Chapter 783
A Grand gesture from the Chairman! A "gift" for Roosevelt!
Eastern Anhui.
South of Mingguang County lies the Sanjie Mountain area.
This is the temporary reception position of the 7th Army of the 21st Group Army of the Guangxi Clique.
The 7th Army is currently the most complete and well-organized unit remaining in Guangxi on the west side of the Huai River defense line.
Compared to the complete rout in the Xuyi direction to the east, the defensive fortifications here are relatively intact.
But the air inside the command center was so tense that it felt as if a single spark could ignite an explosion.
"Commander!"
"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"
"I heard that the military police are arresting people in Xuyi like they're arresting pigs!"
"Many of our old brothers were dragged out and executed before they could even utter a word in their defense!"
"Now that Commander Li has resigned and the defense zone has been taken over by the Central Army, they're going to use our Guangxi clique as a scapegoat!"
Zhang Gan, sitting in the main seat, had a face so gloomy it could drip water.
As a veteran of the Guangxi clique and commander of the "Steel Seventh Army," he managed to stabilize his position despite suffering damage to his flank during the Japanese surprise attack, preventing a complete rout like the one on the eastern front.
But he knew in his heart that it was because the Flying Tigers arrived quickly and drew away the main force of the Japanese army; otherwise, his tens of thousands of men would have perished here as well.
Now, seeing his colleagues going to prison one by one and his old superior being forced to step down, the fear of "the rabbit mourning the fox's death" makes him restless.
"You mean, you want us to rebel?"
Zhang Gan raised his eyelids, his gaze chilling, his fingers unconsciously stroking the map on the table.
"So what if they rebel?!"
“We still have tens of thousands of brothers. At worst, we can go into the Dabie Mountains and fight a guerrilla war.”
"If we just go deep into the mountains, do you think Chang Ruiyuan would turn the whole mountain upside down for the sake of our small group?"
"It's hard to say. Given Zhan Shuai's intolerant nature, he might very well wipe us out completely..."
"Then let's fight! It's better than being slaughtered like pigs!"
Zhang Gan fell silent.
He was weighing his options.
The entire Jiangsu and Anhui region is now under the control of the Nationalist Central Army.
To the east is the 88th Group Army of North China, to the north is the 31st Group Army of Chongqing, and to the west are reinforcements on their way.
Rebel? With what can we rebel?
But if we don't resist, are we really just going to wait here for the butcher's knife, which is called "reorganization" but is actually "annexation," to fall?
Just then.
A sudden screech of brakes came from outside the door, followed by a guard's panicked report.
"Commander, they're here! They're here!"
"Who?!"
Zhang Gan jumped up and drew his pistol, and the others followed suit: "Is this the Inspectorate's military police?"
"Damn it, are you really planning to make an example of me?"
"Bring the guard battalion!"
"Come with me!"
"If they're here to arrest someone, fight them!"
Zhang Gan roared and led his men out of the command post.
however.
He rushed to the camp gate.
Amidst the continuous autumn rain and mud, Zhang Gan and the others clearly saw the people getting out of the two jeeps bearing the flags of the joint command headquarters.
Everyone froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
The car door opened.
Li Pinxian, looking haggard and as if her hair had turned white overnight, stepped down first, her military boots covered in mud.
Immediately afterwards, the other car door opened, and Li Delin, dressed in military uniform, wearing a black cloak, and with a solemn expression, slowly stepped out.
"Duke De?"
"Commander-in-Chief?!"
Zhang Gan stared wide-eyed at the two bigwigs from the Guangxi clique.
At this moment, they were not accompanied by a large number of menacing military police, but only a few personal adjutants and a few calm-looking guards.
"how?"
"Have they been kidnapped?"
Some people didn't realize what was happening and thought it was the Central Army bringing people to persuade them to surrender. They immediately shouted, "Brothers! Surround the vehicle! Get the officer back!"
"Splash!"
The guards, who were in a state of extreme tension, instinctively raised their guns, the dark muzzles pointing at the vehicles.
"You bastard! Put down the gun!"
"Who gave you the audacity?!"
Li Pinxian was trembling with anger, and pointed at the staff officer's nose, cursing, "What are you trying to do?"
"Are you planning a rebellion?"
"You think your head is too firmly attached to your neck?!"
He quickly put away his gun and kicked the soldier next to him who was holding a gun in the butt: "Put down your guns! Are you all blind?!"
He then ran a few steps to Li Delin, his legs still in the mud, and snapped to attention, saluting sharply, his voice trembling: "Lord De! Commander! The department thought the Inspectorate had come to arrest someone."
