Black Flag Army

Chapter 173: Revenge of the Anhui Clique

After Tian Dabao handed the letters and newspapers sent by Di Xiong, Jiang Hongyu and others to Feng Jishen, he said goodbye and left with Qiu Chengliang.

As he stepped out of the gate, Qiu Chengliang couldn't help but sigh to Tian Dabao: "No wonder this Brigade Commander Feng is so poor! We gave him 100,000 silver dollars for free, but he refused to accept it. It took a lot of persuasion before he reluctantly accepted it, and he even insisted that the money was borrowed. Compared with the anti-rebelion commander Wu Peifu, it's a world of difference! In order to make Wu Peifu withdraw from the Hunan battlefield, the Southern Army spent 600,000 silver dollars as a bargaining chip, and Wu Peifu accepted it all with peace of mind and withdrew his troops immediately. Who would have thought that they should be irreconcilable! The two sides just experienced a fierce battle not long ago! This made Duan Qirui so angry that he vomited blood!"

Tian Dabao said, "What can they do to him? Duan Hefei ordered the Anhui warlords Zhang Jingyao, Zhang Huaizhi, Wu Xintian, and Wu Guangxin to lead a total of 100,000 troops to encircle and suppress the 50,000 troops of Wu Peifu who colluded with the Southern Army. However, the various troops were afraid of Wu Peifu's reputation for being good at fighting, so they shirked their responsibilities and lost the opportunity to fight. They watched Wu Peifu's troops retreat safely to the three towns of Wuhan, the territory of the Zhili clique, and joined forces with Hubei Governor Wang Zhanyuan."

Tian Dabao added: "Afterwards, President Xu invited the leader of the Anhui clique, Duan Hefei, and the leader of the Zhili clique, Feng Huafu, to have a meal together. After the mediation, Wu Peifu was actually absolved of all his crimes."

After the Japanese city of Sakura was attacked by poison gas bombs, more than 10,000 people were killed and injured. The Japanese emperor and the cabinet were furious. Minister Obata lodged a strong protest to the Beiyang government, demanding that the murderer be handed over, otherwise a full-scale war of aggression against China would be launched. The Japanese-controlled Tianjin "Shuntian Daily" also exaggerated how brutal the Black Flag Army was and published photos of the tragic situation after the attack on Sakura. On April 21, the National Assembly controlled by the Anhui faction passed a resolution to remove Di Xiong from the post of governor of Beihai Province and Jiang Hongyu from the post of governor of Beiling Province. At the same time, the Black Flag Army was required to hand over the bomber pilots. Wu Peifu was appointed as the governor of Beihai Province, and Zhang Zuoxiang was appointed as the governor of Beiling Province. Prime Minister Qian Nengxun also signed the resolution.

Before the Black Flag Air Force attacked Zakaria, it had revealed the truth about the Japanese attack on Sakhalin Island through the Justice Daily. After the attack on Zakaria, Chinese people from all walks of life believed that this was a just action of blood for blood and tooth for tooth. The pro-Japanese resolution passed by the Congress angered people from all walks of life in Beijing. Schools went on strike, factories went on strike, and shops went on strike. More than 100,000 people took to the streets to protest. The protesting students flocked to the Congress building and the Prime Minister's Office, demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister and the parliamentarians. Qian Nengxun and the parliamentarians hid.

Because the students refused to disperse, Police Chief Wu Bingxiang was ordered to mobilize a large group of police to carry out a bloody suppression of the students, which eventually dispersed the students.

When the news spread to Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and other places, large-scale demonstrations also broke out. Zhou Huaian, a student leader of Nankai University in Tianjin, led a group of students to destroy the Shuntian Daily newspaper office and quickly evacuated before the police arrived.

On the evening of April 21, the Justice Party held an emergency meeting to deal with this emergency.

Di Xiong said angrily: "This is obviously a malicious revenge of the Anhui warlords! Not long ago, I rejected their request for the direct appointment of the 500 candidate officials without hesitation. Unexpectedly, these guys colluded with the Japanese and used this as an excuse to attack me. Not only did they depose me and the position of Chief of the General Staff, but what's more hateful is that they forced me to hand over the group of pilots. You know, it was me who ordered these pilots to carry out the mission of dropping poison gas bombs. If I really hand them over, wouldn't I become a despicable and shameless person? This kind of thing must never happen!" His voice was full of firmness and determination, as if he was declaring his just position to the world.

Leng Hanbing said with a cold look in his eyes: "How dare they bully us like this? We have no choice but to prepare for war! What kind of a person is Wu Peifu? How can he be the governor of Beihai Province?" His voice was full of anger and disdain, as if he was extremely dissatisfied with Wu Peifu. After saying this, Leng Hanbing clenched his fists tightly, as if he was full of determination and courage for the war that might happen next.

