The unusual mobilization of Japanese troops in Central China soon attracted the close attention of the intelligence agencies of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
Then, news spread like wildfire that the Japanese Tenth Division was surrounded by an independent group in Damei Mountain.
This news even alarmed Chairman Chiang, but at this time, Chairman Chiang was not in a good mood.
Three Japanese armies are approaching from three directions, and the atmosphere in the three towns of Wuhan is becoming unprecedentedly tense. The Hankou Pier, which used to be crowded and bustling, is now much deserted. There are only a few British warships with tall chimneys and huge bodies. Still parked quietly on the pier, not taking the Japanese troops who were about to invade Wuhan seriously.
After listening to reports all day at the camp, Chairman Chiang returned to his official residence on Jianghan Road exhausted.
During the recent period, the news on Chairman Chiang Kai-shek's desk is not good. One piece after another, it is all upsetting news.
The summer grain harvest in Henan Province has failed, and hundreds of thousands of victims have starved to death, and there is an urgent need to allocate grain for disaster relief; Yu Hanmou's 12th Army Group lost consecutive battles, Guangzhou was completely lost, and China lost its last port to communicate with the outside world; Wang Jingwei often appeared in public The statement of surrender seriously shaken the determination of all military and civilians to resist the war.
The League of Nations, for which Chairman Chiang had placed high hopes, once again issued an announcement expressing regret for Japan's invasion of China, and then nothing happened again. However, even so, Chairman Chiang was still obsessed with Western powers such as the United States, Britain, and France. Although the war was over, the Western powers were still waiting for mediation. For this reason, Chairman Chiang even gave up declaring war on Japan in great humiliation.
I am afraid that only Chairman Chiang himself knows the grievances and humiliations caused by the delay in declaring war on Japan.
However, compared with the battle situation in Wuhan, these troubles immediately seemed less important.
Regarding the Battle of Wuhan, Chairman Chiang had high hopes, because before the Battle of Wuhan, Chairman Chiang exchanged huge amounts of military aid from the Soviet Union at the expense of recognizing foreign independence. The fighter jets alone assisted thousands of people. There were more than 5,000 ground crews dispatched. This was the Soviet Air Force aiding China.
In addition to aircraft, the Soviet Union also provided assistance to China with nearly a hundred tanks, more than a thousand artillery pieces, more than 50,000 machine guns, and more than a thousand cars. Of course, these aids were not free aid, but loans provided by the Soviet Union. Then use this loan to purchase weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union, which will have to be repaid in the end.
Speaking of which, I have to say a little digression.
During the thirty-eight years from the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to the founding of New China in 1949, the land of China was plunged into a continuous warlord war. In order to maintain the war, various warlords rushed to borrow money from the West. The Zhili, Anhui, and Feng cliques Even the Northwest Army borrowed large amounts of foreign debt from Western countries, and Chairman Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army was no exception.
In order to make profits from it, the Western powers did not care about the life and death of the Chinese people and only cared about the war fortune.
After the formal reunification of the National Government, Chairman Chiang recognized the foreign debt borrowed by the Beiyang warlords. This foreign debt totaled approximately 700 million yuan in national currency. This was silver dollars, not legal currency that was later devalued. According to the annual income of the Republic of China, , at that time, 400 million people in China had to go without food or drink for ten years to pay off the debt.
Later, the Sino-Japanese War broke out, and then the three-year civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party followed. The Nationalist Government borrowed a large amount of foreign debt from the Soviet Union and Western countries. By the time it retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the Nationalist Government's total foreign debt had accumulated to 3 billion. These three billion yuan are not silver dollars, let alone illegal currency, but US dollars, which is equivalent to about 12 billion oceans!
This is even worse. The people of the whole country will not be able to repay it for ten lifetimes without eating or drinking.
Then, when New China was founded, the Americans said they could help China formally unify, but the prerequisite was that New China must recognize all the foreign debts of the National Government. The next thing that happened next was that ** wrote an article, Farewell to Leighton Stuart, Leighton Stuart was gray. Sliding away, New China refused to recognize all the unequal treaties and foreign debts imposed on the Chinese people by Western powers. The Chinese people were relieved of huge foreign debts that they could not repay in ten lifetimes!
Closer to home, with the aid of aircraft, artillery and tanks from the Soviet Union, the National Army not only rebuilt its air force, reorganized more than a dozen elite group armies, and even organized the first tank regiment since the formation of the National Army. With these assets, Commissar Chiang Changcai once again had the confidence to fight a large-scale battle with Little Japan.
It's just a pity that the ideal is very full, but the reality is very skinny.
Due to a series of wrong decisions after the victory at Wanjialing, the originally good situation took a turn for the worse. After Xue Yue took office again, he failed to reverse the decline, but only did not make the war situation become more corrupt. To be honest, Xue Yue is now doing My job is to be a tinker, plugging up the loopholes wherever they are.
The entire war situation is like this. Even the most optimistic strategists cannot see the possibility of winning the Battle of Wuhan. The only thing the National Army can do now is to delay the Battle of Wuhan as long as possible, and at the same time try to It is possible that the losses of the Japanese army will be even greater. This is the reality. Do you think Chairman Chiang can feel better
After returning to his study and lying down on the rocking chair, he heard soft footsteps behind him.
