When Li Guosheng and Jiang Baili were discussing issues related to immigration, in a private house not far from the General Headquarters of the National Defense Forces, more than a dozen guards standing at the door showed to everyone without exception: The people living in this private house are not ordinary people.

Bai Chongxi, deputy chief of staff of the National Defense Forces, who had just taken office and had achieved a lot of results in the battles against Japan and against the Soviet Union, lived in this private house. At this moment, in the brightly lit study, in addition to Bai Chongxi, there was also a middle-aged man in casual clothes, who was the current commander-in-chief of the Guangxi clan, General Li Zongren.

According to the pre-war agreement, after the war between the National Defense Forces against Japan and the Soviet Union ended, Bai Chongxi, the deputy chief of staff who was temporarily brought by Li Guosheng, was about to leave the National Defense Forces and return to Guangxi to serve as the chief of staff of the Guangxi clique.

However, after truly understanding the military strength of the National Defense Forces and the governing philosophy of Li Guosheng, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Forces, a bold idea suddenly appeared in Bai Chongxi's mind: For the future of the Guangxi regime, no matter how much the price it costs, the Guangxi regime must be incorporated into the National Defense Forces. Because, with the current development trend of the National Defense Forces, sooner or later, they will move into the central government and replace Chiang Kai-shek. At that time, the Guangxi regime can be incorporated into the National Defense Forces earlier, and the benefits they will gain in the new central government in the future will be greater.

At this moment, Bai Chongxi was telling Li Zongren in front of him with a serious expression and various analysis he had seen in the National Defense Forces over the past few months with a serious expression, so that Li Zongren, the commander-in-chief of the Guangxi Army, would make a rational and wise judgment for the future of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers.

"The results and losses achieved by the Commander-in-Chief and the National Defense Forces in this battle against the Japanese and Soviet troops are far less simple than what everyone sees or hears on the surface?"

"As far as I know, in three consecutive battles, the National Defense Forces destroyed a total of 300,000 Japanese Kanto Army and 700,000 Soviet Far East Red Army. A total of one million powerful troops. In addition, the National Defense Forces also severely damaged a main fleet sent by the Japanese Combined Fleet to Vladivostok during this battle, destroying more than 30 large surface ships of various types, including two light aircraft carriers, two battleships, and five heavy cruisers... and destroying the Soviet Far East Fleet, including more than 20 large and large surface ships of various sizes, including three battleships...."

"Among the million powerful troops that were eliminated, the 100,000 Japanese troops and 500,000 Soviet Red Army, the National Defense Force paid almost no price. By cutting off its food and grass, with the help of the bad weather in the Far East, the 600,000 troops had to take the initiative to surrender to the National Defense Force."

"So far, there are about 150,000 Japanese prisoners of war in the hands of the National Defense Forces, and about 550,000 Soviet prisoners of war, totaling 700,000. According to the regulations of the National Defense Forces, all of these prisoners of war have been organized into the Construction Corps of the National Defense Forces, and in the next ten years or even longer, they will contribute free efforts to various infrastructure construction in the three northeastern provinces..."

In less than a few months, millions of troops of the great powers were eliminated, and 700,000 were directly captured. Li Zongren affirmed that with his own ability, even if the Guangxi army was expanded to one million, he could not achieve the huge results that the National Defense Force had achieved. More importantly, during the months-long battle, the total strength of the National Defense Forces participated in the war did not exceed 200,000 people from beginning to end.

Thinking of these questions, Li Zongren's heart was gradually shrouded in a hint of fear from the bottom of his heart. After sighing, he sighed to Bai Chongxi: "Jiansheng. I have to say, the waves of the Yangtze River push the waves of the previous waves. I asked myself, even if I give me a million troops, I can't achieve such a great victory in such a short period of time..."

Speaking of this, Li Zongren frowned and subconsciously continued to ask: "By the way, the National Defense Forces have achieved such huge results in just three months. Is the losses of the troops they participated in the war? So far, how many troops can the National Defense Forces have to fight."

A bitter smile full of helplessness appeared on Bai Chongxi's face again.

