Chapter 14: The Immortals Fight

  Fighting among gods

  Tan Xiaoxiang couldn't understand how he had such good luck, getting support from the French government and acquiring 200 Krupp cannons at a dirt cheap price of $2,500 each overnight. He felt that since crossing over, it was as if there was a hand pushing him from behind - need money? Here you go! Need people? Here you go! Need cannons? Here you go!!!... Did the transmigrator really have such good luck? He believed in the existence of the god who made him cross over. That god must have been Chinese before he went to heaven!

  In fact, the person who caused all this is indeed a god-level figure for Tan Xiao's current status.

  Just as China has countless heroes who shed their blood and sacrifice themselves for their ideals in the darkest moments, so do Britain, France, and every other country have their own national crisis heroes. They work silently and anxiously when everyone else is intoxicated, worrying about possible national crises and the future of their countries.

  There is a group of people in France who, without exception, participated in the most brutal war in human history and even fought on the front lines. Some left lifelong scars from the war, while others lost loved ones they would think about for the rest of their lives. They included nobles, politicians, scholars, financiers, ordinary citizens, and, of course, soldiers.

  After a decade or so, the new generation of French people mostly lived in comfort brought by war reparations, and even on the day when the global economic crisis broke out, most people's greatest pleasure was still to send that mouthful of champagne into their lover's mouth. But this group of people couldn't do it, they couldn't forget their hatred, nor could they put down the cross on their bodies. So they formed a group, always vigilant about every move of that evil neighbor. These people infiltrated every corner of France, including the intelligence department, and in everyone's neglect, they felt uneasy about Germany's increasingly close relationship with China. For this reason, they also united with the British - out of the same reason, Britain had formed such a group as well, and the organization of the British was more rigorous and larger than that of the French.

  After the French figured out what the Germans were doing in China, they felt extremely worried: regarding Germany's control of scarce resources, Britain and France had always been tacitly agreed, including before World War I, when they jointly raised the price of saltpeter with the United States to control the scale of Germany's gunpowder industry. It was just unexpected that the Germans, who were leading the world in the chemical industry by a large margin, would actually invent an industrial method for synthesizing ammonia, so that the French had no idea before the war that the Germans had such a large stockpile of shells. This is a tragedy. France's shell storage was depleted in the first month, and they could only let Paris, which was like heaven, endure the rain of bullets.

  Finally, after winning the great war, France and its allies, including those island dwarfs from the Far East, divided up Germany's overseas colonies. They basically blocked many of Germany's strategic resources, thinking they could rest easy, but soon discovered that they still couldn't effectively control Germany's resource imports - because of China! China has rich reserves of tungsten, antimony, and manganese, all essential resources for Germany, and this ancient country, although backward but enormous enough to give any country that tries to swallow it indigestion, is getting closer and closer to Germany!

  During the process of bartering between the Nanjing government and Germany, the French and British were actually monitoring and trying to sabotage this cooperation, but they really had no way - whether it was the domestic warlords Chen Jitang, Li Zongren, Long Yun or even the red organizations that received curve aid from Nanyang colonial Chinese, all were defeated or suppressed by the Nanjing government. They thought of many ways, but none seemed to be able to shake the intention of the Nanjing government. As for the vicious dog Japan they had raised in the Far East, it was now biting its master! Their relationship with Germany was no worse than China's!

  On the evening when it was learned that an oral agreement had been reached between Germany and China, the heads of these two anti-German organizations from France and Britain gathered in Paris for an emergency meeting. At this time, they received a long telegram from éric de Béthune, the nephew of Marshal Pétain, the last defender of Paris, who was the main person in charge of the French organization in the Far East. The content on it made them overjoyed: the judgment and worry about the situation, the whole point of view were exactly the same as what these top leaders thought, more importantly, the plan to curb Germany's Sino-French military trade and industrial technical assistance proposed in it was highly feasible. Or at least, very reasonable!

  The head of the British organization expressed his attitude: fully support. This British organization has always been in the Congress, in the military, and in the royal family to mobilize more supporters, raise more funds, and their slogan is "more"! And the secretary-general of this group - the number one person in the British intelligence agency, the old predecessor of 007, the representatives of the royal family, nobles, and military in the group, even use the first letter of the English word "more" as their code name: M!

  As for the representative of France, the convener of the meeting, that tall and handsome Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, was very cautious in his thinking - after all, it was the French who were paying. He simply kept tapping his long and slender white index and middle fingers on the table, which made all the noble women present envious. It wasn't until the elderly members of the French organization, those wealthy and influential people who had experienced death and injury in the last war, unanimously agreed that he silently nodded his head.

