It had been four days since Long Qian returned to Xi'an, and before meeting Smith, he first met with Marshal Fengguozhu, who had returned to Xi'an on his orders. The Northwest Military Region Headquarters moved from Xi'an to Lanzhou according to the order of Feng Guozhu, and in order to control the vast northwest, the location of Xi'an was somewhat unsuitable.

Long Qian first learned from Feng about the deployment of troops in the military region, especially the deployment of military forces in Xinjiang. In March, the army was reorganized, and the troops of the Northwest Military Region were increased to 12 infantry divisions and 1 independent cavalry brigade of four armies, and two railway divisions were also working hard to build the western section of the Longhai Railway. The strength of the north-west has increased considerably compared with before. However, at present, except for the 7th Army, only the 19th Army, which was formed in Gansu, has completed the deployment of troops, and the other two armies, the 11th Army, which was mainly formed by the former 1st Division and 1st Brigade, and the 17th Army, which was mainly formed by the 16th Brigade of the former 6th Division, have not yet been fully deployed in place.

After Feng Guozhu became commander of the Northwest Military Region again, he studied the issue of the deployment of troops in the Northwest Military Region, and held that it was inappropriate to deploy heavy troops in Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces; first, there was no obvious pressure on national defense, and Russia, which was currently in a state of exhaustion, was simply unable to take an offensive in Central Asia. The second is the economic and transportation problems, and without the support of the railway, it is impossible to send heavy troops to the border. At present, there is only one division of the 7th Army (21st Division) in Xinjiang, and only half of the division in Qinghai (the headquarters of the 20th Division leads an infantry regiment and artillery engineers directly under the division to Xining), and the rest of the troops are deployed on the communication line from Lanzhou to Xi'an. Feng Guozhu's opinion is that the 19th Army should be stationed in Xinjiang, and the military headquarters should be stationed in Dihua. The 55th Division of the 19th Army was transferred to the 7th Army, and the 21st Division of the 7th Army was transferred to the 19th Army to reduce the cost of transfer. Moreover, the 21st Division is more familiar with Xinjiang, and leaving this division will help Xinjiang's military. The Independent Cavalry Brigade of the Northwest Military Region (with 5 cavalry battalions and 1 cavalry artillery battalion) was also transferred to Xinjiang. Feng Guozhu has been to Xinjiang and frankly said that the economic conditions in Xinjiang are actually better than those in Gansu, and more troops can be stationed.

Feng Guozhu planned to transfer the 7th Army to the front line of Lanzhou, Gansu, as a backup in the direction of Xinjiang and in response to the direction of Qinghai. The newly arrived 11th and 17th armies were all stationed in Shaanxi, of which the military headquarters of the 11th Army was stationed in Hanzhong, responsible for the defense of southern Shaanxi and Sichuan, and one of its divisions was transferred to Qinghai and replaced with the 20th division and returned to the 7th Army. The 17th Army was stationed in the Yulin area of northern Shaanxi with one division. The main force is stationed in Guanzhong. Together with the 7th Army in Gansu, it serves as a mobile force of the military region.

Feng Guozhu said frankly that if there was no war against Russia, the troops in the northwest would be somewhat excessive, and the northwest would be barren. It is difficult to raise soldiers. And the transfer of materials is a big problem. After the western section of Longhai Road was opened to traffic, the situation was much better, and it was uncomfortable to march into Xinjiang with Wu Nian. Therefore, the construction of railways should be carried out as soon as possible, and the railway troops are a good invention. If you can, it would be good to build a few more railway divisions. Feng Guozhu's specific construction of the Northwest Railway is to first build the railway from Xifu to Lanzhou, and then continue to extend westward, until the railway is repaired to Dihua, otherwise there will be no talk of using troops in the Northwest at all.

