At one o'clock in the evening, An Yi and his entourage successfully arrived at the camp in Zhenjiang, took a short rest, and crossed the river to Yangzhou in the early morning of the next day, where Gu Zhutong, commander of the Third Division, Han Deqin, chief of staff, Chen Tie, commander of the Seventh Regiment, Pan Guocong, commander of the Eighth Regiment, Wang Wanling, commander of the Ninth Regiment, and Li Jilan, head of the Supplementary Regiment, warmly greeted An Yi for breakfast.

Hu Jialin, deputy commander of the Reading Division, and Yang Bin, chief of staff, who had already been notified, also rushed over from the Jiangdu front, and everyone gathered together, which was very lively.

The four regiment commanders of the Third Division are all graduates of the first phase of Whampoa, and except for Li Jilan, the commander of the supplementary regiment, who still holds the rank of colonel, Chen Tie and the three of them are already with the rank of major general.

Among them, Pan Guocong, whose ancestral home is Rong County, Guangxi, was more familiar with An Yi when he was in Guangzhou because of his relationship with Gan Lichu's fellow villagers, and several others, including Gu Zhutong, also met with Hu Jialin, the equestrian instructor at the time, and they were naturally very happy to meet each other after a long absence.

Gu Zhutong was very happy to see An Yi getting along so well with several of his subordinates, and from time to time he talked in a low voice with his sworn brother and fellow countryman, Han Deqin, the chief of staff of the sixth phase of the Baoding Military Academy, and introduced An Yi's situation to him.

After breakfast, a two-and-a-half-hour military meeting was held, at which, according to the latest operational plan of Commander-in-Chief Chiang and the General Staff Office of the General Headquarters, Gu Zhutong and An Yi discussed and determined the coordination of the two divisions.

Gu Zhutong had already learned that An Yi had vigorously supported his battle plan in Nanjing, and that after listening to the enemy briefings of the combat staff officers of the two divisions, Gu Zhutong asked An Yi to express his ideas.

An Yi saw that the time was limited, so he didn't excuse himself, walked to the map and explained his overall plan in detail, and confidently said that as long as he cooperated properly, Gaoyou's enemy probably wouldn't be able to escape.

Han Deqin and several brothers and sisters read the map, pondered it carefully, and greatly admired An Yi's plan, and the more Gu Zhutong thought about it, the more he felt that it was wonderful, and immediately made a decision, saying that there was no need to discuss it again, and it was completely in accordance with An Yi's plan.

An Yi respectfully said goodbye, rode to the Longchuan camp in Jiangdu with Hu Zi and Yang Bin, immediately convened an operational meeting of the whole division and battalion commander and above, announced the overall plan, listened to the opinions of the brothers one by one, made slight modifications, and soon set a detailed battle plan and the deployment of troops in each unit, and then accompanied by Hu Zi, Yin Jinan, Yang Bin, Ding Zhicheng and others, went to Xuejiazhuang, where the artillery camp was located, to inspect.

A strange plan that made the two divisions of the Taizhou defenders, Cui Jinggui and Duan Chengze, suffer from the pain of defending the enemy, and thus entered the stage of intense implementation.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, An Yi returned to the Zhenjiang camp, which coincided with the second division of Lieutenant General Du Qiyun of the 17th Army being transferred to Zhenjiang by the General Headquarters to assist in the battle.

By the time the greetings were properly applauded, An Yi returned to the camp at 8:50 p.m. As soon as he sat down and took a breath, Lin Yaodong, the chief of the guard, came to report: Li Xiaolong and his entourage asked to see him.

An Yi hurriedly stood up and went out to greet him, welcomed the guests back to the conference room, and the guests and hosts sat down one after another, An Yi instructed the orderly soldiers to serve tea, and then looked at the two "teachers" beside Li Xiaolong with a smile, secretly speculating on their identities, and waved his hand at the tea cup, signaling everyone not to be polite:

"Two teachers, please use tea, because I am busy with military affairs, I have not been idle until now, please forgive me if there is any neglect!"

