The New Year is approaching, and the dignitaries and dignitaries who come in and out of the Lanzhou Overseer's Mansion do not have the joyful atmosphere of the past.

After the reorganization of the "Anxi Army" in the central guard, not afraid of the cold, the troops were divided into two routes, Guo Songling led the right army with lightning speed, Lianke Jingtai, Baiyincheng, the main force converged under the city of Lanzhou north of the Yellow River. Zhang Hanqing personally led the left route army from Wuzhong to the south, Ketongxin, and then west out of Kehaiyuan and Jingyuan, a section of Ningning and Dingxi to contain the defenders of Tianshui and Pingliang, and the main force reached Yuzhong in one go.

Zhang Zhaojiao's department of the Pingliang garrison was too young to take care of itself, and he didn't know the reality of the "Anxi Army", so he didn't dare to go out lightly.

Now there are very few troops available in Lanzhou City: originally there were 8 towns in Gansu, half of Hui and half of Han. Due to the surrender of Yinchuan Ma Fuxiang and Ma Hongbin's uncle and nephew, and Liangzhou Ma Tingxing, the east and north doors of Lanzhou were opened. The defenders of Ganzhou and Suzhou were far away in the northwest, and they were rejected by Ma Ting. The similar Xining Maqi turtle shrank his strength in order to protect himself, but Pei Jianhuai of Hezhou had the heart, but he couldn't do it.

What the city could rely on was none other than the troops of Lu Hongtao, the defender of Longdong Town, who had just fled from the front. But the general of the defeated army, An dares to speak up?

Gandu Zhang Guangjian knew that his good days in Gan were over, and he even asked the central government for help. However, Duan Qirui himself had already announced that he would step down and Jin Yunpeng would act as prime minister. Although Gansu is in a hurry, after all, it is not for him, the former prime minister, to interfere.

Although Jin Yunpeng was also from the Anhui faction, when he joined the cabinet in early 1919 as the chief of the army, he was trying to form a cabinet.

In order to balance the forces of various factions and consolidate his dominance, Xu Shichang reappointed Sa Zhenbing as prime minister on September 24, 1919, after his term of acting expired. On November 5, after the two factions sent a telegram to support it and the Senate and the House of Representatives passed it, he was officially appointed to form a cabinet and concurrently serve as the chief of the army.

After he came to power, he could not bear Duan Qirui's criticism and criticism, tried to get rid of his control, and wanted to promote peace between the north and the south, but he gave up because Duan was obstructed. At this time, it is an extraordinary time to rely on the Feng system in order to stand on his own, how can he tear off his face with the Feng system for the sake of a Gansu that is dependent on Duan and has nothing to do with him? It is nothing more than a cliché exhorting both sides to put the people's livelihood first and delay the war.

However, Duan Qirui obviously felt the dark tide surging by the direct forces, and in order to win over the Feng faction to avoid falling into the unfavorable situation of being caught between the two fronts, he did not exert much influence on Zhang Hanqing's movements in the northwest.

In order to make Zhang Guangjian step down with dignity, Jin Yunpeng conferred on him the rank of lieutenant general in the name of President Xu Shichang and transferred Zhang Guangjian to succeed him as adviser to the General's Palace. The transfer order said: "President Feng Da Yu, with diplomatic urgency, Zhang Dou has served as a border pass for a long time, and has a lot of experience, and he has another important role to borrow from Beijing, not to move to the left, Zhang Du is a major member of the country, and the president of this university knows well." The state has set up officials, there is no difference between internal and external, and there is no difference between internal and external importance, and it is one for the country. I hope that there will be no misunderstanding caused by Zhang Du's transfer. ”

Seeing that the situation was irreparable, Zhang Guangjian had no choice but to send a telegram expressing his obedience to the arrangements of the central government, and discussed a truce with the "Anxi Army" to hand over the defense of Lanzhou City to the "Anxi Army." Xining Ma Qi, Ganzhou Ma Lin brothers, Hezhou Pei Jianhuai, and Suzhou Wu Yuren successively expressed their submission to Zhang Hanqing. Pingliang Zhang Zhaopotassium and Tianshui Kong Fanjin formed a military alliance, intending to defend against the danger.

