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

"My personal suggestion is to join forces with the Feng faction and attack the Fengbei Army first!"

Duan Tianlin looked at the angry crowd and took the initiative to express his views.

"In recent years, the Fengbei Army has grown rapidly, and there are already signs of it taking the lead. If we can't curb their growth, the domestic situation will become even more uncontrollable in the future."

"That's right, Mr. Duan is right."

In response to this question, Huang Weize also joined in and continued speaking.

"The Fengbei Army is gaining momentum. Coupled with the establishment of the Military Academy, they have begun to focus on developing younger officers, showing signs of rising to prominence. If they win the battle against the Feng faction, then no one in northern Daxia will be their rival."

"So, my suggestion is to attack the Fengbei Army first and drive them back to their hometown!"

"I have no objection to fighting the bandit Zhang Ma, but why do I feel so uncomfortable when I think about cooperating with Cao Xin?"

Duan Qinggui frowned and said reluctantly.

As soon as he said this, the others nodded without hiding their disgust.

From this point, it can be seen that Feng’s popularity is not very good.

"Let's talk it over first. If we can reach a consensus with Cao Xin and they're willing to pay for the expedition, then we can focus our firepower on attacking Lao Zhang."

Duan Tianlin knew what everyone was thinking, but now was not the time to discuss personal emotions.

If they cannot fire the first shot to open the gate, the northern army will not be able to leave the capital, and everything will be in vain.

In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter who we fight or who we fight against. The most important thing is to withdraw the troops first.

"What if we can't reach an agreement?"

Wei Tangfeng still had some concerns, so he asked in front of everyone.

In an instant, the room became quiet, and everyone turned their eyes to Lao Duan, wanting to hear the follow-up plan.

I have to admit that Wei Tangfeng's worries are possible.

What should be done if neither the Feng clique nor the Fengbei Army agrees to let them enter?

"Then let the Independence Army go and open a passage to escort us out!"

Duan Tianlin was direct and said shamelessly facing everyone's gaze.

Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Who could have imagined that in just over a year, the independence army that was once despised and criticized by everyone has completed a brilliant turnaround. From being traitors in their eyes, they have become the strong "thigh" that they have to try their best to win over and pray for!

Thinking of this, those veterans who had been on the battlefield for a long time could not help but sigh, with mixed feelings in their hearts, and they could not help but cast their eyes on Huang Weize's slightly hunched but still upright figure.

Looking back, when Zhang Ye was just starting to gain power, Huang Weize was once regarded as a traitor to the Duan faction. People accused him of raising a tiger to cause trouble, and some even suspected that he was in cahoots with Zhang Ye.

At that time, Huang Weize was under tremendous pressure and questioning, and was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

However, fate is always full of drama.

When Zhang Ye led an army of 800,000 across the bloody battlefield, sweeping through thousands of enemies with thunderous force and being invincible, Huang Weize suddenly became the object of everyone's envy.

For no other reason than that Lao Huang has one more crucial retreat route than others.

If this attempt fails, everyone present will probably be criticized and imprisoned. Even if they are lucky enough to escape from Daxia, they will never have the chance to come back in this lifetime.

Only Huang Weize was different. Even if he failed, Zhang Ye could easily save him with just a word. The worst that could happen was that he could retire in the three provinces of eastern Shandong, have food and drink, no worries, and spend the last few years of his life in peace and stability.

Who wouldn't envy such an infallible life-saving talisman? Even Duan Tianlin couldn't compare to him.

……

The next day, in Hedong Province, inside the Hedong Military Office building, a wealthy middle-aged man in a brocade robe, who kept wiping his sweat, looked at the information in his hand and couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha, this old Cao is really good at handling things. He actually sent Wu Zhongwen to express his condolences. Isn't this just asking our old Feng to send troops?"

Feng Yuxiang's bearded old face was filled with a smug smile as he looked at the adjutant beside him and showed off.

"Look, what did I say? Not taking sides is the best way to take sides. If I had agreed to Zhang Ma Bandit before, who knows what would happen to us now."

"Oh, the Marshal is really wise."

The adjutant followed closely and flattered him, then immediately handed over a new piece of information.

"This is a telegram from Tianjin. Duan Tianlin, who has been living in a small house for a long time, is not feeling well either."

"Haha, he can still make waves?" Feng Yuxiang's eyes flashed with surprise, and he took the telegram and began to look at it carefully.

As he watched, the smile on his face began to disappear little by little. After a while, he frowned and fell into silence, not saying a word for a long time.

The content of the telegram was very simple, just one sentence: "Join hands and we can seize the Central Plains!"

These eight short words stirred up a storm in Feng Yuxiang's heart.

He still didn't know why Old Duan had the confidence to say this, but after knowing him for so many years, he knew that the old guy was definitely not a talker.

Since you dare to say it, you must have a backup plan.

Apart from anything else, it can be seen from the content of this telegram that the old man has been plotting against him for more than a day or two.

Zhongyuan Province was the place he had always dreamed of. It had a vast territory and a large population, and it had an excellent geographical location. It could attack or defend, and it occupied many important transportation routes.

For the Hedong Army, successfully taking over the Central Plains is equivalent to controlling half of Daxia. In the future, if there is any disturbance, they can respond calmly and advance and retreat in an orderly manner.

"Find out what Lao Duan has been doing lately, including his former subordinates. Get to the bottom of it!"

"Marshal, we've finished checking, everything is here!"

The adjutant was a hard-working man. After hearing this, he immediately came forward with the documents and reported.

"Three months ago, Duan Tianlin began meeting frequently with British representatives in the British Concession in Tianjin. The two sides seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, but the specifics are still unclear."

"During this period, Xu Zhenlin, a former general of the Duan faction, brought a group of young officers into the ranks of the Fujian National Army. He made several public appearances. Although he did not express his stance, he showed strong intentions of forming an alliance!"

"Until the civil war broke out and the foreigners were blocked in the Chuzhou Sea, Xu Zhenlin was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Army's vanguard. He went north to meet his old comrade Lu Yongxiang again and jointly resisted the erosion of the independence army."

"About four days ago, Xu Zhenlin blew up the Qujiang River dike to stop the Independence Army's advance, causing a flood that submerged the entire area north of Wulin. This temporarily halted the Independence Army's advance!"

"During this period, according to intelligence reports, several factions held frequent meetings. Although we're unclear as to what they were discussing, a small opening was opened in the border between Zhijiang and Jiangyou Province in the early hours of last night, allowing a small unit of the Independence Army to pass through."

"From this, we can infer that there must be a private transaction between Xu Zhenlin and Zhang Ye!"