Chapter 843 842 [Death of Liu Xiang]

Liu Xiang finally died of illness and could not survive the Lunar New Year.

The important officials of the Central Army, headed by Chang Kaishen, were all rejoicing while mourning deeply.

The three most troublesome warlords in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War were Liu Xiang, Han Fuju and Song Zheyuan. Now that Liu Xiang has died of illness, Han Fuju has been arrested, and Song Zheyuan has lost his troops and lost territory, Chang Kaishen finally has no worries. Only the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army led by the Communist Party are left as serious problems.

Originally, Chiang Kai-shek had not yet made up his mind to shoot Han Fuju, as he was worried that Liu Xiang might injure him. This is indeed the case. Before Chiang Kai-shek trapped Han Fuju, Liu Xiang secretly sent a telegram to Han Fuqu, telling Han Fuju not to go to the meeting. It's a pity that Han Fuju was too ambitious, and Chiang Kai-shek's acting skills were superb, so he easily let Han fall into the trap.

On the fourth day after Liu Xiang died of illness, Han Fuqu also died. Liu Xiang's death strengthened Chiang Kai-shek's determination to kill Han Fuqu, and at the same time, he also established his authority over the other warlords.

Chiang Kai-shek's campaign to shake down the mountains and shake off the tigers was indeed effective, frightening warlords large and small. For example, Long Yun, the "King of Yunnan", was extremely cooperative. In the subsequent Battle of Taierzhuang, the Yunnan Army fought bravely like the Sichuan Army. More than 40,000 officers and soldiers died and only 20,000 were left.

Of course, another result was that the warlords became disengaged and became more wary of the central government represented by Chiang Kai-shek. While actively obeying the orders of the Anti-Japanese War, Long Yun secretly strengthened his ties with the Communist Party. He also had a close personal relationship with Mr. Zhu and corresponded with each other. During the Anti-Japanese War, Long Yun secretly joined the "Democratic League".

Zhou Hexuan served as the special envoy to visit the United States this time. He originally said he would leave after the Spring Festival, but now he must wait until Liu Xiang's coffin returns to Sichuan.

Liu Xiang's death also caused military and political chaos in Sichuan.

If Chiang Kai-shek is the leader of the martial arts alliance in all of China, then Liu Xiang is the leader of the martial arts alliance in Sichuan. When Liu Xiang was still seriously ill, Wang Zanxu was jumping up and down in Chengdu. When Liu Xiang died, Wang Zanxu couldn't wait to become the second king of Sichuan.

Perhaps because he had eliminated two dissidents in succession, Chiang Kai-shek was somewhat complacent and actually let Zhang Qun succeed him as Chairman of Sichuan Province. The Sichuan warlords, who were originally scattered and fighting among themselves, immediately united and caused trouble for Chiang Kai-shek in every possible way. Even Tang Shizun and Pan Wenhua, who were competing for military power, showed signs of joining forces.

Now Chiang Kai-shek is in dire straits, because Sichuan's military and political affairs are in chaos, and it would be easier to do things when Liu Xiang is not dead. He could only appoint an official and make a wish to appease the Sichuan warlords. At the same time, he convened the staff in the attendant's room for repeated discussions, and finally came up with a countermeasure: using Sichuan to control Sichuan.

This method of using Sichuan to control Sichuan is to withdraw central power from Sichuan and appoint ambitious and unprestige Sichuanese to take over the military and political affairs. By that time, the warlords of the Sichuan Army will have internal strife again, and the central government can take advantage of the situation to mediate and use the contradictions between the parties to control Sichuan's power.

As a result, Wang Zanxu was appointed acting chairman of Sichuan and was roasted on the fire by Chiang Kai-shek. However, Wang Zanxu still felt good about himself and thought that he had become the king of Sichuan. He wanted crazily to win over the military and political power in all parts of Sichuan, and became the object of collective hatred among the Sichuan warlords.

Li Gengu, the Chongqing Garrison Commander and Chongqing Air Defense Commander, no longer cares about air defense work. Like Pan Wenhua, he belongs to the direct lineage of Liu Xiang. Pan Wenhua fought for power with Tang Shizun on the front line, while Li Gengu had to fight for power in Chongqing, because Wang Zanxu and his gang wanted to get involved in Chongqing, and at the same time, the central government was gradually taking control of Chongqing.

The front line was a mess, and the rear was an equally messy situation.

This is China's war of resistance. If the whole country can really work together and use all its strength, it is hard to say whether the Japanese can reach the two lakes.

Especially during the stalemate stage of the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang and Communist guerrillas who originally worked together to resist the Japanese invaders suddenly turned against each other. Can you believe it? There was actually a case where the Kuomintang guerrillas were ordered by the Central Committee to surrender to the enemy and become traitors, using Chinese military pay to help the Japanese fight against the Eighth Route Army.

