20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 473: The Rise of the Feng Clan, Brothers of Different Surnames

An afternoon in late March, at the residence of the Fengtian Marshal.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and Zhang Laogeda had a rare moment of free time. He was sitting alone in the main hall, sipping tea and humming a little tune.

He just seemed to be moving leisurely with a nonchalant look, and I didn't know where he had gotten some advantage, but he was just in high spirits.

After a while, there was a knock on the door.

The messenger pushed the door open and came in, straightening his back suddenly, and announced in a loud voice: "General, Jiang Lianheng is here."

"Well, let him in."

The two had an appointment beforehand, so Zhang Laogeda was not surprised. He immediately put down his tea bowl and waved his hand with a smile.

As Feng Zhang's secret agent consultant, it was not uncommon for Jiang Lianheng to occasionally receive summons from the Marshal, but this time it seemed a little sudden.

From the time he received the news to the time he rushed to the Marshal's residence, Jiang Lianheng was secretly speculating on the reasons behind it.

The first thought that flashed through my mind was the recent wave of public opinion that had arisen in the Fengtian academic community.

Just as he had expected, this time the public opinion was still about the civil war in the North.

As the Red Army won victory after victory, related rhetoric has not only intensified, but there are even signs that they are about to follow suit.

Since Zhang Laugeda is the leader of the ruling clique outside the Great Wall, he is bound to have an interest in this matter.

So, Jiang Lianheng briefly recalled the situation that the Jiang family had learned on the way. It was better to be prepared. After all, he was a secret agent consultant in the provincial capital, and he couldn't be ignorant of everything.

But when he stepped into the house and saw Zhang Lauge's expression, he couldn't help but be stunned.

People are in good spirits on happy occasions!

Lao Zhang has never been a cunning person, and his emotions are often revealed on his face, but he is humble and can act like a grandson or a grandfather, and his specialty is playing tricks and crying poor.

Not today.

His mouth was stretched almost to his ears, and he really couldn't pretend to be poor.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but clasp his fists and bow, praising sincerely: "The Marshal looks so good today!"

"Hey, Xiao Jiang is here? Come on, come on, sit down." Zhang Lao Geda laughed and asked about Jiang Lianheng's recent situation for the first time. "Is everything okay at home?"

Jiang Lianheng was quite surprised and quickly replied with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Marshal. Everything is fine at home."

Seeing that the Marshal was in such a good mood, he was also weighing in his mind whether he should ask him the reason.

Unexpectedly, while he was hesitating, Zhang Laogeda took the initiative to speak.

"Xiao Jiang, you are an online person, so you should know what 'Don't be a grudge' means, right?"

Jiang Lianheng was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself: This is strange, why did Lao Zhang suddenly speak like a gangster? Is he going to negotiate with me?
The so-called "Bie Liangzi" refers to the business of robbing and robbing on the road.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lianheng nodded and said hesitantly, "Marshal, is there a bandit problem in the province recently?"

Zhang Lao Geda laughed twice, pointed at himself, and said, "It's me who caused the grudge!"

"Oh, I see!"

Jiang Lianheng smiled along, but for a moment he didn't know how to continue the conversation. He couldn't just go over and ask him "Is Lantouhai Hai?"

Doesn't that mean you really think the Marshal is a bandit?
Fortunately, Zhang Laogeda was just in a good mood and just said a few words. After all, given his status, he couldn't just speak in dirty words, so he briefly explained what had happened in a few words.

The reason for this is that the matter happened inside the country.

The dispute between the capital and the Zhili and Anhui provinces has a long history. In order to seize power and unify the country by force, the Feng and Duan families have been at loggerheads with each other and have even resorted to war.

Among the warlords across the country today, the Anhui clique is the most powerful, followed closely by the Zhili clique.

Apart from these two major groups, the rest of the troops are nothing but small fry. They are lucky enough to be able to defend their own piece of land. How can they talk about competing for the Central Plains and pacifying the world?
Fengtian clique?

The Fengtian clique is not worth mentioning at all.

In the eyes of the Zhi and Anhui families, the so-called "Feng clique" was nothing more than a group of bandits living in seclusion between the White Mountains and the Black Waters.

Although this statement is biased, it is not without basis.

Not to mention that Lao Zhang himself was born in the outlaws, just the soldiers under his command were brothers and sisters on weekdays, and had the habits of the underworld. Whether it was the quality of the soldiers or the weapons and equipment, it was really worrying.

The Zhi and Anhui families were brought up by the President himself and are the authentic Beiyang descendants.

In contrast, Feng Zhang's troops had nothing to do with the Beiyang. Although they had been promoted, they could only be regarded as a side branch at best.

But then again, the main reason why the President treated Lao Zhang as a special dish was that Fengtian was both close to and far from the capital.

