Beiyang 1917

In July and August 1917, nearly 7 million people were affected by disasters in Henan and Shandong. At the same time, for the first time, the people of the whole country realized the power of the China Charity Foundation and the role it played in disaster relief. In the process of relief, Wang Geng took the opportunity to recruit no less than 8 disaster victims to immigrate and settle down in the Hetao area of ​​Suiyuan.

During the entire disaster relief process, the Beijing-Hanzhou and Jinpu Railways transported food and medicine from north to south to the disaster area day and night, and those who came back were the army of migrants who had gone north and chose to accept the olive branch offered by Suiyuan Reclamation Superintendent Wang Geng after their families were destroyed.

The conditions for recruiting immigrants are very favorable. The land reclaimed in the Hetao area of ​​Suiyuan is free of rent for three years. If it lasts for five years, it will be owned by the pioneers. Of course, the part exceeding 40 mu per capita will be bought by the government at market prices. Seeds, fertilizers Animals and livestock are provided free of charge by the government.

The Suiyuan government has also set up countless reception stations and food stations along the railway line. Railway immigration tickets are free, and each household provides 10 yuan for relocation. After arriving at the Hetao Reclamation Area and registering, each family will receive another 100 yuan. wasteland settlement fee!

For those victims who do not intend to immigrate, the Beijing-Suiyuan Railway Company provides a large number of jobs in railway construction and road construction. Relief with work is always the best relief method. Only because of this, they flock to Suiyuan to participate in the construction of railways and roads The young and strong labor force of the victims is no less than 20.

Some people are happy and some are sad. Wang Geng’s four-month flood control dredging and reinforcement project on both sides of the Yongding River saved Zhili and Tianjin from a huge flood. At the same time, the prestige of Wang Geng and the participating army among the national public opinion and the people has also been further improved.

On the contrary, Zhao Ti, the governor of Henan, became the scapegoat and unlucky guy for the flood in Henan. There are rioters robbing the victims!

Whether it is tolerable or unbearable, in the mid-August of the media criticism in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai promoted by Xu Shuzheng, the Ministry of the Army officially issued a series of orders:

1. On the grounds of dereliction of duty and corruption, Zhao Ti, the governor of Henan, was removed from the post of governor and ordered to go to Beijing for investigation.

2. Cao Kun, the governor of Zhili, led the third division to go south to Zhengzhou. Cao Kun was transferred from the governor of Zhili to the governor of Henan.

3. Zhang Huaizhi, the governor of Shandong, was appointed General Fengwei, transferred to Beijing to take charge of the affairs of the general's mansion, and resigned from the post of governor of Shandong.

4. Xu Shuzheng, the deputy commander of the army and the governor of Zhili, was transferred to the second division of the war army to garrison Baoding, and Jiang Hongyu, the commander of the second division, was the assistant military affairs officer of Zhili.

5. Tian Zhongyu, the governor of Chahar, was transferred to the governor of Shandong, and the fourth division of the war army was stationed in Jinan, and Guo Songling, the commander of the fourth division, was appointed as the assistant military affairs officer of Shandong

6. Wang Geng, the superintendent of participating in the war, also served as the governor of Chahar!

7. Appoint Zhang Shuyuan, the former Deputy Military Affairs Office of Shandong Province and commander of the fifth army division, as the governor of Heilongjiang, and lead the fifth army division northward to garrison Qiqihar.

Behind this dazzling series of appointments is the bitter result that President Feng Guozhang had to accept after the political game with Prime Minister Duan Qirui. Not ready.

Feng Guozhang’s three governors of the Yangtze River, Wang Zhanyuan, Chen Guangyuan, and Li Chunyuan, were beyond the reach of the south, and at this moment when the Prime Minister and the participating troops received the full support of the five powers, when the central government was fully enjoying the aid of the United States and Japan, and the Chinese yuan was so strong, there was no One can challenge the Prime Minister and his battalions.

The cabinet is the representative of the government, and the prime minister is the representative of the cabinet. With the support of the foreign powers, the support of the participating troops, and the financial support, no one has enough strength and courage to stand up to the Prime Minister and Wang Geng's participating troops. say no!

The Bazhou Autumn Exercise field exercise in early August can be seen as a mutual test between Zhi and Anhui in Beiyang. The result of the test dispelled many people's illusions or ambitions. Acting President Feng Guozhang now regrets that he should not have rushed north When this president who is destined to become a puppet.

