After being silent for a long time, Han Fuyu asked again: "The elder brother is far-sighted, and the foolish brother admires it very much, if Lao Jiang really wants to fight with our Northwest Army, who do you think will win?" ”

Song Zhewu shook his head with a smile and said, "Big brother, are you praising me or hurting me?" What I just said is just a little bit of my own thoughts, and it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong now. As for the affairs of the Northwest Army, my eldest brother should know better than me, and I am an outsider to comment there. ”

Han Fuyu Zhengse said: "I don't know the true face of Lushan, only because I am in this mountain. The authorities are fascinated, or you, a bystander, can see it more clearly, Wenge, you don't want to be too modest. ”

Song Zhewu nodded and said, "Since the eldest brother wants me to say it, then I will say my opinion, and ask the eldest brother to correct what is wrong." To tell the truth, in my opinion, in the battle between the Central and Northwest Army, the Central Army will win, and the Northwest Army will lose. ”

"Oh? Wenge, tell me carefully, why the Central Army will be victorious, and the Northwest Army will be defeated? Han Fuyu leaned forward and asked in disbelief.

Song Zhewu looked at Han Fuyu and said: "On the surface, the Northwest Army is not only strong and strong, but also occupies the land of the six northern provinces. However, these provinces are all poor provinces, and their financial resources are relatively weak, not to mention that they cannot be compared with the central government that occupies the rich land in the south of the Yangtze River, even Yan Xishan. Although the Northwest Army has more than 500,000 troops, because the Northwest Army and the Jin Sui Army have been promoting each other, they want to leave troops to guard the rear, and the troops that can really go to the front line are about 300,000, so they will not have an advantage in numbers. And the Central Army now has almost no worries, and if necessary, it can also bring in reinforcements, such as Tang Shengzhi, Zhu Peide, Chen Jitang, and even the Sichuan Army. In addition, the Central Army has strong financial support from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, sufficient food and ammunition, and guaranteed soldiers; On the other hand, the Northwest Army was short of food and ammunition, and its follow-up was weak, and it was strange that it was undefeated for a long time when the war began. ”

After a pause, Song Zhewu continued: "The Northwest Army has lost the best opportunity to oppose Chiang, if a month ago, united with the Gui faction, with the financial support of the Gui faction and Guangdong, Sun Liangcheng in Shandong joined Bai Chongxi with 200,000 troops along the Jinpu Road to Pukou and threatened Nanjing; The eldest brother personally led all the way out of the boundary, along Fuyang, Hefei to Wuhu, and swept Anhui to threaten the flank of Nanjing; Send another army out of Xinyang to join Hu Zongduo, Tao Jun, Xia Wei and Ye Qi of the Gui family, and even include He Jian, etc., attack Jiujiang, go down to Nanchang, and with Zhu Peide's men, it is absolutely difficult to resist, and it is easy to take Jiangxi. When the three-way army comes out together, the strength of the Central Army will inevitably be insufficient, and the Northwest Army has a great chance of victory. If you lose this best opportunity, you will lose your last chance. ”

At that time, he did not join forces with Li Zongren, Han Fuyu knew the reason, and the people sent by Li Zongren to contact only talked about joint resistance to Chiang, otherwise they would be defeated by Chiang. However, he never talked about the status of Feng Yuxiang and the Northwest Army once the anti-Chiang was successful. This made Feng Yuxiang very annoyed, thinking that Li Zongren was just trying to use him and had no sincerity. Annoyed, I want to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and when the two sides are exhausted, I will clean up the mess so as to get the maximum benefit for myself.

Not only Feng Yuxiang thinks so, but even most of the generals in the Northwest Army think so, and even he, Han Fuyu, is bent on snatching Wuhan of the Gui system. After listening to Song Zhewu's words, Han Fuyu was not only a little embarrassed.

