Canteen System Assistance Notes

They cooperate with the existing engineering, artillery, communications and grassroots officer schools in the border area to provide six months to one year of skills training for local soldiers who meet the promotion standards, so that they can complete more professional tasks: Therefore, they now have a large number of technical soldiers in their hands, all of whom are ready to be dispersed to various units as instructors.

Meanwhile, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region (excluding Huinong), in addition to the garrison troops, also contained approximately six regiments of the Eighth Route Army. These were core units selected from the base areas of Northwest Shanxi, Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, and Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan, and returned to the border region for field army training. According to the original plan, they would be fully organized within a few months and return to their respective bases to promote this new organization and tactics.

In other words, the border region now has a total of six garrison regiments and six field army corps of mobile forces. Excluding the public security forces maintaining law and order, they can form a total of about four divisions - four fully staffed engineering, artillery, cavalry, reconnaissance, communications, chemical defense, and transportation forces, and are directly supported by the headquarters artillery regiment, the Eighth Route Army Air Force, the Eighth Route Army Armored Training Corps, and other direct forces. This is an "advanced version of the Eighth Route Army"!

"He, Chang, can't mobilize his own forces. He has to defend Taolin Pass and the south bank of the Yellow River in Guanzhong. The First War Zone in Henan Province is the front line against the Japanese, so he can't spare any men. Deploying troops from Sichuan and Chongqing is too far away to catch up... He's unwilling to pull out Hu Qinzhai's underwear and mobilize the surrounding warlords to attack together. Chang himself has to come forward to coordinate and command!"

Zhu Laoshi concluded his analysis. "So, we probably still have some time to prepare—but," Zhu Laoshi suddenly changed the subject, "if it were in the old Soviet area, let alone the current level of troops, even with the four divisions of the Red Army at that time, we would have no problem stopping the 200,000-man Chiang Kai-shek army. But—"

He emphasized it again and looked at the chairman, who nodded.

Now, we have more pots and pans! In the Soviet area, we can use space to trade time, seek large-scale pulling, and seek opportunities to annihilate the enemy in the movement. However, if we let the Chiang Kai-shek army into the border area, all the pots and pans in the border area will be broken!

"But we can't just build a stronghold and fight a static battle. We need to be flexible and adapt our tactics and thinking to the current situation—this is no easy task." "Comrade Xu Zijing, are you confident that you can win this battle?"

Everyone present turned their attention to the tall, thin man with deep brows sitting at the side of the venue. He didn't say much, but nodded seriously.

"No problem, gentlemen."

Chapter 269: Chiang Kai-shek in the Dark

"Damn it!"

With this classic beginning, I believe everyone already knows it - the protagonist of this chapter, our dear Mr. Chiang Kai-shek, has lost his temper again.

The story began a few days ago. This "anti-bandit operation involved many aspects. Under the efficient administrative command of Guofu, a strong enough person was needed to go to the front line to communicate and coordinate. Therefore, under the strict confidentiality of Guofu's P", Chiang Kai-shek took the Junkers of Eurasia Airlines and flew to Haojing and lived in his own Northwest Palace.

This should have been a good thing. The supreme commander's presence on the front lines could effectively shorten the chain of command. It could also maintain high pressure in a situation like Guosu, where warlords abound, and urge the troops to execute orders. Indeed, Chiang Kai-shek believed this as well. Once his personal aide had set up the radio, command room, and living quarters, he should be able to smoothly command the troops on the front lines.

However, at this time, Madame May-ling's foreign adviser William Henry Donald came to visit Chiang Kai-shek and said that he was going back to Wan Chai to report and needed to leave temporarily.

As an Australian and special correspondent who had served as an advisor to Zhang Renjun, Mr. Sun, Marshal Zhang, and Xiao Liuzi, Reina held a high position in China, and Chiang Kai-shek held him in high esteem. To show his respect, Chiang Kai-shek invited him to lunch at Changning Palace and then escorted him down the mountain.

