In late July, Ouyang Jian successfully achieved his goal, so he bid farewell to Zhang and Yang and went to the Shaanxi-Gansu border area. Before leaving, Zhang Xueliang gave Ouyang Jian a sedan to travel as a courtesy, and ordered a company of cavalry troops to escort him to Luochuan, which is now the area under the control of both sides. The journey went smoothly, and after the handover of the two sides in Luochuan, Ouyang Jian took a car and went straight to Yan'an. The car was bumpy all the way, and Ouyang Jian vaguely saw the towering pagoda in the distance and ordered to stop. When everyone was confused, Ouyang Jian got out of the car and looked into the distance, seeming to be a little excited.

The scenery in the distance is picturesque, the rolling loess hills present a different topography, the sparse vegetation and the flock of sheep disappearing in the distance, forming a huge contrast with the towering pagoda. The pagoda is a landmark of Yan'an City and is located in the middle of the city. This tower was built in the Tang Dynasty, with a height of 44 meters and a total of nine floors. Climb to the top of the tower and have an unobstructed view of the whole city. Next to the tower there is a large iron bell cast in the Ming Dynasty, if the bell is ringed, the whole city will hear it. In addition, there are 260 meters of cliff stone carvings and stele forest on the mountain, the stone carving shore is neat, the shore stone is complete, it is a rare stone carving art.

Ouyang Jian searched for a long memory, and the scenery of Pagoda Mountain was very clear in his eyes, perhaps touching the scene, Ouyang Jian felt emotion in his heart. It seems that Fan Zhongyan's most famous stone carving appears in front of him, and there is an inscription of "tens of thousands of armor soldiers in his chest", which seems to reproduce the ancient battlefield. The majestic pagoda mountain, I am afraid it is difficult to reproduce the glory of the past. Remembering the pagoda, because the pagoda carries an unforgettable time, and this glorious time will not come again. Seeing that the horses of the guards and cavalry were a little like arrows, Ouyang Jian waved his hand and continued on the road.

Soon a crowd appeared at the entrance of Yan'an City, and it seemed that they were looking forward to it. Ouyang Jian got out of the car and walked head-on, Zhang Guotao's shadow was no longer visible in the crowd, just on the way Ouyang Jian came to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border area, Zhang Guotao was transferred to the central government and left, and the chairman of the border area was Liu Zhidan at this time. Frankly speaking, Zhang Guotao's loss of power was completely contributed by Ouyang Jian, and under his "verbal and written criticism", Zhang Guotao's position continued to change due to the mistake of expanding the rebellion, and he was transferred to Jiangxi this time, and I am afraid that even the Standing Committee of the Central Committee will not be able to enter.

Ouyang Jian shook hands and greeted Xu Xiangqian, commander of the First Army of the Shaanxi-Gansu Eighth Route Army, Chen Changhao, political commissar, Ni Zhiliang, chief of staff, and Liu Zhidan, chairman of the border region. Ouyang Jian and Xu Xiangqian are alumni of Whampoa, so they are naturally very affectionate. Subsequently, under the recommendation of Xu Qianqian, he met with the officers of each division, brigade, and regiment respectively. "Report to the Chief of the General Staff, Xu Shiyou, the commander of the First Division, reported to you that I finally met you." Looking at this honest and big man, a general who was born as a monk of Shaolin Temple, Ouyang Jian stared for a long time, staring at Xu Shiyou a little hairy.

At noon, the reception banquet and the report work were carried out at the same time, and Xu Qianqian, commander of the First Independent Army of the Eighth Route Army, said: "Chief of General Staff, first of all, on behalf of the military and civilians in the base area, I welcome you to come and inspect. At present, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region is under the control of Luochuan in the south and the Yellow River in the east. The west is bounded by Zhengning and Huanxian. The northern part extends to the Mu Us Desert and Fu Valley. After the Red Fourth Front Army entered the Shaanxi-Gansu border region, it quickly deployed troops to the north in accordance with the instructions of the Central Military Commission and completed the established strategy. At present, in Shanxi, east of the Yellow River, we have withdrawn from all occupied areas, and this is the basic situation. The chief of staff then reported on the garrison of the divisions.