At least half of the small warlords who surrendered to the enemy and became traitors during the stalemate period were acting on orders from Chiang Kai-shek. Although these armies are called puppet troops, they have independent establishments and do not obey Japanese commands. They will only cooperate when attacking Communist guerrillas.

Some small warlords were unwilling to surrender to the enemy and be stigmatized as traitors. The government would also send people to persuade the warlords to endure the humiliation and bear the burden. The victory of the Anti-Japanese War would surely restore their reputations. This situation was particularly common in North China, with Shandong being a typical example.

On the tenth day after Liu Xiang's death, the Lunar New Year came.

Ruan Lingyu's mother and daughter, who were arranged to live in another courtyard, and their god-sister Zhou Xuan were also allowed by Zhang Leyi to come to Zhou's Mansion to celebrate the New Year.

Southerners basically don’t make dumplings during the Chinese New Year, but Wanrong, Cui Huifu and Yu Peichen are quite active. All the cooks in the house were kicked out, a few women were very busy, and others were happily pasting Spring Festival couplets.

"A big river has wide waves, and the wind blows the fragrance of rice flowers on both sides. My family lives on the bank, and I am used to listening to the boatman's call and seeing the white sails on the boat. This is a beautiful motherland, where I grew up..."

A moving singing voice came from the radio. This was the version recorded by Zhou Xuan in Shanghai. In the past few days during the New Year, "My Motherland" has been played repeatedly on the radio station in the morning, noon and evening, not only to celebrate the New Year, but also to arouse the patriotic enthusiasm of the people.

Since the China Radio Station moved from Tianjin to Chongqing, it has been losing money for a year, and Zhou Hexuan has to subsidize at least 3,000 yuan in French currency every month. The radio station has been maintained to promote the Anti-Japanese War. The current focus of the propaganda is air defense.

The more prosperous streets in Chongqing have open-air cable broadcasts, which Zhou Hexuan spent money to install. These days, radio broadcasts keep repeating air defense knowledge. At least citizens who often go out already know that when planes are coming, they need to find a place to take shelter.

With the fall of Shanghai, the three major record companies, including Greater China, fell into the hands of the Japanese. There was no professional machine to record patriotic songs in China.

At this moment, the professional recording machines and record production lines purchased by Zhou Hexuan at a cost of 800,000 pounds have been shipped to Guangzhou along with other factory equipment. In fact, these machines arrived in Guangzhou half a month ago. Because the Japanese army bombed Guangzhou in turns and some railways were still under repair, they were unable to go north with the train.

Once the record recording equipment arrives, Zhou Hexuan will set up a record company to record patriotic songs. At the same time, Zhou Hexuan is still contacting film companies that have moved inland, planning to invest in shooting some patriotic movies.

The war of public opinion is very effective. China's weapons and equipment are backward, so it can only strengthen its own spirit.

"Brother, Chongqing Camp invited me to perform at the front line to express condolences." Zhou Xuan suddenly came over and said.

Zhou Hexuan was not surprised by this. Under his influence, Zhou Xuan had become a patriotic young woman. These days, not only did Meng Xiaodong perform charity performances everywhere to raise funds for the Anti-Japanese War, but Zhou Xuan also sang patriotic songs on stage many times in Chongqing.

"On the Songhua River", "My Motherland", "March of the Broadsword", "March of the Volunteers"... These are Zhou Xuan's main songs, and combined with some of the melodious sounds she sang with her golden voice, she quickly captured the hearts of the people of Chongqing. ear.

Chongqing Xingying was nominally responsible for presiding over the Anti-Japanese War affairs in eastern Sichuan, so it was normal for Zhou Xuan to be invited to perform condolences on the front lines.

Zhou Hexuan asked: "Where are you going to perform?"

"Wuhan." Zhou Xuan said.

"Pay attention to air defense and take refuge." Zhou Hexuan warned, and he agreed.

Wuhan is now a transportation hub for transporting troops across the country. Many troops have to be renovated when they arrive in Wuhan, waiting to be sent to the front line in military trains. This is also the significance of Zhou Xuan's condolences performance. Singing to the officers and soldiers who were about to go to the battlefield not only encouraged the soldiers, but also served as a rare pastime for the soldiers.

Zhou Hexuan said: "Let Xiaodong accompany you. If there is anyone who is short-sighted and looks for trouble, then report my name. If my name doesn't work, just report the names of Chang Kaishen and Song Meiling!"

The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds, so it’s hard to say that there will be some bastard bureaucrats who are so cowardly.