Newborn 1927

Ji Xingwen, stationed in Tianshui, also took action, dispatching small units to various locations to incorporate local forces within Gansu. Relatively speaking, Ji Xingwen encountered less resistance. In the past two years, through railway construction and disaster relief, he had gained a good reputation in both Gansu and Shaanxi. Those local forces were still willing to follow Ji Xingwen's command.

In Lanzhou, Lei Zhongtian's troops remained inactive, while Ma Hongbin stayed out of the fray. However, the Provisional 7th Division had yet to reply, indicating that Ma Hongbin was still observing the situation.

Wang Xun was a shrewd man; he knew that everyone was watching the higher-ups' reactions. In other words, the fate of Gansu depended on the outcome of the power struggle at the top. He had an almost uncanny confidence in Yang Jiefang, so he wasn't in a hurry at all. The expansionist momentum grew stronger and stronger. When he received Yang Jiefang's telegram, he knew that the power struggle at the top had ended, and Gansu was now under Yang's control.

Wang Xun immediately assembled his troops and surrounded Lei Zhongtian's forces, while simultaneously imposing martial law in Lanzhou. Lei Zhongtian's unit was nominally a division, but in reality, it was a mixed brigade with only about four thousand men; its combat effectiveness was less than that of a single People's Liberation Army battalion. Faced with the PLA's overwhelming firepower, they had no courage to resist.

Wang Xun surrounded them without attacking, sending someone to deliver a message, requesting Lei Zhongtian to come out and negotiate in person. A short while later, Lei Zhongtian emerged, accompanied by a middle-aged man who was not in uniform. A squad of pistols followed behind them.

Approaching him, Lei Zhongtian asked in a deep voice, "Commander Wang, we are both stationed in Lanzhou, and we have always kept to ourselves. What are you trying to do today?"

Wang Xuncai replied, "By order of the young commander, we are unifying military orders within Gansu. Commander Lei, I wonder if you are willing to obey the young commander's orders?"

Lei Zhongtian said, "I was appointed by the Commander-in-Chief. Why should I obey the orders of the junior commander?"

Wang Xun smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Commander Lei is extremely loyal to the Commander-in-Chief! I wonder if the Commander-in-Chief regards Commander Lei as a brother?"

Lei Zhongtian felt slightly embarrassed. Ever since Wang Xun led his troops into Lanzhou, he had reported the matter to the Commander-in-Chief via telegram, but had received no reply. It was obvious that he had been abandoned.

At this moment, the middle-aged man spoke up: "Commander Wang is indeed as promising as the young commander! I am Li Shijun, and I have come on behalf of Brother Huanzhang to explain something to Commander Wang!"

Wang Xun asked in confusion, "Brother Huanzhang? Are you one of Feng Yuxiang's men?"

Li Shijun replied, “That’s right. Commander Lei was originally a subordinate of Brother Huanzhang, but he was forced to serve under Chiang Kai-shek. Brother Huanzhang has always regarded Commander Lei as a brother. Now, he is willing to heed Brother Huanzhang’s call and return to his command. We will naturally not object to Commander Wang’s desire to unify military orders in Gansu Province. But please make way for Commander Lei to lead his troops out of Gansu!”

Wang Xun then asked, "Leave Gansu? Where do you want to go?"

Lei Zhongtian replied, "As long as we leave Gansu, we can go anywhere. There's no need for Commander Wang to concern himself with that, is there?"

Li Shijun said, "We plan to go to Henan. I forgot to tell Commander Wang. The chairman of Henan Province, Han Fuqu, was also a former subordinate of Huanzhang. He is now willing to return to Huanzhang's command. It's just that his Third Route Army—heh, the entire army has deserted. Now that we want to restore its organization, the newly formed Eighth Division is just the right choice." Actually, his original plan was to use Lei Zhongtian to control Lanzhou and then take control of Gansu. However, Wang Xuncai's arrival disrupted his plans, so he had to settle for second best, leaving Gansu first and preserving his power.

Wang Xuncai immediately understood that Han Fuqu's Third Route Army had been disarmed by Zhao Changming and incorporated into the People's Liberation Army before the new year. President Chiang Kai-shek remained silent on the matter, clearly indicating that he had abandoned Han Fuqu. Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that Han, like Lei Zhongtian, had switched allegiance to Feng Yuxiang.

Wang Xuncai said, "Lei Zhongtian, I originally wanted to recommend you for the position of regimental commander. But alas, your ambitions are too great! Fine, I won't stop you from going to Henan, lest I jeopardize your future. But you can forget about taking the newly formed Eighth Division with you!"

Lei Zhongtian shouted sternly, "Hey, you surnamed Wang, what do you want?"

Wang Xun said loudly, "I'll give you ten minutes to consider. Either lay down your weapons and accept reorganization, or prepare to face my artillery fire!"

Li Shijun shouted, "Commander Wang, you need to think this through! They are now under Commander Feng's command, not some Central Army. Commander Feng has treated the young commander very well! Don't put the young commander in an unjust position!"

