier and does not understand politics. Sun Yuanliang looked at Chen Xiuwen with a wry smile, and finally Chen Xiuwen sighed: "Seat, interests can sometimes blind people's eyes. North China is their foundation and involves their fundamental interests. The so-called authorities are confused, while those who are bystanders are clear. Although we can see clearly now, if we put ourselves in the shoes of you and me, we may inevitably have a lucky mentality."

As Chen Xiuwen and Sun Yuanliang predicted, the situation in North China is undergoing subtle changes at this moment. After three days of fierce fighting, neither the 29th Army nor the Neon Army North China garrison troops had gained a advantage, but the tenacious resistance of the 29th Army and the frequent mobilization of the national teams outside the country made the North China garrison troops feel bad. At present, only the river brigades of their North China garrison troops were fighting with the 29th Army, and the reinforcements of various routes had not arrived yet. Moreover, the news from the country that when the situation in central China was slightly stable, most of the cabinet's opinions did not agree to lightly start the war in North China. After all, China and the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression treaty, and the Japanese cabinet did not dare to rule out the possibility of Soviet Russian troops sending troops to interfere.

So, on the morning of October 4, Colonel Matsui, the head of the North China Special Services Agency of the Neon Army, came to the command of the 29th Army in Peking and spoke softly to Qin Dechun, deputy commander of the 29th Army. Matsui Tohoro told Qin Dechun that the conflict caused by the Lugou Bridge was a misunderstanding, and he hoped that the two armies could cease to negotiate.

As a soldier, Qin Dechun has been in North China for many years and knows that he is cunning in nature, so he is likely to be a delaying strategy for peace. However, due to the consistent policy of the 29th Army's "unwarranted" over the past few years, he has become a bit lucky. Moreover, the commander Song Zheyuan was on the way back. Before the commander arrived, he, as the acting commander, naturally, was unwilling to make a big deal, and wait until the commander came. Since the Japanese took the initiative to negotiate and resolve the matter on the spot, why not do it? After the agreement between the two sides reached several agreements: (1) Both sides immediately ceased the battle; (2) Both sides returned to their original defense; (3) Both sides organized inspection teams to supervise the withdrawal of both sides.

Song Zheyuan, who was rushing to Tianjin at this time, was also in a very conflicting mood at this time. The sound of cannons on Lugou Bridge made him unable to avoid it. As an educated Chinese national, he and his 29th Army officers and soldiers were emotionally patriotic and hatred for Japan. The Great Wall War of Resistance made his feelings fully demonstrate.

But from a private perspective, Song Zheyuan still has a small account in his heart. Song Zheyuan was an old subordinate of the Northwest Army and an old subordinate of Feng Yuxiang. Feng Yuxiang overthrew Chiang several times and "drawing a sword to meet" with Chiang Kai-shek, so Chiang Kai-shek could not remain indifferent. However, Chiang Kai-shek's political tricks were known in his heart. When Feng Yuxiang defeated Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Kai-shek would never kill Feng Yuyang himself, and that such a goal would be too big. But Feng Yuyang's old subordinate, as Feng Yuxiang's capital to defeat Chiang Kai-shek, could not escape. Chiang Kai-shek recorded a matter for ten years. As soon as the time came, he would definitely deal with these things. In the 24th year of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek found an excuse to remove Song Zheyuan from the position of Chahar Provincial Chairman, and once again taught Song Zheyuan a living lesson. In the face of embarrassment and resentment, Song Zheyuan began to contact the Neon Army, trying to use the Japanese to respect themselves and spy on the opportunity to expand his strength.

After all, Song Zheyuan was unwilling to lose the North China territory that had been established after many years of operation by the Northwest Army, and he was even more unwilling to anger the Japanese or the Nanjing government and lose his military capital.

As a soldier in the old China, Song Zheyuan has not yet got rid of the bad habits of the old warlords. The army and territory are his lifeblood and the capital for his life. For all this, he struggled to deal with the two opponents with fundamentally opposed interests. For this reason, he had to mingle among the Japanese and recite a few infamous "traitors" and also to confront the Japanese on behalf of the Chinese government for a while, and was scolded by the Japanese as a slippery person who "does not value friendship."

