69novels Chapter 271 Chaos is brewing in the North...
Chapter 271 Chaos is brewing in the North...
Outside Jining city, the cold autumn wind swept in, carrying billowing smoke and the smell of earth.
Along the wide road, discarded military caps, tattered Mosin-Nagant rifles, and messy footprints left by fleeing Fengtian Army soldiers could be seen everywhere.
The south gate of Jining city wall had been largely destroyed, with rubble and debris scattered all over the ground. Several Panzer III tanks of the Chen family army's Second Armored Division were quietly parked beside the ruins, their engines emitting a low, labored sound, and their tracks covered with dark red blood and mud.
"My God..."
Outside the camp gate, Song Qingyang, the special financial envoy from Nanjing, dressed in a crisp suit, was trembling as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his legs feeling weak.
He had just stepped out of the car when he looked up and saw a massive gray steel behemoth. The turret of the Panzer III was slowly rotating, and the dark 50mm gun muzzle seemed like the eye of death, coldly sweeping over his head.
"Special Envoy Song, the young marshal is already waiting for you inside."
A military officer from the National Defense Forces, carrying an MP18 submachine gun and with a stern face hidden under his helmet, stepped forward. His tone was cold and showed no respect whatsoever.
"Alright, alright! Thank you for leading the way, sir!"
Where was the arrogant tycoon Song Qingyang who usually commanded respect in Jinling? He bowed humbly, nodded repeatedly, and walked into the camp gate with trepidation under the watchful eyes of several fully armed German-trained guards.
At this moment, in the temporary office on the second floor of the headquarters.
Chen Zijun stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge battle map, his expression indifferent.
He gently tapped the mahogany tabletop, his eyelids slightly lowered, a thought stirring in his mind. A pale blue illusory light screen, visible only to him, then appeared in mid-air.
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System Panel]
Current funds: £6,543,876
[Daily Increase in Funds]: £1.5 per second (continuously soaring)
[Current troop strength]: Five fully-equipped German-trained infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht, the 2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade, the 1st Destroyer Group, the submarine fleet, the 2nd Armored Division, the 1st Motorized Infantry Division, etc.
"With over 30 million pounds of confidence, I am the only rule on this land."
Chen Zijun stared at the constantly changing numbers on the panel, a cold yet confident smile playing on his lips.
The Battle of Xuzhou annihilated 150,000 of the Fengtian Army's main force. Although the consumption of ammunition and fuel was staggering, it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean of defense spending compared to the system's money-printing machine that produced 1.5 pounds per second and over 100,000 pounds per day.
"Reporting to the young marshal!"
Shen Li pushed open the door and entered, a rare, mocking smile appearing on his usually cold and hard face:
"Special Envoy Song from Nanjing has arrived and is waiting outside. Judging from his appearance, he was quite frightened by our armored infantry battalion's tanks; he could barely walk straight."
"Let him in."
Chen Zijun turned off the system panel, leisurely picked up the white enamel cup on the table, and took a sip.
A moment later, Song Qingyang walked in tremblingly. Upon seeing Chen Zijun, who was sitting upright in a large chair in a crisp gray general's uniform, he immediately forced a fawning smile and bowed deeply.
"Oh my! Young Marshal Chen! I've long admired your name! Meeting you today, I can see you are truly a dragon among men, with unparalleled divine might!"
Chen Zijun didn't even look up, casually blowing on the steam rising from the enamel mug:
"Special Envoy Song, Commander-in-Chief Chang sent you north overnight; you didn't come just to flatter me, did you?"
"No, no!"
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Song Qingyang's forehead. He quickly and respectfully took out a document bearing the bright red seal of the Nanjing government from his briefcase and presented it with both hands:
"Young Marshal, Commander-in-Chief Chang was deeply pleased to learn of your great victory over the Fengtian warlords in Xuzhou and your pacification of the region! The Commander-in-Chief specifically sent me to deliver the appointment order for the Lunan Defense Zone!"
