Chapter 9: Minister He's Move

  "It's either good fortune or bad, but bad fortune can't be avoided! I'll take the risk and make a big bet! I wonder if you all dare to follow!" Tan Xiao threw out a sentence fiercely in the living room of the 23rd Division's office in Lingling Old City.

  Everyone present was either deep in thought or gazing around, but no one spoke up.

  It's a big deal! Because of Tan Xiao's decision five days ago, it triggered a huge surge in opium prices: With Tan Xiao's order, he actually seized all the opium that the Gui army was transporting north through the Xianggui Road!

  The proceeds from the Gui Army's opium trafficking not only accounted for a large part of their military expenses, but also involved Yunlong Wang of Yunnan. Due to the impact of the war on the Sichuan-Yunnan border, all of Yunnan's opium has now been diverted to the Xiang-Gui route. Tan Xiao's move blocked the financial channel of both the Yunnan and Guizhou armies upstream, while downstream it was a disaster: more than 80% of the country's opium was intercepted! Moreover, under Tan Xiao's deliberate publicity, the news spread quickly, and three days later, the price of opium in Shanghai's smokehouses rose by at least 50%, and what's worse, it continued to rise.

  Tan Xiaodan rarely revealed a greedy and ferocious expression, his eyes staring straight at a middle-aged man opposite the tea table: Xia Wei, Deputy Commander of the 15th Army of Guijun!

  Upon learning that a large quantity of opium had been seized, the upper echelons of the Guangxi Army were shaken. This time, apart from Yu Shixi and Wang Silin who had always come and gone, the Guangxi Army directly dispatched a veteran general, Deputy Commander of the 15th Army Xia Wei, to investigate and punish those responsible!

  Tan Xiao explained the changes in the domestic opium market and his hoarding plan, stating that he would not swallow the goods of the two armies, but only asked the two armies to hoard and raise prices together, after which the atmosphere on the scene finally eased.

  "Tan Shifu is really powerful! However, the Shanghai gang is also not someone to be trifled with, as they have too many connections. After this matter is settled, future cooperation will be more difficult!" Xia Wei's statement was ambiguous, after all, Gui Jun and the various forces along the way had been cooperating for a long time, if this hurt their feelings, it would be troublesome. However, it was clear that Gui Jun was also itching to get his hands on the huge profits that had fallen from the sky.

  "It's easy to say, the central government has been increasing its efforts to ban smoking over the past two years. You all said that our army is acting on the orders of the Military Affairs Department, taking advantage of the current war situation, and can completely ban smoking with all our might! What's there to worry about? I'll take responsibility!" Tan Xiao patted his chest. In his opinion, it shouldn't be difficult for He Shaotang, who had been out of contact since he returned, to come up with a document from the Military Affairs Department requiring the 23rd Division to crack down on opium smuggling.

  "Can Master Tan take it?" Xia Wei asked. He didn't care whether Tan Xiao could take it or not, what was important was that someone had to take it!

  "Whether it can be borne or not, that's for later, it's Tan's business. If you all think this windfall is worth sharing, just nod!" Tan Xiao was very bold and really took it on.

  For this feat of cutting off the flow and eating the whole country, Wu Sheng and others did not dare to do it, or rather, they didn't even dare think about it. When Tan Xiao proposed the plan, one by one was stunned, before they could react, Tan Xiao's military order had already been issued! In other words, Tan Xiao had made up his mind to do this, and notifying Wu Sheng and others was simply a notification, unrelated to the decision.

  Wu Sheng, Ji Ping, Yang Qing and others were mostly contradictory in their hearts: they coveted the huge profits calculated by Tan Xiao, but feared offending many people and being unable to swallow it. Faced with the overwhelming momentum of the Gui army, they didn't dare make a sound, so Tan Xiao, who usually didn't manage the business, took charge this time.

  For Tan Xiao, who has always been worried about not having enough military expenses, this opportunity is undoubtedly a pie in the sky. No matter if it's a hot potato or a bitter pill, he'll take a bite first! Several million or even tens of millions of dollars, Tan Xiao is willing to pay any price!

