"Bosses, your dogs look pretty good!" Zhu Huaiji said. The husky dog walked through the snow with a heavy sled unhurriedly. Not to mention that this kind of sled power looks fresh, and it is as big as a pony dog, and the hunter Zhu Huaiji and others have seen it for the first time.

The officers and men of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army just smiled kindly, these dogs are indeed good, but they also put a lot of pressure on logistics. But no one wants to say so much, and the snow march is quite exhausting, so it would be better to save some effort.

The commando captain took over, "Brother Zhu, are the guards in this mine very powerful?" ”

"It's not that great, but there are a lot of them." Zhu Huaiji was angry when he mentioned the guards of the Japanese mines. It's not just that three people from the Zhu family died in the mine, the mine used to be a good hunting ground, and now there are no wild beasts to hunt there, "This boss, do you want to fight them?" ”

The commando captain smiled: "It's not impossible to beat them, but you need the help of a local!" ”

"How can I help?" Zhu Huaiji saw that there was hope to fight the Japanese, and hurriedly asked.

"You've got to lure the Japanese out. If our gang went directly to fight the Japanese, they were afraid that they would not be able to shrink back. Somebody has to get them out! The commando leader replied.

This is a necessary approach, and even then it comes with considerable risk. In order not to startle the snake, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army has not yet cut off the telegraph lines in various parts of Anshan. Therefore, a short-term siege is likely to result in enemy reinforcements. In such an unfamiliar area, even a map is useless.

"Do you want me to trick the Japanese out?" Zhu Huaiji was a little wilted at that time, and it was not impossible to do this thing to deceive Japan, the key was that if he didn't come out with Zhu Huaiji on the first day, it would be terrible.

Seeing Zhu Huaiji's expression, the commando captain was not reluctant, he smiled and said, "Let's explore the road first." Brother Zhu, with you as a local, we have saved a lot of money! ”

For several days in a row, Zhu Huaiji and several hunters of the Zhu family led the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army to various villages near Anshan. Now everyone in various places has heard of the name of the People's Party, and there are locals leading the team, especially the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's attitude is modest, but when it comes to the matter of beating the Japanese, it is not modest, and the Japanese who have been killed on a large scale will talk about it. This made the masses in the countryside quite admired.

Zhu Huaiji didn't dare to lure the Japanese mine guards out, it was not only Zhu Huaiji's family who had an enmity with the Japanese, but another hunter surnamed Xie volunteered to help lure the Japanese out. "Several members of our family were killed by the Japanese, and this time I finally have a chance to take revenge, and I myself have nothing to fear of death! I only hope that all the bosses can kill all the Japanese and help our family avenge it! ”

There were more than fifty commandos in total, and this force could probably deal with one or two hundred people in an ambush battle. The crux of the matter is whether or not the enemy can be tricked into the ambush circle. This can really only rely on the help of the local people.

After two days of careful planning, the operation was finally carried out. The battle turned out not bad. With no loss of one person, the troops in white camouflage suits first easily annihilated more than 50 people who were brought into the encirclement by the Xie family hunters. They raided the camp of the Japanese mine guards guarding the mine along the path, and wiped out more than 130 people at the cost of three wounded. Then, in front of the miners and the local people, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army released a Japanese in accordance with the method of solving the Manchurian Railway, unless someone was willing to stand up to protect the Japanese and say the reason why the Japanese could not die. When no one pleaded, the Japanese were all beheaded. Of course, no one pleaded with the Japanese, and as a result, all the Japanese in the mine were killed.

The dead bodies from the ambush were also dragged back to the mine. This effort was made to avoid the Japanese from discovering that the battle was taking place in two places. Anyway, there is a lot of snow these days, and the traces on the ground are quickly gone. The Xie family hunter knew very well in his heart that he played a big role in the ambush war, and covering up the battlefield of the ambush war was also his protection.

The assault team left several liaison officers to continue the operation in the Anshan area, and the main force of the assault team quickly retreated. Now that the masses have been shown combat effectiveness, all that remains is to get in touch quickly. It's a good opportunity to attack.

With the news of progress in Anshan, the assault team returned to the Panjin area. The 18th Army, which had already planned to seize Anshan, immediately adjusted its deployment, first asking the 14th Army to send troops to take over part of the 18th Army's garrison, and the troops of the 18th Army also began to continue northward.

