Zhang Yafei's movements Song Zhewu saw in his eyes, concealed the light of the cigarette, took a puff, and said steadily: "With the continuous expansion of our joint-stock company, we will also absorb private capital in the future, and I want to make our "Xinghua" not only the largest company in the country, but also one of the largest companies in Asia and even the world." ”

After a pause, I saw that everyone was listening intently to him again. Song Zhewu decided to cheer up these people, and said, "I want to tell you a secret." ”

Hearing that Song Zhewu was going to tell the secret, everyone put away their excitement and waited for Song Zhewu to speak quietly.

Song Zhewu looked at Xiao Guodong, Wang Xu, and Liang Fang, and said with a smile: "I am very interested in chemical engineering, if I get rid of my military position now and bury my head in scientific research, I can proudly and confidently say that I, Song Zhewu, is one of the greatest scientists in the world." ”

Seeing that all the people, including Xiao Guodong, Wang Xu, Liang Fang, and others, showed extremely surprised expressions, Song Zhewu pretended to be proud and said: "When I was in Germany, although I studied military affairs in Dresden, I have always been interested in chemical engineering and other scientific knowledge. At that time, Brother Xiao, Chief of Staff Wang, and Master Liang all advised me not to always go to Berlin to mess around. ”

Hearing Song Zhewu say this, Xiao Guodong couldn't help but glance at him, Song Zhewu didn't care, and was just about to speak, when suddenly there was a sharp pain in his waist, Song Zhewu knew that he was poisoned by Li Rujuan in the back, but he didn't dare to have the slightest inappropriate expression, and continued to say with a smile: "Actually, I didn't go to Berlin to have fun, I went to Berlin to find information and ask for teaching." ”

The real owner of this body, the real Song Zhewu, ran to Berlin every once in a while, as for what to do, Xiao Guodong and the others could figure it out with their toes. A few people didn't try to persuade him. In order to explain his proficiency in chemical engineering, Song Zhewu had to justify himself.

"Chief of Staff Xiao and Chief of Staff Wang know that Wang Mingyang is a master of chemical engineering in the UK, and now he thinks he is my student and can be a teacher for the master of chemical engineering in Liuyang, which is enough to show my level as a teacher. Moreover, Wang Mingyang has now developed nylon under my guidance, and this nylon is only a transliteration, mainly for the convenience of applying for patents abroad. This nylon is very useful, it alone will bring us countless wealth, and now that our patents in the United States and Europe have been approved, as soon as we take Shanxi, we will build factories to produce. ”

In fact, as for what Song Zhewu said, 'He went to Berlin to study and ask for teaching.' Xiao Guodong, Wang Xu, and Liang Fang don't believe it very much, if it's really as Song Zhewu said, then why have they never seen him read these books? However, Wang Mingyang's master's degree in chemical engineering is genuine, and they have all seen that Wang Mingyang can't help but respect Song Zhewu very much, and he must be called a teacher. Moreover, I also admired Song Zhewu's knowledge. Wang Mingyang personally said, 'If Song Zhewu does not join the army, but concentrates on scientific research, he must be a very great scientist, and the research that Song Zhewu is now guiding him to do cannot be compared to the professors he studied in the UK. Song Zhewu is fully qualified to be a teacher for those professors. These things made Xiao Guodong and the others have to believe that Song Zhewu was telling the truth.

Xiao Guodong said with emotion: "Yes! When we were in Berlin, Vengo went to Berlin a lot, and I thought ......"

The next sentence Xiao Guodong didn't have to say, don't say that Song Zhewu is now the head of hundreds of thousands of people, even Li Rujuan can't say anything that damages Song Zhewu's image.

In his opinion, whether it is army building or military training, Song Zhewu can be called outstanding, and some of his ideas and practices are not comparable to him in some aspects, even the German army, which has the most advanced military thinking today. Song Zhewu is also outstanding in business and scientific research, and in his opinion, Song Zhewu can almost be said to be a genius. It's just that Song Zhewu has done a bad job, that is, he still doesn't feel like a superior.

