Chapter Forty-Three: Adding Another Wife

  It's no wonder that Yan Laixi is so emotional, since the Chinese army's performance has been really embarrassing. Although some anti-Japanese heroes have emerged, such as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the 29th Army Tong Linke and Commander of the 132nd Division Zhao Dengyu. However, overall, the Chinese army's performance can only be described as mediocre. Not to mention annihilating a Japanese infantry regiment, they haven't even eliminated a single complete infantry company.

  In addition, Yan Xishan also had another layer of luck in his heart. Originally, this old man planned to rely on his past studies in Japan and his relationship with classmates such as Itagaki Seishirō to hope that he could preserve his own territory in Shanxi Province and be a intact egg under the overturned nest.

  Unfortunately, the Japanese did not give Yan Xishan face, nearly 100,000 Japanese puppet troops gathered in Tianzhen, launching a fierce attack on this gateway to Shanxi, while his old classmate Itagaki Seishirō's Fifth Division moved south and easily took Wei County, then moved down to Guangling and Lingqiu, and could enter the heart of Shanxi at any time.

  Although the Shanxi-Suiyuan army had more than 200,000 people, they were all scattered in other parts of Shanxi and Suiyuan provinces. At that time, it was not possible to gather them together, let alone have an advantage in terms of military strength. In terms of combat effectiveness, the Shanxi-Suiyuan army was even weaker than the National Government's Central Army, and far inferior to the Japanese army. If Tianzhen fell, Datong would also be difficult to defend. If Datong fell, the Japanese army could attack southward or northward, attacking Liao County and Dai County in the south, then advancing directly to Taiyuan, while in the north, they could exit from Fengzhen, Pingdi Quan, and Jining, then advance directly to Guihua and Baotou, eventually occupying the entire Mongolian region and even threatening the five western provinces.

  That's not all, once the Tianzhen-Datong line is lost, the National Government will also be in trouble. Last year, Yan Xishan asked the National Government for a large sum of money on the pretext of building national defense fortifications, and the most important section was the fortifications from Tianzhen to Datong. Unfortunately, all that money was given to the sons of wealthy merchants, and not a single penny was used to build national defense fortifications. If this gets out, it will be a matter of losing one's head.

  So he had already made the worst plan, once Tianzhen and Datong were lost, then use Li Fuyan, the commander of the 61st Army, as a scapegoat.

  Although this is somewhat improper, Li Fuyan has made contributions to himself and the entire Jin Sui Army, and is called the first of Yan Xishan's thirteen Taibao. Even Fu Zuoyi and others would respectfully call him "Big Brother" when they saw him. Moreover, many high-ranking military officers in the Jin Sui Army were brought in by Li Fuyan on his behalf. If Li Fuyan were killed, it would definitely cause a chill among many people.

  However, the old Chiang couldn't be left without an explanation, and if he casually grabbed a few generals to take the blame, the old Chiang would definitely not agree. Helpless, Yan Laoxi had no choice but to resort to this inferior strategy.

  Fortunately, Chen Feng's security team was full of surprises, and the combination of punches directly knocked the Japanese troops dizzy, causing heavy losses. The cowhide was pierced one by one, which made Yan Xishan develop a strong interest in Chen Feng, an unknown little character, and the ox-horned security team he led.

  The Second War Zone headquarters issued instructions overnight, dispatching elite intelligence personnel to investigate the reason for the Japanese army's sudden withdrawal and verifying the security team's battle results. In addition, the 27th Brigade was directly upgraded to an enhanced brigade, with two infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment, and an enhanced battalion under its jurisdiction, and the necessary weapons and equipment were allocated by the Second War Zone headquarters. Eight new soldier companies were also dispatched to supplement the 27th Brigade, and supplies such as uniforms and other materials were provided in large quantities. At the same time, Chen Feng, this hot anti-Japanese hero, and Xinghe County Security Team, this heroic unit, were vigorously promoted in Shanxi and Suiyuan provinces.

