After reading the chairman's telegram, Liu Yimin calculated in his heart that the battle in the late stage of the Xuzhou Conference would start immediately, and he had to hurry up if he wanted to go to Xuzhou, and the daylily would be cold if he was late.

After discussing with Cai Zhong, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to Luo Ronghuan, informing him of the main task of the chairman's call to Xuzhou, and designating Luo Ronghuan to lead the work of Shandong's party, government, and army during his visit to Xuzhou. Then he ordered Li Lingfeng and Wang Tongsheng to lead the second and third squadrons of the special operations brigade and the sniper brigade, take Chen Yaoguang, immediately contact the Fifth Brigade, and go south to Gaoqiao Village in Fei County to wait for him.

Considering that the distance between the Jiaodong area and the Jiaolai area was too far, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to Chen Dayong and Zhao Shan, asking Chen Dayong to actively reconnoiter Qingdao and find out the situation of the armies stationed in Qingdao and the Jiaoji line while reorganizing the local forces and vigorously developing the base areas. Zhao Shan was ordered to quickly deploy troops in Jiaodong, and with the cooperation of the Jiaodong Special Committee, he relied on Kunyu Mountain, Ashan, and Aishan to establish base areas. Considering that there were too many recruits in the Eighth Brigade, Liu Yimin repeatedly told Zhao Shan and Zhao Jie that they must not relax their efforts in ideological and political work, and that their work should be meticulous to each soldier, and asked the Eighth Brigade to carry out the Three One Activities, that is, to ask each soldier to write a copy of his experience of being a member of the Eighth Route Army, to make an ideological exchange speech, and to write a letter home.

After sending the telegram, Liu Yimin found Zhang Haitao and Hong Tao, inquired about Hong Tao's recuperation, and instructed him to temporarily recuperate according to Chen Tong's treatment plan, and after a while, our army will have extremely clever doctors to come and operate on him, remove shrapnel from his lungs, and completely cure his illness. Zhang Haitao was ordered to carefully reconnoiter the enemy situation on the Jinpu Road, organize a capable small force to attack, and focus on the enemy's military columns, so that the enemy on the Jinpu Road could further shrink and trap the Jinpu Line.

After arranging all this, Liu Yimin asked Li Chengyi to lead the second and third companies of the first battalion of guards to join Luo Ronghuan with Cai Zhong, and he took Li Xiaoshuai and Huang Wenhu's guards to climb over Culai Mountain, whip south, and go straight to Gaoqiao Village in Fei County.

At this time, the army was holding each other with the main force of [***] in Linyi and Taierzhuang. It was said that the army took an offensive in Linyi and a defensive position in Zaozhuang, Lincheng, and Yixian. The main force of the instructors has all entered behind enemy lines in Shandong, and although it has been developing in concealment for the time being, such a powerful force has developed very rapidly with the cooperation of the local party organizations in Shandong. From Culai Mountain to Gaoqiao Village in Fei County, they basically operated in the activity area of the Fifth Brigade of the Fifth Brigade, and there was no problem with Liu Yimin's safety. Moreover, from Yanzhou and Qufu to Surabaya, Feixian, and Linyi, the army only occupied the lines of communication to attack Linyi, and the main force of the Fifth Brigade could cut off the lines of communication anytime and anywhere. Therefore, Luo Ronghuan and others were not too worried about the safety of Liu Yimin's trip to Xuzhou, especially with the elite special operations team and sniper brigade accompanying them, not to mention that it is very likely that they will not meet devils along the way, but what if they meet devils? Could it be that the special operations brigade and the sniper brigade will still be afraid of devils? As long as he connects with [***], with Liu Yimin's current status as a famous general, [***] will send troops to protect him.

