"Commander-in-chief, I think it is absolutely impossible for the Eighth Route Army to give up the entire Shanxi Province for no reason. After all, the entire Shanxi Province was snatched back from the hands of the little devil with a knife and a shot. So, I think we have to figure it out somewhere else. Just as Yan Xishan's words were finished, a confidant staff officer reminded.

"If it really doesn't work, let's fight back, after all, we still have hundreds of thousands of well-equipped Jin Sui troops in our hands. I don't believe that with 100,000 well-equipped troops in our hands, we can't clean up a bunch of dirt and eight roads. An officer of the main battle faction stood up and said with disdain on his face.

"Hit? Commander Wang, don't laugh. Do you want our entire 100,000 soldiers of the Jin Sui Army to be charged with betraying the country and sabotaging the common front of the country? If our Jin Sui Army really rashly dispatches troops, then our Jin Sui Army will become a national sinner and become the object of condemnation by the people of the whole country. If this is the case, even if we are in charge of Shanxi, what is the need? Listening to Commander Wang's words, the chief of staff sneered.

"Alas, this is not a fight, nor is it a talk. Could it be that the huge Shanxi Province is so cheap [***] Eighth Route Army in vain. No, absolutely not, Shanxi Province is the lifeblood of our Jin Sui Army, even if we lose our troops, we must not lose the entire Shanxi Province. Listening to the words of the chief of staff, Commander Wang's heart was unhappy for a while, and he couldn't help but start scratching.

"Don't make any noise, listen to the chief of staff's thoughts. Chief of Staff, what do you think we should do now? I won't really give up our Shanxi Province to [***]! If it is really handed over to [***], I guarantee that in less than a year, tens of millions of people in Shanxi Province will be completely red by [***]. Looking at the argument between the chief of staff in front of him and his confidant general, Yan Xishan opened his eyes and ordered to the chief of staff in front of him.

"Report to the commander-in-chief, I think that if our Jin Sui Army wants to regain control of Shanxi, we must use swords and guns. However, if you want to use a knife and a gun, you must have a valid reason. Therefore, we should wait for this reason to appear. As long as we have a reason to send troops. With 100,000 troops in our hands, we can advance into Shanxi Province and regain control of Shanxi. The chief of staff replied in the affirmative.

"A reason? I understand that as long as Chiang Kai-shek, who was far away in Chongqing, gave an order, and our Jin Sui army entered Shanxi, it would be a fair and righteous matter. After listening to the chief of staff's answer, Yan Xishan nodded with satisfaction and suddenly said.

Just when Yan Xishan took his confidants and staff officers to discuss the solution in the office. A communications staff officer hurried to the headquarters.

"Report to the commander-in-chief, the commanders, Chairman of the Yucheng Committee Jiang sent a telegram." The communications staff officer, who came in a hurry, stood at the door and said loudly, interrupting the conversation of everyone in the headquarters.

"Hehe, I really said that Cao Ying Cao Ying will arrive, it seems that this Chiang Kai-shek is even more anxious than us. Staff Officer Wang, read "Hearing the telegram from Yucheng, Yan Xishan's face immediately showed a smile, and he ordered the communication staff officer who was still standing at the door of the headquarters.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief. The Ministry of National Defense called: Order the Jinsui Army under the Second Theater and the Commander's Department of the Second Theater to immediately move to Taiyuan and garrison Taiyuan City. The Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army, which belonged to the Second Theater, immediately withdrew from Taiyuan City. Ministry of Defense, Chairman of the Supreme Military Commission, Chiang Chung-zheng. The communications staff officer read aloud.

"Okay, what do you want. Chief of Staff, now we have a reason to send troops. You say, are we ready to garrison Taiyuan City immediately? I think that as long as our 100,000-strong army is stationed in Taiyuan, we can slowly expand our occupied areas and thus regain control over Shanxi. After listening to the content of the telegram, Yan Xishan was excited for a while, and asked the chief of staff of his henchman sitting beside him.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief. Although we now have a reason to send troops. However, I think we should still be cautious, after all, this reason was given to us by Chiang Kai-shek on his own initiative. From what we know about Chiang Kai-shek, he is the last thing we want our Jin Sui army to take charge of Shanxi Province again. However, why did he give our Jin Suijun an order to move to Taiyuan in such a short period of time this time. I think there must be some conspiracy in it. After listening to the contents of the telegram, the chief of staff was not as excited as Yan Xishan, but frowned and asked rhetorically.

"Hehe, conspiracy, this Chiang Kai-shek must have a conspiracy, with my understanding of this Chiang Kai-shek, he will definitely not let our Jin Suijun re-take charge of Taiyuan and develop and grow himself so easily." Yan Xishanshan smiled and nodded, obviously, after being reminded by the chief of staff, what did he think of?

"Please make it clear to the commander-in-chief" Seeing the commander-in-chief Yan Xishan with a wry smile, the chief of staff hurriedly asked.