Wang Xuncai didn't argue with him, and said loudly, "Even the young commander didn't know that Lei Zhongtian had switched sides to Feng Yuxiang, did he? Hmph, I acted on my own today, and the young commander was unaware of it. If he blames me in the future, I will take full responsibility, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

Li Shijun then added, "If Commander Feng successfully returns to power, his primary objective will be to deal with Nanjing, which will certainly benefit the young commander. Why is Commander Wang being so aggressive?"

Wang Xuncai remained unmoved and said, "Enough with the nonsense! In ten minutes, I'll be taking over this place. Whether you come out upright or sideways is up to you." He then turned and left without another word.

Then came a rumbling sound, and four tanks slowly drove up, blocking the entrance to the military camp. Lei Zhongtian and Li Shijun exchanged glances, knowing that they were doomed today.

Wang Xun immediately drafted a telegram, reporting Li Shijun's appearance and Han Fuqu's defection to Feng Yuxiang to Yang Jiefang through the Military Intelligence Department. On the first day of the lunar month, the Military Intelligence Department personally delivered the telegram to Yang Jiefang.

After reading the telegram, Yang Jiefang became wary. He had many Northwest Army generals under his command. If Feng Yuxiang were to return to power and offer them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, it was hard to guarantee that some of them wouldn't defect again.

Yang Jiefang said, "Brother Chu, please investigate Han Fuqu and Feng Yuxiang's current situation thoroughly. I need to know how they got together. After Feng Yuxiang stepped down, he was powerless, penniless, and without anyone's support, he couldn't win over his old subordinates."

Chu Yi agreed and went to make the arrangements.

Yang Jiefang then called Chu Gu to come to the office.

Aunt Chu rushed over and asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Yang Jiefang said, "According to reliable sources, Feng Yuxiang is showing signs of a comeback. Arrange for someone to secretly monitor those generals who came from the Northwest Army."

Aunt Cha asked, "You don't trust them?"

Yang Jiefang replied, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just to be on the safe side."

Chu Gu said, "Let me remind you, suspicion breeds ghosts. If you don't trust them, you shouldn't entrust them with important tasks. Since you've entrusted them with important tasks, yet you still harbor doubts, that's not a good sign."

When Yang Jiefang initially promoted these Northwest Army generals, it was from the perspective of the War of Resistance against Japan. Now, he realizes that internal struggles can be incredibly brutal. Feng Yuxiang defected multiple times throughout his life, and many of his subordinates followed suit, repeatedly switching sides. This plunged even those generals who initially didn't want to defect into a crisis of trust.

After being reminded by Chu Gu, Yang Jiefang reconsidered and realized he shouldn't worry unnecessarily. He should give those Northwest Army generals his full trust and sincerity. More importantly, he should treat them like the brothers from Qinglong Village, building closer relationships with them. Speaking of which, those brothers from Qinglong Village were truly trustworthy! They were trustworthy because they treated each other like brothers.

After thinking it through, Yang Jiefang immediately said, "Then let's not monitor them. Instead of monitoring a whole bunch of people, we should just keep an eye on Feng Yuxiang. I want to see how he plans to make a comeback this time." In his memory, Feng Yuxiang's comeback was when he formed the Chahar Anti-Japanese Allied Army, but he quickly lost power again and never achieved anything significant again.

Then, Yang Jiefang put down his work and turned to the General Staff Headquarters. Lu Zhonglin came out to greet him and reported, "Commander, you've come at the right time. I have something to report to you."

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "That's perfect, let's go in and talk slowly."

The two entered the operations room, and Lu Zhonglin reported, "I am incompetent and failed to incorporate Sun Dianying's troops. He led his troops to join Han Fuqu's Third Route Army."

Yang Jiefang wasn't surprised to hear this and asked, "Do you know how these two got involved?"

Lu Zhonglin replied, "It's not clear yet. Han Fuqu's Third Route Army is practically defunct, while Sun Dianying has troops but no organization or territory. These two really complement each other perfectly!"

Yang Jiefang said, "According to reliable sources, Feng Yuxiang is showing signs of a comeback. It is estimated that Han Fuqu and Sun Dianying have already returned to Feng Yuxiang's command."

Lu Zhonglin was clearly taken aback and said, "How is this possible?" He knew Feng Yuxiang; where would he get the resources to make a comeback now?

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Nothing is impossible. As long as he has a powerful backer who provides him with funds and weapons, it won't be difficult for him to make a comeback. Speaking of which, Brother Feng has treated me well. If he wants to make a comeback, I should give him my full support. Chief of Staff Lu, there are many of his former subordinates in our troops. Please ask around for me. If anyone wants to return to their old master, I will not force them to stay. As long as they don't incite a mutiny, they can stay or leave as they please."

Lu Zhonglin immediately stood up and said, "Commander, do you not trust us? Are we the kind of fickle, treacherous people you're talking about?"

