During the time when Lao Zhang was assassinated, rumors spread everywhere. Some said that Lao Zhang was only injured and not dead. Some said that Lao Zhang was already dead and that the Fengjun army was now leaderless.
As for who the murderer was, the theories vary greatly. Some say it was Duan Qirui from Beiyang who did it, some say it was internal strife in the Feng army, and some say it was an assassination by the Japanese. In short, it is all kinds of things.
But one person could finally take a breather, and that was Duan Qirui. Originally, Feng Jun's army was pressing down on the border, and it was about to hit Beijing. Duan was ready to run away with his tail between his legs, but suddenly the situation reversed, and Lao Zhang's life or death was uncertain. Feng Jun
Quickly retreating into the pass, Duan Qirui certainly would not miss this good opportunity to vent his anger.
"Youzheng, lead the army immediately and pursue Fengjun for me. It's best to kill Shanhaiguan and defeat all the three eastern provinces. These beards outside the customs dare to challenge the central government. It is a crime that cannot be punished. They should all be executed."
, kill me right away!"
Xiao Xu's mind is a little clearer than Duan Qirui's. Now Duan has not enough men and horses, and Fengjun has a large number of follow-up troops outside the pass, and there are powerful border guards who have not taken action. Xiao Xu doesn't want to eat it, but
He couldn't directly say that he was afraid, so he could only say, "Zhiweng, there is civil strife in Fengjun now. If we attack rashly, it will make them unite. It is better to wait for them to split before we attack!"
"Yes!" Lao Duan nodded, but he was not willing to give in, so he said: "We must teach Fengjun a lesson, otherwise our prestige will be useless! And Zheng, you immediately mobilize troops from various places to prepare to attack outside the pass. In addition, Fengjun is here
There are still many troops left in the pass. You must seize the time and gather them all. Then I will appoint you as the supervisor of the northwest border defense. The handsome army entered Rehe and broke one of Fengjun's arms!"
When Xu Shuzheng heard Duan Qirui's arrangement, he thought it was exactly what he wanted, so he immediately nodded in agreement. Just when he was about to implement it, a telegram suddenly came from someone, and he was overjoyed.
"The rebellious Feng Yuxiang is finished. He escaped with his personal guards!" Old Duan said fiercely: "Don't let this guy go. If he dares to stab us at the critical moment, we won't let him have an easy time."
Xu Shuzheng was not a broad-minded person. He already hated Feng Yuxiang, so he immediately said: "Don't worry, Zhi Weng, I have handed his head to you."
Old Duan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. His embarrassing situation was mainly due to the strong force of Fengjun. Now that there was no pressure from Fengjun, other forces were no longer a problem. Old Duan immediately ordered the dissolution of Congress. At the same time, he was hunted down.
Liang Qichao and Tang Hualong. Lao Duan was very busy.
At this time, there was another person in Shanhaiguan, that is Kan Chaoxi. He was originally ordered to lead the army to enter the pass. However, Zhang Zuolin's life and death were uncertain at this time. He also learned that Ji Jinchun had arrested Xi Qia and Yu Chonghan, and then rushed
Return to Fengtian.
Kan Chaoxi felt something was wrong. It was obvious that the assassin of Zhang Zuolin was the Japanese, and the pro-Japanese forces in the Fengjun Army would definitely be purged. He had also had contact with the Japanese earlier, and helped Wu Junsheng and Zhang Jinghui talk, if Lao Zhang was still alive.
They will definitely be angry with him. If Lao Zhang dies, the whole Fengjun army will definitely come to settle accounts with him.
He is different from Ji Jinchun. Ji Jinchun still has a slight affection for Zhang Tinglan, and they are not deeply involved with the Japanese. Therefore, Ji Jinchun dares to return to Fengtian, but he does not dare.
After much deliberation, Kan Chaoxi found that there was only one way, and that was to surrender!
Kan Chaoxi immediately sent a telegram to Duan Qirui, first telling him that he had been confused for a while and that he had made a big mistake by following Fengjun in rebelling against the central government. Now he was willing to give up his merits and ask for the Prime Minister's forgiveness. From now on, he was willing to serve the Prime Minister!
