1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

Li Desheng only uttered these five words, but Ji Hongchang, a tough guy from Henan who had long been hanging out with Feng Yuxiang and other Northwest men, was so excited that his voice choked with sobs:

"Yes! Comrade Li Desheng!"

Honestly, watching from the sidelines, UMP45 was completely unable to comprehend that emotion, just like the commander who saw the footage of it all.

It's fine if the human figure can't understand it, but Mark can't understand it because in his time, the word "comrade" had long lost its original solemn meaning;

No matter what the complex reasons were, at least it was the case around him. So, he had no idea why a simple sentence like "But he called me comrade" could make someone go through fire and water and die without hesitation.

Perhaps this is the charm of this era...

"Alright, alright, Comrade Ji Hongchang, don't get excited. Don't get excited. Move..." Li Desheng gently shook Ji Hongchang's hand:

"I've heard about your situation from Comrade Wu Hao. I'm really sorry that it took a little time to verify your identity and that you've been wronged."

“No grievance, no grievance!”

Ji Hongchang wiped away his tears and quickly expressed his opinion:

"The Party organization has its own disciplines. We cannot just blindly believe what others say. I understand! I fully support this!"

After that, he said cautiously with full of expectation:

"Then, has the Party Central Committee agreed to my proposal?"

"I agree. And since you're here with me, I'll be your party introduction agent, and I'll handle all the subsequent formalities."

"...yes!"

When these words came out, Ji Hongchang was so excited that tears came out of his eyes!

UMP45 suspected that if it weren't for her presence, he might have burst into tears!

As for...

Seeing that Ji Hongchang was quite emotional and it was not convenient for him to talk about that matter for the time being, Li Desheng simply chatted with him about family matters;

Gradually, Ji Hongchang calmed down and, following Li Desheng's guidance, told him his life story and past experiences:

"I was born...once...Jiang..."

Although he had experienced this many times, Li Desheng was still secretly surprised by the accuracy of UMP45's intelligence and the huge influence of the World Revolutionary Party.

How many people do they have, and how many people have they investigated?

Do any of the well-known people in China have their information?

"...This time I've been to Japan, the United States, Cuba, England, Germany, and France... My biggest impression is that the vast majority of foreigners really don't treat us Chinese as human beings!"

Talking about his overseas "industrial inspection experiences" before returning to China in February, Ji Hongchang was furious:

"It was then that I felt deeply how humiliating life could be without a strong motherland behind you!"

"I wanted to send my luggage back home, but the post office clerk told me that China no longer exists!"

"The counselor from the Kuomintang embassy even told me to pretend to be Japanese so I could enjoy special treatment!"

"As an official of the Kuomintang government, representing the face of China, he actually feels ashamed to be Chinese!"

“The others actually nodded!”

"I refused to do it. I asked them for a sign to hang around my neck that said 'lam a Chinese'!"

"besides..."

Listening to these incidents, which would infuriate any Chinese with a bit of blood in his veins, Li Desheng sighed softly:

"Yes, this is how the world is. China must become stronger and stand up on its own. Only then can the Chinese people gain the respect of the world."

"That's right!"

Ji Hongchang nodded heavily, and then showed some relief:

"However, China still has many passionate young people. For example, in February of this year, when I just returned to Shanghai, I met a Taiwanese man named Wu Jiu. Although I didn't get to talk to him, the way he roared, 'My country is dead,' was truly..."

“Cough cough cough cough cough cough…”

"Comrade Shiwu, why are you coughing?" "Nothing, I choked on my saliva..."

To avoid dragging the matter down to her own ridiculous commander, UMP45 quickly changed the subject:

"Let's get down to business, you two. We still have a lot of work to do!" "Uh...yes."

Li Desheng came back to his senses and his face turned serious:

"Comrade Ji Hongchang, I have a mission for you." Ji Hongchang stood up straight and saluted:

"Please give the order!"

"Comrade Ji Hongchang, you are from Henan, have deep roots in the Northwest Army, and have worked in Suiyuan for a period of time. You are also quite familiar with Chahar..."

