Let's be honest. When I received the call, I couldn't believe it, but "Yuan Yiping was interested, and he couldn't stop talking after he said it." "Although according to the arrangement of the third military reform, the authority of the commander of the theater is very large, and it can almost be said that it can be said that the princes of one party, everyone knows that the third military reform cannot be completed without ten or eight years, and during this period, anything can happen, and maybe after more than a month, the commander of the South Asian Theater will be someone else. Besides, I also know my own pounds, not to mention age and resume, taking over the duties and powers of the commander as chief of staff shows that the above is not very comfortable with me. What I didn't expect was to be asked to come back for such an important meeting.

Listening to Yuan Chenhao's words in one breath, Pei Chengyi shook his head with a smile.

In fact, Yuan Chenhao is not a person who talks a lot, there is no need, he can't say ten sentences in a whole day. Now he can say that, firstly, he wants to liven up the atmosphere, and secondly, he is not too sure about what is about to happen, that is to say, he does not have much information, and he wants to know some "insider" from Pei Chengyi.

"Actually, I didn't expect it either." Pei Chengyi smiled and said, "Even if you are not the commander of the theater, but you are the head of the South Asian theater, it is a matter of course for you to come back to participate in the high-level meeting, but it is very surprising to call me back." ”

Yuan Chenhao frowned slightly, as if he didn't quite believe Pei Chengyi's words.

"You also know that the affairs on the Argentine side are actually not much related to me."

At this time, Yuan Chenhao had no doubts.

Although the Argentine authorities have repeatedly claimed that it was Pei's wise decision to help Argentina recover the Malvinas Islands and defeat the British task force in the ensuing battle, the Argentine president and the Argentine parliament not only awarded Pei Chengyi the title of honorary citizen. He was also given a number of honorary medals. In the words of a Western media outlet, the medal awarded to Pei by the Argentine authorities was enough to hang on his chest. However, as the situation gradually cooled down, more and more news media tried every means to get the so-called "insider" information, and the actions of Pei Chengyi in the Anglo-Argentine conflict have been correctly understood, that is, Pei Chengyi's role is very crucial, but it is not the Argentine authorities who blow so hard, and it is not Pei Chengyi who really helps the Argentine authorities recover the Falklands and defeat the strong enemy, but the accurate information provided by the intelligence agencies of the Republic. According to the report, with the full support of the Military Intelligence Agency, Argentina could win even without Pei Chengyi's help, and Pei Chengyi's biggest role was to help the Argentine authorities win at the lowest cost.

In spite of... Whether the evaluation is pertinent or not, the mysterious aura on Pei Chengyi's body has dimmed a lot.

"On the way over, Mr. Xiang told me

"It's amazing, you're still humble

Pei Chengyi frowned slightly, as if he didn't understand what Yuan Chenhao meant.

"Mr. Xiang told you everything, but didn't tell me, isn't this clear?"

Pei Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, and said, "If you want to say that, I can't help it." Anyway, listening to Mr. Xiang's meaning, this high-level meeting is extraordinary. ”

"Going to make a decision?"

Pei Chengyi smiled and did not speak.

"It seems that the decision is indeed going to be made. ，

"I didn't say anything."

Yuan Chenhao smiled bitterly and said, "I said the wrong thing, I don't want to cross the river by feeling the stones."

Pei Chengyi, who you asked me to say, paused a little and said, "It's time to make a decision, it's already a decision, and it's impossible to wait until now to make a decision." Looking at what Mr. Xiang meant, he has already made a decision, and after the change of government, he will submit an application for retirement. The matter of the next chief of the General Staff has long been decided, and there is no rush. The matter on the Yuan Mansion side has also been decided, and after the final work is done, Yuan will leave. According to my judgment, Yuan arranged this high-level meeting for three main purposes. ”

"What are the three purposes?" Yuan Chenhao couldn't wait to ask.

"What are you in a hurry, anyway, we have to eat dinner before going to Yuanfu."

"Come on, I'll treat you to dinner later, okay?"

"I haven't eaten roast duck for a long time, don't be all Jude, I want to"

"The most authentic? No problem, whatever you want to eat, I'll please. ”

This is not bad Pei Chengyi smiled and said, "I'll tell you the truth, this high-level meeting is by no means simple, and the three purposes of Yuan are not difficult to guess. The first is to explain military matters in advance to ensure a smooth handover is correct, and in fact this has been done in the past. The second is to take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of political reform, and through a series of personnel arrangements, let the military play a more crucial role in political reform, or use the military to ensure that the next head of state can continue to promote political reform; Not to mention anything else, Yuan tried his best to override public opinion on the grounds of fulfilling his promises, and let Lin Xiaolei be the chief of the General Staff, and the Minister of Defense of the next government is definitely not Ye Zhisheng, which is enough to prove that Yuan and Lin Xiaolei have become some kind of agreement, that is, Yuan guarantees Lin Xiaolei's right to speak in the republican team, and supports Lin Xiaolei's "big navy plan to fight" and Lin Xiaolei's task is to help Yuan promote political reform and ensure that political reform will not be affected by the change of government. If you think about it, as long as the chief of the General Staff is stabilized and the next Yuan does not have too obvious political ideas, political reform will not be affected by Yuan's departure. "What kind of role Lin Xiaolei is, we all know very well, with his political first, is it possible for him to play a key role in political reform" "The key is, is it necessary for him to play a key role?" ”

Yuan Chenhao was stunned for a moment, and didn't seem to reflect.