  Everyone has seen that this is Yan Xishan setting an example in the tree, he wants to make it clear to everyone in the Shanxi-Suiyuan military system that I, Yan Xishan, am not a stingy person. As long as you know how to fight and can win big battles, promotion and wealth are naturally not a problem, and the expansion of troops is also not an issue.

  On September 12, the Second War Zone Headquarters and the Nanjing Military and Political Department received intelligence reports that the Japanese army withdrew from Tianzhen because the commander of the Chahar Expeditionary Army's Independent Mixed First Brigade, Sakai Kōji, and the main force of the Honda Detachment were killed by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army in Xinghe County within two days. More than half of the artillery and all ammunition and fuel of the expeditionary army were destroyed.

  After receiving the report from the intelligence department, Nanjing and Taiyuan were shocked and disbelieving, but these intelligence reports were collected at the cost of their lives by the Military Bureau and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's intelligence departments. Moreover, the Security Regiment had sent more than a dozen Japanese prisoners of war and a command knife with the name "Honda Shin'ichi" to the Second War Zone Headquarters, with both human and material evidence present. Everyone had no choice but to shut up and acknowledge the achievements of the Security Regiment.

  This time, without waiting for Yan Xishan to react, the Nanjing side took action first. The Military and Political Department of the National Government issued a commission to Xinghe, and the 7th Independent Brigade of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was immediately upgraded to the 222nd Division of the National Revolutionary Army. Chen Feng was promoted to Major General and division commander. The 222nd Division still belonged to the combat sequence of the Second War Zone, with two brigades and four regiments under its jurisdiction. The brigade and regiment commanders were nominated by Chen Feng and reported to the Second War Zone and the Military and Political Department for filing.

  At the same time, Nanjing provided 1 million yuan in military expenses to the 222nd Division, as well as 3,000 new rifles and 20 light and heavy machine guns. Additionally, 20 students from the 10th class of the Central Military Academy's Infantry Department were assigned to the 222nd Division.

  The actions taken by the Nanjing side were indeed swift and costly, involving both the expansion of troops and the provision of funds and weapons. This has led to widespread envy. A 23-year-old major general commanding a second-rate division is already considered a miracle in China.

  Chen Feng was pleased, but Yan Laoxi was unhappy. Old Chiang had come to pick the peaches, seeing the Security Regiment's repeated achievements, Old Chiang wanted to label Chen Feng and this Security Regiment as Central Army's. Digging the wall foundation directly dug under his name, Uncle could endure but Auntie couldn't.

  However, Yan Laoxi was at a loss for what to do with Old Chiang, who was now the supreme leader of China. The orders from the old general were like imperial decrees. Moreover, he was now rewarding his meritorious officials, and anyone who dared to speak out of turn would have to shut up, including Yan Laoxi himself.

  However, you have your Zhang Liang plan and I have my ladder over the wall. The old man's actions were not slow either. Soon, the Seventh Army sent a telegram, with Fu Zuoyi, the chairman of Suiyuan Province and commander-in-chief of the Seventh Army, as the matchmaker, promising to marry Yan Xixia, the daughter of Yan Xishan, the chairman of Shanxi Province and commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone, to Chen Feng as his wife.

  Of course, Yan Changxi was not the biological daughter of Yan Laowu, but she was also a precious daughter, the treasured daughter of Yan Laowu's third brother Yan Xikun, and Yan Laowu's own niece.

  This way, Old Chiang's plan to mix sand and stick labels has thoroughly miscarried. Now Chen Feng is indeed a member of the Yan family, so others shouldn't think about getting involved.

  Chen Feng himself had a bitter mouth, but he couldn't say that there were already two women at home, and another one was his cousin whom he had never met. Now, with the emergence of Yan Jiaxi, his whole head was about to explode. Moreover, once he married Yan Xishan's legitimate niece, without him saying anything, in everyone's eyes, he would already be a member of the Yan family. This had no small negative impact on Chen Feng's plans.

  However, he is now a small arm that cannot twist the big leg. The other side is a dominant warlord, while he can barely be considered a small shrimp. Unless he wants to be a traitor, Yan Xishan is a must-pass level in the short term, and Chen Feng's heart is tangled.