Chapter Forty-Four: The First Meeting with Feng Zhi'an

  May 12th, Beiping, Wanping City, Headquarters of the 37th Division.

  Ouyang Yun and Feng Zhi'an stood facing each other, both sizing each other up with some curiosity.

  Historically, the 29th Army had a plethora of famous anti-Japanese generals, with Feng Zhi'an being one of the most prominent. Born into a poor family, Feng joined Feng Yuxiang's army at the age of 15 and started as a cook in the Northwestern Army. By the time he was 31, he had become a division commander, and at his peak, he even became an army commander. His life story is quite legendary.

  The 29th Army's great victory at Xifengkou in the Battle of the Great Wall, Ouyang Yun and his classmates had carefully studied. In the end, they came to the following conclusion: If it were not for Feng's troops' surprise attack and destruction of the Japanese artillery positions on the high ground east and west, then what would have been the outcome of the Battle of Xifengkou is actually very hard to say.

  This also proved what Ouyang Yun said earlier about the Japanese army: without planes, tanks and artillery, the Japanese army is nothing.

  It can be said that Song Zheyuan and the 29th Army's anti-Japanese reputation was actually earned by Feng Zhian and the 37th Division. Compared to Song, Feng took a more resolute and decisive stance against the Japanese army. The July 7 Incident in history, which marked the beginning of the full-scale war of resistance, was sparked by Feng's strict orders, and his troops fired the first shot at Lugou Bridge!

  If it can be said that Ouyang Yun's admiration for Song Zheyuan still has some reservations and ulterior motives, then towards Feng Zhi'an, he truly admired him with all his heart.

  How did Ouyang Yun end up at the headquarters of the 37th Division?

  It all started two days ago. When the student army was escorting hundreds of prisoners and a large amount of military supplies from Bay Village to Beiping, they suddenly realized a serious problem - at that time, Beiping and Tianjin were not yet under the jurisdiction of the 29th Army, and the Student Army belonged to the 29th Army's organization, so their garrison should be in Chahar. If they went to Beiping now, would it cause unnecessary trouble?

  After some thought, he felt that the best solution for now was to find the 37th Division stationed in Beiping, temporarily attach himself to Feng Zhi'an's command, and wait for the situation to develop in a certain direction before making further plans.

  He and Li Tieshu, Chen Shichang formulated a training plan, under the name of training, led the team to march in remote areas, to minimize the impact, then he took Liu Zhe-liang one step ahead, went to Beiping to find Feng Zhian.

  Feng Zhi'an looked at the young man in front of him, who was only twenty-one or two years old, yet had already stirred up a storm in Pingjin and earned the title of "Anti-Japanese Hero", with great curiosity.

  "Director Ouyang, what's your honorable age this year?"

  "Report to General Feng, 21."

  Feng Zhi'an couldn't help but praise: "At just 21, he's already a company commander. Haha, I was only a battalion commander at 23, truly formidable!"

  "General Feng is laughing at me, and all of you are showing me great kindness. I am actually ashamed and dare not accept it."

  "Listen, Military Seat, your troops in Tianjin annihilated over a hundred of the devils who launched a surprise attack on you, and you only suffered more than 20 casualties. Is this true?"

  Ouyang Yun nodded and said: "It's said that the Japanese army launched a surprise attack, but in fact we had set up an ambush and waited for them to fall into it. We barely won this battle. Compared to your victory at Xifengkou where you raided the Japanese artillery camp at night, this one is not worth mentioning. General, can you sign my name?"

  Feng Zhi'an was taken aback: "Signature?!" Seeing that Ouyang Yun had already pulled out a notebook and pen with great familiarity, his face turned slightly red, and for a moment he became somewhat flustered.

  Ouyang Yun said sincerely: "General Feng, I have always regarded you as my idol. You are a veteran general on the battlefield with rich experience in fighting against enemies. I am just a new recruit, please give me more guidance in the future."

  Feng Zhi'an stroked his chin, his face radiating a layer of red light due to either shyness or secret delight. He took the pen and opened the book, seeing Song Zheyuan's signature, he was slightly startled and asked: "Is this from Commander?"

  "Yes, you are all my idols, but I admire your surprise attack at Xifengkou even more."

  Feng Zhi'an turned the page, with the title "Don't forget national humiliation, I die for the country's survival - Feng Zhi'an and Ouyang Yun encourage each other", humbly saying: "What night raid strategy, it all depends on General Song's command being proper and the whole army using their lives, Feng Zhi'an is just doing his duty."

  Ouyang Yun hastily said: "General Feng, you're too modest. In my opinion, sometimes a good strategy can be more effective than thousands of troops and horses. If the Japanese hadn't lost their artillery and tanks at Jidao Mountain, it's still uncertain who would have won."

  The night raid at Xifengkou can be said to be Feng Zhi'an's most proud battle so far. He thought to himself that he was also proud of it, and when young people analyzed it, they nodded their heads and said: "What the Japanese army relies on is nothing more than tanks and artillery. Every time before a battle, planes and cannons would lavish bombs without hesitation. If we only look at light weapons, their Type 38 rifle is not as lethal as our Zhongzheng rifle. Therefore, fighting the Japanese army is easy once you break through their three main strengths." He sighed heavily and said: "But the problem is that with our current equipment, it's really impossible to deal with these three main strengths, so we have no choice but to take risks and come up with some unconventional tactics. Although they may be effective occasionally, they are not a long-term solution."

