Bai Chongxi is now very entangled, on the one hand, he hated the Matouling Red Army that disrupted his plan, it was this sudden appearance of the army that allowed him to take advantage of the opportunity to kill the Red Army to go north to Huguang The strategy was completely frustrated, and the series of results achieved by attacking and encircling the Red Army during this period lost any meaning because of the defeat of the 44th Division, and the previous glamour turned into the current depression, and the loss of a division was absolutely traumatic for the Gui Army.

The Gui army suddenly changed from the previous offensive posture to a defensive posture. He originally thought that by using the plan to exterminate the Red Army this time, his Gui army would be able to take advantage of the situation to occupy southern Hunan, southern Jiangnan and other areas, and lay a solid foundation for going out of Guangxi and Western China in the future, but who knew that his hand would be cut off by this army as soon as he stretched out.

In this case, not to mention the occupation of southern Hunan, southern Gannan and other regions, how to exterminate this strange army and how to hold Guangzhou-Western capital made him, the commander-in-chief, very embarrassed, and he didn't know that a lot of brain cells died for this matter.

When he saw Zhou Hunyuan's telegram, he didn't know for a moment whether it was better to ask the Central Army to increase its strength or to sternly refuse the help of the Central Army.

The former can be said to be a standard lure of wolves, once the central army is "invited" and hundreds of thousands of troops flock in, his Gui army will no longer be the Gui army. The latter is beyond its strength, if he really has enough ability to destroy this force, where will he be so cautious, where will he hurriedly shrink his forces and deploy defenses? I really have to go all out to exterminate them, step on Matouling and Gulingtou, and still be the central army and accept Guangxi when both are defeated.

He really hoped that this Red Army unit could block the attack of the Central Army, even if Guanyang County was handed over to them, the question was whether they could stop it? You and the Central Army, let me have a correct assessment of you, okay? I can't make up my mind without knowing your combat strength, right? Who knows if I'm doing something ridiculous or if I'm having a devouring tiger around?

Zhou Hunyuan, this bastard, is really cunning, and he knows that Lao Tzu is embarrassed. Deliberately send this telegram over, you fucking let this group rush.

Just when Bai Chongxi was holding the telegram in his right hand and rubbing his eyebrows with his left hand and thinking hard, his nephew and his combat staff officer Hai Jingqiang walked in and reported in a low voice: "General seat, Commander Xia has called urgently. Communists and bandits attack Guanyang County! ”

Bai Chongxi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Communists-bandits attack Guanyang County?" Where did the Communists come from? ”

Hai Jingqiang handed the telegram to Bai Chongxi, and replied: "It's the bandit army in Matouling. ”

"They? How dare they attack us? Isn't it now that a regiment of the Central Army is attacking them? Bai Chongxi looked at Hai Jingqiang with disbelief, as if he had collected information. But then he asked, "How many?" ”

Hai Jingqiang didn't blame Bai Chongxi for not reading the telegram, but kept asking himself. Instead, he replied earnestly: "Two regiments of men and horses, more than four thousand people!" It seems that they pulled all the main forces over, and they also brought more than twenty artillery pieces. ”

"Hmph, they really look up to themselves, just two regiments of troops want to take our Guanyang County?" Then, Bai Chongxi sneered again. "This bastard really talks and counts, and if we don't give it to them, we'll take it. I'm going to see what he has to take our Guanyang county. ”

Speaking of this, he suddenly jumped up from the Taishi's chair and shouted in surprise: "Who is this Guo Zhuocheng?" Where did he come from? Didn't we hear about him before? ”

Hai Jingqiang couldn't imagine that his usually steady and resourceful uncle was so out of shape, and looked at him in surprise, and after a while, he shook his head and said, "No." This is the first time we know his name. Yesterday afternoon and evening, we interrogated quite a few of the Communists' prisoners, and except for those who could not speak, the other prisoners said that they had never heard of this man, at least there was no one among the middle and high-ranking officers of the Communists, and perhaps he really came from a small soldier. Uncle, is he very powerful? ”

Bai Chongxi shook his head and said, "Impossible, impossible." This guy is not only good at scheming and daring to fight, but also has a very accurate grasp of people's hearts. Isn't he afraid that Lao Tzu will let go of the road in a fit of anger and let the central-army in? Lao Tzu really didn't want to hand over Guangxi-West to that narrow-minded Mr. Jiang, but Lao Tzu didn't want to hand it over to you gangsters. handed over to Jiang someone, Lao Tzu can still be an official or a rich man. If it is handed over to you, the little land in Lao Tzu's family will be taken away by you, and Lao Tzu's life will be killed by you. ”

Hai Jingqiang hurriedly said: "Uncle, you can't let the Central Army come in!" Those guys, like Jiang someone, are all vicious wolves who eat people and don't spit out bones. Losing Guanyang County, we are just suffering from ringworm. If the central army is allowed to come in, it will be a catastrophe. ”

Bai Chongxi said bitterly: "This guy named Guo Zhuocheng just knows that we have this idea, that is, he knows that we have this kind of mentality, so he is so unscrupulous, dares to show his ass, and is not afraid of the Central Army attacking their lair, but uses the main force on us." ”

Hai Jingqiang said tentatively: "Uncle, then let's just hand over Guanyang County to him, and let him go with the Central Army." Judging from the current situation, this guy is very capable, and in such a short period of time, he has formed a force with only a few remnants and prisoners, and he and his troops have enough territory to deal with the center-army for a while.