From the bottom of my heart, Song Zheyuan has always grasped the right measure in his interactions with the Japanese. He was not willing to let his conscience be sorry, nor was he willing to let the Chinese people call him a traitor or a traitor. Back then, after the establishment of the Hebei-Chahar Government Committee in Peking, someone encouraged Song Zheyuan's younger brother to persuade him to issue "Chairman Song's inauguration stamps" like Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Zuolin. When Song Zheyuan heard this, he was very annoyed and said to his younger brother in a stern manner:

"Hebei and Chapo is a local government, and is controlled by the central government. How can we indiscriminately issue personal commemorative stamps? Say to the world that I, Song, separatist and undermine unification!... The central government ordered me to do my best to fight and fight for three years to make the government ready for the war of resistance. Then I was ordered to do this scolded errand! And I did not lose my power, do not humiliate the country, do not speak tough words, and do not do soft things..." and said: "If anyone dares to discuss this matter again in the future, he will be treated as a traitor!"

In the 25th year of the Republic of China, when Song Zheyuan was serving his mother's birthday in Tianjin, the commander of the Japanese garrison army, Anyi Ichiro Tada, came to celebrate his birthday in person. When Song Zheyuan was not here, he forcibly left a large porcelain vase that was said to be a warship sent by the Japanese emperor from Tokyo to serve as a birthday gift. When Song Zheyuan knew about it, he wanted to return the birthday gift. Others persuaded him not to do so, for fear of hurting the harmony between the two countries. In anger, Song Zheyuan smashed the porcelain vase.

However, the Sino-Japanese conflict in North China is becoming increasingly intensified, and it is obvious that the problem cannot be solved by Song Zheyuan's adjustment alone. Especially when the Battle of Songhu broke out, the Neon Army became even more intense, and almost every day to cause trouble for him and put pressure step by step. Song Zheyuan was upset and in a very bad mood. The Nanjing government has openly claimed that he would fight to the end of the war and would never compromise with the Neon Army. In the case of neither side of being pleased, in order to protect his territory and army, Song Zheyuan did not choose to fight, but instead chose to escape and returned to his hometown in Leling, Shandong. However, his departure did not solve the problem, and the guns and cannons in Lugou Bridge were finally sounded.

After the Lugou Bridge Incident, on October 2 and 3, Song Zheyuan received two telegrams connected to Chiang Kai-shek: "Wanping City should be held firm and not retreat. It is necessary to mobilize all in order to prevent the situation from expanding." "The defense of the territory should have the determination to fight to the death and the spirit of active preparation." Song Zheyuan was puzzled in his heart. Judging from his experience, the conflict between the Chinese and Japanese armies in North China was not once or twice. Although the Lugou Bridge Incident happened after the official war between China and Japan began, at this time, as Shen Xiuwen said, he was still lucky and thought that the Lugou Bridge Incident might be reduced to a local incident and resolved, is it necessary to fight the Japanese in a full battle? It is easy to start the war, but it is difficult to conquer. Could it be that the situation in North China that our Northwest Army has worked hard to create is over today? All this made Song Zheyuan look forward and contradictory.

At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek actively dispatched troops and generals, which made him even more suspicious. Although the two units transferred by Chiang Kai-shek were under his control, these two troops were also Northwest Army. However, as early as the Central Plains War, Sun Lianzhong clearly expressed his support for the National Government, and Pang Bingxun also turned against him at the last moment. He did not trust these two betrayers in Song Zheyuan's eyes. Maybe he took this opportunity to seize power. Song Zheyuan, who was still rushing to Tianjin, had already made up his mind to keep his rule in North China and to keep the 29th Army, the army that maintained rule, could only reconcile and not fight with the Japanese.

