Back to the Republic of China as a commander

However, these advantages in military strength are very superficial, and difficulties are still placed in front of Feng Guozhang impartially.

First, among the 30 troops, Zhejiang General Zhu Rui's army is very unreliable politically. It is still possible for them to resist Sun Wen's Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces in Zhejiang. As for going out of the province to fight the youth army Then forget about it.

Second, Zhang Huaizhi's Fifth Division and Lu Yongxiang's Tenth Division are strictly speaking members of Duan Qirui. Without Duan Qirui's nod, these troops may be very skilled in foreign labor.

Third, if the above two problems are not too big and can be solved by manpower, then the third problem is really fatal.Why Yuan Shikai's No.15, No.16, and No.[-] divisions raised in the north were unable to go south after arriving in Xuzhou. In addition to protecting Beijing, the main reason was that they had no money.

Feng Guozhang's biggest headache now is this matter, military pay, ammunition, and deployment fees, which one doesn't require a lot of money?But where did the money come from?The chaebols in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who had been beaten by Feng Guozhang for a long time in the past two years, looked at the situation this time, and they chose very shrewdly to cut their flesh and mend their wounds and no longer invest in Beiyang. Instead, they hid their families in the Shanghai Concession. Sorry, not at home.

On the central side, there is also no money. The most direct consequence of the war is that the foreigners deducted the full amount of customs duties and salt taxes.So Yuan Shikai also racked his brains to raise wages for the front, and he almost sold the presidential palace in Iron Lion Alley.

"Pin Qing, this battle is going to be difficult for us. If the President can't get the money together, then I'm probably in a bit of a bind. Besides, what's going on with Duan Zhiquan? At this point, is he still going to engage in infighting? His direct descendants just sit here in the south and watch my old Feng lose the battle? If my people are lost in northern Anhui and southern Jiangsu, does he think that relying on the troops of Zhang Huaizhi and Lu Yongxiang can turn the situation around?"

Wang Shizhen shook his head and said: "Duan Zhiquan is good at everything else, but he is too conceited. I don't believe that he didn't see the current crisis. He just doesn't believe it. I think I will go back to Beijing as soon as possible to help Hua. As soon as you solved these messy things."

Feng Guozhang nodded again and again: "Then there will be a minister of employment. Soldiers can't go without pay for a day. I hope the President can solve the problem of military pay as soon as possible."

In the end, Wang Shizhen decided to remind Feng Guozhang: "Brother Huafu, the war is imminent, and I can't help you. The only thing I can do is to remind you that this battle is about Beiyang's life and death. You can't lose anyway. If you win, The whole world belongs to Beiyang, if we lose, all previous efforts will be wasted. Please, brother Huafu, for Beiyang."

Feng Guozhang sighed deeply and nodded silently. . .

At this time in Nanchang, a new unit was being formed, the No.11 Division of the Youth Army Army.Lu Diping, Wang Zhenyu's hardcore brother, is about to become the No. 11 division commander of the Youth Army. At the moment, he is selecting his team from the Ninth Division and the Tenth Division.

The Ninth Division formed after the outbreak of the National Defense War was different from the Tenth Division. The Ninth Division was formed by the merger of the First Division of the Hunan Army and the Xiangnan Protectorate, so Wang Zhenyu of this unit was not in a hurry to replace the middle-level officers.As a result, Cheng Qian's youth army system was further expanded, and finally became a giant in the youth army, and he fought against Wang Zhenyu until he retired. This was something Wang Zhenyu did not expect at the beginning.The Tenth Division is dominated by the troops of Guo Renzhang and Zeng Jiwu, so except for Zeng Jiwu who stayed as the division commander, all the officers above the regiment were replaced, and even the officers who were not from Hunan were replaced, but from Guangxi. That's why Zeng Jiwu finally abandoned martial arts and became a member of Congress.

