"Chairman, you have a word. It's been a few days, and I'm watching the war in North China slowly calm down, but I'm getting more and more anxious, but you, but there is no movement..."Seeing the chairman with a smile on his face and still silent, the commander-in-chief continued to ask.

"Boss, despite the plan to enter the Northeast, several people in our Politburo have already formed a unified opinion. However, it is not as easy as we imagined to successfully enter the Northeast. It just so happened that Enlai came over, let Enlai tell you the specific reason why we did not hold a meeting of the Politburo and decided to send troops to the northeast..."Looking at the commander-in-chief with an anxious face, and seeing Vice Chairman Zhou who came in a hurry, the chairman smiled and said..."Enlai, the chairman said, let me ask you the specific reason. If you don't tell me the reason for coming here today, and let me know the specific reason, I will not leave the chairman's place..."In the face of the chairman's answer, the commander-in-chief's temper seemed to come, and he sat on a stool in the office angrily, and said to Vice Chairman Zhou, who came in a hurry, with an unhappy face.

Looking at the commander-in-chief who didn't have a good face in front of him, he looked at the chairman who was sitting in front of the work and was working with a smile on his face. Vice Chairman Zhou's face did not show any displeasure. After placing another cup of tea on the table next to the commander-in-chief, he sat down beside him and said: "Boss, you can't blame the chairman for this problem, the reason why we delayed the Politburo meeting and made the final decision to send troops to the northeast. It is because, after the reader left Shanxi, there were still two things to deal with the aftermath, and he had not yet come up with a specific solution. Until a concrete solution is come up with, the reader simply can't move...."

"What's the matter? It's so difficult, it's been so long, and I haven't come up with a concrete solution. Come on, don't you sell it to me...? Speaking of business, the commander-in-chief seemed to have immediately forgotten the unpleasantness in his heart just now. His face immediately furrowed his brows, and he asked eagerly at Vice Chairman Zhou in front of him.

"Enlai, it just so happens that the three of us are here today, let's talk about these two problems, and the three of us will have a good exchange of opinions and try to come up with a proper solution. As long as these two issues are resolved, we will be able to convene an enlarged meeting of the Politburo to decide on the specific plan and time for sending troops to the northeast..." The chairman stopped what he was doing and said to the two people sitting in front of him.

"Boss, here's the situation. The first question is that if the Reading Division goes to the Northeast, the main force of the Reading Division, as well as the three comrades Liu Hua, Luo Ronghuan, and Li Qing, will definitely go to the Northeast with the troops. And when the time comes, although Liu Hua will leave a lot of local troops behind, he will be responsible for the specific defense issues of the Shanxi Military Region. However, we cannot remain vacant in the three positions of the party, government, and military of the Shanxi Military Region that have been vacated all the time, and someone must go to the top. Otherwise, no matter what aspect it is, it will certainly have a very adverse impact on the development of Shanxi Province. Seeing that the commander-in-chief was quietly listening to his words and slowly falling into deep thought, Vice Chairman Zhou continued.

"There is a second problem, which is the identity of Liu Hua. At present, the division commanders and political commissars of several main divisions of the Eighth Route Army are already members or alternate members of the Central Committee, and even Comrade Luo Ronghuan, political commissar of the Reading Division, is also an alternate member of the Central Committee, and after the next congress, he will become a full-fledged member of the Central Committee. And Comrade Liu Hua, as the commander of the Reading Division, is the commander of the military region directly under the Central Committee. As the commander of the most elite unit in our Eighth Route Army, he is not even an alternate member of the Central Committee. More importantly, this time, the reading division marched into the Northeast, to a certain extent, it will be completely separated from the support of the central government, and together with the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation, the development of reading power will be carried out, and we must give Liu Hua a certain degree of autonomy. In order to achieve this goal and avoid gossip by other comrades, we must increase Comrade Liu Hua's voice in the Central Committee and his position within the Party. Vice Chairman Zhou spoke.

"Chairman, Enlai, for your first question, I am only concerned with military issues, so I can't think of a solution for the time being. But for the second question, I'll just share my thoughts. This Liu Hua slowly entered our sight from the Battle of Xiangjiang. Speaking of which, if it weren't for Liu Hua's appearance, our Red Army, in the Battle of Xiangjiang, would have suffered much greater losses... In terms of prestige, Liu Hua can't compare to any of us. However, in terms of combat achievements, I can say that Liu Hua's combat achievements, whether in the course of the Long March or in the current War of Resistance against Japan, are absolutely above all the commanders of our Eighth Route Army. Therefore, to improve Liu Hua's status in our party, I am in favor of raising my hands...."The commander-in-chief said affirmatively....