In the short term, if the Fengtian Army goes out of the pass, it can compete for the Central Plains; in the long term, closing the pass and exercising autonomy will easily lead to the division of territory.

Since the President had such considerations, Feng and Duan naturally attached great importance to Lao Zhang's attitude.

Both the Zhi and Anhui factions wanted to win over the Feng faction to their side, but Zhang Laugeda was a "real man" and would follow whoever gave him the most benefits.

So, when Xiao Xu from the Anhui faction delivered the arms delivery note worth 30 million to Fengtian, Lao Zhang did not hesitate at all and immediately decided to "ally with Anhui to fight against the Zhili faction."

It is said that this batch of arms was originally ordered by the Zhili clique from overseas. However, as soon as it arrived at the shore, it was immediately intercepted by Feng Zhang on the spot and transported back to Fengtian overnight.

Such a shocking robbery certainly could not remain a secret, and there was no need to conceal it.

However, the arms had just arrived and the Fengtian Army had not yet expanded. Except for a few high-ranking officials, most people had not yet recovered from the shock, so Jiang Lianheng had not heard about it.

"30 million in arms!"

Zhang Lao Geda laughed so hard that he couldn't open his eyes. He gestured with his hands and said, "Thirty million is enough for me to expand seven mixed brigades!"

"Congratulations, Marshal, on your great fortune!" Jiang Lianheng hurriedly bowed and congratulated him, "If you ask me, since ancient times, swords have been given to confidants. This batch of arms is destined to be yours. If it falls into Old Feng's hands, it would be like the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade falling into Guan Xing's hands. The blade is still the same, but when someone else uses it, it won't have the same momentum."

"Hahaha, you can talk!"

"No, no, I'm just telling the truth."

Zhang Lao Geda was delighted, and suddenly said with emotion: "This batch of arms was only possible thanks to the help of Yang Zhuge and Xiao Xu. By the way, do you know Yang Zhuge?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded. Yang Zhuge was a "big shot" under Lao Zhang in the past two years. It would be too fake to say that he didn't know him.

This man graduated from the Oriental Army Academy and is currently the Chief of Staff of the Military Governor's Office with the rank of major general.

Yang Zhuge was a man who had a very high opinion of himself and he did have some ability, but he kept comparing himself to Zhuge Kongming, which made people smack their teeth when they heard it - isn't he exaggerating a bit?
Having said that, the strategic strategies he offered to Zhang do have some similarities with Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Strategy".

Think back to the days when Wei, Shu and Wu divided the world into three parts; now, Zhi, Feng and Anhui are fighting for fame and fortune. "Yizhou is a dangerous place with fertile fields for thousands of miles"; white mountains and black waters, rich in products.

"Make peace with the barbarians in the west, pacify the Yi and Yue in the south, and improve the internal administration"; make peace with the East in the south, pacify the White Russians in the north, and regulate the three provinces.

"When there is a change in the world, the hegemony can be achieved by taking advantage of Qinchuan; when Zhi and Anhui are fighting, the army can be sent into the pass to compete for the Central Plains.

Although they are not completely equivalent, the general idea is similar.

With their eyes fixed on Beijing and Tianjin, they could attack or defend. Apart from the Zhi and Anhui families, Feng and Zhang did have a better chance of conquering the Central Plains than any other warlords.

What else can Jiang Lianheng say? He can only say: "The Marshal knows how to appoint the right people to the right posts. He is indeed a wise leader. His future is limitless. The people of Fengtian will rely on your blessing in the future."

But this time, Zhang Lao Geda did not laugh, but sighed quietly: "It is easy to appoint the right person, but it is difficult to know the right person!"

Jiang Lianheng heard the hidden meaning and asked quickly, "Marshal, you asked me to come here... Is there something you want to tell me?"

Zhang Lao Geda suddenly stood up, raised his hand and called out, "Xiao Jiang, come with me to the backyard for a stroll."

Jiang Lianheng responded and followed.

The two of them went out through the small door in the backyard and came to the northeast corner of Zhang's mansion. There was a large open space guarded by guards, which was reserved for the future expansion of the mansion.

House sparrows were chirping in the open space, and new buds were sprouting on the surrounding treetops. The sun was warm, and the scene was full of vitality.

Zhang Lao Geda walked around the open space, saying as he walked: "Yang Zhuge is a talented person, he can be of great use!"

"Yes, yes, this batch of arms can prove that the Marshal's vision is correct." Jiang Lianheng echoed.

"But..." Zhang Lao Geda frowned and muttered to himself, "I always feel that this guy is a little too close to Xiao Xu, who is under Lao Duan's command."

Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger.

After hearing this, Jiang Lianheng's first reaction was not to think about Yang Zhuge, but to ask himself in his heart whether the Jiang family was too close to the military officer, making Old Zhang unhappy.

Fortunately, Lao Zhang did not make any innuendos, but discussed the matter very seriously.

