20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 607 Fengtian Shock
The defeat was like a landslide, and the collapse of the Western Route Army happened in a moment.

Zhao Zhengbei's judgment was accurate.

In the early hours of that night, Wu Xiucai took advantage of the loss of the enemy's right wing and ordered his personal soldiers to launch a general attack.

By dawn, the Fengtian Army's front line was fighting and retreating, and finally could not hold on. After the division commander Zou Fen was injured, the 16th Division of the Central Army finally turned against the enemy.

Immediately, the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army, Zhang Xuwu, the governor of Chahar and commander of the Fengtian First Division, abandoned all the soldiers and hastily issued an order to withdraw, then fled in a hurry and sneaked into the Tianjin Concession to seek refuge.

In an instant, the Fengtian Army's western route was leaderless, and nearly 30,000 troops laid down their arms and surrendered.

In the camps of various troops, ammunition and supplies that could not be transported away in time were piled up like mountains, and the losses were incalculable.

It is understandable that the front line would turn against them.

After all, the reinforcements were not in good condition, and the vanguard division commander Zou Fen had been opposed to the war from the beginning. He was wounded on the battlefield, which was considered as doing his duty.

The most important thing is that the 16th Division of the Central Army was not a direct descendant of the Fengtian Army, but the personal guard of President Feng at that time.

In terms of orthodoxy, the 16th Division is even more worthy of being called a "direct line" than the troops of Cao and Wu. Zou Fen's control over this army is naturally quite limited.

As soon as the front line encountered difficulties, the soldiers became tired of war, and seeing that the reinforcements were watching from the other side, they simply turned their guns around and joined the Zhi army.

In the final analysis, Zhang Xuwu was the culprit for the complete collapse of the Fengtian Army in the West.

In fact, after the fierce battle, the Zhi army also needed to rest and had no spare energy to continue the attack.

The so-called pursuers were just a mixed brigade.

If the Fengtian Army could hold its ground, although it would be difficult to turn defeat into victory, it would not be completely defeated.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xuwu was born a coward. When he saw that the battle situation was unfavorable, he became frightened and had no strategy to deal with it. He just fled for his life in panic, which eventually implicated the entire army.

After sweeping Changxindian, Wu Xiucai immediately moved his troops to the east, vowing to fight Zhang Laugeda to the death.

The Fengtian Army's eastern route had suffered more defeats than victories, but fortunately Zhang Fuchen had several new generals under his command and the elite 27th Division to support him, so they were able to barely hold on.

Wang Chengbin, the front-line general of the Zhi army, was also a Fengtian native. Instead of defecting, he commanded the battle with extraordinary ferocity, just like fellow villagers meeting each other.

The situation between the two armies could originally be considered a stalemate.

Unexpectedly, once the news of the collapse of the Western Army came, the morale of the Eastern Army was thrown into chaos and it immediately fell into a situation of retreat.

At that time, the personal soldiers of General Wu Xiucai arrived with a fierce and unstoppable force. The Eastern Army was defeated on the spot, and thousands more people laid down their weapons and surrendered.

The Fengtian Army was already defeated and withdrew its troops one after another. The General Headquarters first retreated to Luanzhou and then to Yuguan, and the positions outside the pass were lost one by one.

In just one day, Wu Xiucai personally led his troops and stationed them in the military grain city.

Afterwards, the Fengtian Army retreated by land and water. The Zhili Navy sent a fleet, which docked near Dagukou and frequently bombarded and blocked them.

The Fengtian clique was in a panic and was no more than a dog that had lost its home.

People all say: Mr. Wu leads the royal army wherever it goes, and the righteous flag points to the direction; Marshal Zhang is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and everything is reduced to ashes.

The Zhili and Feng families had a cold war for one year and a hot war for five days.

Now the winner is decided: Feng Zhang is defeated and forced to flee outside the Great Wall, while Cao Wu strives to conquer the Central Plains!