The middle-aged man, who still had scars on his face and wore ordinary literati glasses, replied gratefully:

"We have always remembered General An's rescue virtue and are grateful to General An...... However, forcibly snatching us out of the hands of the notorious Kuomintang Party Headquarters' Operations Section, whose hands were stained with the blood of our [***] people, we are very worried that this will affect General An's future and bring a lot of unnecessary trouble to General An! ”

An Yi shook his head and said politely: "It's okay, if there is really trouble, there will be now, don't I sit here at the moment, and no one will investigate me?"

Fortunately, all of you have just been arrested and have not been interrogated, and I guess the person in charge of arresting you does not know your identity, but even if I know your identity, it is not a big problem for me, so don't worry about me. This afternoon, the friendly troops who took over the defense have already arrived in Zhenjiang, and our division headquarters will move to the other side of the river tomorrow morning. ”

Another middle-aged man with a professor's appearance and extraordinary equipment asked with a smile, "General An, won't you ask us about our identity?" ”

"No need to ask, I know Li Xiaolong's personality very well, the person who can make him so respectful and willing to protect his surname is definitely not an ordinary person. The two gentlemen had better not tell me, so that I don't have to worry about this all the time and feel uncomfortable, and if the above really investigates it, I can tell the truth. An Yi's answer was very smart.

The two middle-aged people looked at each other and smiled, both felt that An Yi's style of doing things was very interesting, and after discussing a few words in a low voice, they were no longer rigid, and the middle-aged man with glasses thanked him again and politely made a request:

"General, when your division is relocated tomorrow, can you also bring us to Jiangbei together?"

"There's no problem, in fact, you don't have to wait until tomorrow, even now you can go over at any time, it's still relatively safe in my army." An Yi thought for a while and asked, "What are the plans of the two gentlemen when they go to Jiangbei?" ”

The man with glasses told the truth: "We know that the waterway to the two lakes area has been cut off, and on the line of Wuhu, Anqing, and Jiujiang, Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren's troops are very strict, and the ships going east to Shanghai have also been temporarily suspended because of the fighting between the north and south of the river, and the land route cannot be taken, so we plan to go to Haizhou through northern Jiangsu, and then take a boat from Haizhou to Xiamen, and then find a way to go to Changsha." ”

An Yi thought for a while and nodded calmly: "I understand, I have a suggestion, if you can trust me An someone, don't take so many unjust roads, early tomorrow morning, you will follow our reading teacher teaching team and the convoy of the logistics department back to Nanchang." Today's Nanchang is already the world of General Zhu Peide, General Zhu is still very enlightened, it is convenient for everyone to go to Nanchang as much as they want, at least there is no need to waste so much time, it is very dangerous to pass through the combat zone in Jiangbei, and I can't help if I leave the scope of my war zone. ”

Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this, and they stood up excitedly and wanted to shake hands with An Yi, but the conference table was too big, two meters wide, and they couldn't stretch their hands, so they had to give An Yi a hand in accordance with folk etiquette.

An Yi hurriedly stood up, motioned for everyone to sit down, and then called Xiao Jiu, who was standing by the door, to whisper a few words, turned to Li Xiaolong and whispered:

"Li Xiaolong, wait a while, you follow the chief of the guard to Lao Chang's side to get the military uniform and armed belt, you all have to put on the military uniform of my division, ride back with the team, and take a car with Han Tou, the former head of the logistics unit...... By the way, do you remember Old Hantou? ”

"Remember! Brother Han is very good to me. General, Brother Han is in the prime of life, why did he go back to Nanchang? Li Xiaolong had the courage to ask.

An Yi replied with emotion: "This time, not only the old Han Tou wants to go back, but also those old brothers who are below the rank of twenty-eight warrant officer will go back." There are 185 of these old brothers, most of whom are illiterate and have no head, and it is already very difficult for me to fight here from Guangdong and Hunan, and it is time to go back to marry a wife and have children.

Tomorrow, all the female soldiers of the women's company and more than 80 knowledgeable young men of the recruit company will also return to Laochang, and enter the non-commissioned officer training base for further training. Let me tell you the truth, there are twenty-three excellent brothers who, like you, are people who have their own firm beliefs, who are incompatible with the current army, and it is too wronged for them to stay, and when they come to the rear, they can stay if they want, and they can leave at any time if they don't want to, I have no opinion. ”

Li Xiaolong looked at An Yi in shock, he didn't know how An Yi identified the twenty-three [***] members, even Li Xiaolong only learned about it after leaving An Yi's troops, after being promoted to one level in the party and in charge of this part, it was only these twenty-three people who finally entered An Yi's army, and they were sent away by An Yi before the work started, which made him look gloomy and helpless.