Yang Jiefang remained calm and said, "How could I not trust you? It's precisely because I trust you and consider you brothers that I'm speaking frankly to you. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Some people are just incompatible; when they get together, they'll fight and turn against each other. But some people are born with similar interests and can live and die together. No one can explain why. I've gathered you all together to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and to fight side by side for the same dream. If someone doesn't have this ambition, let them be! Why force them?"

Lu Zhonglin said, "I understand what the young commander means. Let me state my position first: since I have chosen to follow the young commander, as long as the young commander does not abandon me, I will remain loyal to the death. As for the others—please leave this matter to me! I will explain it to them clearly and give them a chance to choose again. They came to serve the young commander openly and honestly; even if they want to leave, they should leave openly and honestly."

Yang Jiefang nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Lu!" Judging from Lu Zhonglin's reaction, it seemed that Feng Yuxiang wouldn't be able to easily take away these generals from the Northwest Army along with their troops.

Yang Jiefang immediately sent a telegram to Wang Xuncai. Those in Lei Zhongtian's unit who wished to stay and join the People's Liberation Army would be incorporated into the local forces; those who did not wish to stay could leave, but their weapons could not be taken away, lest they become bandits.

At this point, Lei Zhongtian's troops had already been disarmed. Faced with the powerful Wang Xuncai and the well-equipped People's Liberation Army, they truly dared not resist.

After receiving Yang Jiefang's telegram, Wang Xuncai didn't delay. He gathered the men on the drill ground and had them sit on the ground. Wang Xuncai walked into the crowd and said loudly, "This Mr. Li says he wants to take you to Henan to rejoin Feng Yuxiang's forces. As the saying goes, follow the bees to learn how to collect honey, follow the flies to find excrement. If you want to go to Henan, we won't stop you. If you want to stay and join the People's Liberation Army, we warmly welcome you. Now, I'll give you ten minutes to consider. During this time, you are not allowed to move around or whisper. Think carefully, do you want to go or stay? If you want to leave, just stand up. Except for your weapons and ammunition, I will allow you to take your personal belongings with you. As for where you go—Henan or Hebei—I won't ask. If you want to stay, as long as you can abide by our army's discipline, I will certainly use your talents according to their abilities. The timer starts now!" After speaking, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

Lei Zhongtian and Li Shijun, who were also in the crowd, immediately stood up. Lei Zhongtian said loudly, "Brothers, Commander Feng has treated us very well..." He wanted to shout a few words to persuade everyone to follow him.

However, the PLA soldiers guarding him didn't give him a chance to continue speaking. They stepped forward and shouted, "No talking! This is your first warning!"

Lei Zhongtian angrily retorted, "What's wrong with me saying a few words?"

The PLA soldier immediately raised his gun and pointed it at Lei Zhongtian, shouting, "Don't speak! This is the second warning!"

Lei Zhongtian glared at the soldier, who stared back at him expressionlessly, his hand holding the gun trembling not at all. Lei Zhongtian didn't dare gamble on whether the soldier would dare to fire, his face flushed, but he dared not continue speaking.

Li Shijun, standing nearby, walked over and tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to act impulsively. Lei Zhongtian had no choice but to lower his head helplessly and leave the crowd with Li Shijun. Afterwards, people in the crowd gradually stood up and chose to leave. Apart from a few high-ranking officers, most did not choose to follow Lei Zhongtian to Henan. Their reason for not staying was not that they didn't want to, but rather that the discipline of the People's Liberation Army was too strict, and they feared future punishment, even execution, for violating military discipline.

After ten minutes, very few people actually left. Most chose to stay and join the People's Liberation Army (PLA). For most, the main reason for enlisting was the lack of better options. The PLA offered good benefits, so staying was a good choice. In the end, more than 3,000 people remained, and Wang Xun reorganized them into five infantry battalions. The five battalion commanders and fifteen company commanders were all drawn from battalion, company, and platoon-level officers from the 32nd Regiment, while the original officers were demoted to deputy positions in the 32nd Regiment.

After the reorganization was completed, Wang Xuncai reported the organizational structure to the General Staff Headquarters, which then submitted it to Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang approved the merger of the five infantry battalions into the Lanzhou Garrison Regiment, with Wang Xuncai concurrently serving as the regimental commander. Officers were also transferred from the 8th Division to supplement the garrison regiment to strengthen control over the troops.

After dealing with the newly formed 8th Division, Wang Xun had no more concerns and ordered the main force of the 8th Division to launch separate attacks, using companies and battalions as combat units, to incorporate the local forces east of the Yellow River in the entire Gansu Province.

At this moment, Ma Hongbin also saw the general trend and took the initiative to find Wang Xuncai, saying, "Suzhou has replied to me. All units of the Provisional 7th Division are willing to accept the reorganization. This is the current organization. Please let Division Commander Wang decide on the specific reorganization!" As he spoke, he handed over a document.

Wang Xuncai took the document, which was indeed a list of the organizational structure of the Provisional 7th Division and its current detailed location. Wang Xuncai smiled and said, "That's wonderful! I'll report to the junior commander immediately, and please ask Chairman Ma to await further news!"