Chapter 58: Han Fu's Decision
Han Fu-chi saw Song Che-wu's expression, somewhat puzzled, but still smiled and said: "Wen-ko younger brother, since you take me as a big brother, what's the matter, just say it quickly. We brothers have nothing to forgive or not forgive." Song Che-wu apologetically told Han Fu-chi: "As soon as I arrived in Xinyang, I heard about Big Brother and Ji Hongchang's affair. This matter was rashly handled by Big Brother. Not to mention whether Director Feng will take any unfavorable measures against Big Brother after learning about it, even if the soldiers under Ji Hongchang make trouble, it is extremely unfavorable to Big Brother. Therefore, without Big Brother's consent, I took the liberty of sending grain to Ji Hongchang's 22nd Division with Xiao as the chief of staff."
Han Fuju's eyebrows furrowed as soon as he heard about Ji Hongchang, but when he learned that Song Zhiwu had sent grain to Ji, his expression immediately changed and he laughed heartily, patting Song on the shoulder. "Wenge, my good brother," he said, "at the time, I was still fuming and didn't think things through. Afterwards, I was worried sick about it. I wanted to send some grain to that stubborn donkey Ji Hongchang, but I had already spoken out against it and couldn't save face. The other commanders who were on good terms with Ji were afraid of me and didn't dare intervene. Look at this, this is what it means to be a good brother in the Northwestern Army!" Han Fuju let out a long sigh and leaned back into the sofa, saying quietly, "I had Shao Zhou investigate, and it turns out that Ji Hongchang's 22nd Division ran out of grain yesterday. That stubborn donkey only used his own money to buy 2000 jin of coarse grain, which was just enough for the wounded soldiers. He's been drinking thin porridge for six days, but he still won't come crawling back to me, not even giving me a chance to save face." Han Fuju suddenly sat up straight and grasped Song Zhiwu's hand sincerely. "Wenge, you've really helped your brother out of a tight spot! This isn't about me forgiving you, it's about me thanking you! If we weren't in the military right now, we'd have to drink a few cups together!" The Northwestern Army had very strict discipline, especially when it came to drinking in the military, which was strictly prohibited. Although this rule was no longer widely observed, Han Fuju had always been careful about this and didn't want to give anyone a chance to criticize him.
Song Zhe-wu saw that Han Fu-qing was not only not angry with him, but also very pleased, and he felt relieved, laughing and saying: "Big brother is right, when we take Wuhan, we brothers will definitely have a good drink."
As soon as Han Fuju heard Song Zhiwu's words, his face sank again. He thought of what Feng Yuxiang had said to him before he left Baiguan. "When you go to Wuhan, you must be quick when it is urgent and slow when it is not; the bow should be steady, and the arrow should be fierce. The Wushengguan is very good, and if we can hold this pass, the northern troops will not be able to move south, and the southern troops will not be able to move north. You must guard it well for me, and without my order, you are absolutely not allowed to take a step out of the pass." Han Fuju understood that Old General Feng still wanted to wait and see how the battle situation developed before deciding what to do. In other words, he wanted to wait until the Central Army and the Guangxi clique had fought each other to exhaustion, and then make a move on Wuhan. The purpose was not only to control the battle situation between the Central Army and the Guangxi clique but also to control the domestic political situation. There was another layer of meaning that was not explicitly stated, which was to find a way to stop Song Zhiwu's Fourth Route Army from moving south. Han Fuju himself very much wanted to take Wuhan, as Henan was too poor compared to Wuhan. If he could take Wuhan, he believed that Chiang Kai-shek in Nanjing would definitely give Wuhan and even Hubei to him, rather than giving it to other generals of the Northwestern Army. At present, there were only a few hundred thousand troops from the Guangxi clique in the two lakes, and they had to deal with Zhu Peide, Liu Xiang, his Third Route Army, and Song Zhiwu's Fourth Route Army, three powerful armies. Their military strength was already insufficient, and now they only had one and a half divisions of the Seventh Army of the Guangxi clique, with more than 20,000 men, in the direction of Wushengguan. Han Fuju was absolutely confident that he could enter Wuhan before the Central Army. If he could really take Wuhan and control it himself, relying on Hubei's financial resources, he, Han Fuju, could completely start anew and establish his own power. He had also thought about ignoring Feng Yuxiang's order and leading his army of 100,000 men to attack Wuhan. However, although he was nominally the commander-in-chief of the Third Route Army, as long as his orders conflicted with those of Feng Yuxiang, he could not command even a single soldier. He had already received several telegrams from Nanjing urging him to speed up his attack on Wuhan, but instead of choosing an excuse to shirk responsibility, he remained silent.
