Ouyang Jian and his entourage boarded the train on the north bank of Nanjing and went directly to Xuzhou, where they had to change trains. The train in the Republic of China era traveled at a speed of only forty or fifty kilometers per hour, and Ouyang Jian felt like a snail crawling. To be exact, "coming to this era" is the first time he has taken a train, and he has experienced the comfort of the high-speed era, and he naturally feels a little depressed. It was the first time for the security officer Xiao Wang to take the train, and he was dizzy and excited about the Grand View Garden along the way, and it seemed that he couldn't get enough of it.

After changing trains in Xuzhou, the train began to turn west along the Huaihai railway line. As the train moves westward, the landscape along the way is constantly changing, and the most significant change is the people, which is the most intuitive feeling. The difference between the east and the west has an impact on the vision in this era, the south and the north, the east coast and the west inland, poverty and wealth are the Chinese characteristics left over from history, and he is the difference formed by long-term economic development. Ouyang Jian observed from a unique perspective, and sighed in his heart.

After two days of driving, the train slowly entered Xi'an Station. Zhang Xueliang, commander-in-chief of the Northwest Group Army, and Yang Hucheng, chairman of Shaanxi Province, personally came to the station to greet them. Ouyang Jian looked handsome, mighty, and upright in a straight military uniform, and when he stepped on the platform to meet the smiling faces of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, Ouyang Jian felt emotion in his heart. Due to the deviation of history, the fate of the two characters in front of them has changed invariably. The historical tragedy of being under house arrest and being imprisoned will not happen, and it is certain that the two will play a huge role in the future anti-Japanese battlefield.

With the rise of the communist army in Jiangxi, the military strength naturally attracted the attention of the world. In particular, Ouyang Jian, as a legend of the Red Army, not only formed a strong army, but more importantly, won many battles, and the elite of the Central Army was not a problem. Any era is an era of the strong only dance, and the strong are naturally exchanged for respect, which is the logic of the whole world. The two sides exchanged military salutes, shook hands, and exchanged greetings, and in a friendly atmosphere, everyone boarded the cars one by one, and under the escort of the guard troops, they drove to the headquarters of the Northwest Group Army.

Ouyang Jian is guest naturally has to pick up the wind and wash the dust, and since he did not bring a female dependent, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng are naturally inconvenient to carry a female dependent. The atmosphere at the banquet seemed to be a gathering of old friends, Ouyang Jian first said: "The two generals put the national righteousness first and contributed to the formation of the anti-Japanese national united front, and I am deeply grateful on behalf of the Eighth Route Army!" Zhang Xueliang said: "General Ouyang, I am very ashamed that I woke up too late, and I will not escape the blame for losing the three eastern provinces. ”

"General Zhang! As the saying goes, people are not sages and sages, and I believe that General Zhang will definitely be able to lead the Northeast Erlang to kill back and recover the rivers and mountains. "General Ouyang, I, Zhang Xueliang, want to wash away the shame with practical actions, and I will die on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, so as to make my ambition clear." "Good! Kudos to General Zhang's oath, come! Toast to this. Yang Hucheng said: "General Ouyang, you are a legend of the Communist Party, you have made great achievements in military affairs, how to fight in the future when we advance to the front line of resistance against Japan, especially how to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops, please give me some advice!" ”

Ouyang Jian looked at Zhang Xueliang and said, "As far as your department is concerned, it is of little significance to build an elite army, but it is not a day's work to comprehensively improve the combat effectiveness of your department. If it is the next policy for you to pull the troops to the area around Beijing and Tianjin now, first, it will inevitably cause friction with the 29th Army and will not be able to form a joint force. Second, hundreds of thousands of troops cannot meet the supply, and if the officers and men can't even eat enough, how can they fight? War is about logistics, and if logistics is not guaranteed, the two of you can only be clever women who can cook without rice. Judging from my analysis and the internal and external situation, the Japanese army will not launch a full-scale offensive for at least three years. In addition, there was no danger to defend in North China, and in the face of the strong combat capability of the Japanese army, we could not stand it at all, so we could only adopt the tactics of resistance one after another. ”

Ouyang Jian walked to the map and said, "Two, you know that the other side can survive a hundred battles, and you can't show a momentary bravery. The ancients said: Saving land and losing people, people and land, saving people and losing land, people and land, it is imperative that the two of you establish a stable rear base is the best policy. I suggest that the two defense lines of Taihang Mountain, Zhongtiao Mountain, Tongguan and Yellow River be built first, which can completely block the Japanese army. The vast western part of the country, as a large rear, can fully satisfy your operations. "General Ouyang said it too well, we can't have a fever in our heads. Would you like to ask General Ouyang for advice? "At present, your troops occupy Shaanxi and Gansu, and the next step must be to control Qinghai and get rid of Ma Buqing and Ma Bufang. These two have a bad record and must be removed. ”

"General Ouyang, why do you want to get rid of the Qinghai Ma Army, where is it a barren land, besides, what about Ningxia Erma?" Yang Hucheng questioned. Ouyang Jian said with a smile: "Ningxia Ma Hongkui and Ma Hongbin follow the national government wholeheartedly, and they have a good reputation. In addition, Ningxia Erma and Qinghai Erma face and heart discord, as long as the Qinghai Erma is eliminated, Ningxia Erma will follow wholeheartedly. "General Ouyang, now that the domestic situation is stable, the division is unknown, how can we send troops?" "Ma Bufang is a scumbag, and his life is very erosive. This person does not drink alcohol, does not smoke, and his only hobby is to play with women. This man once said: Except for those who gave birth to me, everyone who was born of me will be destroyed! ”

