"The recruitment process has also met its target, and in March this year, the last batch of 400,000 recruits was recruited. Including the reserves, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army now has a total of 3 million troops. After Chen Ke finished telling his prediction of Beiyang, Hua Xiongmao, minister of the Ministry of State Affairs, began to talk about the preparations for war, "A total of 20 corps and 80 divisions have been formed. A total of 2 million troops are expected at full strength, and the field army has more than 1.1 million troops. The Navy and Air Force have a total of 50,000. The number of front-line troops is about 1.2 million. 400,000 railway troops, 600,000 engineering troops, and 800,000 other reserve troops. The CMC's plan has been completed. ”

More than 60 percent of the party delegates attending the Fourth Plenum had served in the army, and the comrades probably had some idea of the number of troops. The total strength of the Beiyang Army was twice the number of field armies of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, but this ratio was not enough to form the absolute superiority of the Beiyang Army. The base areas of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army have been trained together, and the war preparations of the past few years have not been done at nothing. The 300,000 railroad soldiers in the base area worked hard to build railways, and several important strategic points were all connected to trains and shipping. Theoretically, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army could transport an army of 100,000 men and equipment from the northernmost north bank of the Yellow River to Hunan in about six days. It will take another 10 days for the troops to walk to the seaside in Guangxi. Or use about the same amount of time to bring the troops of an army from Lianyungang on the coast of the East China Sea into Xi'an, Shaanxi. Half a month runs through most of China's north, south, east and west, and in China in 1915 only the People's Party could do it. With such mobility capabilities, we only have to face the Beiyang Heavy Armed Group, which is divided into two major military regions, and the numerical disadvantage is not obvious.

After talking about the preparation of troops, Hua Xiongmao began to talk about the equipment of the troops, "The production and reserve of weapons and ammunition have also been completed, and we have prepared 200 million rounds of ammunition for the Liberation War, which are spread over the head of the Beiyang Army, and one person can probably get 100 rounds." The only problem was that the number of heavy artillery was insufficient for the Beiyang Army. In addition to the 100 caliber heavy artillery, the number of mortars, 37 guns, 75 guns in our troops exceeded the Beiyang Army. Taking advantage of the marching of the troops' training, the heavy artillery of the Beiyang Army simply could not catch up with our march. ”

"Do you want to implement the tactic of clearing the field with strong walls to lure the enemy deeper this time?" This issue was raised by a party representative.

"Luring the enemy into the tactical range is inevitable, but we will not retreat in a strategic context. It is to fight on the border with the North Ocean and annihilate the enemy's attacking forces. Hua Xiongmao replied.

"Why not adopt a preemptive strategy?" As soon as this question was asked, many deputies came to the spirit.

"Chairman Chen has made it very clear that the Beiyang Army has encountered many problems. They play one day a night, and it's a day harder. If it drags on until next year, the Beiyang Army itself will collapse first. The preemptive strategy certainly has its advantages, but on the whole, we have already grasped the strategic initiative, and as time goes on, our initiative will become greater and greater. We can choose to go to war at any time, either today or tomorrow. But with each passing day, the life of the Beiyang Army became a little sader, and their range of options for war only became smaller and smaller. The more they try to prepare a little better, the more they will find that the situation will go in their more unfavorable direction. "In the face of the current situation, Hua Xiongmao is very confident.

"So according to our estimates, when is it most beneficial for the Beiyang Army to do it?" A representative couldn't help but ask. As soon as such an inappropriate remark came out, it immediately attracted the eyes of many people. However, the deputies do not care about this, and being able to ask the Central Military Commission such a question can itself give people a great sense of satisfaction.

Hua Xiongmao didn't care much about this, and when the Central Military Commission discussed specific issues, it should not only consider when it would be advantageous for the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army to fight, but also discuss how the Beiyang Army could attack the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in order to be effective. If you can't know yourself and your opponent, but blindly exaggerate your own advantages, you are purely asking for your own death. So Hua Xiongmao replied calmly: "Their best time is in March this year." However, the Beiyang Army did not seize this opportunity. It's already early May, and we're not going to give them any chances. ”

While Hua Xiongmao was briefing the comrades of the party congress in Wuhan on military preparations, the Beiyang Army Department in Beijing was also doing pre-war mobilization work. Wang Shizhen is never a person who complains, and for characters like him, he has long understood that complaining is a useless thing. But Wang Shizhen couldn't help but say at the military meeting of the Beiyang Army: "We completely miscalculated this time. originally thought that Chen Ke would take the initiative to send troops to seize Zhejiang, but the People's Party never moved. Zhejiang and other places were in chaos when the party was cleared, and it was impossible to send troops. If it sends troops again, the People's Party will be ready for battle, but I am afraid that there will be no opportunity to take advantage of it. ”

In fact, as early as the beginning of the year, Wang Shizhen suggested that in March, elite troops should be used to attack the territory north of the Yellow River of the People's Party, and take the opportunity to cross the Yellow River and lay nails south of the Yellow River.