Indeed, Han Fuyu now also thinks that Mr. Feng has miscalculated, and their Northwest Army has lost the best opportunity to oppose Chiang. But he didn't think that the Northwest Army had lost its last chance. He believes that with the large number of troops and strong combat effectiveness of the Northwest Army, it is not impossible to defeat the Central Army in a short period of time if it breaks out. The key is to strike quickly and ruthlessly, as long as Nanjing and Jiangsu and Zhejiang are occupied, Chiang Kai-shek will be a rat crossing the street, and everyone will shout and fight.

Seeing Han Fuyu's eyes flickering and wandering, Song Zhewu knew that Han Fuyu did not believe in the defeat of his Northwest Army, and decided to add another fire to Han Fuyu. Then he said: "For the eldest brother, it is not who wins and who loses between the Central Army and the Northwest Army, the key question is, even if the Northwest Army wins, will your Boss Feng regain your military power and will you continue to be the chairman of this province?" ”

Seeing that Han Fuyu was a little moved, Song Zhewu drank saliva and continued: "If the Northwest Army wins, the Northwest Army will become the Central Army, will your Boss Feng be able to live in peace with these local powerful factions?" Feng Yuxiang would then be the military leader of the national political axe, and perhaps even the actual national leader. Feng Yuxiang ruled the family with the military and the army with the family, and will inevitably rule the country with the family law and the military in the future. Governing a large country is like cooking a small meal, and there are many means, methods, and strategies, and it is by no means a simple and crude family law and military orders that can govern the country well. Not to mention a big country like ours, which is unified in name, but in fact there are many factions, various forces are fighting against each other, chaotic, disorderly, and fragmented. I dare to assert that if the Northwest Army wins a big victory this time, drives out Chairman Chiang, and sits in his place, your boss Feng will definitely not be able to work for a year. He will not be supported by the elders and the majority of the Kuomintang people, nor will he be recognized by the powerful factions in various localities, let alone the support of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang consortiums. In such a chaotic situation in China today, only Chairman Chiang has the ability and courage to deal with this chaotic situation, and other people, such as Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan, are not enough. ”

Hearing Song Zhewu's words, Han Fuyu's eyes couldn't help but dim and his face turned pale. Han Fuyu's promotion from an ordinary soldier to a military commander (before disarmament and reorganization, he was the commander of the Sixth Army) was by no means just by fighting and killing, but required talent and extraordinary talent and wisdom to stand out among the hundreds of thousands of Northwest Army. Han Fuyu has always been quite conceited, and no one among his colleagues can really admire him, so he has always been arrogant.

But since he got acquainted with Song Zhewu in Wushengguan, he has admired this young man more and more, especially today's conversation, which made Han Fuyu feel like he was suddenly opened.

Indeed, even if his boss Feng drove out Chiang Kai-shek, what would he Han Fuyu get? With his understanding of Feng Yuxiang, he would never give him Han Fuyu's military power again, and once Feng Yuxiang decided, he never changed it easily. The reason why he asked Han Fuyu to lead the 100,000 troops to garrison Wushengguan this time and wait for an opportunity to move was by no means Feng Yuxiang's change of heart, and of course it was not to promote and reuse him Han Fuyu. Instead, Li Zhongxing, Wei Fenglou, Ji Hongchang, Zhang Zizhong, Cheng Xixian, Shi Yousan and others are not subordinate to each other, and their qualifications and positions are almost the same.

Among those in the Northwest Army who have the qualifications and ability to take this post, there are only Song Zheyuan, chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Political Axe, Lu Zhonglin, who acted in Nanjing as Minister of Military Affairs because Feng Yuxiang did not take up the post of Minister of Military Affairs, Liu Yufen, chairman of the Gansu Provincial Political Axe, Sun Liangcheng, chairman of Shandong Province, and Han Fuyu, him. Han Fuyu knew that these people couldn't get out, so Feng Yuxiang had no choice but to think of him Han Fuyu again. Moreover, these 100,000 people are only temporarily under his command, if he Han Fuyu carries out Feng Yuxiang's orders, these people will still obey him Han Fuyu; If he, Han Fuyu, did not carry out Feng Yuxiang's orders, then he would not be able to move a single soldier.

