Chapter 462: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 472 Commander-in-Chief Lv, Are You Really Not Seeing

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The old man slowly calmed his emotions and sat up straight: "Lv Wei Yue, you said those words today without restraint—are you trying to become hostile toward the Central Government?"

Lv Muzhi simply voiced all his dissatisfaction: "The Central Government's behavior has gone too far; I can't keep this to myself!"

As the saying goes, 'Peace was meant to settle the land, but generals are not allowed to see peace.' There are already signs of this now—can you still deny it?"

Let me make this clear first: I will not sit and wait for death. Some things are better said plainly!"

Li Zongren saw that the two were now like fire and water. After deep thought, he felt that continuing this way would actually cause great harm to the country.

"Hey, Wei Yue, the old man probably didn't mean it that way. Just clear up the misunderstanding."

Lv Muzhi sat back on the sofa: "What I just said was not meant to oppose the Central Government. At a time when the Japanese Army is eyeing us like a tiger, that is not my intention."

The old man turned his head to one side: "Then what exactly do you mean?"

Lv Muzhi said: "Between the Youth Army and the Central Government, there should now be clear boundaries. I don't want someone who can't control their own hand to easily cross the line."

The old man said vigilantly: "Draw clear boundaries? You're not trying to declare yourself king, are you!"

"Not declaring myself king. I have no intention of competing for the world with those present here or those absent."

The old man glanced at Li Zongren.

Li Zongren immediately expressed his stance: "Hey, I've never had that intention."

Lv Muzhi continued: "I'm not afraid of offending anyone anymore. Given the corruption and incompetence of the current National Government, I really dare not let the Central Army garrison the four provinces."

After a round of slapping faces and opening fire, the old man turned red again, and Li Zongren immediately held him back: "Calm down, calm down."

Lv Muzhi hadn't said anything wrong; the harsh words were still to come.

"Always suspicious and paranoid. I'll make it clear: once the War of Resistance ends, I will immediately retire from the National Government's army sequence, without ambiguity!"

Everyone was stunned.

Li Zongren said: "Surely not, Wei Yue. The old man is actually broad-minded; there's no need for this."

The old man hadn't expected Lv Muzhi to make such a promise. He certainly wouldn't believe this empty promise, but hearing Lv Muzhi say it himself, he was indeed very surprised, and at the same time felt somewhat relieved.

"Don't talk about how things will be later. I won't let you retire. Just tell me, what do we do now?"

Lv Muzhi stated his demands: "First, the Youth Army will still be garrisoned in Henan, Hebei, and Shandong to guard against the Japanese Army advancing south from Manchuria."

"Second, the various industries in the Southwest are the guarantee for the Youth Army's continued resistance. I hope the Central Government does not interfere arbitrarily."

"Third, to prevent the Japanese Army from taking advantage of loopholes, all parties should strictly maintain the united front and avoid internal friction."

The old man was somewhat dissatisfied: "The Youth Army is nominally garrisoned in three provinces, but Yan Xishan of Shanxi is actually a puppet of the Youth Army. In reality, you already have four provinces' land. Does the Youth Army need so much land to support its military strength?"

Lv Muzhi said: "Originally, using Henan South to support three hundred thousand Youth Army troops already put great pressure on the people. The forces must be dispersed."

"I have ordered the Youth First Army, Second Army, and Guerrilla Corps to garrison Pingjin, the Youth Third Army to garrison Shandong, and the Youth Fourth Army to garrison Henan. This can reduce the burden on local people and also guard against the Kwantung Army."

"As for the Central Government's troops, they should develop in the areas of Su, Wan, Xiang, Gan, E, Zhe, and Min, forming a encirclement and blockade against the Japanese Army in Jinling and Shanghai."

"In this way, the Japanese Army won't be able to stir up any trouble. We can also accumulate strength and plan the next counterattack. This is far more practical than fighting and snatching here!"

The old man knew he couldn't outargue Lv Muzhi. If he pushed the Youth Army completely to the opposing side, he would be completely unable to recover the situation.