"When there are too many people, their minds become complicated." Zhang Lao Geda said in a low voice, "If you want to make some money, that's fine. I am not that petty. Money, who doesn't want it? But you can't use my money to do things for others and then betray me."

"The Marshal is right!" Jiang Lianheng agreed deeply.

"Xiao Jiang, you have done a good job in the past two years. In this position, my energy is limited, and I can't pay attention to many things. Sometimes it's hard to talk to people in the military camp. I know you are capable and have connections with people in the provincial government. From now on, don't just focus on investigating outsiders, pay more attention to my own people."

Now he has really become a Jinyiwei.

Jiang Lianheng was not qualified to refuse any task assigned by Lao Zhang, so he said immediately: "Thank you for your trust, Marshal. I will do my best."

Zhang Lao Geda nodded and said, "Xiao Jiang, although you are not an official, you have your own connections in the underworld and the government. Don't underestimate yourself. If you really find out, tell us what you have to say. Don't worry about reporting the wrong information. I, Zhang, am not that easily influenced by your ears. Just find out the news. The decision is up to me."

"clear."

"Also, I gave you that certificate, so you should use it if you need to. If anyone says that the certificate doesn't work, come and tell me."

Jiang Lianheng thanked him and couldn't help but glance at Zhang Lauge's expression.

Old Zhang has always been a man of the opinion that if he doubts someone, he won't employ him, and if he employs someone, he won't doubt him. The fact that he said that just now shows that he must have heard some rumors about Yang Zhuge. However, he thinks the current situation is harmless and not to the point where he would have a falling out.

Moreover, it is an indisputable fact that Yang Zhuge and Xiao Xu of the Anhui faction have been flirting with each other, so it is no wonder that the Marshal became suspicious.

However, despite his suspicion, he was still willing to use him, which was enough to illustrate the lack of talent outside the Great Wall and Zhang Laugeda's high regard for Yang Zhuge.

"If you want to fight for the world, you can't mess up the foundation of Fengtian!" After explaining the task, Zhang Laogeda asked casually, "The wind in the city has been blowing quite hard recently, right?"

It’s time to get down to business.

Jiang Lianheng hurriedly recounted the recent trends and public opinion in the market.

"Generally speaking, it's the same as before, the most talked about thing is still about the civil war in the north," he said, "especially those young people who have studied abroad and have some knowledge, they are the most excited about it. It's funny to talk about it, the Russians are fighting a civil war, but some people here say it's their victory."

Zhang Lao Geda snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "Those young people are like firewood piles, they will catch fire easily if they touch fire. They are the ones who are most easily incited. They haven't even grown all their hair yet, but they just want to point fingers. What about this doctrine and that doctrine? The world is won by fighting, not talking. What's the use of just talking nonsense!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Jiang Lianheng agreed, "After all, people who have never experienced anything think they know a lot."

"They can't stir up much trouble. They are just afraid that someone is backing them up. You need to pay more attention. Haven't you heard of any signs of associations or marches recently?"

"No, I just write something in the newspaper under a pseudonym."

"Are there any secret publications?"

"I haven't heard of it yet, but there are a few magazines that have been secretly transmitted from the interior. One of the people seems to be quite influential, but this person is not in Fengtian."

"Hmm?" Zhang Laogeda asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

Jiang Lianheng recalled: "This man's surname was Chen. He seemed to be a scholar. He had been an editor and had run a magazine. He was a strong writer and a big talker."

"Mr. Chen?" Old Zhang raised his eyebrows, as if he suddenly became interested.

Jiang Lianheng nodded and explained, "I saw this man's photo in the newspaper once. He had thick lips and a big forehead..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Laogeda suddenly burst into laughter.

"Marshal, what are you doing..." Jiang Lianheng asked in confusion.

Zhang Lao Geda looked into the distance, as if he recalled the scene more than ten years ago. He sighed for a while and then said, "Xiao Jiang, I know the person you are talking about. He is indeed not from Fengtian, but he has lived in Fengtian for several years!"

"Really?" Jiang Lianheng felt a little ashamed. "This... Marshal, please forgive me. It may be because it has been too long. I didn't check it clearly."

Zhang Lao Geda smiled and patted his shoulder, but said: "This is not your fault. Let me calculate. This must have happened at least fifteen or sixteen years ago. Not only do I know this Chen Xiucai, but I have a deep connection with him!"

"So, where does fate come from?"

"Logically speaking, this Chen Xiucai is actually my sworn brother!"

"Sworn brother?"

"Yes, when I was in Xinmin, I often visited the Chen family."

----

PS It's too late, shame on you.

I found a problem. Some readers reported that there was no chapter comment in the previous chapter. The strange thing is that I can see everyone's comments in the background, but the chapter comment can only be displayed after I reply. Can you please help me try to see if there is a chapter comment in this chapter?

(End of this chapter)