Chapter Twenty-Six Sleepless Night

  The dinner was sumptuous, and everyone ate with relish - the novel Chinese dishes combined with Ronghui's guidance on German dining habits made all the guests who had just arrived after a series of flights temporarily put aside their various thoughts and questions in their minds and focus on the dishes. Except for one person - Falkenhausen.

  Fakenhausen has found an opportunity to sit down next to Tan Xiao and they begin to discuss that military plan.

  "General Falkenhausen, I am very grateful for your praise and will unreservedly accept it. Frankly speaking, I think General von Seekt's plan is excellent - if China has about five years of preparation time, but I believe that the time left to China is only two years or even less." Tan Xiang was surprised to find that Falkenhausen supported his plan more than he did with his predecessor von Seekt.

  "Tan, as a soldier with a sense of mission, I understand your worries, but will the Japanese act so quickly?"

  "Of course, they are not our brothers and do not wish to see China become strong. Therefore, according to the changes in our situation, I think the Japanese will adjust their timetable for aggression, so I do not want the whole army to be mobilized in an open way. Perhaps we should hold a meeting with great fanfare, while at the same time quietly mobilizing the troops."

  "On this point, I think whether your judgment is correct or not, it doesn't hurt to do so, and I will support it." Falkenhausen had already been explicitly informed that he would take over the position of commander of the Sektor: "Then under what name can we reorganize and even assemble more than ten divisions without being detected by outsiders?"

  "It's simple, 'bandit suppression'." Tan Xiao said: "Now the Red Army has made Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan a battleground everywhere, but none of the various armies have achieved a decisive victory. So, concentrating and reorganizing the second echelon of 'bandit suppression' is a good excuse, outsiders will only think that China's civil war will intensify, that's all!"

  In history, "suppressing bandits" was carried out in the name of resisting Japan. In this time and space, everything is just the opposite. After Tan Xiao and Falkenhausen had a rather in-depth discussion about the situation of rectifying the army and equipping it, and recorded many details of their conversation, they suddenly discovered that a German guest seemed to have been waiting for a while beside them.

  "Heinz, sit down." Falkenhausen beckoned to him, although they weren't really very familiar with each other, but Falkenhausen was ten years older than Güldrian, so he wasn't being polite.

  Because of the secrecy at the beginning, the list of German names was listed with their mothers' surnames, so Tan Xiao did not know that the person sitting next to him was the later famous "God of Lightning War".

  When the visitor provided design drawings for Tan Xiao's generous provision, his troops got a look that completely met his requirements and expressed gratitude. Only then did Tan Xiao know that the other party was the German Armored Troops Supervisor: "Wilhelm, do you have a Mr. Guderian under your command? If so, I suggest you promote him, absolutely a tank genius! That guy, to know that the birth of new weapons will inevitably produce new tactics, and these must be created by people full of imagination, and that guy is exactly that kind of person! I've read some of his papers on the use of tank troops. I think there's no one better than him in Europe!" After Tan Xiao finished speaking, he saw two Germans in front of him with strange smiles...

  "Sorry! Tan, for confidentiality, our list provides the mother's surname, my full name is Heinz Wilhelm Gooderian! Hahaha... it's that imaginative guy you mentioned!" Gooderian was overjoyed like a kid: "Thank you very much for the general's compliment! I'm deeply honored!" He didn't mind Tan laughing and referring to him as "guy" when discussing him.

  Then they began to discuss the tank battle. Although there was no sandbox, but not lacking in tableware, so the table became a battlefield, and a tank attack and anti-tank defense began. The focused parties did not even notice that there were so many onlookers next to them... After three attacks failed, Guderian was very disappointed, his tank troops had lost more than half! Although the position would certainly be broken through, the defender Tan Xiao's losses were even more severe. But this was not the result Guderian wanted.

  "Why don't we change our tactics? Heinz, let's switch offense and defense." Tan Xiao suggested.

  The switch from defense to offense attracted more spectators, and now that everyone had eaten their fill, almost everyone gathered around the dinner table to see how Tan Xiao, who had never even touched a tank before, would use armored forces. The result was of course even more astonishing: after Tan Xiao's diamond-shaped vanguard broke through Guderian's defensive line, it didn't expand the breakthrough at all, but instead followed up and followed up again... Obviously, it had already gone beyond the scope of tank defense and offense.

