Chapter Nineteenth: Supervising Anhui
On September 15, General Zhang Daoyuan, the commander-in-chief of the Zhongyi Army, issued an ultimatum to President Cao Kun, stating: "This year's natural disasters and epidemics have caused widespread famine among the people. I had previously advised against attacking Zhejiang, and you also strongly advocated for peace; however, before the ink on our agreement was dry, a war order was issued, and troops were dispatched to Fengtian, detaining trains at Shanhai Pass and cutting off all communication. What is the meaning of this? In recent years, you have been manipulated by Wu Peifu, leading to widespread discontent among the people. The impossibility of conquering through military force can be seen in the successive defeats of the Su Army. I had originally planned to send another envoy to come forward, but since train communication has been severed, it is impossible to enter the capital. Therefore, I will use airplanes to inquire about your well-being and await your final response with bated breath."
On the same day, Zhang Zuolin issued a personnel order for the six armies, organizing the Fengtian Army into six armies to enter the Pass and attack the Zhili clique. The commanders-in-chief of the First Army were Jiang Dengxuan and Han Linchun, the Second Army were Li Jinglin and Zhang Zongchang, the Third Army were Zhang Xueliang and Guo Songling, the Fourth Army were Zhang Zuoxiang and Ji Jinping, the Fifth Army were Wu Junsheng and Kan Zhaoyi, and the Sixth Army were Xu Lanzhou and Wu Guangxin. Yang Yuting served as the Chief of Staff. Among the Fengtian Army, Li Jinglin, Jiang Dengxuan, Han Linchun, Zhang Zongchang, and Guo Songling were known as the "Five Tiger Generals".
Its deployment is: The First and Third Armies formed the First and Third Joint Army, attacking Shanhai Pass. After defeating the main force of the Straight Army at Shanhai Pass, they launched an attack on Beijing and Tianjin. The Second Army's main task was to launch an attack on the southern route of Rehe, where Li Jinglin's First Division gathered in Yixian and attacked Chaoyang; Zhang Zongchang's Third Mixed Brigade gathered near Dayangou and attacked Rehe, coordinating with Li Jinglin's troops to capture Chaoyang and then advancing westward, successively occupying Jianping, Chengde, and Lingyuan. They would then join forces with the First and Third Joint Army at Shanhai Pass for a decisive battle against the Straight Army. The Fourth Army gathered in Xingcheng and Suizhong as the general reserve. Another part of the army, about one regiment or brigade, gathered near Jinzhou, awaiting orders. The main force of the Fifth Army gathered at a location with convenient transportation, awaiting deployment, while some troops were left to guard key areas in Heilongjiang to consolidate the rear. The Sixth Army, mainly composed of cavalry, gathered in Zhangwu and then launched an attack on Chifeng via Fuxin and Jianping, threatening the Straight Army's flank from Xifengkou or Gubeikou.
To coordinate with the army's operations, the Navy also dispatched three aviation brigades, two of which were under the command of the First and Third Joint Fleets, while the other was stationed near Yixian County to receive orders from the Second Fleet. The aviation troops were responsible for reconnaissance, bombing enemy positions, and deploying naval forces to defend against enemy attacks on islands such as Hulu Island.
President Cao, who was in Beiping, urgently summoned General Yu to enter the capital to counterattack against General Zhang. In the Presidential Palace of Beiping, President Cao and General Yu were having tea and chatting. "I thought that after the last war, at least 2 or 3 years would be needed for Zhang to recover. But now that my new army is fully trained, even if he doesn't enter the pass, I will go out of the pass to conquer him. It seems that the Japanese have invested a lot in Zhang, and he has recovered so quickly." General Yu was known as a god of war, undefeated for many years, and his words carried an air of arrogance.
"Zi Yu, with you here I am not worried. It's just that the four provinces in the south have joined forces but still can't defeat Lu Yongxiang. Duan Ziqian has been jumping around recently. And then there's that new guy Gao Zihou who copied Ma Liangjiang's old trick and forced Qi Xieyuan to stop fighting. What do you think we should do? Shouldn't we issue a proclamation to recruit him?" said President Cao.
