20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 620 Banquet
The rain had not stopped yet, and by dusk it had gradually turned into a drizzle.

After Jiang Lianheng left the Marshal's Mansion, he did not go straight home. Instead, he took a car to "Songfeng Zhuyun" on Bagua Street and rented a private room to wait for someone.

Soon, a waiter knocked on the door and came in, whispering, "Boss, General Zhang is here."

It turned out that Zhang Xiaokun also went to the Marshal's Mansion this afternoon.

Although he was only a military police battalion commander, he held the rank of general after all. When Lao Zhang returned to Fengtian, he should have personally gone to the Marshal to report on his work.

During the Zhi-Feng War, as the captain of the Su-Lu Rangers, Zhang Xiaokun had no chance of receiving merit or reward.

This time, I don't ask for anything else, just a chance to atone for my sins.

The two brothers met the Marshal one after another and made an appointment to meet here in advance.

Jiang Lianheng blamed the waiter for being ignorant and said hurriedly: "What are you asking? Hurry up and invite the person in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a blurry tall figure appeared at the door.

"Brother, it's settled—"

As soon as Zhang Xiaokun entered the room, he narrowed his eyes and laughed, "The Marshal has agreed to send me to lead the troops to suppress the bandits!"

"Really?" Jiang Lianheng hurriedly stood up to greet him, "Brother, please sit down and tell me what the Marshal said!"

Zhang Xiaokun sat down, took two sips of tea, and then briefly explained the whole story.

He went to see the Marshal, and his style was different from others. He followed the old etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. He knelt as soon as they met and said that he was ashamed of the old man's trust and came today to accept death and apologize.

Upon seeing this, Lao Zhang slammed the table and cursed: Stand up, stop playing tricks on me, are you still a soldier?

If it were someone else, he would probably be nervous after hearing this scolding.

But Zhang Xiaokun was rough but delicate. He knew when to be obedient and when to disobey. He still knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

It is said that Xiaokun is a rough man who does not understand the red tape. He only knows that the Marshal is not only his superior, but also has a great favor for Xiaokun.

Now that you have met your benefactor, you should kneel down and bow!
I come here today to confess my crime and leave it to the commander-in-chief to decide my fate. I only ask that before I die, I can serve you like a slave and repay your kindness, so that I won't feel guilty after I die and have trouble resting in peace.

Although Lao Zhang criticized him verbally, he was an old-fashioned person at heart. After hearing this, although he was not very happy, he felt quite useful. He waved his hand and asked him to stand up and talk.

Afterwards, Zhang Xiaokun patted his chest and said that if the Marshal could be trusted, Xiaokun was willing to sign a military order, lead troops to suppress the bandits, and quell the rebellion in Jilin Province.

At this point, Zhang Xiaokun clapped his hands and said in a relaxed manner: "It's done!"

"Okay, okay!" Jiang Lianheng was delighted, and then asked, "Brother, how many people did the Marshal assign to you when you go to suppress the bandits this time?"

"Not much, not much, just one division."

"One division is not enough?" Jiang Lianheng asked in surprise, "Brother, you stood up!"

Zhang Xiaokun laughed dryly twice, looking a little embarrassed, his eyes wandering, hesitating for a long time before saying, "Uh... a division is just a designation, but it actually has only two or three hundred people."

"How many?"

Jiang Lianheng was dumbfounded and even suspected that he had heard it wrong.

"Two or three hundred people." Zhang Xiaokun confirmed, "Brother, I have to go and get these two or three hundred people by myself. The province has no soldiers now, and they are all stored at Shanhaiguan!"

Jiang Lianheng is right.

The provincial capital is now empty, and most of those returning are wounded, so there is really no large army to send.

If there were, it would not be the turn of the great poet Zhang to lead the troops to suppress the bandits.

Fengtian has no great general, so Xiaokun takes the lead - it's the time and the fate!
Of course, Lao Zhang didn't just give the task of suppressing bandits to Zhang Xiaokun on a rash move.

He had long known that when Zhang Xiaokun was young, he had built railways under the Russians and was familiar with the geography of the three northeastern provinces, which gave him some advantages over others.

