Before coming to Rong's home, Liu Guojun also took the initiative to do something for Wang Zhenyu. The students who graduated from Nanyang Public School this year went to Xiangxi to participate in industrial construction, which was agreed upon and supported by the church.

  Through Liu Guojun's efforts, the great development of western Hunan has taken another solid step forward.

  Hong Jiang, the garrison commander's office, Wang Zhenyu and Yang Wanguo, Xu Yuanquan, Wan Yaohuang, Liu Xing, Zhou Dan, He Jian, Ma Xicheng are holding a military discussion meeting.

  The meeting was held in a hurry, because Wang Zhenyu had just received a secret letter from Changsha a few hours ago. The letter was written by Zhao Hengti, the commander of the first division of the Xiang Army and Wang Zhenyu's sworn brother, with only 15 words: The intention to dismiss the Grand Governor has been decided, you should make early preparations.

  The disarmament has been going on since April and has lasted for almost five months. According to Tan Yankai's idea, the five divisions of the Xiang Army will eventually only retain the First Division and Lin Xiuyi's Second Division, and all other troops will be disbanded. However, it's not that troublesome now because Mei Xin's Fifth Division is already history due to Wang Zhenyu. Not only was Mei Xin himself killed, but most of his officers and soldiers were absorbed into the First Division. It can be said that the most solid step in disarmament was actually completed by Wang Zhenyu, although his intention was to cause trouble.

  There are still two divisions to be cut, one is the third division of Gan Xingyuan and the other is the fourth division of Wang Longzhong. It can be said that these two divisions truly represent the Hunan Army in fighting against the Qing army on the Hubei front line and have made achievements. In theory, such troops should not only not be cut but also receive better treatment to preserve them.

  However, the Chinese way of thinking is not like that. When considering anything, they will consciously or unconsciously think about the closeness and distance of a relationship. Since these two divisions are not part of the main faction, they pose a threat, so the only fate awaiting them is to be disbanded or reorganized.

  Especially the Fourth Division, it is the key of the key. Many officers inside have been bought and divided, once the order to disarm is given, Wang Longzhong estimates that even the position of Baoqing Town Guardian will not be kept. Tan Yanqian had already chosen a way out for Wang Longzhong, going to Beijing's Northern Government as a Lieutenant General Consultant.

  Wang Zhenyu's ninth trip was also unhesitatingly designated to be abolished, in fact, Tan Yankei was very dissatisfied with Wang Zhenyu's current situation of occupying one side, but due to various reasons, he could only acquiesce.

  However, default does not mean acquiescence. Tan Yankai temporarily had no way to deal with Wang Zhenyu, this madman (a sane person would dare to launch a military coup in Changsha, and dare to use one regiment to fight against an entire division; the most frightening thing is not that he was reckless, but that he was reckless and yet nothing happened). But it does not mean that he did not make any small moves. The first move was to station the garrison in Fenghuang, unfortunately Wang Zhenyu knew Tian Yingkui, and easily resolved the possible crisis; therefore, disbanding the army is the second move, Tan Yankai made up his mind, canceling the military number is a must, even if Wang Zhenyu can still maintain the army, he will not give him another penny of military pay. In fact, after the Hu Ben Tuan left Changsha, Tan Yankai never gave them another penny of military pay.

  These are minor issues, what troubles Wang Zhenyu the most now is that once the number of the fierce tiger travel is abolished, his own department should continue to exist in what name. In addition, there are also problems with military expansion and standard equipment. Wang Zhenyu deeply knows that the army is the foundation of everything he has now, so on the issue of the army, he will not be stingy at all. However, money must be spent openly and in the right place, so he convened such an emergency meeting...

  Before the military meeting, Wang Zhenbang, who had just finished a three-month study with the instructional team and returned to serve as secretary to his third brother Wang Zhenyu, was enthusiastically pouring tea for the attending officers.

  Wang Zhenyu rarely joked: "This is the best Yuanling Guanzhu tea, it was just elected by County Mayor Xiao Jing, originally it was offered to the emperor. It's precious, so everyone should not drink it for free, if you drink it, you have to make a decision!"

  Just after praising a good tea, Wan Yao Huang almost spilled the teacup on the ground: "I'm telling you all, our general has been following Hong Jiang for too long and has become more and more mercantile. In one word, stingy!"

  "Hahaha..." The people on the scene burst out laughing immediately.

  Wang Zhenyu rolled his eyes: "What's wrong with you merchants? Without me, the head of this household, pinching pennies for every single thing, what would you eat and drink? Stop wasting words, hurry up and taste it, then come up with a plan."

  Everyone burst out laughing again...

