The top priority at the moment is still military affairs, not the situation in the southeast and southwest, but the reorganization of the troops. Involving the existence of nearly 30,000 Beiyang troops in Zhili, Long Qian must deal with this matter first.

On the afternoon of 7 October, Long Qian convened a meeting on the ground floor of the Haiyan Hall where he lived to study the issue of military reorganization. Present at the meeting were Long Qian's core team in Beijing, and the military generals included Lu Shan, Ning Shijun, Shi Dashou, Deng Qinghua, Fan Deping, Zheng Shuangqing, Shang Fengchun, Xiong Xun, Cheng Erhu, and Jiang Cunxian, Chen Chao, Fang Shengyuan, and Hong Yuecheng from the civilian system, Jiang Yun from the intelligence system, Cao Minzhong and Xu Gongzhi from the military justice system, plus Long Qian and Ouyang Zhong, a total of 18 people.

"The time is very tight, and there are many big things, but they have to be handled one by one." Long Qian presided over the meeting, "The most important thing is the reorganization of the Beiyang Army, I came to Beijing, and if I don't do this, it may arouse the suspicion of the Beiyang generals, so we must study this matter first." However, it cannot be done alone, and it is necessary to consider it comprehensively and consider and solve the first phase of the reorganization issue together. Today, I will first talk about the plan discussed with Chief Situ when I was in Wuchang, and everyone will ponder whether there is anything wrong. ”

Long Qian took a sip of water and took out a note written in the morning from his coat pocket, "The reorganization of the army involves the issue of political and military systems, and it is not simply to add a few division numbers. In view of the current situation in the country, it is not possible to establish a full-fledged government agency at once, and it is appropriate and effective to adopt the current form of military control. Therefore, it was decided to set up several large military districts to manage the localities on behalf of the Defence Forces after improving the structure of the National Defense Forces Headquarters. Under the large military regions, provincial-level military districts will be gradually established and incorporated into the corresponding field units. ”

Long Qian asked everyone to digest what they had said. "Maybe everyone has some confusion about the establishment of the military region, it doesn't matter, you will understand it immediately. Let's start with the headquarters. I plan to set up my headquarters in Beijing, because I plan to set up the capital in Beijing, so don't spread the word about this first. The headquarters of the Defence Forces was eventually divided into two systems, namely, the military-political system and the military order system, with the former being the Ministry of Defence and the latter being the General Staff, the General Joint Logistics Department, and the secondary departments under the two headquarters. In the present situation, i.e. before the establishment of government agencies, the responsibilities of the Ministry of Defence are carried out by the General Political Department. That is, to temporarily manage the whole army in the form of three general departments. Director of the General Political Department. It is proposed that Cao Minzhong will be the director. The responsibilities of the General Political Department are mainly personnel, salaries, supervision, publicity, rewards and punishments, and after the establishment of the Ministry of National Defense, it will also study the country's strategic issues. The General Staff is the command organ of the army and the brain of the army. It is the core of the military order system. The chief of the General Staff, of course, is Situ Jun. It is proposed to take Shang Fengchun and Zhang Yulin as deputy directors. Assist Situ Jun in doing a good job in the work of the General Staff Headquarters. The General Staff Department should set up and improve operations, intelligence, mobilization, and communications departments, as well as departments of arms and set up second-level headquarters for artillery, engineering, and communications. to strengthen the construction of special forces. It is also necessary to set up an aviation bureau to vigorously study and develop the aviation industry. The General Staff Department also has to manage military academies, and now we have three in our hands, Shandong is an officer school, Guangzhou is actually a non-commissioned officer school, and Beiyang has a Baoding military academy, a total of three. In the future, it is necessary to readjust, enrich, and expand, and to build the army before building the school; this is the law and, more importantly, experience. Each specialized branch of the military should set up its own military academy to train qualified personnel. The joint logistics headquarters is still the old Song, and its responsibilities are a big mess of logistics, not only clothing, food and grass, but also the improvement of the medical system, including the procurement of weapons, and the management of the shares on our heads. The Military Intelligence Bureau is responsible for the intelligence work of the whole army, and Jiang Yun is still the director of the bureau, which is under my direct jurisdiction for the time being, and will be under the leadership of the General Staff Department in the future. The Military Intelligence Bureau was born out of the Intelligence Section, and its current business is rather miscellaneous, and in addition to military intelligence, it also engages in other aspects of intelligence, which is not good. In the future, it is necessary to set up a new intelligence agency to separate military intelligence operations and professionalize military intelligence.

