Chapter Nineteen Meeting

  Nanjing, Chairman's residence, conference room.

  "Little brother is overjoyed!"

  "Thanks for your concern, Chairman! Thanks for your respect, Mr. Jing! Thanks for your hard work, Mr. Mo San! Thanks for your eloquence, Mr. Ci Xiu! ... Spare me, little brother!"

  "Hahaha!"

  "Haha, the joke is over, now let's get down to business! Weiwen, you speak up! Little brother, sit here." Chiang Kai-shek pointed to a seat beside him.

  I bowed slightly and sat down, what a great seat! It's not convenient to squeeze in with the big shots, nor is it convenient to sit on the edge with stenographers and the like. Sitting here is just right, and it also makes me seem close to the Chairman, haha!

  "Affirmative, Chairman. First item. After the enemy's main force entered northern Shaanxi and merged with local enemy forces, they expanded slightly before our main force arrived; however, northern Shaanxi is ultimately barren and far inferior to Jiangxi, with limited opportunities for replenishment and recovery. Once our various routes' main forces gather, we can launch an attack and eliminate this route's stubborn enemy in one fell swoop! The specific deployment is as follows: the eastern route will be led by Director Yan, from north to south, with 101 Division's 3 regiments, 71 Division's 2 regiments, 72 Division's 1 regiment, and 69 Division's 1 regiment; the reserve force will consist of 72 Division and 69 Division's 4 regiments. The southern route will be led by Director Yang, from east to west, with 42 Division and 17 Division's 6 regiments. The southwestern route will be led by Deputy Commander Zhang, with Wang Yizhe and Dong Yingbin in charge, consisting of 6 divisions. The northwestern route will be led by the 35th, 84th, and 86th Divisions. After deployment is complete, we can launch a pincer movement, with Director Yan, Director Yang, and General Wang's three routes' main forces responsible for the attack; the remaining units will provide support. Specifically, Director Yan's unit will be in charge of the western front's main assault, committing 101 Division's 3 regiments, 71 Division's 1 regiment, and 72 Division's 1 regiment, breaking into the enemy zone from the northeast to seek a decisive battle; 71 Division's 1 regiment and 84 Division's 1 regiment will provide cover for the main assault force's southern and northern flanks. Director Yang's unit will be in charge of the southeastern front's main assault, committing 17 Division's 3 regiments and 42 Division's 2 regiments, breaking into the enemy zone from the southeast to seek a decisive battle; 69 Division's 1 regiment and Xi'an Garrison's 1 regiment will provide cover for the eastern and western flanks. Wang Dingfang's 67th Army is currently stationed along the Yan'an-Lochuan line, while Deputy Commander Zhang has ordered Dong Xianzhang's 57th Army to reinforce from Ningxia; they will join forces and launch an attack on the enemy zone from the southwest. The main force of the 35th, 86th, and 84th Divisions will conduct a holding action in the northwestern part of the enemy zone. Above all, our various routes' forces will advance together to annihilate the remaining enemy in northern Shaanxi!"

  "Yes, although our main force is still in the southwest, on the one hand, the enemy's losses are heavy, and the enemy forces in northern Shaanxi are negligible. With these troops, it is enough to sweep away the remaining enemies."

  The chairman's opening tone is set, and naturally, there will be a constant applause and flattery afterwards! I despise it!

  As the voices gradually subsided, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly spoke up: "Hmmm, Bai Li and Geng Guang are not here; Zi An, you represent the high-ranking officials to discuss your views!"

  "Me?" How could it be me? I suddenly realized: this plan must have been thought up by Old Chiang himself and was secretly carried out by the Imperial Guard, so Chiang Baili and the others didn't know! That's why the high-ranking officials were wildly applauding but not saying a word. It seems that not speaking won't work, but if I speak it might affect the course of history, don't want to cause another Shaanbei collapse or something... I'll take a gamble! I'll bet Chiang will still be as naive as he was in history.

  I quickly organized my words, "I have no major objections to the plan presented by the attendants' room. I believe that if all parties launch an attack according to the plan, even if we cannot completely annihilate the enemy army in northern Shaanxi, it will be enough to eliminate most of them. However, since Mr. Wei mentioned that 'the recovery of the barren land in northern Shaanxi is limited', I think the enemy army will not wait for death and may take the initiative to attack our rich areas to seize supplies and recruit strong men when our main force has not yet arrived. If the enemy attacks us while we are attacking, the change in situation will make it difficult for our army to achieve complete victory."

  Chiang Kai-shek remained silent for a moment, "Hmm, what do you think of what Zi'an said?"

  "The enemy troops have marched a long way to northern Shaanxi, and everyone says that northern Shaanxi is poor and barren, with limited supplies, how can they launch a large-scale offensive?"

  "Besides, our army has already deployed dozens of regiments on the outskirts, where can the enemy escape to? Brother Zi'an is worrying too much!"

  "Yuwen's plan is good, I don't see a problem!"

  The big shots burst into applause again!

  Chiang Kai-shek looked around at the crowd and finally spoke up: "Everyone, quiet down! Zi An, tell me, what makes you think that the enemy army in northern Shaanxi still has the ability to launch an attack? If so, where will they strike next?"

  "The enemy's First Front Army, which set out from Jiangxi, suffered heavy losses and was reduced to less than one-tenth of its original strength. After barely escaping to northern Shaanxi, it had already lost the ability to launch an offensive. However, in recent months, Deputy Commander Zhang's troops have been continuously defeated, resulting in cumulative losses of over two divisions. The battle at Zhiluo Town was particularly disastrous, with the 57th Army losing nearly 7,000 men and equipment including over 3,500 rifles, more than 170 light and heavy machine guns, eight mortars, and over 300 horses. Adding to previous losses at Laoshan and Wuzhitou, it is clear that the large number of captured supplies has enabled the Shaanxi Red Army to regain its combat effectiveness."

