For more than a month, the Japanese army ran into walls everywhere among the lofty mountains and mountains of the Nanxun Line, losing troops and losing generals, so that Chairman Chiang stood up in front of the world and the people. He called Xue Yue several times in a row, and spoke highly of the First Corps' achievements on the Nanxun Line.

At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was more determined to resist Japan, and he no longer had illusions in the international community. The "Zhang Gufeng incident" a month ago broke his heart.

At this time, Chairman Chiang remembered a famous saying, a sentence said by British Prime Minister Palmerston in the 19th century: There are no eternal friends between countries, only eternal interests!

In July 1938, when the Japanese army attacked Jiujiang, an earth-shattering and world-renowned event occurred in a place called Zhang Gufeng on the Sino-Soviet border in Jilin, which was later called the "Zhang Gufeng Incident" in the historical circles.

At that time, more than 40 Soviet Red Army troops crossed the border into Zhanggufeng and were discovered by the 19th Division of the Japanese Army.

Immediately afterwards, the Soviet Red Army of the fighting nation surrounded the 19th Division of the Japanese Army like an iron barrel, and the 19th Division of the Japanese Army faced the doom of destruction at any time.

When Chairman Chiang heard the news, he was naturally overjoyed. He thought that at this juncture, if the Soviet Red Army launched an attack on the 19th Division of the Japanese Army, it would inevitably trigger a war between the Soviet Union and Japan.

In this way, the base camp of the Japanese army will inevitably be divided from the Chinese battlefield to the north, so that the Japanese army will not be able to take care of each other, and the pressure on the Chinese army in the Battle of Wuhan will be much less.

However, to Chiang Kai-shek's surprise, just as the Japanese 19th Division was about to be destroyed, the two sides made peace with the truce.

The Soviet army was afraid that Germany would come over, and the Japanese army was afraid of dividing their troops to the north. Both countries are in the interests of their own countries.

The outcome of the "Zhang Gufeng Incident" once again made Chiang Kai-shek disappointed in Stalin.

In addition to Stalin, it was Hitler who disappointed the chairman. Germany and China have been in a honeymoon period since the 20s.

In July 1938, Germany abruptly halted all arms sales to China and withdrew its military experts. In order to curry favor with Japan, Hitler's attitude was very resolute, and if German military experts did not return to China within the time limit, they would be punished for treason.

Germany's perfidy also dealt a great blow to Chairman Chiang.

Over the years, Germany has not only sold a large amount of weapons and equipment to China, but also sent military advisers to China to help China build more than a dozen well-equipped and well-trained elite divisions.

These more than 10 divisions can be called the units with the highest degree of modernization in terms of equipment, training, establishment, and tactics in China's modern military history, and they played a mainstay role in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This is the well-known "Virtuous Mechanic".

In addition to military science Germany, even the military industry follows Germany's example. The Zhongzheng rifle is a Mauser rifle modeled after the German.

Looking around at the world's military powers at that time, in addition to the Soviet Union and Germany disappointing Chiang Kai-shek, the attitude of Britain and the United States to watch the fire from across the strait also made the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee angry.

After the outbreak of China's all-out war of resistance against Japan, Britain and the United States not only refused to get involved in the war because they helped China, but even unilaterally canceled the agreement to sell aircraft and arms to China in September 1937.

What is even more ridiculous is that when Britain sold a small number of fighters to China at a high price, it did not allow the supply of machine guns necessary for fighters.

The United States is even more odious, and their "neutral position" is more thorough. In December 1937, Japanese planes bombed and sank the US ship Panay and the Mobil oil tanker, killing 3 American soldiers and wounding 17 others.

In fact, from the "77" incident to the outbreak of the Pacific War, the United States has always been a major supplier of strategic materials to Japan.

Japan is desperately short of strategic resources, and the United States, despite the opposition of the Chinese government, sells large quantities of scrap steel, gasoline, and rubber to Japan.

(PS: Americans deserve it!) After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the bombs dropped by Japanese planes on the heads of the US Pacific Fleet and US troops were made by Japan from scrap steel sold to them by the United States. )

No wonder the former US Secretary of State bluntly admitted: "Japan's aggression was supported by our country." ”

As soon as the all-out war of resistance began, Chairman Chiang was ruthlessly abandoned by the Soviet Union, Germany, Britain, the United States, and other military powers, and these former allies put their past vows behind them, and put Chairman Chiang in a very embarrassing and difficult situation.

