Today's third update... Xuzhou entered the Northern Expedition Army without fighting, which caused unprecedented huge fluctuations, which was far beyond the expectations of Wu Peifu, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army. After all, when the Northern Army gave up Nanjing a while ago, Wuchang could become a big city like this, the reactions from all sides were calm. The National Government did not make a big fuss about the news of seizing Nanjing and Wuchang, and did not shamelessly promote the great victory of Nanjing and Wuchang.

But this time, the National Government suddenly ignored the facts and began to brag about their great achievements in "heroic Northern Expedition soldiers" braved the guns and bullets of the Beiyang warlords to conquer Xuzhou, an important central city in the Central Plains.

In the publicly announced war report, the Northern Expedition Army Command even spoke lies with his eyes open, claiming that their Northern Expedition Army fought with the main force of the Beiyang Army under the city of Xuzhou for ten days! After paying the price of more than 30,000 casualties, he defeated the main force of the Northern Army and defeated Xuzhou! In this battle, he killed and wounded and captured as many as 100,000 officers and soldiers of the Northern Army, which was the greatest victory since the beginning of the Northern Expedition!

After bragging, of course, there were a series of celebration meetings, press conferences, commendation meetings, military parades, etc. Some battlefield reporters licensed by the Northern Expedition Army Command went deep into the Xuzhou front line, which had just "experienced the war". A lot of "battlefield photos" were taken, as well as photos of the Northern Army cemetery and the imprisoned Northern Army prisoners. These reporters also conducted exclusive interviews with some so-called combat heroes, and some foreign journalists were said to have interviewed Northern Army prisoners without permission, and exposed some scandals of the Northern Expedition Army's abuse of prisoners. Of course, the Northern Expedition Army denied it...

In short, whether it is false to hear or to see it, the public opinion in the newspapers and regions in the north and south completely believed in this fictitious Xuzhou victory! In this era, is there any news control here in Beiyang? No one cares about what the newspaper wants to write, so all kinds of news about the victory in Xuzhou and Beiyang’s defeat have been published on the front pages of newspapers of all sizes.

The newspapers of pro-National Government calculated the time of victory of the National Revolution in a cheerful tone. The newspapers of pro-Beiyang were one-sidedly fired guns, attacking Wu Peifu, the commander-in-chief of the Beiyang Army, and defeated the country! Some public opinion even dug out Wu Peifu's old debts in the Hunan Parliament incident, and both openly and secretly called him a G spy! It was a spy who invaded Beiyang. Beiyang fell to this point, which was all caused by him. If Beiyang wants to save the situation, he must first kill Wu Peifu to correct the rules!

In the Beiyang side, in the face of such false reports and news, there is no better way except to publish a few electricity to refute rumors. After all, in the war, both sides of the war will cover up the failure and exaggerate the victory when they propagate externally. Therefore, the most effective way for outsiders to judge victory and defeat is to look at the gains and losses of the territory. Beiyang lost almost half of China in just a few months, and it is a bit ridiculous to say that it has not been defeated. Therefore, all characters in all aspects are unanimously convinced of the lies of the "Xuzhou Victory", but there are only a small difference in whether the losses of the Beiyang army are 50,000 or 100,000.

Finally, even Xu Shuzheng, the head of the Beiyang system, suspected that the Beiyang army had really suffered a defeat. At the end of January, he left Beijing and came to the First Front Army Command of the Northern Army that had moved forward to Zhengzhou, Henan to inspect.

"Zhongshuai, Brother Ziyu, on the one hand, all the troops of the army are still intact?" Xu Shuzheng got off the train. As soon as he saw Cao Kun and Wu Peifu coming to greet him, he couldn't wait to ask about the losses of the troops. After asking this, he turned his attention to Cao Kun. This was probably because he wanted this Beiyang number one honest man to answer?"

"Yezheng, why do you ask this too? Has our front army started a war with the Southern Army? Do you, the supreme consul, still don't know?"