Han Fuju let out a deep sigh and said, "Wen Ge, my younger brother, even if we didn't have nearly 200,000 troops between the two of us, I could still take down Wuhan with just my third route army alone, without needing Zhu Peide and Liu Zhi's troops. And now that the main force of the Guangxi clique is defending against the Central Army in the east, there are only less than 20,000 troops from Yang Tenghui's seventh corps of the Guangxi clique stationed in Xiaogan, between Wushengguan and Wuhan. As long as we take down Xiaogan, taking Wuhan will be like taking a city with no one defending it! But I'm watching this great opportunity slip away, not daring to take a single step out of Wushengguan!"
Song Zhiwu knew that Li Mingrui and Yang Tenghui would publicly defect to the Nanjing faction on April 2, and if he sent troops at this time, they could reach Wuhan within two days. If they were quick, it was possible that they would enter Wuhan before the Central Army. Song Zhiwu still had a high opinion of Han Fuqu's military abilities, and because he knew history well, he formulated an even more daring plan to rush to Wuhan as soon as possible. Although he did not want Wuhan and knew that Chiang Kai-shek would never give it to anyone.
If he can occupy Wuhan first, he will have a great initiative and of course gain great benefits, which is what he needs most now.
Han Fuju's plan was not much different from his, if Han Fuju's plan were to be followed, Wuhan would definitely belong to the Northwest Army. In that case, the Northwest Army would have a foothold in one of China's richest provinces, and perhaps it would wash away its former image of being "poor but strong" and become the strongest faction in the country overnight. At that time, it would border Guangdong and Guangxi in the south, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan in the north, and Gansu, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang in the west, with half of China facing Jiangnan province. Perhaps China's history would change from then on, at least there wouldn't be a Central Plains War; if it did break out, the main battlefield would not be the Central Plains but rather Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Of course, which direction things would develop in is unknown, however...
Song Zhe Wu felt a little scared! But he deliberately asked Han Fu Mei: "Brother, with such an opportunity, why not go out and attack?"
Han Fuju smiled wryly and said: "My Wen Ge old brother, that Feng official doesn't know what kind of advice he's been given by that son of a bitch. He wants to wait until the Central Plains and Guangxi are both exhausted before taking action. He even wanted me to stop you from leaving the pass!" Han Fuju's words not only made Song Zhiwu break out in a cold sweat, but if it weren't for the 300,000 yuan he had brought out today, leaving the pass would have been a lot more complicated.
"Wuhan, Wuhan." Han Fuqu's expression was complex as he muttered to himself, suddenly his eyes gleaming brightly as he stared at Song Zhiwu and asked: "If I were to lead troops into Wuhan with my younger brother, this Wuhan..."
Song Zhe-wu understood Han Fu-chu's meaning, he wanted to take Wuhan, and smiled slightly: "Big brother, my troops are all from the north, I still want to find a foothold in the north, I'm not interested in Wuhan." Han Fu-chu couldn't help but show joy on his face, but soon became dissatisfied and worried. He knew that without the order of his old superior officer, no troops would follow him out of the pass, unless he only brought his pistol team.
After a long silence, Han Fuyou suddenly raised his head and asked Song Zhe Wu resolutely: "Wen Ge, when are you leaving the pass?" "Tomorrow morning I will leave. I have already received the general attack order from Nanjing."
Han Fuqu stood up and said to Song Zhiwu: "Since my younger brother is going to advance tomorrow, I won't keep you tonight. You should hurry back and prepare for the battle. Tomorrow morning, I will see you off at the pass."
Song Zhe Wu looked at Han Fu Zhu and said: "Big brother, you let me out of the pass so easily, what about Director Feng's place......?"
Han Fuqi burst out laughing and patted Song Zhe Wu's shoulder, saying: "Don't worry, little brother, I have a way. And as soon as you get out, I guarantee that I will also be out soon."
