After Zeng Kuoqing left, Zhuang Jihua turned around and walked in front of Huang Botao, beckoned Huang Botao to sit down, and sat down opposite him, and then said: "Brother Huanran, don't be surprised, Brother Huan and I have been old friends for more than ten years, and we have never separated each other." ”

Huang Botao hurriedly said: "There, there, I have heard that the chairman has a good relationship with his classmates of both parties in Huangpu. ”

Zhuang Jihua couldn't help but shake his head in his heart, this Huang Botao really can't speak, the relationship between the two parties is good, is this a good word or a sarcasm, I'm afraid it will be ambiguous if you change someone.

"Brother Huanran, let's continue to talk," Zhuang Jihua picked up the topic that was interrupted by Zeng Guangqing, Zeng Guangqing's matter was simple, and it was clear in a few words, but Huang Botao's matter was much more complicated.

"Although your position is the head of the battalion operations division, but the battalion currently has no combat mission, your main job is to train a new army out, the military command department gave the number 112 Army, the establishment of two divisions, three brigades in each division, three regiments in each brigade of the three-three system, a total strength of 30,000 troops. But I want to tell you, except for the number, this army currently has nothing, no soldiers, no officers, no guns, but you have to put up the skeleton of the army within a month, and it will be fully equipped within three months. ”

Jiang Dingwen believed that the main direction of attack of the Yue army should be concentrated on the Shangqiu line, and the terrain in the Dabie Mountain area was complex, and the defense was not conducive to attack, so the 36th Group Army was transferred to the north, leaving only the 102nd Army and the 2nd Reserve Division to defend the Dabie Mountain area. In addition, Li Zongren transferred the 21 st Group Army to the First Theater on the grounds that the enemy situation in the First Theater was tense, and the Fifth Theater was further weakened.

Of course, Zhuang Jihua thinks that this deployment is wrong, but he is not too worried, once the offensive plan of the army is determined, the Ligao support side will naturally report it, and it will naturally be adjusted at that time, and he firmly believes that in the Wuhan operation, the primary goal of the army is to break through the five theaters.

"By the way, your military rank," Zhuang Jihua got up and walked back to his desk as if he had just remembered, opened the drawer and took out a box from it and opened it: "The chairman believes that the rank of the chief of the operations department of the southwest battalion is only colonel. ”

Huang Botao stood up with a straight body, Zhuang Jihua walked up to him with a shining golden star and pinned the star to his shoulder.

"I won't hold a special promotion ceremony for you, and when you make up your military achievements, I will make up for the title and the award ceremony together."

"I'm ashamed," Huang Botao replied in a loud voice, he was a little puzzled, why he was promoted to major general at this time, he was not promoted as the commander of the 41st Division back then, and now he has no merit, but he has promoted his rank, which makes him very confused, and after Zhuang Jihua gave him a good new rank, he hesitated and finally asked.

"Sir, I don't understand."

Zhuang Jihua waved his hand and smiled: "It's nothing, you will understand later." ”

This is Chiang Kai-shek's old method, although he agreed to Zhuang Jihua's request, he first showed favor and won the hearts of the people. In Zhuang Jihua's view, this Huang Botao is a professional soldier, and it is normal that he is not quick enough to react in this regard.

Huang Botao settled down, his mind returned to Zhuang Jihua's request, and his heart was suddenly overwhelmed by huge difficulties: "Sir, I can't do it if it's full in three months, I don't have anything now, just a bare pole, how to do it?" ”

"I transferred some veterans and officers from the 49th Group Army and the 24th Group Army, and some of them were wounded soldiers who recovered from injuries in the hospital, all of them were robbed by me, the total number is about 600 people, you have been in the army for so many years, you should have a few friends, you open a list, I am responsible for important people, in a word, you have to put up a shelf within a month, and within three months I want to see a fully equipped 112th Army." Zhuang Jihua did not budge at all.

"Who is the commander? Why don't you let the commander come? Huang Botao was still a little depressed, but Zhuang Jihua's answer made his heart move, and hope suddenly rose.

"The commander hasn't decided yet, and I haven't figured it out yet." Zhuang Jihua did not hide it at all, and looked at Huang Botao meaningfully: "I have read your resume, you have been a division commander before, and you may be a military commander, but whether you can become a soldier depends on it, one look at yourself, and the other looks at it." ”

Huang Botao's heart suddenly rose with pride, he stood up and asked loudly: "If I complete the task, can I lead this army?" I want to be a military commander? ”

"Well, it is understandable that the director is not as majestic as the military commander, nor is he as powerful as the military commander." Zhuang Jihua leaned back on the sofa with a smile, his eyes fixed on Huang Botao.

"The commander misunderstood," Huang Botao replied loudly: "Huang is a soldier, and he must be the first in every battle during the civil war, but at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, Huang failed to fight a battle, which is insulting to the name of a soldier, I hope the commander can give me this opportunity." ”

Zhuang Jihua nodded and thought about it and said, "I promise you that I will do my best to fight for the position of this army commander for you, but I don't guarantee that you can be the commander, clear?" ”

"Understood, thank you, sir." Huang Botao was very excited, Zhuang Jihua is a person, the hot Huangpu lineage, three battles and three victories, defeated all the generals of the invasion of China, and was regarded by the people as a god of war, he agreed, even if there is an uncertain surname in the words, the army commander can't get it, and the division commander at least has no problem.