  "The role of the Panzer Corps is not to act as a mobile pillbox and infantry support! Their true role is to break through! Penetrate! Advance endlessly! Destroy defensive lines, reach the enemy's artillery positions in the rear, sweep across the enemy's logistical bases! Even strike at the enemy's command center!!" Tan Xiao continued, "Those British or Soviet cowards who have lost their nerve should be left to our infantry to clean up! The Iron Fist Division doesn't need to look back, only advance! Supplies will be handled by the air force, those paratroopers should already have occupied the airports in the enemy's rear, and our Iron Fist Division is a lightning-fast sword that no one can stop! The enemy's defensive lines can only be destroyed, those foolish enemies who stand in our way will be swept away from behind and flee in disarray! As for what's left, gentlemen know what to do - annihilate them!!"

  This was a contest without victory or defeat, for Tan Xiao had gone off the topic. However, his crazy attacks, combined with his explanation of how to coordinate with paratroopers and the overall concept of an all-out offensive... left all the German soldiers stunned and unable to react!

  It wasn't until much later that Falkenhausen said, "Now I believe in the theory of military genius... No matter how great an advantage the Japanese may possess, they can only exhaust themselves, they cannot defeat China - as long as Tang is still around!" This remark was surprisingly met with thunderous applause from everyone present!

  "Tan, may I come into your room tonight?" Goodrian asked.

  Tan Xiao leaned back and bumped into Rong Hui.

  "Our general is a man who doesn't need rest, as long as it's for his country, right, General?" Rong Hui's dimples were full of teasing...

  In the evening, it was not only Guderian who arrived at Tanxiaofang, but also Manstein, von Falkenhausen and the little Krupp who was not a soldier. Thus began a world war game that led the world...

  At 3 am, when people like Gu Duliang who had become fans of Tan or Xiao left, the staff waiting outside handed over Chiang Kai-shek's urgent telegram to Tan Xiao: "The country's pillar, must be strictly protected..." Haha, it seems that old Chiang is also humorous! It seems that he just told Tan Xiao that he knew about Kong Xiangxi being under house arrest... Wait a minute, it can't be that simple, right? Tan Xiao thought for a moment and directly called Peng Hanbai: "Hanbai, no matter who it is, as long as they dare to approach the Xiangxiang Pavilion, I'll have them arrested!"

  "Yes, that's how the order was given. Four people from Fuxing Society have already been detained, as well as eight others including President Kung's secretary and attendants..." Peng Hanbo really is obedient to orders, he didn't even ask for instructions, daring to detain anyone! Tan Xiao felt at ease. He had no idea that Song Ziwen was packing his bags, and would fly to Hunan with Kong Xiangxi the next day...

  At this hour, Bai Chongxi was also awake, he was so angry that he couldn't sleep!

  In the afternoon, someone was sent to see Tan Xiao and arranged a time to enter the camp for observation. Unexpectedly, he got: The leader is still accompanying the German delegation, and tomorrow there will be time to notify Deputy Director Bai, so go back and wait... What a great humiliation! Bai Chongxi hates Tan Xiao so much that he wants to tear him apart! He has probably never been treated with such contempt in his life! Angry and helpless, he couldn't sleep all night, tossing and turning until the bed was messed up.

  Kong Xiangxi, trapped in the Xiangxiang Pavilion, couldn't sleep anymore. He felt that his 30 million marks were going to be lost. He had seen many arrogant warlords, but never one who dared to detain him for the sake of his woman's business! He regretted it now, if only he had known that Tan Xiao was so bold and unscrupulous, he would have made a clear deal with him, even if it meant splitting the profit in half. He thought Tan Xiao didn't have the ability to get more than 10 million from the Germans, but now everything was ruined! He hated Tan Xiao so much that his teeth were itching, and all he could think about was how to get rid of Tan Xiao after he escaped.

  He Shaochang was also shocked by Tan Xiang's soft detention of Kong Xiangxi, and he immediately secretly telegraphed his uncle He Yingqin, so tonight there are two more who can't sleep. He Shaochang is worried that Tan Xiang's case will be too big, because he attended the talks with the German delegation, he didn't think Tan Xiang was corrupt in it. But this is exactly what worries him, such a large business deal, if you don't take advantage of others, people will still assume you are corrupt, and when the time comes, what can be used to show respect and bribe various evil spirits?

  He Yingqin's insomnia was because he had long regarded Tan Xiang as a member of the He family army, and this guy could always get things done, but he didn't expect him to be able to do something so big! Kong Xiangxian was actually the one who controlled the throat of the military department behind his back, and even though he knew about his corruption, he still had to cover for him. But Tan Xiang was really something else, directly putting He under house arrest! However, with such a big thing, was it really his own idea or was there another plot? He Yingqin was very suspicious, Tan Xiang's actions were always shocking, but in fact, he wasn't a reckless person, just look at how he packaged those troops, this guy was simply a personal genius!