"Hmph, what can these young whippersnappers from Huangkou accomplish by occupying Anhui Province? I've seen the telegrams they sent, their military strength has reached its peak, there's no possibility of further advancement. After I defeat the Fengtian clique, I'll sweep away these minor characters." Commander Yu had never taken anyone in the country seriously before.
At this time, Gao Yang had already left the beacon point of Beidu and boarded a train bound for Tianjin.
"Tianjin Duan Gongguan. 'I am humble person Smith, a messenger of High Official, specially sent by High Official to pay respects to General Duan.' Gao Yang said with a bow to General Duan."
"Haha, please sit down. I've been hiding out here and didn't think anyone would remember me, it's really delightful." General Duan said with a smile in his eyes.
"General, you are the leader of our Anhui people. Governor Cao has specially sent me to report to you on the war situation in Anhui Province. He said he has been waiting for your return to take charge of the government." After finishing speaking, he took out a check and handed it over with both hands "This is Governor Cao's token of appreciation, please accept it with a smile."
Duan Dazhuang restrained his smile and looked at the numbers on the check, his eyelids twitching but he didn't take the check. He stared at Gao Yang and said, "Nowadays, the Zhili clique is as strong as the sun in the sky, and the Fengtian clique is also powerful, why does Gao Zitong want to defect to our Anhui clique?"
Gao Yang's purpose was to find a big tree to hug. When he was not strong enough, having someone above him was very important. Knowing the direction of history, Gao Yang first ruled out his direct superiors, and since he had originally taken over the territory from them, even if he went to surrender to another family, it wasn't necessarily what they wanted. As for the Fengtian clique after the war, it would still be the Fengtian clique's world, adding flowers to the brocade, how much benefit could they get? Only the Anhui clique, which was now in a precarious situation, was the best big tree. By relying on Duan Qirui, with Duan Qirui on top, he could take care of himself and wait for opportunities while managing Anhui Province. Moreover, Duan Qirui did not have the ability to interfere with the affairs of Anhui Province, it was just a nominal title. For the Anhui clique, this was a timely help in trouble.
Gao Yang smiled and said, "Director Cao's election was unfair, Commander Yu has no regard for human life, and Governor Ma's extortion in Anhui Province has angered the heavens and caused widespread resentment. He openly killed patriotic students. As a representative of the people of Anhui, driving him out is in line with public opinion." After finishing speaking, he placed the check on General Duan's side and slightly bowed his head, "Please take care of me from now on, General Duan."
The next day, Duan Qirui issued a telegram stating that "Ma Yunwu, as the governor of Anhui Province, sold opium, embezzled education funds, killed patriotic students, and sold out Anhui's mineral resources, causing heaven's anger and people's resentment. Now, with Gao Yang and Gao Zixi leading the people of Anhui to drive him out, this is a fortunate event. Gao Zixi should be the model for Anhui Province." This made it clear to everyone that Gao Yang was my man in Anhui.
Lu Yongxiang quickly issued a telegram to echo and express his solidarity with the people of Anhui Province. Zhang Da also sent a telegram saying that Gao Yang was the representative of Anhui Province and should be the governor of Anhui Province.
The headquarters of Lu Yongxiang in Zhejiang received a large batch of sulfonamide drugs from a self-proclaimed messenger named Gao Yang, which surprised Lu greatly. Recently, sulfonamide has been in great demand worldwide, and as an antibacterial drug, its huge effect on the battlefield was also known to Lu, but the company called SC Trading asked for a black price of $20 per share! Lu could only buy a small part for reserve use. This time, Gao Yang generously sent 100,000 shares of sulfonamide, which surprised Lu greatly. "Zi Hou, is there anything you can't do? Just say it." Lu said to the fake messenger Gao Yang. "General, High Official Gao said that as we are all from the Anhui clique, supporting each other is a matter of course, how dare we mention any requests?" Gao smiled and continued, "Our High Official previously purchased a batch of machines from America and Germany, which have now arrived in Shanghai, and would like to ask General Lu to allow them to be transported to Anqing."