The series of unforeseen blows made Chairman Chiang profoundly understand a truth: Interests are always paramount. The interests of the country are above all else! This doctrine and that spirit are all deceptive rhetoric on diplomatic occasions.

If the poor relatives themselves are not angry, they will always be looked down upon. The interaction between people is snobbery, and the interaction between countries is not the same?

Better do it than wish it done! The chairman of the committee, who had no way out, chose to resolutely resist, this was the only way out in front of him! Therefore, the chairman of the committee is iron-hearted, even if he has exhausted his old book, he must unswervingly fight hard, either the fish dies, or the net is broken!

In the face of a series of disappointments, Chairman Chiang had no way out.

Several beautiful battles of Xue Yue's First Corps on the Nanxun Line swept away the gloom on Chairman Jiang's face for many days, and his frowning brows gradually relaxed.

Just as the chairman of the committee spontaneously sighed, Chen Cheng walked in.

"Chairman, I just got a report from the front: the Dongguling defense line is being defended by 160 divisions. The 52nd Division was transferred to the pass, preparing for the next phase of operations. ”

The chairman stood up from his seat with his cane and said solemnly to Chen Cheng:

"Rhetoric, Boling's command and operation rules are rigorous, meticulous, and have the legacy of an ancient general! It is a great fortune for the nation that the party has such a handsome talent! The battle on the Nanxun line, you just let him go and fight it well......"

Chairman Chiang himself likes to indifferently intervene in the command of his subordinates, so he will treat others with his own heart, thinking that others are just like him.

Fortunately, Chen Cheng has always been obedient and knows his temper, so he doesn't say much, but just follows Chairman Jiang's topic and responds: "Please rest assured, the command on the Nanxun line, I will let go and hand it over to Boling......"

"Okay, that's good, that's good......"

The chairman seemed to be very satisfied with Chen Cheng's answer.

Chen Cheng suddenly smiled and said, "Something unbelievable happened to the 52nd Division before. There was a superior soldier named Tang Guilin, who was a very good machine gunner and killed countless enemies. didn't expect her to be a woman, and later after investigation, she also participated in the Battle of Songhu......"

"Oh~" The chairman of the committee was suddenly full of interest and said, "Okay, okay." This is a heroine, Mulan in the army! It has to be well advertised. ”

"I've already sent someone to work on this."

"I am relieved that you do things."

Chairman Xue Yue was very relieved to have Xue Yue on the battlefield in Nanxun. On the north side of the Yangtze River, due to the peaceful settlement of the "Zhang Gufeng Incident", the Japanese Second Army had already begun to attack the Fifth Theater.

Now the only thing the chairman is worried about is the retreat from Wuhan. The real purpose of the Battle of Wuhan was not to really hold Wuhan, but to destroy the living forces of the Japanese army, and to change from the defensive stage to the stalemate stage in terms of grand strategy.

With the fall of Nanjing and the outbreak of the Battle of Wuhan, the Nationalist Government's strategy for founding the country has changed, and at this time it has changed from the eastern country to the southwest, and the political, economic, military, and cultural center of gravity of the Nationalist Government is in full swing to the southwest.

As early as the beginning of the prelude to the Battle of Wuhan, Chairman Chiang ordered that all organs, organizations, factories, mines, enterprises, and schools stationed in the three towns of Wuhan should be evacuated to Chongqing, Kunming, Yichang, Hunan, Xi'an, and other places, including a large number of orunitions and daily necessities production enterprises.

At the same time, in order to prevent the tragedy of the Nanjing Massacre from repeating itself in Wuhan, the Nationalist Government also ordered the evacuation of Wuhan residents and a large number of refugees who had fled from the east. Only his military command organ, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, was left to direct the operation in Wuhan.

It was obviously not an easy task to withdraw such a large collection of belongings before the Japanese army captured Wuhan. This is the only bit of possessions left after the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Nanjing, and the Battle of Xuzhou.

Now that foreign aid has been cut off, the production of weapons and daily necessities is all counted on this bit of household goods, which is the foundation and lifeblood on which the Nationalist Government relies for its survival and continued resistance against Japan.

The feat of this great retreat was unprecedented, and a large number of machines needed to be dismantled, assembled, and transported. If this feat is accomplished, "people's livelihood shipping" will play a vital role. At this moment, the chairman of the committee has to rely on only Lu Zuofu the most.

(PS: Later scholars commented that this retreat was a real "Dunkirk retreat" in China's industrial history.) It can be said that Lu Zuofu saved China's industry. ）

(End of chapter)