  Actually, Chiang Kai-shek, who was directing the war against the Red Army in Chongqing, also did not sleep all night! On the one hand, the Red Army's three crossings of the Red Water River seemed to be about to cross the Yangtze River, making him a headache over whether or not to deploy the Yunnan army: should he send out the Yunnan army or not?! At the same time, he was also concerned about the outcome of the talks in Lingling. He had not expected that this time the German visitors would be at such a high level, which he only understood after receiving Tan Xiao's report and internal secret telegrams in the evening. Therefore, he hated Kong Xiangxi for being so greedy as to treat national affairs like a child's play! So he was very relieved that Tan Xiao dared to detain Kong Xiangxi and immediately called Yang Yongtai to discuss how to acquit Tan Xiao in the future. When he learned that Song Ziwen and Kong Lingkun would arrive in Lingling together the next day, he hastily sent a telegram to encourage Tan Xiao and gave him tacit hints. However, he was not confident, worrying that Tan Xiao might not be able to handle the high-level German delegation alone, and also worried about the external pressure being too great, wondering if Tan Xiao could withstand it.

  "Does Chang Qing think that this time Feng Sheng can smoothly and without external interference bring down that munitions factory?"

  "Please be assured, Chang Qi thinks that although Tan Fengsheng is just a roughneck, he is indeed full of tricks and unpredictable when dealing with foreigners; the French and British can be handled easily, and it's unlikely he'll be at a disadvantage with the Germans. Who knows, there might even be unexpected gains!"

  "Oh? You're so confident in Feng Sheng's abilities? If it really goes as you expect, then that's good!" Chiang Kai-shek sighed and suddenly muttered to himself coldly: "This Soong Tse-ven, he doesn't even do his job properly, yet he still goes to join in the excitement... Ah yes, with both Tse-ven and Ling Kuan gone, I wonder how much more trouble Feng Sheng will stir up..."

  "Director, don't worry, Tan Fengsheng dares to protect the Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan, can he still not withstand a common citizen? At worst, just protect him too!" Yang Yongtai actually directly treated Song Ziwen as a common citizen! Chiang Kai-shek listened with interest and his mood improved somewhat, but he began to worry about Song Ziwen again. This big brother-in-law is even softer than Kong Xiangxi; he dares to hit himself! Never mind! If there's anything to worry about, it can't be helped. If something unpleasant happens, at most I'll just stay in the study for a few more days and not sleep in the bedroom! Chiang Kai-shek thought of Soong Mei-ling...

  The Germans didn't sleep either, after four people went back, they called all the key figures to hold a meeting - a mobilization meeting!

  "I've decided to open mines, build steel mills and armories in China! This region will all be Krupp's!" Alfred Krupp circled Sichuan on the map with his pen: Sichuan! That place isn't yet considered part of the Central Army's territory, and southern Sichuan is still at war! He continued to say: "I believe in General Tan's abilities, Sichuan will definitely be thoroughly taken over by the Nanjing government!"

  "I think it's possible to persuade the Ministry of Defense to transport those stockpiled Mauser 1924s and helmets that are about to be replaced, as well as the small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, to China..." said the newly appointed Army Chief of Operations.

  "We just had a night of rehearsal, the Third Empire wants to revive, but without the strong support from the Far East, it's indeed difficult to succeed. China or Japan, which one is more important is not the question, the key is that they can't fight each other anymore! Now it seems that Tan's argument is correct, only when China's military strength becomes so powerful that Japan doesn't have the guts and ability to continue their nibbling, will they shift their attention to the Pacific. In the past, everyone might think it's impossible for Chinese troops to become strong enough to make Japanese people dare not invade. But today, everyone saw, it is completely possible, because our friend, our brother Tan Xiao!" This is Falkenhausen's speech.

  "I would suggest that the head of state approve assistance to China in building a tank factory, and also send a group of tank experts to China to design Germany's next-generation tanks under General Tan's guidance! In addition, send a group of grassroots armored commanders to receive training from General Tan!" Guderian stared at the representative of Rheinmetall: "If you hadn't come tonight, haha, it would have been a big loss..." He glanced at Alfred Krupp. The latter shook his head, clearly not wanting to let competitors know something; this made the representative of Rheinmetall very depressed. In fact, Tan Xiao and Krupp had already reached an oral agreement to license two tank armor patents co-owned by him and Dongfang Eyesnake, as well as a new type of tank turret, to Krupp for production under very favorable cooperation conditions...

  On this sleepless night, the German who gained the most insight was Guderian. Now, he believed that in the field of tank warfare, he was already invincible, at least in Europe. What made him slightly worried was that Tan Xiao told him a top-secret message: The Soviets had developed an excellent tank last year, called T-34. Its excellence forced the Soviets to immediately develop several tanks named T-35 or others closer to the period to cover up its birth and not let any country detect it. This tank was so excellent because its engineers were designed according to Tan Xiao's requirements and suggestions - Guderian deeply believed this. So he suggested that Germany also build a tank factory in China, so at least they wouldn't fall behind the Soviets.