However, this is not actually accurate. The war is not over, but the outcome is no longer in doubt.

It would take time for the Fengtian Army to retreat, and it would not be easy for the Zhili Army to pursue and suppress them.

The great powers stepped forward and sent additional fleets to patrol the Bohai Sea, demanding that both sides abide by the former Qing treaties and ensure the safety of Beijing and Tianjin and the normal operation of the Beijing-Fengtian Railway.

Xiao Dongyang held a meeting in Washington and had an unpleasant experience with Xiyang, so he was afraid to intervene directly, but he also repeatedly warned the Zhili clique not to push their luck.

Wu Xiucai had worked as a spy outside the Great Wall in his early years. He was well aware of the obsession of the Japanese with the White Mountains and Black Waters, so he had to restrain himself.

However, the victors are always arrogant.

Many Beiyang veterans were invited to the Zhili clique's celebration banquet.

During the dinner, Mr. Wu was in high spirits and talked a lot, so naturally he took the opportunity to disparage Zhang Laogenda.

When everyone saw this, they all advised him to go easy on his words and to show mercy. Even though Marshal Zhang was defeated, he at least still had three provinces, so they should not add insult to injury.

At the very least, Lao Zhang and Lao Cao are still relatives, so don't be too harsh.

"Three provinces?" Wu Xiucai said disdainfully, "Is that his territory? Tomorrow I will have the capital send a telegram to remove all the officials of that bandit from office!"

After he finished speaking, an old man suddenly stood up and advised him to speak less.

When Wu Xiucai looked up, he saw that the man was the last governor-general of the three northeastern provinces of the Qing Dynasty, so he immediately began to criticize and scold him.

"It was you who promoted the bandit Zhang. You also contributed to Zhang's misfortune. I'm lucky enough that I didn't ask you about your crime. How dare you plead for him!"

A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken.

Governor Zhao now had nothing to do but to be scolded. After being reprimanded in public, he felt ashamed and stopped talking.

After the banquet, all the elders sighed - Marshal Yu is a talented person, but unfortunately he does not know how to be an official, and there may be changes in the future.

…………

Compared with Wu Xiucai's complacency, Marshal Zhang seemed angry and humiliated.

In the Zhili-Fengtian War, Zhang was so shameless that the whole country knew about it, and his bandit nature was gradually exposed.

As early as when the Eastern Route Army was facing an unfavorable situation, Marshal Zhang had personally shot and killed two regiment commanders on the battlefield.

When the news of the collapse of the Western Route Army came, Lao Zhang was even more furious and immediately ordered Zhang Xuwu to come and see him.

However, the scouts reported that Zhang Xuwu had fled to the Tianjin Concession and accepted the "reward" from the Zhi army.

Upon hearing this, Marshal Zhang's eyes turned black and he was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.

That was his sworn brother. If he didn't trust him, how could he appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army?

"Fuck it, if Zhang Xuwu loses the battle, I won't say anything to him. With 30,000 troops, can they make a mixed brigade surrender?"

Zhang Dashuai was so angry that he slapped himself in the face and cursed, "Damn it, I trusted him so much, but I thought I was blind!"

Although he was angry, seeing that the situation was hopeless, Lao Zhang had no choice but to order the troops to withdraw from Junliang City.

At the same time, the news of the Fengtian Army's defeat quickly spread throughout the country, and the Fengtian Provincial Government was naturally also shaken...

…………

In Fengtian City, spring is here and flowers are blooming.

The provincial government’s martial law headquarters was located near the old general’s office. Since it was a special department, most of the people in charge were transferred from other government offices to serve part-time.

After the war broke out, Jiang Lianheng often came here to report on the martial law work.

The Jiang family has been cultivating connections in Fengtian for more than ten years, so naturally the headquarters is full of old acquaintances.

When the war just started, everyone could still get together, drink tea, read newspapers, and tell jokes, but since the news of defeat came, the atmosphere suddenly became serious.