When Chiang Kai-shek returned to the room, he was shocked to find a wallet on the table. It was a beautiful black leather bag, bulging with money. Oh, it must have been left by Mr. Reina. Chiang Kai-shek picked up the wallet and walked towards the attendant's room.

The attendant's office was a large agency close to Chiang Kai-shek, responsible for personnel, military affairs, intelligence, and the daily lives of Chiang Kai-shek and his wife. Even within the palace, it had its own office area. Chiang Kai-shek, wearing a long gown and clutching his wallet, slowly wandered over to the next door and pushed it open before entering.

This time, there were no murmurs of discussion. Jiang Zheng was about to speak, but in the office before him, several guards gathered around a table, drinking tea and happily rubbing fish. Several cups, each with a tea bag dangling from it, were arranged in a circle, and in the middle of the table sat two plates of crispy potatoes—one of regular shapes, the other of uneven sizes, but appearing thinner and crispier.

"Chairman!" "President!"

This was not a serious matter, but the team members still stood up awkwardly and were about to salute Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek raised his hand to stop them and said with a smile: "Soldiers are not machines. What's wrong with taking a break from their busy schedule?

"Which of these two crispy potatoes do you think is more delicious?"

Chairman, after unanimous discussion, the brothers all agree that this thin crispy snack is more delicious - its crispy flavor is delicious and addictive. The only drawback is that it is only sold locally in Gaojing and is wrapped in brown paper, making it difficult to transport long distances. "Oh! That's good. For today's snack, please remove the crispy potatoes from before and replace them with this Gaojing specialty." Jiang Gong, who was well versed in the art of ruling, naturally understood the concept of "sharing happiness with the subordinates." He nodded and took out the wallet. "By the way, send a few people to drive after Mr. Reina - this is his wallet, he left it here, why don't you return it to him quickly?"

"I understand, Chairman."

Jiang Gong nodded, opened the foldable wallet, took a quick look, and threw it onto the table. At this moment, the situation changed unexpectedly.

This leather bag was clearly quite old and of good quality. The hardened edges knocked against the wooden table, causing the entire wallet to twist and unfold. From the clip, which had originally contained a considerable amount of money, a few colorful bills slipped out.

Oh, Mr. Ryan has quite a bit of money in his pocket... This strange, low-probability event made Chiang Kai-shek smile, but soon, his smile froze. Because on the side of the exposed banknote, "Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Guanghua Bank" was clearly printed!

——―-—-——

The stove in the room seemed frozen, emitting no heat. Those who could become personal guards were no fools, and one immediately tried to reach out and collect the wallet and banknotes to prevent the embarrassing situation from escalating. "Don't move."

Chiang Kai-shek made no other move; with just one simple sentence, everyone present tensed, afraid to move. His hands, tensed like eagle claws, grasped a chair, yanked it back, and slowly lowered himself onto it. Chiang Kai-shek tapped his fingers on the table twice, as if hesitant, but ultimately snatched Mr. Ryan's wallet from him. He pulled out the first piece of paper, a rectangular piece of paper covered in intricate, vibrant patterns and beautiful ornamentation. On it, several young women, wearing sunglasses, helmets, and towels, appeared dashing, steering wheels and joysticks, operating a machine that seemed enormous compared to them. Artfully rendered wheat stood beside them, ready for harvest: the images suggested they were operating agricultural machinery, cultivating the land.

"One Yuan and 1 Yuan" were written in Arabic numerals and Chinese in the corners of the banknote. Chiang Kai-shek pinched a corner of the banknote with three fingers, lifted it up and squinted to look at it. He found that there seemed to be faint dark patterns and marks on the paper of this small-denomination banknote, covering the entire banknote. When deflected under the light, it seemed to have a strange effect of glowing lines.

The banknote was printed in Liu-style regular script, "Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Guanghua Bank," clearly indicating its origin. "Huh?" He chuckled, pulled the banknote out, and placed it on the table.

The next one, the 50-cent note, has a picture of a brightly lit workshop with a row of machine tools. The workers inside are toiling away, showing positive energy. The next one, the 20-cent note, has a picture of a blast furnace with thick smoke and steel pipes, showing the power of industry.