In fact, at this time, it was true that the 10th Division of the Yue Army was defeated, and it was also true that the turtle was cowering in several county towns, but the 16th Division of the Yue Army and the 6th Brigade of the Reading Force were attacking Linyi with all their might, and in order to protect the supply line, the 16th Division defended the communication line very tightly. In particular, after the troops of the Fifth Brigade of Jiao kept ambushing the heavy troops of the Yue Army from Laiwu to Mengyin and then to Linyi, in order to accomplish the task of taking Linyi, the 16 th Division had to rely on the road from Yanzhou to Linyi to supply the two routes from Qingdao to Linyi, and defended the road very tightly.

Fortunately, Liu Yimin led only a guard company, and was protected by the Fifth Brigade, so he unknowingly crossed the Zilin Highway and arrived at Gaoqiao Village in Shijing, where he joined Li Lingfeng and Wang Tongsheng, who had already arrived first. After meeting, Liu Yimin found out that Luo Ronghuan sent Luo Yan with a reconnaissance company to also operate with the special operations team to open the way for Liu Yimin.

This Gaoqiao Village is the place where the first party branch in Fei County was born, and the mass foundation is excellent. Liu Yimin chose this place to meet with the special operations brigade and sniper brigade because he took a fancy to this.

Since Chen Yaoguang was separated from Liu Yimin's family, the Political Department did not assign her a job for the time being, and arranged for her to be a teacher when preparing to establish a base school for a period of time. She never expected that she would suddenly receive an order to go to Xuzhou with Liu Yimin, and she was surprised and happy, and she was uneasy. As soon as he saw Liu Yimin, his face turned crimson, and he felt that there was nowhere to put his two hands, so he kept pinching the corners of his clothes with his head down.

Liu Yimin knew what Chen Yaoguang was thinking, so he encouraged her not to be afraid, if she saw Chiang Kai-shek and Dai Li, and showed the courage of the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, she would not be fooled by them.

Chen Yaoguang said to Liu Yimin in a squirming manner that she was not afraid of Dai Li now, but she was afraid that Comrade Tang Xingying would misunderstand and would not be able to explain after she went back.

Liu Yimin knew that if he arrived in Xuzhou, Chiang Kai-shek would probably summon him, but it was difficult to say whether he would be summoned in Xuzhou or Kaifeng, and the chairman wanted to bring Chen Yaoguang with him in order to maintain the united front. Of course, this is also a test for Chen Yaoguang, if she can pass this level, she will become a real soldier of the Eighth Route Army.

Liu Yimin originally didn't want to take Chen Yaoguang, he was a traverser, he knew the outcome of the KMT-CCP game, and he knew how long the KMT-CCP unity and resistance could be maintained, and to what extent it was united, was clearer than everyone in this era. In addition, he finally got rid of the burden, where do you want Chen Yaoguang to entangle himself again. However, he knew that the chairman still had a layer of consideration, that is, bringing Chen Yaoguang was equivalent to adding a small umbrella to himself, if he didn't meet Chiang Kai-shek and Dai Li, those [***] generals would not dare to embarrass themselves. You must know that this is a war-torn era, and people's hearts are separated from their stomachs, not to mention that they were still the mortal enemies of many [***] generals before the Anti-Japanese War! To some extent, going to Xuzhou by himself is equivalent to sending it to the door.

Therefore, Liu Yimin smiled and said to Chen Yaoguang, don't worry, Comrade Tang Xingying's level is not so low, as long as we complete the task and return smoothly, Comrade Tang Xingying is too late to thank you.

Chen Yaoguang was speechless.

In Gaoqiao Village, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to Luo Ronghuan, informing him of the rendezvous with Li Lingfeng, asking Luo Ronghuan not to be disturbed by his own trip to Xuzhou, to concentrate on the construction of political power in the base areas behind enemy lines, and to urge Wu Zheng to speed up the progress of his work and build an ammunition reloading plant as soon as possible.

Considering that the 10th Division of the Yue Army was newly defeated, it must be trapped in Tengxian, Zaozhuang, Lincheng, and Yixian counties, waiting for reinforcements, and the 16th Division was storming Linyi, and the surname of the Yue Army encountered on the way was not very large. The only thing to worry about is not to be injured by friendly soldiers.

