The Destiny Answering Ceremony is very simple, without any extravagance. After the representatives of the two sides, as well as third parties such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia, quietly signed the official text of the treaty written in eight languages, including Chinese, Japanese, English, French, Russian, German, Latin, and Italian, and affixed a seal with legal effect, the Japanese representatives took the lead in leaving the cruiser "Qinling," and the signing ceremony of the treaty ended. During the entire signing ceremony, the Chinese and Japanese representatives did not talk or even say a word of greeting.

Under the reflection of the setting sun, "Qinling. The horn sounded the whistle.

As the "Qinling" slowly left the dock and sailed onto the channel leading to the open sea, three Republic freighters loaded with humanitarian relief materials and post-war reconstruction materials sailed into the port of Shimonoseki.

In accordance with the commitments made during the negotiations, the Republic would provide assistance to Japan after a formal armistice.

Why?

Pei Chengyi is not a politician, and he can guess that he is not far from ten. The free assistance provided by the Republic was very limited and was at best a drop in the bucket for Japan's post-war reconstruction. The signing of an armistice treaty would be of great benefit to the republic. If you have enough benefits, you should do some face-saving work with a little money.

"General, the helicopter is ready."

Pei Chengyi's brows jumped a few times, and he looked at the staff officers who rushed over.

"I just received the news from the network, and the chief of the general staff asked you to hurry back to the poison, saying that there is something important."

"Something important?"

The staff officer nodded and said, "The helicopter will take you to Busan Airport, and then take a special plane back to China." ”

Pei Chengyi let out a long breath and said, "Okay, send my luggage over, and I'll go to the back deck immediately." ”

After the old minutes, Pei Chengyi left the "Qinling" in a carrier-based helicopter. After the thug. Bae Seung-yi arrives at Busan Air Base. When I returned to the capital, it was already nighttime.

It can be said that the Japanese war was not Pei Chengyi's personal stage.

During the Japanese War, in accordance with the "Joint Command System" established by the Second Military Reform, the General Staff delegated most of its command work to command units at all levels, and the Air Force Command, the Navy Command, the 6th Sentai Command, and the Strategic Defense Command all made significant contributions during the war. On the contrary, the General Staff became "insignificant". As a result, Pei Chengyi, who had been in charge of the campaign and strategic planning work in the General Staff, lost the opportunity to show his face.

For Pei, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The Peninsula War has already proved Pei Chengyi's tactical and campaign command ability, and if he wants to go to the next level, he must prove his strategic command ability. Xiang Linghui did not set up a "front command" during the Japanese war. "Except that the scope of the theater of operations is too large to unify the command of all participating troops. The main thing is to give Pei Chengyi a chance to perform.

Everyone knows that Xiang Linghui is very likely to no longer serve as chief of the general staff after the general election, and the most likely candidates to be the chief of the general staff are Navy Commander Lin Xiaolei, Air Force Commander Zhang Zhongxian, former Cave Army Commander Su Jinhui, and Chief of the Operations Division Pei Chengyi. Compared with the other three, Pei Chengyi's biggest problem is not that he is incapable, but that he is too young, has no foundation, and does not have enough experience. At least in the eyes of outsiders, Pei Chengyi lacks experience.

Who does Xiang Linghui support? There is no need to guess at all.

If it weren't for the restrictions of the new military system, Xiang Linghui would definitely support Pei Chengyi.

Who does Wang Yuanqing support? The answer is also clear. Pei Chengyi, as a representative of the Shaozhuang faction, will definitely be reused.

In Xiang Linghui's view, Pei Chengyi has only one trouble as chief of the General Staff, that is, he does not have enough prestige and resume.

Even if Wang Yuanqing supports Pei Chengyi, he will have to convince other leaders. More importantly, Pei Chengyi must be allowed to show the ability of all competitors, otherwise he will not be able to convince the public. For this reason, Linghui not only asked Pei Chengyi to participate in the signing ceremony of the "Xiaguan Treaty" on behalf of the Republican ** team, but also allowed Pei Chengyi to fully participate in the work of the General Staff, becoming a veritable "Deputy Chief of General Staff, not to mention anything else, in the past few years, Pei Chengyi has solved many thorny troubles for Xiang Linghui. He also participated in the reform and construction of the republican forces.

It can be said that Xiang Linghui has good intentions.

When Wang got off the plane, Pei Chengyi saw Xiang Linghui, who came to the airport to pick him up.

"Do you know what made you come back immediately?"

Pei Chengyi shook his head, but he knew that the matter must not be small, otherwise Xiang Linghui would not have come to the airport.

"Yuan has approved" joint military exercises. action, let's send a fleet with 6 warbands to participate in the multinational joint military exercise around the Pacific Ocean for international security

"So fast?"

Xiang Linghui nodded and said, "The question is not so simple, Li Cunxun found me in the afternoon." ”

"Li Cunxun?" Pei Chengyi was secretly startled and realized that the matter was not trivial.

"You also know" the nature of the "Rim of the Pacific military exercise", the military intelligence agency took the initiative to come to the door, big trouble. ”

Pei Chengyi smiled bitterly, indicating that he understood what Xiang Linghui meant.

