Chapter 56: Calculations

  Ouyang Yun, after being exposed by Jiang Shuren as a pseudo-genius, took it as a warning and thoroughly made up for his lack of common knowledge about "penicillin". When formulating and implementing the plan, he no longer made the same mistake. Considering his own infatuation with Japan, on the way to Tianjin, he specially asked Gu Lianyun to objectively analyze the plan from an outsider's perspective, and made some adjustments in response to the Japanese aspect, making the plan still quite feasible.

  Firstly, the concealment of the pharmaceutical factory must be good. Now is the era of aircraft and artillery, once a war breaks out, the pharmaceutical factory as a strategic target will definitely be taken care of by the enemy.

  Secondly, considering the promotion of penicillin must make a big noise, making a fortune in secret is absolutely not feasible. To avoid arousing the envy of neighboring countries, we can only give them some benefits - currently, the 29th Army's actual control area may only be part of Wingchak, and other areas also need agents. So finding some powerful behind-the-scenes bosses to act as distributors can achieve a win-win effect, not only sealing off some people's ideas but also obtaining some urgently needed equipment and ammunition from foreign partners through cooperation.

  After listening to Ouyang Yun's plan, Song Zheyuan admitted that it was indeed not necessary to resort to knives and guns. He recalled that Ouyang Yun didn't have a particularly antagonistic attitude towards the Japanese, but he himself had an unresolvable conflict with them. "What about the Japanese side? They are truly a pack of white-eyed wolves."

  Ouyang Yun smiled and said: "This one? Just let Junzuo handle it."

  Song Zheyuan's face changed, thinking he was being sarcastic about himself and the Japanese secretly sending flirtatious signals. He couldn't help but think of Shi Yousan again, thought for a moment, feeling that it was inevitable to fight the Japanese sooner or later. He said to himself, "It seems this young man doesn't quite believe in himself yet." Oh well, he'd take this opportunity to show his stance. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, old Chiang may fear the little devils, but I, Song Zheyuan, don't! If worst comes to worst, I'll screw them!"

  Ouyang Yun listened and knew he had misunderstood, secretly scolding him for speaking nicely but not knowing if he could still be so arrogant when the time came. He smiled and said: "General, if it's just because of penicillin that we're going to fight with the little devils, I don't think it's necessary. We're also in it for the money, and there are those among the little devils who want to make a profit too. Let's find a relatively trustworthy distributor. If we start fighting with the little devils at this time... hehe, to say something unpleasant, I'm afraid someone will take advantage of the situation again."

  Song Zheyuan was taken aback for a moment, and for a while he didn't react - he had always thought that Ouyang Yun and the little devil had a deep-seated hatred, but now hearing him say this, it seemed that it wasn't entirely the case either. He found it strange and joked: "It's rare, isn't it? The 'Anti-Japanese Heroes' have temporarily put down their butcher knives?"

  Ouyang Yun smiled apologetically and said frankly, "I just don't want the brothers of the 29th Army to fight an unprepared battle. Under current circumstances, with Japanese planes and artillery, this battle is not easy to fight."

  Song Zheyuan nodded, feeling that this rascal had finally said something reasonable. He deeply agreed and said: "Yes, a big knife is after all a cold weapon, it can still play a role in close combat, but if you really encounter planes and artillery, it's just a decoration. Ouyang, don't meddle in things that aren't your business, now you know my troubles -" He pointed at his forehead and said: "Why didn't you discuss Shi Yongsan's matter with me first? You guys have learned to be reckless and impulsive, let me come and wipe your butts for you!"

  Ouyang Yun smiled shamelessly and said, "You are our highest official, after all. When the children get into trouble outside, of course, their parents have to come out and solve it. General, I admit it, Shi You San's matter was my fault, I sincerely admit my mistake!"

  Song Zheyuan looked at him with a sly expression, not knowing whether it was because of the aroma of the big pancake or because he had moved his paternal heart, and smiled reluctantly, saying: "One sentence to admit your mistake and that's it? The Japanese are still asking me for people! Hmph, next time, be careful I'll skin you!"

  Ouyang Yun saw that he had said such a hidden thing, knowing that he really regarded himself as his own family. After thinking about it, he felt that what he did was a bit unkind. He spoke seriously: "General, to be honest, if Shi You San didn't let the little devils mix in with our troops, we would have just scared him and that's all. But... alas, I wasn't calm-headed either, and as a result, this happened. However, General, you shouldn't say anything, but now, when the people of Beiping mention our 29th Army, mention your great name, they all have only one expression..."

  Song Zheyuan piqued his curiosity and asked: "Oh? What expression?"

  Ouyang Yun stretched out his thumb and said: "The 29th Army is great! General Song is indeed a worthy anti-Japanese general!"

  Song Zheyuan hadn't realized that this young man was flattering himself and setting him up, so he asked: "Really?"

  "A thousand truths and ten thousand certainties!"

  Song Zheyuan sighed, recalling the glorious days after the great victory at Xifengkou, and couldn't help but feel: It's been many years since I stopped being an anti-Japanese general! This, it's still more glorious to be an anti-Japanese general!

  Ouyang Yun's trip to Tianjin, not many people knew the inside story, but with Song Zheyuan's subsequent big moves, those in the know couldn't help but start wondering: what exactly did Ouyang Yun discuss with Song Zheyuan, and how did he suddenly pull Song Zheyuan's originally wavering stance in a certain direction?