Looking at the Guangxi soldiers before him, who were covered in mud and looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, a complex expression flashed in Li Delin's eyes.
He waved his hand, showing no sign of blaming.
"They've all become like frightened birds."
Li Delin sighed, "Let the brothers disperse and come inside to talk."
Inside the command post.
Li Delin sat in the main seat, while Li Pinxian stood to the side with his head down and remained silent.
Zhang Gan stood below, feeling uneasy, his palms sweating profusely.
Li Delin spoke, his voice somewhat tired but still authoritative: "In this Central Jiangsu Campaign, although the 21st Group Army was defeated, some of its main forces were almost completely wiped out along the Xuyi line."
"But your unit fought quite tenaciously on the western side of the Three Realms defense line. Unlike some people who ran away without firing a single shot, you did not betray the country like those scoundrels."
Speaking of the word "scoundrel".
Li Pinxian, standing next to him, lowered his head even further.
"The General Staff's intention was that, given that the 7th Army's core structure still existed, the designation of the 21st Army Group would be retained."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gan looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"reserve?"
In his mind, the best outcome would be to be dismantled and merged into other units, so how could he retain the unit designation?
"Yes."
Li Delin pointed to Li Pinxian beside him: "He Ling's mismanagement and lax management of his subordinates led to an internal traitor colluding with the enemy, causing a major disaster. He has resigned to take responsibility."
"Effective immediately, you, Zhang Gan, will serve as the acting commander-in-chief of the 21st Army Group."
"I?!"
Zhang Gan was completely stunned, and he subconsciously looked at Li Pinxian.
Li Pinxian gave a bitter smile, raised his head, his eyes filled with desolation, and patted Zhang Gan on the shoulder: "Brother, stop looking."
"This is the best possible outcome, and it's something that De Gong worked very hard to achieve."
"My old bones can no longer keep up with the current situation, and I can't bear such a big burden."
"The Chairman gave me face and didn't investigate my joint responsibility further, so he let me go to the Chongqing Military Advisory Council as the vice president."
"Let's have some tea and enjoy our leisure time; that's how we save face a little bit."
"This responsibility will be handed over to you from now on."
Zhang Gan felt his head buzzing.
Was it not cleaned?
There was no demobilization?
Instead, he got promoted?
This is like a pie falling from the sky, but it's too hot to handle!
"but."
Li Delin's tone shifted abruptly, becoming stern as he stared intently at Zhang Gan: "Being the acting commander-in-chief isn't easy. You must unconditionally cooperate with the joint command's reorganization plan!"
"This is not just an order, but the only condition for this unit to survive."
"Remove the old and weak, replace equipment, and fully accept political workers and military instructors dispatched by the Central Committee."
"Ultimately, the goal is to transform this force from our Guangxi clique into the national army!"
Zhang Gan felt a mix of emotions upon hearing these conditions.
With the arrival of political officers and a change in instructors, the soul of this unit is transformed.
This is hardly a promotion.
This is making him personally send off the old Guangxi clique.
"Lord De."
Zhang Gan's voice was dry, and his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty: "If we accept everything, then wouldn't our Guangxi Clique really be gone?"
"Will this team still be the soldiers we brought from Guangxi?"
Li Delin stood up, walked to the map, looked at the Jiangsu and Anhui lands that had been painted blue, and sighed deeply.
"Zhang Gan."
"Remember this."
Li Delin turned around, his gaze deep, and said, word by word, "From this day forward, there will be no more Gui Clique in the world."
"The so-called factions are the product of warlord conflicts, a cancer on the country, and a helpless situation that forced us to stick together for warmth."
"But things are different now."
"Since we're doing quite well now and the rejuvenation of China is in sight, why should we cling to the pedestal of that small group?"
"In the end, what is this 'Guangxi Clique'?"
"They were just a group of like-minded revolutionaries fighting for their country and nation!"
"If you don't even have this much awareness and are still clinging to the old rules and plans, then you shouldn't be the acting commander-in-chief anymore. Go home and take care of your children! Otherwise, you'll be crushed by the tide of history in the future!"
These words were a wake-up call.
Zhang Gan was shocked. Looking at his old superior, whose temples were gray and who had once been full of vigor but had now chosen to follow the trend, his eyes welled up with tears.
He knew that Li Delin was using his last bit of prestige to find a way out for this unit.
It was also telling him that times had changed, and if he wanted to survive and continue leading troops into battle, he had to change his way of life.
"Yes!"
Zhang Gan straightened his back, gave a crisp military salute, and roared, "Understood!"
"The department will certainly live up to your high expectations!"