"Do you think the yuan will fade out?" Pei Chengyi shook his hand and said, "I mean, even if Yuan leaves the Yuan Mansion and becomes the past, will his influence disappear?" Milli Yuan, question, Yuan can leave Yuanfu, can become a thing of the past, but Yuan's influence will not disappear, and the core driving force of political reform will not disappear. You know, it's not the meta that's driving political reform, if it's not overwhelmingly supported by citizens. No matter how powerful the Yuan is, it is impossible for political reform to achieve today's achievements. The fact is that what Yuan needs is a soldier like Lin Xiaolei, who does not have much political acumen, has a lot of ideas in army building, has not very deep roots in the army, and can do whatever it takes for the sake of the end, simply put, a soldier who has only one tendon in his head. Only such a soldier will be able to seize great power without using the enormous power in his hands to seek political interests and make the republic go on an attempt. Only such a soldier can not lose his way and be used by some people with other motives under the temptation of many interests. There is no doubt that Admiral Lin Xiaolei is the most suitable person he can think of now

"So, are you convinced?"

"What's not to be convinced? More than a year ago, when I left the General Staff, I was convinced. ”

Yuan Chenhao smiled and said, "So, what is the third purpose you said?" ”

"Well, it depends on whether you can understand it."

"What do you mean?.

"This is also something that I have only recently thought, do you think that the Yuan Association will do so many things for the sake of a vote and the transfer of power? You know, Britain is a recognized nuclear power, and it is an ally that the United States will not abandon, and the South Atlantic Ocean is 108,000 miles away from us, and igniting a war there is simply a bankrupt lottery ticket. ”

Yuan Chenhao frowned slightly, and waited for Pei Chengyi to continue.

"Obviously, our previous understanding was wrong."

"In other words, the Falklands conflict has a deeper meaning?.

Pei Chengyi nodded and said, "This is the key, that is, what is Yuan's true intention. It wasn't until recently that I figured it out. In fact, Meta's intent is obvious, and it couldn't be simpler. ”

"Lao Pei, just say it directly, don't sell it, I'll invite you to dinner anyway."

Pei Chengyi smiled and said, "You Yingde, how long can we maintain relative peace with the United States?" ”

"When are you saying that we will have a direct conflict with the United States?"

"So to speak." Pei Chengyi nodded.

Yuan Chenhao pondered for a while and said, "It depends on whether the treaty signed in London at the beginning of the year can take effect. ”

"Suppose it can take effect

"Hypothetical?"

"Even if it's not a hypothesis, it's definitely going to work, of course, that's what I'm talking about."

Yuan Chenhao smiled. "In this case, I think the shortest is twenty years, and the longest is thirty years

"In other words, this is a strategic judgment without any difficulty."

"There's really nothing difficult about it

"In that case, will Yuan ignore this issue?"

Yuan Chenhao was taken aback, and immediately said, "You mean,"

"Nothing surprising." Pei Chengyi smiled and said, "With Yuan's ability, it is not strange to prepare for the war in twenty to thirty years. As a matter of fact, it is certainly too late to prepare now, as early as a few years ago, or even more than a decade ago, Yuan knew that our war with the United States would be inevitable, and there was only one factor that would determine when the war would explode, that is, whether the degree of technological progress would be fast enough to counteract the devastating effects of nuclear weapons.

As long as nuclear weapons lose the ability to destroy all of humanity, wars between major powers will be inevitable. In fact, even without the London Treaty, it would only take 20 to 30 years to neutralize the threat of nuclear weapons and untie the constraints on war with the development of our strategic defense system with the United States. There is no doubt that our war with the United States will definitely be the third world war, and the world war is not only about the national strength of the two major powers, but also about the strength of the two groups of countries

"In other words, using the Falklands conflict to suppress Britain is weakening the United States, that is, weakening the Western group?"

"Quite right, this is the essence of the Falklands conflict."

"But," Yuan Chenhao frowned slightly, and said, "If this is the case, not only will it be impossible for the United States to abandon Britain, but it will also be impossible to tolerate Britain's defeat, that is to say, the United States should have made a choice and acted from the beginning, and the conflict would be another result." ”

"The problem is that the U.S. authorities didn't see it that thoroughly in the beginning

Yuan Chenhao Xiande was even more puzzled.

"Now it seems that this is indeed a bit incomprehensible, and the US authorities should not fail to see such a simple truth." Pei Chengyi paused slightly. "But from the standpoint at that time, it was not unreasonable for the US authorities to make such a low-level mistake. Among other things, before making a decision to intervene in the conflict, the US authorities must weigh the negative impact of this, that is, the reaction of Latin American countries. What's more, we kept a low profile in the beginning, and Yuan sent me over, mostly to create an illusion for the United States, so that the American authorities would think that we were thinking."

