Chapter 24: The Chairman's Scheme

  Zhang Zhizhong saw that Chiang Kai-shek had made up his mind to take action against the Guangxi clique, so what was left was a military issue. The specific difficulties that existed should be raised and resolved as soon as possible.

  "Chairman, since we want to solve the Guangxi issue, my opinion is that once we start, we need to take action simultaneously in two places. In North China, Bai Chongxi's troops have Li Zongren and Li Pinxian's two divisions, with over 1 million soldiers. In Hebei province, there are also Shan Jun, Zhang Yunwu, and Fu Zuoyi's three divisions, totaling around 1 million soldiers. Although Chairman has confidence that the Shanxi-Shaanxi army will not participate, we still need to be cautious. This means we would need at least 2 million troops to guarantee success. In Central China, there are also Guangxi forces such as Xia Wei and Ye Qi, with over 1 million soldiers. To solve this issue, we would need at least 1.5 million troops. Combining both places, we would need a total of 3.5 million troops. Even if we use all our troops, there is still a shortage of 500,000 soldiers. In Central China, we do not have an absolute advantage, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to solve the issue in a short period."

  Chiang Kai-shek observed the expressions of everyone, knowing that they basically agreed to take military action against the Guangxi clique, but still had some worries. So he smiled and said: "What Wen and Bai are worried about is indeed a problem. Once we take action, both North China and Central China will definitely act at the same time, which means our troops will be somewhat stretched thin. The Central Army needs to expand its forces vigorously, but that takes time, and we don't have time to wait. However, I can tell you all that resolving the issue with Bai Chongxi in North China doesn't require us to deploy a single soldier. This is General Yue's suggestion; you come and tell everyone."

  Chang Ch'ün and Chiang Kai-shek were classmates during their studies in Japan, the two had a very close relationship. When Chiang pointed to himself, Chang nodded to everyone: "My suggestion to the Chairman is to fight poison with poison." Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Chang intentionally paused for dramatic effect, stopping mid-sentence. Soong Tse-ven couldn't bear the suspense and urged Chang: "I say, Mr. Chang, if your plan really works without mobilizing the Central Army, you can truly be called a master strategist who wins victories from afar. Come on, speak up!"

  Zhang Qun smiled and said: "I'm not worthy of Director Song's praise, although it doesn't require mobilizing troops, but it does need money, and Director Song will have to foot the bill again." Is he going to give money to Bai Chongxi and ask him to hand over his troops? Not to mention that Bai Chongxi won't agree, even if he did, buying them out would be a huge sum of money! Seeing everyone's confusion, Zhang Qun continued, satisfying his vanity: "Bai Chongxi's troops in North China are all the remnants of Tang Shengzhi's forces from last year. Li Pixian and Liao Xiang are both Tang Shengzhi's top generals, and most of the troops are from Hunan, they've been wanting to return home for a long time, and their morale has been unstable. Three months ago, following the instructions of the Chairman, I sent a letter to Tang Shengzhi, who was still in Japan at the time, asking him to return to China and reorganize his old troops. Although Tang Shengzhi hasn't responded yet, he's already returned to China and is currently living in Shanghai's concession area."

  Chiang Kai-shek took over: "The reason why Tang Shengzhi has not made a statement is mainly because he still has concerns, fearing that I am just using him. He returned from Japan and revealed his mind. Did Yue Jun and Liu Wenhui arrive in Nanjing?"

  Liu Wentao used to work with Tang Shengzhi and served as a political instructor at the Whampoa Military Academy. Liu Wentao graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan with a degree in politics and economics, and received his Ph.D. in law from the University of Paris. In the summer of 1925, he returned to China and became an advisor to the Hunan Provincial Government. In May 1926, he went to Guangzhou to serve as Tang Shengzhi's representative in Guangdong and as a political instructor at the Whampoa Military Academy. During the Northern Expedition, he served as director of the Political Department and party representative in the vanguard headquarters of Tang Shengzhi's National Revolutionary Army 8th Corps. He is currently deputy director of the General Political Department of the National Revolutionary Army Headquarters.

  "Arrived in Nanjing last night," Zhang Qun replied.

  "You have Liu Wendao go to Shanghai to find Tang Mengxiao, and have Ziwen give him 300,000 yuan, hand it over to Tang Mengxiao, and say that I gave him the expenses for gathering his old troops. Also, tell him that as long as he enters Bai Chongxi's military camp in Hebei, I will recognize him as the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Route Army. Isn't he always wanting to return to Hunan? Let him lead the army back to Hunan to fight against Guiyuan Lifu. Arrange for the provincial party department in Beiping to spread the news that the central government supports Tang Shengzhi's return to his troops, and first stir up the emotions of those people from Hunan."

  The people in the house, only Yang Yongtai and Zhang Qun knew about this matter. The others were hearing it for the first time. It's hard not to say that this was a clever move. As soon as Tang Shengzhi's old subordinates found out that Chiang Kai-shek supported Tang Shengzhi, they would immediately drive out Bai Chongxi and welcome Tang Shengzhi. At that time, it would be uncertain whether Bai Chongxi could leave Hebei alive. To say the least, everyone had initially been skeptical about attacking the Guangxi clique, but now it seemed like a done deal. The seemingly powerful Guangxi clique was actually taken care of by the brilliant Chairman with just 3 million yuan. Everyone was overjoyed.