Therefore, Liu Yimin ordered the reconnaissance company to set off first, followed by the special operations brigade and the sniper brigade, and acted secretly.

Along the way, it was smooth and smooth. It's just that Chen Yaoguang can't ride a horse, for fear of affecting the speed of the march, Liu Yimin has no choice but to ride with her. Young men and women, Chen Yaoguang is stunning again, either sitting in front or attached to the back, which makes Liu Yimin's heart sway.

On the evening of April 12, Liu Yimin and his entourage finally arrived in Xuzhou.

"The wind is blowing and the clouds are flying, and the warriors are guarding their hometown."

Xuzhou is the birthplace of the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, as well as a famous historical city and military town, known as the thoroughfare of the five provinces. Jinpu Road and Longhai Road intersect here, forming a cross of railway traffic, and close to the Grand Canal, which is a veritable water and land transportation hub. In later generations, a writer summed up the status of Xuzhou and said that Xuzhou was a state, two Han Dynasty, the west of three Chu, the four tours of Qianlong, the thoroughfare of five provinces, the civilization of 6,000 years, the chairman's seven visits, the eight hundred longevity of Peng Zu, the emperor of the Nine Dynasties Xuzhou nationality, and the Huaihai Road of ten miles long.

Of course, at this time, there was neither the Seventh Patrol of the Chairman nor the Huaihai Road, a ten-mile long street.

For Xuzhou, the birthplace of the Han Dynasty, Liu Yimin has always been yearning. Thinking about the Han Gaozu Liu Bang Yijie cloth, carrying a three-foot Qingfeng to resist the strong Qin, the establishment of a powerful Han Empire, so that the Han people, the Han people have become the correct name of the Chinese nation, the Han style and Han rhyme have been passed down, Liu Yimin felt excited, eager to see the ancient city of Xuzhou.

At this time, due to the fierce fighting, there were many guerrilla units of various kinds on the ground in Lunan, and there were dozens of commanders alone. I don't care about them, as long as I fight devils. In addition, Liu Yimin and the others were not numerous, and they were wearing civilian clothes, deliberately concealing their identities, and they did not attract special attention from [***] along the way, and it was just a routine inspection when they met. Until he arrived outside the city of Xuzhou, Liu Yimin ordered the guards to change back into the uniforms of the Eighth Route Army, handed over the bazooka and the Bayi automatic rifle to the special operations brigade for safekeeping, and exchanged them for submachine guns and 38 covers, and ordered the reconnaissance company, special operations brigade, and sniper brigade to hide and stand by outside the city, and he led the guard company directly to the city gate.

After Li Xiaoshuai informed the [***] garrison troops that Liu Yimin, the instructor and division commander of the Eighth Route Bureau, had come to meet Commander Li, about half an hour later, Li Zongren rushed to the city gate by car.

Seeing that Li Zongren had come to greet him in person, Liu Yimin stepped forward, glanced at Li Zongren, and saluted with a "snap": "Liu Yimin, the instructor and division commander of the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army, has been invited to meet with Commander Li of the Fifth Theater, please instruct." ”

Li Zongren hurriedly returned the salute.

After a little greeting, Li Zongren invited Liu Yimin and Chen Yaoguang to get into the car, asked the guards to follow on horseback, and pulled them to the Garden Hotel in the north of Datong Street, which was also Li Zongren's Fifth Theater Headquarters.

When we met at the gate of the city just now, Chen Yaoguang was introduced, and Liu Yimin said that she was the righteous daughter of Chairman Jiang and a teacher cadre. I didn't expect Li Zongren to misunderstand this time, because he knew about this public case. Therefore, when he arrived at the Garden Hotel, he directly arranged for Liu Yimin and Chen Yaoguang to live together, and secretly laughed at Liu Yimin's youth and affection.

