At this time, Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, seems to have completely turned into a sea of military uniforms. The trains coming from the south were all turned into military trains, and carloads of soldiers poured down from the trains coming from Mukden. These soldiers were not all the original Fengjun, but also the officers and soldiers of the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army and the newly formed First Army from Liangguang, but now they all wore leather hats that were unique to foreign armies, wore thick khaki cotton uniforms, and changed into warm cotton shoes on their feet.

The total number of troops transferred from the south is about 80,000 people! Including the main force of the First Army (of which the First Division remained in Mukden), the entire newly formed First Army. Although most of these troops have received some military training, they do not have the experience of winning the 220th World War in the icy and snowy climate of North Manchuria. Therefore, Jiang Jshi procured a large number of military supplies suitable for use in cold conditions from Japan. At the same time, they also sent experienced veterans from the Feng army to the army from the south to serve as temporary instructors, imparting some experience in fighting under severe cold conditions, and allowing the troops to master as many skills as possible to resist the cold.

At the same time, the armament of the troops has also undergone some upgrades, 36 Meiji 38-year 150mm howitzers were sold to the Northeast Anti-Russian Army by the Japanese side, Jiang Jshi from the original Fengjun artillery unit and the ** First Army Artillery Regiment transferred a group of officers and soldiers, with these cannons to form an artillery regiment directly under the headquarters...... There are not a single 150 guns like this in the troops directly under the military commission of the national government! It can be seen from this that the "Day" himself has supported Jiang Jshi, the king of the Northeast!

In addition to the supply of weapons and equipment. A military advisory group led by Major General Muto Nobuyoshi also came to Harbin to help Jiang Jishi command the war against Russia. Unlike Chang Ruiqing, the commander-in-chief of the anti-Russian army, Jiang Jshi's determination to resist Russia seems to be extremely resolute, and the 220th Emperor himself seems to want to use Jiang Jshi's hand to weaken the strength of the two White Russian commanders, Semenov and Horvat, so that the Japanese can completely subdue and control them.

Therefore, when Yang Jie, the representative of the headquarters sent by the Military Committee, who had just defected from the Yunnan army, walked into Jiang Jshi's headquarters in Harbin, he found a strong atmosphere of war. I also saw that there were signal corps busy removing telephone lines. Officers also continued to come on horseback to receive orders, and then hurried out to give orders. Everyone had a stern expression, and there was a little nervousness in their expressions. Yang Jie was shocked in his heart: "Is Jiang Jishi's headquarters going to move forward?" Does he really want to lead his troops to fight Qiqihar's old Maozi? It seems that I didn't come in vain this time! ”

He and Jiang Jshi are old acquaintances. As early as the time of the Zhenwu School, he was a classmate, and later served as the head of the Shanghai Army with Jiang Jshi when he was in Xinhai Revolution. This time, he refused Chang Ruiqing's wooing, and asked Xu Chongzhi to come to the Northeast in the name of the representative of the headquarters to join his old classmates. Originally, he was worried that Jiang Jshi only knew how to hug his own thighs. Didn't have the guts to go to war with the Russians, and now it seems that this worry is unnecessary. As long as Jiang Jshi can fight a real battle with the Russians and win, then the title of a national hero will not be able to run, and there will always be a giant status in the national government system in the future.

At this time, an officer hurriedly walked out of the war room of the headquarters, and Yang Jie recognized it at a glance as Wang Bailing, his old classmate in the Zhenwu Academy and the Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and now the chief of staff of the Northeast Anti-Russian Army. Hurriedly went up and greeted: "Brother Maoru, you are going to fight a big battle here, right?" What about Brother J Shi? Where is he? ”

Wang Bailing also recognized Yang Jie, and greeted him with a smile: "Brother Geng Guang, why did you come to Harbin?" Aren't you in the Dian Army? ”

