When looking through the list of troops in the rear, Huang Ke noticed the name Sun Liren.

At the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, Sun Liren led the armed police force to fight many tough battles in Shanghai, and because of this, during the Battle of Songhu, Sun Liren's armed police force was basically exhausted, and after the defense of Suzhou, he also withdrew to the rear for correction. Huang Ke didn't notice the general anymore.

Now that the war in Myanmar has begun, isn't it a good time to use him?

Huang Ke closed the folder in his hand and asked, "Where is Sun Liren now?" ”

Bai Chongxi stepped forward and said, "He is now repairing in Zhuzhou. ”

"How's it going?" Huang Ke asked.

Bai Chongxi shook his head: "The replenishment of soldiers and equipment in this army has not been very good, and the previous casualties were too large, so it was difficult to recover for a while. ”

Huang Ke frowned, and then he asked, "Then how many people are in this army now?" ”

Bai Chongxi opened the folder in his hand and said, "There are 8,532 officers and soldiers on the register. ”

"Good!" After Huang Ke finished speaking, he began to walk back, and he said to Chen Shaokuan next to him as he walked: "Shao Kuan, you have made a good suggestion to me, I think this Sun Liren is the most suitable candidate for the commander of the expeditionary force." Let's go to the Standing Committee and bring it up. ”

……

The Standing Committee of the Military Commission resumed its meeting after a break of more than half an hour. On the question of which troops to send for the expedition, Jiang Zhongzheng first clarified his viewpoint: "It is not impossible to send Hu Zongnan's troops, but it is just a taboo for soldiers to be on the battlefield. Hu Zongnan led the troops ......"

"Minister Jiang, please wait a moment." Huang Ke interrupted his speech: "I just discussed with the comrades of our staff and other departments, and Hu Zongnan's divisions are stationed in the Lianghu area and cannot move. The recent offensive of the Japanese army has been relatively fierce, so none of the troops included in our reserve force can move. ”

Everyone was unexpectedly surprised by Huang Ke's 180-degree turn, could it be that he wanted to get away with it? He Yingqin asked, "So, which army should be sent to Burma?" ”

"That's what I'm going to say to you. I checked the situation of the rear repair unit, and Sun Liren's armed police force has been repaired for a long time, and it is a hard bone that has been on the battlefield for a long time, so they are more suitable. ”

Everyone noticed that Huang Ke used "say" instead of "discuss" this time, which indicates that he himself has made his own decision on this issue.

After hearing this, Air Force Minister Xu Shaozhou said with satisfaction: "The commander-in-chief's proposal is very good. Sun Liren himself graduated from the Virginia Military Academy in the United States and has rich experience in Europe and the United States. ”

Li Jishen, secretary general of the Political Department, also nodded and said: "I have known Sun Liren, this comrade has a strong sense of the country and the nation, and he has fought many tough battles in Shanghai. I agree with that. ”

Li Zongren, secretary general of the Military Commission of the Ministry of National Defense, also said: "What Ren Chao said is right, Sun Liren has not only fought many tough battles, but has also been flexible and changeable in his combat methods in Shanghai. I remember that during the Battle of Songhu, he had a disagreement with his immediate boss Zhang Zhizhong, and was later able to persuade Zhang Zhizhong to follow his advice. As it turned out, his advice was correct. I agree with that. ”

Jiang Zhong smiled and tried his best to maintain his due composure. What he didn't expect was that it was originally a speech to express his opinions, but he didn't expect it to turn into a temporary statement by the committee members, and judging from the current situation, even if he and He Yingqin voted against, the expeditionary force would still send Sun Liren.

Just as he was about to make eye contact with He Yingqin, He Yingqin spoke: "Sun Liren's armed police force has been stationed in the southern region for repair, and it can be regarded as adapting to the jungle environment. I think it's very appropriate to send them both personally and from the troops. ”

The following vote was of course expected, and several members expressed their positions one after another, which means that the resolution was passed. Jiang Zhongzheng glanced at Huang Ke, his body leaned back, and he looked like he was in control of the overall situation. Now, he realized that he had been isolated in the military council, and even his only ally, He Yingqin, was "anti-water" at this time.

He had a feeling that he was being blocked, could it be that Huang Ke's previous proposal was deliberate? Just imagine, if Huang Ke had thrown his descendant Sun Liren to serve as the commander of the expeditionary force at the beginning, he would inevitably be opposed, and Huang Ke cleverly set the first candidate and troops in the troops of Du Yuming and Hu Zongnan, shifting the focus of the contradiction, so as to more cleverly launch his own opinions.

This is precisely Huang Ke's cleverness, which he has done many times before.

"Minister Jiang, what is your opinion?" The moderator of the meeting, Li Zongren, turned to Jiang Zhongzheng and asked. His mind was disrupted, and he was forced back into the meeting.

He nodded and said, "I agree with everyone. ”

……

The documents for the preparation of the expeditionary force have been officially issued. The former Songhu Armed Police Force was reorganized into the 1st Army of the Chinese National Defense Force's Expeditionary Force, and after completing the reorganization of the assembly in Kunming, it will go to the Burma battlefield.

In order to make up for the shortage of troops, the recruitment of troops for the expeditionary force was carried out in a socially oriented manner. The formation of the expeditionary force is in full swing, and many young people from all parts of the country have signed up to enlist.

Soon after the order was issued, Sun Liren rushed from his station to Nanjing, went through some necessary formalities, and at the same time reported to the Ministry of National Defense.

