After the establishment of the Kuomintang's political axe, Xiong Kewu also entered the Military Committee and became a member of the Military Committee, but he was uneasy, and the analysis and discussion of the Kuomintang's defeat in Sichuan in the newspapers recently became more and more intense, and the conclusions became more and more clear. In the face of such a conclusion, Xiong Kewu could not distinguish it, because the argument would inevitably blame Sun Yat-sen, and the accusation of Sun Yat-sen would in turn confirm the name of the warlord. If he could still find a way before Shaji's gun went off, after Shaji, the morale of the army and the people was on the side of the national political axe, and he couldn't sleep all night, not knowing how to resolve the current situation. He vaguely felt that the reorganization of the Sichuan army had become the trend of the times.

Sha Ji counterattacked, although the senior generals who knew the inside story knew that this was the unauthorized action of several junior officers in the party army, but the propaganda caliber was unified into the party army, so Chiang Kai-shek, as the commander of the party army, became a national hero in the eyes of the people, and successfully surpassed his former boss Xu Chongzhi, and became the three standing committee members alongside Wang Jingwei and Tan Yankai in the new military committee.

After Shaji, Yu Peidi reported the situation to him, and he thought that the British would definitely retaliate, so he instructed Yu Peidi not to make a noise, but he did not expect that Shaji's counterattack would cause such a big repercussion in the whole country, and the resisting party army would become a model for the army in the hearts of the people. If he had been hooked up with the Sichuan army, it would have been of great help to him to get out of his current predicament.

After the establishment of the Nationalist Axe, the threat of Britain hyped in the newspapers became bigger and bigger, so Chiang Kai-shek put forward two bills in succession to rectify the finances and the army; These two bills immediately caused an uproar within the political axe and the military.

The core of the financial rectification is that the financial power of the whole province is transferred to the national government, and the military is no longer in charge of collecting taxes, and the salaries of the military are paid by the national government. The attitudes of various armies towards this bill are different, Tan Yankai, Zhu Peide, and Xiong Kewu, who have little tax revenue, all expressed their approval, and Li Fulin and Li Jishen have slightly more taxes and are still hesitating. Xu Chongzhi has the most taxes and is resolutely opposed.

The core of reorganizing the army lies in the formation of man-made guns and the building of the army in accordance with the Soviet Russian way. The generals of the army were skeptical of this, and they did not express their support at the meeting, and even Tan Yankai was silent. Despite the dry saliva of Wang Jingwei and Liao Zhongkai, chairmen of the Central Military Commission, the meeting venue remained silent.

After the meeting, Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek invited Xiong Kewu to Wang Jingwei's office to talk, and Xiong Kewu knew that the time had come to decide the fate of the Sichuan army or his own fate.

"Jin Gong, you are an old comrade of the League and the Kuomintang, we hope you can take the lead and support the army reorganization plan." In Wang Jingwei's office, Chiang Kai-shek said to Xiong Kewu straight to the point.

"Kai-shek, you didn't see what the newspaper said, I'm a warlord." Although Xiong Kewu was prepared, he still couldn't help but scratch.

"I've read the recent newspapers, and some of the claims are really overdone." Wang Jingwei smiled and took the teacup from Bai Sitong's hand, put it in front of Xiong Kewu, and then waved Bai Sitong out.

"Overdone? That's asking for sin. Xiong Kewu said angrily, but he didn't know what they wanted to do for themselves, and if they refused, what would they do to themselves.

"Jin Gong, don't be angry with these children, others don't know what happened back then, but we still know it." Wang Jingwei's words almost made Xiong Kewu cry.

"Can I be blamed for what happened back then? Moreover, the defeat of Sichuan also occurred after a rapprochement with the prime minister, who should also bear half of the responsibility. Xiong Kewu said angrily.

"Let him go in the past, Jin Gong can come to Guangdong to show that Jin Gong is still revolutionary." Wang Jingwei avoided the investigation of the events of the year and brought the topic back to the main purpose of today's conversation.

"Yes, Zhao Ming is right, let him go in the past, let's talk about the whole army." Chiang Kai-shek also said.

Xiong Kewu calmed down and said lightly: "The two are the main leaders of the National Political Axe and the Military Commission, just say what you think." ”

"It's still the same sentence, I hope that Jin Gong can take the lead in reorganizing the army." Chiang Kai-shek said, "Take the lead? How do I take the lead? Xiong Kewu asked knowingly.

"We hope that you will express your support for the reorganization of the army at the meeting, and first of all, the Sichuan army." Chiang Kai-shek said.

