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

Zhili Province, inside the Cao family mansion.

With the arrival of the New Year, everyone gathered together. The adults played mahjong and gambled for money, while the children gathered in groups to set off fireworks in the yard.

Just as the whole family was reuniting and celebrating the New Year, an urgent telegram from the front line instantly shattered the joyful scene.

An hour later, in the study of Cao's mansion, Cao Xin was wearing a silk cotton jacket. His already old face was now frighteningly gloomy, causing the many generals who had just arrived to not even dare to breathe.

Now, the Feng clique has confirmed that Cao Xin will be in power. Facing the new head of the family, they dare not make any presumptuous moves.

"The battle on the front lines has been extremely brutal. From midnight on, the Independence Army launched an all-out attack, tearing through all defenses almost instantly and heading straight for our central camp."

"Seven hundred thousand troops, a full seven hundred thousand troops. In just one month, the military expenses alone cost me forty to fifty million. This doesn't even include the capital city that was ceded to the Fengbei Army for help, and the fifty million for the expedition!"

Cao Xin's gloomy eyes swept across the faces of everyone present, and every word he said was like a thousand-pound hammer, hitting everyone so hard that they couldn't raise their heads.

"Do you think Lao Feng left a lot of money when he left?"

"Do you think the current Feng Clan still has the ability to conquer the world?"

“Bullshit!!”

The angry shouts echoed throughout the study. Cao Xin turned around twice in anger. The irritation in his heart became more and more intense, and he couldn't help but continue to curse.

"I shamelessly borrowed 100 million yuan from a foreigner and spent it all in a month, and this is what I get!?"

"One hundred and seventy thousand men, and the enemy broke through their positions in one round. Not to mention the number of casualties, according to incomplete statistics, over three thousand surrendered!"

"What the hell is this? You eat and drink from me, but when the real fight comes, you raise your guns and surrender. If you act like this, why are we still fighting? Even if I had 170,000 pigs, I'd still be more loyal than you!"

"Boss, calm down. Now is not the time to get angry."

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was becoming increasingly depressing, Wu Zhongwen stood up, held Cao Xin's shoulders, and half-pushed him to sit down before continuing.

"The independence army's attack at this time was indeed beyond everyone's expectations, and it is understandable that the soldiers did not react in time."

Wu Zhongwen knew clearly that it was right to curse a few times to vent his emotions and put some pressure on his subordinates, but if he continued to put pressure on them, it would not be a good thing either, as it would easily drive people crazy and cause a rebellious mentality.

Therefore, his current task is to put out fires on all sides.

"Of course, it's a bit unreasonable that the first round of attack turned out like this."

"The Cold War has been going on for nearly a month, and now that the fighting has just begun, it's still unclear who will win or lose."

"Besides, there are some who fight well. The Ninth Army is quite good, isn't it? They are still holding the first line of defense in the central army and have blocked their heavy armored brigade. That's an achievement!"

"Old Wu, hurry up and say whatever you want to say. Don't dilly-dally here and waste time!"

Cao Xin urged a little impatiently.

He is now fully focused on the Wu Yue front and has no time to cooperate with him in acting.

Losing is losing, winning is winning. No matter how nice the words are, they cannot cover up the facts.

"Alright, Mr. Cao, everyone knows the current situation. My suggestion is simple: withdraw from the Wuyue border defense line and withdraw the main force to Zhijiang to rest for a few days."

Wu Zhongwen looked at everyone and persuaded them very rationally.

In fact, his idea is definitely the most correct decision for the current Feng family.

Now that the battle has come to this, the soldiers are becoming increasingly war-weary. If they continue to fight at this time, the casualties will only increase.

Rather than wasting ammunition and lives in vain, it is better to take a step back, temporarily avoid the sharp edge, rest for a while, and give the soldiers some time to adjust their condition.

Anyway, Wu Yue Province is there and it can't run away. No one will fight for it whether you attack it early or late.

After these words were spoken, although no one in the room expressed their opinions, they all agreed with them in their hearts.

The total number of Feng’s troops is limited now, and if one dies, we have to find a way to replenish it.

These days, most young people of the right age have been drafted.

Every death requires a considerable amount of resettlement expenses, and that’s a lot of money.

Moreover, the independence army's offensive has been formed and morale is at its peak.

It is indeed not a wise decision to confront the other party head-on at this time.

"Not fighting anymore? Do you know what it means if we don't fight now?"

Cao Xin completely disagreed with this plan. He immediately slammed the table, glared at everyone and scolded them.

"We've all been on the battlefield before, so we're naturally aware of the current situation. The Independence Army is closing in on us. Retreating at this time will only lead to a desperate pursuit."

"If we can't even hold our own in a head-on fight, some people will surrender. But if we turn and retreat, believe it or not, the sound of the tanks' throttles alone will scatter the troops without them even firing!"

"With 170,000 people, if he can withdraw 100,000 of them back to Zhijiang, I'll be very lucky!"

"Boss Cao, don't we still have the Ninth Army?"

Wu Zhongwen tried to lower his tone, maintain a gentle smile, and continued to persuade.

"Let the Ninth Army hold the rear for half a day. As long as the main force withdraws, they can easily leave."

"Oh, you're really imagining that. The entire Feng clique, including the garrisons in Zhili and Qianhu provinces, has less than 300,000 troops. There isn't a single one that can compete with the Ninth Army."

"You want me to use my ace to cover the retreat of a bunch of wimps?!"

Cao Xin had a frustrated look on his face and felt like a joke at the moment.

He kept saying that he wanted to retake Wu Yue Province and had paid a huge price for it. He asked the Fengbei Army for support to hold off the Duan troops behind him.

I thought it should not be difficult to win this battle. After all, Zhang Ye was just a young bastard who had just emerged. Although he had hundreds of thousands of troops at his disposal, Cao Xin was confident that Feng's ace troops could easily destroy the enemy.

But now, the war has just begun, and they are already in a situation of crushing defeat. Even before the other side launches a general attack, people have already surrendered one after another.

At this moment, Cao Xin had no idea why this was happening. After more than ten years of operation, nearly a thousand officers had been selected bit by bit from battles of all sizes.

How could he be defeated so easily?

Is it that the enemy is too strong, or are they so rotten internally that they can no longer stand on their own?