After Liu Yimin went to the room to wash, he found Chen Yaoguang sitting in the room with her head down and red face, and hurriedly asked her why she didn't go to her room to wash, and teased Chen Yaoguang and said that the dust on the way covered the demeanor of our beautiful female soldiers of the Eighth Route Army. It's going to be dinner in a while, hurry up and wash up, don't let Commander Li laugh at our Eighth Route Army for not paying attention to hygiene.

Chen Yaoguang whispered that he had not arranged a room for her alone.

When Liu Yimin heard this, he knew that Li Zongren had misunderstood, and when he glanced at Chen Yaoguang again, he lowered his head in shame when he saw that the girl had finished speaking, and even her white neck was crimson, and her heart couldn't help but flutter.

pinched his arm fiercely, Liu Yimin asked Chen Yaoguang to wash here, and after seeing Chief Li for a while, he told him again and asked him to arrange an extra house.

When Chen Yaoguang went to wash, Liu Yimin silently sorted out his thoughts, and went through the information of Li and Bai in his mind again, thinking about how to ask Li Zongren for the 1,600 Red Army soldiers of the Guixi guerrillas.

In the evening, Li Zongren held a banquet at the Garden Hotel to entertain Liu Yimin.

As soon as Liu Yimin and Chen Yaoguang entered the restaurant, applause rang out inside, and then Li Zongren's voice came: "Welcome General Liu Yimin, the instructor and division commander of the Eighth Route Army, to the headquarters of the Fifth War Zone." ”

After Liu Yimin walked into the restaurant, he found that Li Zongren was wearing a general's uniform, and the room was full of generals. After looking at it again, I found that Bai Chongxi was also here. He didn't know anyone else.

Liu Yimin walked forward quickly, saluted Li Zongren, and then took Li Zongren's hand and said, "Chief Li is polite, you have arranged it so grandly, you dare not be ashamed to kill the kid!" ”

Li Zongren knew that Liu Yimin didn't know anyone else, so he first introduced Liu Yimin and Chen Yaoguang to everyone: "Everyone, this is General Liu Yimin, the instructor and division commander of the Eighth Route Army, who is famous all over the world and makes Kou fearful. This is Mrs. Ru of General Liu Yimin and Ms. Chen Yaoguang, the righteous daughter of Chairman Jiang. ”

Liu Yimin now knows about the trouble of bringing Chen Yaoguang to Xuzhou. I want to explain, saying that Chen Yaoguang is the righteous daughter of Chairman Jiang, not his own wife, she is just a soldier of the Eighth Route Army. But after thinking about it for a while, I knew that there was a big misunderstanding in this matter, and if I explained it clearly, it would be tantamount to inciting the chairman in front of the [***] generals, and if I didn't explain it clearly, I would become a womanizer. After thinking about it, I still didn't explain it for the time being, and I couldn't explain it clearly with them.

Next, Li Zongren began to introduce other people to Liu Yimin at one time, Bai Chongxi, deputy chief of staff of the base camp, Lin Wei, deputy director of the Military Command Department, Liu Fei, director of the First Department of the Military Command Department, Wang Hongzhao, senior staff officer, Sun Lianzhong, commander of the Second Group Army, Sun Zhen, commander of the 22nd Group Army, Tian Zhennan, commander of the 30th Army who wrote brilliant stories in Taierzhuang, Feng Anbang, commander of the 42nd Army, and Chi Fengcheng, commander of the 31st Division.

Liu Yimin took a look at it, no one else had seen the photo, this Bai Chongxi, Sun Zhen, Tian Zhennan, and Chi Fengcheng were all exactly the same as in the photo. Especially Bai Chongxi, bald, white-faced, with big and bright eyes, you can know at a glance that it is indeed me here. After pondering it again, he found that Tang Enbo was missing from the table, and thought to himself, I am afraid that the Twentieth Army is still fighting fiercely with the enemy on the front line.