Zhang Hanqing instructed Guo Songling to take over Lanzhou, settle Hezhou and arrange for the entry into Qingdao, and he and Han Linchun went east to Jingning and attacked Zhang and Kong along the Pingliang Highway.

Gansu has a vast area and the strength of the Northwest Army is limited, so Zhang Hanqing did not divide his troops to defend it. Instead, it relies only on major cities for links. Because the southwest of Longxi is mountainous and has no strategic value, only one regiment was left in Shizuizi, Yinchuan, Zhongwei and each in the north of the Yellow River in Ningxia. To the south of the Yellow River, only Wu Zhong was strategically left behind and stationed a regiment, and then abandoned the occupation of the central abdomen of Ningxia and marched into Guyuan.

Guyuan is located in the center of the triangle formed by the three provincial capitals (capitals) of Xi'an, Lanzhou and Yinchuan, and is a famous Hui inhabited area in Ningxia with a long history. It used to be an important economic place, a transportation hub, and a military important place---- "blocking the river on the outside, Longkou on the inside, taking Qin Liang on the lap, and supporting the Weiji shop".

The ancients vividly evaluated its geographical location and said: "the left controls the five plains, the right takes the Lanhui, the yellow stream surrounds the north, Kongtong blocks the south, according to the shoulders of the eight counties, the key point of the three towns", "the road back to the middle is dangerous, Xiaoguan Fengwei is many", since ancient times, it is the pass and military town on the throat road leading to the Western Regions outside the Saiwai in Guanzhong.

It is rich in products and beautiful mountains and rivers; The Islamic and Lan civilization and the Central Plains culture converge, and the life is full of rich Islamic customs and Central Plains cultural customs. The earliest highway trunk line in the northwest of modern China - the highway from Xi'an to Lanzhou passes through here.

On December 11, the headquarters of the Left Route Army was placed in Jingyuan County. Whether to fight Pingliang or Tianshui first, Zhang Hanqing and Han Linchun had a disagreement.

According to Han Linchun's meaning, it was to fight the slightly weaker Pingliang Zhang Zhao Potassium Department first, and Jingyuan was closer to Pingliang, so it could be done on the same day. If the defenders of Tianshui want to save each other, they must pass through the dangerous Liupan Mountain, which is not easy.

Zhang Hanqing, on the other hand, believed that Zhang Zhaojiao had already set up a dangerous position at the foot of Liupan Mountain, and the strong attack would cause huge losses and take a long time, so it was easy to give reinforcements to the Tianshui Kong Fanjin Division. It is better to feint Pingliang and raid Tianshui, then Zhang Zhao's soldiers will not dare to go out of danger, and Kong Fanjin did not expect it. After the Tianshui matter is over, Pingliang can be decided by a battle.

In military affairs, Zhang Hanqing can be said to be as good as a stream---- never doing anything, and respecting military commanders, especially front-line commanders, has always been a prerequisite for successful operations. Strategically, I am okay, but commanding a war is a layman, and this is a matter of life and death, so I can't act arbitrarily alone.

Han Linchun also sincerely respects Zhang Hanqing. This young young marshal does not have a trace of the young marshal's shelf and the habits of a gentleman. Not only does he have amazing insight and strategic vision, but he can also know how to delegate power in the administration and military, and he is basically good at it. The military controversy has made the run-in between them more and more tacit.

The two discussed and synthesized the points of dispute between the two sides, but came up with a better plan, that is, to turn a feint attack on Pingliang into a strong attack on Pingliang, and if they can win in one fell swoop, the general trend has been decided. If the strong attack fails, it will become a feint to attract the Tianshui defenders to come to help, and it will become a trend of "besieging the city and sending reinforcements".

Therefore, the artillery regiment and 2 infantry regiments of the division were transferred to the brigade commander Yu Zhaolin to lead the attack on Pingliang, and Zhang Hanqing and Han Linchun led the remaining 1st Brigade and the cavalry regiment of the division to quietly enter the southern section of Longban along the narrow mountain area of the north-south direction of Liupan Mountain and set up an ambush. The mountains here are steep, which is the boundary between the Weihe Plain and the Longzhong Plateau.