The honest Cao has been questioned by people from all sides these two days, and he is already a little impatient. Now when he hears Xu Shuzheng asks this, he naturally complains: "What kind of battle is this? If you don't shoot it, half of China will be gone. Who would believe that we haven't defeated the war?"

After hearing what Cao Kun said, Xu Shuzheng let out a sigh. It seems that the "Xuzhou Victory" was really blown by that boy Chang Ruiqing! He forced out some smiles and said to Cao Kun: "Zhongshuai, don't complain. We lost half of China, but not half of it left? If we threw the troops to the south, you and I have already gone home to eat old rice."

Although Cao Kun has the nickname "Three Fools", he is indeed more honest. However, his honesty is definitely not stupid. A fool is less than a surveillance envoy of the Three Provinces. He held Xu Shuzheng with one hand and Wu Peifu with the other hand and walked up to a Western carriage parked on the platform.

As soon as the car door was closed, he sighed: "Yu Zheng, Zi Yu, I know your thoughts. Don't compete with them for the gains and losses of a city and a place... I want to find an opportunity to eliminate the vitality of the Southern Army. But if this territory is lost, the hearts of the people below will be even more floating. Don't underestimate the dangers of this person's hearts. Think about how the Qing Dynasty did it back then? Isn't it because this person's hearts have been lost? Now in the south, there are anti-imperialist, anti-Russia, and the national revolution. The young children and some poor scholars below have long been bewitched, and the powerful people who follow us in Beiyang are fences, just look at the strong wind there. Although our rule in Beiyang is more in line with their interests, once they feel that we are already out of the way, they will still fight back. At that time, we will become a guest army, and the southern army will become the main army!"

Cao Kun said this, Xu Shuzheng and Wu Peifu were silent. This is true. Wu Peifu's idea of ​​fighting mobile wars is quite good, but the premise of dealing with the Southern Army in the Central Plains is to gain support from local forces! Especially the landlord armed forces in Shandong and Henan provinces. The landlords and powerful people in these two provinces are much stronger than those in the south. They are all half-gent and half-bandit guys. Some of their ancestors have been bandits for several generations... It is no exaggeration to say that Henan and Shandong provinces are now shared by Beiyang and bandits and gentry! Once these "bandit and gentry" forces fall to the National Government in large numbers, the Beiyang Army will be in Henan, and Shandong will immediately become difficult to move and will not be able to move at all!

"I came to Kaifeng for this matter." Xu Shuzheng pondered for a while and finally mentioned his intention. He was embarrassed to say that he came to Henan to see if the Beiyang Army was defeated. So he brought the topic to several powerful factions in the north.

"Yan Xishan and Liu Zhenhua, two old foxes, have now begun to publicly boycott our Beiyang orders! The representatives sent to Taiyuan from the base camp would not be able to meet Yan Xishan, and they ignored the orders to let him serve as the governor of Suiyuan and to transfer a brigade of Jin troops to garrison Suiyuan. It seems that Yan Xishan is ready to surrender to the south! As for Liu Zhenhua, the Song army in Yuxi Zhen, is the same. He refused to lead troops to aid Shaanxi, and concentrated the main force in Ruyang and Linru area, and put on a threat to Nanyang. I am afraid that he has colluded with the south!"

Cao Kun smiled bitterly and glanced at Xu Shuzheng and Wu Peifu in the carriage: "Except for me, who else can't find a way out for me now? During this period, there are no less than twenty or thirty letters sent to the south by the Military Law Department of our First Front Army Command! Our division commanders and brigade commanders below have one!" At this point, he sighed heavily: "Yezheng, Ziyu, this will not work. We must fight a good battle with the Southern Army to boost our morale, otherwise we will be defeated sooner or later without fighting!"