Zhang Xiaokun himself was also confident.

However, Jiang Lianheng was still a little worried, so he asked, "Brother, when you went to see the Marshal, was there anyone else there?"

"No, what's wrong?"

"Are you sure someone isn't setting a trap for you, waiting to see you fail?"

"That's right, the idea was mine, what does it have to do with others?" Zhang Xiaokun didn't care.

Jiang Lianheng said, "Brother, I heard that the rebels this time are the Suifenhe mountain guerrillas. Half of them are the officers and soldiers who were dismissed that year, and the other half are mountain bandits. The two groups together have at least several thousand people. You have two or three hundred people... can you do it?"

"Look, you're an outsider, aren't you?"

Zhang Xiaokun patted Jiang Lianheng on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "Brother, the most important thing for leading troops to fight is the unit number. Without the unit number, even the salary will be gone. With the unit number and salary, do you still worry about not being able to recruit people these days?"

"But this is too big of a gap." Jiang Lianheng said, "Brother, I'm worried that something might happen to you. You don't have many people to speak for you in Fengtian. If you stumble ..."

"Brother, just keep your heart at ease and wait for my good news."

Zhang Xiaokun seemed to be sure of victory. As he spoke, he actually began to imagine how much gold, silver and money he would be able to loot after suppressing the bandits.

Seeing that he was so happy, Jiang Lianheng didn't want to pour cold water on him. He pondered for a moment and said, "It's a pity that I have to be busy with the affairs of the Provincial Council recently. Otherwise, I would accompany you."

"Well, you don't have to accompany me." Zhang Xiaokun said confidently, "Just stay in Fengtian and wait for me to complete my mission. I will pay you back first."

"Still asking for money, right? Then I'm leaving."

"No, no, no, even brothers have to settle accounts clearly. I know this matter clearly."

Jiang Lianheng made a few prevarications, then told the waiter to serve the dishes, and called the Chinese and foreign girls to the table to keep him company. He left and refused to leave until he was drunk.

Silent all night.

On the next morning, Zhang Xiaokun gathered the former members of the gendarmerie battalion, less than 300 people in total, and went to the train station and boarded the troop transport train.

Before leaving, he ordered people to erect a large flag on the locomotive with the words "Fengtian Province First Army Division" inscribed on it. Thus, he embarked on the journey of suppressing bandits in this absurd and ridiculous manner.

…………

A few days later, under the secret instructions of Marshal Zhang, people from all walks of life in Guandong jointly protested against the appointment of the capital, closed the border and exercised autonomy, refusing to obey.

The Joint Council of the Three Northeastern Provinces was convened immediately.

For a time, celebrities from all walks of life in the three northeastern provinces, including scholars, farmers, businessmen, and students, gathered in Fengtian.

As the chief leader of Fengtian, Jiang Lianheng was naturally "elected" to attend the meeting and had a seat in the joint parliament of the three provinces.

In order to avoid suspicion, Wang Zhengnan took over the Jiang family's position in the Fengtian Chamber of Commerce and was fortunate enough to be among them.

The United Parliament finally voted: Zhang Yuting was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the security of the three northeastern provinces, in charge of all military and political power in Guandong.

It is said that it is pretending to be public opinion, but that is not entirely true.

At least, as far as Jiang Lianheng knew, most of the landlords and gentry in the entire Guandong region supported Lao Zhang.

Old Zhang may not be wise, but he does have some weight in the hearts of the people of Guandong.

Compared with those aristocratic families, people seem to prefer the rise of grassroots heroes and place some romantic dreams on them.

At least, the Zhang family has never extorted money from the land, because Wang Tiekan has rectified the finances, and they have not collected taxes until 2024 of the Western calendar.

The landlords and gentry all sighed: The Marshal’s kindness is yet to be fulfilled!
It is obviously common sense, but it is treated as a favor. It is not the ignorance that critics say, but it is because the times are chaotic and there is no room for Yao and Shun.

However, the citizens in the city, especially the merchants running money shops and bill exchange businesses, were feeling somewhat distressed.

In order to fight this war, Lao Zhang issued a lot of government bonds. Now that he has suffered a great defeat, he has no choice but to print more banknotes.