At 10 a.m. the next day, the assault on Pingliang began. But the Northwest Army roared at the defenders' positions with artillery, and the infantry advanced through the gap. The formidable equipment of the Northwest Army began to work, and by 12 o'clock, the east and west flanks of the Pingliang defenders had been taken.

When Kong Fanjin received Zhang Zhaokai's urgent telegram for help, he immediately led the main independent brigade to the rescue with a rapid march. Hearing the rumbling of cannons in the distance, he was anxious. Once the Northwest Army defeats the Pingliang Army, there are no worries, and they need to support themselves independently.

However, the panting Tianshui Army immediately fell into a bitter battle. A gunshot rang out, and the ambush was exhausted. The Northwest Army, which occupied a favorable terrain, cut off its advance and retreat routes, and condescendingly besieged Kong Fanjin's troops tightly in the valley.

The fierce battle lasted for about an hour, and most of the Tianshui army was killed and wounded. The rest of the soldiers fled all over the mountains and land, and were crushed. The red flag of the Northwest Army was unfurled, and it was connected with the shouts of victory in the distance. The headquarters was set up on a high mountain, and Zhang Hanqing and Han Linchun, who had an unobstructed view of the battlefield situation, knew that Pingliang had also won a big victory.

After this battle, there was no major war in Gansu. The northwest and the northeast are connected as one, what a powerful force! With this kind of powerful armament, it is enough to unify China and establish a strong Chinese nation in his heart! What Anhui, direct lineage, Beiyang warlords, Kuomintang, to hell with it. The future of China will be dominated by me, Zhang Hanqing!

Zhang Hanqing was full of pride, and suddenly a word poured into his mind. Yes, except for Mao Weiren's broad-mindedness and courage, nothing can express his current mood. He groaned to the vast earth, and his majestic voice echoed in the valley:

"The sky is high and the clouds are light, and the geese flying in the south are broken. If you don't get to the Great Wall, you are not a hero, and you can only travel 20,000 yuan.

On the peak of Liupan Mountain, the red flag swept the north wind. Today, the long tassel is in hand, when will the dragon be bound? ”

Han Linchun was also infected by the pride of the young marshal, he looked at Zhang Hanqing calmly and said, "Young marshal, Han Linchun is willing to follow the banner of the young marshal forever!" ”

A month later, the photograph was published on the front page of the Fengtian Times, entitled "Qingping Le•Liupan Mountain."

Because of the rapid expansion of the number of the Northwest People's Army and the consideration of the Anhui War in the coming year, Zhang Hanqing reorganized the officers and soldiers of the captured units and recruited soldiers from among the Hui people. It was at this time that the famous Hui general Ma Benzhai joined the People's Army, when he and his father herded horses in the Inner Mongolia area.

In terms of recruiting and demoting generals, Zhang Hanqing referred to the method given by Lin Wei, the director of military intelligence in the young marshal's office: senior officers and few soldiers. All the newly recruited generals were promoted to the commanders of the local security forces, but their strong troops were redeployed on the spot and reorganized to join the garrison People's Army.

The two independent brigades of Song Jiuling and Qi Enming were expanded into the 2nd and 3rd Divisions of the Northwest People's Army, and the Zhang Chengde Cavalry Brigade brought together the cavalry battalion of the original Special Operations Brigade and the cavalry regiment of the Guards Division to be expanded into the 4th Cavalry Division, which was the first rapid reaction force of the People's Army;

The elite 1st Division of the Feng Army under the command of Han Linchun was originally led by Pei Chunsheng as the division commander (numbered as the 1st Division of the Northwest People's Army) and the commander of the Gansu Security Command. The divisions were still stuck in the traditional two-brigade and four-regiment structure, but all of them set up divisional artillery battalions, and the first division was expanded into an artillery regiment.

That's because the Shenyang Arsenal was ordered by Zhang Zuolin to transport most of the new guns to the northwest. The situation outside the border is calm at present, and the existing army is fully equipped except for a few new divisions, but the eldest son Zhang Hanqing needs a steady stream of fire support.

Because of the huge amount of gold support, Zhang Zuolin, who had the confidence, ordered the Shenyang Arsenal to operate at full capacity. According to the annual production capacity of 150 guns, the Feng army will be armed with eight new artillery battalions every year.

The Northwest is decided.