In the future, the Mengshan Army will be transformed into a national defense force and undertake the sacred duty of defending the motherland, and army building will be a long-term topic. We will take our time, but we must adapt to the changes brought about by the transformation of the army into the national defense force, and we must take a big step towards regularization and professionalization. Our war with Beiyang has proved that the road of building our Mengshan army is correct, and we have comprehensively surpassed Beiyang in terms of equipment, training, and intelligence, but compared with the armies of the great powers, we have a very big gap, and we must recognize the gap and catch up. Don't be complacent, Yelang is arrogant.

"Now I will talk about the preliminary plan for the establishment of the military region. The Northern Military Region: It is planned that Lu Shan will be the commander and will have four divisions under its command, and the headquarters will be located in Changchun, and the provincial capital of Jilin Province will be moved to Changchun in the future, because Changchun's geographical location is superior to that of Jilin. Northwest Military Region: Responsible for the defense of Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang, with two divisions under its jurisdiction, with Feng Guozhu as the commander and the headquarters in Lanzhou. Southwest Military Region: Responsible for the defense of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet, with two divisions, with Lan Xinzhi as the commander, and the headquarters in Chengdu; Southeast Military Region: Responsible for the defense of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi provinces, with two divisions under its jurisdiction, with Wang Mingyuan as the commander and Jiangning as the headquarters; Southern Military Region: responsible for the defense of Liangguang and Lianghu, with two divisions under its jurisdiction, and Hu Zongyu is proposed to be the commander; The Central Military Region is a reserve military region that responds to the Quartet, with jurisdiction over Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces, and two divisions under its jurisdiction. The capital has a garrison area, which is responsible for the defense of Beijing, Tianjin, and Zhili, and has jurisdiction over two divisions, one of which is responsible for the defense from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan, and it is proposed that Shi Dashou be the commander. In this way, the whole army should be organized into 16 divisions. Our current situation is that there are three divisions of the Southern Army and three divisions of the Northern Army, including Zhang Zuolin's 21st Division. There were two divisions of the Shandong Army, and there were only eight divisions. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the number of eight divisions, otherwise it will be difficult to cope with the actual situation. My opinion from General Situ and I in Wuchang was that the army of the Nanyang system should be reorganized into three divisions, and the existing troops of our three fronts should be expanded into five divisions. After the reorganization, the division is divided into two types: A and B, with the first division having three brigades and nine regiments, fully equipped with artillery, engineers, and other units, and is the main force in our foreign operations, and the B division is composed of two brigades and six regiments, and the special forces are correspondingly reduced, so that they are the troops undertaking garrison tasks. It is proposed that the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th divisions will be the first division, and the rest will be the second division. The above plans, please discuss, including staffing, can fully express their opinions. All of you here are the core backbone members of our Mengshan Army. Everyone should study and discuss from the high plane of national defense construction, and should not put themselves too much into it. ”

The participants in the meeting desperately recorded what Long Qian said.

Long Qian continued, "Everyone noticed that Ning Shijun's work was not arranged, and I considered letting Shi Jun prepare for the construction of the navy. The position is Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The above is all about the construction of the army, but the navy must be established, even if we don't have a ship in our hands, the navy must be on board! It will take us 30 years, in the hands of our generation, to build an oceanic navy that can compete with the world. But the construction of the Navy is very difficult, and it is not only a matter of money. It is more important to accumulate and cultivate talents. What is the relationship between the Navy Command and the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff after its establishment? My initial idea is to set up two major commands, the Army Command and the Navy Command, under the Ministry of National Defense. The Army Command is no longer a separate headquarters, but is concurrently held by the Minister of Defense. However, the Navy Command should be strengthened and operationally under the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff Headquarters, because the Navy must also be subordinated to the national defense strategy of the whole country. However, the navy should establish its own command and staff organs and logistical support system. The Joint Logistics Department does not care about the Navy for the time being. This is my overall vision for the reorganization of the armed forces. We're going to do it one by one. Let's talk about the navy first, Shi Jun, you come to the navy. How is it? ”

In fact, Long Qian had already blown the wind with Ning Shijun, but at this moment, Ning Shijun's face was flushed with excitement, "I am willing to work in the navy!" ”

"Good. That's it. You actually don't know Lu Dao, Shi Jun's original surname is Fang, Ning is his mother's surname, Shi Jun's predecessor was a senior general of the Beiyang Navy, and it can be regarded as a family history. Let's applaud the election of the first Commander of the Navy. Shi Jun, I think you can restore your surname. ”

Everyone applauded enthusiastically. Except for Long Qian, the others really didn't know that Lu Dao Ning Shijun's original surname was Fang, and they didn't know that Lu Dao's ancestors were once the generals of the Beiyang Naval Division. Hong Yuecheng and Fang Shengyuan immediately thought of Fang Boqian, and estimated that Ning Shijun was Fang Boqian's descendant. Fang Boqian was beheaded by Li Hongzhang because of his retreat, and it is reasonable for Fang's descendants to change their surnames for this.