Kan Chaoxi is also an old man in the Fengjun army. He now holds a well-equipped brigade, especially the equipment of a brigade in the Fengjun army is equivalent to that of a division of the ordinary army. Kan Chaoxi wanted to surrender, and Lao Duan was even more overjoyed, and he immediately announced
Appointed Kan Chaoxi as the commander of the new 27th Division, and made every effort to integrate Fengjun's troops scattered in the pass.
After Kan Chaoxi got this appointment, he was overjoyed and immediately led his troops out of the pass. Fengjun's defeated troops were defeated along the way. He went around to recruit. Especially Zhang Jinghui ran back to Fengtian alone and left a division of troops in the pass. These
Everyone has become Kan Chaoxi’s target.
Lao Zhang led three divisions and four brigades, and nearly 60,000 people entered the pass. After this chaos, the troops that safely retreated to Fengtian were less than two divisions, and a full 40,000 people were scattered inside the pass.
Fengjun's troops suffered unprecedented losses. Kan Chaoxi surrendered to Duan Qirui, which had an even greater impact. Rumors spread among the Fengjun, chaos continued, and many unsteady officers defected. Now all the troops guarding Fengtian combined
There are only over 30,000 people, and the situation is getting worse and worse.
"I'd like to say that something bad has happened!" Yang Yuting hurried over and said breathlessly: "Old Duan appointed Xu Shuzheng as the Superintendent of the Northwest Frontier Defense, and his target is Rehe. In addition, the Japanese garrison along the Manchuria Railway
They have all mobilized themselves and are obviously ready to cause trouble. What do you think we should do?"
Zhang Tinglan leaned on the sofa, with no unexpected expression on his face: "They have added insult to injury. It was something we had expected a long time ago. As long as we can stabilize ourselves, we don't have to worry about others."
In fact, to be honest, Fengjun's situation at this time is indeed too dangerous. The Beiyang counterattack is imminent, and the Japanese are taking the opportunity to cause trouble. In addition, the morale of the army is unstable. If you are not careful, it will be a situation where you will be shattered to pieces.
But at this time, as a leader, it is more important to remain calm and not to mess up, otherwise the whole situation will be ruined.
"Linge, have all the division and brigade level officers in the Fengjun army arrived in Fengtian?"
"Basically everyone is here. Only Wan Fulin from Rehe, Li Jinglin from Hailanpao, and Kan Chaoxi from Shanhaiguan have not arrived."
Zhang Tinglan frowned slightly: "Wan Fulin and Li Jinglin are a long way away, and they are guarding the place. They have important tasks. You can forgive them for coming late. Kan Chaoxi is in Shanhaiguan. I have sent him a telegram asking him to return to Fengtian with Ji Jinchun. He has not come back yet.
, I’m afraid something went wrong!”
After Zhang Tinglan finished speaking, Chang Yinhuai walked in and said anxiously: "I'd like to say that Kan Chaoxi has surrendered to Lao Duan. Not only him, but also all his troops have been taken away."
"Damn it!" Zhang Tinglan grabbed the teapot in front of him. He threw it to the ground and smashed it into pieces. He sneered and said: "Everyone pushed back the wall. They thought Fengjun was finished and wanted to join Mingzhu. Okay.
, if anyone else is willing to leave, let’s go together, I want to see if Fengjun will be finished without these scum!”
Yang Yuting also frowned, gritted his teeth, and said loudly: "These old-school people are all unreliable. They only have interests in their eyes, and those who have breasts are mothers. They are usually unjust and indignant, and they always feel that the commander-in-chief has given them less.
They want to enter the border to rob the colorful world. But when the time of crisis comes, they run away. How can such people be reused!"
Zhang Tinglan sat in silence for a while. Instead, he calmed down and said with a sneer: "It's okay to leave. This is a big change for Fengjun. Without those old veterans, we can develop better and survive this crisis."
.Fengjun’s future will be even better!”
Zhang Tinglan stood up suddenly, exuding unprecedented fighting spirit, and said loudly: "If you have the ability, let them come together and see if I am afraid of them. Anyone who wants to attack Fengjun, I will chop him off."
Dog paws!”