Although it has not caused a "wool shortage", the recent rise in prices is already a visible trend.

But under the power of the strong, we dare not speak out but be angry.

In the final analysis, whether you love the Marshal or hate him, it is nothing more than a matter of personal interest.

The Joint Parliament of the Three Provinces did not encounter any setbacks and finally concluded successfully as expected.

Immediately afterwards, Marshal Zhang sent out invitations to host a banquet for the angelic delegations stationed in Fengtian from various countries.

This move was also a declaration to the outside world that in the future, foreigners could only come to Zhang to discuss all matters in the three northeastern provinces, otherwise he would not recognize anything.

…………

This is an event of unprecedented scale.

The invited guests included not only relatives of diplomatic envoys from various countries, but also military officers, politicians, bankers, foreign company managers, big compradors, guild leaders... Everyone gathered together to discuss the future fate of the three northeastern provinces.

The banquet was held at the Friends Club, Jiang's business.

Jiang Lianheng had received a great honor and an invitation, so he naturally started preparing early to make sure everything was in place and nothing went wrong.

Ten years ago, when he first attended a banquet of this level, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Now, he has long been accustomed to such grand scenes.

Mingling in the brightly lit banquet hall, holding a wine glass, speaking one thing to one person and another to another, pretending to obey but secretly disobeying, he felt like a fish in water.

However, this kind of banquet is not suitable for Sister Hua.

Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to bring Zhuang Shuning with him, which was considered as the best way for everyone to do their job.

The third wife was a lady from a prominent family. She had been educated, had seen a lot, and often went to the Marshal's Mansion to play cards with Zhang's wives and concubines. As a result, she made friends with many wives of military officers.

After entering the banquet hall, it didn't take long for me to mingle with the other wives, chatting about popular topics such as movies, novels, clothes, and jewelry.

As the urgently "elected" president of this Chamber of Commerce, Wang Zhengnan was fortunate enough to show up.

It was obvious that Nanfeng attached great importance to this opportunity, and he attended the event with his wife Cheng Fang, dressed in their best clothes, and made friends with everyone, and soon became familiar with several big compradors.

Several people socialized separately.

Jiang Lianheng was surrounded by several guild leaders, who were chatting with each other when he suddenly remembered something. He looked around the banquet hall, but found nothing.

The Su family has fallen into decline.

Su Wenqi will never be seen at banquets of this level again.

Thinking back to the banquet ten years ago, Su Wenqi was the first one to come over and greet him, and he couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Although the two had many disagreements later, they had no conflict of interest. They have not been in contact for many years and it is unknown whether they are doing well recently.

Jiang Lianheng never deliberately avoided the Su family, but the world and human nature are often like this. The longer you don't see them, the harder it will be to see them again.

Even if we are in the same city, we are thousands of miles apart.

What's up with this?

Just as I was thinking about it, a young couple suddenly walked by not far away.

Jiang Lianheng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said to his attendants, "Excuse me, everyone."

After saying that, he walked quickly towards the young couple.

"General Zhang——"

The prince stopped and turned around. After hesitating for a moment, his frown gradually relaxed. He pointed at Jiang Lianheng and said with a smile, "Oh... Boss Jiang!"

"I'm flattered that General Zhang recognizes me." Jiang Lianheng nodded and bowed, greeting him repeatedly.

The young commander was approachable and had no airs. He immediately joked, "You come to my house every now and then, how can I not recognize you?"

"Yes!" The Marshal's wife also laughed, "Boss Jiang is too modest. After all, it's such a big business!"

"I am so ashamed. I have to thank the Marshal for his care."

Jiang Lianheng had long wanted to get close to the prince, but he never had the right opportunity. When he saw him today, he naturally didn't want to let him go. He immediately asked with a big smile on his face:
"When did General Zhang come back? How was the banquet? Were you satisfied? This is the first time I've hosted a banquet like this, and I'm afraid it might make a fool of itself."

"Very good, very good!" The young marshal laughed, "Also, don't call me General Zhang. You and my dad are old friends, so I should call you uncle!"