  "I'm really surprised that in such a poor and backward place like China, there would appear someone like Tan Xiao. This guy actually cares about the situation in Spain and even uses terms like 'war', does he think Spain is really going to erupt into war? What a rash but confident guy." M said.

  He had no idea that the Spanish Civil War was actually a rehearsal for World War II, but he didn't even know when it started or ended. His views on Spain were just a casual remark to show off his familiarity with Europe after waking up from his awkwardness towards Rong Hui. In fact, Franco is still basking in the African sun! However, the political struggle between the Franco group and the Spanish Republican government has indeed evolved into local ethnic armed conflicts, and behind this are the Germans backing them up. This makes the leaders of both groups very worried, after all, Spain is also part of Europe. The British are especially concerned about the Spanish issue, as they control the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, but this fortress has always been something that Spain wants to "take back". So their concern for the Spanish issue far exceeds that of other countries. Now, a soldier in China claims that Spain will erupt into civil war, which is indeed unthinkable.

  "Xia Er, do you think the Chinese man Eric mentioned has a promising future? I heard he's a strong nationalist, and people like that are not easy to control."

  "But he is also one of the few Chinese military leaders who are hostile to the Germans, unfortunately, he only has less than 10,000 troops," said the Frenchman. But soon he added: "Of course, if he has a second heart for the Central and is hostile to the Germans, then he is not a bad candidate, at least better than that guy Li Zongren or whatever."

  "Alright, it's settled then. We'll give 200 of the 600 old Krupp guns we have to that Tan Xiao. As for the price... forget it, just give them to him. Let Eric decide on the price himself. The key is, it has to be low enough to sabotage Nanjing's cooperation with the Germans!" The French lieutenant colonel made his final decision.

  "And it has to be fast! Tonight! We must stop the Germans and Chinese from making their deal tomorrow! We'll use our intelligence agencies and diplomatic corps to spread the word!" he added.

  As for the remaining 400 big guns, at least half of them should be left to the Nanjing government - helping any side cannot be excessive, and it is necessary to maintain the current local separatism in China, and the central government's orders are not allowed to pass! This is what conforms to the interests of England and France!! Colonel Xia thought.

  Oh, right, Charles is just a familiar or friendly term for him, his full name is: Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle! - A very long and annoying name.

  As for that éric Baudelaire, the main person in charge of the Far Eastern branch, he was a very good friend of his. When de Gaulle had just left Saint-Cyr Military Academy as a junior officer, his regimental commander was éric Baudelaire's uncle: another Baudelaire, a national hero after World War I and later a national loser in World War II.

  Tan Xiao's luck was actually just that he happened to become the divine instrument used by a group of fighting immortals, and of course, there were not only this group of fighting immortals in Nanjing, but also another group that fought irreconcilably!

  Fifty-six thousand yuan for a single cannon, not cheap, but not expensive either - at least the two uncles and nephews who fought bloody battles in Sichuan had bought similar models at an even higher price. Of course, if you have good relations with the British like Chen Jitang or with the Germans like Han Fuqu, you don't need to pay that much.

  He Yingqin was not a corrupt official, but rather very clean. Whether in the difficult conditions of Guangzhou's Huangpu Military Academy era or during various periods of political turmoil, or now, when the Nanjing government is in control, He Yingqin has never used his position to seek wealth, let alone accept bribes. Of course, he would turn a blind eye to his subordinates and relatives making money through some operations, after all, clear water has no fish, and if they got rich, the He family army would also become stronger.

  But now this matter has also made him too embarrassed: within a few hours, Nanjing and Shanghai have learned that someone in the Military Affairs Department has embezzled a huge amount of money! The Military Affairs Department bought a batch of junk cannons at a high price! As for this matter itself, he is not afraid, after all, the type of cannon is clear to the chairman, and the price on the market is not too much out of line. However, what he fears are the two words "embezzlement". What if the chairman wants to take advantage of the opportunity to cut his own power and insist on an internal investigation? Then some of his unclean subordinates would get into trouble. The source of this troublesome matter is actually from that person who has caused him a lot of trouble: Tan Xiao! The commander of a temporary division in a certain place in Hunan, which was reorganized from a security brigade! Who knows what method he used to buy Krupp cannons from the French at a price of 2,500 yuan? And, it's two hundred doors at once!

  The day before the incident, he had already learned from He Shaotang about Tan Xiao's plan: not only to make a high-profile purchase of a large number of cannons, but also to conduct drills when the central delegation came, and propose ideas for building heavy firepower units in the Chinese army. Finally, donate these cannons that were bought at the cost of bankruptcy to the central government, helping it build an artillery training base...

