The bad news of the mutiny of the Chaoshan garrison division shook Liu Bingxian and Chiang Kai-shek's ears, and their heads went blank in an instant.

Liu Bingxian, who was stiff all over, suddenly fell to the ground, and the deputy division commander Liu Jixian in his arms collapsed in his arms, and it seemed that he had fainted first, so frightened that Chiang Kai-shek, Xu Chongzhi and others hurriedly went up to help.

Liu Bingxian stood up slowly, his face gloomy and his eyes were red, and he turned to the north in a worried gaze, and shed painful tears in front of the reckless green mountains.

Chiang Kai-shek immediately understood what Liu Bingxian meant, and a burst of sourness and tingling suddenly rose in his heart, he grabbed Xu Chongzhi, who wanted to come forward to comfort, and motioned to carry Liu Ji down first for treatment, and then looked at Liu Bingxian's lonely and trembling back, and quietly explained in Xu Chongzhi's ear:

Zicheng felt uncomfortable, this sudden mutiny was too strange for ordinary people to do...... It can't be done! ”

When Xu Chongzhi heard this, he suddenly came to his senses: "You mean, the one in Nanjing is behind the scenes?" ”

Chiang Kai-shek nodded ashamedly: "Apart from him, who else can make the eight thousand soldiers of the garrison division so obedient?" Everyone praised the military discipline and combat effectiveness of the guard division, and envied the garrison division's sophisticated equipment and advanced training methods, but a few people can remember that almost eighty percent of these 8,000 soldiers came from Sichuan, and almost all of them were retired veterans of the Sichuan army......

"Just counting the fingers, the two brigade commanders, the three directly subordinate special battalion commanders and most of the regimental, battalion and company third-level commanders, almost all of them are Xiao Yimin's students, over the years, Xiao Yimin has repeatedly generously supported, asking for money for money, guns for guns, and now it seems that he has never given up his control and influence on the 8,000 soldiers for a moment, alas...... His plans are far-reaching, his intentions are sinister, and he can't prevent it! ”

Xu Chongzhi's heart was shocked, he looked at Liu Bingxian who was in pain blankly, and suddenly exclaimed, "Not good", left Chiang Kai-shek and Liu Bingxian, and ran to the headquarters alone.

At this time, a group of generals and colonels around were still talking, and when they saw the commander's abnormal behavior, they were surprised and hurriedly rushed to the headquarters after him.

The bright-minded Chiang Kai-shek quickly understood what Xu Chongzhi was worried about, and he didn't have time to think about it, so he immediately stepped forward to take Liu Bingxian's hand and comforted him, and then patiently explained the huge military and political crisis facing the entire Chaomei region at present, and dispelled Liu Bingxian's impulsive idea of immediately returning to the Chaozhou garrison in an attempt to turn the tide.

……

Liu Bingxian, who appeared in the command headquarters again, had already calmed down, his face tanned by the sun was tense, and he couldn't see any mood swings, only a pair of red eyes full of pain that could not be concealed.

Xu Chongzhi, who was facing a great enemy, was still in the mood to take care of Liu Bingxian's emotions at this time, his sharp eyes quickly swept over the faces of Chiang Kai-shek and Liu Bingxian, and finally pulled Chiang Kai-shek to the map, pointed to the source of the river in the west of Meixian, and asked:

"Kai-shek, tell me, will the Sichuan army in Jiangxi attack Heyuan on the ground, and then attack my Chaomei region with the Fujian army in Zhangzhou and Longyan?"

Chiang Kai-shek stared at the map and thought for a long time, raised his head, and said worriedly: "It is very likely, if this is the case, the Fifth Brigade of the Guangdong Army in Heyuan will not be able to stop the well-equipped and powerful Sichuan Army at all, but it is just ......"

Xu Chongzhi was anxious: "Kai-shek, as long as you don't return to Mr. Zhongshan for a day, you still have to be the chief of staff of my Eastern Route Army for a day. ”

"It's not like that, it's not ......"

Chiang Kai-shek hurriedly explained: "Brother Ru Wei can't just look at the west and north, if the Sichuan army and the Fujian army attack in a big way, our south will become the biggest hidden danger, don't underestimate the 8,000 Sichuan officers and soldiers in Chaoshan, their combat power Brother Ru Wei knows, if they attack from behind, who can resist it?" ”

Xu Chongzhi's body shook after hearing this, if it weren't for his deputy division commander's quick hand and quick support, I'm afraid Xu Chongzhi would have fallen to the ground.