As soon as he heard the footsteps, Chairman Chiang knew that it was Wang Shihe, his chief of bodyguards and a fellow Fenghua fellow, who had entered.
"Shihe, what's the bad news?" Chairman Jiang rubbed his sore temples and said to Wang Shihe in a strong Ningbo accent, "You really won't let it stop for a moment."
Wang Shihe walked in and said softly: "Commission, this time it's good news."
"Really?" Chairman Chiang was surprised, "The sun is rising in the west this time?"
After a pause, Chairman Chiang asked enthusiastically: "What's the good news?"
Wang Shihe said with a smile: "Commissioners, do you still remember Xu Rui? The instructor of the Brandenburg Special Forces Training Camp."
"Xu Rui? Why don't I remember." Commissioner Jiang curled his lips and said, neither happy nor angry, "Isn't it the last time that more than a hundred heavy artillery were exchanged from me for all the equipment and technical workers of the Jinling Arsenal? That guy? By the way, he also defrauded a regiment of young students from the Young Students Fighting to Death Corps."
Regarding Xu Rui, Chairman Chiang's mood is undoubtedly very complicated.
At this stage, since it is the honeymoon period of the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, a few more heroes like Xu Rui will undoubtedly be a major benefit to the entire China's war of resistance. However, in the long run, the Kuomintang, the Communist Party and the Communist Party will eventually If there is a war, the more powerful warriors like Xu Rui there are, the greater the harm will be to the party-state.
Wang Shihe nodded and said: "The Fuxing Society has just intercepted a piece of top-secret information. It is said that the 10th Division of the Japanese Army in Central China has been surrounded by the Independent Regiment in Damei Mountain. In order to rescue the 10th Division, General Hata Shunroku, commander of the Condemnation Army, was sent to Central China. The 18th Division originally scheduled to be sent to the Hunan battlefield was transferred to the Wanzhong battlefield."
"Really, this is indeed good news." Chairman Jiang said, "Xue Yue can breathe a sigh of relief."
After a pause, Chairman Jiang came to his senses. He turned around and asked Wang Shihe: "What did you just say? The Japanese Tenth Division was surrounded by Xu Rui's independent regiment in Damei Mountain?"
"Yes, the Japanese Tenth Division was surrounded by the Independent Regiment."
"How is it possible?" Chairman Jiang felt that his mind was a little out of control and said in a hurry, "How many people are there in Xu Rui's independent regiment? Even after the expansion of the army, there are only five or six thousand people, but one of the Japanese army There are more than 20,000 people in the permanent division. How can five to six thousand people surround more than 20,000 people?"
Wang Shihe said: "This is indeed a bit incredible, but this news was intercepted by the Fuxing Society Technology Department from the Japanese military's messages, so there is no problem with its reliability."
Chairman Chiang suddenly stood up and scolded three Niang Xipis in succession.
Anyone else would probably not know what Chairman Chiang meant by this move and would think it was just an ordinary emotional outburst. However, Wang Shihe, who had followed Chairman Chiang for many years, could hear the underlying meaning.
The first Niang Xipi that Chairman Jiang scolded was lamenting how Xu Rui fought this battle? The second Niang Xipi said, why did such a fierce general follow the police? The third mother, Xipi, is worried about the future. How will she deal with Xu Rui when Little Japan is driven away and the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party begins
Wang Shihe guessed what Chairman Chiang was thinking, and said in a low voice: "Commissioner, the threat of the Kuomintang is in the future, but the number one enemy of the National Government is Little Japan. If nothing else, Xu Rui's independent regiment is encircling Damei Mountain." Accommodating the 10th Division will reduce the pressure of a division on the battlefield in Hunan."
Chairman Jiang waved his hand, frowned and said, "I know everything you said, but this Xu Rui is really good at fighting. If we don't make plans early, I'm afraid it will be too late when things come to a head in the future." After a pause, he continued, "Go and call Dai Li right away. I have something to discuss with him."
Wang Shihe agreed and bowed out of Chairman Chiang's study.
Not long after, Dai Li, director of the Intelligence Department of Fuxing Society, walked into Chairman Chiang's study.
"Committee." Dai Li stood respectfully in front of Chairman Jiang and asked cautiously, "Are you looking for me?"
Chairman Jiang nodded, frowned and said, "Last time I asked you to check Xu Rui's identity, have you checked it?"
"Checked." Dai Li whispered, "According to the feedback from the German side, Xu Rui is indeed a Chinese from Germany. There was indeed a Chinese instructor in the Brandenburg Special Forces Training Camp, but this Chinese instructor has been missing for half a year. There are many, and I think this Chinese instructor must be Xu Rui."
"It's no wonder, no wonder this Xu Rui is so good at fighting." Chairman Jiang said, "Since he was born in Wuxi, how many battles has this guy won? Just one Japanese general fell into his hands. It’s a long list, right? He has made so many military exploits, but the government only made him a regiment commander. Can you send someone to contact him and say that as long as he is willing to believe in the Three People’s Principles, I can make him a division commander immediately? Oh no, make him the army commander!" (To be continued.)