Beiyang reactionaries

"Let's talk about the current domestic generals. Some of them have the courage of Duan Xun. British warships bombard them when they say they want to bombard them, and French businessmen want to arrest them. I heard that in Sichuan, Yunnan and other places, those European, American and Japanese businessmen are doing business. They are all honest and honest, and no one dares to be as unscrupulous as we in Guangdong. Duan Xun is capable, powerful, and courageous. Although Duan Qirui went to the field in the Zhiwan War, Duan Xun's strength will continue to increase. Who in the future It can be guaranteed that Duan Xun will not use military strength to enter Beijing like Cao Kun today."

Speaking of this, Tang Tingguang's meaning is already obvious.

Such a high evaluation of Duan Xun is absolutely in favor of defecting to Duan Xun.

Chen Ce wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.Seeing everyone's appearance, Lin Baoyi said in a very sad voice: "Actually, I have been thinking these days that it is time for us to leave here. Don't think that I know nothing. You have used warships to smuggle opium this past year. Escorting the opium merchants. I just turned a blind eye to the brothers in the fleet because there was no military salary on it. But this is a disaster for the country and the people. As a national navy, how can we do such a thing.”

Navy smuggling?

too common.

Because in the past two years, Lu Rongting first raised a large amount of military expenses for the war of protecting the law.Immediately afterwards, Lu Rongting's troops were defeated in Hunan, so Lu Rongting has been recruiting new soldiers for more than a year, expanding his army and preparing for war.In the end, the navy was left out in the cold, and the navy's salary was delayed again and again.

The Navy wants to live.

So I can only find a living by myself.What is the most profitable business in Guangdong at present is the opium trade.Since Duan Xun banned smoking in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Shaanxi, the price of opium across the country has increased several times, so that there is a saying that there is a tael of smoke and a tael of gold.

So the Guardian Fleet also started to smuggle opium.Not only buy opium directly from the French Indochina region, then smuggle opium, but also escort the ships of those opium merchants.Use this to make money.

Although it was a helpless move, Lin Baoyi has always felt guilty.

It shouldn't.

But Lin Baoyi could only turn a blind eye, because the guardian fleet was still alive.

"I also think Duan Xun is a good choice. And let's go to Beihai Port first. If Duan Xun treats us badly, we will go north and join Cao Kun. What do you think?"

"I agree."

Wen Shude nodded.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Chen Ce could only nod.Although Chen Ce's strength is good, it's still not enough to look at in front of so many big men in the Dharma Guardian Fleet.After all, Tang Tingguang, the boss of the Cantonese military officer, decided that Chen Ce's objection would not be of much use.

"Then let's put it this way. Let's go back now and don't reveal any rumors. In the evening, I will order all the guardian fleet currently docked in Huangpu to go to sea. After the fleet has completely left Guangzhou and reunited with other warships, We will hold a meeting on the Haichen and inform everyone of this decision. Those who are willing to go with us can go together. Those who don’t want to go with us can find a place for them to disembark, and our fleet will head straight for the North Sea.”

"Yes."

234 Turning the Tide 3

The whole country is at war.

Some can affect the situation in the whole country, and some are just competitions between local forces.For example, the war in Guangdong, although very important to Lu Rongting and Chen Jiongming, did not have much impact on the current national situation.

But Duan Xun is different.

Every move affects the situation in the country.

In the Zhiwan War, Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin won, and Duan Qirui announced his resignation.But after Duan Qirui announced his resignation, Duan Xun suddenly stepped up his actions in Henan and Hunan, which immediately angered Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin.In other words, Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin were shocked and even panicked.Ever since Wu Peifu defeated Duan Zhigui and Qu Tongfeng's Anhui elites, the Anhui warlords were cautious at the beginning.Everyone is cautious, wanting to see how the situation develops.

Unexpectedly, Duan Xun appeared.

And it is getting more and more arrogant.

In particular, Shang Zhen made a sudden move and defeated Zhao Ti, who was going north, even Zhao Ti's main force, the First Division of the Henan Army, was defeated.In fact, if Zhao Ti hadn't reorganized so many Wu Guangxin's troops in a short period of time, such a thing would not have happened.

The combat effectiveness of the First Division of the Henan Army adapted from Zhao Ti's Yi Army is still good, and the combat experience is also very rich.But the several mixed brigades guarding him are all Wu Guangxin's troops.Although he took refuge in Zhao Ti, it was only because of the facts.But these troops are not a team worthy of his trust.

Shang Zhen saw this, so he attacked the [-]st Mixed Brigade of the Henan Army in front and the [-]nd Mixed Brigade of the Henan Army on the left.In an instant, the two troops were confused, and then they were driven all the way to the place where Zhao Ti's main force was located, which not only disrupted the defense line of Zhao Ti's troops, but also shook the morale of Zhao Ti's troops.

Immediately afterwards, Shang Zhen used his main force to attack Zhao Ti's main force directly.

The [-]rd Mixed Brigade of the Henan Army on Zhao Ti's right wing watched as Shang Zhen's troops attacked Zhao Ti's [-]st Division of the Henan Army.

Played for about six hours.

Zhao Ti's main force was almost wiped out, and Zhao Ti retreated southward with less than 2000 troops.Shang Zhen ordered Lu Tao's provisional fifth division to continue to pursue Zhao Ti southward, and let Liu Tianzuo's Shaanxi Second Division go south to Nanyang, preventing Zhao Ti from controlling Nanyang.