"Sir, Sichuan, I'm not familiar with it, I should start from that aspect, and ask the chief for advice." After the excitement, Huang Botao still felt at a loss when he thought about it.

"Instructors, local garrison headquarters, security regiments, go to various places to see," Zhuang Jihua said: "But don't just say that you want them, write down the number, come back and hand it over to me, and I will come forward." ”

"Understood."

Huang Botao left excitedly, Zhuang Jihua looked at his back silently, he didn't make a promise to Huang Botao because he vaguely felt that Chiang Kai-shek was on guard against him, and he would not let him go as before in personnel appointments.

Even if the army commander gave Huang Botao, what about the two division commanders below? This is also a candidate that must be considered, Huang Botao is from a miscellaneous background, and Chiang Kai-shek will definitely not agree to the two division commanders also being nominated by him.

After thinking for a long time, he rushed out of the door and shouted, "Palace Secretary." ”

Gong Xiuhua soon came to the house, and Zhuang Jihua said to him calmly: "Draw up a report and ask the military and political department to dignitaries, Xia Yanglin and Dai Anlan, and say that I need them to train the 112th Army and serve as the division commander." ”

Xia Yanglin and Dai Anlan are both brigade commanders, and it is natural to be promoted to division commander, Zhuang Jihua originally wanted to transfer Zhang Lingfu back, but he thought that transferring two good generals at the same time would make Lan Yundong embarrassed, so he only transferred one person. However, he also knew completely that these two people, especially Xia Yanglin, were by no means people who obeyed the rules, and they would definitely bring some people back.

"Yes." Gong Xiuhua quickly drafted a telegram and handed it to Zhuang Jihua to sign, and after Zhuang Jihua signed it, he raised his head and said to Gong Xiuhua: "Inform Mr. Yan that the 112th Army needs a group of officers, and there is no suitable one in the military academy." ”

Gong Xiuhua smiled faintly, she had participated in the Nanshan Conference, this was obviously not to ask for someone from the military academy, but to ask Deng Yanda, do you have anyone, if there is someone, now is an opportunity, a chance to master the army.

The golden autumn and October were a busy harvest season, and the grain control in Sichuan gradually took shape, and the fall in grain prices led to the fall of other prices, which encouraged Deng Hanxiang and Ma Yinchu and others, who immediately announced the second batch of controlled materials, cloth, salt, and cooking oil.

At the same time, Kong Xiangxi finally approved the establishment of a stock exchange in Chengdu, and then Ma Yinchu convened seven large banks, including the Development Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the Bank of China, to become shareholders of the stock exchange with 5 million legal currency each, and then announced the securities trading rules, and the first batch of listed companies began to brew.

The 24th Army finally made peace with Liu Wenhui, Liu Wenhui continued to advance towards Lhasa, and the situation in Lhasa, which had been somewhat eased, began to become tense again, and the consul of the British Consulate in Chengdu asked Zhuang Jihua to order the 24th Army to stop advancing, otherwise the British Empire would never sit idly by.

"First of all, Tibet Province is Chinese territory, and all the activities of the Chinese political axe in Tibetan Province are China's internal affairs, and the British political axe has no right to interfere; Secondly, I would love to see how the British political axe could not sit idly by; I'm very curious about it. I don't know if there are two armies in India, but if not, I would be happy to lead two armies to help the British hold India. ”

Zhuang Jihua played the consul and kicked him out of the office. His remarks stunned Deng Hanxiang and others, and this very rude diplomatic tone has only been confided in the mouths of Western diplomats, and it is Chinese diplomats who listen to this.

"The Cultural Revolution, this is too rude, it will cause diplomatic disputes." Deng Hanxiang said worriedly, after all, the most important thing now is to resist his own attack, the Wuhan peripheral battle is about to start, this decisive battle is related to the future of the Anti-Japanese War, there is no need to provoke the British.

"It's okay," Zhuang Jihua said indifferently, and his tone was very disdainful: "The British are just a paper tiger, strong in the outside and doing things in the middle, and they are still too busy with European affairs, and they are still staring at us, which is really whimsical, and they are not afraid of dying." ”

"It's not necessary, just explain our attitude, it's not necessary at all." Deng Hanxiang muttered to himself, and walked out with a wry smile, Nanjing officialdom has always been a legend, Zhuang Jihua looked down on the British, he thought it was a legend, but now it seems to be true, I really don't know where his confidence comes from.

Zhuang Jihua's voice sounded behind him: "It's not unnecessary, it's very necessary, a small island country, the scenery has been beautiful for hundreds of years, it's enough, I'm afraid they haven't realized that the era of the Immortal Empire is over, and no matter how I humiliate them, in the end they still have to stand with us and beat me, this is determined by interests, not attitude." ”

After the end of the Polish campaign, the main force of the German army moved westward, Britain and France were under great pressure, the British mainland could not gather many troops, the garrisons of the colonies began to move to the mainland, the situation in the Far East was fine, the Middle East and Canada formed armies to go to Britain and North Africa, they simply did not have enough strength to interfere with everything that happened in Tibetan Province.

At the beginning of November, Zhuang Jihua arranged everything in Sichuan, began to inspect the areas under the jurisdiction of the southwest camp, and imposed grain control measures in Guizhou, Yunnan.

It was at this time that Okamura Ninji commanded the 11th Army to launch an attack on Anqing with the assistance of the navy, and the Battle of Wuhan began.

(To be continued)