  Soon, the conference room became a meeting place for the two armies of Xiang and Gui to conspire: how to tighten the card road, stock up more goods, and sell them more fiercely... The old general took the lead, one against two, and Xia Wei, who was familiar with the smoke path, came up with a plan that was much more detailed than Tan Xiao's. Of course, on the premise of pushing all the consequences and responsibilities onto Tan Xiao's head.

  After the meeting, Xia Wei, who was in a great mood, accompanied by Tan Xiao, visited the temporary 23rd Division's training base. This visit gave Xia Wei quite a shock: the combat effectiveness of this temporary 23rd Division was not to be underestimated, and it seemed that they were not afraid of even taking on an entire division of the Guangxi Army. After all, the Guangxi side did not dare to start a war with Hunan due to opium, and small-scale conflicts could not be won against them. With many years of military experience, Xia Wei still had an eye for evaluating the quality of troops. Now, on the Hunan-Guangxi road, having such a strong army stationed at the border made him feel uneasy, so he asked questions in a roundabout way. From the army's training methods, standards, and purposes to tactical applications, he asked about everything, and Tan Xiao answered without reservation. Seeing that Tan Xiao was not on guard, Xia Wei also put his mind at ease, repeatedly asking for clarification on things he didn't understand, while Tan Xiao explained in detail regardless of how complex the questions were. As a result, Tan Xiao ended up giving Xia Wei a lesson in military affairs, and it was one that left him thoroughly convinced and with a newfound understanding!

  Tan Xiaozong has his own plan: with this sudden move, it is estimated that the Gui Army will be shaken up and down. Regardless of whether it is for self-defense or due to increased awareness, the training level and equipment level of the Gui Army must have been raised by one notch! It's not enough to rely on him alone to resist Japan, if the Gui Army can take out its own pocket money to train its two armies into a much stronger fighting force than before, that would be a blessing for the country and nation! For this reason, he does not hesitate to put some pressure on the Gui Army, even provoking the Gui Army to engage in an arms race with him!

  So, when Xia Wei proposed sending a batch of officers to the 23rd Division for training and learning, Tan Xiao readily agreed: He wasn't afraid that they would learn, but rather that these old warlords were numb and unfeeling, unmoved by anything!

  If this matter is passed into the ears of Old Chiang, I wonder what kind of thoughts he will have: privately purchasing arms, altering military equipment, monopolizing the opium market and even forming sworn brotherhood with the Guangxi clique...

  Whether it's good fortune or bad luck, bad luck can't be avoided! Tan Xiao is a great optimist, but at this time someone is racking their brains for him.

  The person who is worried is He Yingqin, the Minister of Military Administration!

  When He Yingqin learned about his two nephews' actions the previous night on the morning he left for Beiping, he was not calm in his heart all along the way. Although he had never met Tan Xiaosu, from the materials brought by He Shaotang, especially the detailed report introducing Tan Xiaosu based on the materials, he had begun to appreciate Tan Xiaosu, at least appreciating Tan Xiaosu's military talent, although it was not revealed. As for when He Shaotang asked him for help, he did not agree; he was waiting: waiting for He Shaotang's next step. If He Shaotang didn't take the next step, he would also deal with it lightly; if He Shaotang really took the next step, then he would think of a way to pull this outstanding young military commander into the He family army sequence, the first step being to agree to He Shaotang's transfer application. As for Chairman Chiang, as long as He Jingzhi really went out to guarantee, not only could he save face with a temporary 23rd division, but also an entire army! Only, this way would be too obvious; he wanted to help Tan Xiaosu, but didn't want to expose the stance of Tan Xiaosu being close to the He family!

  After careful consideration, he decided to let someone else take action to help resolve the matter. The only person who could settle a matter that had been stirred up in the Military Affairs Department without any aftereffects, apart from him, He Yingqin, was another person: Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman Chiang!

  Based on his feelings after reading those materials, the Chairman probably won't really punish Tan Xiao severely, especially since he has been visited by He Shaozhou and He Shaotang brothers at night. Chiang Kai-shek, who has always valued personal relationships, will likely let him off lightly. It's estimated that it will just be a slap on the wrist. Now what he needs to do is set up a plan: one that allows Chiang Kai-shek to step down happily and also helps Tan Xiao, of course, the most important thing is to make Tan Xiao aware of who is helping him.

