Shimen, Zhang Mingyu moved the headquarters to Shimen.

Zhang Mingyu, Chief of Staff Liu Cheng, Commander of the First Division Zhang Biao, and the commanders of the regiments of the First Division gathered in the Shimen Headquarters.

Niu Tiangui had white gauze hanging on his left arm, and he sat under Zhang Biao.

Zhang Mingyu looked around and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very glad that our Reading Force has recovered Shimen, and this time we can successfully recover thanks to the great assistance of all my colleagues and brothers!" But we still have a more important task, that is, to recover Pingjin and the four eastern provinces! Recover all our land in China and drive Xiao Yueben out of China! The more Zhang Mingyu spoke, the more excited he became.

"That's right! We're going to drive all the little devils back to their Oriental hometown! The people were filled with righteous indignation.

Niu Tian stood up and said, "Junzuo, I request to lead the troops north and attack Baoding!" ”

"Captain Niu, don't be impulsive! The attack on Baoding has to be considered in the long run, and all regiments need to rest and recuperate after several consecutive battles, and in addition, the logistical pressure is also great, and if we send troops to the north now, the battle line will be too long, and logistical supplies will not be delivered. Chief of Staff Liu Cheng stood up and stopped.

"Hmmm! The chief of staff is right, I decided that each regiment would rest for two days, and after two days, set off to attack Baoding and other places! Zhang Mingyu nodded.

Seeing Zhang Mingyu speak, Niu Tiangui didn't say much more, for the words of the military seat, there are only two words "execution", the military seat will fight the east if it tells it, and the military seat will fight the west if it lets it hit the west. Officers at all levels of the Reading Army, including Niu Tiangui, have reached an extremely fanatical admiration and admiration for Zhang Mingyu.

"Commander, I have a suggestion, I don't know if it's feasible?" Zhang Biao said indifferently at this time.

"Speak." Zhang Mingyu raised his hand and gestured.

"Throne! Although our main force needs to rest, but we can't let the little devils live comfortably, I suggest that Li Gang take the lead with the guard battalion and take the lead in laying down those market towns and county towns along the way, one to open the way for the large army, and come to effectively harass the devils! Zhang Biao stood up and said slyly.

"Hmmm! This is a good solution, we can also send out the air force to bomb the devils, and we can also provide cover for the guard battalion! Chief of Staff Liu Cheng nodded in agreement.

"Good! That's it! I command...! Zhang Mingyu stood up and paused.

Everyone got up and looked at Zhang Mingyu.

"I order, all regiments rest in place, and the guard battalion immediately set off to attack Baoding along the railway line!" Zhang Mingyu paused.

"Yes!" The crowd responded with a bang.

After Li Gang received the order, he immediately gathered the guard battalion and set off, the sun was setting, the soldiers of the guard battalion were walking on the ground, and the oblique sunset pulled the figure of the elder.

Since the commanders of the third and second companies of the guard battalion were transferred, Liu Dalong, the commander of the second company, was transferred to the temporary first brigade as deputy brigade commander, and Zhang Haisheng, the commander of the third company, was transferred to assist in the preparation for the establishment of the military academy.

The commander of the third company was Wang Hanshan, and the commander of the second company was the commander of the first platoon of the original second company, and Zhang Fugui served as the commander.

Xu Wen led four platoons to act as spearhead soldiers to open the way, Zhang Fugui led the second company to escort the machine gun company and the baggage team, Li Gang led the main force in the center, and the huge team of nearly 2,000 people lined up into a long dragon, like a long dragon slowly advancing on the vast Hebei Plain.

……………………… Fenyang, the headquarters of the Jin Sui Army.

"What? What do you say? Reading the army has already taken the stone gate? Yan Xishan asked in disbelief.

"Commander Hui, yes, the intelligence also said that the Reading Force not only recovered Shimen, but also recovered Zhengding and other counties around Shimen." A staff officer of the Jin Suijun reported to Yan Laoxi.

"Come on! It's amazing, it's amazing! Yan Laoxi exclaimed again and again: "Zhang Mingyu is a terrible posterity, he is about to become a rich man who owns the three provinces of Shanxi, Hebei and Sui at a young age, damn it, this kid really has a bright future." A stone gate defended by a heavy army was breached in less than a day, obediently, this kid seems to want to sweep the whole of North China. Go and order all the armies, make all the battle preparations, and be ready to go north at any time. ”

"Going north? Commander, are we going to fight Taiyuan? The staff officer asked, confused.