  The army's large framework has always been a major problem for Wang Zhenyu, and this time coincides with the downsizing of the military. On the surface, it seems that his unit has lost its number. In reality, if utilized well, it is an opportunity to thoroughly privatize the army; if not utilized well, there will be big trouble.

  Chief of Staff Yang Wanguo spoke first: "General, my idea is to turn a bad thing into a good one. Aren't we going to withdraw our troops? We might as well form an independent unit and reorganize the troops under our command into the Xiangxi Defense Force. You are the commander-in-chief, and we can set up whatever organization we want below you. We can have the First Guard Division, the Second Guard Division... anyway, we have money now, and we can fully support ourselves."

  Everyone listened to Director Yang's words and felt very reasonable, nodding in agreement. Jokingly, if it were really possible to get a few guards out, the least among them would be a major general.

  Wang Zhenyu tapped on the table and pressed down on the increasingly loud discussion, saying: "Does Deputy Commander Xu have any opinions?"

  Xu Yuanquan hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and saying, "Actually, the system is easy to talk about, but the key is still the actual combat effectiveness of the troops. Our army's current firepower configuration, equipment and other things don't have a unified standard. Although the treatment is good, in terms of equipment, we are not leading the domestic military, and when fighting, it completely relies on individual soldier quality. Now that we are industrializing, can we set up an ordnance factory? First, let's unify our supply standards and equipment standards, and then strengthen our firepower a bit, and our combat effectiveness will be guaranteed."

  Everyone began to express their own opinions. Zhou Dang's opinion was to strengthen the training of vanguard troops, especially reconnaissance units. Wan Yao-huang's opinion was to put all existing officers into the first batch of Xiangxi Army Officer School which is about to start, divided into fast-track class and ordinary class, anyway, it's a re-education.

  Liu Xing's opinion is that the work of the new barracks should be strengthened, construction should be accelerated, and there are also some confusion between military ranks and levels at present, which should be solved as soon as possible.

  Wang Zhenyu listened very carefully and seriously, and also made a record of each point.

  After everyone had expressed their opinions, Wang Zhenyu summarized: "Everyone's comments are very good, I gained some inspiration from your opinions, now let me talk about my thoughts."

  The officers all opened their notebooks and took out their pens, ready to take notes.

  "First, the issue of military organization. My intention is very clear, as stated by Chief of Staff Yang, to establish a defense force in western Hunan. Specifically, three defense brigades and four independent regiments will be established. The defense brigade will have two regiments with three battalions each, while the independent regiment will have six reinforced companies. The troop strength for the brigade is temporarily set at 5,000 people, and that of the independent regiment is temporarily set at 1,200 people. The total troop strength for the field army is 20,000 people. In addition, the current jǐngwei regiment will be reorganized into a guard brigade with a total troop strength of 4,000 people. As for the selection of officers and other matters related to the formal expansion of these four brigades and four regiments, I will decide later based on their performance in military school."

  "Secondly, the issue of standardizing military equipment configurations. For now, we need to establish a standard first. In my opinion, at the regimental level, there should be an artillery battalion, and at the divisional level, there should be an artillery company. The infantry's equipment needs to strengthen its protective gear, and the style and caliber of rifles need to be unified as soon as possible. Moreover, it's not just about equipment, but also uniforms and identification insignia standards that need to be established. I think this task can be assigned to Deputy Commander Xu."

  "Third, it is the problem of guarding the governor's mansion and connecting with the troops. The Hunan Western Defense Corps is an armed force under the command of the governor's mansion. My idea is to establish three departments under the governor's mansion: the General Staff Department, the Operations Department, and the Military Supplies Department, with bureaus under each department. The General Staff Department will be responsible for military equipment and officer appointments; the Operations Department will be mainly responsible for daily training and combat planning; the Military Supplies Department will be mainly responsible for military industry and logistics; this governor's mansion will also set up a Servants Department, specifically responsible for connecting with the three departments. Does anyone have any opinions? If not, my intention is that Old Yang continues to serve as the head of the General Staff Department, Old Xu serves as the head of the Operations Department, and Ma Xicheng serves as the head of the Military Supplies Department."

  Everyone present is a human being, even fools can see that Wang Zhenyu's purpose in establishing the three departments is to firmly grasp the military in his own hands through the three departments, and avoid the emergence of small warlords. Think about it, what are the foundations of power? Finance and personnel, now these two blocks have been taken from the hands of the main officials at all levels to the staff department, so who can still form a small group in their own team? Even if you want to form one, what can you use to form it?

  Since the big boss has thought of this step, what else can everyone do except raise their hands in approval? Should they openly oppose and clearly tell the big boss that they want to rebel?

