Years of the Republic of China 1913

In late September, Wu Peifu and others finally returned to China from Europe. After the cruise ship arrived in Shanghai, they immediately changed to the railway and headed north, and rushed to the capital without stopping.

"Brother Ziyu, you've worked hard, all our people are back?" Fang Zida personally went to the station to greet Wu Peifu the day he arrived in the capital, looking at the busy Wu Peifu, Fang Zida asked with a hint of urgency in his sincere smile.

"All are back, but apart from Wu and a few military officers who did not stop after arriving in Hong Kong, there are still many people who have to rest for a few days and will not arrive in Beijing until a few days later."

Fang Zida immediately let go of his heart. Returning from the ocean thousands of miles away from Europe, seasickness and discomfort are unavoidable. Besides, many people have to adjust to get used to it just after disembarking. Return to Beijing as soon as possible.As long as these people return home safely now, it doesn't matter for others to delay their journey northward for a few days.

Without much chatter at the station, Fang Zida and Wu Peifu got on the train together, and arrived at Fang Zida's office half an hour later.

"The situation is like this now, Brother Ziyu, what do you think?" On the way, Fang Zida roughly talked to Wu Peifu about the current situation. After arriving at the office, the two closed the door and chatted for a while. After Fang Zida had finished speaking, he was straightforward. Ask Wu Peifu for his opinion.

Frowning slightly, Wu Peifu took out a cigarette from the cigarette jar on the table, lit it with the match Fang Zida was lighting, and took a puff, then thought quietly.

After a long time, Wu Peifu snuffed out the cigarette butt in his hand and said, "I don't know much about politics. I'm just a soldier. Let's talk about military affairs from the perspective of a soldier."

"But hear about it!"

"Wu feels that the judgments of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff are still correct. If Japan goes to war with our country, it will attack from a few targets, and the Northeast, especially Fengtian, is the most likely. Of course, the Qingdao area cannot be ignored. After all, Japan has a powerful navy, and conquering the Qingdao Fortress and taking the Jiaozhou area into its pocket is what Japan has always dreamed of."

"That's right, this opinion has basically reached a consensus. I think so too." Fang Zida nodded.

Wu Peifu smiled, stretched out his hand and raised three fingers, and said, "Since that's the case, then Wu has three questions, or three considerations."

"Speaking!"

"One." Wu Peifu put away his finger and said: "Zheng Fu's delay in declaring war on the Allies in advance is nothing more than considering the safety of our military observation team. As the head of the military observation team, Wu is very grateful. But from the perspective of military Generally speaking, strike first and then strike others. Once China and Japan go to war, no one knows whether it will become a national war. In this case, it is necessary to take the initiative. In fact, zheng fu does not need to think about me For the safety of the military observer group, it is entirely possible to join the Allied Powers first. Of course, it is unnecessary to say this now, but Wu still wants to emphasize one thing. It is imminent to join the Allied Powers and start a war against the Allied Powers as soon as possible.”

"Please don't worry, since Brother Ziyu and others have returned, Zhong Yang has a plan, as long as ten days. At least three to five days, the Republic of China will formally join the Allied Powers." Fang Zida said hastily.

Wu Peifu nodded, put away another finger and said: "Secondly, the formulation of military plans is especially important. According to what Brother Cheng Ming said just now, although Zhong Yang has a preliminary plan, after all, war is not a child's play. A good plan is a waste of paper if it is not put into practice. At this moment, the defense must be arranged immediately, and the mobilization of troops must be implemented as soon as possible."

"This..." Fang Zida hesitated for a while, a little confused: "Brother Ziyu probably doesn't know, it's not because our army doesn't want to do this, but because we are worried that doing so may stimulate the Japanese side. So it was postponed according to the agreement."

"Huh! This is nonsense!" Wu Peifu said very displeased: "Whether war is launched or not, preparations are inevitable, such as setting up defense lines, mobilizing troops, armament logistics, etc. Don't we have to wait until the official war is started before doing it in a hurry? What?" Seeing Fang Zida opening his mouth to explain, Wu Peifu waved his hand to signal to listen to him first: "Stimulate Ri Ben? Hmph, I, Wu, know very well what Ri is. It has always been faster to turn your face than to turn a book. It is shameless that you can be called the second in the world. No one dares to be the first. What's more, Japan has a powerful navy and an elite army that has experienced the Russo-Japanese War. Once it launches an attack, it will be overwhelming I'm afraid I will suffer a lot if I prepare for it at that time. Let's not talk about other things, the defense line and troop preparation must be implemented immediately, so what if it stimulates Ri himself? Anyway, the Republic of China will formally declare war on the Allies, and there is nothing wrong with rectifying military affairs and national defense. In other words, maybe seeing that I am prepared, the Japanese military may delay the start of the war for the sake of prudence, so this is very important."