In the Fourth Route Army, Xiao Guodong knows Song Zhewu best, and he also knows the inside story of the Fourth Route Army best, and even he knows everything about the Fourth Route Army. However, for Song Zhewu to set up these two institutions without consulting him, Xiao Guodong was not only not angry, but on the contrary, he was very happy. He thinks that this is Song Zhewu starting to act arbitrarily, although Song Zhewu himself has not realized it, but this is the initial mentality of the superiors. Even he greeted the people below cryptically, asking them to pay attention to maintaining Song Zhewu's authority and image.

Xiao Guodong paused for a moment and said: "We all thought that Wen Ge was going to Berlin to play, but we didn't expect Wen Ge to study and study in secret. Our study in Dresden was very intense, Wenge not only learned so much, but also did not delay his studies in the military school, every subject was excellent, Wenge was really a genius. ”

Song Zhewu's study in Dresden was only average, definitely not excellent, he knew that Xiao Guodong was putting gold on his face, and changed the topic and said: "In this way, you should all believe that our company will make a lot of money." ”

Zhang Yafei was busy and said loudly: "Commander, I believe in you!" Not to mention millions of dollars, even hundreds of thousands of oceans a year, it is enough for my grandson to eat. ”

Then he said in an envious tone: "This kid is really blessed, before he was born, our commander gave him a future livelihood." ”

Zhang Yafei's words caused a burst of laughter, and even Li Rujuan behind Song Zhewu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhang Tao smiled and said: "I said Yafei, you don't even have a daughter-in-law, where does your grandson come from?" Besides, how do you know you must have a son? You have to sum up this matter with Wang Yali first. ”

The crowd burst into laughter again. Zhang Yafei said nonchalantly: "I'll tell Yali in a while, so that she must have a son in the future." But your daughter-in-law Zhang Tao hasn't been seen yet, you have to hurry. Just now, the commander said that the money is for your children and grandchildren, and if you don't find a daughter-in-law, the money won't be given to you. ”

Zhang Yafei and Wang Yali have been very close recently, Li Rujuan has already told Song Zhewu, and Song Zhewu is also very happy for Zhang Yafei.

Song Zhewu finally managed to hold back a smile and said: "Everyone should be clear about the current situation and family background of our Fourth Route Army, and now I want to make clear to you the recent work of our Fourth Route Army and the development direction and development goals within a year." ”

Song Zhewu glanced at everyone and said with a solemn face: "All work must serve the goal, but what is our short-term goal?" ”

Song Zhewu said in an accentuated tone: "Our immediate goal is to seize Shanxi. Then, with Shanxi as our base area, we will vigorously develop the economy and national defense industry, and continue to develop and strengthen our Fourth Route Army. This goal must be achieved within a year. ”

Regarding Song Zhewu's plot against Shanxi, except for Li Sichi and Xu Zheng, everyone else here has more or less feelings, so everyone is not very surprised by Song Zhewu's words. The clearest and most aware are Xiao Guodong, Wang Xu, Tao Rong, Li Wentian, and Ye Changgui.

Song Zhewu had discussed and discussed the issue of Shanxi with Xiao Guodong many times, and the people of Ye Changgui's special brigade had already secretly arranged by Ye Changgui in the warehouses of the Fourth Route Army in Taiyuan, Datong, and Suiyuan in accordance with Song Zhewu's intentions, and even the people of Ye Changgui's special brigade had secretly surveyed many roads from Laiyuan to Shanxi, including the mountain paths that were not conducive to the march of large troops.

Although they were not surprised by the capture of Shanxi, they felt that it was very difficult for Song Zhewu to seize Shanxi and drive away Yan Xishan within a year. However, due to the development plan of the Fourth Route Army for many years, although Song Zhewu also discussed with Xiao Guodong, most of them were Song Zhewu who raised questions and goals, Xiao Guodong was responsible for the specific implementation, and everyone else had to obey absolutely. In other words, in the major affairs of the Fourth Route Army, Song Zhewu alone had the final say, and everyone conscientiously implemented it according to Song Zhewu's intentions.

