On 13 March, Li Jishen arrived in Shanghai with the Cantonese delegates attending the Third Plenary Session of the Kuomintang Central Committee, and Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed Li Jishen to go north to Beijing under the pretext of mediating the Hunan case. Ignoring the dissuasion of Li Zongren and others, Li arrived in Nanjing on March 13, and was imprisoned by Chiang Kai-shek in Tangshan on the outskirts of Beijing on the 21st. At this point, Chiang Kai-shek eliminated the concerns of the union of Guangdong and Guangxi, and decided to send troops to attack the Gui faction.

On March 20, Liao Lei's 53rd Division showed signs of instability, and that night, Bai Chongxi disguised himself as Liao Lei's wife and boarded a ship from Tanggu with the help of Liao Lei and left Tianjin. Bai Chongxi heeded Song Zhewu's advice, arrived in Benben first, and then returned to Guangxi via Vietnam. On the 21st, Tang Shengzhi went ashore in Tianjin, and Chiang Kai-shek officially appointed Tang Shengzhi as the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Route Army, stationed in Shijiazhuang. Tang Shengzhi dismissed Liao Lei from the post of commander of the 53rd Division and formed the Eighth Army, with Li Pinxian as the commander.

On March 21, Chiang Kai-shek made a resolution at the Third Plenary Session of the Kuomintang Central Committee to permanently expel Li Zongren, Li Jishen, and Bai Chongxi from the party. On March 26, Chiang Kai-shek ordered a crusade against the Gui family. In the name of the national political axe, he issued a "crusade order" stating that Li Zongren, Li Jishen, Bai Chongxi, and others "eliminated the revolution in the name of revolution" and "are actually an obstacle to the national revolution and traitors to the righteousness of Sanming." In addition to removing them from their posts and awaiting investigation, they also ordered all the troops at the front to carry out a bitter crusade against the troops under the Gui system.

After Ye Changgui left, Song Zhewu found Xiao Guodong and Wang Xu to discuss the next action plan. Song Zhewu believes that the battle between Jiang and Gui is about to break out, and now the defeat of the Gui system is decided. When Chiang Kai-shek in Nanjing was crusading against the Gui faction, in order to exaggerate his orthodox status and central authority, he inevitably summoned a local powerful faction to jointly attack and defeat the Gui faction. This is a good opportunity for the security army to send troops, except for the first division of the security army to fight a low-intensity battle, the second and third divisions have not yet passed the test of the big war, just to pull the troops out, fight a few big battles, temper the team, and can also arouse the favor of Lao Jiang.

Xiao Guodong and Wang Xu disagreed with his idea, they thought that Laiyuan must leave a teacher to watch the family. Although Song Zhewu repeatedly said that Yan Xishan did not dare to fight Laiyuan's idea at this time, the two just disagreed. Helplessly, Song Zhewu had no choice but to agree. Since it was decided to send troops, it was necessary to make arrangements first, and according to the orders of the three people, the staff headquarters immediately took action. First of all, the second and third divisions were ordered to prepare for dispatch, and a brigade of Wei Guanghui's cavalry was transferred back to Laiyuan, and set off with the baggage brigade, and at the same time, all kinds of materials were assembled in Handan in advance. On March 21, Chiang Kai-shek made a resolution at the Third Plenary Session of the Kuomintang Central Committee to permanently expel Li Zongren, Li Jishen, and Bai Chongxi from the party, and immediately sent a report to Lin Wei, resolutely supporting Chairman Chiang's crusade against the Gui faction and demanding that troops be sent to quell the rebellion. Lin Wei quickly replied: "Hearing that Brother Wen Ge and my brother support the rebellion, the chairman of the committee is very relieved. Wangdi is actively preparing for war, and there will be orders to be issued. Brother Xiwu fought bravely and made great achievements! ”