Sun Liren's previous unit was always called the Armed Police Force for historical reasons at that time, and although their military uniforms were no different from other units, their ranks and titles were still in accordance with the police system. The expeditionary force has been formed, and naturally it can no longer be called a police force, so the corresponding job titles and the like should be changed.

Some of these cumbersome procedures still have to be completed, first to the police department to handle the transfer, then to the Ministry of Defense to handle the receipt, and then to the logistics department to fill in the relevant equipment and clothing. Every trivial thing is indeed a headache, but it is indispensable.

After three days of busy work in Nanjing, Sun Licai received a phone call from the Secretariat of the Ministry of National Defense, saying that he was asked to wait at the Ministry of National Defense in the afternoon, and Huang Ke would personally receive him.

After Sun Liren packed up, he changed into a newly issued army general's uniform and arrived at the Ministry of Defense early. The military uniform is new, and before he came, he deliberately went to the store next to him to spend a few dollars to iron it, and there was obviously a straight fold on the pants, and the leather shoes were also shiny.

When meeting the highest commander, it is the most basic etiquette to have a neat military appearance. When he arrived at the Ministry of Defense, after passing through several layers of guards with his pass, the officers of the Secretariat led him to the lounge to wait, and Sun Liren did not sit down, but stood there.

His heart was agitated at this time, and the excitement of a nearly forgotten general being re-entrusted with the reuse was indescribable, let alone reporting to the Supreme Commander.

After more than ten minutes, the secretary Chen Liewen came over and said to Sun Lidao: "General Sun, please come here." The chief is waiting for you. ”

Sun Liren immediately got up, he straightened the military hat on his head again, and walked in with strong steps.

After entering the door, Huang Ke was reviewing the documents at his desk, and Chen Liewen walked in and said, "Chief Chief, General Sun is here." ”

Huang Ke put down the pen in his hand, got up and said, "Liren is here, sit down." ”

Sun Liren snapped and stood upright, and saluted a standard military salute: "Good chief!" ”

Huang Ke simply replied, "Sit down." ”

Sun Liren sat opposite Huang Ke, his waist straight and not touching the back of the chair behind him.

Chen Liewen brought two cups of brewed tea and walked out.

Huang Ke asked with a smile: "The central government has already decided to appoint you as the commander of the expeditionary force." I have also read the basic situation of the Songhu Armed Police Force and your personal situation, and I would like to hear your views. ”

The question asked by Huang Ke was actually expected by Sun Liren, and he had already typed the manuscript before. Sun Liren reported the number of existing troops and the number of specific equipment, pointed out many existing problems, but also expressed his determination to win the expedition.

Huang Ke nodded frequently as he listened, and he was sure of this serious and down-to-earth attitude.

"So tell us about your situation in the last few years, right? Since the Battle of Songhu, your troops have been repairing in the rear, what's going on? Huang Ke didn't care much about the specific troops, but he also felt that it was strange that such a strong force had been repairing in the rear, so naturally, he listened to the reports of the relevant departments, saying that this was because of the shortage of troops, and the unit suffered heavy losses, and it was difficult to restore combat effectiveness for a while.

However, Huang Ke naturally didn't believe too much in the absurd reasons of these crowns, he still wanted to hear Sun Liren's true statement.

This question was not prepared by Sun Liren in advance. When he thought about it, his expression couldn't help but change slightly, all these years of grievances and unwillingness were like a jar of bitter water, and today there is hope to pour down.

Probably can't say it? I haven't stood firm on my feet just now, and because I have no friends in the military because I studied in the United States, I can't offend anyone.

After thinking about it, Sun Liren still decided to say it, but not completely.

He smiled wryly: "Actually, these reasons are also caused by special reasons. Our Songhu Armed Police Force is administratively subordinate to the police system, but in fact it is under the management of the Ministry of National Defense. After the Battle of Songhu, the Shanghai area fell, and although the number of the Songhu Police Force was retained, it became a big problem to replenish supplies because of the ownership problem. After we retreated to the rear, we should have replenished the troops in the ordinary order, but it was difficult for the local military and political departments to grasp it, because we were not among the resupplyees. I went to the police department, which was only responsible for repairing the law and order officers in the rear, and besides, they didn't have any heavy weapons to give us. ”

Huang Ke nodded: "This is my responsibility, I only considered the relationship with Japan at the beginning, so I made your troops into an armed police force." Why don't you come to the Ministry of Defense in person? ”

Sun Liren scratched his scalp and said: "I came, but it was in the critical period of the defense of Nanjing, and all departments were moving and transferring, and I didn't find a suitable department to complain." ”

Sun Liren said, Huang Ke's expression became more and more solemn. Seeing that this was a bit beyond his expectations, he continued: "However, the procedures are stipulated in this way, but the military, government and police departments have given us corresponding supplements, so in the past few years, the current size and equipment of more than 8,000 people have been maintained. ”

Huang Ke nodded: "Okay, thank you for your hard work." This time we will go to Myanmar to fight, and we will do our best to replenish the personnel and equipment. Also, you have to remember that you don't be limited by the American and British people, and you have to be independent. The government's strategy now is to launch a counteroffensive from Burma, and you are the first to fire this counteroffensive. You are also the first troops sent by China after the First Sino-Japanese War, and we want to show military prestige and national prestige! ”

"Yes!" Sun Liren is on the right path.