Although Ningqinggan is barren, it has created a fierce folk customs in the northwest region, so the troops from these places are also very good at fighting.

With family, blood and religion as the ties, this Ma Jiajun started from recklessness, flourished in troubled times, and fought in various forces, once occupying all of Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia, most of Xinjiang, and almost controlling the entire northwest, which changed the course of Chinese history to a considerable extent.

The main figures of Ma Jiajun include Ma Bufang, Ma Buqing, Ma Hongkui, and Ma Hongbin, collectively known as the "Four Horses of the Northwest". Both in the Beiyang government and later in the Nationalist government, they were able to maintain their governing power in the northwest region on the premise of recognizing the central government.

The Ma family is the naked emperor of the soil in the northwest region, which is incomparable to Li Zongren or Long Yunzai or Yan Xishan, and the strength of the Ma family army is also quite strong, which is manifested in several famous battles, such as the war between the Ma family army and the Red Army's Western Route Army.

In other words, the fighting effectiveness of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army is strong, it is indeed very strong, and the old man has mobilized millions of troops but has not been able to exterminate tens of thousands of Red Army, but the Red Army has suffered a devastating blow in the northwest region. In October 1936, 21,800 people of the Red Fourth Front Army crossed the Yellow River to form the Western Route Army, which advanced to Xinjiang through the Hexi Corridor, in an attempt to open up the northwest passage with the Soviet Union at that time.

Since the northwest region was the territory of the Ma Jiajun, the Red Army soon had a war with the Ma Jiajun, and Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing fought against the Red Army.

The Red Army and the Ma Jiajun fought fierce battles along the Yellow River, Yongchang, Gulang, Gaotai, and Nijiayingzi. Repelled the Ma Jiajun many times. Due to strategic mistakes and the ferocious attack of Ma Jiajun, Ma Jiajun could not be defeated in the end, and almost all the army was annihilated. Among them, there were more than 20,000 people in the Fifth, Ninth and Thirty Armies, and only more than 700 remained, and most of the Red Army soldiers died heroically in battle.

According to statistics, the total number of the Western Route Army was about 21,800 when it set out; More than 7,000 people died in the war, including 143 cadres at or above the regimental level and more than 20 cadres at or above the army and division level; about 5,600 were brutally murdered after being captured; About 4,700 people were rescued and returned to Yan'an; The loss of about 4,500 people scattered along the route was extremely heavy.

Ma Jiajun is not only an expert in civil war, but also in foreign war. After the Lugou Bridge Incident. Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing sent troops to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and successively sent two divisions, namely the First Provisional Cavalry Division and the Second Provisional Cavalry Division. Ma Jiajun once inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese army on the front line in Fugou, Yanling, Xihua and other counties. In the fierce battles, there were cases where soldiers of the Ma family army were unwilling to be prisoners of the Japanese army. Hundreds of cavalrymen committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river.

Chen Feng really didn't have confidence in this army, so that they could accept the unified reorganization of the central government. Therefore, Chen Feng thought that it was necessary to have a good talk with several leaders of the Ma Jiajun after the current matter was settled. It is best to talk about it, and if it can't be talked, it will be dealt with according to what can't be talked about.

After a few days of meetings, Chen Feng reached an agreement with the old man's former ministers, as well as the Gui and Dian warlords. By means of ransom, all the armies were to be brought under the unified reorganization of the government, and the rest of the troops were to be discussed after the old man was buried in the earth.

However, before that, it was necessary to resist the fierce attack of the Japanese army, after more than ten days of attack, the Japanese army had already occupied Hunan, and now the 11th Army was attacking Chongqing, and in addition, northern Guangdong and the southern and northeastern parts of Guangxi were also attacked by the Japanese South China Front, and the situation was very bad.

Chen Feng knew that it was impossible to organize a large-scale counterattack at the moment, because now the officers on the side of the Nationalist Government were fluctuating, and the soldiers were demoralized, and even if they reluctantly organized a counterattack, the effect was very limited, and after discussing with He Yingqin, Chen Cheng and others, Chen Feng decided to temporarily abandon Hunan and northern Guangdong, and each theater immediately reduced its troops, and after the reorganization of the various units, they would fight to the death with the Japanese army, and now they had to put the old man in the ground.

On December 6, 1941, the vice chairman of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government held a press conference in Chongqing, at which he sadly announced that Jiang *shi, a special general of the Republic of China, chairman of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, chairman of the Nationalist Government, president of the Executive Yuan, and supreme commander of the Allied China Theater, had died of his wounds after being attacked by a Japanese suicide plane and had died at 11:04 p.m. three days earlier.

As soon as the news came out, there was an uproar in the world, and during this time it was rumored that Lao Jiang was dead, and most people thought that this was a smoke bomb released by the Japanese government, but they didn't expect it to be true.

