Ili, burning! Ili, bleeding!

Horsemen galloped through the streets, cavalrymen in Soviet-style uniforms read aloud the words of the Koran on horseback, and men poured out from the rooftops and courtyards on both sides of the street, shouting excitedly and waving their scimitars in response. The sound of gunshots rang out everywhere in the city, and dozens of black plumes of smoke rose into the sky.

Rebel herdsmen in striped robes stormed the almshouse for disabled servicemen in northeastern Ili, dragged out the crippled volunteer soldiers and orphans, tied them behind horses, and galloped through the streets and alleys.

On the banks of the Ili River, an Uzbek dressed in Soviet military uniform read aloud the decree of the Ili Provisional Government, and the surrounding people interrupted him from time to time and burst into cheers. Hundreds of Han Chinese were beheaded off on the spot by the rebels, and the bubbling blood stained the Ili River red.

In the cheers, there were bursts of cannons, a dark cloud rose over the north of the Ili River, several war horses galloped from a distance, and immediately officers wearing Soviet military uniforms shouted orders to the crowd, and then the men by the river stepped on their war horses and galloped north across the Ili River bridge.

Ili is in a hurry! Tacheng is in a hurry! Huiyuan is in a hurry! Ah Shan, Gong Liu, Xinyuan, and Tex are in a hurry!

The emergency telegram flew to Dihua like snowflakes and flew to Chongqing! When Weidemeyer Stilwell Jones entered the war room, Chen Cheng was listening to the summary of the staff officers' situation, and when he saw Weidemeyer and them coming in, Chen Cheng interrupted the staff officers' report and exchanged a few words with Weidemeyer and them.

"Is the situation dangerous?" Weidemeyer asked with concern.

Chen Cheng smiled bitterly: "The situation is not very clear, but the rebellion is certain, at present, the county town of Ili has fallen, and about 1,600 people from the 20th Regiment of the Reserve Seventh Division stationed in Yining retreated to the old city of Huiyuan and Elinbach, and the training team of the **Central Air Force held the airport. According to the report of Du Defu, deputy commander of the 7th Division, the rebels besieging Ellingbac were about 4,000 men, and a large number of rebels were coming. "How many troops are there in Xinjiang? I remember that General Liu Wenhui's troops were in southern Xinjiang. "Stilwell still remembers that during the Tibetan crisis, Liu Wenhui led the main force of the 24th Army into Tibet, and then advanced into southern Xinjiang." Yes," Chen Cheng replied, "However, the 24th Army will have to cross the Tianshan Mountains when it reaches Ili, and there may be a rebellion in southern Xinjiang. Chen Cheng said and picked up a telegram: "According to General Du Defu's report, the rebels participated in the rebellion with soldiers wearing Soviet and Russian uniforms, and the rebels had heavy artillery including the 75 Mountain Artillery, received military training, and participated in the attack with a light tank. ”

Weidemeyer and Stilwell's expressions suddenly became serious, and they immediately realized the seriousness of the problem, if this rebellion was instigated by Soviet Russia, the matter could turn into a national conflict, which would affect the entire war. Chen Cheng motioned to the staff officer to reintroduce the situation, and the staff officer reintroduced that the rebellion occurred the day before yesterday, and the first to break out was Gongha in the west of Yining, and the ** stationed in Yining did not realize that this was the beginning of a full-scale chalky rebellion.

At that time, the 21st Regiment of the Seventh Division and the Ili Bianka Brigade were stationed in Yili, and after receiving the report, Jiang Xuanquan, the commander of the 21st Regiment, led the troops to quell the rebellion. After the departure of the 21st Regiment, only about 300 people remained in the Yining area, and the rebels seized this opportunity to launch a region-wide chalky rebellion, and almost all of the nine cities of Yining fell. After Zhu Shaoliang received Yining's report, he did not realize the seriousness of the situation at first. Xinjiang is a region with many ethnic groups, and there are violent and chalky rebellions almost every year, and just before Sheng Shi left Xinjiang, a large-scale rebellion broke out in Ahsan. However, even so, he still sent the 19th Regiment stationed in Laomancheng, Dihua, to reinforce Yining overnight, and at the same time sent Du Defu, deputy commander of the Seventh Division, to Yining to understand the situation.

Soon after Du Defu and the 19th Regiment entered Yining, Guozigou, Yining's main communication route to the outside world, was cut off by the rebels. Du Defu felt that the situation was serious, the rebels were well-equipped, and they were not ordinary herdsmen who were in turmoil, so he immediately reported to Zhu Shaoliang and asked for immediate reinforcements, with no less than two divisions. But it was too late, Guozigou was the main transportation route connecting the Yining area to other places, and the rebels occupied here, cutting off the Yining area from the outside world, and the whole Yining was surrounded.

"Now most of the urban areas of Yining have been lost, and only the 21st and 19th regiments led by Deputy Division Commander Du are left, and the first part of the Yining Bianka Brigade has held the three positions of the Ellingbac Airport, the barracks and airports of the Air Force Teaching Team, and the Ghost King Temple, in addition, there is about a company of defenders in the old city of Huiyuan."