Bai Chongxi was also looking at Liu Yimin, not to mention anything else, just Liu Yimin entered the restaurant, and saw the table full of sumptuous dishes without the slightest expression, Bai Chongxi secretly wondered, this little guy is not simple, if other [***] people, seeing such a sumptuous dinner, I am afraid they will blame waste, maybe they will walk away and make everyone unable to get off the stage. This Liu Yimin seems to be accustomed to a sumptuous banquet, and he doesn't have a strange expression at all. It's really weird. When I thought of Liu Yimin blackmailing himself in the passage, the letter said that his wife was a superb cook, and I felt a cold sweat on my spine. Seeing his big-headed ghost, his wife doesn't know how to cook at all, but that woman has superb cooking skills, Liu Yimin won't be aware of everything and allude to his own absurdity, right?

After Liu Yimin and everyone saluted and shook hands one by one, and sat back in their seats, Li Zongren picked up his wine glass and said with a smile on his face: "Everyone, our army fought bloodily and won a great victory in Taierzhuang. The first reason for such achievements is that Chairman Chiang and the General Headquarters have proper command and effective planning. The second is because the officers and men of the whole army shed their lives and sacrificed their lives. The third is because the intelligence is accurate. Speaking of the accuracy of this information, we have to thank General Liu Yimin. It was General Liu who accurately predicted the course of action of the Yue army and exposed the conspiracy of the devils in a timely manner, so that our army was deployed everywhere to catch up with the front of the Yue army and fight the active battle. In particular, General Liu's telegram urging our army to encircle and annihilate as soon as possible can be called a stroke of genius! I propose, for the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, for the cooperation and unity of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, cheers! ”

All the people at the table stood up, clinked their glasses, and drank them all.

After drinking the first cup, Li Zongren diligently served Liu Yimin vegetables, and Liu Yimin was so panicked that he even said that he would come and come by himself.

Bai Chongxi got up and gave a speech, his long body was jade, and he looked a little outstanding. I only heard him say: "What Degong said is good, this little man is not three heads and six arms, and Master Liu once led his subordinates to attack Taiyuan and seize Tianjin, and beat the devils and ghosts to cry wolves." Now the Fifth Theater has eliminated the main force of the 10th Division in Taierzhuang, creating a precedent for our army's victory in the battle. In the past, there were teachers and instructors in the battles of Taiyuan and Tianjin, and now there are five war zones in Taierzhuang, which is enough to prove that as long as we rise up to resist the war, the generals are united, the officers and soldiers are united, and the army and the people are united, why worry about the devil will not be destroyed and the war of resistance will not be won? I propose, in order to achieve the victory of the War of Resistance as soon as possible, cheers! ”

The crowd stood up and toasted again.

In this way, everyone stood up to toast, and they were all big cups, and Liu Yimin was a little top-heavy after a while.

Finally, it was Liu Yimin's turn, and everyone was listening.

Liu Yimin stood up, held a wine glass and said: "Xuzhou is the hometown of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the tyranny of Qin was strong, and the people were struggling to make a living, and Chen Shi issued a cry of harsh government and fierce tigers. Then there is a story of the heroes of the world rising up and competing for the Central Plains. Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, was once at a disadvantage in the battle. But he was not discouraged or depressed, and was defeated again and again, and finally defeated Xiang Yu's army and established the Han Dynasty. We met today in the land of Han Gaozu Longxing, and I couldn't help but think of the sentence that those who offend me will be punished even if they are far away. The Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty are so fascinating! Now, Xiao Yueben dares to invade China in an all-round way, kill my people, invade my land, and humiliate my women, which is really a crime and deserves death! Although we have won several battles and eliminated some devils, the overall situation of the enemy's strength and weakness has not changed, and the army is still in a period of strategic offensive. However, I believe what Chief Li, Chief Bai and all of you have just said. We are not afraid, Xiao Yue is going to fight, we will accompany it to the end, fight it for three years, five years, seven years and eight years, we will consume it, Xiao Yue may not be! Fight until Xiao Yuben raises his hand and surrenders! I propose, for the compatriots who died, for the soldiers who died bravely, for the victory of the War of Resistance, cheers! ”

(To be continued)