With Guanyang County handed over to him, we can exchange for the division commander Wang Zanbin and the regiment commander Mo Dehong who were captured by them, and use this time, with the exchange of Wang Zanbin and them, we can also quickly recover our vitality and re-form a division. ......, uncle, why don't you order Commander Xia to negotiate with the other party immediately? It's too late, and when the Central Army knows that their main forces are fighting us, we will be passive if we take action again, and they will definitely send a large army to drive straight in. ”

As Bai Chongxi's nephew and Bai Chongxi's senior staff officer, Hai Jingqiang is naturally a cronie among Bai Chongxi's cronies, and naturally knows Bai Chongxi's inner plans, and he can directly say some things that others dare not say.

Bai Chongxi shook his head and objected: "No." Guo Zhuocheng is too powerful, he is a tiger at all, a latent dragon, a guy who can fly when he encounters a storm. We give him a respite, and when he gets a respite, he'll turn back on us. If you think about it, he now has at least two regiments, and if we give him the Red Army that we have captured, he will be able to form one, or even two, divisions. When the time comes, do you think he will attack Hu-Nan and Jiang-Xi, which are owned by the Central Army, or Guangxi, which we have? ”

Hai Jingqiang didn't think about it and said: "Of course it's our Guang-Xi, persimmons pick up soft pinch." ......, no, then don't we give them the captured Red Army? We have more than 2,000 Red Army prisoners. ”

In addition to the Central Army, among the Chinese warlords, the Gui Army's combat effectiveness can be said to be one of the best, and the reason why the Red Army suffered heavy losses in the Xiangjiang Battle had a great deal to do with the Gui Army's frantic offensive.

In history, the 18th Red Regiment that caused the annihilation of the whole army was done by the Gui Army, and the Gui Army also caused the annihilation of the 34th Red Division. The Red Eighth Army was defeated by the Gui Army and finally abolished. The 13th Division of the Red 5th Army also suffered huge losses in the battle of Qianjiasi, and in this battle alone, more than 600 Red officers and soldiers were captured by the Gui army, and even the flag of the Red 13th Division was captured by the Gui army.

At that time, there was such a ballad in the Red Army to describe the combat effectiveness of the warlords of various departments: "The Yunnan army and the Guizhou army are two sheep, and the Hunan army is a wolf; The Guangzhou-West monkey is the Gui army, fierce as a tiger and as fierce as a wolf. ”

Bai Chongxi said bitterly: "Yes, if we hand over more than 2,000 prisoners of war to them, then he will be like a tiger, and it won't be long before he will become food in his belly." ”

Hai Jingqiang hurriedly asked, "Then what should we do now?" ”

Bai Chongxi calmed down at this time and said: "I, Bai, don't want to be played by a rising star, he is not qualified enough. Since he thinks that he has grasped the psychology of us and the Central Army, and since he wants to take advantage of our contradictions to engage in the trick of fighting with each other for profit, then I will let him beat the chickens and eggs, and let him know that it is not his turn to act recklessly. ”

Hai Jingqiang asked puzzledly, "Are you preparing to ......?" ”

Bai Chongxi didn't answer him immediately, but looked down at the telegram, and after reading it, he sneered: "I know that this guy is bluffing." He bluffed in the face of the Central Army, and he also bluffed in the face of our Gui Army. You immediately send me a telegram to Xia Wei and ask him if the Red Army besieging the city is digging trenches, overhauling bunkers, and building positions? ”

Hai Jingqiang said in surprise: "Impossible, right? Now it can be said that the eyebrows are on fire, there is an attack by the Central Army in the back, and our Gui Army in front is using the city wall to block the attack, how can they dare to use so much idle effort to make such big preparations? ”

He said so in his mouth, but his movements were not slow, and he quickly ran to the communication room outside.

Bai Chongxi walked unhurriedly to the military map, his eyes scanning back and forth in Gulingtou, Matouling, Jieshou Ferry, Guanyang County and other places, constantly improving the action plan and military deployment in his mind.

In less than half an hour, Hai Jingqiang hurriedly walked in, took the new telegram and said, "Uncle, you are really like a god. The Communists and bandits really brazenly built fortifications under our walls, dug trenches, and built artillery positions. They have completely put on a posture of fighting for a long time and fighting steadily. ”

Bai Chongxi didn't show a complacent expression in front of the junior because his prediction was correct, he resolutely ordered: "Record! ......, order the Seventh Army to immediately go north......"

Just when Bai Chongxi dispatched troops and was determined to wipe out Guo Zhuocheng's troops under the fortified city, and put out heavy troops to block the central army from encroaching on Guangzhou-West, Guo Zhuocheng and others were still walking on the road of Jianghua County.

(To be continued)