Black Flag Army

Lan Jinping asked, "Who do you think can rule the world?"

Di Xiong certainly knew Chang Guangtou and Li Xiangtan. Chang Guangtou unified the country in name only. In fact, he had no ability to change the situation of warlord separatism. He just replaced the old warlords with new ones. From 1927 to 1949, the war never stopped. It was Li Xiangtan who truly unified the country. However, these two people are not famous now, and no one would believe it if they were mentioned.

Di Xiong said, "I don't know. The people who can truly unify the world are obviously not among these warlords. When a unified government that wins the support of the people emerges, I will hand over four million square kilometers of land to them to maintain national unity. Guarding and managing such a large area is too much trouble. I am really too tired."

Lan Jinping was surprised and asked, "Hand over the territory? Then where are you going?"

Di Xiong opened the map and pointed to a place and said, "Borneo in Southeast Asia, a Dutch colony, was once the territory of the Lan Fang Kingdom, which was established by the Chinese. When the navy becomes strong, we can seize this place during the next world war, establish a new Chinese country, and restore the Chinese's rule. There are only more than 700,000 square kilometers here, and there are not many Chinese, so it is easy to manage. By then, the people in the three northern provinces who don't want to leave can stay here, and those who don't want to live under the rule of the new government can go to Borneo with me. Of course, we must also control the Strait of Malacca, otherwise transport ships will not be able to enter the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, which is not conducive to economic trade."

Lan Jinping looked at the map carefully and said, "Borneo is quite large, several times larger than Zhili Province, and can accommodate tens of millions of people. What if there are too many people to live in in the future?"

Di Xiong said: "Then we should fight and take Sumatra as well. We can also compete with the British for Oceania. They have such a small population, how can they occupy such a large area?"

Lan Jinping cried out, "Oceania is eight million square kilometers! Aren't you too ambitious?"

A bitter smile appeared on Di Xiong's lips. He shook his head gently, his tone revealing helplessness and self-mockery: "I may not live to see that day, this is just a casual remark. Now, Japan and Russia are racking their brains to kill me, and the Zhili, Fengtian, and Anhui warlords in China are gnashing their teeth and extremely resentful of me. To be honest, even I am not sure how long I can survive in this world."

Hearing Di Xiong's words, Lan Jinping's face changed drastically. She hurriedly reached out her hand to cover Di Xiong's mouth, her eyes full of panic and worry, and said in a trembling voice: "Don't talk nonsense! You must not make any mistakes. If you encounter an accident, the entire three northern provinces will be in dire straits, and the situation will be completely out of control. Therefore, you must live strong and wait until the day when the country is unified. I would rather bear the coming of death for you than see you get into trouble!" Her voice was full of firmness and determination, and her expression showed that she was willing to give everything for Di Xiong.

At noon, sunlight poured into the study room of the Wu Mansion in Tianjin through the window. Wu Ziyu, who had been pretending to be sick, was now sitting on the bed, and with a serious expression, he took a battle report from his confidant Zhang Qihuang. He tightly grasped the document that was related to the outcome of the battle, carefully reading every word, and frowning.

After he finished reading the battle report, he sighed deeply, with a hint of emotion and helplessness in his tone: "Di Xiong, the commander-in-chief of the Black Flag Army, finally showed mercy. If they had pursued the victory and fought all the way to Suiyuan and Chahar, then our 200,000 troops would probably have been wiped out! If I were the commander of the enemy, I would definitely not be so merciful."

Wu Ziyu's words revealed his appreciation for Di Xiong's strategic decision, but also revealed his concern about the strength of his own army. He knew the cruelty and ruthlessness of war. If Di Xiong had not chosen to stop, the outcome of this battle might have been even more tragic. However, the reality was in front of him, and he had to face this situation and think about the next response strategy.

Wu Ziyu slowly closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. He began to recall the past and thought about how to improve the combat effectiveness of his army to avoid similar situations from happening again. Zhang Qihuang, who was standing aside, looked at Wu Ziyu silently, his heart also full of worries and thoughts.

Zhang Qihuang said with a look of grief and indignation: "This is tragic enough! There were 200,000 troops, but in the end only less than 100,000 were able to return alive, and a considerable number of them were released as prisoners. Those Black Flag Army were simply too vicious. They used extremely sinister means to select all our elite soldiers and only released some old veterans, heavy smokers, and the elderly, weak, and disabled. These guys have no fighting power at all!"