Li Fei said solemnly, "Of course I know that Di Juzi does not agree with starting a civil war in his heart, but the situation now is very clear. The enemy has come to our doorstep, and we have no way to avoid this battle. You know, Beihai Province was recovered after countless bloody battles! Those soldiers exchanged their lives and blood for the peace and tranquility we have today. Now these people in Beiyang are trying to sit back and enjoy the fruits of victory that we have worked so hard for. They want to pick up the fruits of victory that we have fought so hard for for nothing? It's simply a foolish dream! There is no way you can take Beihai Province away from us!" His voice was sonorous and powerful.

Wu Zhong sighed and said, "The boss was too hasty in dropping the poison gas bombs. A gentleman's revenge is never too late. Now our Beiling Province and Outer Northwest are not firmly established and we may go to war with Britain and Russia at any time. We should be patient and not rush to provoke the Japanese. There are still 500 alternate officials, although there are too many, but if we give them face and symbolically appoint a few people, maybe we won't anger the Anhui warlords. Now we have to fight on all sides."

Xian Yuji stood up and retorted anxiously, "Wu Juzi, what you said is really wrong! What exactly did Di Juzi do wrong? It was obviously the hateful Japanese who first dropped poison gas bombs on Sakhalin Island. This despicable act is simply outrageous! If we can't fight back with the strongest attitude and impose severe punishment as a deterrent, I'm afraid that the gang of villains will only become more unscrupulous and worse. Are we going to retreat step by step like the weak and incompetent Beiyang government back then? Absolutely not!"

Ever since the Black Flag Army recovered the lost territories in the north of the Qing Dynasty, the confidence of the Justice Party’s top leaders has greatly increased, and most of them have become hardliners.

Di Xiong looked at Wu Zhong seriously and said, "Do you know? The 500 candidate officials provided by the Anhui clique are all greedy and incompetent people! When I announced that the exam would be held, most of them were discouraged, but there were still dozens of daring people who came to take the exam. However, the result was that the whole army was annihilated, and no one met the standard! For this reason, I specially ordered the Intelligence Department to invest a lot of manpower and material resources to conduct an in-depth investigation. In the end, it was discovered that these people presented generous gifts to the Anhui clique dignitaries, and their real purpose was to exchange money for official positions. If this group of greedy and incompetent people are allowed to enter the political arena of Beihai Province, it won’t take long for the Beihai Provincial Government to be infamous! After all, once the reputation is damaged, it is harder than climbing to the sky to restore it again!"

Lan Jinping said: "Don't get too excited. Although Premier Qian has signed the congressional resolution, President Xu has not signed it yet, so this resolution has not really taken effect yet."

Di Xiong said, "Sister Lan, don't have any illusions. Just before the meeting, President Xu sent me a telegram to apologize, saying that he was just a figurehead president and had to sign under the pressure of the Anhui clique."

Wu Zhong frowned and sighed with a worried look on his face: "Now that things have come to this, it seems that we have no choice but to engage in a life-and-death battle with Wu Peifu. I heard that this man is a famous general in the Beiyang Army, known as the 'No. 1 General of the Beiyang', and his strength should not be underestimated! I wonder if our intelligence department has detailed information about him?" There was a hint of helplessness and worry in his voice, as if he was full of doubts about the upcoming battle.

Tian Mengxue took out a document from the folder and said, "Wu Peifu! His courtesy name is Ziyu. He is from Penglai, Shandong. He is now 45 years old. In his early years, he studied at the Kaiping Military Academy and the Baoding Army Speed ​​​​Training School. After graduation, he served as a staff officer in the General Staff Office of the Beiyang Military Training Institute. Later, he was transferred to the Third Regiment of Cao Kun as a captain (battalion commander). When Cao Kun launched the Beijing Mutiny in 1912, he was Cao Kun's regiment commander. In 1914, he and Di Juzi's sworn brother Feng Jishan were promoted to brigade commanders at almost the same time, but his tactics were much better than Feng Jishan. He flattered his superiors with gifts and won over the people's hearts. He was soon promoted to the commander of the Third Division. Now he is the commander of the army group, with four divisions and more than 50,000 people under him. And Feng Jishan is still a brigade commander."

Wu Zhong was surprised and said, "You investigated Wu Peifu in great detail!"

Tian Mengxue said, "Di Juzi confessed a few years ago that Wu Peifu, like Yan Xishan and Zhang Zuolin, is one of the biggest potential opponents of our army, and the Intelligence Department has been collecting intelligence on him. He did win many battles in the civil war, but it is an exaggeration to say that he is the best general in Beiyang. If he led the same number of troops to fight against Feng Jishan, he might not be Feng Jishan's opponent. Of course, he is indeed very capable. Among all the Beiyang generals, except Feng Jishan, he is the most powerful."

Bai Xiuling worriedly said, "The First Army is now in the Outer Northwest suppressing bandits and riots, and also has to guard against the British invasion in Afghanistan, so they can't come back. The Second Army is in Beiling Province guarding against the crazy revenge of the Japanese, and it is even less likely to come back. Beihai Province, including Beihai Lake and Tannu Uriankhai, has more than one million square kilometers, and only a few divisions of the Third Army are guarding it. Most of the air force has also gone to support Beiling Province and the Outer Northwest. There is only one squadron of bombers left. Can they stop Wu Peifu?"