He carefully observed Chen Zijun's expression and said:
"If the young marshal is willing, all defense and tax revenue in southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu will be under the jurisdiction of the Southeast Headquarters! In addition, the Nanjing government is willing to allocate an additional two million silver dollars for military expenses, which will be disbursed immediately!"
While wiping his sweat, Song Qingyang said with a forced smile:
"The Commander-in-Chief means that we are all comrades in the National Revolution. Now that the overall situation is settled, we implore the Young Marshal to be lenient and immediately order the frontline troops to cease fire and stop fighting northward. This would prevent harm to our compatriots and avoid becoming a laughingstock in the eyes of outsiders. What do you think, Young Marshal?"
"Did it damage the harmony among compatriots?"
Chen Zijun slowly put down the white enamel cup, his knuckles tapping crisply on the desk, and suddenly two cold glints, like blades, shot from his eyes:
"Special Envoy Song, go back and tell Commander-in-Chief Chang, when Zhang Shizong's 150,000-strong army marched south, why didn't he talk about kinship? When the British consul and Japanese agents assassinated me with anti-tank rifles at a Shanghai Chamber of Commerce dinner, why didn't he talk about kinship?"
Song Qingyang felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down on him, and he trembled so badly that he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears:
"Young Marshal, please calm down! Young Marshal, please calm down! The Commander-in-Chief was forced into this situation; it's all the warlords below who are sowing discord!"
Chen Zijun snorted coldly, stood up, strode to the huge map, grabbed a red and blue pencil, and drew a thick red line on one side of the defense line north of Xuzhou and Jining, in southern Shandong:
"Go back and tell Commander-in-Chief Chang, and also that Baldun who's been pulling strings behind the scenes!"
"Northern Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and the entire Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui region are now my defense zone, Chen Zijun's zone! This red line is the bottom line for my Chen family army!"
Chen Zijun slammed the red and blue pencils hard on the table, making a crisp cracking sound.
"Any force, whether it be the remnants of the Fengtian clique or the Central Army in Nanjing, that dares to cross this red line will be utterly and physically annihilated by the Krupp artillery and armored formations of my Chen family army!"
"Also, why did the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army stop the northern expedition once he arrived in Nanjing? Did he find Nanjing too comfortable? Beiping is still in the hands of the Fengtian clique!"
"If Commander-in-Chief Chang, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, doesn't fight, then I, Chen Zijun, can reluctantly continue the Northern Expedition, recover Beiping, and unify the whole country!"
Song Qingyang's face was ashen, and he knelt on the ground, nodding repeatedly.
"Yes! Yes! This subordinate will relay every word to the principal!"
Chen Zijun walked up to him, looking down at him with icy coldness in his eyes:
"Stop your petty tricks in Shanghai and Nanjing. I don't care about Nanjing's tax revenue or stamp duty. But if I discover any more Chang-affiliated spies secretly infiltrating the Southeast, or any more assassination attempts..."
He pointed out the window to the Panzer II and Panzer III tanks that were undergoing rumbling preparations, his tone chilling:
"My Chen family's Second Armored Division can march south along the Jinpu Railway at any time, to the courtyard of the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, and discuss with President Chiang Kai-shek face-to-face how the rules of the world should be written!"
"Do you understand?!"
Song Qingyang felt a sudden chill in his crotch, almost collapsing, and said in a trembling voice:
"Understood! Understood! This subordinate complies! Young Marshal, rest assured, Jinling would never dare to harbor the slightest improper thoughts!"
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open roughly.
Chief of Military Intelligence, Mo Lanzhi, dressed in a black leather jacket, looked travel-worn. Her beautiful face was filled with an unprecedented solemnity. She clutched an urgent telegram tightly in her hand, and strode past Song Zi'an, who was kneeling on the ground, straight towards Chen Zijun.
"Young Marshal! A major incident has occurred in Fengtian!"
Chen Zijun raised an eyebrow slightly:
"What happened?"
Mo Lanzhi leaned close to Chen Zijun's ear and reported in an extremely fast but clear voice:
"Just this morning, the Japanese Kwantung Army secretly planted high explosives on the train line on Marshal Zhang's return journey, completely destroying the Fengtian warlord's special train! It has been confirmed that Marshal Zhang died on the spot, and the Fengtian warlord's mansion is now in complete chaos!"