Li Desheng ordered someone to bring a map and pointed at the route on the map while saying:

"...We hope that you can lead a troop from Xiangyang, Nanyang, Zhengxian, Handan, Cangzhou... all the way to Tianjin, and then to the vicinity of Peking, stationed on the border between Peking and Rehe Province, awaiting orders..."

"...This time, apart from military supplies, weapons, and a small number of auxiliary cadres, I will not provide you with any additional soldiers. You will need to recruit troops along the way and hide your whereabouts until you reach Tianjin, where you can raise your flag..."

As soon as the task was explained, Ji Hongchang knew that he could not publicly carry out activities as a member of the Communist Party for the time being, so he agreed without hesitation:

"Chairman Li, don't worry! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished! This route is full of my relatives and friends, including Song Zheyuan, Lu Zhonglin, and Sun Lianzhong... Recruiting a few people isn't a problem! Hiding them isn't a problem either! It's just..."

"Just what?"

"If the organization wants me to use my connections, why not go north through Shanxi and head to Suiyuan and Chahar? I'm more familiar with that area, and I can also contact Fang Zhenwu who has already formed an anti-Japanese team!"

"Haha, the route you're talking about is actually the route our main force of the Red Army took heading north to fight against the Japanese."

"...Chairman Li, um...excuse...forgive my frankness..."

"Comrade Ji Hongchang, we Communists don't follow the Kuomintang's ways. If you have something to say, just speak frankly."

"Chairman Li, Yan Xishan is not a good guy. He is very cunning and difficult to deal with. It is not safe to go to Shanxi. It might be better to go to Shaanxi to find Yang Da Ge."

"I know this. We've already contacted Yang Hucheng. Shanxi also wants to warn Yan Xishan."

"what..."

When Li Desheng said this, Ji Hongchang knew that the CPC Central Committee had already thought of everything. He immediately patted his head and said with a smile:

"I understand! Then I won't ask anymore! I feel relieved! Then I can leave now!"

"Don't worry, Comrade Ji Hongchang. When we get to Xiangyang, I have something for you to see. You can leave after you've seen it."

"Um?"

In the afternoon, the main force of the Red Army arrived at the gates of Xiangyang City. A middle-aged Kuomintang general with a short haircut, round head and small mustache led his troops out of the city to greet them.

When he saw the Red Army troops, who were neatly dressed, well-equipped, and even had many trucks accompanying them, he ordered the troops behind him to stop, and went forward alone with a small number of guards, and quickly found his target:

"Chairman Li!" "General Fan!"

One was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and the other was the commander of the 50th Division of the Kuomintang and the commander of the Xiangfan Garrison.

The two of them held hands tightly together, and the slight conflicts and embarrassment that had occurred in previous years completely disappeared at this moment.

What conflict?

In 1927, Fan Shisheng, who refused to "purge the party," was transferred to Binzhou, Hunan to "suppress bandits." He chose to protect Zhu De and took the initiative to express his "mind-interference" attitude, so his relationship with the CCP was actually very good at the beginning.

However, in August 1928, Fan's troops were attacked by the Red 29th Regiment, which acted on its own. Binzhou was looted by the soldiers of the Red 29th Regiment. Fan was furious and ordered his troops to attack the Red Army. The Red Army suffered a crushing defeat and many cadres were killed.

From this perspective, Fan Shisheng is definitely one of the "culprits" in the loss of the Jinggangshan base.

But during the Republic of China period, this kind of situation where you hit me and I hit you was so common that no one took it seriously.

To be honest, many officers and soldiers of the First Red Army came from Fan Shisheng's 16th Army!

(When Zhu De left Fan's army, Fan allowed him to take an entire battalion with him.) Therefore, Li Desheng's attitude towards Fan Shisheng was very enthusiastic:

"General Fan, I never thought that after parting in Hunan, we would meet again in Hubei today."

"I was not able to personally visit Chairman Li in Hubei that year, which was a great regret in my life. Today I feel like I have finally resolved that knot..."

Fan Shisheng also warmly and politely said a few words, waved his hand, and invited the Red Army to enter the city: "Chairman Li, please! !"

"it is good!"

Li Desheng had no doubts and also gave the order.

Thus, the mighty Red Army troops entered the city of Xiangyang, which was heavily guarded by the Kuomintang army, easily and without firing a shot, and quietly occupied a strategic position.