  Because he was worried that the contact with the 23rd Division had already been monitored by Dai Li, He Yingqin did not arrange for anyone to contact Tan Xiao. He still had one chess piece: a man named Wu Deguang, an outstanding student of the tenth period, who was Tan Xiao's future brother-in-law and was about to return home for the New Year. This was the only suitable messenger.

  Wu Deguang was the eighth among Wu Shengyi's many children, nicknamed "Little Eighth Brother". Since there were already seven older brothers and sisters before him, Wu Shengyi had long been accustomed to the constant addition of new family members and did not pay much attention to him. From a young age, he lived a very wild life, digging up bird eggs, catching fish, stealing pumpkins... with children from poor families. Therefore, he was not spoiled like his older brothers and could endure hardship. When Wu Deguang turned 13, he became fascinated with playing with guns and within less than a year, he could simultaneously fire two guns with his hands and hit the bullseye at over 100 paces, his marksmanship rivaling that of Yang Qing, a master of the Tan Family Army, making him one of the top shooters in the second generation of the Tan Family Army.

  By the year before last, Wu Sheng had sent him to the Hunan branch of the Whampoa Military Academy for a short-term training program. The original intention was to follow Tan Xiao's example and return to the Baoding Army after three months of study. Unexpectedly, just as the January 28 Shanghai War broke out, Wu Deguang and several radical classmates rushed to the front line in Shanghai, and actually caught up with the last covering fire before the gendarmerie withdrew. Wu Deguang, who was good at shooting, was not panicked when he first went on stage, fired three shots and exploded the heads of three Japanese soldiers, and was also injured by a Japanese howitzer and carried off the battlefield.

  Wu Deguang, who had been bedridden for three months to recover, first found the Kempeitai commander he met on the battlefield and was recommended by them to enter the 10th term of the General School, starting his true military academy career. Due to his excellent performance, he was already assigned to the Teaching Corps before graduation.

  Wu Deguang had just booked his ticket and was preparing to return home for the New Year when he was invited by a classmate he had only met once to a private room in a restaurant, saying that there was something important to discuss. This classmate was He Shaotang...

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  The Lunar New Year is very important to the Chinese, and for the sake of returning home to have a reunion dinner, the phenomenon of migrant workers from coastal cities returning home has even been called by anthropologists as China's seasonal human migration! It's not just Wu Deguang who wants to go home, most of the officers and soldiers in the 23rd Division also have the desire to return home for the New Year. Some people are unstoppable: those local soldiers who can return home by walking a short distance through fields or mountain roads have already returned with their hearts set on it. The reason they didn't sneak back home is that Tan Xiao had announced the holiday dates in advance, and before the holiday, there were many New Year's goods to be distributed!

  Today, the last day of training, only half a day's amount was arranged. After lunch, all the soldiers who were going home for the New Year gathered excitedly in the big playground to receive their New Year's goods. In addition to the two yuan New Year's allowance per person, each soldier could also get four feet of flower cloth and red cloth, two pounds of cured fish, cured meat, and cured sausage, 50 pounds of rice, and two live ducks! Everyone can imagine how happy they would be when they bring so many New Year's goods home, and their family members come to take things from their backs and hands with smiles. The warm and happy feeling overflowed in the big playground ahead of time, infecting everyone. It made those homeless old soldiers feel envious and itchy in their hearts.

  As a former class monitor, Tan Xiao could deeply understand the homesickness that was unique to being in the military. That's why he spent over 40,000 yuan from his own pocket to reward the entire army, not only because he knew it would boost morale and cohesion, but also because he genuinely cared about and appreciated his subordinates! Although most of the soldiers were seasoned veterans with good basic skills, to transform into a military force like this in just one and a half months was still a miracle in Tan Xiao's eyes. This made him lament the obedience and malleability of people in this era, and further strengthened his confidence in building a strong anti-Japanese army: China has plenty of good soldiers!