After the staff officer introduced the situation in Yining, the command pole turned and pointed to Ahsan and Tacheng: "In the Ahsan area, two weeks before the Ili rebellion, the Usman army launched an offensive against Burjin, and another part attacked the Haba River. All the defenders of the Haba River were killed, and then Usman mobilized more than 5,000 men to besiege Chenghua.

On the Tacheng side, Tacheng Commissioner Ping Rong reported that more than 3,000 people wearing Soviet uniforms had crossed the border from Batuk with weapons, and that the Tacheng Prefecture had shrunk to Tacheng. ”

Wei Demaier noticed that on the combat map in front of him, the northern Xinjiang was already in chaos, and there were banners representing the rebellion in various places, and there were also in the southern Xinjiang region, and there were also a few small red dots in the Yecheng and Yache areas, and there were several small red dots in the Aksu and Yanqi regions facing north and south from the Tianshan Mountains and Yili. Chen Cheng was not very nervous, he said slowly: "The scale of this rebellion is greater than before, it is the largest in the history of the Republic of China, from what we know, there are Soviet Russian envoys behind this rebellion, there are Soviet armed personnel in the Ili and Tacheng areas, and there are Mongolian troops in the Ahsan area into battle, the chairman has asked Minister Wang to summon the Soviet Russian ambassador, but they will definitely not admit it." ”

Speaking of this, he snorted softly in his nostrils, and said with some contempt: "Stalin thought he had seized a good opportunity, but he miscalculated, although the Battle of Pingjin was underway, but after several years of war, the Japanese army has been seriously weakened, and ** has the ability to suppress the rebellion." ”

"Draw up a plan to increase troops, telegraph to Hu Zongnan, the First Army temporarily stop moving, telegram Ma Bufang to send a strong force to protect the Dilan Railway, especially the Xingxing Gorge section, order Minister Hong of the Logistics Department to transfer materials to Dihua, at least to meet the number of 100,000 soldiers, and telegram ordered the Air Force to send a squadron of bombers and a squadron of fighters to Dihua. The telegram ordered Ma Hongkui to assemble the new 46th Division, the new 45th Division, and the Fifth Cavalry Division along the Dilan Railway. Inform General Liu Wenhui that Aksu and Yanqi are the gateways to southern Xinjiang and must ensure the safety of the two places. I will now go to see the Chairman. ”

Chen Cheng quickly drew up a draft, and Weidemeyer and Stilwell listened silently, this emerging situation gave them a sense of crisis, and the Chinese concluded that the rebellion in Xinjiang was instigated by Soviet Russia, and it is conceivable that from this moment on, there must be a major conflict between China and the Soviet Union, which will affect not only the Far East but also the European war.

Neither Weidemeyer nor Stilwell understood why the Russians were doing this. Soviet Russia already has two theaters of war, why open a third one, and if there is such a force, why not launch a counteroffensive in Mongolia and the Far East.

Weidemeyer felt that there might be something strange in it, and he did not dare to express his position lightly, so as not to be used by China and the Soviet Union. Stilwell didn't think much about it, he opened his mouth and asked, "General Chen, how many government troops are there in Xinjiang?" What about training and equipment? ”

Hearing this, Chen Cheng couldn't help but feel extremely bitter, as chief of the general staff, he was still very clear about the situation in Xinjiang. There are quite a few troops in Xinjiang, and now there are eight divisions, but among these eight divisions, there are not many of them belonging to the Central Army, only the Seventh Division; There are two divisions of the 24th Army in southern Xinjiang, and these units can be regarded as troops transferred from the central government to Xinjiang.

In addition to these three divisions, Xinjiang also has the Xinjiang Provincial Army, which was formerly Sheng Shicai, and these units have been reorganized into five divisions, mainly stationed in the Asan area in northern Xinjiang and the Hami and Turpan areas in eastern Xinjiang, which are the places with the most turmoil and chaos in Xinjiang, and other troops are scattered along the long border of Xinjiang. In order to force Sheng Shicai to leave Xinjiang, the central government had transferred the first division and the 78th division of the First Army into Xinjiang, but then because of the Mongolian operation, the first army withdrew from Xinjiang and prepared to enter Suiyuan Chahar, replacing their troops from Gansu and Qinghai, but Ma Bufang and Ma Hongkui delayed for various reasons and were unwilling to transfer troops into Xinjiang, resulting in a power vacuum in Xinjiang, and Stalin seized the opportunity to launch a rebellion in Xinjiang.

Now Xinjiang's troops are only third-rate troops in the ** system, except for the two divisions of the 24th Army, and the rest can only be regarded as third-rate troops in the ** system, not to mention Sheng Shicai's provincial defense army, and even the Seventh Division of the Central Army is just a new unit formed in 1939, and the troops are extremely poorly equipped, there is no heavy artillery, only a small number of 60 mortars, and each company only has a Czech light machine gun.