Yang Jie smiled bitterly and shook his head. said to Wang Bailing: "Brother Maoru's mind is now in the northeast, and he doesn't care about the upheaval in the southwest for a long time, right?" The Dian army and the Qian army are now gone! Zhu Yizhi and Deng Zhongyuan captured Kunming and Guiyang in early December, Tang Jiyao ran away to Vietnam, and Liu Shixian was captured alive by the officers and soldiers of Chen Jitang's Seventh Division and is now imprisoned in Guangzhou! Gu Pinzhen and Wang Wenhua all accepted the name of the new formation of the National Revolutionary Army. I can't go back to my hometown when I'm stationed in Sichuan. As for me, my father died a while ago, and I have been worrying at home all the time, and now I have just come out to work for the national government. Now he is a representative of the headquarters of the Military Committee, who came to the northeast to inspect the anti-Russian army. ”

The changes that occurred in the southwest during this period will be promptly reported by the Military Commission to the Northeast Anti-Russian Army Command. But where does Wang Bailing have the time to watch these messy briefings? The dispatch and deployment of more than 100,000 or 200,000 troops here in the Northeast must go through the hands of him, the chief of staff! So he really just knew about these things, he took Yang Jie's hand and walked towards Jiang Jishi's office.

"By the way, Maoru, this is a letter of introduction issued by the Military Commission, or is it Chang Ruiqing, the vice chairman, handwriting." Yang Jie took out an envelope from his pocket at this time and handed it to Wang Bailing.

Wang Bailing took it with a smile, and stuffed it into his pocket without looking at it: "Brother Geng Guang, I think you will stay here in the Northeast in the future, Guangzhou is the world of Chang Ruiqing Baoding, and we non-commissioned officers are not allowed to be reused after all." And here in the northeast, it is the territory of our non-commissioned officer department, and with Brother Geng Guang's talent, army commanders and division commanders are not a problem at all. ”

Yang Jie was stunned by his words, and after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that this was really the case. In Guangzhou, the characters who came out of the non-commissioned officers of the Japanese were the best, and they were only the principals and education chiefs of the Army Branch of the Whampoa Military Academy. The vast majority of those who served as high-ranking officers in the army were from the Baoding department...... It seems that Chang Ruiqing can't get rid of the old routine of classmates and fellow villagers!

He sighed in his heart, and walked into Jiang Jishi's office with Wang Bailing in three steps and two steps. I saw Jiang Jshi holding his arms and He Chengjun and Zhang Qun, who graduated from the non-commissioned officer of Japan, standing together, facing a military map on the wall and talking in a low voice.

“…… The main attack is still on Chen Mingshu's first army, which is the old foundation of the Guangdong army, with strong combat effectiveness and good equipment. Most of the middle and senior officers came from Baoding and Shaoguan Jiangwutang, and most of the junior officers were from Huangpu, which was much better than the Fengjun and the New First Army. This is our first battle in the Northeast, and we must win! And this time the opponent is the foreign ** team, we are fighting a national war, which is different from the nature of Chang Ruiqing's civil war in the Guannei. As long as you can win. Even if our prestige is established, it will be much easier to reorganize the Fengjun and govern the northeast. ”

Jiang J-shi was discussing the military situation with two of his subordinates. It wasn't the first time he had said something similar, but every time he repeated it, his eyes still lit up. The whole person seemed to be excited, as if he had defeated White Russia and won the crown of national hero.

Of course, it's not for nothing that he's feeling good right now. Our freshly baked Northeast King is not an uncertain battle this time!

According to the briefings of the adviser and the military council, he already knew that he would soon be carrying out the "Secret Treaty between Japan and Russia (Soviet Russia)" and sending troops to occupy the Primorsky and Sakhalin regions of Russia...... The representative of the Japanese in Ufa has already submitted an ultimatum to Kolchak, demanding that the Belarusian troops withdraw from Heilongjiang Province within 48 hours! Otherwise, as a staunch ally of China, the Japanese Empire will have to fulfill its obligations as an ally! Now that the Japanese themselves are going to do it soon, the tens of thousands of White Russian troops in Qiqihar should almost retreat, right? This victory seems to be something that can be achieved lightly. However, Jiang J Shi did not intend to let those Russian invaders go lightly, and now he needed a great victory enough to attract the attention of the world to establish his prestige and make himself a giant who could compete with Chang Ruiqing!