"It seems that you still can't trust me Xiong Kewu." Xiong Kewu lamented: "Chairman Wang, what if I don't agree? ”

"Then we'll find someone else." Chiang Kai-shek rushed in front of Wang Jingwei and said, but Wang Jingwei didn't say a word, just looked at Xiong Kewu calmly.

"Why do you want to rectify the Sichuan army first?" Xiong Kewu asked coldly.

"The Sichuan Army was chosen because of the large number of Sichuan troops and their great influence, and the successful reorganization of the Sichuan Army set an example for all armies. This was followed by the Yunnan army, the Hunan army, the Fu army, and finally the Yue army. Chiang Kai-shek explained.

"I don't agree with who you're going to turn to?" Xiong Kewu's expression was indifferent.

"If that's the case, it's a pity, I can only talk to General Zhu Peide or General Tan Yankai or General Li Jishen to see if they are willing to reorganize first. However, the army must be reorganized. There was not the slightest threat in Chiang Kai-shek's words, but Xiong Kewu felt a chill in his heart, the Sichuan army was now stationed in Qingyuan and Qingqing, and was surrounded by Tan Yankai, Zhu Peide, Li Jishen and the city of Guangzhou.

"You must have a specific plan for the reorganization of the army, I want to know what the specific plan is?" Xiong Kewu asked after thinking about it.

"Well, of course, you can take a look." Wang Jingwei took out a document from a drawer and handed it to Xiong Kewu. When the showdown was decided, Zhuang Jihua was instructed to draft a reorganization plan, which was revised after discussion with Chiang Kai-shek, Liao Zhongkai, and Director Zhou, and was handed over to Wang Jingwei yesterday.

The reorganization plan was still carried out in accordance with Zhuang Jihua's ideological reorganization and the transfer of officers. The main thing is that Xiong Kewu and other senior officers must leave the army, and only Yu Peidi is left in the army. Xiong Kewu will be appointed vice minister of national defense, but Mao Xin will be deputy chief of general staff, and Zhang Chong and Long Guang will serve as senators in the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff respectively. Yu Jitang and Tang Zimo were also appointed separately.

Other middle-ranking officers entered the Whampoa Senior Command Corps to study, while lower-ranking officers entered the school in batches to study with the third-class cadets. The soldiers were eliminated from the weak and retained the strong, and those who were reorganized from the army were not dismissed, and they were unified into engineering troops, and the military salaries were the same as before, and the whole army was organized into eight to ten regiments according to the Soviet and Russian methods, with a total number of 12,000-14,000 people.

Xiong Kewu was stunned for a while after seeing it, "It's really poisonous", according to this plan, it will be impossible for Xiong Kewu to master the Sichuan army in the future.

"Other units are also integrated in this way?" Xiong Kewu asked.

"That's roughly the case, but there will be small differences, after all, the situation is different depending on the troops." This plan was specifically aimed at the Sichuan army, and of course it was impossible to implement it on other troops.

Xiong Kewu opened his mouth with difficulty, but he just couldn't say the word "agree", from anti-Yuan to protecting the law, how much effort he had spent on this army, and now it was all in vain, making wedding clothes for others. A bitterness arises spontaneously.

"Jin Gong, I know that you have worked hard for this army, but if you think about it seriously, what was the purpose of Jin Gong throwing his head and spilling blood to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty? Isn't it for the country yet? I could give up my life back then, what else can't I let go of today? Wang Jingwei couldn't bear to persuade.

"But you want to drive all our Sichuan generals out of the army." Xiong Kewu said in a hoarse voice.

Neither Chiang Kai-shek nor Wang Ching-wei spoke, and that was indeed the purpose of this plan.

"It's hard for you to spend so much time, who made this plan?" Xiong Kewu asked sarcastically and unwillingly.

"It's military...." Wang Jingwei was about to make an excuse and say that this was agreed upon by the Military Commission. But Chiang Kai-shek interrupted him.

"Jin Gong knows."

"I know?" Xiong Kewu looked at Chiang Kai-shek puzzled: "Who, I want to meet him." I want to ask him why he is so ruthless. ”

Chiang Kai-shek sighed and shouted outside the door: "Zhuang Jihua." ”

Chiang Kai-shek deliberately brought Zhuang Jihua with him today so that he could consult countermeasures at any time, and now that Xiong Kewu is about to collapse, it doesn't hurt for him to meet Zhuang Jihua.

"Jin Gong wants to see you." After Zhuang Jihua came in, Chiang Kai-shek said to Zhuang Jihua lightly.