"Well, the purpose of this Jiang is very clear, that is, to kill two birds with one stone, when the two troops of our Jin Sui Army and the Eighth Route Army Reading Division are about the same, and then a fisherman will benefit. However, although we knew that these were all a plot of Chiang Kai-shek, we had to complete it. On the one hand, because of the order of the Ministry of Defense, we had to comply. One of the most important is that Shanxi is the foundation of our Jin Sui army. This time, even if we fight out half of the Jin Sui army, we will recapture the whole of Shanxi. Yan Xishan's eyes showed a hint of murderous aura, and he said with affirmation on his face.

"Yes, commander-in-chief, I will definitely go to the soup and take the troops to take Shanxi back from the hands of the Eighth Route Army." As soon as Yan Xishan's words were finished, a group of officers and staff officers sitting in the headquarters stood up one after another and began to express their attitude.

"Well, very good, this is the spirit that our Jin Suijun should have. Chief of Staff, immediately mobilize all our intelligence personnel who remain in Shanxi Province, and must find out all the troop deployments of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Force Division and their every move, and report any situation immediately. As for the generals, as soon as they return, they will order their respective troops to prepare for battle. After receiving the order, the various departments immediately sent troops, and we fought back to Taiyuan to regain control of Shanxi. Yan Xishan commanded with confidence on his face.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief"

With the issuance of Yan Xishan's order, after the Jin Sui army withdrew from Shanxi, the intelligence personnel of the Jin Sui army, who had been lurking in various parts of Shanxi, immediately began to take action. In the land of Shanxi, he wantonly spied on the various situations of the reading masters. At the same time, the information was transmitted to Yan Xishan, the supreme commander of the Second Theater of Operations.

Originally, Yan Xishan, who was full of confidence in his Jin Sui army's recovery of Shanxi Province. However, when he saw the information sent from all over the country, his whole face immediately turned pale because of the contents of the telegram. Like Chiang Kai-shek at the beginning, he couldn't believe his eyes. Because, in his eyes, this reading power style is only a few tens of thousands at most, but the telegram in his hand clearly says an astonishing 100,000 people.

"Chief of Staff, is this information true? Does this Eighth Route Army Reading Division really have more than 100,000 elite troops, and the troops are still being further expanded? Yan Xishan, who had been frightened by the data in front of him, still asked the chief of staff in front of him in disbelief.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief, these data have been verified by the investigators at least once before they are reported to our headquarters, and there will be absolutely no problems." The chief of staff assured with certainty. "What is this going to do?" There are 100,000 people in the Reading Force Division, and all of them are said to be equipped with some equipment, and in terms of weapons, they will definitely not be much worse than our Jin Sui Army. What's more important is the combat effectiveness of the troops, they can easily wipe out 40,000 little devils, not to mention the 100,000 Jin Sui troops in our hands? Could it be that this time our Jin Sui Army is destined to lose Shanxi Province and lose the foundation of our Jin Sui Army. Looking at the chief of staff in front of him, Yan Xishan sighed and said.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief, I think we can not worry about this at all. Although there are 100,000 readers, after all, they are distributed in the vast Shanxi Province, and the troops are very scattered. Therefore, what our Jin Sui army really needs to face is only 30,000 troops at most. No matter how strong the combat effectiveness of these 30,000 troops is, the 100,000 troops in our hands can eat them all. The chief of staff said disappreciatively.

"Well, what the chief of staff said is right, I didn't think it through, 100,000 people against 30,000 people, the odds are definitely in our hands. In this way, it was decided that the entire army would send troops to Shanxi two days later. The Chief of Staff immediately ordered the General Staff to draw up a detailed battle plan. Tomorrow evening, we will convene a meeting of officers at and above the division level of the whole army to make concrete arrangements for everyone, and we will march into Shanxi and return to Taiyuan. Yan Xishan slapped the table in front of him and said affirmatively.

In this way, the General Staff of the Second Theater, under the command of the chief of staff, after a day's time, a detailed battle plan was placed in front of Yan Xishan. At the same time, the next day, a meeting of all the officers of the Jin Sui Army was also held at the same time in the conference room of the war zone.

"Chief Yan has arrived" As the door of the conference room opened, a shout from the staff officer on duty came from the door. Hearing the command of the staff officer on duty, more than a dozen generals and colonels sitting at the long conference table immediately stood up in unison, waiting for Yan Xishan's arrival.

"Well, everyone is here, today is just an internal meeting of our Jin Suijun, so everyone is welcome. Sit down, don't be so serious" Seeing the group of Jin Suijun officers in the conference room, after seeing themselves come in, they saluted one after another. Yan Xishan couldn't help but smile all over his face, waved his hand at everyone and said.

Obviously, when he saw these generals and officers he had personally trained, Yan Xishan thought of the scene when he was in charge of Taiyuan.

"Hehe, today's meeting, I think you have already seen that the situation is obviously different from the previous second theater combat meeting, and it is very special. Because all of you here are all officers of our Jin Sui Army, and there is no outsider. Therefore, everyone should not have any restraints, and if there is anything to say, everyone will speak freely. After Yan Xishan achieved his position, he said with a smile.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief," everyone replied in unison.