Xu Shuzheng nodded slightly and turned his eyes to Wu Peifu. Wu Peifu's flying eyebrows were tightly twisted into a ball, as if he was thinking hard: "It's time to find a way to fight a battle, but we can't fight hard. Our troops are too weak to fight with them, otherwise we will hit Chang Ruiqing's thoughts! We must find a way to disperse Chang Ruiqing's troops, and it's best to lead one or two troops out of Xuzhou... There is! There is a way!"

"What's the solution?" Cao Kun and Xu Shuzheng spoke almost at the same time. Wu Peifu smiled heavily and spit out three words: "Fight Shanxi... Shanxi Province is probably the most stable and peaceful province in China in this turbulent era. In addition to being more violent in the year of the Xinhai Revolution, the Beiyang Army also once led the provincial capital Taiyuan. However, after the Minyuan period, under the leadership of their sloppy Yan Laoxi, this province was actually in this military brigade and brigade was full of wars. It seemed to be a place like a paradise.

If it weren't for wearing tinted glasses dyed red, Yan Xishan was actually pretty good. There would be no big drawbacks except reactionary. Moreover, the reaction of this Yan reactionary was not much the same as other reactionaries of this era. People really studied Marxism and thought the truth was wrong, so they embarked on the path of no return to the anti-g and the people.

Just as the two armies of the north and the south are setting up a battlefield in the Central Plains region and preparing to fight a decisive battle that determines China's future and destiny, Yan Xishan, the "peaceful governor" in Shanxi, was discussing and studying Marxism with Comrade Li Dazhao who came north to lobby him to join China's GCD!

The place where the two of them studied Marxism together was the study of the Yan Xishan Governor's Office. Yan Laoxi did not wear military uniforms very much in his own office, but was wearing a long gown and a melon-skin hat, and his dough-like face shape, which was like a rich man from Shanxi who issued a bill. In fact, his ancestors did issue bills, and he himself was good at economics. If he did not become a warlord, he would definitely be a successful Shanxi merchant.

Sitting opposite him was Li Dazhao, dressed as a scholar. He came to Taiyuan with a man named Kong Xiangxi, a man who runs business in Taigu, Shanxi. Both of them came to lobby Yan Xishan to participate in the National Revolution. Li Dazhao also spread GCism to Yan Xishan. After chatting several times, he found that Yan Xishan's understanding of GCism theory was not inferior to Li Dazhao! I guess he had read the Japanese version of Marxist works. However, this Yan Xishan probably had not really read theories of Marxism, and actually believed that GCism might not come! It was so reactionary!

Today, after a few words of conversation with Li Dazhao, he began to spread reactionary remarks. He said in a Shanxi-style official language: "Mr. Shouchang, your opinion is still the same. The principles of gcism are good, but those principles are justified but nothing... And capitalism may not necessarily collapse. Although the capitalist system is exploited by people and should oppose it. Overturn it, so capitalism should collapse, not necessarily collapse. This is a two-code matter.

As for gcism, it may not necessarily come. Although it cannot be said that it is impossible, we cannot see when it is possible. gcism says that everyone does their best, takes their needs, and establishes a system, and wants everyone to count how much they work, and does not care about good or bad their enjoyment. It is difficult to do their best; it is very dangerous to take what they need, and it is difficult to take what they need. gcism has its own reason but nothing happens. If it is forced, it will harm mankind."

A look of disappointment flashed across Li Dazhao's face. However, it turned into a spring breeze-like smile: "General Baichuan. Whether GCism can succeed depends on the future. However, the current revolutionary situation in China is obvious. The national revolution is about to win the whole country. No one can confront this trend. The person who led the Northern Expedition Army to advance rapidly. It is General Chang Yaoru, a member of the Central Bureau of China GCD! If General Baichuan joins GCD now, then you and General Chang are comrades. When the Jin army is reorganized in the future, General Chang will definitely take care of him."