At this critical moment, Zhang Tinglan was able to stabilize his position and maintain confidence, which was a great comfort to others. Yang Yuting took Zhang Tinglan's hand.
"Honestly, since you started assisting the old commander, you are the one who I really admire from all over the army, including the old commander. At that time, I thought that if you were ten years older, I would conquer the world with you.
Unexpectedly, things have taken a turn for the worse, and the old commander was actually assassinated. From now on, you will have the final say in Fengjun, and Yang is willing to be your right-hand man!"
"Count me in!" Chang Yinhuai said with a smile on the side: "I'd like to say that before the commander entered the border, you warned him repeatedly. It shows that your vision is much better than that of the commander, and only you can
Lead Fengjun out of the trough, and I am willing to be loyal to you!"
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Yang Yuting and Chang Yinhuai sided with Zhang Tinglan without hesitation. He also felt a little comforted in his heart. He patted the two people on the shoulders and said with a smile: "You two, don't look at Feng Jun.
It’s dangerous, but the greater the external pressure, the easier it will be for us to make some changes. For Fengjun, this time is a rebirth from the ashes, you’ll have to wait and see!”
After Zhang Tinglan finished speaking, he led them out of the study and went straight to the Tiger Hall. At this time, the Tiger Hall was full of seats, with Zhang Zuoxiang and Sun Liechen sitting on the main seats.
Zhang Zuoxiang said with a serious face: "The commander-in-chief was assassinated and has passed away. Please follow me to see the commander-in-chief for the last time."
After Zhang Zuoxiang finished speaking, everyone present was shocked. They had heard that the commander-in-chief had been assassinated, but after all, their life and death were uncertain. They all hoped that Zhang Zuolin would be lucky enough to survive and that Fengjun would not be completely reshuffled.
Now that they have received the exact news, everyone is stunned and has no idea what to think. With Zhang Zuolin here, the various factions of Fengjun can still maintain a balance, and the rewards and punishments of Lao Zhang are relatively fair. Now that he is gone, Feng
They had no idea where the army should go.
Zhang Zuoxiang and Sun Liechen silently led the way, and everyone followed them to Lao Zhang's ward. At this time, Zhang Zuolin had already put on a neat military uniform and was lying quietly on the bed, motionless.
The once all-powerful Northeastern King had now turned into a cold corpse, and all his majesty and power had turned into a fleeting cloud. After seeing these people who were loyal to Zhang Zuolin, they were filled with sorrow and couldn't help but burst into tears.
Several people cried directly to the ground. Although Lao Zhang was a bandit, he treated people well. Those who could obey orders and go to Fengtian were all people who were grateful for Zhang Zuolin's kindness. How could they not feel sad when they saw the old officer's body right in front of them?
Come from it!
After a while, the cries of the group finally stopped, and Zhang Zuoxiang said: "Everyone, when the commander-in-chief was killed, all the gangsters jumped out and wanted to take the opportunity to destroy our Fengjun army. Can everyone agree?"
"No!" Sun Anhu said first: "Although the commander-in-chief is dead, Fengjun's banner must not be downgraded. We still have to avenge the commander-in-chief, find the murderer, and make those who want to take advantage of Fengjun pay the price!"
"Well said!" Sun Liechen said from the side: "The top priority now is to stabilize the morale of the military. We cannot mess up our position or give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it!"
These officers also nodded frequently, but there was still a look of panic in their eyes. At this time, Zhang Tinglan arrived at the scene with Yang Yuting and Chang Yinhuai. Zhang Tinglan quickly walked in front of everyone and glanced around.
"I want to tell you a series of bad news. Duan Qirui declared that Fengjun was a rebel and wanted to attack us; Xu Shuzheng became the supervisor of the northwest border defense and wanted to take the opportunity to attack Rehe; Kan Chaoxi led an army to surrender to Duan Qirui, and we entered the customs
More than 70% of the troops have been lost; the Japanese are ready to move along the Nanman Road, and there is a great danger of taking the opportunity to stir up trouble!"
Every word Zhang Tinglan said was like a heavy punch hitting the hearts of everyone. They all looked horrified. If this is really the case, then Fengjun has really reached a critical moment of life and death! (To be continued)