……

Chang Ruiqing is now sitting in the office of the general manager of the National Government's Government Affairs Council in Guangzhou's agriculture and forestry field. The functions of the Council of the Nationalist Government were slightly larger than those of the historical Executive Yuan, and all the departments of the Nationalist Government were under the jurisdiction of the Military Council, except for a few ministries related to the armed forces. Including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an integral part of the State Council. Today, Chang Ruiqing came to the Government Council to discuss diplomatic matters with Chen Duxiu, the "president" of the "State Council," Xie Zhi, the deputy "president," Wang Zhengting, the foreign minister, and Wu Tingfang, an adviser to the government who is over 70 years old and almost 80 years old.

Wu Tingfang put a handwritten letter from the Governor of Hong Kong, Stubbs, in front of Chen Duxiu, with a distressed and helpless look on his face, but he just shook his head and said: "Mr. Stubbs has also done his best, but Whitehall still adheres to the position that the Beijing government is the only legitimate government of China, and does not recognize that our national government is qualified to represent China." However, Mr. Stuart also proposed a compromise. He asked us to go to Beijing for consultations, and a delegation from the North and the South would go to Paris to attend the peace conference. I think this is the only way, if General Manager Chen agrees, and Mr. Sun has no opinion, the old man can go to Beijing to discuss the matter with Cao Runtian. ”

He is probably the oldest diplomat in China at present, and he is still a Chinese member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, and he does have some influence among the British, and he has a good personal relationship with the Governor of Hong Kong, Stubbs. But this time, he touched the British with a gray nose and made a fuss, and he was dejected when he spoke.

Chen Duxiu glanced at Xie Zhi, who was Sun Yat-sen's agent in the Government Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had always been controlled by the Kuomintang. So this errand was not done well, and Xie Zhi's face was not good-looking. He met Chen Duxiu's gaze and said calmly: "Mr. Sun will not agree to let the Beiyang government participate in the Paris Peace Conference!" Mr. Chen, I don't think you guys should have any objections to this, right? ”

Chen Duxiu did not answer Xie Zhi's question head-on, but set his eyes on Wang Zhengting, and said lightly: "Cousin Confucian, what do you think?" Is there any other way than to participate in the Paris Peace Conference to quickly break the diplomatic impasse and get the Nationalist Government recognized by the Great Powers? ”

Hearing Chen Duxiu's question, Wang Zhengting, the foreign minister, was helpless. At present, the only one in the world who recognizes the Nationalist Government of Guangzhou is Soviet Russia! In order to gain widespread diplomatic recognition, he, the foreign minister, and the consuls of the great powers in Guangzhou did not know how many times they had held negotiations, and their lips were about to be crushed. However, the attitude of the great powers has not slackened in the slightest, not to mention the old imperialism such as Britain and France, and even the United States and Japan, which have relatively good relations with the Nationalist Government, have made it clear that the recognition of all the treaties signed by the Manchu Qing government and the Beiyang government and all its foreign debts is a prerequisite for Guangzhou to obtain diplomatic recognition, and it is also an international practice...... As for the provisions of those treaties that China considers unfair, they can be amended through negotiations. But the national government should first recognize the legitimacy of these treaties!

Regarding this viewpoint put forward by the foreign powers, Kuomintang figures, including Xie Zhi and Wang Zhengting, actually agreed. But Sun Yat-sen was noncommittal. Wang Zhengting knew that this Mr. Sun was also in favor of it in his heart, but because of the resolute opposition of Chang Ruiqing, another major shareholder of the Nationalist Government, he did not say a word. Thinking of this, Wang Zhengting smiled at Chen Duxiu reluctantly: "General Manager Chen, strength is the backing of diplomacy. Compared with the great powers, China is a weak country after all...... Those unequal treaties were also signed because the enemy was strong and we were weak. The fate of our people is about to be victorious. I believe that in less than ten years, the country will be able to move towards rejuvenation under the leadership of Mr. Sun, and then we will have the strength. Diplomatic amendments and abrogations are not a problem. Speaking of this, he looked at Chang Ruiqing, who had not spoken since the beginning of the meeting, and said, "General Yaoru, do you say?" ”