  This plan made He Yingqin start to truly value Tan Xiang, because his idea coincided with the Military Affairs Department: The central government also wanted to do this work, and the schedule was already arranged. Just after the Chinese New Year, in March, the artillery troops would be reorganized in Wuhan, and the plan for the reorganization of the troops had already been released - the big cannons purchased from Germany were also aimed at this plan. Tan Xiang's idea proved that he was consistent with the central government in terms of strategy: not only did he see the weakness of the Central Army, but he also thought of the same solution and was achieving his goal with his own strength. This made He Yingqin look very favorably on him, this rising star in the military, and decided to support him. However, unexpectedly, this guy who would stop at nothing had actually created a 25th incident! Now, He Yingqin is waiting for the response from the intelligence department: whether the rumor is true or not - he does not believe that Tan Xiang can buy so many cannons at this price!

  Those powerful countries sometimes supply military supplies to local warlords at very low prices, even for free, just to support them. But those are only one or two, or at most three or four cannons. Two hundred? What a joke! He wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death! He wants to investigate who spread such rumors and who wants him dead!

  Chiang Kai-shek was also puzzled by this matter: he had agreed to the purchase of the Krupp L/29 at a price of 56,000 yuan per piece. Moreover, he knew the performance and market price range of this type of cannon, which was around 2,500 yuan per piece. Was it really being sold at scrap metal prices?

  Is it really so? Chiang Kai-shek did not believe it, and like He Yingqin, he was only considering whether to take the opportunity to strike a blow at the Military Affairs Department. Of course, taking advantage of the situation to temporarily suspend signing contracts with the Germans, to see if they could press down on prices again and save some expenses would be good too. Half of the annual fiscal revenue went to paying off the Boxer Indemnity, and the remaining money was not enough for just one bandit suppression campaign! Song Ziwen, who had been sent to Shanghai to issue public bonds, had already lost his temper several times in his office, and even had a big fight with this brother-in-law.

  When thinking of Soong Tzu-wen, Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but reveal a naive smile when no one was around: that bookworm big brother-in-law actually dared to exchange blows with him, this master who had received regular training in the Japanese army and had been a veteran of the Tongmenghui under Chen Qimei and a bodyguard for Sun Yat-sen. It's really hard to blame him! Thinking back to every time Soong Tzu-wen was pinned down by him, his face would turn red with rage but he never begged for mercy, it was quite amusing!

  Oh! That's right, and then there's that Tang Xiaolong! Recently, I've been hearing the name of this little temporary regimental commander everywhere: first it was with the French buying eight Schneider guns, then it was the He brothers' nighttime visit to plead for mercy, followed by Dai Li's intelligence department investigation report, and now, surprisingly, it's about buying 200 Krupp guns! What kind of demon is this Tang Xiaolong? Insisting on making him, the Jade Emperor, see clearly? That's right, one country, one leader, one ideology, one army! Hmm, just for that sentence alone, if he didn't want to personally command the pursuit and suppression of the Central Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek really wanted to go take a look at what kind of person Tang Xiaolong is! Find some time, wait until the war subsides.

  Suddenly, he had another fantasy: what if this Tan Xiao really bought 200 large-caliber cannons at 2,500 yuan each? - Not to mention the German L/29 Krupp, even if it was downgraded by one level, that would be a wonderful thing! The central government could buy them back at twice the price and save a huge amount of money directly! Or they could be called up directly, wouldn't it be possible for the central government to call up the equipment of a temporary division? You shouldn't have been punished for privately purchasing military supplies! Hmm, according to Dai Li's feedback materials, this Tan Xiao is still an infinitely loyal young man to the National Revolution, with personal worship and passion... Chiang Kai-shek's impression of Tan Xiao was still good, although he had never met him, but all aspects of the intelligence gathered proved that Tan Xiao was a loyal and good officer to the central government.

  The head of the attendants' room, Lin Wei, knocked on the door and came in, handing over a telegram from the intelligence department with Dai Li's signature: It has been confirmed that the 23rd Division bought Krupp cannons at a low price is absolutely true!

  Boom! When the Ministry of Military Affairs got the intelligence they called "The 2500 Incident" confirmed, everyone was blown away!

  What's going on? What are we waiting for? What should we do? Everyone is stunned! The representatives who were in charge of negotiating the price are even more like wooden chickens, with pale faces!

  He Yingqin was stunned! It's possible that someone wanted to trick him, but the fact that Tan Xiaoming bought two hundred large cannons is true! The purchase price of 2,500 yuan is also true! Moreover, it is said that the French guaranteed that all these cannons were well-maintained and flawless.