The two "teachers" on the side listened to An Yi's words and were also very emotional, but at this point, they couldn't say anything more, so they could only accept it silently.

"General, in fact, I really want to stay and learn more things from the general, but now this situation has messed everything up, I feel very sorry."

Li Xiaolong broke the awkward atmosphere and said quite emotionally.

An Yi smiled slightly: "What is there to learn from me?" In fact, there are many senior brothers in Whampoa who are 100 times stronger than me in wars, such as Shuangjie Chen Geng and Jiang Xianyun, who graduated in the first phase, Senior Brother Xu Jishen, who cares for me with wisdom, courage, and courage, Senior Brother Zuo Quan, who has been studying in the Soviet Union, Senior Brother Huang Gonglue, who is very strategic, who is brave and good at fighting, Senior Brother Kuang Jixun, who is brave and good at fighting, and Senior Brother Wang Erzhuo, who commanded the attack on the east of Tonglu City in place of General Li Mingyang when attacking Tonglu, and many senior brothers in the second, third, fourth, and fifth phases are stronger than me. I only became the commander of today's major general by chance, so you will have many opportunities to learn from these senior brothers in the future.

As for me, don't look at the bells and whistles in the newspapers, in fact, I know best how many pounds and taels I have, I like to enjoy, like to do business, I don't want to endure hardships and fight a civil war, although I have gained some military merits because of the Northern Expedition, but none of them can make me happy. I would be very proud if I drove out foreign robbers and returned my rivers and mountains, including the recovery of Outer Mongolia, Lake Belga, and a large part of Xinjiang Province that had been looted by the Russians.

To be honest, I don't have any good feelings for the great powers, including the Russians and myself, and I don't believe that the so-called foreigners can bring us unity and happiness, and I feel disgusted to see them pointing fingers at my motherland and various political parties, and they will only create divisions, oppress and plunder us to their heart's content, therefore, one day I will fight to the death with them for the dignity of my country, and I believe that this day will not be far away, as you will see soon. ”

Hearing An Yi's words, everyone was shocked, the two "teachers" looked at each other, and they didn't know what An Yi's purpose was in using the question? Li Xiaolong and the few companions around him who didn't open their mouths couldn't tolerate An Yi's arrogant attitude towards "international friends" and indiscriminate vicious attacks, they had already left the nostalgia in their hearts behind, opened their eyes, and stared at An Yi's eyes viciously, but found that An Yi ignored himself at all, took out his cigarette and lit it comfortably, and ordered the orderly soldiers on the side to refill tea for everyone, not affected by the confusion and anger in the hall.

The bespectacled "teacher" suddenly let out a hearty laugh: "General An is really a person with the most affectionate surname!" We all have our own understanding and pursuit of ideological issues, and there will be a step-by-step process in the acceptance of any thing and thought, especially advanced ideas, which require more time to study and explore, so we can understand the general's ideas. To some extent, our goal is the same, that is, to overthrow the great powers, drive out the humiliation, and build a united, open, prosperous, and prosperous happy country where no one exploits and oppresses others. ”

"Thank you for your advice! For the pursuit of the teacher, I have great respect and deep admiration, and An Yi has been taught! Although I have not read "Capital" and other works, I deeply agree with dialectical materialism, and I also greatly admire Mr. Marx's theory of surplus value, knowing that the innate profit-seeking nature of the capitalists' insatiable greed has led to the intensification of exploitation, the inequality between the rich and the poor and the increasing difference in the distribution of social wealth, which in turn has led to the intensification of contradictions and the escalation of class struggle.

Secondly, I also understand that matter determines the correct surname of consciousness, and I understand that without a certain amount of material and spiritual accumulation, it is impossible to bring about qualitative change, but the accumulation of quantity often has to go through a long process. These advanced and valuable ideas have touched me a lot, and the essence of the things revealed is clear and thorough, which has benefited me immensely!

