Although, Yuan Datou was very angry about Duan Qirui and other Beiyang generals defecting to the Northern Army, and he wanted to break them all into pieces. However, in the end, he had to give up the idea of taking the generals' families out of anger.

The Northern Army had clearly warned him that if he did so, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the Northern Army. Now, Yuan Datou no longer has the slightest confidence in defeating the Northern Army and maintaining his rule. Before and after, the Beiyang Army had lost thirty towns and ten mixed associations in Yanjing and its surroundings, which was already equivalent to two-thirds of the total strength of the Beiyang Army. Will the remaining 200,000-odd troops still be able to withstand the Northern Army? That's obviously a fool's dream.

Under such circumstances, Yuan Datou also had to think about his own future. He is now fifty years old, and he is seriously ill (Yuan Datou suffers from uremia), and he does not know how long he will be able to live. But his children will continue to live! If he executes the families of those rebel generals today, the Northern Army will definitely treat his relatives in the same way. Yuan Datou didn't want to be exterminated by the Nine Clans.

Therefore, Yuan Datou finally had to give up and swallow this evil breath. Not only that, but he also took the initiative to release the families of those rebels. I hope to be able to leave a love of incense and leave a way back for the future.

After Kaifeng, Yuan Datou ordered the team to speed up to Jinling. Yanjing City has already fallen, and the Northern Army will definitely attack soon. The remaining 200,000 or so people of the Beiyang Army are gathering in Jinling, and they must hold a piece of territory as much as possible. If there is no land left, then how can you ask foreigners to mediate?

After learning that their families had been released, the generals of the Beiyang Army who had surrendered to the Northern Army breathed a sigh of relief. They also cooperated more with the actions of the Northern Army. These people all knew what Yuan Datou was, and they originally thought that their family was probably going to die. But I didn't think of it. Yuan Datou actually softened. They knew that it must be because Yuan Datou was threatened by the Northern Army, so he had to release everyone's family.

The more than 100,000 Beiyang Army, which surrendered to the Northern Army, began to be reorganized. Those who are willing to continue to join the army will begin to be assessed, and only those who pass the assessment can continue to stay. Those who want to go home. The Northern Army also paid for the journey, twenty yuan per person, which was already a lot of money for these big-headed soldiers. Although, the soldiers of the Beiyang Army also have five or six oceans of military pay every month. But after deducting the food and the deductions of the superior officers, there is not much left in the end. Some Beiyang officers and men originally had complaints about the Northern Army, but now their grievances have also been dispelled.

Twenty oceans. It is enough for them to go back to their hometown to buy one or two acres of land and live a good life comfortably. When the northern army dominates the world, the whole world will be peaceful. In times of peace and prosperity, who wants to be a soldier?

As for those officers, many of them chose to go to the Army School or Army University of the Northern Army. Most of the people who can become officers have some ability. After seeing the strength of the Northern Army, they seemed to see another way. They also want to be able to integrate into the Northern Army and become a member of them. Not only can you defend your home and country. If you make immortal contributions, you can realize the value of your life.

After taking Yanjing City. The Northern Army rested in Yanjing City for three days. Since moving south from Shanhaiguan and Zhangjiakou, the troops have been very tired. A rest is conducive to restoring the combat effectiveness of the troops. After that, the Northern Army left two infantry divisions to garrison Yanjing City, and the remaining fourteen infantry divisions, five cavalry brigades and four heavy artillery brigades continued south.

Yuan Datou fled south. The fall of Yanjing City dealt a huge blow to those local officials in Beiyang. On the way south of the Northern Army, these local officials almost surrendered to the wind, making the control of the Northern Army more and more wide.

On December 5, the Northern Army captured Kaifeng and Quancheng respectively. This meant that the Northern Army's front had crossed the Yellow River and began to advance further south. However, the weather is also getting colder, and it has begun to snow in the north. Even though the Northern Army did a good job of keeping warm, and every soldier was issued a cashmere coat, there were still non-combat attrition due to the cold.

"Young marshal, the weather is too cold, the brothers are miserable now!" Lieutenant General Shi Tianhan said. Although, the area controlled by the Northern Army is now getting bigger and bigger, and he is very excited. But the soldiers who began to frostbite and even froze to death made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"I know. However, we have no choice but to seize this winter's time to completely stabilize the domestic situation. By next spring, I'm afraid we'll have to continue to fight Lao Maozi. When the time comes, our energies will once again be directed to Siberia. Wu Haoxuan said. Although, he knew that large-scale marching operations in winter would be an extremely severe test for the troops. However, he had no other way.

Wu Haoxuan hopes to be able to stabilize the situation in China this winter, not to mention unify the whole of China. But at least the vast majority of the areas must be controlled, except for the outlying areas, the rest of the areas must be brought under the control of the Northern Army. In this way, it will be possible for the Northern Army to concentrate on dealing with the Russians until next spring.