On the evening of October 4, Song Zheyuan secretly returned to Tianjin. As soon as he arrived in Tianjin, he received a report from Deputy Commander and Mayor of Peking City Qin Dechun. When he heard that the Neon Army had actively proposed a negotiation and had signed three agreements for armistice, he was overjoyed and strengthened his original intention of reconciliation and not fighting. At the same time, he immediately convened senior generals of the 29th Army to convene a military and political meeting.

At the meeting, given the limited military strength of the Neon Army's North China garrison Army, many generals, including Tong Lingge, the deputy commander in charge of the military training regiment, advocated taking advantage of the victory to attack the Neon Army, ending the battle before the Neon Army reinforcements set off, forming a certain situation. This will not only help future negotiations, but also suppress the Japanese's arrogance, so that the Neon Army dare not expand the war in North China. Moreover, for this, Zhang Kexia, deputy chief of staff of the 29th Army, even planned an offensive combat plan. Most brigades of the 29th Army, the regiment commanders also advocated attacking the Neon Army.

The following reaction was obviously contrary to Song Zheyuan's idea. He focused his eyes on Zhang Zizhong, the commander of the 38th Division and mayor of Tianjin, who had not spoken out, and said: "Jichen, what do you think?"

Since Feng Yuxiang was founded, the Northwest Army has been managed by a patriarchal system. Feng Yuxiang once always boasted of being a parent, and beat and scolded his subordinates and punished him to kneel down. Even his deputy and brother Lu Zhonglin was no exception. This was also one of the reasons why Feng Yuxiang later betrayed his relatives and relatives. However, Zhang Zizhong was an alien, and he always valued loyalty. In the Central Plains War, he knew that the defeat was decided, but he still flatly refused Chiang Kai-shek's high-ranking official position and still worked hard for Feng Yuxiang.

When Song Zheyuan came forward to reorganize the remnants of the Northwest Army and formed the 29th Army, Zhang Zizhong had the greatest power, and Feng Zhian, the commander of the 37th Division, who was confronting the Japanese in Peking, was also Zhang Zizhong's old subordinate and friend. Therefore, in the 29th Army, in addition to him, Song Mingxuan, Zhang Zizhong's prestige was greater than that of Qin Dechun and Tong Lingge. Therefore, Zhang Zizhong's attitude was of great importance. At this time, Song Zheyuan really hoped that Zhang Zizhong could stand up and support him.

Zhang Zizhong understood Song Zheyuan's meaning very well. He also knew that if he wanted to protect the only force of the 29th Army, the Northwest Army, could only fight but not fight. In fact, Feng Zhian had solicited his opinions before the war, and Zhang Zizhong also advocated teaching the Japanese a lesson at that time. However, facing Song Zheyuan's gaze, the old morality of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness that had been rooted in his heart since childhood made him say in a low voice after a little consideration: "Military, what you mean is what I mean. As long as you make a decision, I, Zhang Zizhong, will definitely obey and support me."

Song Zheyuan was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, okay. I am sincere and understand the righteousness." Then, he glanced around and cleared his throat and said, "The current situation has reached the moment of life and death of our 29th Army. Now everyone agrees with the fight, but I want to ask everyone, how to fight? How to fight? Although our army currently has an absolute advantage in number, don't forget that there are hundreds of thousands of troops of the Neon Army in Northeast China and North Korea. In the Battle of Songhu, our 700,000 people could not stop the 300,000 troops of the Neon Army, and the most elite troops of the 100,000 Central Army in the Battle of Nanjing were less than one.

The front line will be regressed in a week. Once the situation turns into the situation in central China, how long can our 29th Army last? We must think carefully about who will be beneficial to the fight? It will be beneficial to the Communist Party, so that they will use the anti-Japanese war to expand their power; it will be beneficial to the Kuomintang, and use the anti-Japanese war to eliminate miscellaneous cards. Only the situation of Hebei-Chahar, which our Northwest Army has worked hard to develop, will be over. Therefore, I think we cannot fight at this time, we can only be harmonious. Only in this way can peace in North China be maintained and the lives of our 100,000 soldiers of our 29th Army can be preserved."
Chapter completed!