After the completion of the Northern Expedition, I really want to leave the military circles and become an industrialist who revitalizes the national industry, a conscientious businessman, and use the theory of surplus value to guide economic practice, but I don't know if I can realize this dream in my lifetime, and I look forward to it! This is a little superficial understanding of mine, please don't laugh, haha......"

An Yi seemed to suddenly realize that he had said too much, snorted, and stopped talking.

But the two "teachers" sitting opposite each other did not have the slightest smile on their faces, but stared at An Yi in great shock, they couldn't figure out how An Yi could understand so much of Marx's theory as much as his own?

An Yi felt that his goal had been achieved, stood up with a smile, casually found an excuse to leave, and instructed the guards and orderlies to send the guests to the backyard to rest, and warmly shook hands with the two "teachers" who seemed to have a lot to ask to express their apologies.

Subsequently, An Yi walked into the office in the west alone, found Xia Jian, Gu Changfeng and Zhan Huanqi who discussed the allocation of recruits, and used the excuse of patrolling the camp to drag all the brothers to the small wine shop diagonally opposite the camp to drink and talk.

…… A propeller biplane reconnaissance plane flew from the northeast to the southwest, and shortly after flying over the position of the Jiangdu Reading Division, it turned around over the Jinshan Temple in the northwest of Zhenjiang and flew to the boundary of Yangzhou, circled twice, and then flew from Yangzhou to Gaoyou in the north.

Gu Zhutong, An Yi and others, accompanied by their entourage, inspected the defense of Jiangdu, and watched the plane disappear into the sky, Gu Zhutong sighed:

"Our army's aviation department was established since the Northern Expedition, and there are more than a dozen planes, but until now, it has not been able to serve the battlefield, but Zhang Zongchang and Zhang Zuolin's planes often fly over our heads, and frequently conduct reconnaissance on the movement and deployment of our army, which is quite unfavorable to our army. The weather is good these days, and enemy planes are frequently dispatched, so you don't have any losses on your side, right? ”

"The loss is not large, not a single brother has been injured so far, and the morning before yesterday two enemy planes also dropped six bombs on Yangjiaying, our forward position, which did not blow up the officers and soldiers and fortifications, but destroyed half of the house of Mr. Yang Mingyang in the town. The famous master of Chinese culture in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was so frightened that he had a stroke, and the brothers of the model camp saw the Yang family mansion burning into a raging fire, and immediately launched a rescue, rushing into the messy Yang family mansion to find the old gentleman, he was squatting in the elegant thatched house, his pants were not fastened, and he was already speechless at that time.

Fortunately, we had a medical officer with good medical skills, and after rescuing him, he was immediately sent to the Jiangdu camp, and only last night did he send his surviving family of more than 20 people across the river to settle in Zhenjiang City. It is said that the first thing the old gentleman asked when he woke up was what about my book? The brothers in the ambulance team next to him told him that the whole house had been burned, and where were the books? The old gentleman immediately fainted, almost unable to survive. ”

An Yi told Gu Zhutong with a smile that when everyone heard that there was such a rotten Confucian, they couldn't help laughing.

An Yi said with emotion: "Don't laugh, everyone, it is precisely because of the frequent sorties and bombings of enemy planes in the past few days that our officers and soldiers have gradually adapted to it, and they are not panicked, and it is estimated that the brothers of the third division also feel the same way, right?" ”

Chief of Staff Han Deqin nodded: "Yes!" When enemy planes dropped bombs on Wangzhuang to the north of us for the first time, the brothers of a battalion were so frightened that they abandoned their positions and fled southward. Now that we see planes dispatched every day, we get used to it when we see more of it, and the officers and men basically know how to deal with it. ”

The group walked to the artillery position behind the low hill in the south and entered a wide trench covered with camouflage nets and preserved as much vegetation as possible on both sides.

The generals and colonels of the Third Division were full of praise for the perfect fortifications built by An Yi's headquarters, and walked more than 100 meters along the trench built by virtue of the undulating terrain, only to see that the 34 artillery pieces were all lying quietly in the deep-dug gun emplacements in an orderly manner, and layers of realistic camouflage nets covered them.

(To be continued)