"What?!"
Before Chen Zijun could speak, Song Qingyang, who was slumped on the ground, heard the words "Huanggutun" and "Zhang Xinmin" and his expression changed drastically. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"General Zhang is dead?! How...how can this be?! Is the news true?"
Marshal Zhang was a king who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops and dominated the Northeast! With his death, the entire North would surely fall into a huge chaos of being leaderless!
Shen Li strode in, a cold glint in his eyes, and added in a deep voice:
"Young Marshal, the intelligence is confirmed. The Kwantung Army of Japan has begun secretly mobilizing troops outside the Great Wall. The 14th and 2nd Divisions are advancing towards Shanhaiguan, and there are also unusual movements in the Japanese naval fleet. The Japanese are trying to take advantage of the internal strife within the Fengtian clique to directly annex the three northeastern provinces!"
Song Qingyang collapsed to the ground, his head buzzing, and he was gripped by extreme panic.
"The Japanese are about to make their move... It's over, the north is completely finished! If the three northeastern provinces are lost, North China and the plains will be completely exposed to the Japanese bayonets!"
He eagerly raised his head, looked at Chen Zijun, and almost pleaded:
"Young Marshal Chen! With the nation in peril, and you commanding such a powerful army, you must save the country! If you are willing to send troops north to assist in defending the border, President Chiang will certainly appoint you as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the entire nation!"
"Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Nation?"
Chen Zijun sneered, his eyes full of disdain:
"Chang Guangtou abandoned the area outside the Great Wall himself. Why should my brothers pay for his deaths? Just because of his empty promise?"
He turned around, gazing at the vast expanse of black soil beyond the Great Wall on the map, his eyes deep and unfathomable:
"With Marshal Zhang dead, that greenhorn Xiao Liuzi was no match for the various elders of the Fengtian clique. The Japanese bombshell has completely blown the sky up."
"However, if the Japanese want to swallow up the three northeastern provinces so easily, they'll have to ask my heavy artillery for permission first!"
Chen Zijun turned around abruptly, his expression extremely stern, and issued a thunderous military order:
"Shen Li! Pass on my orders!"
"First, order all five infantry divisions of the National Defense Forces to immediately enter a state of first-level combat readiness! The defense lines between Xuzhou and Jining will be taken over by the 12th Division. Construct permanent concrete fortifications and air-raid shelters overnight, and move the 88mm anti-aircraft guns to the front lines!"
"Second, speed up Liu Zhenliang's shipyard! The refitting and sea trials of the two sister ships of the 'Zhendong,' the cruisers Zhenbei and Zhennan, must be completed within a month! The submarine force must immediately set sail from Wusongkou and establish a wolfpack-like warning network along the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea routes! If any Japanese troop transport ships dare to cross the red line, sink them on sight!"
"Third, order the Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Plant and the Jiangnan Arsenal to operate all production lines 24 hours a day in two shifts, and double the output of artillery shells, tank parts, and new rifles!"
"Yes, young marshal!"
Shen Li and Mo Lanzhi stood at attention, gave a solemn military salute, and strode away.
Chen Zijun looked down at the utterly terrified and lifeless Special Envoy Song, and coldly waved his hand:
"Special Envoy Song, take your appointment order and get back to Nanjing. Tell President Chang that if he wants to live, he should obediently guard his Jiangnan region. As for the storm in the north, I'll personally deal with the Japanese!"
"Yes, yes! This subordinate will leave right away, right away!"
Song Qingyang felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the headquarters office, fearing that Chen Zijun might change his mind and shoot him dead.
In the empty office, only Chen Zijun remained.
Outside the window, layers of dark clouds rolled in like roaring waves, foreshadowing a violent storm that would sweep across the country.
Chen Zijun slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
"You little devils from Japan, since you want to follow that old path... and since the wheels of history have arrived here ahead of schedule, then I'll use steel and heavy artillery to smash this damned history to smithereens!"