"Oh my God, please stop joking. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it." Jiang Lianheng was extremely terrified.

As he was talking, the young commander suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Boss Jiang, do you have a younger brother named Zhao Zhengbei?"

"Yes, yes, I was the one who gave him this name. It's the same as a brother."

"He made great contributions on the front line. You should know this, right?"

Jiang Lianheng was happy from the bottom of his heart, but he said: "Well, that kid, it's good enough that he didn't make any trouble. It's all because of General Zhang's good command."

The two had just said a few words when a thin officer suddenly came from the side.

Jiang Lianheng looked sideways, hurriedly whispered hello, and pretended to be surprised: "This is General Guo, right? I have heard that General Guo fought bravely on the front line and saved the peace in Fengtian. I am Jiang Lianheng, nice to meet you."

After saying that, he extended his hand respectfully.

Guo Huailing glanced at him coldly, seeming a little disgusted. It was not known whether he was ignorant of the ways of the world or looked down on Jiang Lianheng from the bottom of his heart. He did not take the call and turned to look at the young marshal.

"Xueqing, the Zhi army has new feedback on the armistice agreement. I want to talk to you."

"Oh, go ahead." The young marshal nodded.

Unexpectedly, Guo Guizi turned his head, looked at Jiang Lianheng, and ordered in a cold tone: "Mr. Jiang, I have military intelligence to report, please step aside."

The smile on Jiang Lianheng's face suddenly froze.

Although there is nothing wrong with asking him to stay away, the tone of command is always unpleasant.

If it were someone else, they would probably ask the young marshal for help and not handle the matter so abruptly.

The young commander smiled and explained, "Boss Jiang is the provincial capital's secret agent consultant and my father's confidant. There is nothing he can't tell you."

Guo Guizi looked down on everyone and said, "I don't care about spies. Confidentiality is confidentiality and cannot be heard by outsiders."

After saying that, he stared at Jiang Lianheng.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng relaxed his smile, then he smiled even more, and quickly nodded to apologize, "General Guo is right, I'll take my leave now."

The young marshal did not try to retain him.

"Hey, wait a minute."

At this time, the young marshal's wife suddenly stepped forward, and as she left with Jiang Lianheng as if nothing had happened, she asked with a smile, "Boss Jiang, the Spring and Autumn Theater is also your business, right?"

"Yes, madam, what do you want?"

"That's great. I was just thinking of using my connections to buy me a better seat. Boss Jiang is here today. Please help me."

As the wife of a young marshal, if she wants to watch an opera, what seat can she not afford?

Jiang Lianheng understood immediately, knowing that the young marshal's wife was afraid that he would be embarrassed, so she found a topic to talk about and walked a few steps with him.

Sure enough, when we walked to the corner, the young marshal's wife joked, "Don't be surprised, Boss Jiang. General Guo didn't mean anything else. It's just that the military situation has been tense recently, and the two of them are almost catching up with each other, and even I have become distant."

"Don't dare."

Jiang Lianheng suddenly felt relieved and said hurriedly, "Madam, you are worrying too much. Military information is more important. I am just a businessman. I should avoid it. Why would I think too much?"

"That's good. Ask your wife to come and chat with me often when you have time."

"sure."

Jiang Lianheng looked at the receding figure of the young marshal's wife and couldn't help but secretly look up to this woman.

Just at this moment, another greeting came from not far away.

"Mr. Jiang, how are you——"

Jiang Lianheng looked back and saw a foreigner with three-dimensional features and a deep face walking towards him. He then smiled and walked forward to greet him.

"Oh, Mr. Fan, you are here too?"

The visitor looked familiar; it was the Jew from Harbin - Fan Sibai.

----

PS: My health has not been very good recently, with broken bones and various minor illnesses, so I took a few days off.

I originally thought that the previous "situation statement" had already explained this situation in advance, but I didn't expect that many readers didn't see it or didn't pay much attention to it.

Zhengzi apologized in advance for all the misunderstandings caused.

Don't worry, everyone. I'm just recuperating. By the way, I'm sorting out the outline to make the plot exciting. I have no intention of having a bad ending or abandoning updates, so you can rest assured.

(End of this chapter)