  He Yingqin also shook off his earlier languor, sat up straight and said: "Chairman Chiang is wise, Bai Chongxi will definitely not escape this time. Since we don't need to take action in North China, we have absolute confidence in resolving Xia Wei, Ye Qi and other troops in a short period of time. Shouldn't we let Minister Lin arrange and formulate an action plan now?"

  Chiang Kai-shek waved his hand, indicating for Lin Yu to stand up and sit down. "Yu Wen can arrange the battle plan, but there's one more thing you should know. In fact, we don't need to make a big fuss about the Central China situation either. The old Guangxi warlord Yu Zupei has secretly surrendered to the central government and has already persuaded the main force of the Seventh Army stationed in Wuhan, Li Mingrui and Yang Tenghui's two divisions, to follow suit when making battle plans."

  Just now, the means by which Bai Chongxi was dealt with has shocked many people. Without making a sound, Chiang Kai-shek has also settled Huazhong. Everyone is secretly admiring Chiang Kai-shek's clever tactics. Even He Yingqin, who had always looked down on Chiang Kai-shek's military command ability, thinks that in terms of political tactics, he can't compare to Chiang Kai-shek.

  Among the applause of the crowd, Chiang Kai-shek continued: "Jing Zhi Wei's plan for making war must grasp two key points: First, we must prevent the Northwest Army from taking advantage of the situation; second, we must ensure that the Central Army controls Wuhan and the three towns, and the Hanyang Arsenal absolutely cannot fall into someone else's hands."

  Chen Lifu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Chairman, using Tang Shengzhi to deal with Bai Chongxi is a truly brilliant move. However, I beg to differ on two individuals among the leaders of various factions in the country whom I believe are not trustworthy: one is Yan Xishan from Shanxi and the other is precisely Tang Shengzhi. Both of them have treacherous bones and will never truly serve the Chairman."

  Chiang Kai-shek nodded in agreement: "Lifu is right, but everyone should be reassured that Tang Shengzhi will listen to orders; otherwise, the next one to be cleaned up would be him."

  Chiang Kai-shek said, "The Guangxi issue has been settled. There is another problem that needs to be discussed. Earlier, Wen Bai mentioned that the troops of Hebei's Shang Zhen, Zhang Yunyi and Fu Zuoyi have over 10 million people, but this number is not accurate. Zhang Yunyi and Fu Zuoyi have more than 700,000 people, but Shang Zhen has only 320,000 people in the 32nd army. Shang Zhen also established a security command department in Hebei. Let Li Fushun brief everyone on the situation."

  Chen Lifu cleared his throat and said loudly: "This security commander is called Song Zhe Wu, the original Wen Ge's troops were a supplementary brigade of warlord Zhang Zongchang. During the second Northern Expedition last year, they joined Shang Zhen's department. Yan Xishan disagreed with incorporating them into the 32nd Army, and Shang Zhen had no choice but to give him the number 'Hebei Security Independent Mixed Brigade'. Last August, they moved to Laiyuan and annihilated over a thousand bandits. Shang Zhen reported to the Military Affairs Department, and the Military Affairs Department gave him the rank of Major General."

  Upon hearing this, He Yingqin remembered that he had consulted with Chiang Kai-shek about this matter, but it was just a brigade after all.

  Chen Lifu continued: "The troops under my command now have 6 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment, 1 logistics regiment and 1 cavalry regiment." Seeing that the formation of 9 regiments did not attract everyone's attention, Chen Lifu continued: "Song Zheyu graduated from the Dresden Infantry School in Germany. The formation of his troops is basically imitated from the German army, with an infantry regiment having nearly 8,000 people."

  80,000 people. Everyone was shocked to know that many domestic troops have only 10,000 people in a division, which means Song Zhe Wu has nine divisions! Can be compiled into two armies

  Seeing everyone's surprise, Chen Lifu said to himself that there was still more to be surprised about, and continued: "His cavalry regiment is a super-large formation regiment, with over 20,000 people and horses." Over 20,000 people! Everyone was shocked, their eyes wide with amazement.

  Immediately afterwards, Chen Lifu dropped another bombshell: "Moreover, the Security Brigade currently has more than 30,000 new soldiers in training"

  Everyone gasped in unison. Good grief, that's a total of 100,000 people! The shell of a single security company actually held so many people.

  Chen Lifu saw that everyone had been stimulated enough, and he didn't sell the key anymore: "This unit is well-equipped, with all rifles being Japanese-style, machine guns, and various artillery are Western-style and extremely large in number. There is a machine gun in each squad, and 60mm mortars are equipped in each company. They are particularly well-trained. Shang Zhen disregarded the central government's order not to run any kind of military school locally, and set up a "North Ping Political Military School" in North Ping, modeled after Huangpu. All the instructors came from Baoding Military Academy. The students of this school defeated the troops of the 32nd Army in an opposing exercise just a month ago." Chen Lifu strengthened his tone: "However, five days ago, they were defeated by the Security Brigade in an opposing exercise, especially in hand-to-hand combat. The Security Brigade used 100 people to defeat 200 people, and at the cost of more than 50 casualties, they annihilated the opponent's 200 people."