He was only a titular commander-in-chief of the Fourth Route Army, and he could even be said to be Feng Yuxiang's herald.

Since Feng Yuxiang is suspicious of him, even if he really defeats Chiang Kai-shek, he will never let him lead the troops again, and the best situation is probably to let him be the provincial chairman for a few more years. And it is true that as Song Zhewu said, Feng Yuxiang ruled the army with his family, disciplined himself very much, and his majesty was stricter. Regarding Feng Yuxiang's approach, not only he Han Fuyu was dissatisfied, but also many colleagues in the Northwest Army, such as Shi Yousan, Ma Hongkui, Pang Bingxun, etc., often complained to him. Even Song Zheyuan, one of Feng Yuxiang's Five Tiger Generals, had many complaints.

Song Zhewu knew Feng Yuxiang clearly, but he couldn't see it through. Han Fuyu is an old man who was earlier with Feng Yuxiang, in his opinion, Feng Yuxiang was born in the army, and he can be extremely prosperous for a while, and he has his own outstanding strengths. Feng Yuxiang is very enterprising, with perseverance and perseverance beyond ordinary people. Because of its rise in the ranks, it can not only work hard, but also understand the psychology of soldiers, and is very clear about the mentality of soldiers and sophisticated people at the bottom, so every speech to officers and soldiers or the people can very well grasp their psychology and win sympathy. Feng Yuxiang has always taken patriotism as his own responsibility, and he has a strong desire to be a leader. In the Second Zhifeng War, he first joined forces with the Feng army to launch the Yanjing coup d'état, betrayed Wu Peifu, and caused Wu Peifu to be defeated in the wilderness, and then secretly made a secret agreement with Guo Songling to oppose Feng; During the Northern Expedition, he first accepted the help of [***] and the arms of the Soviet Union, and then followed Chiang Kai-shek to clear the party; In this Jiang-Gui war, he first agreed with the Gui family to jointly oppose Chiang, and although there were vacillations, he eventually helped Chiang to oppose Gui. From these things, it can be seen that Feng Yuxiang is a person who is never willing to be subservient. In Han Fuyu's view, these are Feng Yuxiang's strengths.

But Feng Yuxiang's shortcomings are also obvious, the amount of gas is too narrow and cannot accommodate things. Han Fuyu thought that this was caused by Feng Yuxiang's lack of reading and self-cultivation, so he often acted with spirit when making important decisions; Feng Yuxiang also likes to be wise and self-heroic, and he lacks sincerity in power. At this point, Han Fuyu thinks that this is a common disease since ancient times. These Han Fuyu felt that they were not fatal weaknesses.

Han Fuyu believes that Feng Yuxiang's biggest weakness is that he is not bold enough, he is very interested in the stakes, and he often does not see his great ones between gains and losses. This is all because Feng Yuxiang was born as a soldier, started from a small capital, led the army from the back, was cautious and cherished, fearing losses, and lacked full cultivation of strategy and tactics, and was often not decisive enough in the use of troops. Feng Yuxiang's excessive caution was the main reason for several military defeats of the Northwest Army.

For example, at the end of the 14th year of the Republic of China, at the beginning of Tianjin, Han Fuyu discussed with Zhang Zhijiang that if the national army wanted to maintain the results of the war, it must have the Zhili area, and it must go east along the Jingfeng Railway to Shanhaiguan, and pursue it south along the Jinpu Road to Dezhou, Shandong. Zhang Zhijiang agreed, believing that with Song Zheyuan leading the army south, Sun Lianzhong leading the cavalry eastward and entering the Choshan Pass, it could not only block the Feng army outside the pass, but also oppress Zhang Zongchang, and also enable the Northwest Army to have a broad depth and can calmly maneuver. Who knows, after reporting to Feng, Feng Yuxiang was worried about the dispersion of military strength and did not dare to expand, so he not only reprimanded him, but also strictly ordered him to stick to Tianjin and not advance again. Feng Yuxiang lacked strategic acumen and only focused on a corner of Tianjin, but he did not know that if there was no advance base, it would be difficult for Tianjin to hold for a long time. Later, after his repeated pleas by Han Fuyu, he explained the benefits and harms, at least to go north to Tangshan and end in Cangzhou, but it was too late. Zhang Zongchang led the army to counterattack the national army from Dezhou, and the soldiers went out of Shanhaiguan. Under the attack of the Zhilu Feng coalition army from the north and south, Tianjin was forced to give up.