Chen Cheng was not sure about the training, he had never been to Xinjiang, and he did not know the training status of the troops, and the only thing he had some confidence in was the 24th Army and the 7th Division in southern Xinjiang. The Sichuan Army has always performed well on the battlefield, the 20th Army, the 47th Army, the 41st Army, and the 45th Army have received several martial arts, and the 23rd Group Army's performance in the Jiangnan battlefield is also quite eye-catching, and the 24th Army should be good. Although the equipment of the Seventh Preparatory Division is poor, the officers are all graduates of the Northwest Branch of the Central Military Academy, and Hu Zongnan has always paid close attention to the training of the troops, which should also be good. As for the provincial army, it is not certain.

Chen Cheng didn't answer this question, he looked at his watch, and said to Stilwell: "General Stilwell, according to General Weidemeyer's suggestion, you will be the chief of staff of the North China Theater, the battle of Pingjin is fierce, Commander Zhuang called, I hope you will go over as soon as possible, and the chairman also hopes that you can go to the front line as soon as possible, when can you leave?" ”

Stilwell was stunned for a moment, and Weidemeyer immediately interjected: "We came here today to inform your army that General Stilwell has decided to transfer Merrill Commando to the Pingjin front line to participate in the Battle of Pingjin; In addition, General Stilwell suggested that an offensive be launched in the Jiangnan and Jianghuai theaters in order to contain the Japanese army. ”

Weidemeyer had good intentions, but Stilwell didn't appreciate it, and he asked unceremoniously: "General Chen, I hope to get the command of the North China Theater after the Battle of Pingjin, and Zhuang should listen to me." ”

Chen Cheng was stunned, he turned his head to look at Wei Demai, a wry smile slipped on the corner of Wei Demai's mouth, Chen Cheng was a little incomprehensible, he frowned and looked at Stilwell: "General, you are the chief of staff of the North China Theater, General Zhuang is the commander of the North China Theater, and your task is to assist General Zhuang." As for the Jiangnan Theater and the Jianghuai Theater, at present these two theaters are unable to launch an offensive due to a serious shortage of materials, and our supplies can only guarantee one battlefield. ”

Stilwell was silent and took a step back: "I worked with General Zhuang in Burma, and I was his superior at the time, and it was difficult for me to understand what he was doing in some aspects, so I hope to push him forward." "Soldiers are going to talk about their achievements," an officer next to Chen Cheng suddenly interjected, Wei Demaier and Stilwell turned their heads to look at him, Chen Cheng frowned slightly, but did not stop him, but looked at him with encouraging eyes, the officer continued: "Whether in Burma or in the domestic battlefield, General Zhuang's achievements are obvious to all, General Stilwell, you have always been obsessed with Burma affairs, I want to know, are you for strategic purposes, or something else?" ”

Chen Cheng smiled, but his mouth was reproachful: "Ru Gui, what are you doing indiscriminately?" Retire! ”

The officer saluted and apologized: "I'm sorry! After saying that, he turned around and went out, Stilwell's face turned pale for a while, he still understood this, which was equivalent to pointing at his nose and saying that you insisted on attacking Burma just to satisfy your own selfish desires.

Seeing this, Weidemeyer sighed in his heart, it seems that General Marshall was wrong, Stilwell has lost the trust of the Chinese, and he should be transferred back to China, or to the European battlefield, which may be better for him.

"General Stilwell also has a mission, to coordinate the cooperation of the Chinese and American forces in North China, and to serve as the director of the U.S. Liaison Office in the North China Theater." Weidemeyer had to come forward to save Stilwell's face. The U.S. military liaison office is a new organization, and after the squadron regained Shandong, the Joint Chiefs of Staff put forward an idea: After conquering the Marianas, the U.S. troops will directly land in Shandong, using Shandong as a base and landing in Japan. Therefore, the Joint Chiefs of Staff asked Weidemeyer to set up a liaison office in the North China Theater, and the director of the liaison office also had the right to supervise US aid materials.

Chen Cheng was a little surprised that the United States was going to transfer troops to the North China Theater, so he thought for a while and asked: "Is this unit under the command of the North China Theater, or is it only under the command of General Stilwell?" ”

Stilwell stabilized his mood: "Of course, it is to join the North China Theater of Operations, but it is under the joint command of China and the United States in terms of use. ”

Chen Cheng didn't understand why Stilwell had to transfer U.S. troops to the North China Theater? He hesitated and said: "I want to report to the chairman of the committee on this issue." Well, let's go to the chairman together. ”

As he spoke, he picked up the documents prepared by the staff officers, counted them carefully, and then put them in his bag.

At the same time, in the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Wang Chonghui was ordered to summon Soviet Russian Ambassador Pan Youxin, but the atmosphere between the two was not so tense, on the contrary, polite, but this does not mean that the conversation between the two is also so calm.! ~！

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