Especially in the last turmoil, Xu Zheng was removed by Song Zhewu without hesitation, and everyone did not dare to go against Song Zhewu's orders or even intentions, even Zhang Yafei, Gao Zongbao, Wei Guanghui, Liang Fang, Wu Jin, Song Zhewu's classmates and the veterans of the Fourth Route Army did not dare, everyone is just doing things according to Song Zhewu's orders now.

Moreover, facts have proved that what Song Zhewu has done over the years is correct, and the Fourth Route Army has today, not only because Song Zhewu has money to support it, but also because Song Zhewu has wisdom, because he made the right decision, and now although the Fourth Route Army has developed into the leading force in China, it has not caused Chiang Kai-shek's uneasiness like Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Yan Xishan and others, and he will want to uproot it as soon as possible. All of these people here, especially Tao Rong, Li Wentian, and Li Sichi, have been in it, and they feel even deeper. What Song Zhewu is doing now is better than what Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, and Yan Xishan have done militarily alone, but Chiang Kai-shek was able to tolerate the development of the Fourth Route Army, which cannot but surprise them, nor can they admire Song Zhewu's methods.

Despite this, these people here still think that Song Zhewu's one-year goal is difficult to achieve. Yan Xishan has been operating in Shanxi for more than 20 years, which can be said to be deep-rooted, and the Jin Suijun is known for being good at guarding, and it is not easy to take Shanxi. But thinking about it, as long as Song Zhewu makes a decision now, they will resolutely implement it without hesitation, so they are quietly waiting for Song Zhewu's next step.

Regarding the fact that these generals rarely raised different opinions in front of him, Song Zhewu was a little helpless. In the early days of the founding of the army, there were many things that Song Zhewu often discussed with them, but with the continuous development and growth of the Fourth Route Army and the prestige of Song Zhewu in the Fourth Route Army, major matters in the army were basically only discussed with Xiao Guodong and Wang Xu. It was such a discussion, and it was Song Zhewu who persuaded them in the name of discussion, and Xiao Guodong and Wang Xu only added details according to Song Zhewu's opinion.

Song Zhewu also believed that such a situation was not very good for the development of the Fourth Route Army, and that authority must be absolutely guaranteed, and if anyone dared to challenge his authority in the Fourth Route Army, then he would never be soft. However, proper boiling is also very beneficial, and if it is all his word, some things will inevitably be ill-considered.

Because of this, Song Zhewu attached great importance to the arrival of Tao Rong, Li Wentian, Li Sichi, Zhao Fengwu and others, and he believed that the Fourth Route Army was in great need of fresh blood. Especially Tao Rong and Li Wentian, these two have similar surnames, both have wisdom but at the same time are a little upright. It's just that Tao Rong will hide her thoughts deeper, but she is still straightforward and honest in her bones. Song Zhewu believes that for such people, as long as they treat each other sincerely, they will also "repay them".

All the people in the Fourth Route Army, as long as they did not openly oppose him, Song Zhewu would accept it very much. Of course, the premise is that it must be correct. Because of this, Song Zhewu even likes Xu Fang who dares to change orders on the spot.

Wei Guanghui's cavalry army actually only had more than 30,000 people, and the remaining 70,000 people were infantry who could ride horses. Song Zhewu just wanted a powerful force with a highly mobile surname, although in order to maintain the mobile surname Song Zhewu had to sacrifice the firepower of this unit, only equipped these troops of more than 70,000 people with 60mm and 82mm mortars, and did not equip any mountain artillery that was inconvenient to carry immediately. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of this strange army, Song Zhewu selected a large number of officers at all levels with combat experience to enrich it. It's just that this actual infantry unit has always been led by Wei Guanghui, a cavalry general, which makes Song Zhewu very uneasy. In order not to attract the attention of others, Song Zhewu has never dared to send Zhang Yafei, Gao Zongbao, and Zhang Tao, the generals he assured, to command.