It seems that the Beiyang [-] Provincial Governor's Army is not more divided but more united. Cao Kun, the governor of Zhili, said that after the loss of Wu Peifu and the defeat in Bazhou Qiucao, the governor of Zhili suddenly found that he had to hug him more tightly. It is the wisest decision to live in the lap of the Prime Minister.

In fact, before Lao Duan made dazzling adjustments to the positions of the governors of the above-mentioned provinces, he summoned Cao Kun alone to the Duan Mansion in Beijing to speak and ask Cao Kun for his own opinion. Anyone can hear the meaning of not allowing people to sleep soundly.

After discussing with Wang Geng and Xu Shuzheng, Lao Duan didn’t give Cao Kun many choices, but it definitely didn’t mean that Brother Cao had nowhere to go. , the north transferred to serve as the governor of Heilongjiang, and when everything settled down, he was appointed as the patrol envoy of the three northeastern provinces, and the governor of the three northeastern provinces.

Cao Kun dreamed of being the governor of several provinces. In his opinion, Zhang Xun, the patrol envoy to the Yangtze River, was a joke. He only had thousands of braided soldiers in his hands, and he lived in Xuzhou to be the king of the mountain. Tiandaotai's long and Daotai's short dream regains the glory of the Qing Dynasty.

Originally, Cao Kun was very willing to be the patrol envoy of the three eastern provinces, but the situation in Russia is not stable at the moment, and taking the third division of the direct line to run thousands of miles to the north to defend the country sounds awesome, and it will take a lot of hardships I was a little unprepared, and Zhang Zuolin, the governor of Fengtian, was not easy to deal with, and there were old men and little devils in the Northeast.

The second choice given by the Prime Minister to Lao Cao was to take the third division to the south, not far away, next to Zhili, to Henan, the third division was stationed in Zhengzhou, and the division commander Cao Kun was transferred to the governor of Henan. In short, the governor of Zhili Obviously have to get out!

Cao Kun immediately accepted the second choice. Although Zhili is good and the Zhili governor sounds good, but the situation is stronger than others at the moment. Bazhou Qiucao's army defeated Wang Tingzhen's army with a single brigade. The sixteenth division, and the positions of its 7 brigades could not resist the attack of the three brigades of the participating army!

In fact, there are two first-class divisions in the Beiyang direct line of Bazhou Qiucao and a first division guarding Gyeonggi. The 9 brigades were defeated by the four brigades that actually participated in the battle. This is the premise that the opponent did not dispatch the air force. , this is under the condition that they have not dispatched two heavy artillery regiments belonging to the division!How many such domineering US-machinery mixed brigades are there in the participating army?

The participating army officially organized four divisions with a total of 12 brigades with such powerful firepower!This is not counting the three supplementary brigades, and this is not counting the recruits that will be continuously recruited by a regiment in three days!This is not counting the fourth batch of U.S. aid that will arrive at the end of August!

The situation is stronger than others, Lao Cao only hates that he is not from the Anhui family, no matter how much he seeks refuge with Lao Duan, he always feels a bit bitter in his heart, even though the Prime Minister’s words are all about emphasizing Cao’s third brother’s meaning, both inside and outside the words Emphasize that Beiyang must be sincere and united, and must no longer stick to the views of regions and sects to make those small shrimps in the south laugh at the problem!

Henan is very good!The population is more than that of Zhili, and the territory is larger than that of Zhili, and it is the hub of the Beijing-Hanjin-Jinpu line. Third Brother Cao patted his chest and expressed his position to the Prime Minister. Henan, the southern gate of Gyeonggi, Henan, must be taken seriously. When there is a change in the world and the government needs to use troops in the future, my Cao San's third division will have nothing to say, and I am willing to be driven!

The Prime Minister was happy, patted Cao San on the shoulder and laughed, and promised to wait for the third division to go south. After Cao Kun took office as the governor of Henan, he would allocate another mixed brigade of American weapons from the American aid that the participating army arrived at the end of August. Equip him!Plus an armored battalion of wheeled armored vehicle combat vehicles!Lao Cao hugged the Prime Minister's arm and almost shed tears without excitement!

Feng Guozhang is the boss of the direct line, but that is the boss of the three governors of the Yangtze River, not my boss of Cao San. The army who joined the war had a big hedgehog stationed in Nanyuan, Gyeonggi. Could it be that my third division stayed in Baoding tremblingly all day and stayed under the nose of your Nanyuan barracks?

Henan Governor!This exchange is good!It's not far or near, the land is big, the population is large, the taxes are high, and there is an extra mixed brigade of American equipment and wheeled armor battalions out of thin air. This is a good deal!