Although Chiang Kai-shek did not know what "hardcover paper for admission letters" and "UV color developing pens" were, let alone what "automatic offset printing machines" and "school printing houses" were, and could not appreciate the technological content involved; on the contrary, Mr. William Henry Donald, a think tank of the party and the country, actually held counterfeit banknotes from the bandit area and carried them with him, and showed them in front of Chiang Kai-shek, this thing that was beyond Chiang Kai-shek's imagination deeply shocked him.

"you--"

He touched his bald head and said slowly in a trembling voice: "Go! Go and call He Yaozu to me." He suddenly raised his voice:

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll just wait here!"

He Yaozu was the newly appointed Director of the First Division of the Imperial Guards, having only recently completed his transition. He had just come from his office when Chiang Kai-shek scolded him, leaving him with a beard full of bruises. But as Director of the Imperial Guards, he possessed the potential to be a "close attendant" to the Emperor. After an initial moment of confusion, He Yaozu rapidly searched his mind for any clues and eventually found the relevant information.

"Chairman, information about this matter appeared in the Military Commission's daily reports around March of this year. Everything that happened after that was carried out according to your instructions. "March of the 28th year (1939 AD)? How come I don't remember it? The Communist bandits started printing banknotes privately? Why didn't they report it after all this time?"

Report to the Chairman, I remember that it was the Hebei Provincial Civil Affairs Department that first discovered it. The director Zhang Yinwu telegraphed the Military Commission, saying that the bandit areas had issued banknotes without authorization, causing the value of the legal tender and Hebei provincial banknotes to fall. "He Yaozu thought about it and realized that the Communist bandits were far away in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. If the counterfeit banknotes were to flow to Hebei Province, it would still take a long time. However, he did not dare to express this idea aloud." However, the report at the time said that the people had sufficient faith in the legal tender, and Hebei Province just hoped to take countermeasures as soon as possible.

At that time, the Military Commission forwarded the telegram to the Executive Yuan for processing, and then telegraphed Zhu Peng of the Eighteenth Bureau, strictly ordering them to confiscate the banknotes immediately. Zhu Peng replied, stating that the Guanghua Notes were backed by legal tender, following the directives of the Second National Conference on Local Finance in 27. The issuance of provincial banknotes to resist the enemy's economic aggression was completely legal.

"Afterwards, the Executive Yuan ordered the Ministry of Finance to send personnel to handle the matter as soon as possible."

This statement is indeed correct. At that time, in addition to the legal currency, Shanxi Province, Hebei Province, Henan Province and even the southwest all issued their own provincial banknotes, which was also allowed by Chiang Kai-shek.

The Eighth Route Army also put on the righteousness of preventing the enemy's economic invasion and stood on

From the moral high ground, nothing can be found wrong.

But Chiang Kai-shek disagreed: "Huh, huh, completely legal. If the Communist bandits were legal... how could they do what we do? What's next?"

Didn’t I hold a meeting at the beginning of 28 to make it clear that I would dissolve the

Is the spirit of communism and limiting communism in the present moment here?

"Deal with it, how is it going now? Why is there no result?"

"Fuck!" Mr. Jiang cursed, and slammed the table so hard that the potato chips on it jumped up.

"Get back first! I'll give you two hours to investigate thoroughly, and then I'll report back in detail!"

Chapter 270: Chiang Kai-shek's Anger

Your big boss is angry, the problem is serious, and the situation is urgent.

He gives you two hours and asks you to write a report and hand it in to him immediately. How dare you not work overtime and get to work quickly?

Alas, He Yaozu, a senior social animal in the Republic of China, is really not like that.

He had a formidable memory and a high level of proficiency in basic tasks. If he were asked to draft an oral report on the Communist Party's illegal printing of banknotes and the Party-state's ineffective handling of the situation, relying on his high position in the First Chamber of the Imperial Household and its extensive archives, he could produce a report and a half in just an hour, along with all the relevant records and correspondence. One part of the report would be presented to Chiang Kai-shek in person, and the other half would be used to respond to inquiries, questions, and objections from those involved in subsequent events.