On March 26, Chiang Kai-shek ordered a crusade against the Gui family. On the 28th, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Zhu Peide to be the commander-in-chief of the 1st Route of the Rebel Army, and led the 3rd and 5th Armies to attack the Wu (Chang) Chang (Sha) Road from Jiujiang and Nanchang to the west, so as to cut off the retreat of the Gui Army; With Liu Zhi as the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Road, he led the 1st and 2nd armies to take Wuhan from the Anhui-Hubei border along the Yangtze River to the west; Han Fuyu was the commander-in-chief of the 3rd Route and led the 6th and 7th armies, starting from Nanyang and Xinyang to attack Wuhan in the south; With Song Zhewu as the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Route Army, he led the newly formed First and Second Divisions to cooperate with the Third Route Army Han Fuyu to attack Wuhan in the direction of Xinyang; Chen Tiaoyuan as the commander-in-chief of the reserve; Chiang Kai-shek set up a retrograde camp in Jiujiang, personally sat in the battle to supervise the division, and planned to fight in two phases: the first phase was aimed at capturing Wuhan, and the second phase was to clear the Gui army in southern Hunan and Liangguang. At the same time, an order was issued that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions and Cavalry Divisions of the Hebei Security Army were the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions of the National Revolutionary Army and the 1st Division of the New Cavalry, and the original numbers were cancelled. At this point, Song Zhewu's security army officially became a formal unit of the National Revolutionary Army from a local unit. This also marked the official recognition of Song Zhewu as a local powerhouse with heavy troops.

Song Zhewu, who received the telegram, felt that he had to send a telegram to Yan Xishan, without Yan Xishan's consent, if he easily sent troops, he would immediately turn against Yan Xishan, then he would not only be wary of him, but also to deal with him.

The telegram sent by Song Zhewu to Yan Xishan was to the effect that after receiving an order from Nanjing, you should personally lead the 1st and 2nd Divisions, the Baggage Brigade and the 1st Cavalry Division to Wuhan, and ask Chairman Yan to decide when to send troops.

Song Zhewu knew that Yan Xishan was the first to send a telegram on the 29th to support Nanjing's crusade against the Gui faction, and he would not risk offending Chiang Kai-shek to stop him from sending troops.

Although Yan Xishan privately promised to support Chiang Kai-shek's crusade against the Gui faction, he neither sent a telegram nor raised troops. However, seeing that Chiang Kai-shek's crusade ordered the Northwest Army to send 100,000 troops, while scolding Feng Yuxiang, he regretted that he did not send troops to participate and could not get a piece of the pie. At this time, receiving Song Zhewu's telegram, Yan Xishan's eyes couldn't help but light up, slapped his head, and said in his heart: "How did I forget him, isn't this my subordinate!" Excitedly, Yan Xishan immediately ordered his subordinates to send a telegram to support Chiang Kai-shek's crusade against the Gui faction, and in the telegram ordered Song Zhewu's troops to go south to Wuhan to defeat the Gui faction. Later, he sent a secret telegram to Song Zhewu, sending Song Zhewu a large amount of ammunition and allocating 1 million yuan in military expenses. The telegram also hinted to Song Zhewu that he should be careful that Chiang Kai-shek and Feng Yuxiang swallow up his troops and preserve their strength. It is necessary to keep in touch with him at all times to prepare for the march.

Yan Xishan's crusade was telegraphed one day earlier than in history, and Song Zhewu, who received the telegram, was very uneasy, his wings finally made history change a little!

According to the plan drawn up by the War Department, it was impossible to carry all the combat materials, so Song Zhewu directly sent a telegram to the Nanjing Military and Political Department, requesting the establishment of a military station in Zhengzhou and asking the Military and Political Department to coordinate with the Henan side. On the same day, the Ministry of Military Affairs sent a telegram saying that Han Fuyu had agreed to set up a military station in Zhengzhou, and at the same time informed that the train of the Fourth Route Army had arrived in Handan. Since this military station will be the general military station of Song Zhewu's Fourth Route Army fighting abroad, it is very important, Xiao Guodong personally took a regiment of the baggage brigade and a squadron of the special brigade to set off in advance to arrange the affairs of the military station.

Song Zhewu knew that after Chiang Kai-shek issued the order for a general attack on March 30, he would attack Wuhan for a long time on April 4, and he must strive to reach Wuhan around April 4. Therefore, Song Zhewu, who had already arrived in Handan with his headquarters, immediately ordered the Second Division, which had already arrived in Handan to standby, and the First Division stationed in Handan, to immediately open up. Wu Jin led the baggage brigade and cavalry brigade to escort hundreds of trucks overland to Zhengzhou. In order to speed up the march, all of them took the car, and the materials that could not be carried were transported to Handan first, and then the train arrived in Zhengzhou. Song Zhewu's troops rushed to Zhengzhou on the 29th.