Even if Wang Shizhen was the Minister of War, he could theoretically order anyone in the Army to charge. The military chiefs below were almost collectively opposed to this military plan. In the past, Beiyang faced the People's Party in repeated defeats, and although the military leaders who commanded the weak brigades were not particularly weighty figures, they all knew that if these weak soldiers attacked the People's Party, it would be purely fatal. Wasn't Duan Zhigui the last one who died after the defeat in Henan?

The weighty characters are even more reluctant to touch this moldy head. Whether or not the BJP can be defeated is still difficult to say, and even if it is victorious, it is doomed to be a crushing victory. After a bloody battle between Wu Peifu's Fourth Army and Japan, the Beiyang Army quickly replenished Wu Peifu's troops, but in the large-scale exercise conducted by Wu Peifu at the beginning of the year, the officers of the various units who went to observe in private couldn't help but secretly shake their heads. Judging from the performance of the exercise, the level of Wu Peifu's Fourth Army plummeted.

This is still because the People's Party saw that Wu Peifu had beaten the Japanese and was regarded as an anti-Japanese hero, so it went all out to treat nearly 2,000 seriously wounded and sent these people back to Wu Peifu. Among them, more than 700 good wounded people were reinstated quickly, and Wu Peifu was able to organize a large-scale exercise. If there were not so many veterans and officers to join, Wu Peifu was afraid that he would not even be able to conduct a large-scale exercise.

Ironically, this is the first time that the Beiyang Army has seen the resilience of its own troops. In the past battles, the People's Party's annihilation war did not give the Beiyang Army a chance to recover at all. Seeing a strong force that could fight bloody battles in Rizhao and drive out the Japanese army, it lost its combat effectiveness in just one battle. The transformation of strength and weakness is so rapid, which cannot but make the military leaders of all families extra "cautious".

But the real decision of the Beiyang Army is Yuan Shikai, and Wang Shizhen's reason for Yuan Shikai is very "special". His strategic planning point is not Beiyang's strengths, but the "shortcomings" of the People's Party. Wang Shizhen's suggestion is simple: "Every year from January to April, the People's Party will have relatively little military training. The various units were helping the people to build water conservancy as much as possible, and at this time their forces were the most dispersed, and if we were able to send troops, the People's Party would have to gather its forces, and it would be difficult for the People's Party to carry out the operation of buying people's hearts and minds throughout Henan. This will also be of great benefit to our future attack on Henan. ”

I can't help but say that this idea is wrong, but Wang Shizhen has captured the most traditional side of the People's Party. It is necessary to develop the productive forces at all times and to maintain close ties with the masses at all times. However, Yuan Shikai's view is completely different. "Hiring secretary, we are not well prepared, since the People's Party will not take the initiative to attack by April, we can go all out to prepare for the war."

Wang Shizhen had a rare argument with Yuan Shikai, if according to the standard of "everything is ready, only the east wind is owed", Beiyang is not perfect at any time, and the People's Party seems to be able to deal with it calmly at any time. While the officers at all levels of the Beiyang Army were sweating like rain and punching and kicking to train the army, the People's Party still had spare time to help the people in various localities do farm work.

Yuan Shikai's hometown Xiangcheng area belongs to the boundary of Chenzhou in ancient times, with developed water transportation and great grain production. It's just that the Manchu Qing Dynasty's hundreds of years of bad government have gradually caused this good place to decline. The People's Party occupied Henan for only three years, and every year after the land reform, tens of thousands of troops were dispatched to work with the local people to build water conservancy infrastructure. According to information from Xiangcheng, all the land in the entire Zhoukou has been transformed into irrigated land. Patches of flat farmland are surrounded by rivers and canals, and the spies are obviously dizzy when they talk about the current situation in Zhoukou. He swore that with the current situation in Zhoukou, there would never be a famine.

"President, the People's Party has bought people's hearts to this point, and we can't let them continue to do so comfortably." Wang Shizhen finally made a concluding speech.

