New Warlords 1909

In addition, inviting foreigners to participate in military exercises is also a way to tell them who is the most powerful warlord in Anhui.If you want to protect your interests in the Yangtze River Basin and even Anhui, don't ignore my existence, Hua Fei!And if the final support of foreigners can be obtained, or if they acquiesce in Hua Fei's control of southern Anhui.With Hua Fei's movements, he will be able to let go of his hands and feet even more!

So when the Anqing provisional government received that Hua Fei was about to hold a joint military exercise between the navy and the army, they were all surprised and puzzled.Didn't you say that you led the army to the south in order to organize the militias from all over the country?Why did this happen all of a sudden, what do you want to do?What are you doing?

Not only Anqing government officials were puzzled and surprised, Wu Zhenhuang from Wuhu, Li Zongyue from Tongling and other military government officials from various places were also surprised.They received a telegram from Anqing not long ago, and they already knew that Hua Fei might lead an army to reorganize them.Everyone is preparing for the defense, ready to take delaying and perfunctory measures.But after waiting for a few days, a telegram came, inviting them to lead their troops to Anqing to participate in military exercises!

"Commander Wu, this may be the scheme of that idiot Hua, the commander must not go into danger himself!"

Wu Zhenhuang from Wuhu pondered for a while, then shook his head and said, "You all think that Commander Hua is a warrior, but you have seen his every move in the past. Although he is iron-blooded and good at martial arts, he is not a bloodthirsty devil. Such an iron-blooded soldier , he disdains to use conspiracies and tricks. Besides, he is still the chief of Anhui military and political affairs after all, and he is our top leader in name. Even if he may depose my position, there is no need to hurt me. Inform Wu Fa and gather a battalion of soldiers and horses , let's go to Anqing!"

The big local tyrants and gentry in southern Anhui also received Hua Fei's invitation letter. Unlike Wu Zhenhuang, they were generally wary of Hua Fei.However, Hua Fei sent an invitation letter after all, and it was still in the name of Anhui Military and Political Chief.Not going is always bad etiquette, giving people a handle.So I had to send some heavyweights in the family to lead a group of juniors to observe, and by the way, let those juniors see how powerful this legendary Hua Lengzi is!

All of a sudden, all the powers in southern Anhui and Anhui turned their eyes on Anqing and this military exercise.

(Thank you Phantom Knight and his friends, you gave me warmth, thank you~)

52 Deterrence

The cadets of the Hefei Jagged Military Academy were so excited when they heard that Hua Fei was going to hold a military exercise in Anqing, they jointly requested to participate in the name of the Youth Student Army.Since they defected to Hua Fei, except for the Hefei defense battle, they have basically never seen many military battles.How can you be willing to let go of this rare opportunity now.

Hua Fei received a collective application from the Jagged students, and after considering it, he decided to let the Jagged Military Academy temporarily have a holiday, so that all students can come to observe, instead of participating as a young student army.In addition, invitations were sent to firearms repair factories, ammunition production factories, representatives of technicians recruited from various places, and Wangshen in Luzhou Prefecture.Invite them to participate in military exercises and see for themselves the real military strength Hua Fei possesses.

Ten days later, most of the military governments and gentry of the counties in southern Anhui only sent a few representatives, and only Wu Zhenhuang of the Wuhu Military Government led a battalion of soldiers and horses to participate.Smith was not in Shanghai because he was dealing with arms matters in the United States, so he was unable to arrive.Kyle personally led a group of foreigners to Anqing. With their keen political sense, they could of course see that Hua Fei, the powerful military and political chief in this place, must have a profound meaning in his move.The purpose of their coming here is very simple, that is to increase their personal friendship with Hua Fei in order to seek greater commercial benefits in the future.

The British, who have huge interests in the Yangtze River Basin, even sent a representative of a business group to participate in Huafei's military exercise.They have long been eager to know Hua Fei's real military strength. Of course, most importantly, they also want to find out Hua Fei's attitude towards foreigners, especially the British presence in the Yangtze River area.

To Hua Fei's surprise, the reporters from the newspapers and media, who didn't know how to hear the news, rushed to Anqing one after another, preparing to follow up and report the military exercise in Anqing throughout the city.Among them were several reporters who were actually correspondents of foreign newspapers stationed in China.

On a high ground by the Yangtze River, a high observation platform is built.Foreigners such as Hua Fei and Kyle in military uniforms sat in the first row, behind them were all local gentry and local tyrants and representatives of the military government.All the trainees of the Jagged Military Academy stood near the observation platform, looking eagerly.

Wu Zhenhuang's first battalion also did not participate, but stayed nearby as spectators just like the cadets of the military academy.Everyone was wondering in their hearts at this time, this is for autumn fuck, but what about people?Not to mention the soldiers ahead, except for those various strange marks and targets, there was not even a shadow of a living person!This... what kind of tricks is this going to play?