"Fight Mao Taiyuan, fight Pingjin, Hebei is rich in oil and water, he Zhang Mingyu eats meat, let's Jin Suijun drink some soup, right?" Yan Xishan muttered.

"Commander, did we beat me?" This staff officer obviously has no information, and the battle of Xinkou a few years ago seems to be vivid.

"Move, there is Zhang Mingyu's Reading Force in front of the little devil to fight, let's Jin Suijun just pick up peanuts in the back." Yan Xishan said coldly.

"Yes! The commander is wise, and he is admired! The staff officer did not forget to pat himself on the back, and immediately gladly took the order.

In fact, Yan Xishan still has his own little abacus in his heart, he sent troops to Hebei, not really wanting to help Zhang Mingyu, but wanting to stand some territory in Hebei, if Zhang Mingyu does not give up Taiyuan in the future, in the case of no war, Yan Xishan will not mind exchanging Hebei for Shanxi.

……………………… Yucheng, the leader's official residence.

Wang Shihe, the chief of the guard, walked into President Jiang's study with a displeased face and a worried face, and the reason why he was not happy or worried was because Wang Shihe really couldn't describe the "good news" in his hand, and it was undoubtedly a good news message for the overall situation of the entire anti-Japanese war and for the entire Chinese nation.

If it is only for Chairman Chiang personally, it may not be the case, and with Wang Shihe's understanding of Chairman Chiang, Chairman Chiang will probably be angry and happy when he reads the telegram.

With apprehension, Wang Shihe walked into the study softly, and when he saw Chairman Jiang who was working, Wang Shihe said softly: "Commission, there is a secret telegram from the Hebei Branch of the Military Command Bureau. ”

"Oh? Read it aloud and listen to it. Chairman Jiang said quietly.

"Yes." Wang Shihe opened the telegram in his hand and read: "After verification, General Zhang Mingyu led the reading army to break through the defense line of the Yue army yesterday evening, completely annihilated the army defending the city, and recovered Shimen!" At the same time, the restoration of righteousness. ”

As soon as Wang Shihe's words fell, Chairman Jiang stood up and said with some surprise: "Recovered Shimen so quickly?" ”

Wang Shihe nodded and said, "Yes, the telegram has been repeatedly verified by the Military Command Bureau and is correct. ”

"Appeal...... Chairman Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, when the Reading Force was moving northward in a high-profile manner, Chairman Jiang was out of political considerations, and on the surface he did not obstruct it, but secretly he had already repeatedly ordered that all departments in North China should not easily send troops, let alone privately aid the Reading Army.

After discovering that he could not control Zhang Mingyu, Chairman Jiang only hoped that Zhang Mingyu would be defeated by the Yue army in Hebei, and that it would be better to be defeated by Yue himself, and as long as Zhang Mingyu's strength weakened, then Yan Xishan would have the opportunity to regain control of Shanxi, so that he could rest assured.

However, the development of events was obviously beyond Chairman Jiang's expectations, he did not expect that Zhang Mingyu would be able to defeat the Yue army in such a short period of time and recover a large area of land such as Shimen, and Chairman Jiang still can't understand why the Yue army, which had beaten hundreds of thousands of elite troops under his command and had lost their armor and strong combat effectiveness, became like soft persimmons as soon as they met Zhang Mingyu's men, and they were defeated and retreated one after another, first losing Suiyuan and then Shanxi.

Thinking of this, Chairman Jiang is really as Wang Shihe guessed, his heart is full of sour, sweet, bitter and spicy, Zhang Mingyu can lead the army to defeat the invaders and recover a large part of the country, from the perspective of a Chinese, this is undoubtedly good news.

However, Chairman Chiang was not only a Chinese, but also an extremely ambitious Chinese; as the leader of China at this time, politically speaking, he would not allow anyone who exceeded his own strength to exist, even if this person was a hero of resistance and a national hero.

Chairman Jiang paced back and forth in his study with his hands behind his back, and secretly said that if Zhang Mingyu really succeeded in recovering the entire Hebei and even Pingjin, not only would the strength of the territory soar, but I am afraid that his prestige in the hearts of the whole [***] people would also surpass him at that time.