"We, the Seventh Army—no, we, the Twenty-first Division—will definitely cooperate with the reorganization and fight the war to the very end!"
Li Pinxian watched from the side, a hint of relief and a touch of loneliness flashing in her eyes.
Following Zhang Gan's statement.
The Guangxi Clique, as an independent warlord group, has essentially come to an end, and this process will not take too long.
……
A few days later.
Kaifeng, Henan.
In the Chairman's study, Chang Ruiyuan was in a very good mood.
The great victory in the Central Jiangsu region resulted in the complete annihilation of the Japanese 60th Division, the peaceful transfer of military power in the Guangxi clique, and the aftershocks of the bombing of Tokyo still reverberating internationally.
This series of good news brought a long-lost smile to his usually tense face.
"Chairman."
Zhu Peiji, the head of the attendant's office, carefully placed a gold-embossed invitation sample on the table.
"This is an invitation to the 'Awarding and Promotion Ceremony' drafted according to your wishes."
"The date is set for fifteen days from now."
Chang Ruiyuan picked up the invitation, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad."
"Although there were some setbacks in the early stages of this campaign in central Jiangsu, and that scoundrel Li Pinxian almost ruined everything, the ending was perfect."
"The 60th Division was completely wiped out, and its commander, Nobuo Kobayashi, was captured alive."
"His family heirloom samurai sword was said to have been bestowed upon him by the previous Heavenly Locust."
"I also plan to take it to Africa to show Roosevelt and Churchill!"
"Let them know that the Chinese army is not to be trifled with!"
Zhu Peiji smiled, then said seriously, "Chairman, regarding the core of this ceremony..."
"That is, a promotion to War Commander."
"Should we make it a little more elaborate?"
Chang Ruiyuan looked at him and put down the invitation in his hand: "What do you mean?"
"Your opinion, Chairman."
Zhu Peiji analyzed, "In another month, you will be heading to India to prepare for your connecting flight to attend the summit."
"This is the first time we have stepped onto the international stage as a major power."
"At that time, as your main military attaché, the War Marshal will definitely have to make frequent appearances and even deal with the Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff."
"Now, both domestic and international media, as well as Allied generals, respectfully refer to him as the 'War General'."
"The title sounds impressive, but in the official military rank system, he is currently only at the second rank."
"This is certainly a very high rank in our country, but in international settings, when facing field marshals and five-star generals like Marshall, Eisenhower, or even Montgomery, it seems a bit lacking."
Zhu Peiji paused, carefully considering his words: "It's a bit lacking in weight."
"and."
"In order to facilitate his efforts to gain actual command of the China Theater at subsequent meetings, his military rank had to be impressive enough to command respect."
Chang Ruiyuan pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes flickering.
His promotion speed was nothing short of rocket-like, but the contributions he made were indeed enormous.
"you're right."
"The title of 'war commander' is just an empty name; the military rank is the real status."
"His current achievements include the recovery of territory, the bombing of East King, and the annihilation of several Japanese divisions. In terms of military exploits, no one in the party and the country can surpass him."
Chang Ruiyuan stood up, walked to the window, and his gaze became firm: "Since we're going to the meeting with him, we can't let him be inferior to us."
"We Chinese people must stand tall!"
"Lift!"
Chang Ruiyuan turned around and waved his hand: "Make it a grand affair! Not only in China, but the whole world should know!"
"Pegi!"
"exist!"
"Go, send telegrams to all the major war zones!"
Chang Ruiyuan's eyes gleamed: "Invite all generals of the rank of second-class general and above, whether they are from the Central Army or local armies."
"Yan Baichuan, Feng Huanzhang, Li Delin, Chen Cixiu, Gu Mosan"
"Bring everyone who can move to Kaifeng!"
"I want to hold an unprecedented medal-awarding ceremony in Kaifeng!"
"In front of the whole world, I personally hung the 'Guoguang' and Yi jsj's epaulets on his chest and shoulders."
"We also need to invite foreign journalists so that media from all over the world can come and report on it!"
"I want the whole world to know."
"We deserve to sit at that table!"
Zhu Peiji was thrilled and quickly took notes: "Yes, Chairman!"
"This is absolutely a major event that will shake the world!"
"in addition."
Chang Ruiyuan added: "Fang Ligong and Sun Xinpu are among the meritorious personnel from this Central Jiangsu Campaign."
"Wasn't the previous commendation order suspended because of the defeat of the Guangxi clique?"
"This time, we'll give them the principal and interest together!"
"I want everyone to know that following me, Chang Ruiyuan, and the Joint Command to fight the Japanese is the path to both fame and fortune!"
"Yes, sir, I will do it immediately." (End of this chapter)