  That night, Ouyang Yun and Gu Lianyun stayed at the Song residence. Perhaps because he didn't notice that the latter was a woman disguised as a man, the steward of the Song residence arranged for them to stay in one room. Ouyang Yun wasn't bothered by this; when he was a special forces soldier, he had shared a large blanket with female comrades before, and having two beds in one room seemed too small for him. Gu Lianyun initially didn't know there were two beds in the room and thought it was Ouyang Yun's request, feeling both disappointed and annoyed, thinking to herself, "Does this guy think I'm some kind of loose woman?" She mentally prepared herself, thinking that if he dared to make a move, she would let him taste her wrath and make a fool of himself. With some trepidation, she followed him into the room, saw the two beds, and then saw Ouyang Yun lie down on his bed without even changing clothes. Only then did she realize she had overthought things, feeling relieved but also strangely a little disappointed.

  Ouyang Yun's mind is now filled with penicillin and its future prospects, his mood is quite excited, lying in bed with his eyes slightly closed, unknown little tunes occasionally fly out from the corner of his mouth.

  Gu Lianyun suddenly remembered the song he sang in the hospital and said, "That song is actually quite nice."

  Ouyang Yun opened her eyes and looked at her asking: "Which one?"

  "The reeds and rushes are verdant, white dew turns into frost."

  "Oh, the song is called 'On the Water's Edge'."

  "I didn't know you could sing," Gu Lianyun said, walking to the foot of his bed and making as if to sit down. She had also been preparing for sleep, her military uniform already unbuttoned.

  As a result, Ouyang Yun, who had never seen such a scene before, misunderstood and thought she was being seduced, so she jumped in fright and said: "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

  Gu Lianyun saw his timid tone, and also saw his gaze flickering over her chest, suddenly, her face flushed with a red glow, she stopped and said: "You little rascal, your flowery words are actually those of a young boy!" She couldn't help but feel an urge to burst out laughing.

  Ouyang Yun felt a bit awkward, thinking to himself that his acting skills were still not good enough. He put on a fierce and intimidating expression and said: "Ah Yu? Are you daring to try it out?!"

  Gu Lianyun let out a snort of laughter and lowered her voice to say: "Let's get down to business, how did your conversation with Song Zheyuan go?"

  "Very successful!"

  "Hmm, is he preparing to take over the defense of Pingjin entirely?"

  "Hmm, just wait and see. Zhang Zizhong's 38th Division will be transferred to Tianjin, Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division will be transferred to the Renqiu area, and only Liu Ruming's 143rd Division will remain in Chahar. This way, Beiping, Tianjin, Hebei, and Chahar will all be under the control of the 29th Army! With this precious land of Renqiu, our future is bound to be bright!"

  These deployments were made with the intention of Song Zheyuan, who had been holding back his troops due to communication problems with the Japanese. The situation in North China in 1935 was completely incomprehensible to later generations, including Ou Yangyun. The domestic forces represented by Song Zheyuan and Chiang Kai-shek, combined with the Japanese who were eyeing them covetously, resulted in the 29th Army led by Song Zheyuan gaining an undeserved advantage. However, the true situation behind this and the intricate struggles between the three parties can only be known to those directly involved.

  Song Zheyuan was removed as the chairman of Chahar Province, which seemed to be a trick played by Old Chiang, but in reality, it was because the Japanese had grasped Old Chiang's psychological pressure at that time. As for the 29th Army, if they wanted to control Beiping and Tianjin with justification, the attitudes of the National Government and the Japanese were both necessary considerations, with the Japanese being especially important - how could they allow others to sleep soundly by their bedside? Song Zheyuan was an old hand, unlike Ou Yangyun, that arrogant young man who thought he could conquer Beiping and Tianjin with just a burst of hot blood. The things Song considered were naturally much deeper than those of the young man. Originally, Song Zheyuan and the Japanese had an understanding, as the Japanese were eager to gain legal living space for the three northeastern provinces and the puppet Manchurian government, and their military preparations were not yet complete, so they did not dare to provoke a full-scale Sino-Japanese conflict in North China. Moreover, the Japanese saw that since its establishment, the 29th Army had been an awkward role, with Song Zheyuan and Old Chiang not getting along, making it the most likely force to be cultivated into a pro-Japanese faction. Based on these considerations, if it were not for the Shi Yousan incident, which resulted in the killing of over 200 Japanese devils, the Japanese would have been happy to temporarily entrust North China to the 29th Army - but the Japanese had wolf-like ambitions and were arrogant and domineering, with people like Matsuoka and Tōjō already having included North China within their own territory.

  But with the appearance of Ouyang Yun, their beautiful dream was destined to never come true.

  They originally wanted to use the Pingjin area to coerce Song Zheyuan into handing over Ou Yangyun, this public enemy of the empire, but they underestimated Ou Yangyun's energy and his position in Song Zheyuan's mind.

  This doomed the Japanese to suffer greatly on the North China issue!

  At first, Old Man Chen and Old Man Huang came up with this plan, which had a bit of an "embezzlement" meaning to it. These two angry old men treated the time machine as their own, and after confirming the coordinates for the space-time jump, they thought of doing something like this. Their original plan might have been to transport a talented person using GCD, but somehow due to calculation errors, Ou Yang Yun was sent to Pingjin instead, and ended up giving Song Zheyuan a "genius".

  They didn't think that Ou Yang Yun, who was familiar with the Party's history, although he had a close relationship with GCD in his heart, but precisely because of this, he realized that GCD was currently in a special political context, and many things were inconvenient to do. In history, the 29th Army was once powerful, but because Song Zheyuan and Old Chiang Kai-shek mixed too much sand into it, they turned an iron army into a sick cat. For the 29th Army, Ou Yang Yun had great admiration for it due to the song "The Big Knife March". Therefore, when he traveled to Pingjin, he naturally wouldn't go far away and run to Yan'an.

  Without saying whether Ouyang Yun's choice is right or wrong, one thing can be certain: a butterfly can indeed trigger a hurricane. As for whether the hurricane will be provincial or national level, that depends on Ouyang Yun's energy.