However, more startling news is yet to come. Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government officially announced that after the decision of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, Chen Feng, a first-class general of the Nationalist Government, commander of the Eighth Theater of Operations, and chairman of Saibei Province, was elected as the new chairman of the Military Commission to lead China to continue the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

As soon as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government sent out the news, US President Roosevelt immediately made a public radio speech in Washington, D.C., congratulating his American friend Chen Feng on becoming the new leader of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, praising Chen Feng's superb operational command ability, and believing that China would completely win victory in the War of Resistance against Japan under Chen Feng's leadership.

Subsequently, the British government, the French government-in-exile, the Soviet government, and the Dutch government all sent telegrams to Chongqing, acknowledging that the Chongqing government is still the only legitimate government in China, and at the same time congratulating Chen Feng himself.

So many countries recognized Chen Feng, which surprised many Chinese people, but they did not expect that Chen Feng, a victorious general on the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War, would have such a huge relationship in the world.

On December 8, Chen Feng presided over the memorial service of Lao Jiang in Chongqing, held a state funeral for the old man with the highest standard, and personally supported the coffin of the old man. On the day of the state funeral, flags were lowered at half-mast across the country, and at the same time, the Northern Air Force dispatched 1,000 strategic bombers to retaliate against the Japanese mainland.

On December 10, Chen Feng announced his inauguration in Chongqing. On the same day, all theaters of the Nationalist Government received an order from Chongqing at the same time, demanding that the defenders in all parts of the country reduce their forces in all directions, abandon all the fortress cities that are not particularly important, and withdraw all their troops to a safe place, and fix them there.

On December 13, after dealing with some urgent matters, Chen Feng took Li Zongren and He Yingqin to Yan'an by plane to discuss the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party with the princes of Yan'an.

In a vacant lot in the south of Yan'an, more than a dozen middle-aged people dressed in homespun clothes were talking, and one of them with a big back was particularly eye-catching.

"Chairman, you said that Chen Feng really wants to land on this open space?" It was Vice Chairman Zhou who spoke.

"Enlai, although I don't know much about Chen Feng's written parachuting, since he informed us that the special plane will land in the open space in the south of the city, then it will definitely not be wrong, although Chen Feng is young, he has always been a good talker, and there is nothing to lie about this kind of thing!" The big boss of Yan'an replied with a smile.

"Chairman, what do you say is the purpose of Chen Feng's visit to Yan'an this time, is it really to discuss the new relationship between the KMT and the Communist Party with us, as he said?"

"It should be, but I just don't know where the so-called new relationship is!" Boss Mao also said curiously.

While they were talking, there was a sudden buzzing voice in the distance, and a guard officer looked into the sky with a telescope for a while and suddenly said, "Chairman, here they are!" ”

Sure enough, I saw more than a dozen small dots lined up in the distance and flying towards this side, the closer the plane flew lower, and when it entered the line of sight, the height of the plane was already less than 100 meters, and the height of the plane dropped directly to dozens of meters, and finally more than a dozen strange-looking planes landed steadily in an open space dozens of meters away from the crowd, and the bluestone runway prepared by Yan'an was useless.

As the door of the plane opened, more than a dozen soldiers in yellow and green military uniforms jumped down, and after being on guard, Chen Feng and others finally appeared at the door of the cabin, and everyone in Yan'an hurriedly greeted them.

Of course, there was a greeting when everyone met, and then Chen Feng and others followed Boss Mao into Yan'an City.

In the cave in Yan'an, Chen Feng and the others, Boss Mao and the senior military and political officials in Yan'an sat down across a table of eight immortals, each person had a bowl of black tea, and the conditions were the same as in Chongqing.

"Chairman Chen, Chief Li, and Minister He came to our district in a busy time, which makes the humble house more brilliant, haha!" Boss Mao said with a smile.

"Brother Run, the little brother that Chairman Chen said, I have goosebumps all over my body, you and I are still brothers, Brother Runzhi is older than me, and he should be a brother!" Chen Feng said with a smile.

"Hahaha, since the solemn brother said so, then it is better to be respectful than to obey his fate!"

"Solemn, I don't know what you went to Yan'an this time?" After a period of polite words, Boss Mao finally brought the topic to the point.

Chen Feng said with a straight face: "Brother Run, with the death of Chairman Jiang, the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party seems a little awkward and distant, so I came here this time to talk to Brother Runzhi and everyone in Yan'an!" ”

"Welcome, but I don't know what Brother Solemn thinks about the legitimacy of our army and our people?" As soon as Boss Mao opened his mouth, it was a sensitive issue.

Chen Feng said with a smile: "Regarding the legitimacy of your army and your party, Chairman Jiang has made clear regulations in the 25th year of the Republic of China, and I have no objection to this, but I feel that the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cannot be measured by whether it is illegal or not, your party and the Kuomintang/Kuomintang are both a political party in China, and everything they do is also for the country and the nation, so I hope that we can put aside our previous grievances and all prejudices and carry out deeper cooperation!" ”

"Deeper collaboration?"

"Yes, deeper and more comprehensive cooperation!"

(To be continued......)