The surrounding generals and colonels were already pale with fright, and everyone knew very well in their hearts how terrifying the combat effectiveness of the 8,000 Sichuan Army stationed in the Chaoshan area was!

What is even worse is that after the 8,000 Sichuan army came to Guangdong, there was not a day that was not rejected and suppressed by the top and bottom of the Guangdong army and the military and political officials of the base camp, and because of this, they had a deep resentment against the Guangdong army, a former friendly army, and several generals in the Guangzhou base camp who rejected them.

In addition to the three-month salary allocated by the base camp when they were stationed in the north school field of Guangzhou, the officers and men of the more than 8,000 Sichuan troops have been living in embarrassment of eating the last meal but not the next meal; after a misunderstanding with friendly troops in northern Guangdong and southern Jiangxi last year, the top and bottom of the Guangdong army and the military and political dignitaries of the base camp can be said to hate and fear the 8,000 Sichuan army.

What is annoying is that Liu Bingxian, the commander of the Sichuan army with strong combat power, is stubborn and self-assured, and he never seems to know what is called the way of being an official, and in addition to getting Mr. Sun's respect, he has no qualifications and connections at all, but because of his relationship with Xiao Yimin, he has aroused everyone's suspicion and jealousy.

The fear is because of Liu Bingxian's upright arrogance and dare to speak and dare to do his surname, as well as the combat experience, fighting style and terrifying fierceness and ruthless temperament exuded by the 8,000 Sichuan Army, to put it bluntly, it is like a huge hornet's nest, usually anyone can despise him and belittle him, but no one dares to really provoke him!

It is precisely because of these inexplicable and complex reasons that Liu Bingxian's 8,000-Sichuan Army became an unstable factor in the revolutionary camp, and because of the big mistake he made against friendly troops on the Guangdong-Jiangxi border, it finally aroused public anger at the summary meeting of the base camp, even if Mr. Sun blindly protected him, he was finally driven to the Chaoshan area far from the political center and stationed, and the newly obtained "Republic of China Revolutionary Army Guard Division" was then renamed the "Chaoshan Garrison Division of the Eastern Route Army", and the chief of staff Chiang Kai-shek was also transferred from the division to assist Xu Chongzhi, commander of the Eastern Route Army.

Since they were transferred out of Guangzhou last year, the officers and men of the 8,000-Sichuan Army have never received a penny of military salaries from the base camp, nor have they been able to change their tattered military uniforms, shoes and hats.

It can be said that without Xiao Yimin's long-term assistance, even if the 8,000 Sichuan army does not fall apart, for its own survival, it will oppress the people stationed in Guangdong like the troops stationed in other provinces, and gradually become greedy and ferocious, reckless and tyrannical, and completely lose the character and soul of an army.

It is precisely because of Xiao Yimin's long-term assistance that the soldiers of the 8,000 Sichuan Army, who feel lonely and unfair, have a more stark contrast in their hearts, and it is not surprising that Liu Bingxian, the chief officer who only knows majestic ideals and firm beliefs and is extremely immature politically, will not be surprised by the sudden rebellion of the 8,000 soldiers.

But now, these 8,000 wolf-like soldiers have killed the eight political officials who have been stationed in the base camp for a long time, which is equivalent to completely tearing their faces and cutting off the back road for reconciliation, and then it is very likely that they will vent all the resentment that they have endured silently for several years on Xu Chongzhi's department, if this is the case, Xu Chongzhi and the three brigades of the Cantonese army under his command may be in great trouble.

……

Just when Xu Chongzhi and others were extremely worried, the 11th Division of the Sichuan Army commanded by Wang Zhanxu and the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Jiangxi Army, which had just completed the reorganization and equipment, totaling more than 45,000 officers and men, had already divided into two routes, crossed the Jiangxi-Guangdong border in a hurry, and killed Meixian.

Among them, the 11th Division of the Sichuan Army passed through Dingnan and peacefully attacked Longchuan County, 100 kilometers west of Meixian, and the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Jiangxi Army, under the leadership of Yu Hesong of the Jiangxi Military Affairs Office, penetrated directly into Pingyuan County through Wuxun, cutting off the retreat of the 7th Brigade of the Guangdong Army that retreated from Longyan to Jiaoling.