The four heads of Lu Diping's No.11 Division are He Yingqin, head of the 111th Regiment, Zhang Huizan, head of the 112th Regiment, Gu Zhenglun, head of the 113th Regiment, and Tan Daoyuan, head of the 114th Regiment.After all, the family is big now, and Wang Zhenyu doesn't pay much attention to the appointment of a first-level regiment officer. If he is allowed to read this list, it is probably not difficult for him to understand why the Eleventh Division will be tied with the Ninth Division in a few years. The main force of the Hunan Department of the Youth Army.

However, at this time, Cheng Qian was not yet conscious enough to facilitate Lu Diping's expansion of power. Since joining the Youth Army, Cheng Qian relied on the veterans of the Hunan Army, and quickly gained trust and reuse as a hero of the 9000 Revolution.The Ninth Division of the Youth Army has also expanded very rapidly in his hands, and it has reached a scale of [-] people.Therefore, Lu Diping will form the [-]th Division this time, and the source of troops will focus on the [-]th Division.

It's been almost two days since we talked at the headquarters of the Ninth Division, and Cheng Qian is still joking, but he doesn't say anything pleasant to others.

This has already made Lu Diping very dissatisfied. You must know that because of his personal relationship with Wang Zhenyu, when Zeng Jiwu, the commander of the Tenth Division, saw him, he was not only polite, but also immediately allocated 7000 troops from his headquarters. Qiqian** is probably Guo Renzhang's old department (Guo Renzhang was transferred to the deputy speaker of the provincial assembly), but the meaning of pleasing is very obvious.

The comparison between Cheng Qian and Zeng Jiwu seemed a bit dull, but Lu Diping didn't care about it.He knew that the warrant from the Supreme Command was there, and this soldier Cheng Qian would definitely give it to him in the end, but he didn't know what benefits he would ask for. This is a standard politician.

"Brother Songyun, the military situation is urgent. If this matter is still unsolved today, I will be at the mercy of the brothers at the Supreme Command, so you have to help me no matter what." Lu Diping decided not to go around in circles. Straight to the point and ask.

Cheng Qian chuckled and said, "Brother Yong'an, brother, I have allocated your brigade of 5000 troops to you, why are you still not satisfied?"

Lu Diping quickly shook his head and said, "Brother Songyun, if you can hide the situation of the Ninth Division from the higher-ups, can you hide it from me? One family doesn't talk about two families, let alone one division. There are more than enough divisions. Don’t blame my brother, I didn’t remind you, the staff department is tracking down the weapons seized in the battle of the Fourth Division of the Gan Army, and I will help as much as I can.”

The expansion speed of Cheng Qian's Ninth Division came from the capture of Ji'an in the first battle, otherwise it would not be able to expand with soldiers without guns.

Hearing Lu Diping's slight threat, although Cheng Qian was a little angry, he could only suppress it. After all, he had not yet gained a firm foothold in the Youth Army.However, his original goal still needs to be realized: "Brother Yongan, I knew you were here, so I don't have to worry about anything. In this way, 5000 guns will be assigned to you, okay? Brother, I have other things today." It's up to you."

When Lu Diping heard that Cheng Qian had finally promised, he was overjoyed and said: "Okay, happy. Don't say please or not. If there is anything, you can just say hello, Brother Songyun."

Cheng Qian hurriedly backed away from the left and right sides and said: "Brother Yong'an, to be honest, although we are all commanders who defected halfway, the personal friendship between you and the commander is not comparable to mine. I, Cheng Songyun, am not that capricious. I am a villain, but the future of tens of thousands of brothers under my command is tied to me. I am very worried about the future of me and the Ninth Division. Will the enthusiasm like me be able to stand in the youth army in the future? , is also a big problem. I am also troubled by this stupid thing these days. Please give me some pointers."

Lu Diping took a look at Cheng Qian and wondered whether this old boy was really confused or not.How do you let people answer you when you actually talk to yourself about this kind of thing? So Lu Diping just looked at Cheng Qian with a smile on his face and didn't answer.