"Well, I think the same thing as the boss. Liu Hua's record is placed there. At the same time, loyalty to our party is also there. Therefore, in any respect, it is also necessary to elevate his position in our party. My idea is this: In view of the current excellent situation in North China, all the senior commanders of our Eighth Route Army should be summoned to Yan'an to convene an enlarged meeting of the Politburo. At the meeting, Comrade Liu Hua was nominated as an alternate member of the Central Committee, and at the next meeting, the word alternate was removed and he was co-opted as a member of the Central Committee. In addition, in order to enhance his voice in the Central Committee and to smoothly preside over the situation for Comrade Liu Hua and on behalf of the Party Central Committee in the northeast region, I also propose to nominate Comrade Liu Hua as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. However, whether this nomination can be passed or not depends on Liu Hua's prestige and connections in our army...."After taking a deep puff of his cigarette, the chairman said to the two people....

"What, alternate member of the Politburo. My mother, if this nomination is really passed, Liu Hua, this kid, will suddenly go from a general to the top of the Central Committee... Lao Mao, you really dare to put forward this idea, I really don't know, what is it about this kid Liu Hua that makes you so precious..."The commander-in-chief was taken aback and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Boss, it's not that I like Liu Hua, but that we are all optimistic about this Liu Hua. Compared with us, it can be said that Comrade Liu Hua is the youngest member of our entire [***]. Looking at the Shanxi Military Region he ran and the anti-Kuomintang friction, it can be seen that this Liu Hua is not only an excellent commander, but also an eleven excellent politicians, and at the same time, the ability to govern the local area is also one of the few in our Eighth Route Army... So, for such a diverse young person, we should focus on cultivating him..."The chairman explained thoughtfully....

"I understand, it turns out that you two are Liu Hua as the future successor of [***] to cultivate. Chairman, Enlai, don't worry, you two rest assured, I also know that no matter in which aspect, Liu Hua's ability is one of the few among us, and with his age, the future of development is absolutely immeasurable. So, I will definitely support your opinions. Among the members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the three of us have already received three votes, and if nothing else, Comrade Zhang Wentian and Comrade Ren Bishi will agree with our opinion. Therefore, the convening of this enlarged meeting of the Politburo must be inevitable..."The commander-in-chief replied thoughtfully.

A day later, the Politburo meeting, at the joint proposal of the chairman, Vice Chairman Zhou, and the commander-in-chief, was convened without any surprise. In the end, with the overwhelming majority of votes in favor, the chairman's proposal was agreed: half a month later, an enlarged meeting of the Politburo would be held in Yan'an to discuss the future direction of development after the Eighth Route Army occupied North China. At the same time, the double nomination of Comrade Liu Hua as an alternate member of the Central Committee and an alternate member of the Politburo was discussed. Of course, there is another very important thing, and that is to discuss the best time for the Central Strategic Forces, the Reading Division to send troops to the Northeast ....

With the smooth convening of the Politburo meeting, telegrams were quickly sent to the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and the heads of several main divisions in the name of the Central Military Commission. The content of the telegram was very simple, that is, all members of the Central Committee were asked to put down their work as much as possible and rush to Yan'an half a month later to attend the enlarged meeting of the Politburo. Discuss the next direction of development and the next strategic goals after the Eighth Route Army occupies North China... Similarly, the telecommunications office of the Shanxi Military Region Headquarters also received two telegrams from the central authorities at the first time. One is for political commissar Luo Ronghuan, and the other is for commander Liu Hua... However, the contents of the two telegrams are not close to the same. After all, at this moment, Liu Hua's identity is hardly any position in the party except for the commander of the reading division and the commander of the military region. And political commissar Luo Ronghuan has become a member of the Central Committee....

"Commander, if nothing else, this enlarged meeting of the Politburo. In addition to discussing the future development direction of our Eighth Route Army, it must have something to do with you...."After reading two telegrams with different contents. Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan said with a smile on his face to the commander in front of him with a puzzled face....

"About me, commissar, don't joke with me. You know, I'm not even an alternate member of the Central Committee in the party. More importantly, my qualifications are too low compared to the division commanders and political commissars of several other main divisions. I am very honored to be invited to the enlarged meeting of the Politburo. How can we talk about me? Liu Hua said with a smile. However, in my heart, I was shocked by the words of the political commissar..."Commander, it is precisely because you do not have any position in the party that I dare to be so sure that there must be an issue concerning you at this Politburo meeting. The commissar smiled and said with an affirmative expression.

"Why?" Seeing the confident political commissar in front of him, although Liu Hua also knew in his heart that this Politburo meeting should have questions about himself. However, he still couldn't suppress the doubts in his heart and blurted out a question.

