The Anti-Japanese War Begins with the Northeast Army

At this time, Jiang Cheng had controlled his emotions. He let out a long breath and said slowly, "That's true, but not entirely."

"It is indeed an excuse to attack the Marshal and the Fengtian clique, but think about it, the Marshal is currently asking my father and Uncle Sun to cross Shanhaiguan for a change of guard. What can the two of them do while being dissatisfied?"

"Now the war in Jinan Prefecture is gradually subsiding, but the confrontation with the Japanese has not ended. What I am afraid of is that Wu Xiucai from Luoyang will rush out and use the Japanese as an excuse to seize territory with Pingchuan."

Sun Zhengnan frowned, lowered his eyes and nodded silently.

"Using Duan Zhigui to play this card, he sent troops to Shandong under the pretext of defending against foreign enemies, and he can also say that the Fengtian Army is greedy and take the opportunity to occupy Shandong, which has already stabilized. By then, it will be difficult for us to take it back."

Sun Zhengnan gritted his teeth and said, "But Shandong cannot be lost. Apart from Luanzhou, Qi and Lu are our only territories in the interior of China. If Wu Peifu takes over Shandong, it will be connected with Zhili and Henan, and their strength will be greatly increased..."

Jiang Cheng turned around and stared at the map of the entire China behind his desk.

His eyes gradually grew colder and his gaze became clear.

Obviously, Cao Saner and Wu Xiucai had this idea in mind.

Once they make a big fuss about the conflict between Duan Zhigui and the Japanese, and then defend Langfang and other places to death, even if the Marshal wants to rush to Shandong's aid, he will probably have to pay a heavy price.

But even if you use your toes to think about it, you can understand: how can warlords these days care about other people's territories?

The more Jiang Cheng thought about it, the angrier he became, but he was no longer the reckless man who had been so impatient and reckless in the Military Academy.

"Tell him that Rehe and Jilin are ready for his dispatch at any time!"

…………

At the end of November 1921, Jiang Lanxuan led the Rehe troops across Zunhua and headed straight for Langfang for confrontation;
The financial crisis that broke out since October has not been resolved yet. The Zhi army is demanding pay in various places, and foreign countries are forcing debt repayment, which has made the cabinet extremely anxious.

At this time, the powerful troops of Rehe were approaching the border, and the whole government was shocked. There was a feeling of: If you take Shandong from me, I will take Zhili from you.

This rather desperate "changing home" strategy made Cao Kun confused.

As the Prince of Baoding, Zhili is his home. If it is stolen by these wild wolves of the Fengtian clique, where can he settle down?
Wu Ziyu did say that if Shandong is taken over, Henan, Shandong and Zhili can be connected in the future - will they still have to worry about not being able to deal with the little guy Zhang then?

But now, even my hometown is going to be lost! The people outside the Great Wall are trying to take over Zhili, and then Rehe will also become a "connected city".

"If I am driven out of Baoding, even if Wu Ziyu takes in my men, he will never be inferior to me."

Looking at the battle reports from Langfang one after another, Cao Kun himself became extremely anxious.

If he was driven out of Zhili, he would become a "stray dog".

Even if Wu Peifu could take him in because of his kindness in the past, the territory still belonged to him after all.

If the army loses its territory, it will be like a rootless duckweed. How can it live a good life?
The more he thought about these things, the more anxious he became. He couldn't help but curse, "You son of a bitch, Zhang Xiao, I'm going to marry you... Have I ever treated you badly over the years?"

"Every good thing has to be thought of you. Back then, I asked you to help drive Old Duan away. You really think you have done something great, don't you? Damn it, if I hadn't always wanted to share the benefits, how could I..."

At this point, the Zhi army leader, who was so angry that he could not help but shake, the adjutant beside him quickly reached out to support him: "Third Master, are you okay?"

Cao Kun closed his eyes tightly and let out a long breath as if in resignation. He first waved to his adjutant with trembling hands, then slowly opened his eyes, turned his head and said helplessly: "Forget it... This time it's Zhang Xiao who is powerful!"

"Let's admit defeat this time, but I will definitely teach him a lesson next time. Call Shandong and ask Ziyu to withdraw his troops and stay in Luoyang. Tell him it was my idea."

After saying these words, Cao Kun seemed to have used up all his strength and sat down dejectedly in the armchair beside him. "Yes, Third Master! I'll do it right away."

The adjutant who had been with him for many years could see that his boss was unhappy, but the order had already been given, so naturally he had to do it.

Seeing the adjutant leave the door, Cao Kun, who was holding his breath, picked up the teacup and just took a sip of water, but the adjutant ran back in fear.

What he said next made the highest commander of the Zhi army spit out all the jasmine tea he had just drunk.

Duan Zhigui, who was temporarily under house arrest because of a corruption case, was found dead in his mansion.

He has been dead for at least two days.

…………

When the news reached Jilin Prefecture, Jiang Cheng was having breakfast with the women in his family.

The weather was getting colder and colder. The father and daughter from the Yang family, whom Jiang Cheng had saved that year, sent a slaughtered sheep. The meat was delicate and extremely delicious... The chef in the governor's mansion cooked a big pot of soup, and the whole person felt warm after eating it.

"Xiaoyu, you've caught a cold these days, eat two more bowls!"

Seeing Duan Xinyu fiddling with the mutton in the bowl thoughtfully, Hai Huixin picked up some light side dishes for her.

"I always feel anxious when I wake up in the morning...as if something is going to happen..."

Before she finished speaking, Han Ming trotted over to his superior and whispered a few words in his ear.

Jiang Cheng turned around suddenly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

But in an instant, the top commander regained his composure and turned his gaze to Duan Xinyu.

Not long after the two went upstairs, the women in the mansion heard Duan Xinyu's desperate cry.

When the women ran upstairs, they saw Jiang Cheng hugging Duan Xinyu, who was crying and almost fainting, and comforting her with a sad face.

The reason why I called Duan Xinyu upstairs to tell her about her father... is because there are some things that really cannot be said in front of everyone.

Duan Zhigui was investigated for corruption in the capital. Even if the news was not told to the women in the mansion, some news would have been passed back to the capital.

Although Duan Xinyu didn't say anything, he looked worried for several days; plus Duan Congbin also called Jiang Cheng from Vladivostok and asked for help, he was actually in a bit of a dilemma.

But Jiang Cheng knew that if he took action at this time, he would probably be dragged into the quagmire of Duan Zhigui's case, which was far inferior to forcing Cao Kun to submit by other means.

But who could have thought that Duan Zhigui actually wrote a letter, saying that he was a disciple of Lao Duan in his early years, and later switched to the Feng clique...

I originally thought that I would be given an important position after changing my job, but I didn't expect that I have been marginalized in the past two or three years.

Therefore, he was corrupt and wanted to recruit soldiers and horses in the Central Plains, set up a new base, and make a comeback.

Therefore, all his actions have nothing to do with the outside world, and have nothing to do with his subordinates... Now that he has been executed and confessed his guilt, don't pursue others anymore.

If he committed suicide out of fear of punishment, Jiang Cheng would not feel so bad. (End of this chapter)