And Cheng Qian seemed to have expected that Lu Diping would behave like this a long time ago, and he added: "Well, I'm just talking to you, brother Yong'an. Shuai will not treat us badly. It’s just that the forest is so big that we can use any kind of bird. In many cases, for many things, we brothers still need to communicate more, communicate more, and help each other more.”

Only then did Lu Diping understand Cheng Qian's original intention, and he wanted to win him over with others, so there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, although Lu Diping and Wang Zhenyu have a good personal relationship, years of experience in leading troops tell us that it's better to have more friends. Go, otherwise it will be difficult to go far with the help of a boss.

"Brother Songyun is right. The days to come will be long. We are all brothers. I hope you will take care of me in the future." Lu Diping quickly gave an answer that satisfied Cheng Qian, and Cheng Qian hurriedly ordered the subordinates If someone hosts a banquet, he must treat Lu Diping warmly.

While talking and laughing, suddenly there was a noise outside: "We want to see the teacher, why don't you let us in?"

Cheng Qian, who was on his head, suddenly became unhappy: "Who dares to make a loud noise, don't they know my military regulations? Bring them all in for me?"

Chapter 242 The Eve of the Final Battle ([-])

If Cheng Qian keeps quiet, the guards of the division will take down those who dare to make trouble at the entrance of the division.But since the division commander said to let these people in, the guards who had already pulled out their weapons and prepared to suppress them naturally did not dare to do it again. You must know that Master Cheng has always strictly enforced military discipline and prohibited them.

A total of six people wearing light yellow junior officer uniforms were brought in. Due to time constraints, the officers and soldiers of the Ninth Division had no time to change to the uniform uniform of the Youth Army. Wearing the blue-gray military uniform of the Hunan Army, it was chaotic anyway.The Armament Department has already produced new military uniforms, but because of Operation Blue Light, these military uniforms are now in the warehouse at Anjiang Wharf, and there is simply not enough capacity to send them up.

These six low-level officers were former officers of the Beiyang Army, and they were subordinates of Che Zhen, the commander of the First Division. The leader was Zhang Zizhong, a very handsome young man.

This Zhang Zizhong is from Linqing, Shandong Province. When the summer vacation came in 1914, Zhang Zizhong persuaded his mother to go to Xinmin County, Fengtian Province (now Liaoning Province) with five classmates in the early autumn of this year, to No.5 Town (Division) No. .20 Nine Association (Brigade) No.30 Seven Standards (Regiment) joined the army.The standard (head) of this target is Che Zhen.

Why did Zhang Zizhong and other 6 people travel thousands of miles from Shandong to Fengtian to join the army?Because many officers and soldiers in No.20 Town are from Shandong, Che Zhen is from Linqing County, and is also a friend of Zizhong Sange (Zhang Qingshan).Knowing that these six young men were children of wealthy families, Che Zhen was afraid that they would not be able to endure the hardships of the army, so he advised them to go home and continue their studies.But they came here with enthusiasm, determined to serve the country, and they would not leave no matter how much they persuaded them.Seeing that he was very determined, Che Zhen filled his vacancy as a deputy.

At the beginning of 1915, Che Zhen was promoted to the commander of the No.30 Ninth Brigade, and the department was ordered to move from Xinmin County to Pingdiquan, Suiyuan Province (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region).There is a section of the road that is marched on foot. Soldiers have to be fully armed, carry dozens of catties on their backs, and walk more than a hundred miles a day, exhausted.When camping, each person had only one army blanket, and at midnight in late autumn, he was often woken up by freezing.After more than a year of tempering, Zhang Zizhong has withstood the test, his will is stronger, he has matured a lot, and he can cope with any kind of suffering.With the care of the brigade commander Che Zhen, Zhang Zizhong's military career became smoother, and he soon became an officer, and went down to lead troops in the company.