He said to Li Zongren with a little disappointment: "Commander-in-Chief, I'm going to let you down again... According to post-war statistics, in more than three consecutive months of battle, the National Defense Forces were killed and missing, and the number of injured officers and soldiers was more than 56,000, less than 30% of the total strength of the National Defense Forces. More importantly, with the National Defense Forces' strong logistics support capabilities and medical level, at least 20,000 of the more than 56,000 people lost can recover their health and return to the army in the next six months..."

"As for the remaining combatable troops in the National Defense Forces, the number of troops that are still left in the Defense Forces has not decreased unexpectedly, but has increased a lot."

With Li Zongren's gaze full of confusion, Bai Chongxi analyzed: "During the battle with the Japanese Kwantung Army, although the National Defense Forces paid a huge loss of more than 20,000 people. However, during the entire operation, the National Defense Forces reorganized 80,000 former Northeast Army soldiers who did not withdraw from the three northeastern provinces in accordance with the orders. At present, except for less than 10,000 Northeast Army soldiers who left the troops for various reasons, the remaining 70,000 soldiers were all dispersed and organized into various departments of the National Defense Forces..."

"In addition, reinforcements from all over the country have once again added about 30,000 new forces to the National Defense Force. Not only that, the National Defense Force also has more than a dozen local security divisions in Shandong Province, that is, a reserve force of about 100,000, which can supplement the main force's losses at any time."

"So, after more than three months of battle, the total strength of the main force of the National Defense Forces not only did not decrease, but also increased. Preliminary statistics show that the main divisions of the National Defense Forces have officially reorganized have exceeded 16, with a total strength of 350,000..."

Li Zongren was shrouded in shock again, and asked Bai Chongxi in front of him with an incredible look on his face: "How could this happen? Jiansheng, it is not ordinary warlords who fight against the National Defense Forces, but the Japanese army and the Soviet Red Army with the title of great powers. It only cost less than 50,000 people to eliminate millions of troops. How did the National Defense Forces do it?"

Bai Chongxi seemed to have already realized that Li Zongren would have such a question in front of him. Without thinking, he spoke: "Commander-in-Chief, I don't know if I don't come to the National Defense Forces. After I came to the National Defense Forces, I realized that whether it is the combat ideas of our Guangxi clan or the equipment level of the troops, they are far behind the National Defense Forces..."

"In order to adapt to the requirements of modern combat, the National Defense Forces are all organized by the 44th. They are: a reorganized division is under the jurisdiction of three infantry regiments and a 105mm caliber howitzer regiment. In addition, the reorganized division is directly under the jurisdiction of a tank battalion, a automobile transportation battalion, a guard battalion, an engineering battalion, and a communications company... The total force is about 15,000 people..."

"A infantry regiment of the National Defense Forces also has four battalions, three infantry battalions, one field artillery battalion, and a total force of 3,000... The infantry battalion is under its jurisdiction, one mountain artillery company, and a total force of 800... The infantry company is under its jurisdiction, three infantry platoons, one mortar platoon... The infantry platoon is under its jurisdiction, and one fire support squad..."

"In addition to the standard configuration of these infantry, the Defense Forces headquarters also has at least twenty heavy artillery regiments with gun caliber of 150 mm, an unknown number of heavy tank regiments, two air divisions, several naval aviation regiments, and a naval fleet..."

"With such powerful and heavy firepower and advanced equipment, in various battles participated by the National Defense Forces, they used fire strikes as the pioneer, tank troops conduct assaults, infantry follow-ups, etc...."

"Take the two battles I have participated in as an example. In the siege and annihilation battle against the 50,000 Japanese Kwantung Army, the National Defense Forces used a total of two bombers, a total of 72 of the world's most advanced bombers. Five heavy artillery regiments with a caliber of 150 mm, almost 200 large-caliber artillery guns, and a medium-sized tank regiment. A total of more than 100 medium-sized tanks equipped with 75 mm caliber cannons. Within an hour before the start of the encirclement and annihilation battle, almost 100 tons of aviation bombs were poured into the Japanese positions. Forty thousand large-caliber heavy artillery shells were introduced, and hundreds of small-caliber artillery shells were introduced..."