  No wonder he's a powerful leader who has come out of the war, and has also dealt with the Japanese for many years. Feng Zhi'an's comments on the gap between the Chinese and Japanese armies are extremely insightful. Ouyang Yun couldn't help but nod in agreement, thinking to himself: The reason why the War of Resistance against Japan is so difficult to fight isn't because China lacks good generals or loyal soldiers, it's just that our hardware is inferior, we don't have the capital to win the war. Thinking about his own mission, he felt that creating planes and tanks in a short period of time was like a fantasy, and he could only feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders growing heavier.

  Ouyang Yun and Feng Zhi'an had a good impression of each other at their first meeting.

  When Ou Yang Yun was still a student in the previous time and space, he had carefully studied some historical books about the 29th Army. Among the three generals of the 29th Army, Zhang Zizhong, Feng Zhi'an, and He Jiguo were the ones he admired the most. The great victory at Xifengkou was planned by Feng Zhi'an and executed by He Jiguo. It was these two men who seized the weakness of the Japanese army's inability to fight at night, launched a surprise attack, destroyed the Japanese artillery, supplies, and food, thus laying the foundation for victory.

  Ouyang Yun sincerely admired Feng Zhi'an, first because of his absolute determination to resist Japan. On the other hand, during the War of Resistance against Japan, as a representative of the Northwest Army's powerful faction, in the complex domestic political situation at that time, although he had a bad reputation for being anti-Chiang and pro-communist, he was able to stand firm and not fall, which is also one of the reasons why Ouyang Yun admired him. Although history has criticized Feng's behavior many times, as a later generation, Ouyang Yun will definitely follow a similar path in the future, and may even surpass him - how to live a good life in the gap between the "National Government", Feng Zhi'an is worth learning from.

  In front of Feng Zhi'an, Ouyang Yun often acted like a fan who had just met his idol. This undoubtedly greatly satisfied Feng Zhi'an's vanity. Since the "April 26th Incident", the reputation of the "Anti-Japanese Heroes" had been circulating in China for a long time. Feng Zhi'an was also familiar with their names, and now they were showing great respect to him. Anyone would be pleased by this - due to his unique insight as a military man, Feng had a special liking for young people who could fight and fight bravely. Although Ouyang Yun's military posture was a bit unconventional, it was absolutely standard and upright, and he immediately presented Feng with a gift of captured ammunition from Shi You San's troops, which made Feng take an instant liking to the young man.

  Two people "you have feelings and I have intentions", also having a common topic, after a conversation, the host and guest are delighted.

  Feng Zhi'an readily agreed to the request for the student army to enter the Wanping Military Camp. In the end, Ouyang Yun told the story of the origin of the military supplies that were used as a gift for the meeting, and revealed the ambush on Shi Yousan's troops.

  Feng Zhi'an was wondering why there was no news about Shi You San's three divisions, and then he found out that they had been dispersed by the Student Army. He thought to himself that this young man was quite bold, daring to take on an enemy force of over 3,000 with just over 300 men. Looking into his eyes, he saw something else there too. Then he heard that a small group of Japanese soldiers were mixed in among them, and his face turned red with anger. He anxiously asked: "Are the casualties of the Student Army not much greater than those of Shi You San's motley crew?"

  Ouyang Yun reported the casualty data, then gritted his teeth and said: "We originally just wanted to disperse the Stone Department, but unexpectedly they actually got the Japanese involved. If it weren't for the Japanese, the Student Army wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties! The blood of the students will not be shed in vain, Shi Yongshan and others must give an explanation for this matter."

  Feng Zhi'an was shocked and couldn't understand the young man's logic. He thought to himself, "We've just lost seven men and four wounded, and we annihilated over 200 devils. What's the big deal about casualties?" From the young man's tone, it seemed like he wanted to take action against Shi You San. After all, Shi You San was a former Northwest Army general with deep ties to the 29th Army, and many of its generals were his subordinates and friends. If he were really killed, it wouldn't be good for the training corps. The young man acted impulsively and didn't think things through thoroughly. Feng Zhi'an felt it necessary to remind him, saying kindly: "Ouyang, Shi You San is from the Northwest Army. I think it's better to let the military authorities handle this."

  Seven people were killed and four injured. In the eyes of Feng Zhi'an, a veteran who had seen many big battles, this was nothing. But Ouyang Yun didn't think so. To him, the ambush in Tudi Mountain was a battle where the Student Army had every advantage - weapons, terrain, weather, and morale. If they hadn't suffered any casualties at all, that would have been normal. If it weren't for Shi You San's collaboration with the Japanese, they could have achieved this too. This was also why Ouyang Yun hated Shi You San so much. He said: "General, our original plan was to hand over Shi You San and his men to the military authorities to deal with. But who would have thought that he would openly collude with the Japanese? He's asking for death - if we don't handle this incident severely, won't those forces still observing from the sidelines think that the 29th Army is afraid of the Japanese? Wouldn't that be tantamount to encouraging them to betray their country and become traitors?"

  Feng Zhi'an thought for a moment and felt that this was the way it should be. However, out of kindness, he solemnly said to Ouyang Yun: "Personally, I agree with what you're doing, but I hope you'll consider the thoughts of other colleagues. Before dealing with Shi You San, it's best to communicate with Jun Zuo and seek his opinion."

  Ouyang Yun smiled and thanked him, agreeing on the surface, but thinking to himself: It seems that he must get rid of Shi You San and others as soon as possible, lest there be too many dreams in a long night.