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

at the same time.

A thousand kilometers away from Ma'anshan, in the south, lies Guangzhou, the nation's stronghold.

Inside a heavily guarded three-story Western-style building, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.

Chiang Kai-shek, dressed in a crisp general's uniform, clutched two top-secret intelligence documents, just translated from urgent telegrams, tightly in his hands. His face was ashen, like a zombie, and the veins on his forehead throbbed as if they might burst at any moment.

“Pah!”

He smashed an extremely valuable Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain teacup onto the polished floor, shattering it into pieces. Scalding hot tea splashed all over the floor.

Standing opposite the large mahogany desk was Dai Zhijian, the head of the intelligence and special operations department and the most feared assassin leader in the entire southern camp.

At this moment, this ruthless killer was keeping his head down, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Look at this! Open your dog eyes and take a good look!" Chiang Kai-shek grabbed the two intelligence reports and slammed them into Dai Zhijian's face, scattering the pages all over the floor. "This is the work of your secret service! A staggering one million pounds bounty! A triple-layered, deadly trap! You claim it's flawless!"

"And the result?!" Chiang Kai-shek slammed his hand on the table, making the ink bottle jump. "You didn't even manage to scratch a single hair on Chen Zijun's head! Instead, you were slaughtered like pigs! You, the dignified head of the Nationalist government's intelligence agency, were captured alive by someone's maid? Huh? What face do you have to come back and see me?!"

Dai Zhijian's face was deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. His voice trembled as he pleaded, "Principal, please calm down... I was indeed incompetent. But the security surrounding Chen Zijun was simply illogical! Not only did he have armored vehicles with bulletproof armor several millimeters thick clearing the way, but he also had elite frogmen in diving suits lying in ambush underwater! Our assassins hadn't even reached the car door before he was mowed down by heavy firepower..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear any of your excuses!"

Chiang Kai-shek abruptly interrupted him, his chest heaving, and pointed at the intelligence reports on the ground, roaring, "The assassination failed, fine. But how do you explain the contents of these reports?! Do you even know what these two intelligence reports mean?!"

Dai Zhijian swallowed hard, not daring to look at the words on the ground. Because he had personally handled the intelligence, he knew its significance better than anyone else.

The first intelligence report: Chen Zijun greeted former Beiyang President Cao Yu at Shanghai South Railway Station with an extremely high-profile display. And that old codger Cao Yu, having staked his entire political fortune on Chen Zijun, has already mobilized his deep connections among his old Beiyang subordinates, sending a telegram to invite Jiang Fu, the former Qing Dynasty military advisor and true strategic mastermind, to come out of retirement!

Moreover, he has recruited a large number of top elites who graduated from Baoding Military Academy and the Japanese Army Academy, and is making intensive preparations to establish the "Central National Defense Military School" for Chen's army.

What does this mean?

This means that Chen's army is no longer just a bunch of petty warlords who only know how to throw money around. Chen Zijun is establishing his own officer training system! An army with strong self-sufficiency and top-notch strategic masters at its helm is a truly invincible monster.

The second intelligence report sent a chill down Chiang Kai-shek's spine.

"Chen Jiajun forcibly consolidated and relocated the entire Shanghai military industry to Lishui, Zhejiang, to establish the 'Jiangnan Heavy Industry Group.' At the same time, Ma'anshan Coal-Steel Composite has successfully produced the first batch of special armor steel that meets German standards and is now fully launching the research and development and mass production plan for 150mm heavy howitzers and tracked armored vehicles."

Chiang Kai-shek slumped weakly into the large, high-backed chair, his hands trembling slightly, his eyes revealing an undisguised fear.

"150mm... heavy howitzer..."

He muttered to himself, as if reciting some extremely vicious and deadly spell.

Looking at the entire National Army headquarters now, the largest caliber artillery they have is only a pitiful 75mm field mountain gun, and they have to be careful with their shells and use them sparingly.

Chen Zijun, that greenhorn in his early twenties, has actually started building his own 150mm caliber heavy artillery?!

Tanks?! If he really manages to build a sizable armored company within six months...

"The Southeast has become a force to be reckoned with!" Chiang Kai-shek slammed his fist on the table, roaring through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "If we don't stop this evil dragon, I'm afraid that within a year, its steel tracks and heavy artillery will be driving into our Guangzhou! The world will change color!"

Dai Zhijian lowered his head, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.

"Principal," he slowly raised his head, lowering his voice, which sounded like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, "on the front lines, we are indeed no match for Chen's five fully armed German-equipped divisions. Assassination has also been blocked by Chen Zijun's impenetrable defenses."

"Since a direct confrontation won't work, we have no choice but to attack from within and completely dismantle him."

Chiang Kai-shek frowned, looking at him coldly: "Easy for you to say! How do you plan to dismantle him? Chen Zijun is fair in rewarding and punishing his subordinates, never delaying their pay and clothing, and is even more generous than the foreigners. What makes you think you can win over his men?"

"Openly trying to turn him into a defector won't work, of course." Dai Zhijian sneered, a strange smile curving his lips. "But Principal, don't forget, Chen Zijun's empire is too large now. His army, his heavy factories, his smuggling shipping lines—they all need to operate everywhere. Most importantly, we're not without our own trump cards."

"Hindsandwich?"

Dai Zhijian took two steps forward, and like a thief caught doing something wrong, leaned close to Chiang Kai-shek's ear and quickly whispered a few words in a very low voice that only the two of them could hear.

Chiang Kai-shek's lifeless eyes suddenly lit up, as if a drowning person had grasped at a straw.

"You mean... that secret agent planted in Jiangsu and Zhejiang years ago?"

"That's right." Dai Zhijian said with a grim face, offering his strategy word by word, "This pawn is hidden extremely deep, so deep that even Chen Zijun's biological father, Chen Yuhe, hasn't noticed it at all. Although the Chen family army seems to be an impenetrable fortress now, as long as we awaken this pawn at the crucial moment and make it suddenly activate, we can definitely deliver a fatal blow to the Chen family army's most vulnerable point!"

Chiang Kai-shek leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Outside the Western-style building, the rainy season in Guangzhou can change in an instant. The originally clear sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds, and a muffled rumble of thunder sounded.

"Go do it." Chiang Kai-shek closed his eyes, wearily waved his hand, and when he opened them again, his gaze was as cold as iron. "At all costs, awaken that hidden agent. I want that brat Chen Zijun to know that this world cannot be easily conquered by his cannons and steel alone!"

"Yes! I will arrange it immediately and will not let the principal down!"

Dai Zhijian stood at attention and gave a perfectly standard military salute, then turned and strode into the dark corridor.

Lightning flashed across the sky outside the window.

A terrifying new conspiracy targeting the Chen family army is silently and menacingly brewing amidst the rolling thunder.