The "Rim of the Pacific Multinational Joint Military Exercise" is a multi-party military exchange mechanism conducted by the United States on the basis of the previous "Rim of the Pacific Multinational Joint Military Exercise" since the beginning of its imprisonment. As early as the year of Liwa, the United States invited Republican soldiers to participate in military exercises. At that time, Gui Xiqing found a reason to refuse, and this year, the wind suddenly turned around, and he not only agreed to participate in the military exercise, but also let the General Staff be directly responsible, and let the Military Intelligence Bureau intervene

Sino-US military exchanges have always been a hot topic in the international community.

After the Japanese War, the military confrontation between China and the United States escalated in an all-round way. At the end of the year, Wang Yuanqing officially approved the "Navy Future Exhibition" submitted by Lin Xiaolei. "The exhibition program of the "Grand Fleet" was launched. The following year, when the normal defense budget after deducting war expenses shrank by 7 years, the navy's military spending soared, and the cost of procuring and operating new warships increased dramatically.

At the beginning of the year, the construction of the "provincial" class aircraft carrier officially began, and three ships were ordered in batches, which are expected to be launched before the calendar year and officially put into service eight years ago. According to the plan submitted by the Navy, by 2 yo years, 6 large aircraft carriers will be built, and the number of aircraft carrier battle groups of the Republic Navy will be increased to the old branches, and before the Tian year, in addition to the "Republic" aircraft carrier, which will be decommissioned on schedule, at least a mobile aircraft carrier will be built, so that the number of aircraft carrier battle groups of the Republic Navy will be increased to 3 fighters. The total size reaches about 8% of the US Navy.

Very ambitious plan for the Navy Show, but also very challenging.

At the same time as the confrontation, military exchanges between China and the United States are gradually strengthening.

Military diplomacy is not an uncommon thing, at any time, as long as the national interest requires it. Military diplomacy is the most effective and unique means of diplomacy. Through communication, you can not only understand your opponents. It can also increase mutual trust in matters and avoid conflicts between countries due to ignorance and suspicion.

The key question is, why did Yuan let the MIA intervene?

After thinking for a while, Pei Chengyi asked, "Mr. Xiang, is it related to the rumors during this time?" ”

"What rumors?"

Pei Chengyi smiled and didn't say it explicitly.

"You mean rumors that are bad for Yuan?" Xiang Linghui also smiled and said, "I don't know, Li Cunxun didn't tell me clearly, saying that he would talk to you after you came back." ”

"Mr. Xiang, I don't want to fight a battle that I am not sure of."

Xiang Linghui was stunned for a moment, and then said, "You kid, you want to talk from me." Let's put it this way, it's definitely related, and it's very serious. As you know, the political reforms carried out by Yuan have encountered great resistance, and if it were not for the support of the army, I am afraid that a big incident would have occurred long ago. This year's congress is about to be held, and Yuan must have made a big move. At this time, there must be no surprises. The situation in China is very complicated, and I heard that Li Cunxun ran all over the country under a pseudonym a few months ago. What did Yuan ask him to do, we don't want to ask, and we don't need to ask. At this time, Yuan approved our army to participate in military exercises, making it clear that he wanted to eradicate saboteurs in the army and stabilize the army. If there is really a problem, it must be in the army first. So no matter what, we have to actively cooperate and not have big problems. ”

Pei Chengyi nodded and didn't say much.

As for political reform, Pei Chengyi knows that it is correct, but as a soldier, he is not good at expressing any opinions. Only one thing is certain. Both Xiang Linghui and Pei Chengyi have common interests with Wang Yuanqing and must unconditionally support Yuanqing's reform actions.

"Wait, how should I deal with Li Cunxun?"

"Cope?" Xiang Linghui glanced at Pei Chengyi. said with a smile, "Do you think you can handle Li Cunxun?" That kid is very shrewd, and his ability is not under Pan Yunsheng back then, otherwise he would not be reused by Yuan. To tell the truth, Li Cunxun is indeed powerful enough, and I heard that the local officials who fell a few months ago are all related to him. If I'm not mistaken, Li Cunxun must have the exact clues, otherwise he wouldn't have found us, and he wouldn't have acted without certainty. All you have to do is do your part. ”

Pei Chengyi sighed and said, "In this way, we have been swept up. ”

"If the skin does not exist, the hair will be attached?". Xiang Linghui also sighed and said, "Yuan has talked to me several times in the past few days, and each time he mentioned the stability of the army. In my opinion, the situation has reached a very dangerous point, and perhaps someone is secretly planning actions to endanger the basic security of the country, otherwise Yuan would not be in such a hurry. You also know the situation inside the army, the Japanese war allowed the young Zhuang soldiers to gain a lot of benefits, but let other soldiers suffer. If you want a bowl of water to be even, it is definitely impossible. As long as there is an entanglement of interests, there is a problem. ”

"No matter what, the army can't mess up."

Xiang Linghui nodded and said, "This is the meaning of Yuan, and it is also our duty. It is extremely difficult for the Republic to get to where it is today. If the country is ruined, we will not only be sinners, but also worthy of our ancestors. What we can and must do is to ensure the stability of the armed forces. Don't be angry about things that no one wants to see. ”

Seeing Xiang Linghui's expression, Pei Chengyi didn't say anything more.

Obviously, Xiang Linghui was also hesitant. The duty told Xiang Linghui that soldiers should not get involved in politics. However, the situation in front of him made Xiang Linghui have to intervene and play a key role at a critical time.

Xiang Linghui can't stay out of the matter, can Pei Chengyi be alone?