69novels Chapter 270 Capturing Zhang Shizong, Military Governor of Shandong Province
Chapter 270 Capturing Zhang Shizong, Military Governor of Shandong Province
"charge--!"
Following the tanks, hundreds of elite infantrymen of the Chen family army jumped off armored personnel carriers and trucks, armed with MP18 submachine guns and Mauser pistols.
"Da da da! Da da da!"
A barrage of gunfire erupted instantly at the breach in the city gate.
Chen's army soldiers formed standard combat teams, in squads and platoons, and under the cover of the deadly fire of MG34 general-purpose machine guns, quickly entered the city.
The remaining Fengtian Army soldiers inside the city had never seen such a fierce combined infantry and tank tactic.
They lay prone behind sandbags and rubble, just about to peek out and fire a shot with their Mosin-Nagant rifle, when they were met with dozens of rounds of machine gun fire.
"what!"
"My leg! My leg is broken!"
Under the frenzied spray of water from MP18s and MG34s, the makeshift sandbag defense line at the street corner was completely torn apart by Chen's army in less than three minutes. The ground was covered with yellow and red scorched mud and the corpses of Fengtian soldiers covered in blood. Crimson blood gushed out from the cracks in the bluestone pavement.
"First row, move to the left and clear out the high-rise shops! Second row, follow me and charge into the middle of the street, straight for the train station!"
The company commander, holding a submachine gun, shouted loudly as he changed the magazine.
"The young marshal said there's a reward of 100,000 pounds for capturing Zhang Shizong! Brothers, don't let that old bastard escape on the train!"
Upon hearing the enormous reward of "100,000 pounds," the eyes of all the Chen family army soldiers instantly turned red, and they erupted in a beast-like roar:
"Kill them! Capture Zhang Shizong alive!"
"Charge! Don't let that old bastard get away!"
The deafening shouts of battle, accompanied by the roar of tanks, swept through the entire city of Jining like a violent storm.
At this moment, Jining Railway Station.
The whistles blared wildly as the only remaining heavy armored train slowly glided forward on the tracks, thick white steam billowing from the exhaust pipes atop the locomotives.
"Drive faster! Drive faster!"
Standing inside the armored vehicle, Zhang Shizong peered through the narrow firing ports in the steel plate at the chaotic train station platform outside, his nerves on edge.
On the floor of the carriage, a dozen heavy camphor wood chests were piled up haphazardly, most of their lids open, revealing pieces of gleaming gold bars and bundles of pounds and dollars, exuding an alluring yet money-grubbing atmosphere.
"General, the steam from the engine hasn't fully heated up yet. This armored vehicle is too heavy; it's slow to start!"
The train driver, covered in sweat, shouted loudly, his voice trembling with tears.
"I don't care! Use coal! Use oil! If we don't leave, we'll all die here!"
Zhang Shizong's eyes were bloodshot, and he hysterically kicked the camphor wood box.
"Bang bang bang!"
Suddenly, a burst of gunfire erupted from the perimeter of the platform.
The Fengtian Army guards responsible for blocking the perimeter were instantly routed, falling in droves on the platform steps.
"boom--!"
With a deafening crash, the red brick wall on one side of the train station was violently smashed open, sending large amounts of bricks, tiles, and debris flying everywhere.
A Panzer III tank, painted in dark green camouflage and kicking up clouds of dust, barbarically charged in.
"Squeak—click!"
The heavy steel tracks of the Panzer III tank made a sudden turn in place, crushing the sleepers and rails beside the tracks, and the massive tracks drove straight onto the foremost section of the railway.
The dark, 50mm tank gun barrel slowly rotated, finally coldly aiming at the high-pressure boiler at the locomotive of the armored train.
"Attention, train ahead! The young marshal orders you to immediately shut off the engine and stop the train!"
The tank's coaxial heavy machine gun spat out a burst of blinding tracer rounds, sweeping across the rails in front of the locomotive and sending up large amounts of metallic sparks:
"If anyone dares to take another step forward, I'll blast your steam boiler through with a single shot!"
The driver in the locomotive cab looked at the huge, dark cannon muzzle that was so close, almost right under his nose. His hands trembled, and he collapsed onto the control panel in fright, slamming on the emergency brake.
"Sizzle—!"
Large plumes of white steam billowed out, and the armored train came to a helpless stop in the middle of the tracks amidst a piercing metallic screeching sound.
"Surround them! Don't let a single one escape!"
Zang Keping, armed with a submachine gun, led a large number of elite soldiers who swarmed through the gap, instantly surrounding the steel train.