At the same time, under the personal command of Li Houji, the overseer of Fujian, the five brigades of the Fujian army rushed south from Zhangzhou and Longyan respectively, and it was expected that within 30 hours, they would engage the 7th and 8th mixed brigades of the Guangdong army, which had retreated to Jiaoling and Yunxiao.

At this time, Xu Chongzhi and the others did not expect that the enemy would come so much and so quickly, and by the time they came up with a preliminary response plan, a huge crisis had already come.

As Chiang Kai-shek had predicted, the first danger was really to the south: the 8,000 rebellious Sichuan troops had all reached Shuikou Town, fifty kilometers south of Meixian, and the four forward regiments had already set up battle formations and began to build blocking fortifications on a large scale!

Liu Bingxian, who heard the emergency report, cold sweat rolled down his forehead, and blood flowed from his bitten lower lip, facing the stunned generals of the Eastern Route Army, and facing the anger and remorse in Xu Chongzhi's eyes, Liu Bingxian knew very well in his heart that there was no need to make any explanation, he knew that he was finished, including the revolutionary ideals he had diligently pursued for ten years, everything was gone.

On the contrary, Chiang Kai-shek, who had long been predicted, was in an extremely heavy mood, and he calmly analyzed the current situation, and finally put forward his own opinion: "Immediately order all the departments of the front to retreat to Meixian!" ”

"Huh!? Fight to the death, stick to the rescue? The dilemma of encirclement on all sides was put in front of all the generals of the Cantonese army, and Xu Chongzhi, who had experienced a hundred battles, put aside his distracting thoughts and stared at the map, but after weighing it again, he still couldn't make up his mind.

However, with the current strength of one supplementary brigade and two directly subordinate battalions in Xu Chongzhi's hands, it is impossible to turn around and go south to break through the blocking line of the 8,000 rebel Sichuan army, let alone evacuate Meixian before the two brigades on the front line come back, otherwise he will definitely end up with the notoriety of throwing the army away and escaping, and the good reputation that he has built up in half his life will be completely ruined.

Therefore, under the anxious eyes of the generals, Xu Chongzhi finally adopted Chiang Kai-shek's opinion and decisively issued a series of orders:

"Pass my order that the 7th and 8th Brigades abandon all their baggage and retreat to Meixian as quickly as possible; ordered the supplementary brigade, baggage battalion, and engineer battalion to move immediately to strengthen the fortifications around the city, and the staff officers of the various sections of the headquarters rushed to the city to mobilize the people; Order the spy company and the reconnaissance company of the guard regiment to carry out uninterrupted reconnaissance and surveillance of the 30 kilometers around Meixian County, and report the enemy situation immediately if they find it! ”

The full hall of generals and colonels walked most of them in a blink of an eye, and Xu Chongzhi had the opportunity to face Chiang Kai-shek and Liu Bingxian alone: "Two virtuous brothers, sit down and have a cup of tea first, and then consider one or two for the foolish brother to see if there is anything else that needs to be added." ”

At this point, Chiang Kai-shek knew that Xu Chongzhi had followed his advice and was determined to defend Meixian, so he did not put forward any other opinions, after all, the two main brigades of the front line were far away from a hundred miles, and at this moment he issued an order to return to Meixian until the two brigades retreated, even if there was no accident, it would take at least two days, and during this period, he had to always be vigilant against the sudden attack that the 8,000 Sichuan Army in the south might launch at any time.

"Brother Zichengxian, don't be sad, Brother Yu understands your hardships and can also understand your mood at the moment."

Xu Chongzhi took the teacup presented by the guard, handed it to Liu Bingxian kindly, and sighed faintly to Liu Bingxian and Chiang Kai-shek: "Xiao Yimin is terrible!" Just look at the 8,000 Sichuan Army in the south, you can see his deep scheming and lofty gaze, I suddenly have a feeling, I am afraid that three years ago, Xiao Yimin had already begun to lay out, in order to extend his claws to the boundary between the two Guangzhous......

"The funny thing is that many generals in our army, as long as they talk about Xiao Yimin, still joke about his identity as the second child in the teahouse and his wife who was born in the Qinglou, and never see anyone to summarize and analyze this person well, let alone face up to Xiao Yimin's rapidly growing strength and his strategy! Alas...... Including Mr. Sun and the group of dignitaries in the base camp, they are all masters who say more and do less, and they are still engaged in endless infighting until this moment, can they expect today's situation? Chaoshan is lost, can Guangzhou keep it? ”

(To be continued)