Xiao Guodong, who got on the train in Zhengzhou, said that Han Fuyu's seven divisions, including Li Zhongxing, Wei Fenglou, Zhang Zizhong, Cheng Xixian, and Ji Hongchang, had already entered Wusheng Pass, and that he had only met with Han Fuyu and several of his division commanders, and that he had already ordered Wang Xinggang, who had come with him, to take an advance team to follow Han Fuyu's Third Route Army headquarters to Xinyang so as to arrange the stationing of troops in advance. "Ji Hongchang?" Song Zhewu couldn't help but be a little surprised, although he had seen many celebrities in this era and had some immunity to these historical celebrities, he really wanted to meet people like Ji Hongchang who were very famous in later generations. Ji Hongchang's swan song on the verge of execution made him admire it very much: "If you don't resist death, you will be ashamed today." "A man is about to die, and his words are good; The bird is dying, and its song is mourning. Song Zhewu believes that this farewell poem is definitely the true words of Ji Hongchang, a man with a blood surname.

After filling coal and water at Zhengzhou Station, the train went straight to Xinyang.

It was already 5 p.m. on the 30th after the train arrived in Xinyang, and Wang Xinggang met them at the station with the members of the advance team and a staff officer of the Third Route Army Headquarters. The deputy division commanders and chiefs of staff of the two divisions arranged for the troops to rest at the garrison with the personnel of the advance group, and Song Zhewu, Xiao Guodong, Zhang Yafei, Gao Zongbao, Wang Xinggang, and others held a meeting on the train.

Wang Xinggang first introduced the situation of the advance team: "The work of the advance team is quite smooth, Han Fuyu does not make any difficulties, although the Northwest Army is not enthusiastic, it is still very cooperative, but Shi Yousan's troops are a little hostile to us. There are also two pieces of news, one is that it is said that when Han Fuyu was in Zhengzhou, Feng Yuxiang wanted to transfer his only armament, the pistol team, away, Han Fuyu refused, and was punished by Feng Yuxiang for standing guard for more than two hours, before under the persuasion of his colleagues in the Northwest Army, Han Fuyu knelt down to Feng Yuxiang and apologized. The second thing is that Ji Hongchang had a big quarrel with Han Fuyu today, as far as he knows, Ji Hongchang's 22nd Division came in a hurry, and the logistics baggage has not arrived, and the troops have run out of food, so they are looking for Han Fuyu. Han Fuyu, as the commander-in-chief of the military rations, had already distributed them, and refused to allocate them, or even borrow them. With Han Fuyu's attitude, other troops did not dare to lend him. I heard that Ji Hongchang's baggage will take two days to arrive at the earliest. ”

Although Feng Yuxiang gave Han Fuyu the position of chairman of Henan Province, he removed the commander of Han Fuyu's 20th Division, and Han Fuyu was left with only a pistol team composed of elite soldiers he drew from various units. Feng Yuxiang asked for it, and he naturally gave it. But Feng Yuxiang did too much, and even punished Han Fuyu, a dignified provincial chairman, to stand guard for him! In this way, Song Zhewu was very surprised, Feng Yuxiang's paternalistic style, Han Fuyu did not rebel, it is strange. But Ji Hongchang's affairs made him care, Ji Hongchang was his subordinate when he was a brigade commander in Han Fuyu before, and the two did not get along with Feng Yuxiang before transferring Ji Hongchang out, and it was strange that Han Fuyu didn't give him small shoes. Song Zhewu thought that Ji Hongchang's troops would be the main force of the volunteers in the Chadong War of Resistance in the future......

After everyone asked a few more questions, Song Zhewu ordered the first and second divisions to do a good job of defensive positions at night according to wartime, this is not Laiyuan, let alone around friendly troops, and they must be vigilant. He also said to Xiao Guodong: "Our baggage is transported along the railway line, and it can be replenished quickly, you will send him 30,000 catties of grain tonight, and give him 30,000 boxes of our canned meat." ”

At the end of last year, due to the large number of cattle and sheep sent back by Wei Guanghui, Song Zhewu built a canning factory for a while. It was for this expedition to prepare for the war.

Xiao Guodong thought for a while and said, "Wen Ge, you should go to meet Han Fuyu tonight, is it appropriate for us to send food to Ji Hongchang's department?" ”

Song Zhewu thought for a while and said, "Just do it, I have a way." "Xinggang, after eating, you accompany me to see Han Fuyu."

Ask for recommendations! Collect!