Once this person's status and prestige in the hearts of the whole [***] people surpasses him as the head of state, the consequences are unimaginable, Chairman Jiang is not afraid that the opponent has a territory and is not afraid that he has many troops, quite early, the warlords are fighting, the Zhangjia Army in the northeast, Feng Yuxiang in the northwest, and now Yan Xishan's Jin Sui Army, Li Zongren's Gui Army, that is not a heavy army in two provinces and three provinces.

Under Chairman Chiang's superb political skill, all of them collapsed and defeated one by one, ushering in the general reunification of the whole country.

Thinking of this, Chairman Jiang paid attention to it, suddenly stopped, and said to Wang Shihe, who was where Hou was: "Shihe, you go and inform Jingzhi and ask him to inform Chinese and foreign reporters that a press conference will be held tomorrow!" ”

"Yes!" Although Wang Shihe could not guess the purpose of Chairman Chiang's move, he still readily agreed and immediately turned to leave.

……………… The next day, Chairman Chiang's press conference was successfully held, and dozens of Chinese and foreign reporters rushed to hear the news, and the entire venue was particularly lively.

With a loud "Chairman has arrived!" "The venue, which was noisy like a vegetable market just now, suddenly became elegant and silent.

I saw Chairman Jiang appear at the meeting hall accompanied by He Yingqin, the owner of the Yucheng camp, and waited for Chairman Jiang and He Yingqin to sit down.

The Chinese and foreign reporters present hurriedly asked for questions, especially a British journalist who claimed to be a great power and shouted very loudly.

provoked Chairman Jiang to frown for a while, and He Yingqin, who was next to him, saw this, quickly stood up, and gestured with both hands: "Everyone, everyone, be quiet, please be quiet!" ”

Under He Yingqin's vigorous cheering, all the reporters present quieted down, but where did the British reporter still raise his hand and ask questions in English.

If it weren't for the relationship between the British and the Americans, and the fact that the Nationalist Axe wanted to get a loan from the United States to support the war of resistance, He Yingqin would have asked the guards to drive out this disgusting British.

He Yingqin tried his best to restrain his emotions, and then signaled: "If you have any questions, you can ask them later, but please keep quiet for now." ”

After listening to the translation, the British reporter shrugged his shoulders arrogantly and reluctantly continued.

After the meeting was quiet, Chairman Jiang cleared his throat and said into the microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen, the main purpose of holding a press conference today is to announce an important matter to you. ”

At this time, the Chinese and foreign reporters in the audience whispered one after another, not knowing what news the Chinese leader was going to announce.

At this time, Chairman Jiang continued: "What I want to announce to you is that after seven days of bloody battles, our [***] team has successfully recovered Shimen, Zhengding and a large area of North China, and in addition, our [***] team is continuing to advance northward, and I believe that Baoding will be recovered soon, and even Beiping, Tianjin and other places will be recovered." ”

As soon as Chairman Chiang's remarks came out, the audience immediately burst into exclamation, and the Chinese reporters were all dissatisfied, while foreign reporters exclaimed, and some reporters even doubted whether what Chairman Chiang said was true or false.

Among them was the British journalist, who was the first to raise his hand to ask for a question, and this time Chairman Chiang granted his request.

The British reporter stood up and asked in disbelief: "Hello, Mr. Chiang, I am from the British Reuters Agency, and my name is Hans. What I want to say is, Mr. Jiang, for what you said, the Chinese [***] team has recaptured Shimen. Zhengding and other large areas of land, can it be understood that the Chinese [***] team has begun a local counteroffensive, so why did the Chinese political axe not make a statement? ”

Everyone, including He Yingqin and Chairman Jiang, glanced at the man named Han Death with contempt. Ignoring the British reporter, Chairman Chiang replied: "Since this matter is a matter of military secrets, I have not stated to you that you are right, our squadron has already begun to prepare for a counteroffensive in some parts, such as North China, to recover the lost territory. ”

"Oh!" The British reporter sat down as if he didn't understand.

At this time, a Chinese female reporter stood up and asked: "Honorable chairman, I am Fei Xiaohong, a reporter of the Central Daily, may I ask if you planned in advance for our army to launch an attack in North China?" In addition, which of our troops participated in this counteroffensive? For example, our hero troops, read the force, did they participate? ”

Chairman Jiang replied without blushing or beating his heart: "Yes, the battle plan was planned by me, and the specific operational guidelines were agreed upon by Director He and several theater commanders. In addition, the main attacking force participating in this counteroffensive was the Reading Force led by General Zhang Mingyu. ”

After Principal Jiang finished speaking, General Li Zongren, who was sitting quietly on the side, frowned a little, and secretly said that Jiang's face was really getting thicker and thicker.