"Ha Luha, Shi Jun, I can't imagine that we were one family five hundred years ago." Fang Shengyuan said with a smile.

"The second is the plan to expand the number of eight divisions. Let's talk about this first. Let's talk about the Nanyang and Beiyang Army, I plan to divide two divisions of the Beiyang Army, and one division of the remnants of the Nanyang New Army and the uprising troops of the Henan Mixed Brigade, for a total of three divisions. Let's talk about Beiyang first, Shi Jun, you say it first. Because the Beiyang Army was defeated in the hands of the Shandong Army, Long Qian first named Ning Shijun.

"I basically agree. At present, the Beiyang system troops have the remnants of the second, third, and fourth towns in Hengshui, the remnants of the sixth town brought back to Beijing by Duan Qirui, and the two mixed brigades in Henan and Shanxi that have never fought. As far as the strength of the army is concerned, it is less than 40,000 people, and it is more appropriate to organize two divisions. But taking into account the stabilization of the situation, three divisions can also be used. The key is the selection of personnel and the use of troops. I think it would be more appropriate to break it up and put it into other divisions. Ning Shijun said.

"No." Fang Sheng said from afar, "The marshal obviously takes into account Beiyang's feelings, and the feelings of the Beiyang generals are different when it comes to four brigades to different divisions and two divisions alone, and I agree with the marshal's opinion." However, it is necessary to carefully study which military region the two divisions belong to, and the selection of division commanders must also be carefully studied. ”

"Lu Shan, tell me." Long Qian nodded to Lu Shan to speak.

"I agree with the commander. The Northern Military District can accept one of the divisions, and the direction can be used for the northeast! ”

"Other people's opinions?"

No comments.

"As for the candidates, they can only be produced in Beiyang. Otherwise, there is no point. I considered two people, Feng Guozhang and Cao Kun. Let's think about it. Long Qian continued to go deeper.

"I think Cao Kun's ability is average." Lushan Road. Cao Kun is an old opponent of the Mengshan Army, and Long Qian's first battle in charge of the army was fought with Cao Kun.

"There are many Beiyang generals who can be the division commander, but at the moment, only Feng, Cao, Duan, and Li are appropriate." Long Qian said slowly, "Duan Qirui, I have other considerations, Li Chun's overall view is not as good as Cao Kun, if Feng Guozhang is transferred to the Northern Military Region, and Cao Kun is transferred to the Southwest or Southern Military Region, there is no big battle there for the time being, and ability is not a big problem, it is good to stabilize the morale of the army." Long Qian explained.

"That's okay too." Lu Shan agreed.

"In this way, the fourth town and the second town of Beiyang will be combined into the twelfth division, with Feng Guozhang as the division commander, and it will be assigned to the Northern Military Region. The remnants of Cao Kun's 3rd Town and Duan Qirui's 6th Town were combined into the 13th Division, which was assigned to the Southwest Military Region. Long Qian made a decision, "As for the junior officers, we must transfer a group of people from our army's active duty to enrich these two divisions." The specific number of people is up to the General Political Department and the General Staff to get an opinion. Targets were assigned to the ministries, and they were to send out outstanding officers to support the building of the new troops. Don't think of these two divisions as the Beiyang Army, they will be regular army divisions of the Wehrmacht from now on, our own troops! So, the posture should be higher. ”

No one was willing to transfer their outstanding officers away, but what Long Qian said couldn't refute, so he hit Cao Minzhong and Shang Fengchun's idea, hoping that their subordinates would be merciful.