After hearing this, Yan Xishan's expression remained unmoved. Kong Xiangxi had already said similar words to him, but he changed GCD to the Kuomintang and turned Chang Ruiqing into Sun Yat-sen! It is obvious that the National Government, which is now cooperating with the country, is not as united as it appears, and there are undercurrents inside! However, Yan Xishan does not intend to choose a side station when the situation is unclear... Now the Sun and Chang's factions are almost equally matched, and Sun Yat-sen wins because of its deep foundation and high prestige. Chang Ruiqing's advantage lies in holding a gun in his hand, leaning against the Soviet tree behind him, and also being superior to Sun Yat-sen in conspiracy and political skills.

The struggle between the two parties is probably not something that can be seen in a short period of time. Shanxi is in the north. It is far away from the core territory of their National Government. If Yan Xishan does not express his opinion, the Sun and Chang factions will have the time to temporarily suppress him, and instead will compete to win over him, the king of Shanxi. If he made a statement now, he may not get many benefits, but 50% may be the one who is wearing small shoes in the future because he is standing in the wrong team!

After thinking through the interests, Yan Xishan shook his head in embarrassment: "Mr. Shouchang, this person just likes to be serious. If he joins GCD, he must be a steadfast GCister soldier! He wants to sacrifice his head and sprinkle his blood, and he is willing to do whatever he wants! But it is absolutely impossible to mix GCD for his own selfish interests and to gain benefits during the Jin army's adaptation! He is not that kind of person, and I believe GCD is not that kind of party either?"

When he said this, he looked righteous and stern. When Li Dazhao was fooled by him, he believed it 70 or 80 points, and even felt a little ashamed... Although the other party had not agreed to join GCD, the spirit of carefully studying Marxism should be recognized after understanding it! China's GCD needs such comrades, not speculators who don't want to understand what GCism is, and just use this sign to fight against Sun Yat-sen!

Li Dazhao smiled and said, "General Baichuan, of course I agree with you who can take this into consideration. Since you want to believe in a ideology, you should understand its theory first. This is great. However, you can wait to join the GCD, but the general needs to express his opinion immediately. Now our National Government's Northern Expedition Army has already attacked Xuzhou and has also severely damaged the main force of the Beiyang Army! Now the National Revolution has already swept the world, and I believe that it will not take long to win the whole country. If Shanxi only participates in the revolution at that time, wouldn't it be too late? At that time, it is hard to say whether General Baichuan can maintain the status of Shanxi's leader!"

As soon as Li Dazhao finished speaking, Yan Xishan smiled slightly: "I know the Northern Expedition Army's capture of Xuzhou, but I don't know it. Mr. Shouchang, I'm going to say that he was a member of the Tongmeng during his military study in Japan. However, Shanxi is under the eyes of Beiyang, and the Jin army does not have much strength, so he can only flatter Beiyang Quyi. In fact, the Jin army and the Jin army have been waiting for Mr. Sun's Northern Expedition Army! But now is not the time for the Jin army to participate in the Northern Expedition. The idea is this. When the Northern Expedition Army and the main force of the Beiyang Army really fight, the Jin army suddenly announces to participate in the revolution, send troops to Zhili, disrupt the rear of the Beiyang, and give them a fatal blow!"

These words were also very clear. It was true to Li Dazhao. I just didn't know if Sun Yat-sen and Chang Ruiqing could accept such a plan. Just as he was about to get up and end today's meeting with Yan Xishan, the general senator of the Jin army, Zhao Daiwen, suddenly pushed open the door and walked into Yan Xishan's office in a panic. Seeing Li Dazhao also there, Zhao Daiwen hurriedly squeezed out a smile, nodded at Li Dazhao, walked to Yan Xishan, and handed over something that seemed like a telegraph.

Yan Xishan took the telegram and read it in one glance. His face suddenly changed. He stood up in a daze and said in a lost voice: "What? Beiyang wants to rush to Shanxi? How is this possible?"

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Chapter completed!