Shi Tianhan nodded, expressing his understanding. In fact, for this operation, the Northern Army has been preparing for a long time. The logistics department prepared a large number of winter clothing to ensure that the soldiers could not suffer non-combat attrition due to the cold when fighting in the winter.

"Let the logistics department find a way to send another batch of warm clothes and another batch of spirits to the front line. Each soldier gives a little, and when it is cold, he drinks a small sip, which can also play a role in keeping out the cold. However, you should never drink too much and get drunk. Wu Haoxuan specially advised. He knew that most soldiers were fond of drinking, and he didn't want his troops to have a lot of drunks when they were fighting.

"Yes, young marshal." Lieutenant General Shi Tianhan nodded.

On December 7, Yuan Datou arrived in Jinling, and the remaining 200,000 Beiyang troops also gathered in Jinling and the surrounding areas, intending to put up a stubborn resistance. They knew that the Northern Army was going all the way south and chasing after them in order to eliminate them. If it fights in an upright manner, the Beiyang Army will have no chance of winning. Therefore, Yuan Datou can only think of other ways.

Yuan Datou sent Xu Shichang and Tang Shaoyi to meet with British, Japanese, and Russian ministers in China, asking them to help the Beiyang government tide over the difficulties. However, the performance of the Beiyang Army has also caused a headache for the ministers of these countries in China. They suddenly found that the Beiyang Army seemed to be really muddy and couldn't support the wall! In this case, if they want to help the Beiyang Army rule China, they will have to pay a greater price.

The Northern Army quickly took Yanjing and began to move southward, which also gave a great shock to the other powerful factions in China. The originally powerful Beiyang Army was so vulnerable, it was like a paper tiger, and it was broken with a single stab.

Wuchang is the largest city in Central China and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Because of the geographical location, Wuchang is very prosperous. In addition, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, has always attached importance to foreign affairs, so that the combat strength of the Hubei New Army has always been in the forefront of the country, even if it is not as good as the most elite troops of the Beiyang Army, but there is not much difference. In addition, Hubei has its own iron and steel mills and arsenals, so that the comprehensive combat strength of the Hubei New Army cannot be underestimated.

Even when the Beiyang Army was in its heyday, it did not dare to take action against the Hubei New Army easily. Now, the main force of the Beiyang Army has been defeated, which has made the pressure of the Hubei New Army disappear all at once.

Before Yuan Datou became emperor, the Hubei New Army had only four towns and more than 50,000 people. However, in the face of the pressure of the Beiyang Army, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, ordered the expansion of the army, and the Hubei New Army expanded from four towns to eight towns, with more than 100,000 people. Because of the support of the arsenal, the expansion of the Hubei New Army will not be constrained by the lack of weapons and equipment in the slightest.

In the Governor's Palace, Zhang Zhidong was gathering a group of generals of the Hubei New Army to discuss the battle situation at the moment. Zhang Zhidong is known as a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty after Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang is still very strong. Even though he is now seventy years old, he still has a high prestige in the Huguang area.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I didn't expect the Beiyang Army to be defeated so quickly and so miserably. Yuan Datou was like a lost dog, gave up Yanjing City, and could not escape all the way to Jinling. The tiger of the Northern Army is rushing south with the tiger descending the mountain. They have already crossed the Yellow River and are expected to hit the Yangtze River soon. And we, what should we do now? Zhang Zhidong asked.

Although there are more than 100,000 people in the Hubei New Army, it belongs to the third strongest military force in China in addition to the Northern Army and the Beiyang Army. However, there is undoubtedly a big gap between the Hubei New Army and the Northern Army. If you want to compete with the Northern Army, it is undoubtedly to hit a stone with an egg.

"Your Excellency the Governor, now that Henan is empty, we can send troops north to seize the southern part of Henan. In this way, it will also be able to form a buffer between us and the Northern Army. When the time comes, whether it is war or peace, we will also have more room to turn around. Zhang Biao, the commander of the first town of the Hubei New Army, said.

"That's right, now not only Henan is empty, but Anhui is also empty of troops, and we can take the opportunity to send troops to occupy these areas. With the population of these areas, we will be able to expand our strength even further. At that time, even if we negotiate with the Northern Army, we will have more capital. The other generals also said.

Zhang Zhidong hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, agreeing with their suggestion. (To be continued......)

PS: The fourth update is here! Book friends, Xiaoyu fights, do you still have a monthly pass? Thank you for the reward of the book friend Niu A Niu! Thanks to niu913, A Yun Mengze A, Xiaoyue 533, Rabilot, Lan Shuier, Li Zhenzhen, and Feihang in the sky for the monthly pass!