"I generally agree with what you said. But what about the grain taxes from Henan, Hebei, and Shandong? Are you going to take them all? You can't eat that much!"

On this point, Lv Muzhi could not deny it.

"The grain taxes of these three provinces, besides supporting my Youth Army, should naturally be partly turned over to the Central Government to show respect for its authority."

"However... the Central Government shouldn't be too greedy and complain that it's too little. You must know that without the Youth Army, the grain taxes on these lands would still be at the mercy of the Japanese Army, and these lands are always at risk of being retaken by the Japanese Army!"

"Therefore, I request the Central Government to change my position of Commander-in-Chief of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region and appoint me as Commander-in-Chief of the Four Provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan!"

The old man flew into a rage. This was a demand for a title!

Removing the two words 'Border Region' made a huge difference. Wouldn't he truly become the Governor of Zhili in charge of the land of four provinces?!

How is this different from Han Xin demanding a false title as King of Qi?!

Li Zongren said: "The Central Government has not given Wei Yue any substantial rewards for recovering North China. Outsiders suspect your relationship has broken down, and rumors continue. To end this situation, why not make this appointment to settle hearts and quell rumors?"

"Moreover, among the forces on the land of these four provinces, Yan Laoxi and the Eighth Route Army are the easiest to get along with Wei Yue."

The old man crossed his arms. The land of these several provinces was actually already controlled by the Youth Army. Whether the Central Government agreed or not did not affect the final result. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Since that's the case, as long as grain taxes are paid to the Central Government on time, I can appoint you as Commander-in-Chief of the Four Provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan. But there is one condition: you must also collect Yan Xishan's share of the grain taxes for me!"

Lv Muzhi stood up: "Of course! I hope the Central Government keeps its promise and doesn't do anything to pull the rug out from under us. Otherwise, I find it hard to believe what might happen."

The old man heard the words 'pull the rug out from under us' and was in a bad mood. He didn't respond to Lv Muzhi.

Lv Muzhi had said what he needed to say. He put on his military cap, stood up, and walked out.

The old man didn't know how many times he had been shocked today. Lv Muzhi was now completely laying his cards on the table and no longer pretending.

How had he not discovered back then that this fellow Lv Muzhi had a rebellious bone in the back of his head?!

Watching Lv Muzhi's receding back, the old man felt sorrow welling up from within.

Fifteen years ago, during the Siege of Huiyang, the old man was surrounded by the Rebel Commander and was about to shoot himself when Chen Geng and Lv Muzhi, with their backs to him, broke through the encirclement and turned danger into safety. (See Chapter 70 of this book)

But now, these two who had saved his life were both breaking off relations with him.

Chen Geng had joined the Eighth Route Army, and Lv Muzhi was now almost his political enemy.

But the sorrow soon disappeared, and the old man's anger rose. He shouted at Lv Muzhi's back: "Hey, hey!"

Lv Muzhi's hand had just touched the door handle when he heard the old man's shout and turned around.

The old man stepped forward a few steps: "Commander-in-Chief of Burma, do you really not have me in your eyes? How can you leave without saying hello?"

Lv Muzhi turned around, looked at the old man's blustering appearance, and simply stared into his eyes.

Li Zongren sat in the middle, terribly embarrassed, looking at Lv Muzhi's cold gaze, he rubbed his palms on his knees, thinking silently in his heart: Don't let anything happen!

The old man was even more embarrassed; Lv Muzhi did not respond at all, merely staring fixedly at him, staring in a way that made one's heart go numb.

One minute passed, the old man helplessly, seeing he could not suppress Lv Muzhi, could only speak softly:

"Delin, go out for a moment."

"Wei Yue, can you have a cup of tea with me before you leave?"

Li Zongren nodded, stood up and left, went out the gate, remembering the old man's embarrassed appearance, finally couldn't help but laugh a few times.

Looking up again, Li Zongren discovered that the Whampoa officers on the steps below were curiously looking at him!

In the distance, there were still several foreigners cursing there...