"Now it's about the Nanyang troops. The new army of the Nanyang system consists of the 8th and 9th towns and the 21st Mixed Association. The Eighth Town revolted in Changsha and formed a Ninth Brigade, which is currently considered a unit of the Third Division. has returned to Guangdong to garrison. The ninth town was tossed by Lin Shuqing once. There was a bloody battle with Guozhu in Tingsi Town, and this army was basically finished. However, Li Yuanhong was aware of the current affairs, and at the last moment, he staged a decisive uprising in Wuchang, which not only saved a regiment in his hands. In addition, the factory in Hanyang was not damaged by the war. That's it alone. And he did a great job. This person's influence in the Hubei New Army is not small. There is a certain amount of popularity, and using him is conducive to stabilizing the situation in Wuchang. Therefore, I decided to use the 9th Brigade, the 21st Mixed Formation Association Uprising Force, and the 29th Henan Mixed Association Mixed Formation into the 14th Division. Li Yuanhong served as the division commander. In this way, the division is already at full strength, and it is assigned to the Southern Military Region, which is currently relatively empty. I won't discuss this, so it's decided. The composition of the other five divisions and the selection of division commanders are examined below. As for the New Army unit in Shanxi, which is seriously lacking, it will be incorporated into the Northern Military Region in the future. ”

This was something that everyone was more concerned about, so a heated discussion ensued. Everyone hopes that their troops will be expanded, and they are more concerned about the selection of the commanders of the five new divisions......

In the end, it was decided that the fourth, fifth, eighth, fifteenth, and sixteenth divisions were newly established, with Cheng Erhu, commander of the 28th Brigade of the Northern Army, Xiong Xun, commander of the 25th Brigade, Jiang Yiliu, chief of staff of the First Division of the Southern Army, Ding Xiaofu, commander of the 29th Brigade of the Northern Army, and Gao Huzi, commander of the 17th Brigade of the Shandong Army, serving as the commanders of the above five divisions. In addition, because Lu Shan, Feng Guozhu, Ye Yanbing, and Wang Mingyuan were appointed commanders of the large military region, Zheng Shuangqing, chief of staff of the Ninth Division, took over as commander of the Ninth Division, Qu Hongxiang, chief of staff of the Sixth Division, took over as commander of the Sixth Division, Du Sanli, commander of the Second Brigade of the First Division, took over as commander of the First Division, and Chi Chunxian, commander of the cavalry regiment of the Second Division, who was a veteran qualification, took over as commander of the Third Division.

Because Wang Mingyuan, Feng Guozhu, and Ye Yanbing are fighting in the Southeast Theater, the appointment of the commanders of the 3rd, 1st, and 6th Divisions will not be announced for the time being.

The units under the jurisdiction of the reorganized military regions are as follows: Northern Military Region: the fifth, ninth, twelfth, and twenty-first divisions and one cavalry brigade (Jiang Cunxian's brigade); Northwest Military Region: 1st and 7th Divisions; Southeast Military Region: 3rd and 15th Divisions; Southern Military Region: 14th and 8th Divisions; Southwest Military Region: 2nd and 13th Divisions; Central Military Region: 6th and 16th Divisions, Garrison: 10th and 4th Divisions.

In view of the deteriorating situation in Outer Mongolia, Long Qian decided to reorganize the Northern Army first, appoint Fan Deping as deputy commander and chief of staff of the Northern Military Region, and transfer officers from the 9th and 12th Divisions of the Northern Army to augment the 5th and 21st Divisions, as well as Feng Guozhang's 12th Division. Rapid recruitment was carried out to replenish the troops, especially the Ninth Division, the only division of the Northern Army. The troops of the remaining military regions have been gradually strengthened and improved in the order of northwest, southwest, garrison, south, and center.

"Lu Shan, it seems that you have to return to the northeast. Beijing is not yet hot, and you have to go back to the icy and snowy Saibei. The situation in Outer Mongolia is tight, and they must be completely suppressed before they are fledgling! I, Long Qian, swear that I will never lose an inch of land in my hands! Whoever dares to make trouble for independence, you will kill me fiercely! In my opinion, the Ninth Division and Lao Chiang's cavalry brigade should be supplemented first, and they should be dispatched in advance. The remaining three divisions then moved. You are solely responsible for the specific plan. ”

"Hehe, I really like Shangguanwai. This matter is the main business of our soldiers, and it is much more interesting than fighting Beiyang. Don't worry, Commander, I'll leave as soon as possible. Lu Shan said with a smile.