If you want to say that the most embarrassing troops participating in the war during the entire War of National Defense, it must be the Beiyang No. 30 Ninth Brigade. If they think they are second, no one will dare to recognize the first. In December 1915, Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor, and Cai E and other organizations organized defense against Yuan Shikai.At the beginning of the following year, the No.12 Ninth Brigade was ordered to go south to suppress the prostitutes.After the Che Zhen Department arrived in Wuhan, Tang Xiangming, the Governor of Hunan Province, urged the Ministry to enter Hunan because all the departments stationed in Hunan had entered Sichuan one after another, and Wang Zhenyu had also raised the banner to rebel.As a result, Che Zhen's No.30 Ninth Brigade entered Changsha, and then Tang Xiangming also trusted the Hunan Army to Che Zhen. He appointed Che Zhen as the commander of the first division of the Hunan Army, and the commander went to Hengyang to rescue Ni Sichong.

The subsequent story was pure cheating. Ni Sichong fled the battle, causing Che Zhen to be trapped in Hengyang and become a lone army.Everyone knows what happened next. If there was only Che Zhen's No. 30 Ninth Brigade in Hengyang City at that time, then relying on this group of Shandong soldiers and chariots, they would be able to survive for a period of time no matter what.But just in response to that sentence, you are not afraid of opponents like wolves, but teammates like pigs.There are more than [-] Hunan troops in Hengyang City, and they are still Che Zhen's subordinates in name, including Lu Diping, then commander of the second brigade of the Hunan Army.

The Hunanese were very interesting, telling the General Che, explicitly or implicitly, that we should not waste our time doing this, and we should stand on the side of the winner.Old Che is a dead-headed man, born a Beiyang native and dead a Beiyang ghost, so of course he would not agree to shake hands with Wang Zhenyu, but Che Zhen is also an old Jianghu, and he will not do things that stand in the way of his life. made.

The result was naturally a peaceful mutiny, and the First Division defected.During the mutiny, Che Zhen never ordered his descendants to resist. He just announced his resignation, and then let the officers and soldiers of the 39th Brigade under his command accept the reorganization.

Lu Diping is very grateful for this, but from Cheng Qian's standpoint, it may not be so.After Cheng Qian was forced to take refuge in the Youth Army, in order to ensure his control over the Ninth Division, Cheng Qian sent people several times to do the work of Che Zhen, hoping to accept the appointment of the Deputy Commander of the Ninth Division to help him control the 39th Brigade .But the old stubborn Che Zhen didn't give face. Even if Cheng Qian went out in person, he refused to agree. In a rage, Cheng Qian arrested Che Zhen in the name of a war criminal. As a result, Zhang Zizhong and others came to visit him. The scene where the division comes to make trouble.

Cheng Qian looked at the six upright Shandong men standing in front of him, and shouted loudly: "What's the matter with you, do you still have military law in your eyes? You dare to make a loud noise in front of the division department, aren't you afraid of being beaten by the army stick?" ?”

Hearing Cheng Qian's words, the young Zhang Zizhong gritted his teeth and stiffened his neck, and said, "Zhang Zizhong, the company commander of the 903rd Battalion and 3st Company of the [-]rd Regiment of the [-]rd Regiment of the humble ninth division, and six others, risking their lives here today are not to offend the military law and the prestige of the division. I just feel that the teacher seat is unfair, so I came here to appeal to the teacher seat."

Lu Diping knew Cheng Qian's character of vengeance, so at the moment he admired this young man named Zhang Zizhong, who dared to say that Cheng Qian was unfair to his face, it was really courageous.

"Hahaha, okay, you're brave enough, let's talk about how my teacher is unfair." Sure enough, Cheng Qian was amused by Zhang Zizhong's words, and he actually burst out laughing.Those who are familiar with him know that this is a sign that Cheng Qian is about to go berserk, and the guards of the division are all nervously putting their hands on their armed belts and preparing to arrest him.

Zhang Zizhong was not afraid at all, and resolutely said: "If you return to the teacher's seat, the humble position is vulgar, and the words are not well thought out. But the humble position can distinguish the seriousness of the matter from right to wrong. The humble position is the company commander of the guard company of Master Che Zhenche. Today I heard that Master Che was arrested for the seat of the teacher, and I was very anxious, so I came here to ask the seat of the teacher to forgive me and give me a lighter sentence."