  Wang Zhenyu really laughed this time, from the bottom of his heart...

  Wang Zhenyu then said to Yang Wanguo, "This staff office, in addition to daily work, also needs to take on another task. My idea is that for the security detachment, the staff office should also take responsibility. This security detachment sets up outposts at some traffic arteries, playing a deterrent role, similar to the beacon towers of ancient times."

  Yang Wanguo bowed his head and made a serious record, without expressing personal opinions.

  "General, who should we focus on defending against next?"

  Wang Zhenyu said in a low voice: "Here are all the core of our Xiangxi Group, I won't hide from you, Liuzhou and Changde two directions, everyone should pay attention to understand more. Liu Xianshi's side in Guizhou is actually Cai E's person now, everyone should also be careful, Cai E is a personal hero, it's uncertain when the Yunnan army will enter our Xiangxi territory."

  This is not an empty talk, historically, the Yunnan Army and Guizhou Army have entered Xiangxi many times. Whether it was the War to Protect the Nation or the War to Protect the Law, the last time they entered Xiangxi was when General Yuan Zuming of the Guizhou Army came in, but the outcome of this entry was not good. Yuan Zuming was set up by Zhou Dan, a trusted general of Tang Shengzhi, and was directly taken care of. Now Zhou Dan is under Wang Zhenyu's command, and it's estimated that there won't be another opportunity to reenact such a play. However, in Wang Zhenyu's heart, the territory of Xiangxi cannot be allowed to be touched by the Yunnan Army and Guizhou Army, this is not something that can be discussed. Moreover, if possible, under the circumstances where strength permits, Wang Zhenyu also wants to make a move on Guizhou, nǎinǎi's, which province has such rich resources as Guizhou, with its vast southwestern coal sea and the country's most abundant colored metal mines. As for why Guizhou and Xinjiang became poor provinces in later generations, it is entirely due to systemic problems, a peculiar phenomenon of begging for food while sitting on a mountain of gold, which probably also counts as a Chinese specialty. Thanks to the elder sons of the Republic, there are none more shameless than you.

  But for now, it's better to just hold back a bit. Even fools know that Cai Yun is quietly accumulating power and observing the national situation. It's best not to provoke him with this little flesh of mine.

  However, Changde and Liuzhou are different. Wang Zhenya, the garrison commander of Xiangyin County, is entrenched in the Changde area, but his strength is seriously insufficient. Not to mention that there are less than 10,000 armed men under him, more seriously, various forces are standing in his jurisdiction. Historically, Wang Zhenya was able to sit firmly on the ground of Changde completely because he stood on the right side, although he and Wang Zhenyu were both heroes of the people's army, but whether it was the second revolution or the warlord war, he did not hesitate to stand on the side of the Northern Warlords. This kind of wall-to-wall skill is something that Wang Zhenyu can't learn, and can only admit defeat.

  As for Liuzhou, Wang Zhenyu remembered that the old Gui clique in history had two big bosses, one was Lu Rongting and the other was Shen Hongying. Since Lu Rongting was the governor of Guangxi, he must have been dominating Nanning. Shen Hongying should have been entrenched in the northern part of Guangxi, but according to the information sent back by the special agents sent by He Jian to Liuzhou, the current big boss of the northern part of Guangxi or Liuzhou is Liu Guxiang, the head of the Guangxi Youjiang Military and Political Division and the commander of the Guangxi Fifth Army. This man was a die-hard member of the Tongmenghui, having followed Sun Yat-sen since 1907 and participated in the famous Guangzhou Uprising, only to narrowly escape being buried in Huanghuagang. He was different from Tan Yankai and others who joined the Tongmenghui only after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution. As for Shen Hongying, he was actually a bandit by origin and was currently working under Liu Guxiang. Don't look down on the profession of being a bandit, as Lu Rongting, the nominal ruler of Guangxi, was also an expert in this field, and there were even those who became head of state after being a bandit during the Republic of China era, showing that this profession still had development prospects.

  Wang Zhenyu thought carefully, since the current big shot is Liu Guoxiang, but the one in power in history was Shen Hongying. So there can only be one conclusion, black has eaten black, it's just unknown when it happened?

  This damn history textbook, why can't it be written more detailed? A history textbook that only has results but no process, how can it serve as a mirror? To use history as a mirror, I think using dung as a mirror is more like it.

  But it doesn't matter, Wang Zhenyu is still very satisfied with the work of the Military Intelligence Department He Kui, and he believes that with the hard work of these special agents, his own ambitions will eventually be realized. Haha, thinking about it, Wang Zhenyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.