Everyone was curious about the provincial government's order, whether martial law should continue, or whether martial law was still necessary. The news of the defeat was overwhelming, and even if the citizens didn't say it, they knew it in their hearts, as if they had a mirror, that the Fengtian Army had lost, and lost badly.

Sun Jiugong, deputy commander-in-chief of the Zhenwei Army, was busy dealing with various official duties, inquiries from consulates of various countries, and criticisms from all walks of life in the provincial government. He no longer had the time to personally inquire about the specific matters of the martial law team.

Since the Jiang family was dependent on Feng Zhang, Jiang Lianheng was naturally worried. When chatting with his colleagues, he often seemed absent-minded.

That morning, when everyone was discussing, Lao Chai from the martial law team suddenly knocked on the door.

After entering the room, he did not report his work, but just waved to Jiang Lianheng in a hurry.

"Boss Jiang, come here, come quickly!"

Jiang Lianheng stood up and walked over, asking in confusion: "What's the matter?"

Lao Chai bowed his head and whispered urgently, "Go to the reception room quickly. Marshal Wu wants to see you."

"Who wants to see me?" Jiang Lianheng didn't react for a moment.

Old Chai was mysterious and hurriedly closed the door of his office. He then looked around the corridor and confirmed that no one was around before he said, "General Wu, Second Wu, tsk, Wu has a big tongue!"

When Jiang Lianheng heard this, he almost sprained his back.

Wu Datoutou is Zhang Laugeda's sworn brother. He is currently the governor of Heilongjiang Province and is a man of high position and power.

Jiang Lianheng recognized him, and he also recognized Jiang Lianheng.

After all, the Jiang family became rich along with Lao Zhang. Jiang Lianheng had already had contact with Wu Datoutou when he was still a brigade commander.

If not, how could the Jiang family's business have extended to Heilongjiang Province without any problems?

However, although they were friends, their friendship was not very deep. Wu Datou had been in the army for many years and had spent little time in Fengtian. After he went to work in Heilongjiang Province, they had not seen each other again.

As the governor of a province, there is no reason why he cannot meet someone he wants to meet.

Jiang Lianheng immediately walked quickly towards the reception room, asking as he walked: "You really take me for granted, why did Mr. Shuai want to see me, how long has he been waiting?"

"Just arrived, just arrived!" Lao Chai followed behind and said, "But I don't know what he wants to talk to you about."

As they were talking, they had already reached the door of the reception room.

Jiang Lianheng straightened his gown and then pushed open the door, only to see an old man in a mink coat, walking around anxiously in the room alone.

Hearing the noise, Old Deng turned around hurriedly, revealing a round, fleshy face. He suddenly cupped his hands and quickly walked towards him.

"Boss Jiang, no no no, hello Captain Jiang!"

Wu Datou spoke very quickly, and his speech was already a little unclear. Now because of his anxiety, his pronunciation was even more difficult to distinguish.

Jiang Lianheng immediately clasped his fists in return, and said with great fear and trepidation: "Oh my God, Master, please don't do this to me, I am not worthy of this!"

"I can bear it, I can bear it!"

Wu Datoutou hurriedly led Jiang Lianheng into the house and closed the door.

"Master, when did you come back?" Jiang Lianheng asked respectfully, "If you said you wanted to see me, you could just send someone to let me know. Why would you have to come here in person?"

Wu Da Tongue waved his hand and said, "Alas, this is a different time. I just passed by Fengtian and came to ask Captain Jiang for instructions."

"No, you are..." Jiang Lianheng speculated for a while, and didn't think the other party was deliberately making fun of him, so he asked, "Master, do you need to ask anyone for instructions when you come to Fengtian? Even if you need to ask for instructions, it's not his turn to ask me!"

"Aren't you the duty captain of the martial law headquarters?"

"Yes!"

"Then I should ask you for instructions, that's right!"

Wu Dashetou's attitude was firm.

Jiang Lianheng saw this and seemed to understand something. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Master, then why didn't you go to find Commander Sun?"