"The fierce artillery fire strike almost razed the entire Japanese position to the ground. The Japanese troops with tens of thousands of troops were also directly affected by this fire strike. At least half of the troops were lost."

"The firepower strike of the National Defense Forces has just ended, and the remnants of the Japanese army on the position have not yet reacted from the artillery attack. The steel torrent composed of more than 100 medium-sized tanks and more than 2,000 infantry combined is like an invincible sword, directly inserted into the Japanese position, dividing the Japanese position into two, and continuously compressing its living space."

"In this way, after the National Defense Forces' three consecutive fire strikes and divisions, the entire army was destroyed after just one day, and was cleanly eliminated by the two main divisions of the National Defense Forces...."

After looking at Commander-in-Chief Li Zongren, who had not yet recalled the shock in front of him, Bai Chongxi continued to reveal: "Let me talk about the battle that took place in Vladivostok... Although I did not participate in the entire battle, after the battle, I had the honor to enter the battlefield of Vladivostok and see the tragic scene on the battlefield of Vladivostok."

"The vast Vladivostok urban area seemed to have been affected by an earthquake: whether it was reinforced concrete houses or ordinary brick and stone houses, they were all razed to the ground. Not only that, the entire urban area seemed to have been burned by a fire, and the bodies of burnt Soviet soldiers could be seen everywhere... It was not until after the war that what I saw in front of me was not that Vladivostok was hit by a natural disaster, but that Vladivostok was attacked by a squadron of the Navy and an Air Force division, and then it became like this in front of me..."

Speaking of this, Bai Chongxi took out a few photos and handed them to Li Zongren, thinking that it was evidence.

Looking at the tragic scenes that were shown to him in the photo, Li Zongren, who looked shocked, did not come back to his senses for a long time.

After five minutes of silence in the small study, Li Zongren put down the photo in his hand, sighed again, and asked with a frustration: "Jiansheng, the National Defense Forces are really so powerful..."

"Yes..." Bai Chongxi affirmed.

Then, he continued to say firmly to Li Zongren: "Commander-in-Chief, I can say with certainty that even with the current more than 300,000 troops of the National Defense Forces, it is no longer a problem to sweep and unify the entire China. In addition, according to rumors from the General Command of the National Defense Forces, the National Defense Forces seems to have a major expansion in the next period of time, expanding the infantry from the current sixteen reorganized divisions to thirty to forty, and with various other types of troops, the total force will be directly increased to one million people."

"A large army of 300,000 can unify the whole country. After the total force increases to one million, how powerful will the National Defense Forces be? It's really unimaginable..." Li Zongren, who reacted from this shocking news again, sighed helplessly.

Bai Chongxi waved his hand, and after Li Zongren's shocked mood slowly calmed down, he spoke again: "Commander-in-Chief. What shocked me the most was not the strong military strength of the National Defense Forces, but the established development direction and goals of the National Defense Forces..."

"Uh...what do you say?" Li Zongren asked in confusion.

"Commander-in-Chief. Through my many conversations with Jiang Baili, Chief of Staff of the National Defense Forces, and Commander-in-Chief Li Guosheng, I found that Commander-in-Chief Li's development direction is not at home, but abroad. I hope that within my lifetime, I can build a world-class army with combat effectiveness and equipment level not lower than that of the great powers, regain all the Chinese land that was once occupied by the great powers, and let the Chinese nation stand on the top of the world forever."

"When I just heard this idea, my first reaction was that Li Guosheng was too arrogant. How could he achieve such a huge achievement based on just a few provinces? However, after several months of contact, I gradually discovered that Li Guosheng's dream was not impossible to realize in the National Defense Forces..."

"So far, the National Defense Force has established a complete industrial system in Shandong Province. In this heavy industrial system, the National Defense Force can produce all light and heavy weapons, even advanced equipment such as tanks and aircraft, with its own capabilities."