  At the same time, due to Germany's defeat in World War I and being restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, its tank design and manufacturing capabilities had fallen behind those of other European countries. Therefore, Guderian advocated for setting up Germany's tank design and testing base in China. This way, they could not only receive guidance from Tang Huai, this "God of Tanks", but also avoid being monitored by the European powers.

  Tan Xiao didn't know that while he was reviewing the rehearsal plan for the next day in front of the Germans all night, the Germans had also drawn up their investment and aid plans for China: twelve non-ferrous metal and steel industrial chains from mining to final metal processing; two bases with 22 factories in the chemical industry; six ordnance factories distributed in Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou provinces, each with a scale equivalent to that of Shenyang Ordnance Factory occupied by Japan.

  In terms of military aid, a generous offer was made: 20 new-style 150mm howitzers, 20 150mm fortress guns, 100 105mm howitzers, 40 75mm fortress guns, 200 old-style 75mm field and mountain guns, 40 88mm heavy anti-aircraft guns, 200 37mm and 20mm light anti-aircraft guns, 300 37mm tank defense guns, 2,000 machine guns, 20,000 MP18 and MP28 submachine guns, 220,000 Mauser 1924 rifles, 6,000 Mauser pistols, 30 PZ1 training tanks and armored cars, 20 tank destroyers equipped with 75mm anti-aircraft guns and tank chassis as suggested by Tan Xiao, 200,000 steel helmets, a large amount of ammunition stored for more than eight years, automobiles, medical supplies, observation measurement communication equipment and other military materials, with a total value of nearly 200 million marks at market price. However, the current offer is only 40 million marks.

  In addition, the financial magnates in the delegation also approved the issuance of a DM 100 million unsecured friendship bond by the Nanjing government in Germany, which was underwritten by them.

  The plan for military exchanges was to arrange a batch of about 2,000 German officers to come to China as instructors for the whole army, and also required Tan Xiang to personally discuss new land tactics with them every week. Meanwhile, China sent 1,000 grassroots officers from the Army and Air Force to Germany for further study.

  Luckily, Tan Xiao didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep for one night but many nights: Not counting the investment in building factories and mines and government bonds, just the quantity and quality of military aid has already exceeded 200% of the original historical record! And this new Sino-German cooperation plan with a total value of 600 million marks, except for the military goods inventory which still needs final approval from Germany domestically, most other projects and funds can be finalized and contracted on the spot! As for the price China has to pay, it's still just the mining rights to those unmined mines for many years.

  In fact, the funds required for this plan to boost China's military power by five levels are not affordable for China, and even Germany is not very comfortable with it. The reason why everyone still proposes and is implementing it is that they are attracted by the blueprint of reshaping the world order and convinced by Tan's superior military theory. At the same time, considering that China cannot afford it but Germany can easily borrow from the United States, this plan was put forward, which basically requires China to pay interest, transportation, and various miscellaneous fees. If you subtract those costs, it's almost like giving it away for free. Germany really treats China as a brother.

  Now, what Tan Xiao is talking about is the plan that will be decided next, which is no longer the original plan of a munitions factory or smelter given by Chiang Kai-shek, but the Sino-German comprehensive cooperation plan that was interrupted by the "Two-Five Incident", and its scale has expanded more than five times!

  In this plan, what China got was no longer just a supplement to the military equipment in history, but more importantly, its own mining and heavy industry took off rapidly with Germany's support. As for another benefit that cannot be evaluated by money, it is diplomacy: Germany will stand on China's side no matter what!

  However, as for the enthusiasm of the Germans, Tan Xiao still doesn't know. He is still facing that exercise plan: to move the Germans, he must go all out. The Germans are different from the British and French, they no longer have colonies in China, and they even sincerely hope that China will become stronger and give the British and French some trouble. So compared to the flattery of the French and British the night before, Tan Xiao would rather be the representative of German interests in China! He thought about it, seeing the report about Bai Chongxi's hope to observe the training tomorrow. Good! Let's get started! This time we must conquer the Germans and make the Guangxi clique anxious!

  After finally confirming that all arrangements were in order, Tan Xiao was exhausted and could hardly hold on, opening the window to let in some fresh air.

  Look, the sky has turned white!

  I just don't want China to be beaten, so, hehe, when the war starts, it's clear whether to return the rivers and mountains or to support the current situation... Today I finally learned how to manage book reviews, all friends who posted comments gave me the highest score, and there are not many scores left... For the first time, being very generous, haha, today I received a notice that my work will be on the recommended list next week, don't be stingy with your votes at that time!!!