Wu Ziyu sneered and said disapprovingly, "What's so strange about this? If it were me, I would probably make the same choice. After all, since I'm already a prisoner, I'll naturally let others manipulate me. By the way, what's Marshal Cao's reaction to this?"

Zhang Qihuang said: "He was so angry that he vomited blood. He cursed Cao Qirui for being incompetent and ordered Prime Minister Jin to remove Zhang Shaozeng from his position as Director General of the Army Department. He also sent people to Zhang's house to arrest Zhang Shaozeng on the charge of colluding with bandits. However, Zhang Shaozeng ran away with his family in advance."

Wu Ziyu said: "Marshal Cao is also very angry. Why is he taking out his anger on Zhang Shaozeng who has no troops and no power? How will Zhang Yuting in the Northeast react?"

Zhang Qihuang said: "Zhang Yuting took the opportunity to send troops south from Rehe and captured Zhangjiakou, the capital of Chahar Province, and made his brother Zhang Zuoxiang the governor of Chahar. He already had five provinces under his control, and he also asked the Beiyang Prime Minister's Office to recognize Zhang Zuoxiang's identity as the governor of Chahar. Of course, Prime Minister Jin disagreed with such a ridiculous request. Zhang Yuting asked President Xu to replace Prime Minister Jin and let his trusted finance minister Liang Shiyi be the prime minister. The reason was that Prime Minister Jin was incompetent and made the Beiyang finances poorer and the army's pay and food less and less. Liang Shiyi was a financial expert and could get money."

Wu Ziyu said angrily: "This is simply taking advantage of the situation! Zhang Yuting is really going too far now. How can Liang Shiyi get money? It's nothing more than selling more railways and factories to the Japanese at low prices, thereby selling out the country's sovereignty!"

Zhang Qihuang also echoed, "We, the Zhili clique, have suffered a great loss this time! The Fengtian clique took this opportunity to frantically grab territory, and it is obvious that they have ill intentions! Not only do they want to replace the Prime Minister, they are also bribing members of parliament. Maybe they will even start a Zhili-Fengtian War next!"

Wu Ziyu said with a firm look in his eyes, "Let's fight! If I were to be the commander-in-chief of this battle, I would definitely beat the enemy into a pulp and make them flee in disgrace! Back then, they were blocked by the Black Flag Army in the last battle and suffered heavy losses, with more than 30,000 men killed, but they still did not repent and were stubborn. Now they dare to provoke us again, they are simply courting death! This time, we must let them taste our power and teach them a severe lesson!"

After Di Xiong, Jiang Hongyu, Lan Jinping and others returned to Beitang City, Wu Zhong held a celebration banquet for them at Lanji Hotel. A large-scale celebration ceremony was originally planned, but it was cancelled at Di Xiong's request. After all, it was a civil war, not a foreign war, so there was no need for too much publicity. The new director of the Supervision Department, Bian Zhimei, and the deputy commander of the Cheetah Column, Liu Bao, also attended the celebration banquet.

After Leng Hanbing's death, the position of the Director of the Supervision Department became vacant. Di Xiong carefully examined the two deputy directors, Su Jinxu and Bian Zhimei, and finally appointed Bian Zhimei as the Director of the Supervision Department. Bian Zhimei had just married Sun Xiaotie, and she immediately canceled her wedding leave and took over all the work left by Leng Hanbing. Liu Bao was originally the captain of the guard brigade. As the Beihai Provincial Police Department became larger and larger, the guard brigade was no longer necessary and was disbanded. Some people were incorporated into the police department, and some were incorporated into the Cheetah Column. Liu Bao served as the deputy commander of the Cheetah Column and the acting commander. Considering that he was not as capable as Leng Hanbing, he was assigned two assistants, Di Chun and Liu Tainan, who served as captains under the Cheetah Column respectively.

Di Xiong originally wanted Liu Zhendong to serve as the commander of the Cheetah Column, but Liu Zhendong, whose leg injury had not yet recovered, expressed his wish to stay in the army, so Di Xiong had to appoint Liu Bao.

Di Xiong didn't drink much at the celebration banquet, but when he returned home, Lan Jinchun still prepared a bowl of sobering soup made from Pueraria root for him and personally supervised him to drink it.

Di Xiong raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile, and said, "You said this as if I had just drunk a deadly poison and urgently needed an antidote to detoxify."