  "What direction does Nazha think the enemy will launch an attack from?"

  I stood up and pointed to the map on the table, saying: "Please look at the map, Chairman and gentlemen. The enemy area in northern Shaanxi is barren in the north and west, although it is rich in the south, but our various large armies are successively stationed in the south, and the enemy can only launch an attack to the east!"

  He Yingqin interjected: "To the east? The east is Shanxi, with the Yellow River as a natural barrier. Among the four directions, it has the most abundant military strength and is good at defense - the Jin-Sui army will absolutely not be possible!"

  "Respectfully, sir, the Yellow River's dangerous points are in its mid-to-lower reaches, between Shaanxi and Shanxi. Although there are several treacherous spots on the Yellow River, many places have a river width of only a few hundred meters, with numerous crossing points, and it is now winter! The Jin army may be large but their forces are scattered, and it's entirely possible for the enemy to concentrate their main force and break through one or two segments!"

  "Child, you are wise! The enemy may be able to break through into Shanxi by taking advantage of the void. But then what? With only over ten thousand enemy troops, facing the siege of twenty-odd divisions of the Jin-Sui army is nothing but certain death!"

  "I don't think it's that serious, although the Jin-Sui army has more troops, they are scattered and deployed in different places. The 73rd Division and cavalry are far away in Suiyuan, the 68th Division is in eastern Shanxi, the 66th Division is in southeastern Shanxi, and several brigades are still stationed in Taiyuan. Most of the rest are in northwestern Shanxi preparing to attack enemy territory, and there are also places like Fenyang, Jixian, Linfen that need to be defended. I think once the enemy breaks through, as long as they take advantage of the emptiness and capture a few regiments along the Yellow River, the rich areas of central Shanxi will be at their mercy!"

  "After a hundred rivers have flowed through the battlefield, only Taiyuan still has four or five divisions deployed, enough to defeat the enemy army of over ten thousand!"

  "I'm afraid not, Director Yan has always been cautious, and Taiyuan is a must-defend place for him. Once the enemy breaks into the depths of Shanxi, I think Director Yan will even call back the troops stationed in Jinbei and Jinnan to support Taiyuan, rather than leading the Taiyuan garrison to launch a counterattack!"

  "Everyone stop arguing! These possible changes don't need to be discussed for now, let's talk about whether or not we should inform Bai Chuan and the others?"

  "He Yingqin said: 'Mr. Chairman, if we notify Yan Zhen, it may affect the preparation for the offensive, and Bai Chuan may even give up the attack.'"

  "Hmm, then don't notify them! Anyway, even if the enemy takes advantage of our absence to cross the river, it won't have a significant impact. We can just adapt when the time comes." Chiang Kai-shek said after some thought. "Wen, what's the next agenda?"

  "Yes. Last year, Mr. Bai Li and others proposed to form a cavalry unit with the Northwest's strong and brave men and horses, which would be used for future surprise attacks in North China. After contacting various parties, Ma Ziyun was the most enthusiastic, and several other families were also willing to contribute their share of strength."

  "Why is Ma Buqing so enthusiastic?"

  "Although Ma Ziyun still controlled the 5th Cavalry Division, his territory was squeezed by Ma Zixiang and he couldn't stand firm. In terms of military strength, Zixiang had the upper hand, but since they were brothers, it wasn't convenient to start a war."

  "What conditions are we talking about now?"

  "Ma Ziyun wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca and also wanted to find a better way out for his subordinates. In exchange, as long as the military ranks of his subordinates were retained, and zhōngyāng arranged their garrison and allocated funds to support their dependents, that would be enough."

  "Hmm, as long as the price is reasonable, I'll agree! First pull it out, and then there will be a chance to strike back! Lay the foundation for Zhongyang's restoration of power in the northwest!"

  "Yes!"

  "How many troops does Ma Bufang have now?"

  "The current 5th Division has a cavalry brigade, an infantry brigade, and divisional artillery, engineers, and special troops. However, there are not many personnel, with a total of just over 10,000."

  "What did the rest of them agree on?"

  "Ma Zixiang and Ma Shaoyun each contributed one team of men and two teams of horses; Ma Ziyin reduced by half. However, we can still purchase good horses at a fair price in their defense zone as supplements, so that our Zhongyang cavalry troops can also be appropriately expanded."

  "Does this matter also have something to do with Zi An? Zi An, come and talk about the equipment situation!"

  "This unit now appears to be a small cavalry army, with good horses from the northwest and **jīng悍** riders, combined with superior material conditions and learning from the strong military traditions of the zhōngyāng army's cavalry officers. As long as they are effectively combined, they can serve as the mobile force for battles in the North China region.

  The unit should be built to the standard of light cavalry, but except for the god-guns who equip themselves with their preferred carbines or rifles, most of the cavalry should be equipped with twenty rounds and assault guns. They should also be equipped with hand grenades and anti-tank rockets; the machine gun company should abandon heavy machine guns and mainly equip Czech-style light machine guns. A platoon should be equipped with 60 or 50 mortars, depending on the production of the Jinling factory; or simply abandon the machine gun company and distribute the machine guns to each cavalry company, with the cavalry artillery platoon directly under the command of the cavalry regiment.

  Training should focus on attacking **rì** military units that lack defense during marches and small-scale strongpoints, emphasizing the unit's independent combat capabilities."

  "En, what Zi An said makes sense, you guys discuss and handle it specifically. What's the next agenda?"