At this time, the female reporter named Fei Xiaohong nodded and continued to ask: "Then General Zhang Mingyu once again led his subordinates to achieve such brilliant results, how does the political axe plan to reward them?" ”

"This," Chairman Jiang suddenly had a big head, knowing that the Reading Force had won such a battle, if it was too little, it would not be enough for the Chinese and foreign reporters present to laugh at it. Chairman Jiang paused and gritted his teeth and said: "The political axe has been discussed and decided, and it is ready to reward the Reading Force and Zhang Mingyu with one million fiat currency, but the reward can only be issued after the Reading Force defeats Baoding, after all, it is now a time of battle." ”

General Li Zongren next to him felt a burst of contempt in his heart, "It's not that I don't want to give." ”

The next day, the headline of the major newspapers across the country was that the local counteroffensive had begun, Chairman Chiang personally drew up a battle plan, and General Zhang Mingyu made another meritorious service. Recovering Shimen Zhengding, achieving a great victory in Shimen, and annihilating more than 50,000 people. Obviously, this figure is exaggerated by the national political axe.

The United Kingdom and other countries also published the latest situation from China, and a Reuters headline reads: China already has the strength to compete with the Chinese and even counterattack.

…………… In Beiping, Naosaburo Okabe put a newspaper on Okamura Ninji's desk! Okamura Ninji picked up the newspaper, read it hurriedly, and said with a contemptuous smile: "The political axe of the people of China has begun to make a momentum, they really think that their army is invincible in the world, hmph, wait for us to annihilate the reading force army in one fell swoop, see how happy the people of China are." By the way, Okabe-kun, how is the battle plan made by your staff department? ”

Okabe Naosaburo straightened up and reported: "General, the battle plan has been drawn up, and it has been decided that the Imperial Army will be mixed with the Eighth Brigade as the main force, plus the Imperial Allied Army will deploy heavy troops in Gyeongdu to block the offensive route of the Chinese people. Later, after the arrival of the first, fourth, and eighth divisions, the reading force mixed into the eighth brigade and retreated to Baoding, attracting the reading force to besiege Baoding, and the first, fourth, and eighth divisions secretly assembled to Renqiu by train, and then cut off the retreat of the reading force.

The main force of the Kwantung Army set out from Beiping, divided into two routes, and surrounded and annihilated the Reading Army in a pincer shape under the city of Baoding. ”

"To the West! Okabe-kun deserves to be an excellent imperial general. Okamura nodded in appreciation.

"It's just that, General, according to a telegram sent by the Eighth Mixed Brigade, there has been a small force set out from Zhengding and coming towards Baoding, and this force is likely to be the vanguard of the Chinese people. Naosaburo Okabe bowed his head and said.

"Okabe-kun, your suggestion is very good, but there is an old Chinese saying that if we put a long line to catch a big fish, if we eliminate the vanguard of this branch of the people in one fell swoop, then if we don't get the people of the branch to come out, they will shrink back in the stone gate and not come out. Therefore, it is better for us to besiege it without attacking it, attract the main force of the Chinese Reading Force to come to our aid, and then annihilate it in one fell swoop. Okamura Ninji said to the old man.

"Hay! The general is wise, and he is ashamed of his humble duties! Okabe Naosaburo hurriedly patted his ass.

"Okabe-kun, don't be too modest, you can hurry up and arrange it!" Okamura Ninji waved his hand.

"Hay! Retire from your duties! Okabe Naosaburo bowed his head abruptly and left happily.

Fifty miles south of Xinlecheng, a small village.

About 50 devil soldiers, led by an officer, came to this small village with more than 300 households.

One of the officers at the head was none other than the commander of the Shimen garrison, Kawabe Shozo, who had escaped from Shimen in a hurry, and at this time, an adjutant next to him pointed to the village in front and said, "General, there is a small village in front, we can go in and rest for a while." ”

"To the West! Maybe there is a Chinese flower girl inside, order the troops, don't shoot a gun! Quietly enter the village! Kawabe Shozo nodded and said with a smile.

The adjutant waved his hand back and said, "Don't shoot a gun, quietly drop into the village!" ”

(To be continued)