  Stop the contract with the Germans at once! This was Ho Ying-chin's first reaction! Almost simultaneously, staff officers came in to report with a handwritten order from Chiang Kai-shek containing the same words!

  In the waiting hall, the German delegation, who also knew about the Tan Pao incident and thought it was a rumor like Chiang Kai-shek and He Yingqin, were informed by the staff of the Military Affairs Department and learned the truth. Everyone was stunned! No one complained or blamed the Chinese representatives, nor did anyone continue to doubt the event. They all just lost their normal reaction! What's going on? Is the earth still spinning?

  Apart from Nanjing and Shanghai, another group of people also went crazy.

  Since the "250 Incident" broke out, Soong Tzu-wen and Kong Xiangxi immediately met in Shanghai. And immediately called Kong Xiangxi's beloved son, Kong Lingkan, who had just returned from Hong Kong to Shanghai, and scolded him severely!

  The two Caishen knew that Kong Lingkun, while studying at St. John's University, was also involved in the family business and had set up his own company in Hong Kong, which was doing well due to his background. However, he dared to make money from anything! Moreover, he had always regarded military procurement as his own business and was very dissatisfied that he hadn't made enough profit from cooperation with Germany and the government. He even said several times that the Ministry of National Defense must have made a lot of money from transactions with Germany.

  "Do you know that some things can't be said and some things can't be done? You've completely offended the Military Affairs Department this time, how are we going to cooperate in the future!" Song Ziwen was furious, Kong Xiangxi on the side also had a dark face!

  In fact, it was Kong Xiangxi who facilitated the arms deal with Germany. However, due to Song Ziwen's fight with Chiang Kai-shek and his resignation as Minister of Finance, he took over and became Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan and Governor of the Central Bank. There were too many things to handle, so he handed it over to the Military Affairs Department.

  This time, if they really wanted to crack down on corruption, it wouldn't be He Yingqin who would be targeted, but him! During the financial famine, his acceptance of bribes was extremely secretive, and apart from Song Meiling, no one knew. As for He Yingqin, who had discovered the plot, he naturally didn't say anything, and Kong Xiangxi was still grateful to him!

  It turned out that both of them thought this "2005 incident" was definitely caused by Kong Lingkan, just because he didn't make any money in the big gun trade.

  "A gentleman loves wealth, but must obtain it in a proper way! Do you know that?! Doing business isn't just about relying on force, fighting, and spreading rumors to get ahead! Although our family background is impressive and we can often get away with things by suppressing our opponents, you should also consider the other person's feelings! Your uncle is not an ordinary person, after all! And what did your uncle do to offend you?! You, you, you... have made it so that your father and uncle are too ashamed to show their faces in public!" Kong Xiangxi grew more agitated as he spoke: "I'm wasting my breath on you, anyway! If anyone has benefited from this situation, it's me, your old man!!"

  Kong Lingkuan is more unjust than Dou E: When did I ever spread rumors?! When did I ever lay a hand on the Military Ministry?! How dare I offend Uncle Jing?!... Wanting to defend but having no way, wanting to cry but having no tears...

  It has been noisy for more than an hour, but nothing has come of it.

  At this time, the secretary outside brought in a telegram and handed it to Kong Xiangxi.

  Something has happened in Nanjing, return immediately. Chiang Chung-cheng.

  An hour ago, Chiang Kai-shek finally made a decision: to go to Lingling personally and severely punish Wu Qizhen for the defeat of the army that caused Zunyi to fall into the hands of the Red Army again. Of course, he will also inspect the troops along the way.

  The heavyweight figures in the inspection team included Kong Xiangxi, Vice Premier and Minister of Finance and Governor of the Central Bank, He Yingqin, Minister of Military Administration, Yang Yongtai, Secretary-General of the Bandit Suppression General Headquarters, and German military advisor Sekret, among others (Yang Yongtai had served as Secretary-General of the Henan-Hubei-Anhui Bandit Suppression General Headquarters in April 1932 when Chiang Kai-shek personally led the suppression campaign against the Henan-Hubei-Anhui base area, and later served as a department head in Jiangxi; to add weight to his character, he continued to "suppress" bandits after leaving office, haha, friends who know their history shouldn't laugh...).

  The gods fight, finally fought to Ling zero...

  Author: Sunday, updated early, wrote over 10,000 words yesterday and the same today, finally enough stock for a week. For a while, I can guarantee food and salary, but my habit is to read through at least three times before uploading to minimize typos and ensure smooth sentences. This way, updates are slower, but more respectful to readers. So, bread book friends, don't be surprised if there's only one update per day, as long as the content is substantial, thank you all for your support!!!