"Mr. Hua, do you know this military exercise? When will it start?" A British businessman beside Hua Fei asked politely.

Hua Fei took out his pocket watch, opened it and snapped it shut, "Ten seconds left!"

"The exercise begins!"

Following Hua Fei's order, the correspondent quickly sent a telegram to start the exercise, and a signal flare also flew into the air.All the audience began to be silent and nervous, but there was still no movement in the practice field in front of them. What's going on?

"Look, warship!"

Following the loud shout of an iron-blooded military academy cadet, everyone turned their attention to the Yangtze River in the distance.The audience on the guest stage picked up binoculars one after another in order to see more clearly.

A dozen warships were seen billowing thick black smoke from the river against the rising sun.The huge gun muzzle shone with a sharp light, making people afraid to stare at it.

Just when everyone quietly slowed down their breathing, boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!A dozen warships emitted dense flames at the same time, and shells accurately hit the fortifications marked with lime on the shore.Under the cover of the intensive firepower of dozens of artillery pieces, the exercise ground on the entire river bank was full of dust and flames shot into the sky.Even though they were separated by more than ten miles, the guests and spectators seemed to feel the soaring heat and the thunderous explosion.

The violent shelling lasted about 10 minutes, and the range from the river bank to the hinterland was almost covered by artillery fire.Whether it is the students of the Iron-Blooded Military Academy, or the representatives of the military government and the country gentry, as long as they have a little common sense, they can understand that under such dense artillery fire, it is difficult to survive within the range of tens of miles. The resistance is gone.

The smoke from the artillery fire has not yet dissipated, and behind the warships are armored transport ships full of heavily armed soldiers of the new army.Almost at the moment when the gunfire stopped, the No. 1 soldier jumped off the side of the ship and boarded the river bank.Under the cover of the machine guns of Hatchkiss and Armstrong on the warship, more soldiers landed in a flood.Then Maxim, who was resisting by four people, firmly occupied the river bank.Followed by hundreds of light 57mm, 75mm field guns and mountain guns.

With the support of naval gunfire, the main force of the [-] elite new army, accompanied by [-] defenders, launched a new round of fierce offensive against the designated area for the exercise.All marked areas were ruthlessly destroyed by artillery fire.

As the exercise troops advanced, the sound of vibrations and explosions got closer and closer.Some of the timid spectators were pale, and they almost couldn't even stand upright.If one of the cannonballs in the sky misses and falls to the top of the head, wouldn't it be the end?

Some even maliciously speculated that this legendary savage Hua Lengzi would use the pretext of a drill to catch them all the powerful gentry and foreigners in southern Anhui!

The so-called layman watches the excitement, while the insider watches the way.In the eyes of Wu Zhenhuang and other military-savvy people, Hua Fei's military exercises are definitely not superficially lively.Both Wuhu and Tongling are cities along the river.In fact, Hua Fei's sea-land joint military exercise is mainly aimed at them.Such powerful fire support, such well-trained troops.Not to mention the thousands of militiamen in Wuhu, even if they unite all the militiamen in southern Anhui to completely defeat Hua Fei, Wu Zhenhuang is also uncertain.What's more, it is simply impossible to unite all the militias in southern Anhui.Only now did Wu Zhenhuang understand why Hua Fei didn't want his troops to participate in the exercise, because their military literacy was not at the same level at all.At this point, Wu Zhenhuang finally understood why Commander Hua was able to go south to Anqing and east to Nanjing with only a few thousand troops, and no one could resist him!

These armies, no matter in terms of individual military accomplishment or joint tactical training, are more than a notch better than any army Wu Zhenhuang has ever seen.Wu Zhenhuang was a little lucky, if he hadn't come to Anqing personally, how could he have enjoyed such a wonderful military combat exercise!

Those foreigners were also attracted by the intense exercise.If they hadn't remembered that this was a drill, they would have almost suspected that a fierce battle was taking place right in front of them.Many of them have seen wars before, but in the far east, this is definitely the first time they have seen such a strong firepower and brave fighting force.Some of the soldiers participating in the exercise may have combat qualities that are no lower than those of their country's soldiers!

Some British businessmen were secretly alarmed. The Anhui Yangtze River Basin was controlled by such a powerful army. I really don't know if it is a blessing or a curse!Such a force that cannot be ignored was born in the Eastern Empire, and its long-term influence cannot be ignored.It seems that after returning home, he will report to the embassy in detail and re-evaluate Hua Fei's position in the British Empire's diplomacy with China.