Lan Jinchun shook his head slightly and responded earnestly: "The ancients said that wine is a poison that penetrates the intestines and is as sharp as a steel knife scraping bones. From this perspective, wine itself is toxic! So I sincerely hope that you can avoid drinking at all, but I also understand that this is almost an impossible wish."

Di Xiong said: "If I quit all my current positions, I won't have to drink anymore."

Lan Jinchun smiled slyly and said, "Haha, you are wrong! If you don't have any official position, it means you have no power at all. When the time comes, whenever there is something to be dealt with, you will have to beg others for help. Not only that, you will have to host a banquet and invite people to drink! Moreover, this wine is not something you can just drink casually, you have to drink with the other party. Otherwise, people will not bother to pay attention to you! It's not as glorious as it is now, when others toast you with big cups, and you only need to elegantly hold up the small wine glass and take a sip."

Di Xiong sighed and said, "It seems that I don't know how lucky I am."

Lan Jinchun smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "This is just a trivial matter. However, you are really self-aware when it comes to more important things! You know how to control your own behavior, just like the peerless beauty Liu Xikui, who was alone in Beitang City, she could only rely on your protection. Moreover, she has great respect for you as a national hero! If you really want to possess her body, she will never refuse. However, it is commendable that you are so self-disciplined that you did not do such a thing. In view of this, I will give you an unexpected surprise as a reward tonight!"

In the middle of the night, Di Xiong suddenly woke up, feeling hot all over, and couldn't help but touch Lan Jinchun beside him, only to find that she was naked. He couldn't help but rush over and started to have sex with her. After finishing, he remembered that the woman's moaning sound was not right, and hurriedly turned on the light to see that it was Lan Jinchun's sister Lan Jinping.

Lan Jinping hurriedly covered his face with his hands, but it was too late.

Di Xiong said sternly, "As the vice-chairman of the Justice Party, how could you do such a thing? Was it your idea or Jinchun's?"

Lan Jinping's tears flowed out like a flood, her body trembled slightly, and her sobs were heartbreaking. "All this is my personal wish, and my sister also understands and supports my decision." She choked and said, "As the biggest warlord in the country, how can you not have one or two mistresses? Isn't this incredible and unbelievable? Please don't mention the so-called deputy tycoon identity anymore. I am just a lonely widow. I also have normal emotions and desires, and sometimes I feel lonely and unbearable, but I can't just look for other men casually, so I can only choose you. Because I believe you will keep this secret, as long as we don't publicize it, no one will know." Her words revealed helplessness and sadness, as if all her hopes were placed on the man in front of her.

Di Xiong said: "It is immoral to do this. I cannot face the other high-ranking officials of the Justice Party!"

Lan Jinping wiped away her tears and said, "Do you think other high-ranking officials have clean private lives? Wu Chunfeng has two mistresses, and now they are his concubines. Wu Zhong is already over 50 years old and has secretly kept a female actress. Liu Zhendong is already married, and he is still entangled with your secretary Huo Qingtong. Your godsister Xian Yuji has very smooth and tender skin. You can tell at a glance that there is a man nourishing her outside, but I don't know who it is. Jiang Hongyu also has one wife and two concubines. Perhaps only Wu Chunlei is loyal to Chen Xianglian."

Di Xiong was shocked when he heard this. He didn't expect that Lan Jinping could tell that Xian Yuji had a man outside just by looking at her skin. He quickly changed the subject and said, "You are at a disadvantage by doing this. You are Sister Jinchun. I can't give you a name or take you as a concubine. As a senior member of the political party and the chief of staff of the group army, you can only be my secret lover, but I can't compensate you."

Lan Jinping rested her head on his chest and said, "I don't care about status, as long as you have me in your heart! In fact, I have been your woman for a long time. I gave birth to a child for you five years ago, and that child is Li Hansheng."

Di Xiong was shocked and asked, "Why didn't you admit it when I asked you?"

Lan Jinping said, "I didn't want to add to your psychological burden at the time. I thought I could just find him a father, but I didn't expect that after finally finding Li Laoshi, he died unexpectedly. Li Hansheng grew up without a father, which was not conducive to his healthy growth. I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

Di Xiong asked, "Do you want us to recognize each other as father and son?"

Lan Jinping said, "No! We can't recognize each other now. He is still a child, and children's words are innocent. If he tells others, we will be ruined. Now I just want you to be his adoptive father. Wait until he is 20 years old and sensible before recognizing each other!"