At that time, only the two of them had a secret conversation, and Long Qian said, "I have decided to join the Entente side, so you have to make some adjustments to the overall arrangements of the Northwest Military Region." We have to catch this bus, and if we wait until next year after the United States declares war on Germany and Austria, we will have a lighter weight. Careful calculation shows that the benefits of participating in the war are extremely great, and the damage of not participating in the war is extremely great. ”

Feng Guozhu understands Long Qian's strategic thinking, "In that case, will we go to Europe or Russia?" ”

"Russia. It's not interesting to go to Europe, it's pointless to have fewer soldiers, and it's impossible to send more soldiers. Second, it is not worth dying for Britain and France. I have a general strategy for entering the war, which can also be said to be a Russian strategy. This strategy will determine the big picture in the coming decades and is very important. The Northwest Military Region should transfer at least one army, and I am considering using the 7th Army to go up, the 11th Army and the 17th Army have just been formed, and they need to be trained and run-in, so they can only be the 7th Army. ”

"Then the 7th Army can't be transferred to Gansu. Moreover, it is necessary to integrate the 20 divisions as much as possible, and that division is good. ”

"Yes. This should be done. ”

"When will it move?"

"It should be soon. The British envoy pursued Xi'an. I'll meet him tomorrow, and I guess the big stuff can be settled. The British could not sit still, they urgently needed to stabilize Russia, so they would give in. The specific conditions need to be further discussed. But at the moment we are more proactive. By the way, you have to put the troops in order, and we will take care of this matter for now. After all, it was a war abroad, and the thinking of the officers and soldiers had to be cleared, which was different from Shandong, and there was no need for mobilization at all. ”

"You can rest assured about this, the troops absolutely obey the order, especially the 7th Army, which has long been looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the war."

"Nope! Ideological work should not be taken lightly. The Ministry of National Defense will recently issue some materials, which should be conscientiously studied by the political departments at all levels of the armed forces and conveyed to all officers and men. It is necessary to make the officers and men understand that going abroad to fight a war is not for the sake of others, but ultimately for the sake of the motherland, and it is a truth to follow the fight against little Japan in Shandong. This bend may not necessarily get better, and the political and cultural qualities of officers and men are not high, and the expansion of the army will inevitably bring about a decline in the army, and we must think more about the difficulties. Recently, the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff Department will jointly convene a high-level military conference, which will be attended by officers at and above the division level of the units scheduled to participate in the war. In addition, it is necessary to pay close attention to military training, especially the problems of living in cold areas, marching and fighting, and to carefully sort out and solve them one by one. Winters in Russia are much colder than here. ”

"Understood." Feng Guozhu thought for a moment, "Commander, do you think the United States will join the Entente?" ”

"Yes. Since the two wars between the United States and Spain and Britain and Burkin, the US government and public have been relatively pro-British. Moreover, the Americans have a problem: they support anything that is the same as their political system, otherwise they will think it is reactionary. The political system of the Americans borrowed a lot from the United Kingdom, which guaranteed that the United States would come together with the United Kingdom. In 1909, before the outbreak of the European war, the major European countries signed a treaty in London, which stipulated that the goods transported by neutral countries to the belligerents were divided into two categories: one was embargoed, including munitions and certain special raw materials that could be used to make military equipment; The other category is called non-prohibited goods, which include food and raw cotton. The purpose of this treaty was to make a maritime power, which at that time of course meant Britain, unable to use starvation to trap the enemy in wartime, or to interfere with the normal production of the common people of other countries. Historically, the countries of continental Europe have long been wary of maritime powers such as Britain. As a newly rising power, the United States strongly opposed the treaty. Because this treaty limits its chances of making a fortune. In 1915, the grain and cotton ships of the Sino-American shipping were intercepted and inspected by the British, which caused dissatisfaction in the United States. But that's just a small section, and the big aspects won't change the pro-British position of the United States. This year is a year of re-election in the United States, and Wilson is planning to be re-elected, and he cannot openly tell the American people who fear war about joining the war, and when he is re-elected, he will definitely instigate Congress to approve the United States to enter the war. You know that some time ago, the US envoy came to China for fear that we would fall to Germany and Austria. ”

"Will Germany really lose?" Feng Guozhu, who has been following the situation of the European war, does not believe that Germany will lose.

