Regarding Yang Zhen's modest words, the chairman disagreed and said: "Don't be modest, we pay attention to seeking truth from facts, it is your credit, it is your credit, which no one can deny." It's just a pity that we are so poor, otherwise according to your merits, it would be perfectly deserved to give you a big pure gold medal. ”

After the short joke was made, the chairman's face turned a little stern, and he lit a cigarette and said: "The central government asked you to come over this time, mainly because there are three things I want to know more about. The first thing is to negotiate with the United States and Britain. But you've already made this matter clear, so you don't need to talk about it now. ”

"The second thing is, if you agree to the request of the British and send a force to assist them in the defense of Southeast Asia, will it really be a disadvantage to us? As for the third item, it is the issue of the operational direction of opening up land links inside and outside the customs. But I'm asking you here today mainly to hear about the second thing. After all, what was said in the telegram was not detailed, and now we want to hear what you have to say. ”

After listening to the two questions behind the chairman, especially the second question, Yang Zhen was both a little surprised and a little expected. This time, the United States and Britain asked the Anti-Japanese Federation to send troops to Southeast Asia to cooperate in the war, which is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for the central government to expand its influence. Not to mention the international impact, even the domestic impact is of great significance.

As far as the central government is concerned, this is a rather rare opportunity for publicity, so it was given up, and I am afraid that it is somewhat unwilling. However, considering the actual environment and conditions of the current Anti-Japanese Federation, I let myself come to Yan'an to report my thoughts carefully. Therefore, Yang Zhen is not very surprised by the second question raised by the chairman.

After pondering his words for a while, Yang Zhen said: "Chairman, if we agree to the request of the British and send troops to help defend Southeast Asia, it will not only be a disadvantage for us, but it can be said that there will be no harm but no benefit. If we send troops to Southeast Asia to assist in the defense, I am afraid that no matter how many troops we send, I am afraid that the whole army will be wiped out in that tropical rainforest. ”

"First of all, our troops are all northerners, and they are very unaccustomed to the tropical climate. First of all, the non-combat attrition brought on by climate and disease is enough to make us lose more than half. Chairman, Southeast Asia is not a place like Jiangxi and Hunan, which are hotter than the north, but also have four distinct seasons. ”

"There are no four seasons, only the rainy and dry seasons. In the dry season, the temperature is dozens of degrees above zero, and the drought is hot and dry. The whole rainy season is cloudy, humid and muggy. For such a climate, we have always been accustomed to living and fighting in the four distinct regions of the north, and it is difficult for us to adapt to it without long-term adaptation training. ”

"And malaria, dengue fever, and all sorts of strange tropical diseases, and the non-combat attrition caused by them is enough to bring down our army, which is mainly made up of northerners. We don't even have to go into battle, it's the hot climate and disease that will give us the most fatal blow. This is a non-combat factor, and there are a ton of other factors. ”

"The Nationalist Government will never allow us to supply the ammunition and supplies we need for the war. It was agreed that the necessary ammunition would be transported from the Northeast to Southeast Asia, a distance of several thousand kilometers. And with these thousands of kilometers away, who can guarantee a full supply of ammunition in huge quantities? ”

"Needless to say, as long as the Nationalist Government detains our convoy for a week, all the guns of our front-line troops will starve. Coupled with the harsh road environment in the western part of the country, our logistical support capacity cannot allow us to maintain such a long supply line. ”

"And if we rely solely on the supply of the United States and Britain, then all the lifelines of our troops will be in the hands of others. Unless we do exactly what they want, they will cut us off at any time if we disobey their orders at any time. ”

"Chairman, if it is to fight with the Americans, I will not think about it at all. But if I fought with the British, I wouldn't even think about it. With their extreme selfishness, if we agree to their requests, I am afraid that their original intention is to use us as substitutes for them. ”

"The British were mainly concentrated in Europe and North Africa, and in Southeast Asia their armies were mostly colonial armies with extremely poor combat effectiveness. If the British were to strengthen the defense of Southeast Asia, they would have to draw troops from North Africa and the mainland, which would have a great impact on their overall strategy. ”

"Compared with Chongqing, we have almost no impact on the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. When it came to the battlefield in Southeast Asia, it was a group of duckweed without roots. Therefore, in the current situation of urgent need to strengthen the defense of Southeast Asia, they remembered that we are not much of a threat to them. ”

"They want to use us to hold off the Japanese for them, but they only need to concentrate a limited number of elites and stick to the strategic position from Penang to India. If we send troops who refuse their unreasonable demands, they will not hesitate to cut off all supplies from our army as a means of coercion. ”

"And if we agree to their request, then no matter how many troops we send, they will be consumed like expendables in the boundless rainforests of Southeast Asia. The most important thing is that we can't send troops to do this senseless attrition at all. ”