The change in Xiangcheng is Yuan Shikai's heart disease, he is still the president, but he has lost his hometown. The People's Party completely controlled the whole of Henan through land reform, and if it weren't for various spies and reports, Yuan Shikai would never have imagined that there was such a method of annexation in the world. It is good to be able to disrupt the pace of the People's Party, but Beiyang simply cannot afford to lose now. Yuan Shikai feared that any defeat would make the British abandon their support for Beiyang. The "international outlook" is no joke.

After thinking for a while, Yuan Shikai replied: "Pingqing, since Cai Yuanpei in the south has prepared to clear the party, the People's Party has long coveted the south, if they send troops to Zhejiang, we can take the opportunity to go south." ”

Wang Shizhen was very disappointed with this tendency to wait and move within Beiyang, and after nominally ruling China, I don't know when the sharp spirit of Beiyang has been continuously worn out. When I was in Shandong, the Beiyang Army, which faced more than 100,000 rebellious peasant troops, dared to fight and fought hard, and the autumn wind swept them away like falling leaves. Now that the People's Party's army is constantly expanding, and their recruits are all peasants, the Beiyang Army is afraid at this time.

It's just that Yuan Shikai doesn't want to send troops, and those military leaders in the army are also completely opposed to sending troops, so Wang Shizhen has no way to deal with so many people. Although it is extremely regrettable, Wang Shizhen has to face the reality.

Having given up the opportunity to attack the BJP in March, the South has been in turmoil since April. Sure enough, the People's Party did not move at all, as Wang Shizhen expected. According to the "quotations" of Chen Ke, chairman of the People's Party, Chen Ke has always adhered to the principle of "you fight yours, I will fight mine, and I will be the mainstay." This time, Beiyang pinned its hopes on Chen Ke to be tempted by temporary interests and send troops to the south, which has now proved to be a big mistake. After a series of water conservancy projects at the beginning of the year and a good year this year, the People's Party has a bumper harvest in sight and continues to take the leading position in terms of war preparedness.

After listening to Wang Shizhen's complaints, the leaders of the army who participated in the War Department did not care, and Cao Kun, the commander of the Ninth Army, said loudly: "Prince, as long as this summer harvest is completed, we will go south to exterminate the rebellious party." ”

"Commander Wang, is this trying to take the lead?" Wu Peifu said coldly. Beiyang has a total of 14 armies in the north, with a total of 1.4 million troops. Wu Peifu and Cao Kun are both military commanders, and it is normal for them to part ways with each other. And Wu Peifu just can't get used to Cao Kun's style of blowing and flicking.

"Once I go south, if I am asked to take the lead, I will naturally obey orders." Cao Kun changed his attitude of resolutely opposing the dispatch of troops a few months ago, "All of us have more than a million people going south, and we have also killed the People's Party." ”

Wang Shizhen was quite dissatisfied with this kind of boasting in his heart, he glanced at the people attending the meeting, Duan Qirui is now the deputy minister of the War Department, and once the war starts, he will be the commander-in-chief of the front line. The remaining Wu Peifu, Cao Kun, Li Chun, Wang Zhanyuan, Tian Zhongyu, Zhang Huaizhi, Lu Yongxiang, Chen Guangyuan, Cai Chengxun, Zhao Yuke, Wang Huaiqing, Jiang Yanxing, Zhang Shaozeng, and Lu Jin, these fourteen people commanded the real core army of 1.4 million in the north.

Glancing at Cao Kun very seriously, Wang Shizhen said: "Everyone, the military plan has been formulated, and troops must be sent this year no matter what, and the troops must not be sent in winter." I mean it's better to send troops in May. I don't know if you have any suggestions? ”

Cao Kun never expected Wang Shizhen to want to send troops so soon, he thought that the troops would be sent after August, so he let out big words. Seeing that Wang Shizhen and the other officers were looking at him, Cao Kun subconsciously asked, "Does the president know about this plan?" ”

Duan Qirui glanced at Cao Kun coldly, "Commander Cao, when you fight, you have to listen to the orders of the War Department. Where does the president have time to do these detailed things, do you have to report everything to the president when you are fighting? ”

Wu Peifu was pulled by Duan Qirui, and when he heard Duan Qirui reprimanding Cao Kun, he wanted to sneer, but he still restrained himself a little, just don't turn his head and give Cao Kun an arrogant side face.

Cao Kun knew that he had accidentally shown his cowardice, and at this time he had no other choice, Cao Kun replied loudly: "Prince, Duan Gong, I Cao Kun is willing to be a pioneer in this war!" ”

Seeing that Cao Kun was no longer talking nonsense, Wang Shizhen didn't want to pursue too much. "Who fights the vanguard, this has a military plan. But we have a meeting today, and what we want to say is when to send troops. My idea is simple, in any case, in May. ”

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