Fang Zida was taken aback when he heard it, and it took him a long time to realize that Wu Peifu's words were like a splash of cold water on his head, and he woke up suddenly.When planning and preparing, whether it was the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff, or even Fang Zida, he was thinking about how to hide from Japan, and he was restrained in doing things. The key was to look forward and backward, and think too much about problems.But Wu Peifu pointed out that there is no need to be so cautious at all, isn't it better to be generous?Put on a stance, let the world see the strength and confidence of my Greater China, and make the other party feel wary. Even if Japan bites the bullet and goes to war at that time, it will inevitably bear great pressure.

Thinking of this, Fang Zida's face turned red. He thought he had considered all aspects, but he was still a rookie with no military knowledge. Wu Peifu's words woke him up with a blow, and he felt ashamed.What Wu Peifu said is correct. It is the best policy to respond with an upright and upright conspiracy. No wonder Wu Peifu was called the No.1 general in the early Republic of China in history, and his strategy was really extraordinary.

Not only that, but Fang Zida suddenly realized that he was like most people. Although he looked down on Ri himself extremely on the surface, the fear in his heart still existed.At the same time, they lack confidence in their own country, and they always think about getting the most benefit at the least cost when doing things. In fact, this kind of thinking is exactly the result of China's failures in foreign wars and the indemnity and land cession in the past century.But Wu Peifu is not like this. As a soldier, he firmly believes that his army is no worse than the Japanese army, and he also firmly believes that even if there is a fight, China will win in the end. It is precisely because of this belief that he sees things from the same angle as other people It's completely different, that's why he said this.

"Brother Ziyu's words awakened the dreamer. Zida has been taught. Zida will push this matter forward and report it to the President and Prime Minister as soon as possible." Fang Zida paused, and then said: "The Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff are still I wonder if it would be convenient for Lao Ziyu to run with Zida?"

"That's no problem!" Wu Peifu readily agreed.

Fang Zida's mood suddenly improved, with a smile on his face, he lit a cigar and took a puff, and asked with a smile, "Brother Ziyu said two points just now, so what is the third point?"

Wu Peifu smiled slightly, raised his last finger and said, "I don't trust Zhang Yuting, I hope Zhong Yang will allow Wu to serve as the commander-in-chief and go to the northeast to fight the Japanese army."

"Why?" Fang Zida was taken aback. It was Zhong Yang's decision to expand Zhang Zuolin's 27th Division into a group army. Fang Zida himself also supported it. Much better than his opium-smoking young son Zhang, otherwise he wouldn't have been blown to death by the Japanese in history.What's more, Zhang Zuolin is now stationed in Fengtian, once the war starts, Fengtian will be the front line, how could it be possible without Zhang Zuolin?

"Although Zhang Yuting is more gangster-like, he is still..."

Wu Peifu interrupted Fang Zida's words, waved his hand and said, "It's not that I don't trust Zhang Yuting's character. Wu and Zhang Yuting also had several acquaintances in the early years. Although Zhang Yuting came from a bearded family, he has to be said to be a character. No matter the method or the strategy, he can be called He is a hero, but Zhang Yuting is Zhang Yuting, and his soldiers are his soldiers. To put it bluntly, although Zhang Yuting's 27th Division appears to be strong and strong, it is actually a mob. It’s really not an opponent to fight against Ri himself.”

"This... is a little too alarmist?" Fang Zida was a little disbelieving.

"Haha, is that so, Bibi will know." Wu Peifu said with some disdain: "If you talk about playing tricks, I, Wu, can't compare with Zhang Yuting, but if you want to talk about leading troops, Zhang Yuting is far inferior to Wu. Even if the 27th Division expands its army How? I only need one division for one army group to defeat him completely."

Fang Zida frowned, wondering if Wu Peifu was exaggerating too much?Is Zhang Zuolin so simple?Could it be that Wu Peifu himself had other ideas to say that on purpose?

Seeing Fang Zida's disbelief, Wu Peifu asked: "Brother Zhang Ming, let me ask you something. There have been many graduates from the Zhongyang Military Academy in the past two years. How many people have been transferred to the 27th Division? What positions did they hold? And the 27th Division How many officers above the regiment commander of the Central Battalion are not graduates of regular military schools, but Zhang Yuting's brother who pulled up his beard when he was a beard to lead the army? Even if Zhang Yuting can lead the army himself, there is no guarantee that his brothers are also the ones who lead the army? Youdao It is a raging army of soldiers, and a raging nest of generals, one can imagine how much combat power the 27th Division has."

Fang Zida didn't know how to answer for a while, but he really didn't know this.Since Wu Peifu was so sure, there might be some problems. Fang Zida decided to send a telegram to Xu Shichang to inquire. If there was time, he even wanted to go to Fengtian to see it himself.

At this moment, Zhang Huchen walked in, leaned over and whispered something in Fang Zida's ear. Fang Zida was slightly taken aback, wondering why this guy came here suddenly.

"Brother Zhang Ming?" Wu Peifu asked from the side, stood up and said with a smile, "I've said everything that needs to be said. If Brother Zhang Ming has something to do, I will deal with it, so I, Wu, can go back to rest early."

"No, Brother Ziyu, please sit down." Fang Zida smiled and said, "If you are not in a hurry, come meet a friend with me first, Hu Chen, go and bring him in." (To be continued...)

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