"The current strength of our troops, even after the expansion, is more than enough for self-preservation but not enough for foreign war. The most urgent thing before us now is to open up the land connection with Kannai as much as possible. In order to obtain the support of strong human resources in the customs area, and solve the most difficult problems of soldiers and labor at present. ”

"Now we have reached an agreement with the US side on supplies, weapons and equipment, as well as various aircraft and equipment assistance programs. Even if there will be some bounces on the U.S. side, as long as they need our strategic cooperation, then they will generally meet our needs. ”

"But what we are facing at the moment is that the limited population is simply not able to support such large-scale industrial construction while still ensuring the replenishment of troops and agricultural production. Chairman, we can't just get a lot of machinery and equipment, only to pile them up in vain and let them rust and rot because no one uses them. ”

"Population, especially the young and middle-aged workforce, has become the most important issue for us now. We are now at a point where if we want to ensure the replenishment of the troops, as well as agricultural production, we will have to affect the industrial projects that are being built. ”

"If agricultural production and industrial construction are guaranteed, then the mobilization of additional troops will be greatly restricted. Faced with the shortage of the school-age population, we have not only found ways to import agricultural machinery and train large livestock, but also implement machinery and animal power instead of manpower. It has now even reached the point where the use of ordinary rural labour is strictly planned. ”

"Mobilizing more than 100 peasants out of the countryside, whether conscripted or working in factories, even the secretary of the county party committee does not have this right, and the approval of the prefectural party committee is required before the mobilization target can be issued. If it is necessary to mobilize a certain number of people, it needs to be reported to the provincial party committees and even the office meeting of the chairman of the Northeast People's Government for approval. ”

"Chairman, it is indeed good for us to expand our influence. But we must not use our weak strength to be cannon fodder for them. Because by doing so, the price we pay will be too much for us to afford compared to the benefits we gain. Chairman, our bodies are not strong enough to fight thousands of kilometers away. ”

"The most important thing is not these, the most important thing is that the politics are too complicated. The war situation in Southeast Asia has a bearing on whether Chongqing's external communication lines are unimpeded, and it is impossible for Chongqing not to intervene. The three countries and the four directions, mixed together, are an inextricable mess. If we join in at this time, it will do us more harm than good. ”

"I think the British, after we refuse, will definitely seek help from Chongqing. In order to keep the Yunnan-Burma Highway, the only foreign lifeline, Chongqing is bound to take the initiative to send troops. So we only have to look at the results of the Chongqing side after sending troops, and you can fully understand why I don't trust the British and why I don't send troops to Southeast Asia. ”

"Chairman, Southeast Asia is a quagmire, and it's a trap. In fact, going anywhere is not a good opportunity for us to expand our influence. The British's long period of brutal colonial rule and greedy plunder made the people there extremely resentful. It's just that under long-term high pressure, I dare to be angry and dare not speak. ”

"Once the Japanese army invades Southeast Asia under the banner of liberators, I am afraid that the indigenous people of Southeast Asia will cooperate with the Japanese army. If we go to assist the British in their defense, we will be considered by the people there to be accomplices of the colonizers. Because no matter how hard we try, we can't remove the scars brought to them by the British colonial rule for hundreds of years. ”

"And with the habit of the Japanese army, it has always been a preemptive strike. The preemptive strike I am talking about is not only a military operation, but more importantly, political and intelligence infiltration. Long before the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army deployed a large number of spies in China to collect a large amount of political, military, and economic intelligence on the Manchu Qing Dynasty at that time. The defeat of the Manchus in the First Sino-Japanese War was not only a result of military incompetence and political corruption, but also a key factor in the defeat. ”

"Since the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan has penetrated more deeply into China politically, economically, and militarily. Before the September 18 Incident, the Japanese analyzed and understood the Northeast Army even above the Nationalist Government. Before the July 7 Incident, the Japanese had a detailed file on the abilities of officers at and above the rank of major general of the Nationalist Government. ”

"Although the Japanese are gamblers, they are meticulous in their thinking, and they always plan before they act. The September 18 Incident seemed reckless, but it was based on the Kwantung Army's intimate knowledge of China's domestic situation at that time. Now that they want to take Southeast Asia as their own raw material production area, they will not fail to carry out large-scale infiltration there,"

"Whether or not the Japanese will be the true liberators, they are the only great power in Asia. The Japanese model has become a learning object for many colonial countries, even the so-called elites among us Chinese. Once the Japanese invade Southeast Asia, these elites, who are most anxious to get rid of colonial rule, will be the first to rise up to cooperate with them. ”

"There are many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, but the vast majority of people are still illiterate. These elites, who admired the Japanese and were most anxious to get rid of colonial rule, meant absolute influence in the local area. If we choose to accept the terms of the British, and to fight against the British, we will be invaders in their eyes. When the time comes, no matter what we do, there will be only two words in their eyes. That's the 'enemy'. ”