"Yes. Do the math of strength and you will understand. The Entente, which has occupied the seas and has endless resources, is only temporarily passive, and the more time passes, the more disadvantageous it will be to the allies. If there is no breakthrough in the war situation in Western Europe, Falkingham's life will be difficult. Germany is expected to change horses. In terms of status, it is definitely Hindenburg's upper position. Hindenburg was familiar with the Eastern Front. I will definitely negotiate with Ludendorff to settle Russia first. The British also saw this, so they could not let Russia fall anyway. They have to get through this most difficult time. If the expeditionary force we send plays a key role, we will have more say in the post-war period, not just to recover the concession. The key question is who will dominate East Asia and even Asia after the war? Are we still Japan? This is a matter of the overall situation in our industrialization. ”

Listen to Gu Weijun. Anti-war sentiment in the United States is extremely strong......"

"Germany will cooperate with the United States. They had already noticed the British superiority in the seas. The chances of the German High Seas Fleet winning the British Grand Fleet were extremely slim. Only with submarine strategy. This will annoy the United States. Because from now on, the United States has openly sold strategic materials to the Entente countries. War money is the easiest to make, the big American conglomerates. For example, Morgan, DuPont and other consortia will not let go of this opportunity to make a fortune. Moreover, the United States bought a lot of Allied war bonds, and if the Entente lost, wouldn't those national bonds become waste paper? Rest assured, you won't be wrong with this result. ”

"Then the expeditionary force we send is very important." Feng Guozhu thought for a while, "Commander, how many troops are you going to send?" ”

"What about your opinion?"

"I can't think it's too little. Less does not work. I know a little bit about the situation in Europe, and I read every issue of the MIA's materials. I think we have to send at least 300,000 people over so that we can control a certain front. ”

"That's right. When it comes to the selection and transfer of troops, the formation of logistics and other package matters, you are currently the only marshal, and Situ and Ming Yuan have to salute when they see it. You have to consider an opinion, including which troops to transfer and how to organize them. ”

"Mingyuan is my old boss, and I can't afford his courtesy. The General Staff of the selection and transfer of troops must have considerations, who are you going to put in charge? Feng Guozhu finally asked this crucial question.

"Well, what do you think?"

Feng Guozhu grinned, "How about I go?" ”

"Of course you're qualified to go. But I don't really want you to go. ”

"Why? Are they making a fuss? ”

"What's the fuss? Marshal epaulettes? Guozhu, a few old brothers who fought the world with me at the beginning, the most talented one to lead the army is Lu Shan, but it's a pity that God is jealous of talents, it's a pity. Feng Lun has the ability to fight, and ambition has ruined him. The remaining few, because it is a land battle, that is, Yanbing, Mingyuan, Dashou and Situ. Lan Xinzhi and Wu Nian have poor qualifications, and the command of the whole army lacks prestige. Your strengths are fierce and resolute in carrying out orders, but you lack political considerations and wisdom. You are the commander of the former enemy in the battle of Shandong, but the overall strategy is formulated by everyone. That's not bad, right? Yanbing has the resilience to fight, Ming Yuan takes care of the overall situation, Dashou cooperates with Lu Shan to do a good job in the Northeast, but he has no practical experience in taking charge of himself, and Situ is good at planning but lacks the actual experience of leading troops. In fact, Fan Deping is also suitable for leading soldiers, but he has a problem, so I took off half of his military uniform. This time, I will be in charge and go abroad, and I will choose between you, Mingyuan, Yan Bing and Dashou. I still have to think about who it is. ”

Feng Guozhu's promotion to marshal for his exploits in the Shandong Campaign aroused the jealousy of several people. He knew, especially Ye Yanbing, the Central Military Region was basically a soldier brought out by Ye Yanbing, but he didn't get the opportunity to make a great contribution. The attitude of the top level of the military towards Long Qian's participation in the European war is clear, Feng Guozhu considered that Long Qian would send Ye Yanbing to take command, "Commander, we are all following you, it doesn't matter who goes." But because it is a war abroad, it is a matter of the country's reputation, and it must not be lost, and it will be impossible to lose if it is defeated. ”