Han Fuyu, who had been pondering for a long time, suddenly felt that Song Zhewu was watching him all the time, knowing that he was a little out of shape, and hurriedly covered up and said: "Wen Ge, you said that Lao Jiang is the most suitable to be the leader of the country, I don't dare to agree with this. In my opinion, Lao Jiang's governance is not as good as Li Zongren and Yan Xishan; Leading troops to fight is not as good as Bai Chongxi and Mr. Feng. He is not the most suitable and best national leader. ”

Song Zhewu explained: "Big brother misunderstood me, I don't mean that Chairman Jiang is the best national leader, I just say that he is the most suitable person among the various factions in the country today. The eldest brother is right, he is not as good as Li Zongren and Yan Xishan in governing the place; led the troops to fight, and was not as good as Bai Chongxi and Feng Yuxiang; There is also grasping money to expand the financial route, and he is not as good as Yan Xishan. However, the leader of a country does not have to meet these conditions, the leader of a country should be a statesman and commander-in-chief, and the leader of a country, especially the leader of a large country like ours, only needs to come up with the correct major policies, and does not need to be personally involved in everything. Li Zongren was an excellent administrator and military commander, Feng Yuxiang was a strict parent, and Yan Xishan was just a Shanxi businessman who understood economics and was good at managing money, and neither of them possessed the talent and demeanor of a country's leader. The leader of a country should not only have the power of a statesman, the means to open up and close vertically and horizontally, but also have an open mind, a vision to recognize people and be good at their duties, perseverance and tenacity, and even have the great perseverance to seek perfection and endure humiliation. Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan do not have these. Li Zongren is generous, but his power and scheming are insufficient; Feng Yuxiang is very strict with himself, but he is also strict with others and has no tolerance; Yan Xishan is not only leisurely and indecisive, but also narrow-minded and jealous. On the other hand, Chairman Jiang, he knows people and can use them, he can use people's strengths, and even tolerate people's shortcomings, which at least Feng Yuxiang can't do. Another example is Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, who is not as good as Xiao He in literature, not as good as Han Xin in martial arts, and not as good as Zhang Liang in terms of power strategy, but he still dominates China and opens the foundation of the Han family for hundreds of years. ”

Han Fuyu saw that Song Zhewu stopped talking, and asked again: "So, you decided to rebel against Yan and join Jiang." ”

Song Zhewu, a traverser, was very sensitive to the word mutiny, and said with a somewhat unnatural smile: "I said big brother, don't say it so ugly, I have just said that I voted for Shang Zhen, chairman of Hebei Province, not Yan Xishan, chairman of Shaanxi Province, and my troops have never been included in the sequence of the Jin Sui army, how can I betray Yan Xishan." Moreover, Chairman Chiang appointed me as the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Route Army of the Rebel Army, and Chairman Shang agreed, even Yan Xishan supported it, and I am still obeying Yan Xishan's orders, and I have just received a telegram from him asking me to return to the north, and I have come to Hankou this time to resign to Chairman Chiang. ”

After a pause, Song Zhewu said to Han Fuyu with a smile: "Even if it is a betrayal, it is understandable, as the old saying goes: 'A good bird chooses a tree to rest, and a good minister chooses the master.'" "What's more, isn't your boss Feng carrying the jade handsome Wu Peifu on the back, Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin on the second, the Soviet Union and the Communist Party on the third, and the covenant with Li Zongren on the fourth? ”

Han Fuyu didn't speak, just slowly lit another cigarette, took a deep breath, turned his face to the car window, looked at the speeding scenery outside, and pondered......

(To be continued)