Liu Zhidan, chairman of the border region, stood up and said: "Chief of General Staff, with the vigorous support of the central base areas, the Shaanxi and Gansu base areas have now set up military academies and built textile factories, grenade factories, and explosives factories. "Comrades, now that the central base areas are fully preparing for war, there is no extra money for you except weapons and ammunition. I have come this time to have a clean breeze on my sleeves, and at the same time, I am also here to solve practical difficulties for you. There is no problem with the weapons and ammunition of the troops, and it is estimated that we will bring weapons and ammunition through Sichuan before the end of the year, and strive to reequip all three divisions by the end of next year. When the generals heard this, their faces showed joy.

"Chief of the General Staff! I heard that the Red Star I rifle is our own production, and the performance is very good, is this true? Political Commissar Chen Changhao asked. Comrades, our weapons industry is not only capable of developing rifles with good performance, but also in the next step we will produce light and heavy machine guns, light artillery and even heavy artillery. According to the instructions of the Central Military Commission, in the future, Jiangxi will provide weapons, but the Shaanxi and Gansu base areas must develop the ability to be self-sufficient in ammunition, because it is too difficult to transport ammunition in wartime. Some comrades may think that we can seize it, but this idea is too naïve. A regular army, the weapons are made in all countries, and the impact on combat is great. In the future, all captured enemy weapons will be equipped with militia and guerrilla units. ”

"According to the instructions of the Military Commission, the First Army of the Eighth Route Army in the Shaanxi-Gansu Border Region can only form three divisions, which is an order of the Ministry of National Defense, and we cannot cross the bottom line. It is recommended that you set up a reserve force, which has no establishment but should systematically conduct military training, so that it can be quickly expanded or supplemented for war losses in wartime. The reserve establishment must be at least 20,000. In addition, you should establish militia organizations in the vast rural areas, and in the future, replace them with obsolete rifles and issue them to the militia. The militia also needs to receive systematic military training, and you have to recruit officers and men with rich combat experience from your troops to serve as instructors, and this work must be carried out quickly. ”

"Comrades, I have good news for you, this time I met with General Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng in Xi'an and reached a preliminary agreement. Starting next year, Shaanxi Province will coordinate the financial expenditures of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo base areas and the logistical supply of the First Army. "Chief of the General Staff, what magic did you use to make Zhang and Yang so generous?" Xu Xiangqian was confused. "I will soon see the measures of Zhang and Yang, and I am inconvenient to say here. In short, how the Shaanxi and Gansu base areas will overcome the immediate difficulties is a major matter. This time, I am not only here to inspect and integrate the First Army, but also to give you advice and solve difficulties. ”

"Chief of General Staff Ouyang, I heard from the comrades from Jiangxi that you are an excellent magician and a master of ideas, and there is no problem that you can't solve. It is even more evil to say that you can turn stones into gold, and the Jiujiang weapons and industrial base were created by you, and the scale has been formed in just a few years, which can be said to be a miracle. Liu Zhidan was blunt. Don't follow the crowd, the achievements we have made are the result of the efforts of our comrades. I am nothing more than to create a platform for everyone to display their talents, so a good environment can create miracles. ”

"In the future, the central task of the party is to make all-out preparations for the war against aggression, and it is our purpose to develop the economy, strengthen the armed forces, and unite as one. In order to improve the economic situation of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo base areas, I will formulate a reasonable, scientific, and long-term development plan for you. Do-it-yourself, with plenty of food and clothing. At present, there is no war, and in order to send out officers and men to launch a large-scale production campaign, the troops must first set up military reclamation farms and engage in large-scale farming. It is necessary not only to solve the problems of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but also to improve the lives of the troops. This move is not only to unite the centripetal force of the officers and soldiers, but also to create a symbol of our Eighth Route Army in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo. ”

