Republic of China: German-equipped divisions massacred as warlords guarded the nation's borders

August 1925, 5, night.

Shanghai, Chen Mansion.

Chen Zijun stood in front of the full-length mirror, letting Mo Huixin straighten his crisp officer's uniform. He turned his head slightly, his deep gaze falling on the system panel in the upper right corner of his vision.

[Host: Chen Zijun]

[Unlimited spending system in operation... Current fund acquisition speed: 1.5 pounds/second]

Current available funds: £3,645,800

[Fixed Assets and Unrealized Gains: The New Industrial Cluster in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces is Taking Shape; Raw Silk Spot Market and Seized Physical Assets in Japan are Valued at Over Ten Million Pounds]

Despite the terrifying number, Chen Zijun's eyes remained calm.

For him now, money has truly become just a string of numbers. More importantly, this string of numbers can not only buy Germany's most advanced machine tools and Krupp cannons, but also secure the most unwavering loyalty of the Jiang-Zhe tycoons.

"Young Master."

Mo Huixin called out with ease.

Tonight, she changed into a dark red velvet evening gown that perfectly accentuated her stunning figure, and a priceless pearl necklace adorned her long, swan-like neck. Yet, her exquisitely beautiful face still carried that unapproachable aloofness and competence befitting a financial manager.

"The motorcade is ready. The Peace Hotel has also called to say that more than 300 business tycoons from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have all arrived. They are all waiting for your arrival, 'Pillar of Jiangsu and Zhejiang'," Mo Huixin said with a smile.

Chen Zijun put on white gloves and smiled faintly: "A white jade pillar supporting the sky? Why isn't it a pillar supporting the sky! What a pity, these capitalists are better at changing their tune than they are at calculating accounts in the business world. Let's go, let's go meet our 'gods of wealth'."

……

Half an hour later.

The Peace Hotel in the Shanghai International Settlement.

This most luxurious hotel in the Far East was completely booked out by the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce tonight. The hotel's perimeter was guarded every few steps by heavily armed soldiers of the Chen Family Army's elite guards. Their cold M35 helmets and MP18 submachine guns made even the foreign police officers passing by instinctively give them a wide berth.

When Chen Zijun's bulletproof black Studebaker pulled up in front of the restaurant, the entire Nanjing Road seemed to fall silent for a moment.

"The young marshal has arrived—!"

With a shout from the adjutant, the two heavy brass doors of the banquet hall were slowly pushed open.

The once noisy banquet hall fell silent instantly.

next second.

Whoosh!

Bankers from Shanghai, silk tycoons from Hangzhou, cotton textile moguls from Wuxi... more than 300 top capitalists who control the economic lifeline of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and even most of China stood up at the same time and in unison!

No one dared to speak, no one even dared to breathe loudly.

Everyone stared intently at the young general who strode into the banquet hall, accompanied by Mo Huixin, with an almost fanatical reverence.

Chen Zijun.

The number one warlord in Southeast China.

This very afternoon, this man used a method that chilled the spines of all businessmen to uproot Mitsui & Co., a Japanese company that had been entrenched in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions for ten years. He drove the head of the Japanese consulate to commit seppuku, and forced countless traitors and compradors who had shorted the market to line up and jump off rooftops!

What a terrifying technique! What astonishing power!

"Young Marshal!"

Yu Xiaode, the representative of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, a seasoned businessman in his fifties who had been navigating the business world for decades, was so excited that his voice trembled. Holding a wine glass, he quickly stepped forward, his eyes red-rimmed.

"The Japanese want to eradicate our roots, they want to bankrupt all the silk and cloth merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and force them to sell their children! It was you, Young Marshal, who gave us a way out! You are not only the uncrowned king of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but also the pillar of strength for all Chinese merchants!"

As Yu Xiaode spoke, he suddenly lifted the hem of his long robe and was about to kneel down in front of Chen Zijun!

Chen Zijun reacted quickly and caught his arm.

"Mr. Yu, you mustn't." Chen Zijun's tone was gentle, but his hands were as firm as iron clamps. "I am a soldier; protecting the country and its people is my duty. How can I stand idly by while the Japanese are using such underhanded tactics on my territory?"

"Young Marshal, your righteousness is truly admirable!"

Someone in the crowd shouted. Immediately afterwards, the entire banquet hall erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Yu Xiaode took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the more than three hundred business tycoons in the room. He said loudly, "Fellow businessmen! We do business for stability! In the past, we paid taxes to the Beiyang government and protection money to foreigners, but when it came to life and death, who cared about our lives?!"