"Yes." Zhuang Jihua turned around and saluted Xiong Kewu, and then asked, "I don't know what Gong Jin commands?" ”

"It's you." Xiong Kewu looked at Zhuang Jihua with some disbelief, and then looked at Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei. He didn't expect that the person who cornered him was actually this little major who greeted him in Lianshan at the beginning.

"It's hard for you. Run to the mountains to meet me. Such a long way. Xiong Kewu's tone was bleak.

Zhuang Jihua was silent and said: "This is for the revolution, for the Jin Gong, and for the nearly 20,000 soldiers of the Sichuan Army." ”

"In Lianshan, you started beating my idea. It's really deliberate. Xiong Kewu asked.

"Yes." Zhuang Jihua said without the slightest emotion, "Why? I traveled all the way to Guangdong, didn't the prime minister ask me to come? Why are you doing this to me? Xiong Kewu asked angrily.

Chiang Kai-shek was about to answer, but Zhuang Jihua preemptively replied:

"That's up to you."

"Ask me? What did I do? Xiong Kewu asked.

"To conquer Xingning, we captured a letter from Dan Maoxin to Lin Hu in Lin Hu's headquarters, at the beginning of Liu Yang's rebellion, General Yu Peidi had a long talk with Yang Ximin behind closed doors, what are they? To go further, the Prime Minister's invitation to you was before going north, why did you not come to Guangdong until May, and what did you hesitate on the Yunnan-Guizhou border? None of this can but make one suspicious. Zhuang Jihua showed the situation they had little by little.

With Zhuang Jihua's words, Xiong Kewu's face turned pale little by little.

"You are sinning with desire, and it is unnecessary." Xiong Kewu retorted: "If I had been with them, I would not have arrived in Guangdong in May, but at the time of your crusade to the east, or when Liu Yang rebelled." ”

"If that's the case, you won't be able to get into Guangdong." Zhuang Jihua is still so calm: "It is precisely because you didn't do that the national political axe will continue to give you a chance and give you a chance to prove yourself." ”

"Do you think this plan excludes Sichuan generals, I admit it, but only half of it, Sichuan generals can still lead troops in the future, but they will not lead the Sichuan army, they can command the Guangdong army, and they can also lead the party army." Zhuang Jihua continued.

"Really?" Xiong Kewu asked mockingly.

"Maybe you don't believe it, but you can ask Chairman Wang and President Jiang, and they can confirm what I said. In fact, the anger in your heart just shows that I am justified in accusing you of warlord thinking. You see this army as your own. ”

Xiong Kewu shouted unconvinced: "That's the unit I created. ”

"So you see him as a private army, right?" Zhuang Jihua asked.

"Who is right and who is wrong, God knows. But I also want to know, if I don't agree, do you still have a plan, siege or disarm? Xiong Kewu's emotions calmed down.

Zhuang Jihua secretly praised in his heart, after all, he is a person who has experienced strong winds and waves, he can afford to take it, he can put it down, and he calmed down so quickly.

"No, there was no such plan from the beginning. Our plan is that if you don't agree, then please leave Guangdong with your troops. ”

"You're so forgiving?" Of course, Xiong Kewu didn't believe it.

"If you don't believe me, I can't help it, in fact, it doesn't matter if there are more than 20,000 Sichuan troops in Guangdong, when you asked to enter the country, the debate at the headquarters was very big, and most of the generals were against it, if it wasn't for the efforts of Political Commissar Liao and the principal, you wouldn't be able to enter." Zhuang Jihua sighed.

"Why?" Xiong Kewu was a little surprised.

"Not for anything else, just because the Sichuan Army is still our Kuomintang troops, even if it is nominally." Zhuang Jihua said coldly.

These words broke Xiong Kewu's mental defense, the Sichuan army that he had always been proud of, didn't expect others to look down on them at all, and only accepted them for political purposes, which made him a little difficult to accept, he would rather believe that Zhuang Jihua was lying to him.

Now people make it clear that if they want to stay, they must accept the adaptation, otherwise please take the troops away, and if they stay and do not accept the adaptation, then they can only fight, Xiong Kewu knows what the consequences of beating will be even if he uses his toes; Of course, what he doesn't know is that even if he leaves, he won't be able to take many troops with him, Yu Peidi, Zhang Chong, and Long Guang have agreed to accept the adaptation of the national political axe, if Xiong Kewu wants to lead the troops away, then these people will break away from Xiong Kewu and announce that they will accept the command of the national political axe.

Today, Chiang Kai-shek is spending so much effort to achieve what Zhuang Jihua said and set an example for the warlords behind him.

Xiong Kewu was in a daze, and only after half a sound did he say, "Okay, I agree to the adaptation." ”

(To be continued)