"Secondly, after all 40 million immigrants from all over the country entered the three northeastern provinces, the total number of people under the control of the National Defense Force will exceed 100 million. In addition, the National Defense Force has mastered one-quarter of the fertile land in the country. I can't imagine how fast the National Defense Force, which has such a huge amount of manpower and material resources, will develop quickly..."

Seeing Li Zongren with a silent face in front of him, Bai Chongxi said in a rare tone: "Commander-in-Chief. I won't say much about other reasons. In a word, I can tell you with certainty that according to the current development speed of the National Defense Forces, their predetermined goals can be achieved within a maximum of ten years."

After a brief contemplation, Li Zongren had to nod his head silently and affirmed to Bai Chongxi in front of him: "If all you said is true, China's future may really be in the National Defense Force..."

After saying that, a smile appeared unexpectedly on Li Zongren's silent face. After breathing a sigh of relief at Bai Chongxi, he spoke: "Jiansheng, if I don't expect it, you don't want to return to the Guangxi clique to serve as the Chief of Staff, and you also want to persuade me to join the National Defense Forces, and work with the National Defense Forces to make merits for this country and spread throughout the ages..."

Bai Chongxi nodded awkwardly and said without any objection: "The Commander-in-Chief is right, I do have this idea. However, the final decision is for you to come. If the Commander-in-Chief is unwilling, I, Bai Chongxi, will immediately resign from the position of Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Defense Forces, follow you back to Guangxi, and conquer a sky that belongs to our Guangxi clan itself."

Li Zongren shook his head firmly and said firmly to Bai Chongxi: "Although I, Li Zongren, is greedy for power, I am a Chinese and a Chinese. Even though I know that the Guangxi clan cannot grow and grow with my own abilities and can never realize my political ambitions, I still look at my own bowl. That is not responsible for the entire country and for the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Guangxi clan. Therefore, I, Li Zongren, decided to agree with your suggestion. However, the specific inclusion of the Guangxi clan into the National Defense Forces requires a detailed discussion with Li Guosheng, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces... "

In Chenyang City, completely shrouded in the night, Commander-in-Chief Li Guosheng had just returned home and prepared to rest when a slight knock on the door suddenly reached his ears. Immediately afterwards, the adjutant who was responsible for his daily life came over carefully and reported: "The Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander-in-Chief Li of the Gui Division were asking for a meeting outside the door..."

"Uh...Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi..."

Li Guosheng was still full of respect for the two men who left a strong mark in the history of the Chinese War of Resistance. After a brief contemplation, he decisively ordered: "Please invite the two to the study room immediately, and I will arrive immediately. In addition, please inform the Chief of Staff to come to me immediately. Also, you must keep the whole process confidential..."

Perhaps Bai Chongxi was too urgent. The conversation between the four people had just lasted less than five minutes. Bai Chongxi, who is currently the deputy chief of staff of the National Defense Forces, was impatient to express his purpose of coming.

"Deputy Chief of Staff, you are not wrong... You really plan to incorporate all the troops into the National Defense Forces, and from then on, the title of Guangxi Group will be abolished..." Li Guosheng asked incredible. You must know that the tens of thousands of troops in the entire Guangxi Group were accumulated bit by bit by bit by bit.

Li Zongren shook his head with a wry smile and replied: "Commander-General Li, I don't want this decision. After all, the entire Guangxi clan has incorporated a lot of my efforts. However, after listening to the Chief of Staff's introduction to the National Defense Forces and Commander-General Li's lofty ambitions, this decision was immediately made in his heart."

"Because, China's future is in the National Defense Forces. If the Guangxi clique wants to contribute to China and even be remembered forever, it must be incorporated into the National Defense Forces. Otherwise, the entire Guangxi clique will be weakened step by step or even destroyed in the melee of warlords within the pass."

After listening to Li Zongren's explanation and the firm expression on Li Zongren's face, Li Guosheng was also replaced by shock. Of course, after the shock, a strong surprise quickly surged into his heart.

The Guangxi clique was incorporated into the National Defense Forces. The National Defense Forces can not only increase the number of mountain troops that have been through the battlefield for a long time, but more importantly, the national defense force's reputation within the pass will be further increased.
Chapter completed!