"Well, that's very good. Today, I think you should all know that it is for the sake of our Jin Sui Army to re-govern Shanxi. Chairman Chiang of Yucheng has already sent a telegram ordering our Jin Sui army to immediately enter Taiyuan City and return to power in Shanxi. However, the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army, which occupied Shanxi Province, did not have any intention of retreating. More importantly, after occupying Taiyuan City, they not only did not obey the command of the Ministry of National Defense and immediately retreated. More importantly, they are still constantly strengthening the fortifications of Taiyuan and preparing to hold on. Let's talk about it, what should we do about this matter? "I heard everyone's satisfactory answers. Yan Xishan nodded, and at the same time, said the main content of this meeting.

"Commander-in-chief, I want to ask, how many troops are there in the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army, and how is the equipment of the troops?" As soon as Yan Xishan's words were finished, a lieutenant general and division commander sitting on the side stood up and said a question that all the generals in the conference room wanted to know.

"Well, Senior Commander Li asked very well. Chief of Staff, would you like to inform you of the troops, equipment, and specific deployment of the Reading Force Division of the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi Province. Listening to his subordinates' questions, Yan Xishan nodded and ordered to the chief of staff beside him.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief. Generals, through the news from our intelligence officers. In the entire Shanxi Province, the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army has a total of no less than 100,000 Henggui military forces. As for the equipment of these troops, if nothing else, they are all captured and stored in the same style of equipment. It was well equipped, with plenty of ammunition, and there was also a heavy equipment of no less than one heavy artillery brigade. It can be said that this unit is already a ranking among all the warlord armed forces in the country. The chief of staff introduced loudly.

"What? 100,000 people, and a heavy artillery brigade" "My mother, how long has it been, this reading division has increased tenfold from less than 10,000 troops" "Of the 100,000 well-equipped troops, our Jin Sui army only has 100,000 people, and half of the troops are new recruits. How should this battle be fought?" As soon as the chief of staff finished speaking, a noisy discussion immediately resounded in the entire conference room. However, from everyone's expressions, the chief of staff could clearly see that everyone was deeply afraid of the strength and equipment of the Reading Division.

"Be quiet, I know, everyone thinks that these 100,000 heavy soldiers are very large. What's more, after two years of war, there are only 100,000 people left in our entire Jin Sui army. In terms of troops, we no longer have any advantage, let alone equipment. However, I would like to tell you that although the other side has sufficient troops and is fully equipped. However, what our Jin Sui army really needs to face is only the less than 30,000 troops in Jinnan. So, please rest assured, if you have anything to say, you can speak freely. The chief of staff stopped the discussion and said to everyone.

"Commander-in-chief, chief of staff, since we are facing the Eighth Route Army with only 30,000 men, and our Jin Sui Army has a full 100,000 heavy troops. Therefore, there is nothing to say, do it with them, use the weapons in our hands, and take back Taiyuan and the entire Shanxi Province. As soon as the chief of staff finished speaking, the dozen or so officers attending the meeting couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, a lieutenant general and division commander hurriedly stood up and said.

"Yes, Master Zhang is right. We are the Jin Sui Army, Shanxi is the foundation of our Jin Sui Army, and Shanxi Province will definitely return to our hands. What's more, now we are only facing 30,000 armed forces of the Eighth Route Army, and with 100,000 against 30,000, we have absolute certainty of winning this battle. I also agreed to send troops to take back the entire Shanxi Province from the hands of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division. As soon as Division Commander Zhang's words were finished, a military commander sitting next to Yan Xishan stood up and said affirmatively.

"Yes, take back Shanxi, Shanxi was originally our Jin Sui Army" Next, all the officers attending the meeting stood up and began to express their positions. However, there is only one result of the statement, that is, to immediately send troops and take back the entire Shanxi Province from the hands of the readers.

"Okay, very good, everyone deserves to be my generals in Shanxi, and they have special feelings for Shanxi. My opinion is the same as everyone's, that is, Shanxi Province is the lifeblood of our Jin Sui Army, and it must not be lost. Therefore, after I learned of the specific deployment of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division, I also decided to dispatch 100,000 troops of our Jin Sui Army to recapture Shanxi Province from the hands of the Reading Division. However, please rest assured that we will send troops with the orders of Chairman Chiang of Yucheng, and there will definitely be no harm in any speech. Seeing more than a dozen generals, after listening to their words, there was still a trace of hesitation, and they immediately took out the telegram they had received from Chairman Chiang.

And all the officers, after seeing the telegram in Yan Xishan's hand, did not hesitate, and immediately showed a trace of sharpness in their eyes. After all, return to Shanxi and re-govern Shanxi. In the past two years, these Jinsui officers and soldiers have dreamed of things, and what everyone can't imagine is that now this dream is about to come true, can you not be happy?

"Yes, commander-in-chief, please give an order to the commander-in-chief, and he must go to the soup and fire to put Shanxi Province in the hands of the commander-in-chief." After the excitement, all the officers in the conference room immediately stood up from their seats and replied loudly.

"Very good, Chief of Staff, I will immediately tell you about the battle plan formulated by your staff headquarters, and issue specific combat orders to everyone here." Regarding everyone's attitude at this time, Yan Xishan nodded with satisfaction and ordered to the chief of staff beside him.

(To be continued)