The entire room fell silent. Many businessmen, recalling the despair of the past few days, couldn't help but tear up.

"Only Chen's army!" Yu Xiaode clenched his fist. "Only the young marshal is willing to put up real money and fight tooth and nail for us Chinese businessmen! We can't be ungrateful ingrates!"

He turned around and respectfully handed Chen Zijun a joint document.

"Young Marshal! With the unanimous consent of the entire Chamber of Commerce, we have decided to establish the 'Jiangsu-Zhejiang National Protection Merchants Fund.' From now on, all shops, factories, and banks in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces will voluntarily contribute 20% of their annual net profits as military expenses for the Chen Family Army! Moreover, whatever materials or channels your arsenals and steel mills need, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce will unconditionally and prioritize supplying them at cost price!"

20% profit!

Unconditional supply!

This is not just surrendering; it's completely binding one's life and fortune to Chen Zijun's war chariot!

Chen Zijun looked at the joint document covered with red handprints, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

He didn't refuse, but directly reached out and took it.

He turned around, took a glass of red wine from his adjutant, and raised it high.

"I, Chen Zijun, appreciate your kind gestures."

Chen Zijun's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone through the loudspeakers in the banquet hall.

"Since you all call me the Pillar of Heaven, let me be frank with you all. As long as my Chen family army remains in Jiangnan, as long as my 100,000 brothers still have a single bullet in their guns—"

Chen Zijun's eyes instantly turned as sharp as a knife.

"On this land, no foreigner can even think about touching Chinese factories or businesses! Anyone who dares to extend a claw will have their hand chopped off! Even if the Japanese fleet comes, I'll still blast them into the Huangpu River to feed the fish!"

Domineering!

Madness!

Unparalleled arrogance!

"Salute to the young marshal!"

"I am willing to die for the young marshal!"

More than 300 wealthy businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang raised their glasses at the same time, their enthusiastic shouts almost lifting the dome of the Peace Hotel.

Standing behind Chen Zijun, Mo Huixin looked at the scene of thousands of merchants returning to their homes, and a deep fascination and admiration flashed in her eyes.

She knew that from this day forward, the logistical and economic foundation of Chen's army was as solid as a rock, and no force could shake it.

……

After half an hour.

Inside a private room on the second floor of the Peace Hotel.

The noise outside was blocked by the heavy soundproof door. Chen Zijun sat on the sofa, toying with an exquisite lighter in his hand.

In the shadows of the private room, a woman wearing a black tight-fitting trench coat quietly emerged.

The head of intelligence, Moranzhi.

"Young Master." Mo Lanzhi stood straight in front of him, handing him a top-secret telegram that had just been deciphered with both hands.

"News has just come back from the intelligence network in Japan. The younger officers in the military are extremely angry about the Ministry of Commerce's disastrous defeat in the raw silk war. They consider those merchants to be useless and a disgrace to the empire."

Moran's voice was as cold as ice.

"The radical faction within the military has bypassed diplomatic channels and secretly dispatched a special operations team called 'Sakura' to infiltrate Shanghai via smuggling ships. This team consists entirely of highly trained assassins; their objective is not commercial sabotage, but rather..."

"Physical elimination." Chen Zijun picked up the conversation, glanced at the telegram, and sneered, "Trying to assassinate me? Or trying to bomb my arsenal?"

"Anything is possible." Moran's expression turned extremely grave. "The remaining Special Higher Police agents in Shanghai are operating like madmen. These people have been driven to the brink; they're capable of anything."

Chen Zijun leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

"Let them come." His tone was laced with cruel bloodlust. "Reinforce the area around the Ma'anshan Arsenal with another regiment. If they dare to go, I'll make sure they don't return."

"But young master..."

Mo Lanzhi hesitated for a moment, then looked up, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"The special train that Chief of Staff Shen personally escorted to escort your father-in-law, President Cao Yu, south will arrive at Shanghai South Station at 8 p.m. tomorrow. This matter should not be a top secret; many forces should have known about it since they left Beiping."

"President Cao's identity is too special. Neither the warlords in the north nor the Japanese want him to come to your territory alive. Those lunatics in the Special Higher Police will likely make tomorrow night's train station their primary assassination target."

The air in the private room suddenly cooled down.

Chen Zijun's fingers, which were tapping the armrest, stopped.

He slowly raised his head, and his eyes, which had originally held a hint of laziness, were instantly filled with intense killing intent.

"You're messing with my future father-in-law?"

Chen Zijun crushed the cigar in his hand, his voice sounding as if it came from the deepest hell.

"Notify the Imperial Guard battalion. I will personally pick them up at the station tomorrow night."