Chang Ruiqing didn't think so, and replied with a smile: "Those unequal treaties are actually the shackles that lock our China, and with them, the pace of our China's development will not be fast." Even with Mr. Sun's leadership, it is impossible for us to make great strides forward with such heavy shackles. Besides...... We are developing, and the great powers will not be idle and do nothing, right? They're evolving, too, and they're doing it faster than we do! At the time of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan produced only 50,000 tons of steel. How many are there now? It's almost 1 million tons! Their battleships of more than 10,000 tons were imported from Britain, but in just 10 years, they were already able to build 27,500-ton battlecruisers! Now they will soon get nearly 400,000 square kilometers of the resource-rich Russian Primorsky Province and Sakhalin Province, and the speed of development in the future is not known how fast it will become! You say, can we still move forward with shackles? In that case. In 10 or 20 years, will the gap between China and the great powers increase or narrow? ”

As he spoke, he stood up and paced, looking very radiant. He waved his hands with great momentum and said loudly: "So we must immediately tear up all the unequal treaties that bind our hands and feet!" It will be torn apart immediately, and you must not hold the idea of what will happen after you become strong! As for strength...... Minister Wang is right, that is the foundation of diplomacy. But that's just one of the basics, not the whole story! In addition to strength, the other two important bases of diplomatic representations are interests and costs!

Although we are far inferior to the great powers of Britain, the United States and France, if we can make them feel that the price they will pay to defend their interests in China will far outweigh the gains, we can immediately tear those unequal treaties apart without paying anything. ”

Wang Zhengting took a breath and looked at Chang Ruiqing fixedly: "General Yaoru, what do you want to do?" Are you going to blackmail the Great Powers? That's playing with fire, did you know? In case ......"

Chang Ruiqing interrupted Wang Zhengting's words very unceremoniously, he stopped, looked at this diplomat who was good at everything, but a little afraid of the ocean, and said with a smile: "There is nothing in case, the current situation is developing in our favor!" The British and French powers will definitely shrink their global front after the end of the European war, and with the trouble of Soviet Russia, they will certainly not be able to take care of us. The United States has little interests in China, and it has just experienced a world war in which there are not many losses and little gains (as the Americans think), and it is impossible for them to cross the Pacific Ocean and send troops to make things difficult for us. And Japan was about to seize the Far Eastern territories of White Russia, and such an act was tantamount to a rebellion in the eyes of Britain, France and the United States! Their relations with Britain, France, and the United States will certainly fall to a freezing point, and naturally it is impossible for them to act as the vanguard of Britain and France's interference in the "revolution" of China...... Their main efforts will certainly be focused on consolidating new territories in the Far East. You must know that Soviet Russia has just torn up the "Brest Treaty" signed with the Allies! Therefore, we only need to show a certain amount of strength now, let those powers know that our national government is not so easy to bully, and we can unilaterally tear up the unequal treaties that oppress us, take back the tariff autonomy, take back the concessions, take back the sovereignty of the Yangtze River, and refuse to pay all foreign indemnities! ”

Listening to Chang Ruiqing's bold words, several high-ranking officials in the office, including Chen Duxiu, looked at him with a suspicious look. After a while, Chen Duxiu was the first to ask: "Yaoru, what do you mean by showing a certain strength?" ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled coldly, looked at the deputy general manager of the Kuomintang, and said slowly: "Of course, that refers to the War of Resistance against Russia in the Northeast!" If our Commander-in-Chief Chiang can command a 100,000 or 200,000 [Central] ** team to defeat the 60,000 or 70,000 White Russian invading army, then how can the 1 million army under our Nationalist Government resist the invasion of 300,000 British and French troops? Lloyd's. Is it possible for George and Clemenceau to send so many troops to China to defend their interests in China? (To be continued......) !!