"You're right. Guozhu, I don't know if you have thought about it, we have come to this point, first, it is not easy, fortunately everyone united as one and did not make big mistakes, and also because the domestic and international situation gave us opportunities. In fact, in terms of skills, we are all far behind. As far as the hardships and hardships of fighting the country are concerned, it is not worth mentioning when we compare the history of China and foreign countries. So be cautious at all times. You are already the core of the army, the backbone of the army, and you can't go wrong. You once said that as long as the Mengshan army is there, the regime is there. That's a good thing to say. But governing the country cannot only rely on the army, we have only a few people who have come down from Mengshan, and they are still long and short, and the good and the bad are uneven. How can we not absorb talents from all over the world into our team? At the beginning, Shi Dashou was an official soldier, and Liang Huada, Situ Jun, Qu Hongxiang, Han Ziying and others were. Fang Shengyuan and Hong Yuecheng also joined later. Duan Fang Shengyun is a high-ranking official of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Duan Qirui, Wang Shizhen, Tang Shaoyi, Feng Guozhang, Chen Mi, Cao Kun, and Wu Peifu are from the Beiyang Department, Wu Tingfang, Cai Yuanpei, including Liu Daoyi, who came to Xi'an with me, is the Kuomintang Party, Zhang Zuolin, Tang Shouqian, Tang Hualong, and Tang Jiyao are local powerful factions, aren't they all our comrades-in-arms now? If it weren't for them, would the old brothers who came down from Mengshan alone be able to hold up such a big stall? ”

"That's the commander's magnanimity. They took refuge in us early, how can they compare with Wang Shizhen and his gang? Fang Shengyuan and Hong Yuecheng are just that, Gu Weijun's group is young and has not had time to stand in line, so they are naturally willing to do things under the banner of the Mengshan Army. But I always felt that the Manchus and the Kuomintang were still not so reliable. In the second half of this year, the president will be replaced, and I heard that someone is openly preparing to replace you. ”

"You, it's not that I'm criticizing you, it's true that you haven't studied enough." Long Qian sank his face, "The Constitution is the fundamental law, do you think it's really a piece of paper?" The rights provided for in the Constitution, we must give to others. If someone can beat me in the election, that's a good thing and not a bad thing. If you don't understand this now, you will understand it in the future. If you don't understand it in the future, I don't need to explain it to you. Guozhu, your personality is not suitable for politics, and you must not ask about politics. The presidential change has nothing to do with the military, so leave it alone. ”

"I understand a truth, this country was led by you to fight us. If you become president, the army will not be chaotic. It's hard for others to say! I don't say that there are other people who say it, Mingyuan understands politics, don't talk about it, Situ Jun is a nerd, don't say it. But Yan Bing, Da Shou, Wu Nian, Zong Yu and I know them, except for you, no one is convinced. Feng Guozhu basically said something to the "old master" he had followed for many years, and he thought that there was no need to hide it, and there was no need to hide it. The constitution was made by you, and it is just a piece of paper.

"If the senior generals of the army are in trouble as you say, my career may really fail. Take your time with this, don't rush. Regarding what Feng Guozhu said, Long Qian didn't take it too seriously. Indeed, this national defense force was basically created by him, and the people who are now in charge of the army are all old subordinates who have followed him for more than ten years. It is normal for some people to be unable to figure out their own political considerations, and some ideological problems can be resolved in their next term, and they still have time, "I want to see Smith tomorrow, and you can also participate." It's just an observer, don't speak. ”

"What good can the British give us? As far as I know, they're already in a state of flux, so they can't do it for nothing, right? ”

"Of course, there will be some benefits. What the British can't give, the Americans can. I know this. (To be continued......)