"What a beast! There is such a bastard theory! Yang Hucheng said angrily. He is still not satisfied with his own group of wives and concubines, as long as the woman he fancies, he can't escape from the clutches, his sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, relatives' families, and deployed family members. The emperor is far away, Xining is his independent kingdom, is it difficult to get rid of such a scumbag for no reason? Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng glanced at each other, and their faces suddenly brightened. Not only did I let the two of you take Qinghai, but I want to give you a big gift! ”

Giving a big gift? Zhang and Yang's eyes widened in surprise, and Ouyang Jian pointed to the western part of Xining, Qinghai and said: "I'm afraid you don't know, Qinghai is a cornucopia, you have eyes and don't know gold and jade!" "Could it be that there are gold mines in Qinghai?" Zhang Xueliang's eyes lit up. "It's not just a gold mine, it's a cornucopia to be exact. Is it conditional for me to give you this sky-high wealth? "General Ouyang, I vouch for my personality, as long as the situation is conclusive, I will promise you no matter what the conditions are!" "I don't have an opinion either!" The appetites of the two were hoisted.

"My condition is not for my personal gain, but for the great cause of resisting Japan. My condition is that the financial expenditure of the Shaanxi-Gansu Border Region and the funds of the First Army of the 18th Route Army in the future will be provided by two people, and this is my condition! Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng glanced at each other, and Zhang Xueliang said: "General Ouyang, it seems that you are here prepared and prepared, I promise your conditions!" Zhang Xueliang made up his mind decisively, and Yang Hucheng also agreed. It's not hypocritical for you to trust me so much! ”

Ouyang Jian looked left and right, and Zhang Xueliang waved his hand to let everyone retreat. Ouyang Jian pointed to the map and said: "About 300 kilometers west of Xining, there is a natural lake called Chagan Lake, with an area of 15 or 8 kilometers long, 9 or 2 kilometers wide from north to south, and an area of 154 square kilometers. Natural salt was found here as early as the Qing Dynasty, but it has not been mined on a large scale due to its remote location and difficult transportation. Now Ma Bufang has discovered that there is salt here, but it has not attracted enough attention and is only mined in small quantities. ”

"I can tell you where the natural salt is crystal clear, and it is the best of the salt. And where the salt is stored, described in the vernacular, can be eaten by 400 million people for thousands of years. I sent someone to investigate, and this Chagan Lake is actually a huge salt lake. Ouyang Jian introduced it in such detail, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng's faces turned red when they heard it. What is table salt? It was something more expensive than gold, priceless to be exact. "Someone!" Zhang Xueliang couldn't control himself.

"Wait, this matter must not be made public, and the use of soldiers must also be done in secret, first cut and then played. In addition, while using troops, he used both prongs and used the media to make Ma Bufang stink. The ethics and morality of the Chinese people is a great matter, and it will arouse the public indignation of the people of the whole country. "General Ouyang, you are really a terrible opponent, and you have clever means!" Yang Hucheng praised loudly. "General Ouyang, I will secretly use the cavalry army to occupy Xining as quickly as possible!" "It's easy to occupy Xining, but the important thing is to eliminate Ma Bufang completely, and not let him make waves again."

"I suggest that you use the garrison in Lanzhou to launch an attack on Xining. The fortifications of Xining were very strong, and it was recommended to adopt the tactics of combining the inside and the outside. First of all, infiltrate into Xining City, Ma Bufang must stick to the city. At that time, there will be no problem in striking inside and outside to break the city in one fell swoop, and those who remember to respond in the city must be equipped with submachine guns. In addition, the cavalry army will respond on the periphery, and Ma Bufang will order the cavalry stationed in various places to reinforce at that time, and I don't need to say how to fight. Zhang Xueliang said decisively: "Just do what you say, prepare for a month, and start military operations in mid-August!" ”

"General Ouyang, thank you for the cornucopia, come and toast!" Yang Hucheng was overjoyed. After a glass of wine, Ouyang Jian continued: "Since the two of you trust me so much, I don't know if the two of you have good advice?" "General Ouyang, at this moment, I have the intention of swearing with you, but you are a communist who doesn't believe in this!" "General Ouyang, you can become a legend of the Communist Party, it is enough to prove the general's talent, please General Ouyang for advice!"

"The Hexi Corridor is also a treasure land, where the land is fertile and the water sources in the Qilian Mountains are abundant, you two can take advantage of the natural conditions to build a military reclamation farm, and food is a big problem. In addition, veterans and disabled soldiers of the unit can be arranged to enter the farm, which can not only solve their worries, but also unite the combat effectiveness of the troops. The treatment of the troops is good, and it can solve the worries, and it will be easy for the two of you to recruit in the future. "Good idea, isn't that what your party's troops do?" "Yes, we have a lot of experience in this area!"

"In addition, there is oil in this place in Yumen, and I suggest that oil be extracted in Yumen. If the two of you are in trouble, I can ask the border district government to do it! "Ouyang's good intentions have been understood, please rest assured General Ouyang, we will definitely fulfill the conditions you proposed!" What is Oil? Zhang Xueliang knows better than anyone else. "If you have the conditions, I will be responsible for the purchase of drilling equipment, including hiring foreigners. I'm doing business with Americans at the moment, and I can rest assured that the price is absolutely fair. The two of them couldn't help but stand up and clink glasses when they heard this!

In the end, Ouyang Jian said: "Two, we must be decisive in building the northwest base, and we must control Xinjiang in the next step. Taking control of Xinjiang can not only ensure the integrity of the western territory, but also use the western corridor to purchase weapons and ammunition in wartime, and obtain external assistance. At this moment, Zhang and Yang have been overwhelmed by Ouyang Jian's unparalleled strategy, and at the same time, Ouyang Jian's noble quality and selfless dedication have convinced the two of them.