I wonder if the chairman will cry when he finds out.

To defend the Jiang, we must defend the Huai; to seize the Huai, we must seize the Jing; to seize the Jing, we must take the Xiang...

Xiangyang was an important gateway to the Yangtze River defense line. Once it fell, the Kuomintang would have absolutely no chance of holding the Jianghan Plain unless the Red Army degenerated into a rubbish warlord force.

Once the Jianghan Plain is lost, the natural barrier of the Yangtze River will be lost, and Nanjing and Shanghai will no longer have any defenses. Unless the Kuomintang navy suddenly takes off, the Red Army will be able to defeat them.

Therefore, now not only Wuhan is directly threatened by the Red Army, but Xiangyang has also become the Red Army's meat toy. It doesn't make much difference if Hubei and Anhui are already lost.

I really don't know why Chairman Chiang Kai-shek placed Fan Shisheng, who obviously didn't listen to him, in an important military town like Xiangyang.

I can only say that he is too confident.

He probably never thought in his life that he would meet Li Desheng in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area and be beaten up.

Of course, we won’t mention it anymore as we each made our own arrangements.

In the evening, at the invitation of Fan Shisheng, Li Desheng brought Ma Shiwu, He Zizhen, Ji Hongchang and some Red Army generals to the banquet.

"Chairman Li, this is... this is... this is..."

After Li Desheng briefly introduced the CCP's people, Fan Shisheng also introduced the generals on his side. He only briefly mentioned the others, but spoke a few more words to one general:

"This is Wang Jiaben, the Major General and Commander of the 151st Brigade under my command. He is a man of integrity, not greedy for money or afraid of death. He fights bravely and is quite capable..."

"Oh, and he's also nicknamed 'Iron Foot'. He can march 180 miles in one night and then immediately jump into battle. He's incredibly impressive!"

"Li Ji, this is the world-renowned Chairman Li Desheng. Why don't you say hello?"

A handsome young general with thick eyebrows and big eyes stood up excitedly and saluted Li Desheng:

"Hello, Chairman Li!"

UMP45 stared at the general's appearance with curiosity, and quickly matched it with the historical data.

But, this guy, I’m afraid he’s a hidden Communist Party member… “Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit…”

Li Desheng stood up, patted Wang Jiaben's arm, and praised him: "He is indeed strong and a good kid!"

“Thank you Chairman Li for your encouragement!”

Wang Jiaben was so excited to see his idol that he didn't know what to say. Fan Shisheng interrupted him in time and said:

"Chairman Li, he and his 151st Brigade are the ones I plan to send to escort your Red Army north to fight the Japanese. They'll be accompanying you from now on!"

"this..."

Although the two sides had contacted and discussed it through the radio beforehand, Li Desheng still sighed when he saw Fan Shisheng's firm attitude.

"General Fan, you've really offended Chiang Kai-shek by doing this!" Fan Shisheng said nonchalantly.

"I've offended Chiang Kai-shek more than once or twice, so why should I be afraid of offending him again? At worst, he can just dig up my ancestors' graves!"

"Okay! Since General Fan has said so, I won't be polite either."

Li Desheng was also a straightforward person. He stopped being polite with Fan Shisheng and looked at Wang Jiaben and said solemnly:

"General Wang, following our Red Army northward is extremely difficult. Bloodshed on the battlefield is secondary. You might even be attacked from all sides by Chiang Kai-shek's army colluding with other warlords and the Japanese army. You must think carefully."

Wang Jiaben was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Godfather, Chairman Li, can I call over my three regimental commanders, the brigade chief of staff, the staff officer, the battalion commander, and some others?"

"...what are you up to?"

"I just feel that since everyone has decided to break with Generalissimo Chiang, there's no need to hide some things."

"???"

After a while, more than 20 lieutenant-level officers who had been prepared came to the reception room. After Wang Jiaben nodded, they saluted Li Desheng collectively:

"The Party Committee of the 16th Army of the Chinese Communist Party stationed in the Kuomintang sends greetings to Chairman Li and the Party Central Committee!!"

! ! !

There was an uproar at the scene.