The 14th Army's response was very fast, and after receiving the notice from the 18th Army, they immediately forwarded the news to Pu Guanshui, commander of the Northeast Military Region, who immediately ordered the 14th Army to be stationed in the Panjin area. The two armies in Hebei, the 15th and 16th armies, were stationed in Jinzhou and the area between Jinzhou and Panjin. With the support of large forces, the 14th Army was also highly motivated. And the 18th Army went north in batches.

Jinzhou, Panjin, Anshan and other areas are already very cold at this time, but the cold degree is still limited to Changchun further north. Although the name of Changchun looks very warm, in fact, the longest time here is in winter. In February, the temperature dropped to more than minus 30 degrees Celsius. Even if the sun is shining in broad daylight, no one wants to go out.

If there is anything colder than this weather, it may be the mood of Zhang Zuolin, the governor of the Northeast who temporarily lives in Changchun. Honestly, it is not a shame to be driven out of Mukden by the Japanese. Even if Changchun is not completely Zhang Zuolin's territory, the Changchun defenders still admire the fact that Zhang Dashuai was able to escape with his life. Not to mention that Zhang Dashuai scared off tens of thousands of Japanese troops with one shot, and he is a legend in Changchun City.

But the latest news made Zhang Zuolin more and more afraid, although the Japanese did not continue the attack, and Zhang Zuolin had also heard that the People's Party had annihilated a Japanese division in Shandong. At that time, Beiyang said that the People's Party was bragging, and Zhang Zuolin was very afraid of the Japanese, so he naturally thought that the People's Party was bragging. It wasn't until he sent the news of the People's Party's annihilation of the Japanese 20th Division and the destruction of the Yalu River under the noses of the Japanese to Changchun in the intelligence system in Mukden. Only then did Zhang Zuolin know that the People's Party was not bragging.

This Beiyang miscellaneous military leader who obtained a huge opportunity in the troubled times was really scared. In Zhang Zuolin's view, the Japanese will certainly not stay in China for long. Even if the Russo-Japanese War was fought like that, Japan did not stay in Tohoku in the end.

But the People's Party is completely different, and the People's Party definitely wants to seize the whole of China. Even President Yuan Shikai, who was a matchmaker for Chen Ke, was forced to death by Chen Ke, how could Chen Ke be polite to Zhang Zuolin?

However, Wang Yongjiang, the leader of another faction in the Northeast Army, has a completely different view from Zhang Zuolin. After the annihilation of the 20th Division, the news of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's massacre of the Manchurian Railway members reached Changchun, and Wang Yongjiang suggested that Zhang Zuolin take the initiative to send someone to contact the People's Party and seek cooperation between the two sides. Work together against the Japanese in the Northeast.

Of course, Zhang Zuolin disagreed, he thought that the current situation should be a good time to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. The biggest threat at the moment is the Japanese, and even the news should be passed on to the Japanese first, Zhang Zuolin has no intention of being an enemy of the Japanese. In exchange for temporary peace. Anyway, as long as you don't send troops to provoke the Japanese or the People's Party, when the general trend is obvious, at least both sides are in a critical period of fierce war, and no matter who Zhang Zuolin takes refuge in, everyone will have to pay Zhang Zuolin a lot of money.

Wang Yongjiang's attitude towards both ends of this kind of head rat is extremely disdainful, "Handsome! What are you going to do if neither the Japanese nor the People's Party accept us? ”

"You don't mean to accept us?" Zhang Zuolin didn't think about it completely for a while, but after a while, he finally understood what Wang Yongjiang meant, and then Zhang Zuolin's face sank.

Wang Yongjiang is one of the few high-level people in the Northeast Army who is really a scholar, and he doesn't care if Zhang Zuolin is unhappy, "Dashuai, the Japanese entered the Northeast this time to occupy our Northeast. It was definitely not to prop up Sun Yat-sen's regime. The People's Party also entered the Northeast in order to seize the Northeast. In comparison, we can only liaise with the BJP. It's good that we are all Chinese. Now, even if I contact the Japanese, I am at peace for the time being. It's not that the Japanese really want to let us go, it's that they don't have the strength to attack us at all under the confrontation with the People's Party. In such a situation, even if we ignore the Japanese, they will not be able to fight. You can't make a mistake! ”

Of course, Zhang Zuolin knew the truth of this, and he pondered for a while before saying, "This should have been the People's Party coming to talk to us......