However, because the war was approaching, there was no powerful general with actual combat experience that Song Zhewu trusted to command this army, and Song Zhewu really couldn't put his mind at ease. However, this time Song Zhewu decided to let Xu Fang go to the cavalry army to lead this cavalry infantry, of course, now nominally only serving as Wei Guanghui's chief of staff.

Looking at the silent crowd, Song Zhewu said helplessly: "Once Ben does something to us, he will first take the northeast." Not only because the Northeast is located in a corner of China's territory, but also because although the Northeast has changed banners, the Northeast is still relatively outside the central government. In addition, he said that he not only has many vested interests in the northeast, but also has a presence in the eastern army, and it is very easy for them to stir up trouble in the northeast. However, the central political axe was forced by domestic political, economic, and military pressure and weakness, and without touching the ruling foundation of the central political axe in Guannai, it would not have an excessive reaction. And once the Northeast falls, North China will be the forefront of the War of Resistance. It's just that many cities in Hebei and Henan are located on plains, which are extremely unfavorable for defense, and such places cannot be used as our reliable rear. In China, only Sichuan and Shanxi are suitable as rear bases. Although Sichuan has the most ideal conditions in all aspects, it is located in the hinterland, and it is not the front line of resistance against the Japanese, so it is not suitable for us. Shanxi is not only on the front line of the Anti-Japanese War, but also has very superior geographical conditions. Shanxi is surrounded by mountains on three sides, facing the river on one side, which is conducive to defense. In particular, Taiyuan's industrial base is very good, take Taiyuan's arsenal as an example, not only can it imitate a lot of weapons, but also can produce ammunition of all calibers, and the production capacity is still very large. At present, only our Fourth Route Army and the Jin Sui Army use live ammunition in domestic training, and most of our ammunition is bought with our own money, while the Jin Sui Army is produced by themselves. Once we control Shanxi and Suiyuan, we can send divisions to defend the four directions. Wei Guanghui's cavalry corps was stationed in Suiyuan and Datong, and two to three divisions were sent to control the pass in the eastern mountainous area to Jin, and one to two divisions defended the Zhongtiao Mountains in the south. Shanxi is in our hands, which is equivalent to closing half of the door for the army to go south, and can even control the traffic of the Longhai and Pinghan railways to a certain extent. Even if the army marches west from southern Hebei to Henan, he will send heavy troops to garrison the front line of Kaifeng and Luoyang, in case our Fourth Route Army goes south to cut off his back road. It can be said that by holding Shanxi, the peace of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan, half of northern China, will also be guaranteed. ”

"Good! As long as we have a solid rear in Shanxi, we can seize the opportunity to attack, advance eastward to threaten Pingjin, and southward to flank the westward and southward Chinese army. Li Wentian said excitedly and loudly.

These people present were also excited by Song Zhewu's words and applauded one after another. Zhang Yafei blushed with excitement, slapped the table and said loudly: "I really didn't expect Shanxi to be so important, and such a good place was occupied by Yan Xishan." Commander, you give the order, our first division will take the lead, and I promise to arrest Yan Laoxi to the commander. ”

Song Zhewu was also infected by everyone's emotions, and said in a firm tone: "As long as we can take Shanxi within a year, actively develop, and expand our armaments, if we don't come, I will be able to lead you to their hometown." ”

Wei Guanghui also said loudly: "Commander, you just give an order, we are going to make a decision on Shanxi." ”

Song Zhewu took a sip of water, stabilized his excitement and said, "Yes, we are going to settle in Shanxi." Now the question is how do we take Shanxi? It's just that this matter can't be urgent, the terrain of Shanxi is dangerous, and if we attack strongly, even if we take Shanxi, our own casualties will be very large. In particular, we are now actually surrounded by the Jin Sui army, and once we attack Shanxi, we will inevitably be besieged by the Jin Sui army on all sides, and it is impossible for us to import weapons and ammunition from Tianjin. Moreover, it is very likely to create conditions for the Central Army and even the Northwest Army to enter Shanxi. The Northwest Army is okay, but if the Central Army enters Shanxi, it is difficult to say whether Chiang Kai-shek will hand over Shanxi to us. ”

(To be continued)