"Hehe, this is a small matter, I'll just give the order to let them pass." Lu Yongxiang made a phone call in front of Gao Yang to his naval subordinates, telling them to open up the river and allow the fleet to enter the Yangtze River. Lu Yongxiang's naval subordinates were his private army, not easily bribed, so Gao Yang went directly to Lu Yongxiang himself to negotiate.
Cars and gasoline purchased from the United States, bullet production lines purchased from Germany, and mercenaries arrived at Anqing Port. A large amount of materials was unloaded, and Gao Yang called in Weixi to reorganize all troops. The security brigade originally belonged to each regiment and was equipped with new materials according to the quota, and was reorganized into the First Division of Anhui Land Army.
Thousands of new recruits and captured soldiers were dispersed and supplemented to reorganize the Anhui Pacification Division, with a total of 7 regiments stationed in various places, releasing the First Division as a mobile force. Each pacification regiment was equipped with an instructor team composed of German instructors, who were scattered and stationed in various places while establishing military sub-districts and new recruit training camps to recruit and train soldiers as reserve forces.
At this time, the governor in southern Anhui had fallen into a crisis. Although there were still more than 20,000 soldiers and horses around him, they belonged to different military leaders, and those who could really command were very few. The salaries of the soldiers relied on the counties in the mountainous areas of southern Anhui, which were unable to provide for them, and the morale of the troops was low, with plundering and looting everywhere, the discipline of the army was corrupt, and the people's resentment was boiling over.
Every day, the various military leaders under him come to urge for money. Where does Governor Yu have any more money? The old nest was searched and all the money fell into Gao Yang's hands. Although Governor Yu still has a lot of deposits in foreign banks outside the Magic Capital, how can he possibly take it out to feed these white-eyed wolves? All the evil deeds done by these bastards are recorded on Governor Yu's head, and for days, the whole country has been scolding him!
On the evening of September 16, a group of soldiers from the Second Mixed Brigade of Anhui looted a village in Yubei County, and most of the soldiers from the Fourth Mixed Brigade of Anhui nearby were from Ma'anshan, and many were locals from Yubei County. A melee broke out, with fierce fighting that lasted until dawn, and both brigades were scattered.
At this time, Gao Yang sent out many envoys to contact various military leaders and launched a silver bullet campaign. Most of the military leaders agreed to surrender to Gao Yang. Then, Yang Dong found Director-General and offered conditions: "Issue a telegram to retire, issue a telegram to rebel, issue a telegram to recommend High-ranking Officer to succeed as Anhui Director-General. Go to Shanghai and live a good life with your family, High-ranking Officer is willing to offer 1 million taels of silver as a parting gift. Your subordinates are all waiting outside."
The supervisor sat in the chair for a long time without speaking, and after a while, he let out a long sigh. He stood up and left.
That night, Anhui's governor Ma Liang-ji issued a telegram to step down, oppose the straight, and recommend Gao Yang as the new governor of Anhui. Afterwards, he took his trusted followers with him, holding a 1 million yuan check given by Gao Yang, and boarded a British company's steamship headed for Shanghai.
Gaoyang ordered the troops in southern Anhui to return to their original posts and wait for further instructions. It's not time to gather them yet.
New recruits included many instructors from German military academies and officer schools, who had been forced into retirement after Germany's defeat and the subsequent reduction of its military. The devaluation of the mark led these men, with no particular skills, to board ships for Asia in order to feed their families.
Gao Yang concentrated these instructors in Anqing to establish a training institute for officers, selecting elite troops from the army for intensive training. At the same time, an officer training class was established, selecting deputy military officers with potential and outstanding performance from the army to further their studies.
Unlike Gao Yang, each biochemical warrior learns German for only 200 energy points. Gao Yang has strengthened the German language of every biochemical warrior, and these soldiers with Berlin accents have surprised all the mercenaries. To the point where Wekes was still amazed when he first arrived in Feng County that he had never seen these Asians in Berlin for many years?