Shang Zhen also became famous in the first battle.

Although not as famous as Wu Peifu, he has become a famous player who is currently paying attention to the whole country by virtue of his performance in defeating Zhao Ti and controlling Henan.After all, Wu Guangxin fought for a month without killing Zhao Ti, and Shang Zhen almost wiped out his entire army in the first battle.The big and small mountain bosses in Henan immediately surrendered to Shang Zhen.

Henan is lost.

This was what Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin felt instantly.Henan is the Central Plains, which is a very important place.How could Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin allow Duan Xun to control Henan.Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin must not let Duan Xun be so arrogant.But the problem for Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin now is that although they have many troops in their hands, they add up to nearly 30 troops.However, in order to fight Duan Qirui, the main force of their troops is currently concentrated in the Gyeonggi area, and some of the main force has entered Shandong to expel Zhang Shuyuan.

There is simply no way to allocate troops to manage the current affairs in Henan.

So they could only watch helplessly as Shang Zhen led a large army to continue chasing Zhao Ti, and began to seize the territory in Henan.As well as the Wu Xintian Garrison Brigade, the Henan Army's Third Mixed Brigade, the Henan Army's Fourth Mixed Brigade, and even Wang Maoshang's No.18 Division stationed in Xinye, they all began to express their opinions and obey Duan Xun's orders.

What made them even more nervous was that the warlords of the Anhui clique, who were originally shy, all came alive when they saw Duan Xun taking such an arrogant military action in Henan.

Especially Ni Sichong, the governor of Anhui.

He has the Anwu Army and Dingwu Army in his hands, as well as some local troops built in Anhui, which are very powerful.Ni Sichong had always been honest before, but now with the support of Duan Xun, Ni Sichong's troops began to encroach on the Hunan county on the border of Hunan and Anhui.

In fact, when Duan Qirui stepped down, it wasn't just the direct troops who breathed a sigh of relief, but Duan Qirui's own people were not unhappy, especially those local warlords of the Anhui clique, who were slightly happy amidst their worries.Duan Xun hoped that Duan Qirui would fail, so why not those Anhui warlords.As long as Duan Qirui is at the top for a day, these local warlords in the Anhui clique cannot do many things.

But without Duan Qirui, the Anhui warlords had no scruples at all.The current Beijing government, regardless of whether it is the great president Xu Shichang or Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin, cannot be compared with Duan Qirui in restraint and deterrence against the Anhui warlords.

If Duan Qirui was here, how would Ni Sichong dare to annex Hunan so recklessly.Ni Sichong even sent a message to Li Kuiyuan's No. 11 division and the seventh division left by Zhang Jingyao, asking them to submit to him.

Ni Sichong became more and more courageous.

Occupying a place in Anhui can no longer satisfy Ni Sichong's ambitions, so Ni Sichong wants to reorganize the Seventh Division and the No.11 Division, eyeing Jiangxi and Hunan.

There is also Lu Yongxiang, the governor of Zhejiang.

Although it was military expansion and preparation for war before, but there is Duan Qirui on it after all, and some things are not easy to go too far.But now without Duan Qirui's binding force, Lu Yongxiang became more and more courageous.

Lu Yongxiang is not short of money.

One month's opium tax in Shanghai is claimed to be able to feed three divisions of troops. You can imagine how rich Shanghai is.Lu Yongxiang wants to expand his army in Zhejiang, and he wants to have a good fight with Li Chun, the governor of Jiangsu.

This is the effect Duan Xun brought.

Originally, Lu Yongxiang, Ni Sichong and other Anhui warlords were terrified and cautious when they saw Wu Peifu defeat Duan Qirui's main force.They were all worried that after Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin took control of Beijing, they would turn around and deal with them.But Duan Xun told them with practical actions that the Beijing government without Duan Qirui is a fart.I give you face, you are orthodox.If I don't give you face, what can you do to me.Especially now that Duan Qirui has left Beijing and the new government has not yet come out, this gap has made these local warlords unscrupulous, constantly expanding their army and expanding their territory.Because there are no constraints.

Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin really couldn't wait any longer. If Duan Xun was allowed to go on like this and the Anhui warlords were allowed to be so unscrupulous, the authority of the Beijing government would completely disappear.Therefore, the two originally wanted to procrastinate, first slowly solve the troops around Beijing, and then reorganize the Beijing government.But now I can't drag it on.

On July 1919, 7, Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin invited President Xu Shichang and former Army Chief Jin Yunpeng to meet.

Known as the "Big Four Meeting" in history.

The four secretly held a meeting in Nanyuan for about three hours. On the afternoon of July 1919, 7, Xu Shichang issued a presidential decree to arrest Xu Shuzheng, Duan Zhigui, Zhu Shen, Wang Zhilong, Liang Hongzhi, Yao Zhen, Li Sihao, Yao Guozhen, Duan Qirui's direct subordinates in Beijing.It is believed that they are the chief culprits of the direct Anhui war and the destroyers hindering China's peace.

This is only the first announced list.

In addition to them, there are also a large number of generals from the Anfu Department, such as Wang Yitang and Wang Yinchuan, who are also on the wanted list.The crimes of the generals in the Anfu Department are manipulating the Congress, controlling the government, and undermining the peace between the North and the South.