Seeing that most of the people were overwhelmed by the powerful firepower displayed in the exercise, Hua Fei smiled with satisfaction.In fact, it would be more accurate to say that this is a military exercise rather than a military performance.In order to achieve the greatest visual and auditory effects, Hua Fei took out a lot of gunpowder accumulated in the ammunition factory.The soaring flames, the violent explosion, and the psychological deterrence brought about by the powerful visual impact and auditory impact are the effects Hua Fei needs.The ammunition consumption of this exercise alone is enough to sustain several high-intensity combat attacks, and Hua Fei doesn't seem to feel sorry or regret it.This kind of calm, in the eyes of outsiders, seems to be full of confidence, and they can't figure out his reality!

When the exercise was over, all the participating soldiers walked past the observation platform in a neat formation, Hua Fei stood up, maintained a military salute and shouted, "Fight!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Shouted overwhelmingly, accompanied by those grey, sweaty, resolute faces.The psychological pressure brought by the deep echo is several times stronger than the explosion of those shells.Some people even started to tremble slightly in fright amidst the orderly drinking.

"victory!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

Until all the soldiers participating in the exercise left, until the entire exercise field was quiet.Most of the observing guests are still immersed in the iron-blooded fighting atmosphere, and they haven't recovered for a long time.Those reporters were the first to break the silence and surrounded Hua Fei one after another. The spotlight flashed dazzlingly, and everyone rushed to ask questions.

"Commander Hua, what is the purpose of your military exercise?"

"Commander Hua? Are you deterring by force? Do you want to forcibly unify the southern Anhui region?"

"Commander Hua, what do you think of the Senate's election of Yuan Shikai as interim president?"

"Mr. Hua, will you continue to implement your land reform bill in Luzhou Prefecture in southern Anhui?"

"..."

53 Occupation of Southern Anhui

The warships emitting black smoke, the sharp and vicissitudes of artillery, the practice field full of war, the neat square formation full of murderous aura...All of these were photographed and published in major newspapers a few days later.

"The first army of the Chinese Revolutionary Army, sharpen your sword and show your might, a joint sea-land military exercise outside Anqing City!"

"Ocean merchants in Shanghai are invited to participate in the Anqing military exercise, and Hua Fei shows off China's military power to foreigners!"

"The First Army of the Chinese Revolutionary Army proved their strength to the world with their shocking exercises!"

"Hua Fei's Anqing military exercise is brave, and the gentry and local tyrants in southern Anhui suffer!"

"..."

All kinds of praise or satire articles filled the pages of all newspapers.This gray world once again set off a wave of excitement.Whether it is young people who are concerned about current affairs or ordinary people who are busy with their livelihoods all day long, after hearing about another violent incident by Hua Lianzi, they all paid for the newspapers of the day!

Stick!The report this time is fiercer than ever!why?Because there are pictures!Look, look at this warship, is this really the navy of the Republic of China?Looking at these mighty soldiers, fierce artillery, and sharp weapons, it is no wonder that so many young people defected to Anqing a long time ago, wanting to join the army.Just looking at these pictures makes people excited!No wonder, no wonder that Hua Yanzi was so arrogant and arrogant in Anhui, no wonder this Hua barbarian went to Anqing, Nanjing, and even the central government's navy department!People, they have confidence!

Unlike ordinary people who pay attention to those pictures, the focus of attention of many students and scholars as well as military and political figures in various places is the interview questions of those reporters.

"The purpose of the military exercise is a test of troop training, a demonstration and assessment of combat effectiveness. As for the unification of southern Anhui by force you mentioned, it is not accurate. The entire Republic of China is a unified country, just half of southern Anhui In a provincial land, how can we talk about unification? As for unification by force, it is even more absurd."

"As the military and political chief of a province, Hua has no right to comment on the decision of the Senate! Hua respects the decision of the Senate and recognizes Mr. Yuan Shikai as the interim president of the Republic of China. Hua only hopes that the North and the South can reach an early reconciliation so that All people with lofty ideals devote themselves to the construction of the country, so that the Chinese nation can realize the great cause of rejuvenation as soon as possible, this is Hua's great wish."

"As for the land reform bill you mentioned, this is a decree promulgated by the Nanjing Provisional Government. As the military and political chief, Hua still can't answer you about this civil affairs!"

"..."

Hua Fei seemed to be in a good mood, and it was the first time he publicly answered reporters' questions in the media.He knows everything from his judgment and position on the current situation to his personal hobbies, marriage and family.Sometimes sincere and sincere.Sometimes ingenious, avoiding the important and taking the light.When answering questions from several foreign journalists, he even spoke fluent American English, which made many foreigners present applaud loudly.Where is the legendary warrior here, where is the bloodthirsty barbarian.This is the real gentleman, this is the elegant general!

It has to be said that Hua Fei's excellent communication skills won the favor of most of the reporters present, which also made the report exciting, and generally favored Hua Fei.However, in the eyes of many interested people, the following important information can be drawn from Hua Fei's answer.