In a word, we, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, should become a banner in the western region and play an exemplary and leading role. In the eyes of the world, we are willing to be poor, that is nonsense. The purpose of our revolution is also to live a better and richer life, and our principle is to make the people prosperous and take the road of common prosperity. In Xi'an, I have reached an agreement with Zhang and Yang that in the next step, the government of the border region will organize manpower and material resources to build factories and commercial companies in Xi'an, especially in the field of circulation, to form a scale as soon as possible. ”

"Although the northern region is barren, it is rich in mineral resources. In particular, the coal resources of Shenmu should be utilized, a pattern of transporting coal from the north to the south should be formed as soon as possible, and the development of coal resources should be accelerated to supply Shaanxi, Shanxi, and even the western region. In addition, the wool resources in the western region are very abundant, and it is necessary to prepare for the construction of a woolen mill in Yan'an as soon as possible, and I am responsible for importing machinery and equipment. Yan'an is suitable for the development of textile industry, and the textile industry will become the pillar industry of Yan'an in the future, and it will radiate the entire northwest. The core task of the government of your border region is ・・・・・・ here. ”

Ouyang Jian's earth-shattering plan made all the crowd excited and enthusiastic. After the noon banquet, Ouyang Jian originally planned to go to the military school to visit Guo Mei, but learned that Guo Mei had gone to Beiping, and she was going to recruit this year's military cadets. At present, young people with knowledge and education are rushing to Jiangxi, so it is difficult to recruit educated young people in the local area. Since Guo Mei is not there, Ouyang Jian has also dispelled the idea of going to the military academy, maybe it is better not to meet. After dinner, Ouyang Jian ordered Xu Xiangqian to be found, and he had important things to explain to Xu Xiangqian.

Although they are both alumni of Whampoa Phase I, they do not belong to the same team and are not very familiar with each other. Moreover, Xu Xiangqian was not a member of the Communist Party when he was at the Whampoa Military Academy, he joined the Communist Party on the eve of April 12 in 27, so it was impossible for Ouyang Jian to contact him when he was at the Whampoa Military Academy. After Xu Xiangqian arrived, Ouyang Jian said enthusiastically: "Brother Xu, you and I are the same Huangpu alumni, and classmates always have a cordial feeling when they meet. "Chief of the General Staff, at that time you were an enviable training pacesetter, I knew you, but you didn't know me. The scene of that year is still vivid, the past is unbearable, I didn't expect that you were a secret party member when you were in Huangpu. ”

"Comrade Enlai instructed me to lurk secretly, and he was my introducer to join the party." Xu Xiangqian seemed to be looking back on the past, and Ouyang Jian changed the topic and said: "According to the instructions of the Military Commission, the first division of your department will be built into a mountain and forest combat unit, so there must be targeted training, and I will give you a training outline for the relevant training content." In addition, the Central Military Commission has a top-secret plan to be implemented in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. "Top Secret Project!"

Looking at Ouyang Jian's serious face, Xu Xiangqian felt that the matter was very important, obviously such a secret was inconvenient to say in public. "Next month, a scientific research team will come from Jiangxi, and this scientific research team will have a big mission, they will find a rare mineral, and at the same time they will build a secret factory. As for what this secret factory is developing, you have no right to know, this is a high degree of secrecy from the Military Commission. The external signboard of this scientific research group is the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Geological Exploration Team. The exploration team has a special radio station to keep in touch with Jiangxi, and this plan is only known to you, so it must be kept strictly confidential! ”

"What is my mission?" "Your mission is to keep this research team absolutely safe and that nothing goes wrong. This research group will determine our future, and that's all I can tell you. "Future nuclear tests will naturally be in the west, and the main task of the research team is to find uranium deposits in preparation for the future purification of nuclear raw materials. Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that uranium ore could only be found in the Baotou area, so now was the right time to do it. "Please rest assured that the Chief of the General Staff will complete the task!" "Since it is a secret protection, it is necessary to tighten the inside and loosen the outside, so as not to let outsiders see it." "I will select capable personnel to form an internal security force to be responsible for the safety of this scientific research team!"