"Sir, don't shoot! We surrender! We surrender!"
The car door was deformed by the impact of the gravity hammer, and the Fengtian Army guards inside the carriage were so frightened that they dropped their pistols on the spot and walked out with their hands raised and trembling.
"Where is Zhang Shizong?! Drag him out here!"
Zang Keping kicked open the bulletproof door and strode into the luxurious command vehicle.
He roughly scanned the interior of the carriage, where, apart from gold bars and banknotes scattered all over the floor, there were only a few servants huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.
"Sir! We haven't seen Zhang Shizong!"
The soldiers searched the carriage thoroughly, and Shen Li strode in, gun in hand, his brows furrowed with a cold stern expression.
"Is this old bastard capable of flying or diving?"
Zang Keping's lips curled into a cold smile. He slowly walked to a heavy mahogany desk at the far end of the carriage and slammed it down heavily on the base of the large desk with the butt of his rifle.
"General Zhang, is it cool under the table? Should I use my submachine gun to start a fire for you to warm up?"
A violent tremor came from under the desk.
"No! Don't shoot! I'll come out! I'll come out!"
A trembling voice came from under the table.
Zhang Shizong, the once-powerful Shandong military governor who had boasted of leading 150,000 troops to tear Chen Zijun to pieces, now emerged from the narrow gap under his desk like a frightened old dog.
He was covered in coal dust and sawdust, his once crisp general's uniform was now tattered from being pulled so much, his face was patchy with black and white marks, and his lips trembled, devoid of color.
"Ouch! Sir! My lord! Spare me!"
As soon as Zhang Shizong moved out from under the table, he knelt down on the cold wooden floor of the carriage with a thud.
He scrambled to Zang Keping's boots, tears streaming down his face, completely devoid of the dignity befitting a high-ranking official and military governor of Shandong.
"I was tricked by Chang Guangtou! He sent a secret envoy to force me to go south! Silver dollars, gold bars—this carriage contains over four million silver dollars of my fortune, all of it is for the Young Marshal! I just beg the Young Marshal to ignore me!"
"Slap! Slap!"
Seeing Zang Keping's cold expression, Zhang Shizong gritted his teeth, raised both hands, and slapped himself hard twice across the face, so hard that half of his face instantly swelled up.
"I, Zhang Shizong, have a pig's brain! I was blind to dare to defy the might of the Chen family army! I surrender! I'm willing to resign by telegram! Let me go back to the border and live as a wealthy old man!"
"Tsk tsk, General Zhang's slap really made a loud noise."
A series of steady footsteps sounded, and Chen Zijun, surrounded by guards, walked into the armored vehicle.
He looked down at Zhang Shizong, who was kneeling on the ground kowtowing repeatedly, his eyes filled with nothing but endless indifference and contempt.
"Zhang Shizong, when you sent Brigade Commander Bi across the canal, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
Zhang Shizong's face turned pale, and he lay on the ground trembling, not daring to breathe.
"Shen Li, take the man away and lock him up with Brigade Commander Bi. Issue an order to all divisions: the 100,000 pounds sterling reward for Zhang Shizong's capture alive must be paid out in full!"
Chen Zijun turned around and gave a brief instruction.
"Yes, young marshal!"
Shen Li waved his hand, and several elite military police immediately stepped forward and dragged the limp Zhang Shizong away like a dead dog.
However, before Chen Zijun could even count the gold bars in the carriage, Shen Li's expression suddenly darkened. He quickly walked to Chen Zijun's side and handed him a newly translated top-secret telegram:
"Young Marshal, there's been a big commotion in Nanjing."
"When President Chang and the British and American consuls in the concessions learned that we had annihilated the Fengtian cavalry with heavy artillery and tanks in Xuzhou, they were terrified. President Chang urgently dispatched a special financial envoy to travel north day and night. The envoy is almost at the outskirts of Jining and wants to force us to cease fire under the pretext of redividing defense zones and increasing defense pay."
Chen Zijun took the telegram, glanced at it, and sneered:
"Chang Guangtou is quite shrewd; he's afraid my tanks will drive into the Presidential Palace in Nanjing."
Shen Li's expression grew increasingly solemn. He took a step closer and said in a very low voice:
"Furthermore, our informants near the Marshal's Mansion in Fengtian sent a coded telegram..."
"The Japanese Kwantung Army bombed Zhang Xinmin's special train at Huanggutun, and Marshal Zhang's fate is unknown..."