Seeing that Lan Jinchun remained silent during his first high-level meeting, Di Xiong said with a smile, "You can also express your own opinions! You were elected as a Mohist with thirteen votes. Now that you are sitting here, you must fulfill your responsibilities!"

Lan Jinchun's forehead was slightly covered with sweat, and he said in a trembling voice: "Then...then I'll be frank! Please don't laugh at me. I think that Wu Peifu is from the Beiyang direct lineage, but the Anhui faction sent him to our Beihai Province to be the governor. This is obviously a good play of 'killing with a borrowed knife'! They want to use Wu Peifu as a sharp blade to reduce the power of our justice army; at the same time, they want to use our power to destroy Wu Peifu. Wu Peifu is a famous Beiyang commander after all, and he must be well aware of our strength. So, he may not be at the mercy of the Anhui faction. If Wu Peifu never planned to come to take office, then wouldn't we be worried here in vain?"

Wu Zhong said in astonishment, "Principal Lan is right! These words are like a revelation to me, and I suddenly understand! Wu Peifu is a man of extraordinary intelligence, and he should not fall into such a trap. Di Juzi might as well write another letter to him, explain the righteousness to him, appeal to his emotions and reason, and at the same time give him a generous military fund as a reward, so that he can increase his chances of winning."

Di Xiong was silent for a moment and then said, "You can write the letter to me, but you don't need to give him military funds. The Southern Army gave him 600,000 dollars because the Southern Army really couldn't beat him. Our strength is much stronger than the Southern Army, so there is no need to show weakness to him. However, in addition to this, there is a complicated situation in Beiling Province. Zhang Zuolin is definitely not a good person. He is very different from Wu Peifu. Zhang Zuolin has always colluded with the Japanese invaders secretly. This time, Congress gave the position of Beiling Province Governor to his brother Zhang Zuoxiang. How could he easily miss the opportunity? Even if Zhang Zuoxiang is unwilling to take on this important task, he will definitely try to insert his confidants such as Wu Junsheng and Yang Yuting to replace him."

Lan Jinping said, "Since the return of the three divisions of the Second Army's westward expedition, Beiling Province now has seven divisions with nearly 100,000 troops and more than 180 fighter planes. If the Fengtian Army attacks, why should we be afraid of a fight?"

Leng Hanbing said, "Sister Lan is right! The Fengtian Army only remembers to eat and not to be beaten. We didn't hurt him last time. If we can completely wipe out one or two of his elite divisions this time, he will never dare to attack again."

The next morning, Liu Xikui led the Peking Opera troupe to bid farewell to Di Xiong. Liu Xikui and others performed in Beitang City, Mulun City, Suwu City and other places for a total of seven days. Every show was sold out. It was originally planned to perform for three days, but the audience was too enthusiastic, so it was postponed to seven days. After seven days, Liu Xikui was still reluctant to leave, but the news came that Di Xiong was dismissed as the governor of Beihai Province. The relationship between the Beiyang government and Beihai Province suddenly became tense, and various news about war was flying around. Many people in the Peking Opera troupe were worried that they would not be able to return home, and they asked Liu Xikui to go back quickly. Only then did Liu Xikui decide to say goodbye to Di Xiong.

The ticket fees collected during the seven-day charity performance totaled more than 135,000 silver dollars. Liu Xikui deposited the money into Beihai Bank and then personally handed the passbook to Di Xiong. She did not take a penny and donated all of it. She even had to pay for her accommodation at Lanji Hotel out of her own pocket. It was only after the pleading of Ai Yun, the general manager of Lanji Hotel, that she collected the accommodation fees. Ai Yun said that the boss Lan Jinping had already instructed that it would be free of charge, and if she collected money, she would be severely punished.

Di Xiong and Lan Jinping respectfully escorted Liu Xikui and his party to the airport. Before leaving, Di Xiong held Liu Xikui's hand tightly and said with deep emotion: "You came to Beihai Province for a seven-day charity performance this time, and donated all the proceeds without reservation, without asking for a penny. This spirit of selfless dedication really moved me. Here, on behalf of all the disabled soldiers of the Black Flag Army and the families of those martyrs who died heroically, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you!"

Di Xiong's words were full of sincere emotions, allowing everyone present to feel the gratitude and respect from the bottom of his heart.

At this parting moment, Di Xiong and Liu Xikui stared at each other, with a tacit understanding and trust in their eyes. Although they are about to go their separate ways, they both know that this cooperation is just the beginning and there will be more opportunities to meet in the future.

Liu Xikui said: "Compared with the bloodshed and sacrifices of the soldiers on the battlefield, what we did is nothing. I heard that the Beiyang government is coming to seize your position as the governor. I wonder if the commander-in-chief can stop them?"

Di Xiong laughed and said, "The Black Flag Army defeated hundreds of thousands of Russians, so why are they afraid of the Beiyang Army, which is as fearful of foreign enemies as a tiger?"

Liu Xikui said: "I feel relieved when you say that."