"Hehe, the reason is very simple. Commander, if you think about it carefully, at present, the division commanders and political commissars of the main divisions of the Eighth Route Army are not members of the Central Committee or alternate members, and even worse, they are already alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. And our Reading Division, as the most powerful unit in the entire Eighth Route Army, as the division commander, is not even an alternate member of the Central Committee, which is obviously unreasonable, I think the chairman has long taken this into account... Therefore, in addition to studying the future direction of our army's development, there is also a question on the agenda of this enlarged meeting of the Politburo...."The political commissar analyzed with certainty... Hearing this, Liu Hua's heart suddenly understood a lot. At the same time, expectations for the conference have increased considerably. After all, at this moment, he is only 25 years old, and if he becomes an alternate member of the Central Committee now, he will be directly promoted to a member of the Central Committee at the Seventh National People's Congress in a few years. And by that time, he himself became a national leader ... According to his age, when it comes to the liberation of the country, as long as there is no major problem, and he is nominated as an alternate member of the Politburo, there will be no problem....Thinking of this, Liu Hua's heart suddenly boiled... However, what Liu Hua didn't expect was that after he entered the venue of the enlarged meeting of the Politburo, he would really know that this meeting, waiting for him was not only the nomination of the alternate member of the Central Committee, but also the nomination of the alternate member of the Politburo. Of course, whether or not the nomination can be formally approved depends on one's influence in the minds of party leaders at all levels.

"Commander, commander ... What's wrong with you, why don't you speak..."Seeing the commander in front of him, he immediately became dumbfounded because of his own explanation. At the same time, the commander's face was constantly changing in less than a minute. Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan hurriedly reminded...

"Ah, political commissar, it's okay, I just want to do something, and I'm a little too excited in my heart...."Liu Hua, who was pulled back by the political commissar from shock and surprise, saw the strange gaze of the political commissar in front of him, his face immediately turned red, and he replied embarrassedly..."Hehe, commander, it's normal to be happy and excited." Think about it, how old you are now, and you are going to be named an alternate member of the Central Committee. If my guess is correct, you will be the youngest member of the Central Committee and the alternate members. According to the current momentum of your development, it will not be impossible to become the head of the Central Committee in the future. It's very normal to be excited in your heart..."Seeing the embarrassed commander Liu Hua, the political commissar said with a smile..."Political commissar, don't say it, after all, this matter is still a shadowless thing, if it spreads like this, it will not be very good for anyone..."Liu Hua said with an embarrassed face. However, in my heart, I agree very much with what the political commissar just said....

"Okay, the commander is right, don't say it. In accordance with the orders of the Central Committee, the two of us must rush to the central station three days in advance before the meeting is convened to report to the Party Central Committee on the specific course of the Pingjin Campaign and the results of the battle. Combined with the marching time along the way, this time, we had to leave for half a month. There is less than a week left for us to prepare...," said political commissar Luo Ronghuan.

"Well, compared with before, half a month is short enough. After all, the entire North China region is basically occupied by our Eighth Route Army. From Taiyuan to Yan'an, there is no need to go through the blockade of the little devils in the middle, and if you ride a fast horse, you can arrive in five days at most. If it was before, it would have been absolutely impossible to accomplish something without a month..."Liu Hua nodded, nodded with a smile and said..."That's right, according to the current situation, there is absolutely no problem in arriving in Yan'an in five days." However, Commander, I still have an idea, this time we will go to Yan'an, not on horseback, we will go by car. By the way, we handed over a large amount of property that we seized in the Pingjin area to the central government. After all, the central government's finances, since the end of the last Taiyuan Campaign, have no other income....When the time comes, we can support a little, and we will support a little...."Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan suggested..."This suggestion is good. After the Pingjin Campaign, the automobile transport brigade of the logistics department of the headquarters has reached the scale of more than 200 vehicles. This time, we will not only send a large amount of money to the central government, but also send some weapons and materials urgently needed by the central government, so as to improve the equipment and logistics of the central guard force...."Liu Hua nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, I completely agree with you. Before the Anti-Japanese War, we lived in Yan'an for a short time, and I still remember the hardships of Yan'an. Now that our conditions are good, we must not forget the Party Central Committee in Yan'an, forget [***]... Commander, leave this task to me, and when the time comes, I promise to satisfy [***] and others. As for the safety along the way, I mean, a hundred trucks from the logistics department will be dispatched, and two air defense regiments, the guard brigade and the cavalry brigade will be responsible for escorting along the way...."Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan's eyes lit up, and he agreed without any hesitation.

"Yes, however, I suggest that a regiment be transferred from the engineer brigade, after all, the road conditions along the way are not all as good as those in Shanxi. It is necessary to build bridges and pave roads along the way..."Liu Hua continued.

"Then we will perform our respective duties, and we are responsible for preparing for you to send the Party Central Committee. As for me, I will seize the time to complete a short handover with the chief of staff in the past few days. At the same time, let's arrange the specific affairs of the military subdivision during the half month we left...."Liu Hua nodded and ordered with an affirmative face....

(To be continued)