"Well, he's busy meeting the Japanese!" Wu Datou sighed, "I have limited time, I have to leave soon."

Jiang Lianheng didn't understand.

After being asked in detail, Wu Datou said, "It's normal that you don't know about this. The Marshal was defeated in the interior, and Wu Xiucai controlled the capital of the capital. He will soon send a telegram to the whole country to remove the Marshal from his position."

Jiang Lianheng frowned and said, "Can we withdraw just because he says so?"

"That's not possible, but that guy is a dumb person eating stink bugs. He just sent someone to contact me yesterday and said that he was going to let me take over the commander-in-chief and serve as the governor of Fengtian. He also said that both he and I have the surname Wu and our ancestral home is in Shandong Province. He asked me to be reasonable. I know his mother! Who the hell has the surname Wu? My surname is obviously Zhang!"

Jiang Lianheng suddenly realized.

It turned out that Mr. Wu was planning to sow discord. Regardless of what Marshal Zhang thought, Wu Datou began to feel uneasy.

Under the power, even biological fathers and sons may harm each other, let alone the two who are just sworn brothers.

Although Marshal Zhang trusted his second brother very much, Fengtian had just suffered a defeat and Wu Datou passed by Fengtian, which inevitably aroused suspicion.

After all, Brother Feng San once fell out with Lao Zhang because of his fight for the position of Fengtian Governor.

Hearing this, Jiang Lianheng hurriedly comforted him, "Master, what is your relationship with the Marshal? Do you still need me to report your itinerary to Fengtian?"

Wu Datou said, "Alas, they say that a person of integrity is not afraid of his own shadow, but people's hearts are hidden. I'm afraid that the Marshal will listen to slanderous words, or judge by deeds instead of heart. Let's do what we have to do. I'll report the itinerary to you. Later, please ask Captain Jiang to accompany me to the station and be my witness."

Jiang Lianheng's position is like that of a provincial government official, he is not a high-ranking official, but he has enormous power.

After hearing Wu Datou's request, Jiang Lianheng naturally did not refuse and immediately agreed, but turned around and asked: "Master, when will the appointment you just mentioned be announced?"

"I estimate that the news will be sent to the whole country tomorrow," Wu Datou said, "You should also prepare yourself. The Marshal may need you when the time comes."

Jiang Lianheng nodded.

This was what he was thinking about. If the capital city sent a telegram to remove Marshal Zhang from his post, although Zhang's actual power would not be affected, the legal basis for him to rule Fengtian would be gone after all, so he had to have an acceptable explanation.

Jiang Lianheng secretly thought of several possibilities, then shook his head, laughing at himself for worrying about nothing, and just followed orders.

"Master, please sit down first."

"Okay, okay, Boss Jiang, sit down too. Sit down too."

After a few refusals, the two sat down one after another. Jiang Lianheng asked again: "Master Shuai, are you planning to go to Luanzhou this time?"

Wu Datou nodded and said, "Yes, during this sensitive period, it's not easy to ask someone to bring a message. I have to go see the Marshal in person."

"I heard that most of the Fengtian Army soldiers have now retreated to Luanzhou?"

"Yeah, it should be. If we retreat further, we should reach Yuguan. I have to hurry."

"Master, can you do me a favor?" Jiang Lianheng said with a guilty look on his face, "I have a younger brother who was transferred to the front line during the war. I haven't heard from him since. When you get to Yuguan, if it's convenient, can you help me ask about him? It doesn't need to be a big deal. My family just wants to know that he's safe."

Now that the war is over, it is no longer taboo to ask someone to take care of military affairs.

Everyone asks me for help, and I ask everyone for help.

When Wu Datou was in need of Jiang Lianheng, he didn't hesitate at all and slammed the table and said:
"That's no problem, Captain Jiang. What's your brother's name? I'll go over there and ask him. I can just bring him back to you. It's no big deal!"

(End of this chapter)