"It's not a matter of a day or two, but it's time to hurry. The troops of the Northern Military District will take the time to see you before they go north. Generals, stabilizing the situation in Outer Mongolia is a first-class achievement of Ban Chao and Fu Jiezi, and it will be written into history. There is nothing worth mentioning in Outer Mongolia's military power, the key is the Russians. Be prepared for a Russian turnaround. In addition, it is necessary to meticulously do a good job in the ideological work of the troops, especially the work of officers at all levels, and think more thoroughly about the season and the issue of supplies for the troops, so as to overcome the difficulties to the fullest. The issue of garrisons after quelling the rebellion in Outer Mongolia was considered more thoughtfully. You see," Long Qian hurried to the map of the whole country hanging on the wall, "Outer Mongolia is close to the Russian Siberian Railway, this railway line is the lifeline of the Russians to control the Far East, and in our hands, this railway line is in an extremely unsafe state. China has been weak for many years and is powerless to threaten him, but we will not be weak forever! Once our country becomes strong and prosperous, a crack army will be placed on the Outer Mongolian Plateau, which will make Russia sleep uncomfortably! Compared to others, the Manchu bastards are really bad, they have been sitting back and watching the Russian infiltration of Outer Mongolia all these years, especially the infiltration of the Tangnu-Ulianghai area, and the local residents have a very weak sense of identity with China, you should pay attention to this. To send troops to Outer Mongolia, you have to rely on a large number of cavalry, so my opinion is that we will not fight this year and do it again next spring. The plan is absolutely confidential, but it is necessary to step up propaganda on the troops' efforts to safeguard national security! It is possible to set a rule that all troops that fight abroad will have their wartime allowances doubled and their death pensions doubled. This is only my opinion, and I would like to ask the General Political Department to study it. ”

"Yes." Cao Minzhong replied immediately.

The generals present looked excited. The three civil officials, Fang Shengyuan frowned, Hong Yuecheng's eyebrows danced, and Chen Chao was expressionless. It is not good for them to ignore Long Qian's military issues, but sending troops to Mongolia may bring great changes in diplomacy. Fang Shengyuan's original military position was revoked, which meant that he would enter the government to work, which was his long-cherished wish, out of a sense of responsibility, Fang Shengyuan raised his hand and said, "Please think twice, big marshal!" With the founding of the country imminent, would it be a bit reckless to cause contradictions with the great powers? ”

"What is recklessness!" Ning Shijun immediately retorted, "Soldiers take protecting their homes and defending the country as their highest mission, and Outer Mongolia will never allow any autonomy!" It must be severely suppressed! The Russians don't interfere, and there is no need to be afraid of interference, the more afraid they are, the more ghosts they will become! The new country of the Great Commander is not the Manchus! ”

"That's what Shi Jun said." Lu Shan supports Ning Shijun's point of view, "If you get rid of it as soon as you show up, things are simple." I thought it would be a good idea to send troops this winter. The troops of the Northern Army have all fought in the ice and snow, and there is nothing remarkable. ”

"Generals, gentlemen," Long Qian waved his hand to stop everyone's argument, "what are we Mengshan Army fighting the world for?" It is for the country not to be bullied by the great powers! It is to get rid of ignorance and backwardness for the people, and it is to let future generations live a good life! On issues involving national security and territorial disputes, it is necessary to not give an inch! There's nothing to talk about! However, we are not going to fight hard, but to take the lives of those bastards who split the country! Therefore, to send troops to Mongolia, it is necessary to make careful preparations and take all unfavorable factors into account. This matter will be handed over to Lu Shan, and there will be no discussion. For the replenishment of the Ninth Division and the Cavalry Brigade, Shang Fengchun and Fan Deping were specifically responsible. Immediately after the meeting, an order was drafted to announce the appointment of commanders in each theater in the name of the headquarters. After I have an interview with the Beiyang generals, I will be able to announce the plan for the reorganization of the troops. Of course, regarding the results of today's discussions, he immediately sent a telegram to Situ to ask for his opinion on the reorganization of the troops. Shang Fengchun, Situ is not at the headquarters, Zhang Yulin is staying in Shandong, and you will take responsibility for the work of the General Staff first. ”

"Yes!" Shang Fengchun stood up and replied. He suddenly realized that his immediate boss, Deng Qinghua, chief of staff of the Northern Army, did not hold an important military post in this reorganization, which was obviously unreasonable. Perhaps Long Qian is ready to transfer him out of the army system, and it is unknown.

"Okay, that's it for today's meeting. The results of the meeting were kept strictly confidential. The sooner the better, arrange for Feng Guozhang and others to come to see me. Tomorrow morning. By the way, is Wu Peifu here? ”

"Come with us." Ning Shijun replied.

"Call him too, Duan Qirui, don't forget, and Zhang Shaozeng." Long Qian made a gesture, "Take this opportunity to say a few heart-wrenching words to everyone." (To be continued......)