Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Just as Qu Guowei and Ma Changfang, two old foxes, were having a great time talking to each other and dreaming of a bright future, the phone in the office suddenly rang again.

Ma Changfang stood up, walked to the desk and answered the phone.

Su Zhengyang's voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

"I'm Linzhou Governor Su Zhengyang, I want to talk to Councillor Ma Changfang."

Ma Changfang was slightly startled, then with an inexplicable smile on his face he said: "Zhengyang, I am Ma Changfang, you can say whatever you want."

In fact, after Su Zhengyang officially became a member of Congress, he had met Ma Changfang several times when he attended welcoming dinners and congressional meetings in Beilong City. From his impression, this middle-aged man with a rough appearance and a hairline that had reached the top of his head was extremely low-key, seldom made comments, and did not seem to be conspicuous at all.

But being able to hold on to one of the only thirteen congressional seats in Northern Xinjiang is enough to demonstrate Ma Changfang's strength.

In northwest China, the Ma family is a big family. Ma Changfang's family is spread throughout the five northwestern provinces and has a profound influence in the local area.

In Xiazhou, Ma Changfang was the local emperor who had the final say. With three army groups and a force of 260,000 soldiers under his command, Ma Changfang was nicknamed the King of the Northwest by the governors of the northwestern provinces.

However, Ma Changfang rarely relies on his powerful influence to act arrogantly. He is a versatile person with many friends. He is a wise man who truly knows how to be restrained.

On the other side of the phone, Su Zhengyang got straight to the point and said, "I heard that the rebel leader Zhang Chengxiang has officially extended an olive branch to Councillor Ma, hoping that Councillor Ma and Governor Qu will send troops together to put pressure on and constrain the Northwest Revolutionary Army under my command."

Ma Changfang didn't seem to expect Su Zhengyang to be so direct. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Zhengyang, where did you get this information? I admire you very much and have no ill will towards you."

Ma Changfang thought to himself, although there is no impenetrable wall in this world, he had just reached an agreement with Zhang Chengxiang when Su Zhengyang called to question him. It seems that the ability of Su Zhengyang's intelligence department should not be underestimated.

Su Zhengyang had no intention of continuing to test and tangle with Ma Changfang, the old fox, and said directly: "Member Ma, right now, the Northern Frontier and China are in danger. The rebels led by Zhang Chengxiang have openly rebelled for their own selfish interests, which will have a far-reaching and adverse impact on the situation in China as a whole. At this time, if you stand on the wrong side, you will be a sinner of China in the future and face an irreparable situation."

"My Northwest Revolutionary Army has decided to launch a strong attack to solve the series of problems currently facing the Northern Frontier. At this point in time, if anyone dares to stretch out his claws, I will chop him off and wipe out his entire family!"

Su Zhengyang's words were full of straightforwardness and naked threats, which made Ma Changfang feel uncomfortable and also sent a chill down his spine.

After all, the strength of the Northwest Revolutionary Army is now obvious to all throughout China. Even the Ma faction, which has been entrenched in Xiazhou for many years and has a large number of soldiers and generals, dare not confront it head-on.

After a few seconds of silence, Su Zhengyang did not hear Ma Changfang's response on the phone, so he spoke again: "I believe that Councillor Ma is a smart man. In one month, just one month, our Northwest Revolutionary Army will completely turn the situation on the entire battlefield around. If Councillor Ma cannot make a wise decision, then unfortunately, our Northwest Revolutionary Army will not let any rebel go."

"Zhengyang, what are you talking about? I, Ma Changfang, have always been loyal to Northern Xinjiang and the president. How could I get involved with the rebels?"

"That's great, Councillor Ma. When you have time, come to Linzhou and I'll personally host a banquet for you to enjoy."

After the two exchanged greetings for a while, Su Zhengyang took the initiative to hang up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Ma Changfang held the receiver in his hand, squinted his eyes, and muttered to himself: "What a brilliant Su Zhengyang, what a famous Northwest Revolutionary Army, actually threatens me."

Qu Guowei, who had long been curious and had come to Ma Changfang to listen attentively, took in most of Su Zhengyang's words and said in a deep voice, "It seems that Su Zhengyang has heard some rumors. Now the Northwest Revolutionary Army is on guard. If they really want to take action, it will be disadvantageous to us."

"But this Su Zhengyang is young and hot-headed. He doesn't know his place. He even dared to threaten Brother Ma directly. Brother Ma should have taught him a lesson over the phone instead of giving him any face."

Ma Changfang pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Su Zhengyang said that he will turn the situation on the battlefield around within a month. I want to see if he is just pretending to be mysterious or if he really has the ability to save the situation."

Qu Guowei looked rather disdainful. "The biggest threat facing the entire Northern Frontier right now is the Fuso Kwantung Army in the Northeast. Even if Su Zhengyang cleans up the rebels like Zhang Chengxiang, as long as Fuso successfully enters the pass and moves south, the Northern Frontier regime will still be in turmoil. Su Zhengyang is in the northwest and cannot affect the situation in the Northeast at all. How can he dare to say that he can turn the situation on the entire battlefield around within a month? I think he is just being mysterious."

Ma Changfang sat back on the sofa, lit a cigar, and said calmly, "It will be about a month. During this month, our two families will keep our troops in place. If Su Zhengyang really has the strength to turn the tide, our agreement with Zhang Chengxiang will be terminated. If Su Zhengyang is just bluffing, it will not be too late for us to send troops then."

In short, the truth is only on the edge of the sword, and dignity is within the range of the cannon. This principle is extremely applicable at all times. If it were not for the Northwest Revolutionary Army under Su Zhengyang who launched a two-way war in just one month and directly wiped out the Zhao and Han factions, I am afraid that Ma Changfang would not take his threat seriously at all.

Now Su Zhengyang's tough threat has made Ma Changfang a little more worried.

In Su Zhengyang's office, Zhang Luanyu said, "Governor, do you think that old fox Ma Changfang will not dare to send troops because of your threats?"

Su Zhengyang said calmly, "Ma Changfang is a man who is good at maintaining the status quo but not at making progress. He has guarded the Ma family's foundation for more than a hundred years and has such a great influence in the northwest, but he has never expanded his power. To put it nicely, he is calm and steady, but to put it bluntly, he is indecisive. Facing such a person, our tough attitude will make him afraid. There is a 70% chance that what I said will make him dare not take any action easily."

"Within a month, as long as our Northwest Revolutionary Army can achieve sufficiently impressive results on the battlefield, the cooperation between the Ma faction and Zhang Chengxiang will basically fail."

"Of course, just in case, we still have to keep a close eye on this old fox. Once the Ma and Qu factions make a move, we will immediately turn our guns around and kill these two ignorant speculators first."