How could Wang Yongjiang not know what Zhang Zuolin was thinking, he was quite disappointed in his heart. originally thought that Zhang Zuolin was also a hero, but when he didn't wake up to the time when it was about his own life, he still showed his true colors. But since Wang Yongjiang became Zhang Zuolin's subordinate, Wang Yongjiang couldn't help but give the correct advice seriously, "I'm afraid that the marshal only wants to continue to be the overseer of Fengtian." ”

Zhang Zuolin's face was slightly red, and Wang Yongjiang directly said what Zhang Zuolin really thought in his heart. In fact, Zhang Zuolin also knows that this is obviously unrealistic. If the People's Party had defeated the Japanese and seized Mukden, he would not have been able to have the position he had in the past. But after being the overseer of Fengtian, even if it was only for a long time, Zhang Zuolin could not give up his former status. Therefore, as long as the People's Party can promise that Zhang Zuolin will continue to be the overseer of Fengtian, he will defect to the banner of the People's Party without hesitation.

"Marshal, your Fengtian Overseer is only obtained by how much effort you have made to serve the previous governors. But in the current situation, if you want to continue to be the Overseer of the Heavenly Heavens, you can only continue to work for the winning side, and the weight of your contribution cannot be less than the amount of your previous efforts! Wang Yongjiang really even said what he said in his heart.

Zhang Zuolin was slightly stunned, if Wang Yongjiang didn't mention it, Zhang Zuolin himself would have forgotten how much strength he had exerted in the previous days. Not to mention how many people he contributed to when he established a security team in western Liaoning. Even when the security teams in various places are bandits, Zhang Zuolin's security team is also highly disciplined, and many times they do things first and then take money. It has won the praise of the local area in western Liaoning. If this were not the case, Zhang Zuolin would not have been recruited to become an official army in western Liaoning.

During the Russo-Japanese War, in addition to maintaining law and order in the territory, Zhang Zuolin was also thinking about how to enhance his strength. His principle is that I will help whoever gives me benefits. At the beginning, when the Russian army was strong, he accepted guns and money from the Russian army to help the Russian army. Later, he was captured by the Japanese army and almost executed. After his release, he signed an oath with the Japanese army, "vowing to assist the Japanese army." After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, his unit was expanded to three battalions instead of losses.

After that, Zhang Zuolin first used a trick to kill the local big bandit Du Lisan. Then he exterminated the Mongol bandits in Taonan. The area around Taonan is a vast steppe, which was the base of the Mongol rebels' activities. They are familiar with the terrain, understand the people's conditions, are good at riding and shooting, and are impermanent. Their whereabouts are uncertain, they often use surprise attacks, hit and run, and there is no trace. Among them, there were several large Mongol rebels, such as Baiyin Dajiao, Yaqian, Taoketaohu, etc., all of which "disturbed the frontier for several years, and it was difficult to get rid of the vines, and the country regarded them as giants."

Zhang Zuolin took on this important task, and the beginning was not smooth. Later, he used a strategy of assault and outwitting, sending people to penetrate the Mongol rebels, obtain information, and gradually reverse the disadvantage. In 1909, Xu Shichang saw that Zhang Zuolin's troops were insufficient, so he expanded him to enhance his strength. The 5 battalions were expanded to 7 battalions, and Sun Liechen's unit stationed in Taonan was transferred to Zhang Zuolin's department. In this way, Zhang Zuolin's troops increased to 3,500 people and became a strong force in the northeast.

Zhang Zuolin is a person who knows how to be grateful. Xu Shichang, the governor of the three eastern provinces, was so favored and valued that he worked harder to suppress bandits. At the same time, he is constantly summing up the lessons and lessons of the crackdown on bandits and exploring a set of feasible laws. He himself endured hardships and stood hard work, and led by example. Therefore, after more than a year of hard fighting, he finally killed Baiyin Dajiao, captured Yaqian alive, and defeated Tao Ke Taohu. Later, he pursued Taoketaohu for 800 miles, and drove Taoketaohu to Outer Mongolia. The scourge of the Mongolian rebels, who had endangered the northeastern frontier for many years, was lifted, dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Mongolian separatists, and safeguarded the unity of the country and the unity of the nation.

After the Xinhai Revolution, the People's Party and Yuan Shikai became the two most powerful forces in China at that time. When the governor of the three eastern provinces at that time learned that Lan Tianwei and other revolutionaries who knew that the military power was brewing an uprising, he was immediately frightened and overwhelmed, and the governor said that he was about to enter the customs, that is, he was ready to escape. At this time, Yuan Jinkai, deputy chairman of the Fengtian Provincial Consultative Bureau, immediately knelt down to beg for dissuasion, and suggested that the old army of the patrol battalion be reused. Zhang Zuolin was inspecting outside at that time, and when he received the news that the governors of the three eastern provinces had summoned him, he hurried back to Mukden and held a meeting overnight to study countermeasures.