In doing so, the US authorities will also consider the question of whether Britain can defeat Argentina alone with our limited involvement. If the answer is yes, it is not difficult to understand that the United States is staying out of the matter. The most important thing is that the Royal Navy was defeated in a duel, and by the time the American authorities came to their senses, they were powerless

In this way, the United States has suffered a dumb loss

"This is a secondary issue, and what I want to explain is that the third purpose of Yuan is to prepare for the third world war in a few decades, and the first thing to do is to adjust our national defense forces, and the third military reform is undoubtedly the first signal released by Yuan, and letting us participate in decision-making meetings is a hint from Yuan. Take you, for example, although you are very young now, but in 20 or 30 years, will you still be young? ”

"Yes, so do you

"That's true, the current little soldier will be a general in twenty years."

"It seems that the chief of the General Staff in ten years will be you

Pei Chengyi shook his head with a smile and did not answer

"No, it should be twenty years later, maybe thirty years later" Yuan Chenhao frowned slightly, suddenly thought of something, and looked up at Pei Chengyi. "Lao Pei, I'm still far worse than you, if you make you the chief of the General Staff in thirty years, then you will be the real Qu Cai

"We are not meta, there is no need to discuss the issue of thirty years from now

"Not now, but not in the future. Even if I don't have much hope, you're different

"Gotta not kid you." Pei Chengyi shook his head with a smile and said, "Mr. Xiang asked you to come and live, not for you to come and pat my ass, and you don't have to pat my ass." Tonight, the first meeting will be held, and we will have to think carefully about what we should do and what we should do about it

"I'm good at saying this, if I stay in the South Asian theater, I must be given a proper title, and maybe I will be promoted for the third time in two years. Of course, there is another possibility, which is that I climbed too fast and will not give me a third star and transfer me back.

Based on my previous resume, there are only three possibilities for the arrangement after I return: one is to let me go to the artillery as a commander of the arms and work until I retire, or wait for the opportunity to perform; The second is to go back to the General Staff and take a half-post in the Logistics Equipment Department or the Operations Department, because Lin Xiaolei is in the position of Chief of the General Staff, so the two most important positions will definitely be reserved for the Army and the Air Force; In the end, I was asked to go down to the grassroots level, become a commander of a certain combat unit, mix for a few years, and wait until the next personnel adjustment before returning to the General Staff. Yuan Chenhao finished speaking in one breath, paused slightly, and said, "It's not easy to say how to arrange you." Anyway, you are not a nobody like me, if your position is high, it will definitely make Lin Xiaolei sleep, and if you are lowered, it will make you dissatisfied, difficult, it is indeed difficult! ”

After listening to Yuan Chenhao, Pei Chengyi couldn't help laughing.

"Lao Pei, I'm not joking with you, what I'm saying is the truth."

"It's true, but you don't have to worry about it, take care of your own business."

"By the way, you see that my person Yuan Chenhao patted his forehead, "You are personally cultivated by Mr. Xiang, and the relationship with Yuan is extraordinary, it is impossible to snub you if you are neglected, right?" ”

Pei Chengyi shook his head with a smile and said, "You can't say that, if you don't have the ability, it's useless for anyone to cultivate."

"This is true, but it is useless to have only ability, not opportunity. There are more capable people in the army, but who can achieve such an achievement as yours? Don't talk about looking at the back of your head, there aren't many people who can mix in the army until retirement. Lieutenant General Lu Chengwen, do you know? In terms of ability, he has a very general demeanor, but he has never encountered an opportunity, and now he is only in his fifties, so he has to consider retiring. ”

"I won't tell you that. Are you hungry? ”

"I was a little hungry, and on the way back, I drank two cups of coffee."

"How about we find a place to eat and talk?"

"Where can I find now?" Yuan Chenhao glanced at his watch and said, "The hotel is full of people who came back to attend the generals' meeting, not to mention that there are many acquaintances and many enemies. And it's almost dinner, so why don't you ask the orderly to buy some snacks while we eat. ”

"Then you'll save money for a meal

"Well, you think I'm that kind of person?

Pei Chengyi smiled and said, "It's okay, that's it, I'll call Dongfang Wen and ask him to buy the wine and food, and we'll eat and talk here." ”

"Get more food, forget about wine, and have a meeting in the evening

Pei Chengyi didn't ramble anymore and called Dongfang Wen.

The two chatted for so long, but they did not point out a core topic, that is, the long-term impact of this high-level meeting and the conference of army generals held at the same time on the structure of the republican ** team.

Wang Yuanqing's ability to gain the support of the army was inseparable from his alliance with the Shaozhuang faction.

With the end of Wang Yuanqing's era, and Xiang Linghui leaving the General Staff, even if Lin Xiaolei is a catty. The fact that the generals of the Young Zhuang faction are out-and-out does not mean that there will be no new factions within the army, or that the Young Zhuang faction will not be broken down into several factions because of this major power adjustment.

No matter who it is, if you want to grasp the real power of the republic, you must first get the absolute support of the army!