These two hours were mostly used for "coordination" - coordinating the internal disputes in this matter, as well as how to divide the blame and who should take the blame - and the clever Director He had already removed the attendant's office from the conversation just now: anyway, the dependents' office has already reported it, and the follow-up handling situation has not been submitted, so it is naturally not the attendant's office's problem, so you can divide the blame among yourselves from now on.

Remember, we only have an hour. As for how I'll write my report, if you don't have any favors to trade or relationships to consider, I'll reflect the actual situation.

As Chiang Kai-shek's northwestern palace, Changning Palace has a very good telecommunications system - there is a telephone connected to the city of Haojing, and a wired telegraph station directly connected to Haojing-Shancheng. Once the telephone in the attendant's room is connected, the military line station there can quickly send the telegram to various departments in Shancheng.

This time, Chiang Kai-shek's request was urgent. After He Yaozu finished compiling his report and gathering the necessary information, and sat down at his desk, sipping tea and dropping a box of fruit jelly candies, only the responsive Military General Staff Department sent a telegram back, saying, "We need to verify the situation. Please put in a few kind words, sir." He checked his watch; exactly one hour and forty-five minutes had passed.

Fifteen minutes early, just right, not too early or too late.

He Yaozu put away a stack of documents on the table and walked towards Chiang Kai-shek's office.

It was getting dark quickly at the end of December, and the Gregorian New Year was just a few days away. He Yaozu thought, seeing the lights still on in Chiang Kai-shek's meeting room—the president looked truly unhappy, perhaps even missing dinner. "Chairman, the detailed report is ready." Knocking on the door and entering the meeting room, He Yaozu handed the report to the table. The thick report landed on the table with a plop, a solid sound.

Chiang Kai-shek sat like a statue, cast in that beautiful mahogany armchair, his expressionless and emotionless. The snacks on the table were barely touched, and the dinner on the other side was already stale. He reached out, opened the thick report, and scraped across a few pages.

But there were so many things that it was impossible to read them all at once. Jiang Gong frowned and threw down the report: "Yaozu, come and report to me."

"Okay, Chairman. The first person to discover this incident was Zhang Yinwu, Director of the Hebei Provincial Civil Affairs Department. He immediately drafted a telegram and sent it to the Military Commission of the Temporary Capital. The Military Commission then referred the matter to the Executive Yuan, which in turn assigned a commissioner from the Ministry of Finance to handle it."

"Well, I understand this."

He Yaozu didn't need to look at the documents; he recounted the following story from memory: "The Ministry of Finance immediately organized a study and discussion, and determined that this move was disrupting the economic order. This was a serious matter, not just a financial matter, and required the Executive Yuan to issue an order prohibiting it. They then returned the document.

"The Executive Yuan, in accordance with the spirit of previous handwritten instructions, believes that a hasty ban could cause unrest in the current situation. This is a serious matter and requires the Military Affairs Department to coordinate and communicate through the communication channels between the army groups.

Only when the matter could be accomplished, he again telegraphed the Military Headquarters;

"Upon receiving the telegram, the General Staff convened a meeting to discuss the matter. After careful consideration of various factors and cases, they concluded that the Communist Party's illegal issuance of banknotes was a matter of grave importance and required drastic action. Given the magnitude of the matter, the General Staff could not issue an order alone and required the collective decision of the Military Commission. Therefore, they submitted a request to the Military Commission for the relevant matters.

"The Military Commission, in accordance with the 'Measures for Handling Alien Party Issues,' determined this to be a case of KMT-CCP ​​friction, requiring inter-party coordination and handling through the coordination of the civil affairs system. Using military force could lead to chaos. This is a serious matter and should be handled by a department designated by the Executive Yuan.

All departments worked together, made every effort to coordinate, and, with the Party and the country at heart, put in unimaginable efforts. Finally, in September, the interdepartmental communication and division issues were resolved...

