Chapter 452: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 462 The Old Man: Who Will Take the Blame for Me?

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The smoke in the Jingxing Mining Area had yet to dissipate.

Ding Wei led the soldiers of the 28th Regiment through the Jingxing Mining Area, searching everywhere for remnants of the Japanese Army.

When he reached a clearing behind the headquarters, his gaze fell upon a corpse wearing a general's uniform.

"Commander, this looks like a high-ranking officer!" a soldier beside the corpse shouted.

Ding Wei squatted down, prodding the nearly unrecognizable face with his gun barrel, and let out a sigh.

"A Japanese lieutenant general named Xiao Zhukazuo, actually killed by the hoes of the miner brothers—truly, the wheel of heaven turns!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a scout carrying a rifle, drenched in sweat, ran over.

"Commander! Situation discovered! A large number of Japanese devils are retreating toward the mining area from the direction of Niangzi Pass; judging by their marching formation, they look like routed troops!"

After hearing this, Ding Wei pondered for a moment, his face filled with excitement.

"The Japanese devils at Niangzi Pass must have been defeated! They are being pursued by the Youth Army and are crashing straight into our arms!"

"Pass the order: the entire 28th Regiment advances and traps these remnants in the Jingxing Mining Area."

"Coordinate with the Youth Army, and we'll wrap up this battle perfectly!"

At this moment, atop the city wall of Niangzi Pass.

Lv Muzhi leaned against the broken bricks, his gaze sweeping over the position repeatedly plowed by rocket shells.

The soldiers carried out a mangled corpse from a pile of charred ruins.

"Report to Lu Commander! We found him; this is Lieutenant General Maeda Susumu, commander of the 35th Division."

A Youth Army soldier handed over a general's sword, along with a damaged Japanese lieutenant general's collar tab.

Lv Muzhi glanced at the sword and was not particularly impressed.

To be honest, Lv Muzhi had captured so many Japanese general's swords that he could already hold a military sword exhibition.

Sun Liren walked over briskly, his steps light; he looked like he had good news.

"Lu Commander! Great news! The Old Pass direction has been taken by our Youth Third Division in coordination with Eighth Route Army friendly forces!"

"Now the remnants at Niangzi Pass and Old Pass are collapsing across the entire front toward the Jingxing Mining Area, and our forces are pursuing with all their might."

Chen Geng smiled beside him: "Muzi, I originally thought Niangzi Pass would be a tough bone for your Youth Army, but unexpectedly you fought even faster than the Old Pass side."

Just as he was speaking, Chen Geng's communications officer also walked over:

"Report to Brigade Commander! The Jingxing Mining Area worker uprising has concluded successfully; Ding Wei's 28th Regiment of the Jizhong Military Region has entered the Jingxing Mining Area, and Xiao Zhukazuo has been confirmed killed in action!"

"It is understood that Xiao Zhukazuo himself was hacked to death by miners with Jian Mouth Pao outside the headquarters gate, and the mining area has been liberated!"

Lv Muzhi was slightly stunned, and sighed:

"The power of the masses is indeed endless; who would have thought that a Japanese lieutenant general, the former commander of the Shanxi First Army who once commanded over a hundred thousand men, would end up dying under a hoe?"

Sun Liren said: "Xiao Zhukazuo got what he deserved! Compared to being killed by the Youth Army, I think being killed by miners would make him die with even more unresolved grievances!"

Lv Muzhi nodded: "Order the pursuing troops to speed up the pursuit, and pincer with Ding Wei's regiment from front and rear; do not let a single Japanese soldier fleeing from Niangzi Pass and Old Pass escape!"

"After occupying Jingxing, do not linger; the entire army will charge straight for Zhengding County!"

"We must enter Zhengding County before dawn and seize this junction of the Zhengtai Railway and the Pinghan Railway!"

When the good news of Lv Muzhi breaking through Niangzi Pass and charging out of the Taihang Mountains reached Chongqing, the old man was no longer as excited as before.

This was the first time Lv Muzhi had directly refused to execute a central order, which made the old man very uneasy.

Inside the office, the confidants all wore serious expressions.

Chen Cheng, He Yingqin, and Jiang Dingwen were summoned to discuss countermeasures.

The old man wanted Lv Muzhi to stay in Shanxi and deal with Yan Laoxi and the Eighth Route Army, but Lv Muzhi insisted on advancing into North China.

Lv Muzhi had won, and the old man was not actually surprised, but what he could not accept was the loss of control and the steady rise of Lv Muzhi's prestige.

Whether it was He Yingqin or Chen Cheng, they had issued over a dozen transfer orders in recent days, yet could not mobilize a single soldier from the Xu-Beng Front.

The direct lineage generals of the Central Army were in a strange state; nominally they still obeyed Chongqing, but in the face of the great cause of resisting Japan, they all chose to stand on Lv Muzhi's side.

But could Lv Muzhi actually command the direct lineage generals of the Central Army? Not necessarily.

The good news came without cease; the old man truly did not know whether to cry or laugh.

This sharp sword of Lv Muzhi, originally meant to slash at the Japanese Invaders, now made him feel a bone-chilling cold.

The Youth Army, a force independent of the central system, had become an uncontrollable colossus.

Lady Song watched his anxious expression from the side and, intentionally or unintentionally, raised a suggestion.

"Since military power cannot be restrained, don't forget that his family is all in Chongqing..."

Hearing this, the old man glared at her fiercely.

"Nonsense! You are too muddled in this regard!"

"You are not allowed to say such things again; it's simply pushing me into a pit of fire!"

"Lv Wei Yue now wears the halo of a National Hero; he fights under the banner of resisting Japan in the front and occupies the great national cause. If I move against his family, what would I become?"

He Yingqin said: "Yes, if we really did such a thing, not only would the Central Government be cursed by the people, but we would also lose the support of the Whampoa Clique generals!"

Chen Cheng and Jiang Dingwen both nodded in agreement.

The old man stood up and paced anxiously in the room, deeply aware that he absolutely could not turn against Lv Muzhi now.

Lady Song helplessly lowered her head and looked elsewhere, not knowing what to do.

The old man said: "Lv Wei Yue stands for the great cause; the stance we show must absolutely not be unjust, otherwise we will suffer backlash."

"The most important thing now is to win over the hearts of the Central Army generals; we absolutely must not push them over to Lv Wei Yue's side."

"Otherwise, I'll end up a lonely man with no one by my side!"

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and suggested: "On one hand, we should send a telegram commending the Youth Army and also publish a commendation in the newspapers, so that our Whampoa students can see clearly where the Central Government stands!"

"On the other hand, send supplies to the Central Army on the Xubeng Battlefield, support them in resisting Japan, and win their hearts back to the Central Government!"

Jiang Dingwen nodded: "Exactly!"

The old man stopped in his tracks, pointing at Jiang Dingwen and said: "There's one more thing: regarding the matter of transferring the Central Army away from the Xubeng Battlefield, there needs to be an explanation."

Lady Song understood at once: "Indeed, to get the Whampoa clique of the Central Army to support the Central Government again, we must make them understand that the previous retreat order was not the Central Government's true intention, but that someone..."

As he spoke, everyone looked toward Jiang Dingwen.

Jiang Dingwen was startled, spreading his hands: "What do you mean? Are you trying to make me take the blame? Was it I who suggested the Central Government do this?"

The old man patted Jiang Dingwen's shoulder: "You don't hold any important position on your shoulders right now; I can't spare He Yingqin and Chen Cheng for the time being."

"On the Shaanbei side, Hu Gongnan will cover for you, so you just rest well for now."