  A group of soldiers collectively came to Tan Xiao's front, saluted and bid farewell, and then very much in a military style, neatly packed the New Year's goods like a package of supplies and left. Witnessing all this, Tan Xiao suddenly had a strong sense of nostalgia for his comrades-in-arms in another world. Now, in this world, he was alone. After the military camp holiday, he would return to that cold and empty home with only servants. Oh, there was also one more place - Wu Sheng's home, his father-in-law.

  In fact, apart from eating and living in the military camp, Tan Xiao usually returned to his hometown of Lingling Old City, rarely cooking at home, and often had meals at his father-in-law's house. Here, he could feel a special sweetness: pretending to be careless, using the corner of his eye to steal a glance at his beautiful fiancée, who would occasionally reveal her face while serving dishes, looking at the blush on her face, touching her occasional flashing eyes... For Tan Xiao, who didn't even have a girlfriend in later life, that kind of heart-wrenching sweetness could make him train with the wind for several days after each injection. Of course, he also despised Wu Sheng's feudal family education: as a native Hakka from northern Guangdong, Wu Sheng's family rules were very strict, and female family members were not allowed to eat at the table!

  Today's dinner party was booked long ago. Today is special, apart from the military camp being on holiday, it is also a welcoming banquet for my future brother-in-law Wu Deguang.

  Upon arriving at the Wu residence, Tan Xiao discovered that today's banquet was quite a grand affair: apart from Wu Deguang himself, he had also brought along four classmates; additionally, there were several members of the Tan family who were studying at various branches of Huangpu Military Academy, so the old guard of the Tan family army had all brought representatives of the second generation with them, and they filled the hall.

  The banquet had not yet started, and after Tan Xiao had exchanged pleasantries with the crowd, he was led by Wu Sheng to a quiet little courtyard in the inner chamber, where Wu De Guang was already waiting. Then, Wu Sheng surprisingly left himself, leaving behind Wu De Guang and him for a private conversation. At first, Tan Xiao thought it was about Wu De Guang's future arrangements in the 23rd Division, but Wu De Guang's first sentence made him break out in cold sweat: "The matter of your brother-in-law buying big guns from the French has already become known to everyone in the Nanjing military circle, and the principal is very angry, with serious consequences..." Damn it, does this kid think he's above the law?!

  Selling military equipment privately and modifying military weapons are crimes, and not minor ones?! Tan Xiao can't help but want to severely punish those big shots who dared to buy military equipment and arm a group army in the past crossover stories!

  It's okay, the content afterwards is about how to help him get away with it. According to Wu De Guang's account of He Shao Tang's hint, these ideas actually came from Minister of Military and Political Affairs He Yingqin!

  The plan is simple: First, Tan Xiao must be more restrained; Second, Tan Xiao needs to find a suitable reason for privately purchasing military equipment, and this reason must be justifiable; Third, he must continue to strengthen the packaging and training of the troops, and He Yingqin may arrange for some high-ranking military officials to visit and inspect; Fourth, it reveals a possible person who will come: Chiang Kai-shek's chief advisor Yang Yongtai, Tan Xiao must get this person's appreciation and support. For this, Wu Deguang also memorized a set of data about Yang Yongtai and told it to Tan Xiao by mouth, from the wording of the data, it should be an internal document of the Military Affairs Department.

  Obviously, He Yingqin's intention was to let Chiang Kai-shek himself let go and not pursue Tan Xiao's violation of military discipline. Moreover, it was not simply letting him off, but hoping to take this opportunity to directly show Tan Xiao to Chiang Kai-shek, so that Chiang Kai-shek could exceptionally reuse Tan Xiao!

  Good grief! It turns out I've gotten myself into such a huge mess! No wonder He Shaotang hasn't been in touch after he left, and the follow-up equipment he mentioned has also vanished.

  It's the same old saying: good fortune or bad, calamity can't be avoided! Tan Xiao is just a small squad leader in later generations, and his knowledge of personnel matters in previous dynasties is far inferior to those netizens who focus on studying modern military history. As for how to deal with him, there's no fixed plan, so it's just taking things one step at a time. But he's not worried: Old He has already taken action on his behalf, and if he still can't keep himself safe, then this Minister of Military Affairs should go eat shit!