The Republic of China: A Letter of Appointment Creates the Most Powerful Warlord

More than an hour later, this simple meeting ended, and everyone, led by the staff, went to visit the military camp. Only Zhang Ye and Old Zhang did not move, and still stayed in the conference room chatting.

As the others left, Old Zhang leaned back in his chair, yawned comfortably, and asked with a smile.

"Brother, how much money are you planning to raise this time? I heard that warlords from all over the country are rushing to Shanghai. The scene in two days will definitely be unprecedentedly hot."

"Hey, what's the money? If it really comes down to money, I can support those students myself."

Zhang Ye shook his head and smiled, a thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes, and he asked casually.

"What does the Marshal think of those foreigners? Are they so intent on supporting various factions? Is it for money, territory, or to develop colonies?"

"They all want it!" To this, Old Zhang nodded with certainty and responded, "Daxia is a vast land with abundant resources and a civilization that has been passed down for thousands of years. Which of these foreign devils wouldn't want the things our ancestors left behind?"

"Add to that our large population and relatively underdeveloped development, and they've developed the idea of ​​colonizing the country. They want to keep all of our people like livestock, providing them with a constant supply of blood."

"Indeed, the lessons of the previous dynasty are right before our eyes. If the government hadn't been weak and incompetent, the Qindao Incident wouldn't have happened."

A hint of anger appeared on Zhang Ye's stern face. Thinking of the various treaties signed by the previous government in its early years, he was so angry that his teeth were itching.

The government was incompetent and officials at all levels were afraid of death, which led to the rampant foreigners on the land of Daxia.

If the government at that time had fought to the death, even if it ended in a miserable defeat, it would not have been cursed by future generations.

"History will not stand still. Future generations will judge the past. What we can do is to stabilize the ship under our feet, take good care of the brothers around us, and if we still have the energy to spare, then we can talk about family and country."

Old Zhang sighed with some regret.

Although what he said is a bit realistic, I have to admit that there is nothing wrong with thinking this way.

People are selfish. If they can’t even feed themselves, how can they have the mood and ability to take care of others?

"That being said, people are ultimately sentimental. There are some things that you just can't help but care about."

Although Zhang Ye agreed with his words, he knew that he could not do it at all.

How could he just do nothing when he saw foreigners running rampant and bullying Chinese people?

The landlords and tycoons have oppressed the lower classes for generations, and their lives have remained impoverished for decades, with no hope in sight. How could he just ignore it?

If he doesn't care about this or that, what is the meaning of his existence?

Is it true that he would lead hundreds of thousands of troops to capture cities, sit firmly in the imperial city and ascend the throne to become emperor, continue to consolidate his class, and make it impossible for hundreds of millions of people in the world to ever get ahead?

This is not what he wants, nor what he wants to see.

The higher the position, the greater the change in mentality. Some people love money, some love sex, and more people are greedy for power.

But Zhang Ye is different. He seems to have passed the stage of being greedy for worldly things. When he has nothing to do, he likes to hang out with the grassroots people, watching them have enough food and clothes, and live happily every day. The sense of accomplishment he gets is irreplaceable by anything.

Moreover, as I visit more and more deeply and see more and more people, and see that their living environment has changed because of my decisions, my sense of accomplishment will become stronger and stronger, and I may even become addicted.

……

"Brother, you're still thinking too far ahead."

Seeing his melancholy look, Old Zhang stood up and walked to the huge national map on the table, grinning.

"If you have that much time, you might as well study how to proceed down the road."

"For example?" Zhang Ye knew what he was asking, but he wanted to hear what the old man's attitude was on this matter.

In the battle with the Duan faction, the Fengbei Army reaped rich rewards and became one of the most powerful warlords in the country. Old Zhang was even more firmly seated in the capital, and he had vague intentions of ascending the throne.

Now, he took the initiative to talk about future plans, and Zhang Ye also wanted to hear what the old man was thinking.

"The country is divided everywhere. There are 20 to 30 well-known warlords, and there are even more small factions occupying the mountains and acting as kings."

Old Zhang pointed at the map and sneered helplessly.

"Some people even claim to be marshals after occupying a county town. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Division is a problem we must face right now. In this world, people are restless and anyone with a bit of ability doesn't want to be inferior to others."

Zhang Ye continued the conversation following the topic.

"This situation has caused chaos throughout Daxia. Barriers have been erected between provinces, and circulation between cities is impossible. Each territory has its own numerous rules and regulations, and even the currency is different, causing great headaches for the people."

"That's right, this is what I want to say. If Daxia wants to truly stand up, it still needs to complete unification as soon as possible!"

Old Zhang's eyes sparkled, and he casually drew a circle on the map and gestured.

"The Fengbei Army currently occupies the four northern provinces, while your independent army is desperately trying to defend the three eastern Shandong provinces and half of Shanghu. This area is far from enough. If you want to change the situation, you must at least occupy most of the territory!"

"So, the Marshal is planning to deal with Cao Xin?" Zhang Ye's lips curled up slightly, drawing interest as he confirmed, "After Old Feng's death, there was indeed a period of internal strife within the Feng faction, but Cao Xin had some prestige after all, and he quickly quelled the situation."

"Although the Feng clique is no longer as powerful as it once was, it cannot be underestimated. I heard that Lu Yongxiang, the former Duan clique warlord, has surrendered to the Feng clique and is back in control of Zhijiang Province."

"I wouldn't care if there were a hundred people like Lu Yongxiang who were fence-sitters!"

Old Zhang glared and snorted in a domineering manner.

"If he can betray Old Duan, he can betray Cao Xin, too. He's not worth worrying about."

"As for whether to use military force against the Feng clan, I've thought about this for a long time, but I haven't been able to make a decision yet."

"Cao Xin has the support of the Eagle Sauce and the British. We have to admit that these two forces are very powerful, and they are more ambitious than the Sakura Country."

"Not necessarily. I heard that the Eagle Sauce has changed its target and diverted most of its support to the Min Prefecture warlord Jiang Xiansheng in the south."

Zhang Ye looked at the Min Prefecture which was marked in red on the map and asked curiously.

"Who is this person? Why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Jiang Xiansheng from the Fujian Prefecture?" Old Zhang was also taken aback when he heard this. After a moment's thought, he finally recalled it and squinted his eyes and said, "Do you remember the Northern Expedition led by Mr. Sun two years ago? This guy is from the same faction as him."

"After the Northern Expedition Army was repelled by Old Duan, this group retreated to the south and hid."

"I originally thought this group of people would never amount to anything, but I didn't expect them to become famous in Min Prefecture."