At this point, He Yaozu glanced at Chiang Kai-shek. The bald CEO's eyelids twitched wildly, and his blood vessels bulged. He pressed his forehead and asked, "So, who will handle this next?" "After consultation and discussion among multiple departments, it was finally confirmed in Document No. 72 of the Military Affairs Bureau that this matter should be managed by the Ministry of Finance, assigned by the Executive Yuan."

"And after that?"

Minister Kong of the Ministry of Finance was ordered to conduct an immediate investigation. However, he had recently been preoccupied with personal matters, making it difficult for him to sign and approve documents and deploy actions promptly. Concerned about the Party and the country, further delay would be irresponsible. Therefore, a telephone call was made, and the Executive Yuan dispatched a specialist to conduct an on-site investigation and obtain firsthand information before making further arrangements.

"Well, what next?"

After discussion, the Executive Yuan decided to send Wang Deqian, Director of the Hebei Provincial Finance Department, to conduct an investigation. After all, they were the first to discover the counterfeit banknotes in the bandit area and had a better understanding of the situation. It would be best if they could come forward.

Compared with the Border Currency Incident that had already come to the attention of Chiang Kai-shek in October 1930, due to the relationship between northern currency and economic infiltration, the investigation and handling of the Eighth Route Army currency became a troublesome matter that everyone avoided, which would destroy many friendly and profitable "tacit understandings". As a result, it was not until now that Chiang Kai-shek officially understood and paid attention to this matter.

But at least someone was in charge. Chiang Kai-shek breathed a sigh of relief. "These parasites of the Party and the state... Fortunately, we still have such stalwarts as Director Zhang and Director Wang. They report any bandit money they find immediately; they dare to go deep into the bandit areas and investigate personally. They've been meritorious, and once this matter is thoroughly investigated, they'll be entrusted with important tasks. Well... what about now? How's his investigation going?"

Emmm... He Yaozu took a deep breath, recalled the information from the Military Control Commission, and hesitated a little: "This... Chairman..."

"Yaozu, there are no outsiders here, is there anything that cannot be said directly?"

"Chairman, the news from the Executive Yuan... After receiving the telegram, Director Wang immediately went to the temporary capital to receive the order and start work, but due to the hilly terrain of the mountain city, it was difficult to go up and down.

The food was spicy, the miasma was unbearable, he occasionally caught a cold, and he often

Director Wang worked tirelessly for the cause of the Party and the country, and was so busy that he eventually became ill. He was unable to do anything and could only recuperate in his office a few blocks away.

He Yaozu said this with regret, and then added,

"But he's already informed the Ministry of Finance that he's temporarily unable to perform his duties, and has dispatched a secretary to investigate on his behalf." "So, while there's no conclusion yet, it should be coming soon, right?"

He Yaozu was very knowledgeable and spoke in beautiful words, but how could Chiang Kai-shek not understand the underlying meaning?

He opened his mouth wide, then froze, not making a sound for a long moment. He reached out to slam the table, but didn't. Instead, he trembled and pressed his hand against his eye sockets. "You, close the door."

He Yaozu turned and closed the door. The next second, as if his pent-up anger had reached its peak, Chiang Kai-shek clenched his fist and struck out fiercely.

Boom!

"Damn it! What a bunch of rubbish!"

He lamented bitterly, "That's counterfeit money! That's counterfeit money! Taxation, finance, and currency are the foundation of a country! Tolerating counterfeit money is tantamount to collaborating with bandits. Over time, the country will no longer be a country! How dare they do something so destabilizing to the foundation of the nation!"

"How has the Party-State become like this? No one dares to take responsibility, and now they're even deceiving me, the leader of the Party-State!" He stood up from the table: "Lawlessness, lawlessness, lawlessness!"

"Chairman! Please..."

"Waste, parasites, traitors, they deserve to be killed!" Chiang Kai-shek was furious at the moment and would not listen to any advice. "These guys, what kind of pillars of the party and the country are they? They are all parasites who steal the treasury! How many things are they hiding from me? They cherish their lives when faced with great things, but forget their lives when they see small gains! How can I realize the late Prime Minister's last wish with these parasites?"