Cheng Qian snorted coldly and said, "It's a joke. Che Zhen is a lackey of the Yuan thief, a rebellious minister of Beiyang, and the revolutionary target of our national protection movement. Why did I make a mistake in arresting him? Why should I treat such a person? How about opening one side?"

Zhang Zizhong immediately replied loudly: "Master, what you said is wrong. As far as I know, Commander Che did not participate in the restoration of the bandits Yuan. And sending troops to the south is just the duty of obeying orders, and it cannot be considered a crime. On the contrary, After Master Che went south, there was a lot of delay and he did not actively fight. Moreover, in the Hengyang incident that day, his humble position was in front of Master Che. All the officers advocated defection, and Master Che did not stop him. I don’t know why Master Che is guilty of the revolution after doing all this? If you can really investigate the truth and deal with it according to the facts, Master Che, how can Master Che be imprisoned?”

Seeing Cheng Qian's disapproving look, Zhang Zizhong shouted again: "I still have a little worry about my humble position. Today, all the officers and soldiers of my former 39th brigade are members of the youth army. If the division seat can't deal with it fairly, I'm afraid the brothers will not accept it. , please think twice, Master."

Cheng Qian was furious when he heard this sentence: "What do you mean, threaten me? Don't you still want to mutiny? Do you think that you have the right to challenge the master with a few soldiers? Come on!"

At this moment, Lu Diping had a sudden affection for Zhang Zizhong, who was devoted to rescuing the old master, so Cheng Qian became angry, and hurried forward and said: "Brother Song Yun, he is young and backward, and his words are fierce, why are you angry?" Woolen cloth?"

Only then did Cheng Qian remember that Lu Diping, the big celebrity in front of Wang Zhenyu, was still here. Seeing that the kid named Zhang Zizhong was so angry with him, he quickly patted his head and said, "Brother Yong'an, you are also leading the army." You guys, these soldiers, if the thorns are not repaired in time, you know how troublesome it will be."

Lu Diping quickly waved his hands and said: "I've said it, I've said it, let me see, what they did was nostalgia for the old master, even if we can't fulfill their desire to repay their kindness, there is no need to be harsh on them, right?"

Although Cheng Qian really looked down on Lu Diping, a rising star of the Hunan Army (when Cheng Qian became the leader of the Hunan Army, Lu Diping was just a commander of the Fourth Division of the Hunan Army), but now he dare not offend For him, and if he still expects to develop within the youth army system in the future, he has to win over this person.So Cheng Qian could only hold back his breath and said, "What do you mean, brother Yong'an?"

Lu Diping smiled, knowing that Cheng Qian was going to sell his own face today, so naturally he was not polite: "Brother Song Yun may not be clear about the matter of Che Zhen, and the errand of persuading him to surrender that day was handled by him alone. Yes. Although this old fellow is a die-hard and he refuses to join us in rebelling against Yuan, he is indeed not a character who is determined to follow Yuan to the black. So I think, brother Song Yun, please read the actions of the day of the car earthquake, and Give him a break and let him return to the north to retire."

Cheng Qian took a look at Lu Diping, thinking that this car shock would not be a good thing, and most of his troops had been assigned to Lu Diping, so he really didn't want to turn his face against Lu Diping over this matter: "This Things are easy to talk about, since Brother Yong'an can prove that this son is not Lao Yuan's best friend, so he is not guilty of death, and I will ask the adjutant to release him later."

After finishing speaking, Cheng Qian subconsciously looked at Zhang Zizhong and others who were still standing there expressionless, and before he had time to speak, he heard Lu Diping say again: "As for these six people, Brother Songyun, they will be assigned to the younger brother's command. You know, what I need now is an officer."

Cheng Qian smiled bitterly: "Okay, as long as you think these thorns are not troublesome, you can take them, I have no objection."