  In the midst of everyone's astonishment, Chiang Kai-shek took over Chen Lifu's words: "I knew during my early years studying in Japan that the Japanese military was fierce and cruel. Now, if we were to engage in a fight with old Japanese soldiers, the result would basically be like this. In other words, this security regiment is indeed well-trained, its combat effectiveness even reaching the level of the Japanese military. Such a troop, we absolutely cannot ignore. It's surprising that it was only discovered 20 days ago by the Hebei Provincial Party Department, which is not an intelligence agency. It seems we should strengthen our intelligence work." Today, I'm also letting you all know that I've already instructed Dai Li to be in charge of establishing a "Investigation and Communication Small Group" to start conducting intelligence work. What no one present could have anticipated was that the small group led by Dai Li would develop into the renowned Military Statistics Bureau - Juntong 9 years later, in 1938.

  Due to professional sensitivity, Soong Tse-ven asked inexplicably: "With equipment so good, 10 million people need a huge amount of funds. Yan Xishan has always been at odds with Shang Zhen and cannot give him this money. Hebei's financial resources have never been abundant, and the two major financial hubs in Hebei, Tianjin and Beiping, were given by Lao Xi to his confidants Zhang Yunyi and Fu Zuoyi. Shang Zhen is even more unlikely to come up with such a large sum of money.

  Chiang Kai-shek frowned and said, "What T.V. Soong said is true, Yen Hsi-shan will not give Shang Zhen this sum of money, he may not even know that he still has such a strong force in name only. Shang Zhen has always had the tendency to lean towards the Central Government, but also has the heart to stand on his own. Speaking of it, Shang Zhen is also a good official who loves politics and the people, governing Hebei for half a year now, relieving disaster victims and restoring production, the little financial income in Hebei was used up long ago. Now he's even established a 'Model County for Rural Construction' in Dingxian, it's said that they had to scrape together 500,000 yuan. But this Sung Che-yuan has money, he opened many factories, all of which are profitable, the recently produced 'Xiang Xue Hang Mian' is also one of their products. He is willing to spend his own money to support the army, just this point alone makes him suspicious, at least he has ambitions. He hides in the mountain valley of his hometown, not revealing himself, focusing on training troops, accumulating strength and waiting for opportunities. We must quickly investigate this person's attitude towards the Central Government."

  At this time, Chiang Kai-shek's deputy officer came in to report that Xu Enzeng, the head of the Central Party Department's Investigation Division, had an important matter to report outside the door. Chen Lifu got up and wanted to go out, but Chiang Kai-shek stopped him and ordered the deputy officer to let Xu Enzeng come in. After Xu Enzeng came in, he first greeted Chiang Kai-shek and then took out a telegram and handed it to Chen Lifu. Chen Lifu quickly read the telegram and immediately had a smile all over his face, and then handed the telegram back to Chiang Kai-shek. The telegram was from the Gaoyuan County Party Department, and Chen Shuji was a distant relative of Chen Lifu's, so he could contact Chen Lifu directly without going through the provincial party department. The content of the telegram was: Song Yibang expressed his attitude, believed in the Three Principles of the People, supported the Central Government, and resolutely obeyed Chiang Kai-shek's leadership, willing to lead the whole regiment to join the party, hoping that the central government would quickly dispatch personnel to handle the matter.

  "Good!" Chiang Kai-shek's furrowed brow relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face, but it quickly disappeared. He asked Chen Lifu: "Lifu, how do you plan to handle this matter?" Chen Lifu replied respectfully: "This is an important matter, I will go to Liyuan personally." Chiang Kai-shek waved his hand: "Don't go, Song Zhewu hid in the mountains just to avoid drawing attention from outsiders. Yan Baichuan is still unaware of it now. If you go, you'll immediately alert Yan Baichuan and add trouble." Chen Lifu thought for a moment and agreed that as the Secretary-General of the Central Party Department, he would attract unnecessary attention by going to see a minor Security Commander in a remote mountain area. If Yan also tried to win over Song Zhewu, it would be trouble for himself.

  Chiang Kai-shek stood up, took a few slow steps on the ground, turned around a few times, and then said to Chen Lifu: "Let Lu Zuo go to Taoyuan as a demobilized inspector to handle this matter. You write a letter in your own handwriting to comfort and encourage him, and give it to Lu Zuo to bring to Song Zhiwu." After thinking for a moment, he also said to Zhang Zhizhong: "Wenbai, I'm afraid I have to trouble you to go to Taoyuan again." Seeing that he was looking at himself, Zhang Zhizhong quickly stood up and said: "Chairman, please speak." Chiang Kai-shek slowly said: "You hide your identity and go to Taoyuan as Lu Zuo's entourage to see if this Security Regiment is really so powerful."

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