"I should have sent them all to the front line long ago, and let Li Desheng be captured one by one and executed on the spot!" Chiang Kai-shek's fierce tone made him gasp for breath and he started coughing.

"Chairman! Please calm down!" He Yaozu hurriedly took out his handkerchief and handed it to him, while supporting Chiang Kai-shek's body to help him breathe and avoid falling. "Now, regardless of gender, age or status, the 400 million people of the Party and the country all believe in the legal currency and trust the government.

"You are the choice of the people and the times. At this moment, I dare to advise you. You should maintain your integrity and handle the current chaos with unwavering awareness." He Yaozu hurriedly advised that Chiang Kai-shek could not be allowed to continue his rage. "In this operation, our army will march forward in force and strike hard. This will surely be a fatal blow to the Communist Party and cure the problem immediately!"

"I, I'm fine, I'm not going to die yet!" Chiang pushed He Yaozu away and sat back in his chair. "I came to Shaanxi and Gansu to suppress the bandits and bring peace to the people." "But these termites, these termites!"

Although Chiang Kai-shek was still furious, the most intense storm had passed. He sat dejectedly on a chair and said, "In the 16th year of the Republic of China, I was in Shanghai to rectify party affairs and eliminate communist elements.

The whole country responded, the Communist bandit organization collapsed, and the political significance of our party was greatly improved.

Return to Qingming.

"In 17 years, I carried out the last wish of Prime Minister Xian and conquered the Central Plains. Wherever our army marched, it was invincible, and the Republic of China was unified.

"In 22, I personally went to Nanchang and mobilized a million-strong army to encircle and suppress the bandit areas. In one fell swoop, I defeated the so-called Red Zone, and Zhu and Mao fled in panic.

"Only a few years have passed, and the Party-state has fallen into such a state! At the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee, I repeatedly emphasized the need to restrict, prevent, and oppose the Communist Party. Yet, after the meeting, He Jingzhi and Yan Baichuan indulged in crispy potatoes and spoke nonsense about banditry. Now, bandit banknotes are even being issued to my camp! These departments are passing the buck, showing no sense of responsibility, and even trying to deceive me, the leaders of the Party-state!"

"Whampoa, Whampoa, has churned out a bunch of useless people. As its principal, I always have to step in personally to turn the tide and save the Party and the country from peril. Alas! When will I be able to cleanse the world and rest for a while?"

Chiang Kai-shek turned to He Yaozu and said, "Yaozu, you've done a great job. Now, go get me a doctor, and be careful not to let anyone know. Also, tell my wife that I'm fine and nothing's wrong, so she shouldn't worry."

"Oh, okay, Chairman."

"Next, we'll be at a critical juncture in the fight against the Communists. Go and arrange the work for the attendant's office." He leaned back in his chair and took a breath. "I want to focus on military matters."

He asked: "By the way, which army is defending Haojing now?"

"Commissioner, it's Commander Hu's newly formed unit, the Eighth Division." He Yaozu thought for a moment. "The division commander is Yuan Pu, a first-term Whampoa Military Academy graduate and former director of the General Office of the Seventh Branch of the Whampoa Military Academy."

"The Eighth Division, the Eighth Division...wasn't that reorganized from Tao Jichang's troops?" Chiang Kai-shek was happy for a moment when he heard the division commander was from the Whampoa clique, but then he realized something. "Isn't this still a ragtag group of troops? No, Hu Qinzhai... What about Li Peiyuan's First Division?"

"Report to the Chairman, the First Division has advanced to the north and is preparing to launch an offensive." "No, send a telegram now and call the First Division back!"

Chapter 271: February Incident (Beginning) War of Words

The first effect of Chiang Kai-shek's micromanagement was that the 1st Division of the 1st Army, already assembled and deployed to the front lines of the conflict, was inexplicably temporarily reassigned. The 8th Division of the 79th Army, originally responsible for the defense of Gaojing, took over. The reason, naturally, was the chaos caused by the shifting of frontlines. This delayed the anti-communist campaign, originally scheduled for January, by two weeks, until February.