The leaders of the revolutionaries, Lan Tianwei and Wu Jinglian, secretly discussed in advance and seized power in the northeast by means of a meeting without bloodshed. It is proposed that Wu Jinglian, in the name of the chairman of the Fengtian Provincial Consultative Bureau, convene a meeting of leaders from all walks of life in the provincial capital to resolve this issue at the meeting. They studied a plan, in the name of maintaining law and order, set up the Fengtian Provincial Security Association, forced out the governors of the three eastern provinces, and then elected Lan Tianwei as the governor of Guanwai and Wu Jinglian as the civil governor of Fengtian Province, broke away from the Qing court, declared independence, and completed the revolution of the three eastern provinces. If "the overall situation of the Northeast is established, following the entry into the military pass, we will meet Yanjiao and go straight to the captive hole". The naïve revolutionaries thought that by voting at the meeting, they would be able to seize power in the Northeast in one fell swoop.

At this meeting, Zhang Zuolin arranged people inside and outside the venue, holding guns on standby, and exerting pressure clearly. Zhang Zuolin went to the meeting with a gun, his face full of murder. The atmosphere at the venue was very tense, and there was a tendency to break out. However, the revolutionaries were not timid, but made a generous statement, advocating independence from the Qing court. Zhang Zuolin jumped out impatiently, slapped the pistol on the table, and shouted arrogantly and viciously: "I, Zhang, am a soldier, and I only know how to protect the commander." If there is a grievance, although I Zhang is good at making friends, I don't make friends with this pistol. This was a signal, and all his party members around the venue immediately drew their pistols, and the situation was extremely dangerous. In this case, there is no way to discuss it any further. The parliamentarians who were inclined to revolution left the meeting in anger. But this is tantamount to ceding the initiative of this meeting to the royalists.

As a result, the governors of the three eastern provinces took control of the conference, and the situation was quickly stabilized. In addition, Xu Shichang quickly led his troops back to the Northeast and pacified the situation in the Northeast. This time, Zhang Zuolin was appreciated by Yuan Shikai, and he rose step by step. Finally sat on the throne of the Mukden Overseer.

But now Zhang Zuolin is facing two strong enemies, Japan and the People's Party, both relying entirely on their own strength to seize the northeast. Among the things that Zhang Zuolin is good at, it is precisely the lack of military strength that is the most. In this field, Zhang Zuolin really can't get involved.

"Mr. Wang, what do you think?" Zhang Zuolin asked Wang Yongjiang.

"It depends on what the big boss wants." Wang Yongjiang replied.

Zhang Zuolin knew that he was definitely going to have a final showdown, even if there was no war in winter, the winter would pass. When the spring flowers bloom, the Japanese will come if they don't come, and the People's Party will come. He finally said: "I don't want to retreat anymore, where can I retreat?" Retreat to Heilongjiang? Retreat to Liaoxi? Anyway, I have to be a Changchun Overseer! ”

When he said this, Zhang Zuolin was actually very weak-hearted, and his current strength was simply not enough to seek this position. Unexpectedly, Wang Yongjiang actually nodded again and again, "You must also ensure that the Changchun Overseer is right." ”

Hearing Wang Yongjiang say this, Zhang Zuolin felt a lot better. However, how to ensure his status as the overseer of Changchun, there is no result discussed at this time.

But the next day, January 14, 1916, Wang Yongjiang suddenly took advantage of the night to lead his relatives out of the city and disappeared. In the letter left to Zhang Zuolin, Wang Yongjiang wrote: "Heroes see the difference between scholars and scholars, what do scholars' ambitions do? This was followed by Wang Yongjiang's resignation on the grounds that his mother was ill. Although Zhang Zuolin is not a Fengtian overseer at all, Wang Yongjiang still officially informed Zhang Zuolin in the form of the resignation of his subordinates that he would quit.

At present, more than 30% of the Northeast Army in Changchun City are people who follow Wang Yongjiang's garrison headquarters, and Wang Yongjiang's departure immediately shakes the morale of the army. Zhang Zuolin's life was even more sad.

After thinking about it, Zhang Zuolin no longer dared to maintain his policy of "glorious isolation", and he decided that he still had to rely on one side first. Calling his cronies, Zhang Zuolin ordered, "You go to Fengtian to deliver a letter!" ”

"To whom?" The cronie asked.

"To the current president, Mr. Sun Yat-sen." Zhang Zuolin said in a deep voice.